Cultivating To Immortality

Central Region, west of the Eastern Desolation Corridor.

On a silent, cold night, a continuous drizzle fell.

An old monk, wearing a bamboo hat and a kasaya, was walking slowly along a dirt road in a desolate village.

He wore a plain kasaya and carried a long tin staff with nine rings attached.

"Clang..."

"Clang..."

"Clang..."

The tin staff struck the ground, emitting sounds that echoed over the desolate village.

When he reached a withered tree, the old monk suddenly stopped, raised his head to look at the branches of the dead tree, revealing an aged face.

After a while, he pressed his palms together, closed his eyes, and bowed slightly: "Buddha saves all sentient beings, illuminating the world."

"Why do ghosts and monsters hide?"

Though his appearance was old, his voice was resonant.

"Hee hee hee hee hee —"

Amidst the swaying cold rain, a woman’s chilling laughter suddenly rang out.

"Abbot Chengyi, long time no see."

Hearing this voice, the old monk’s eyes snapped open, filled with surprise.

"After a thousand years of this boring life, has the Abbot perhaps forgotten about me?"

The old monk looked up again, towards the withered tree.

He saw a scantily clad woman sitting lightly on the originally bare branches. Aside from a few strips of crimson silk wrapped around her, large portions of her snow-white skin were exposed.

Her two slender legs, like white jade, swayed gently.

"Laoyi!"

The old monk’s pupils constricted sharply, "You..."

His voice trembled slightly: "Are you male or female now?"

"Hee hee hee..."

The woman in the tree suddenly laughed again.

"What’s wrong, Abbot?"

"Even the compassionate Bodhisattvas who save the world take on both male and female forms, is the Abbot still fixated on such things..."

The old monk frowned slightly, but clasped his hands together in front of his chest and bowed to the woman.

"This old monk was too attached to appearances."

"Abbot, there’s no need for such formality. As a guest, why not come inside and we can reminisce properly?"

The woman delicately played with the silk on her chest with her slender fingers, saying alluringly.

"It’s been a long time since a monk walked on my Yellow Springs Path."

Cold rain fell, and a chilling wind blew, causing the old monk’s kasaya to flutter slowly... Chu State, Tiansheng Pass.

Inside Song Yan’s Immortal Cave, a small cup was placed before Zhou Mengdie, into which Song Yan poured her some spiritual tea.

"Try it, it’ll refresh you."

"Oh, thank you, Senior Brother."

The young girl picked up the cup and took a sip.

"Uh..."

Zhou Mengdie looked at the "amazing" person in front of her and said, "Senior Brother Song, why did you look for me?"

It had to be said that this Senior Brother Song Yan’s appearance was indeed outstanding; just looking at him brought a sense of peace and joy.

"Oh, it’s nothing major, just a question for you."

Song Yan said gently, "We are about to leave Tiansheng Pass. Do you want to stay here, or come back to Red Maple Plains with me?"

Oh!

Zhou Mengdie suddenly understood; it was about this.

For these Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators, it was indeed no big deal, but for her, it was very important.

In fact, as a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator, she already had a considerable amount of military merits.

The military merits obtained from guarding spiritual stone veins and passes were not few. She had been here for almost two years, and had just resisted an invasion by Mo Xu Cultivators.

Although she hadn’t done much, military merits would still be recorded.

This way, upon returning to Red Maple Plains, after participating in a few more small missions and accumulating enough military merits, she could leave the front lines and return to the Sect.

Neither Tiansheng Pass nor Red Maple Plains offered her a moment of peaceful sleep, so it was better to go back sooner.

"Hehe, Senior Brother, I want to go back to Red Maple Plains."

Song Yan heard this and showed no reaction, merely nodding faintly and continuing, "Good, then three days from now, you will depart with us."

"Okay, thank you, Senior Brother!"

Perhaps it was due to drinking Song Yan’s spiritual tea, or perhaps because she could leave Tiansheng Pass, Zhou Mengdie did not daze off again.

"Oh, by the way, do you have a Master in the Sect?"

"No."

Zhou Mengdie shook her head.

In Cave Abyss Sect, Inner Sect Disciples without a specific Master generally fell under the category of Named Disciples of their respective Immortal Peak Masters.

It was quite normal not to have a Master.

Song Yan pondered for a moment, then continued to ask, "Has any Elder... come to find you after you entered the Inner Sect?"

He originally wanted to say ’recruit,’ but felt that this child didn’t understand anything, and that word might be too much.

"Oh, yes."

Zhou Mengdie was initially surprised, wondering how Senior Brother Song knew.

Then she reconsidered; even someone like herself, who just drifted along, had received an olive branch from a Sect faction, so of course Senior Brother Song Yan, a Genius of such caliber, would know.

"Elder Yang Wenxuan once came to find me and Ling’er."

Indeed.

Zhou Mengdie recalled, explaining in detail.

When Xiang Zhaoling entered the Inner Sect with her, Elder Yang Wenxuan probably took a liking to Xiang Zhaoling, a Genius Disciple with a single fire Spiritual Root, so he extended an olive branch to her as well.

To Song Yan’s surprise, according to Zhou Mengdie, Xiang Zhaoling found it fun and, pulling Zhou Mengdie along, agreed to Yang Wenxuan’s recruitment.

However, later she found it boring and simply ignored his summons.

The two girls were inseparable; what Xiang Zhaoling did, Zhou Mengdie naturally followed.

Song Yan couldn’t help but chuckle: "That’s truly her style."

However, this being the case, given Yang Wenxuan’s temperament, he probably tried to assert his authority over the two of them quite a bit.

Unfortunately, Xiang Zhaoling’s methods were mysterious and unpredictable, so Yang Wenxuan gained no advantage.

As for Zhou Mengdie... her ancestor, who could reside in her dreams in the form of a Primordial Spirit, could not be a simple character.

Thinking about it, Yang Wenxuan’s current endeavors did not seem to be going so smoothly.

Between Zhou Mengdie’s words, she also disliked this Yang Wenxuan, but out of deference to Senior Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator Song Yan, she spoke with more restraint.

Talking about these things, she chattered on, her words flowing endlessly, no longer feeling sleepy.

Zhou Mengdie also felt a bit strange, as if there was a sense of security around this Senior Brother Song Yan.

Perhaps it was because he had entered her dream, making him one of her own?

She didn’t know.

After quietly listening to Zhou Mengdie for a long time, Song Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Do you know that I am currently a Disciple of Demon Subduing Peak?"

"Mm-hmm, I know, Ling’er is too. You’re all together."

"Yes." Song Yan nodded: "Demon Subduing Peak is directly subordinate to the Cave Abyss Sect Master, dedicated to eradicating evil and eliminating demonic disasters."

"Now, I’m going to tell you something."

Song Yan’s gaze was sharp and his expression serious, making the young girl in front of him also sit up straight and become serious.

"The Law Enforcement Elder, Yang Wenxuan, is very likely colluding with Mo Xu Cultivators."

"Huh?"

Zhou Mengdie was startled by this, speechless for a moment.

What?

Elder Yang Wenxuan colluding with Mo Xu Cultivators?

Song Yan struck while the iron was hot, continuing, "Yes, this matter was previously known only to me and the Sect Master. Now, you are the third person."

"I..."

Oh my goodness, the Sect Master?

The young girl stammered, feeling somewhat overwhelmed, but also a little confused: "Senior Brother Song, but... why tell me?"

"Because I need your help to deliver something to him."

Song Yan took an ancient jade talisman from his Storage Bag.

"You don’t need to know what it does, nor should you mention my name. You just need to say that this item was seized from a Mo Xu Cultivator."

"And that your Realm is low, you don’t know its use, so you offer it to the Elder, and can also use this to request an early return to the Sect."

Zhou Mengdie was simple-minded, and dealing with an old fox like Yang Wenxuan indeed carried some risk.

Therefore, the truth didn’t have to be told in its entirety, but what was said had to be true.

Song Yan placed the jade talisman on the table and pushed it forward: "How about it?"

"If you are willing to help me with this, I won’t have to go find anyone else."

"After all, the fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better."

Listening to Song Yan’s words, Zhou Mengdie scratched her little face, her eyes showing some confusion.

It was clear her mind was working quickly.

However, to Song Yan’s surprise, Zhou Mengdie agreed without much hesitation.

"Mm! Senior Brother Song, I’m willing!"

She nodded solemnly: "Ever since Senior Brother Song came to Tiansheng Pass, you’ve helped me a lot. This small task, within my capabilities, leave it to me!"

Song Yan’s trust, the mysterious nature of the task, and the desire to repay her Senior Brother, all mixed together.

It even made Zhou Mengdie, who usually drifted through life, feel a surge of enthusiasm.

Song Yan nodded slightly: "Then I thank you."

Afterward, the two discussed in detail how to phrase things, trying to ensure Zhou Mengdie was removed from the situation, appearing only as a Disciple presenting a treasure.

As for the purpose of the ancient talisman... some things, if told by others, you might not believe, and might even become suspicious due to other factors.

Only when one investigates little by little and discovers the full picture will they become convinced.

Yang Wenxuan was also an experienced Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator; if he didn’t even have the ability to figure out the purpose of the ancient talisman, then he truly lived in vain.

A moment later, Song Yan personally escorted Zhou Mengdie out of the temporary Immortal Cave.

Upon returning, he cast a Spell and first washed himself.

Today, he planned to meditate on the Five Stars Seizing Meridians True Transformation Diagram in addition to his Cultivation.

Xiao He’s recent life had also been very regular: Cultivating, practicing the flute, and during her rest time, she would tinker with a small toy, keeping it very mysterious, not even letting him see it.

Song Yan was sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, preparing to meditate, when suddenly, his mind stirred.

"Hm?"

He took out the Jia Zuo Nuo mask from his Storage Bag; some of its patterns were faintly glowing.

Only then did he realize it was the second day of the new year again.

Today was the day for the Fangxiangshi meeting.

Song Yan didn’t hesitate and put on the mask... Nuo Realm.

Black mist permeated the air, and a giant human figure extended its arms, palms upward, fingers spread, standing silently.

In the darkness, several wisps of mist gathered, forming a black outline on the thumb of the right hand.

This outline opened its eyes, and a faint golden light emerged.

Song Yan briefly glanced around. Just like the last full meeting, seven of the giant human figure’s ten fingers, including his own, had people standing on them.

"Greetings, everyone."

Cuo Duan nodded slightly, his tone relaxed.

"Amitabha."

The figure on the right little finger spoke, reciting a Buddhist chant.

From this person’s outline, whether it was the bald head or the kasaya, it was easy to tell that this was a Buddhist Cultivator.

During the previous meeting, this Great Master did not participate much in the conversation, remaining as quiet as Song Yan.

His mask was "Xiong Bo."

Besides him, on the right ring finger, there was also a graceful female figure.

"Greetings to all."

The woman’s voice was gentle, pleasant to the ear.

From her silhouette, it was not difficult to discern that she was likely a Fairy from the Central Region.

Her mask was "Shu Wei."

"Great Master, have you obtained that page of scripture?"

Great Master Xiong Bo clasped his hands together and bowed slightly: "Thank you, Fairy. This humble monk has indeed obtained it."

"It’s just a pity that this humble monk is of dull talent and has not yet comprehended anything from it..."

Shu Wei, referred to as Fairy, shook her head slightly: "No need to be polite. If not for the Great Master’s guidance, I might have missed an Opportunity."

Song Yan remained silent, quietly listening to their conversation.

In fact, from the last meeting, he had noticed something: these people didn’t seem to care much about the Nuo mask’s codenames.

Some even knew each other’s origins or names.

During this time, several people also discussed the movements of Mo Xu Cultivators in the Central Region.

"Have you heard about what happened in the Eastern Desolation Corridor?"

Cuo Duan suddenly asked: "It’s been widely rumored these days."

Song Yan’s eyes narrowed.

He had seen the name Eastern Desolation Corridor on the map; it was a narrow strip of land running from northeast to southwest.

It was a vital route connecting the Central Region and the Border Region.

To travel from Chu State to the Central Region, one had to pass through this Eastern Desolation Corridor.

However, the more he listened, the more alarmed he became.

Firstly, the Border Region was plagued by demonic Cultivators, fighting fiercely, yet the Cultivators of the Central Region seemed to make no mention of it at all.

He didn’t know if they didn’t care, or simply weren’t aware.

Secondly, something had happened in the Eastern Desolation Corridor that had caused an uproar in the Central Region Cultivation World.

A few days ago, Chengyi, the previous Abbot of Fuxin Temple in the Central Region, was murdered in the Eastern Desolation Corridor.

Chengyi was a Great Buddhist Cultivator who had already achieved the six senses, and had long since ceased to involve himself in the many affairs of Fuxin Temple.

His journey from the Central Region to the Eastern Desolation this time was unknown to the monks in the temple.

It was said that the monks in the temple discovered that Abbot Chengyi’s life lamp had extinguished, reported it to the high monks in the temple, and only then was his body found based on clues.

When discovered, his body was placed on a bizarre altar, seemingly by evil demonic means.

The six senses Realm of Buddhism was equivalent to the Soul Transformation Realm of Daoism.

And Fuxin Temple was one of the two major Buddhist Sects in the Central Region.

The silent death of such a Great Buddhist Cultivator in the Eastern Desolation sent shivers down everyone’s spines.

The entire Cultivator World turned its attention to this matter.

"Hmm... Great Master, do you have any news from your Buddhist Sect?"

Cuo Duan said: "Because of this, my Master has even gone to the Eastern Desolation."

The others also chimed in.

"Amitabha..."

Speaking of this matter, Xiong Bo’s tone became a little somber: "This humble monk is indeed aware of this."

"The news of Great Master Chengyi’s passing is true."

"..."

Everyone looked at each other and fell into silence.