Immortal Paladin

[POV: Da Wei]

It had been quite a long time since the training of my selected champions had begun. In fact, an entire thousand years had already passed.

By now, every one of them should have been approaching the halfway point of the training regimen I had personally designed. The latter half would be spent int the last four hundred years before the competition against Supreme Heart.

At this very moment, my chosen were scattered throughout the Underworld side of the Hollowed World, battling endless vengeful spirits, tempering their Dao, refining their combat instincts, and enduring countless life-and-death struggles.

They were suffering.

...Er.

I meant they were experiencing tremendous character growth.

Meanwhile, I was spending my time on the far more pleasant side of the Hollowed World, the sunny Mortal Plane.

The abandoned Heavenly Divine Cult had undergone a remarkable transformation over the centuries. The main residence I had repaired had gradually expanded into an enormous palace under the tireless hands of the Ezekiels. Elegant halls, jade courtyards, crystal pavilions, and flowing gardens stretched across the former cult grounds while retaining the ancient aesthetic of the original architecture.

I deliberately left the surrounding ruins untouched.

Some places deserved preservation.

This place carried too many memories of Ru Qiu.

After reliving his entire life through his memories, I had unknowingly grown attached to this forgotten home as well. Every broken pillar and weathered courtyard reminded me that someone had once laughed here, cultivated here, and called this place home.

Destroying those remnants simply to make everything pristine felt wrong.

Instead, I allowed the palace to stand beside the ruins, as though the past and present had agreed to coexist peacefully.

Satisfied with today's work, I wandered toward the beach.

The white sand felt pleasantly warm beneath my feet as gentle waves rolled lazily onto the shore. The ocean shimmered beneath the afternoon sun like a sea of scattered diamonds, while the salty breeze carried the refreshing scent of the sea.

I comfortably lay on my stomach, wearing nothing but my boxers.

An Ezekiel slowly rubbed fragrant massage oil across my back with practiced hands, easing away every trace of tension from my muscles. Another stood beside me, rhythmically waving an enormous palm leaf to keep the sea breeze constantly flowing over my body. Two more alternated between feeding me sliced tropical fruit and handing me chilled fruit juice whenever my glass became empty.

Life was very good.

Further down the shoreline, dozens upon dozens of Ezekiels laughed together as they played beach volleyball. Others splashed through the crystal-clear water, built absurdly elaborate sand castles, floated lazily atop the waves, or simply basked beneath the sunlight while chatting among themselves.

The beach itself had become a lively festival.

The only peculiar detail...

Every single one of them had transformed into gorgeous women.

Golden hair, silver hair, raven-black hair, crimson hair, emerald hair, and every imaginable shade danced freely in the sea breeze. Some possessed elegant beauty befitting noble ladies, others carried playful smiles that radiated youthful energy, while several looked mature enough to make kings abandon their kingdoms without hesitation. Their swimsuits varied just as wildly, ranging from modest dresses designed for swimming to daring outfits that left very little to the imagination.

The brilliant sunlight reflected off the endless blue sea, illuminating the lively gathering with a dreamlike radiance that made the entire beach resemble paradise itself.

Ahem.

AHEM!

Before anyone misunderstood, I honestly hadn't planned any of this.

The Ezekiels had continued developing their own personalities over the centuries. Although they still shared a mysterious hive mind, each of them had become increasingly individualistic. Eventually, they unanimously decided they deserved vacations.

Who was I to argue with immortal beings who had worked nonstop for over a thousand years?

Nowadays, Ezekiels stationed throughout every corner of the Hollowed World simply swapped positions using Castling whenever their shifts ended. It functioned like an enormous rotation schedule.

I gave them complete freedom over my First Mystery, Who.

Normally, most of them preferred appearing as Holy Skeletons during work hours. Others had gradually developed unique personal forms that belonged exclusively to themselves.

Yet the moment they arrived at this particular beach, every single one transformed into an attractive woman.

I still had absolutely no idea why.

"It's obvious, duh."

I nearly jumped.

Turning my head, I discovered Gu Jie lying beside me on another beach towel. Like me, she rested comfortably on her stomach while several Ezekiels diligently massaged her shoulders, fanned her, and fed her fruit.

"When did you get here?"

"Just now." She accepted another slice of watermelon before continuing. "And yes, I read your expression. Father, they're worried about you. This is simply their way of cheering you up."

I blinked.

"...Is it really that obvious?"

"They've watched you carry the Hollowed World on your shoulders for so many years. You're always thinking about everyone else while forgetting yourself. This vacation wasn't just for them."

She smiled gently.

"It was also for you."

I quietly looked across the bustling beach from the laughing Ezekiels, the volleyball games, the splashing water, and the cheerful conversations.

...

She was right.

Watching all of them genuinely enjoying themselves somehow eased the burden weighing upon my heart.

"I suppose..." I admitted with a small smile. "It does cheer me up."

"It does."

After a comfortable silence, I turned toward her.

"So, how's your mother?"

Gu Jie suddenly coughed.

"What wonderful weather we're having today."

"..."

"The ocean is especially blue."

"...Gu Jie."

"And don't you think this beach would look even better if there were some ridiculously handsome, muscular men running around instead?"

I stared at her.

She refused to meet my eyes.

"...You're changing the subject."

"No, I'm filing a formal complaint."

"What complaint?"

She dramatically raised a hand toward the sky.

"I demand equality! Why do the vacationers become beautiful women? Where are the handsome men with eight-pack abs? I, too, deserve visual entertainment!"

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"..."

"I'm serious."

"..."

"The discrimination is unbelievable."

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"...Talk to the Ezekiels."

"They'll probably tell me to become one first."

"That sounds about right."

She let out an exaggerated sigh while another Ezekiel happily handed her a coconut drink.

"...My life is so difficult."

...

..

.

[POV: Ding Cai]

Ding Cai's training regimen had been deceptively straightforward.

It was to hunt vengeful spirits.

Unfortunately, nothing about those spirits was simple.

Each enemy seemed perfectly suited to counter her abilities. Their strange techniques neutralized her strengths while exploiting every weakness she possessed. Every battle forced her to adapt, rethink, and evolve.

It was exactly as her master had intended.

She welcomed every hardship.

If enduring this agony meant becoming stronger, then she would gladly continue walking forward. There was only one problem. The 'final boss' of her training exercise was completely unreasonable.

Ding Cai lay on the shattered ground, breathing heavily.

Around her stretched an enormous valley filled with broken cliffs and pulverized stone. Long ago, this place had been a magnificent mountain range crowned with towering peaks.

Now, nothing remained except devastation. Cracks stretched for hundreds of kilometers, countless craters scarred the earth, and mountains had been reduced to fields of rubble through repeated battles.

In her trembling hand rested her master's Human Soul, currently transformed into a curved sword.

Not far away stood Hei Mao. His clothes remained immaculate. Only one sleeve bore a clean slash across the fabric.

"Junior Sister," Hei Mao called cheerfully, his ghostly figure floating leisurely through the air. "Congratulations for passing the test! Ha ha ha! It only took you about a thousand years to cut my sleeve!"

Ding Cai stared blankly at the figure before her. This ghost was the God of the Underworld, her senior brother from the same master and the very height of unfairness. The first thing he had told her upon their reunion was that her final examination would consist of cutting his sleeve. Should she fail, her qualifications to represent their Master in the upcoming competition would be revoked.

Naturally, Ding Cai knew exactly what was happening. Hei Mao wanted her position. This cruel ghost had picked up far too many bad habits lately. He used to be such a gentle and adorable senior brother.

“Ha ha ha...” Hei Mao scratched his cheek with a mischievous grin. “Did you just think something rude about me?”

Ding Cai stiffened. Could he read minds now?

“N-No,” she answered softly.

The curved sword in her hand dissolved into smoke before reforming into her familiar smoking pipe.

“Liar,” he said.

“...”

“Come on.” Hei Mao grinned wider. “Let’s celebrate.”

Before she could protest, he grabbed her sleeve and dragged her toward an enormous ghost ship floating above the Underworld.

...

When they arrived near the Heavenly Divine Cult, Hei Mao had somehow changed clothes.

He now wore a brightly colored floral shirt paired with loose beach shorts.

Ding Cai stared.

"...Senior Brother."

"Hm?"

"What are you wearing?"

Hei Mao proudly spread his arms.

"Vacation clothes, of course! We worked hard for a thousand years. Naturally we should relax afterward!"

"..."

"You should smile more."

"..."

"It builds character."

...

Ding Cai crossed into the Mortal Plane along with her Senior Brother, following the distant sounds of laughter until they reached the beach. Hei Mao was in his element as he jumped at the sea. However, Ding Cai felt differently. Her expression froze the moment she took in the scene.

Her master lay comfortably sprawled on a beach towel, surrounded by several beautiful women who diligently massaged him, fanned him, and fed him fruit. She stared at him as though he were the lowest form of life.

The smoking pipe in her hand suddenly trembled. In an instant, it transformed back into a gleaming sword.

“Beat the shit out of him,” the sword declared.

Ding Cai slowly lowered her gaze to the weapon.

“…Master.”

“Um.” I raised a hand awkwardly. “I can explain, Disciple.”

“The Human Soul,” Ding Cai replied calmly, “which is literally a fragment of your own soul, just told me to beat you up.”

She gripped the sword tighter.

“So… what exactly is stopping me?”

Before she could continue—

Thwack!

A volleyball shot across the beach and smacked Ding Cai squarely in the face. The ball rebounded sharply and struck Master Da Wei right in the forehead. Ding Cai's master caught it before it could bounce away.

Across the court, Gu Jie doubled over in laughter.

“HAHAHAHA! Father! Junior Sister! That was incredible!”

Da Wei slowly stood up, a competitive smile spreading across my face. “Oh? You are on.”

Ding Cai immediately stepped beside him. “Master.”

“Hm?”

“Do not hold back.” She pointed toward Gu Jie with a determined look. “Destroy them.”

“Bring it on!” cried Gu Jie.

"Oh, oh, let me join!" said Hei Mao as he rushed to them.

…

..

.

[POV: Fan Shi]

Fan Shi's hair was an absolute mess.

Dark circles hung beneath her eyes after a thousand years of sleepless cultivation, and the scent clinging to her body was a horrifying mixture of blood, ectoplasm, corpse qi, ghostly miasma, and countless other strange fluids she no longer wished to identify.

She quietly walked toward a nearby river.

The cold stream washed away centuries of grime. She carefully untangled her long hair, cleaned the dried blood from her face, changed into fresh robes stored inside her spatial ring, and straightened her appearance until she once again resembled the elegant cultivator she used to be.

Only then did she continue toward the ruins of the Heavenly Divine Cult.

Like every cultivator personally gathered by His Holy Majesty, she had received an individualized trial. Her training had been unlike anyone else's. She had been tasked with taming a vengeful spirit. She had to understand it, nurture it, allow it to mature, and eventually transpose its entire existence into a cultivation technique.

It sounded impossible.

Yet throughout the thousand years, Fan Shi gradually realized that the transposition techniques inherited by her sect had merely scratched the surface of what was truly possible.

Everything possessed a form. The same was true for Dao. Even resentment, curses, and hatred itself. If those dark concepts could truly exist, then they could be transposed and controlled. The realization completely overturned everything she once thought she knew about cultivation.

“…You’re being awfully boring by continuing to ignore me.”

The woman’s voice echoed lazily inside her mind.

Fan Shi smiled helplessly. “You’ve become rather talkative.”

“I’ve always been talkative. You’re simply finally listening.”

Fan Shi shook her head. She gently raised a hand, and the invisible Curse she had painstakingly tamed over the past millennium dissolved into wisps of black mist before vanishing into her dantian. The eerie pressure that had surrounded her vanished completely.

She resumed walking.

Not long afterward, she spotted a familiar figure approaching from the opposite direction.

“…General?” She blinked in surprise. “General, is that you?”

The man stopped walking.

He looked vastly different from the last time she had seen him.

His clothes were little more than tattered scraps hanging loosely over his body. His long hair had become wild enough to resemble a beast living deep within ancient mountains. Most surprisingly, his famous spear was nowhere to be seen.

Fan Shi smiled warmly. "Congratulations, General. You've achieved rejuvenation and stepped into Immortality."

Zhu Shin chuckled. The gray streaks that had once decorated his temples and beard had disappeared entirely. His weathered face now appeared several decades younger, while his already imposing physique had grown even taller and broader.

"And congratulations to you as well, Lady Fan Shi."

He respectfully cupped his fists.

"It seems you've also reached Immortality."

She returned the gesture.

"Thank you."

Zhu Shin looked toward the distant ruins.

"Shall we return together?"

"I would appreciate the company."

They walked side by side through the desolate wasteland. Truthfully, Fan Shi still knew very little about the ruins themselves, except it was a very dangerous place. The area crawled with powerful ghosts, ancient resentments, and monstrous spirits capable of slaughtering ordinary immortals without effort.

Fortunately, the mere presence of the Holy Emperor deterred almost all of them whenever he remained nearby. Unfortunately, the first half of everyone’s training had consisted almost entirely of escaping these same ruins alive. Whenever they ventured alone into the Underworld, they had to rely solely upon themselves.

A shrill scream suddenly echoed across the wasteland. Several ghostly figures burst from beneath the cracked earth, their twisted faces distorted with endless hatred as they rushed toward the pair.

Fan Shi calmly extended one hand.

“Spectral Chains.”

Countless translucent chains erupted from beneath her sleeves.

They shot through the air like living serpents, weaving intricate formations before wrapping tightly around every vengeful spirit. The ghosts shrieked violently as the chains absorbed their resentful qi, suppressing their movements until they became completely immobilized.

At the same moment, Zhu Shin smiled.

"My turn."

He placed a hand over his chest.

A brilliant golden light erupted from within his soul.

The light condensed into a magnificent crimson spear that slowly emerged from his body as though drawn directly from his spirit itself.

The weapon radiated overwhelming vitality.

Zhu Shin’s spear released a powerful aura without him even needing to thrust forward. The remaining ghosts hesitated instinctively. With one sweeping motion, a crimson arc flashed across the battlefield, and every last spirit exploded into countless particles of ghost qi.

Fan Shi couldn’t help but admire the sight. The spear no longer felt like an ordinary weapon. It felt alive.

Zhu Shin noticed her gaze and smiled. “I couldn’t help noticing that bizarre spirit following you.”

Fan Shi glanced toward her shoulder. The transparent woman lazily floated beside her, waving enthusiastically at Zhu Shin.

“Oh.” Fan Shi smiled. “She’s mostly friendly.”

“…Mostly?” Zhu Shin raised an eyebrow.

“…She tries.”

The spectral woman immediately protested. “I am very friendly!”

Fan Shi pretended not to hear her. “This was the result of my trial. His Holy Majesty instructed me to tame a vengeful spirit instead of destroying one.”

“I see.” Zhu Shin nodded.

“What about you, General? What was your trial? And… your boon?”

Zhu Shin proudly lifted his weapon. “My greatest reward is this.” He affectionately patted the crimson spear. “An Ego Weapon.”

The spear immediately vibrated with pride.

“As for my trial,” His confident smile abruptly stiffened. “I’d rather keep that to myself.”

Fan Shi tilted her head. “Was it something embarrassing?”

“…”

“…General?”

“…Let’s change the subject.”

She smiled knowingly. “I understand.”

...

Eventually, they arrived before the only somewhat intact structure remaining within the Heavenly Divine Cult. An Ezekiel silently guarded the hidden pathway leading through the underground passage that connected the Underworld to the Mortal Plane. The skeletal guardian respectfully bowed before allowing them to pass.

Moments later, both cultivators stepped out beneath the warm sunlight. Another Ezekiel awaited them, this one had assumed the appearance of an exceptionally beautiful young woman dressed in an elegant maid outfit. She bowed gracefully.

“Welcome back.” She smiled warmly. “Would the honored guests prefer refreshments first…” She gestured toward several nearby changing rooms. “…or perhaps a change of clothes better suited to today’s atmosphere?”

Fan Shi and Zhu Shin exchanged confused glances. The maid merely continued smiling.

Curious, they followed her toward the beach. The moment they arrived, both of them froze.

There, beneath the bright afternoon sun, stood the Holy Emperor. He was barefoot, wearing beach shorts, and laughing as he dove across the sand to save a volleyball. On one side of the net stood Gu Jie and Hei Mao. On the other by the Holy Emperor's side stood Ding Cai. The surrounding beach erupted with cheers from dozens upon dozens of beautiful women enthusiastically watching the match unfold.

Fan Shi silently stared at the chaotic scene. Then she slowly turned toward Zhu Shin.

“…”

“…”

Neither of them knew what to say.