The End of the Immortal Path

"Only our Lingyue Sect teaches true Immortal Cultivation."

Jiang Man was a little shocked. ’The Sect can’t be this narrow-minded, can it?’ he thought. Even Old Huang, a powerful Evil God, was a strong proponent of the Immortal Sect’s grand order.

"I know you’re not convinced. Almost everyone who escapes from the Evil Dao is the same," the middle-aged man said earnestly. "Once your cultivation is higher and you become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator or a Golden Core Ancestor, you’ll understand just how dark the rule of the Evil Dao truly is."

Jiang Man thought back. ’The darkest part was probably the Noble Families, but the Yunqian Bureau was fine. The Outer Sect was the safest of all, especially with the concept of the Hidden Spirit at Foundation Establishment. Everyone had an ace up their sleeve, so even the strongest didn’t dare to provoke others recklessly.’

’They were afraid of being hit by a Hidden Spirit.’

’As for the Inner Sect, the rules on fighting were looser, but it still wasn’t too extreme.’

’For example, Xu Chen caused all that trouble, but in the end, he didn’t dare to kill a single person.’

’Not being able to act on grudges as you pleased certainly meant less freedom, but for most people, it was a good thing.’

’If you could just kill and plunder at will, you wouldn’t just be thinking about how to rob others. You’d be thinking more about how to avoid becoming someone else’s next meal.’

"A Cultivator bound by rules and regulations isn’t practicing Immortal Cultivation at all—they’re just mass-produced Puppets. It’s all a conspiracy of the Evil Dao." The middle-aged man sighed with emotion before continuing, "The Immortal Dao is about freedom, about a clear and unhindered mind, about being completely unrestrained and soaring through the nine heavens."

The other children listened, their hearts filled with yearning.

Jiang Man also nodded in agreement. "What you say makes sense, Senior. I came here for freedom."

Right now, Jiang Man just wanted to get in first; he didn’t care about the rest.

As long as it didn’t interfere with his cultivation.

————

「Guyan Islands.」

Standing on a small boat, Chen Shi arrived just outside the archipelago.

After a moment’s wait, a rather rotund figure appeared on the boat.

He looked at Chen Shi and said, "We still haven’t been able to rescue the Immortal Spirit Envoy. Now we’re a group without a leader, and it’s making everyone uneasy.

"They think we need a new Messenger to lead us and draw close to the Immortal Spirit."

Chen Shi was silent for a moment before asking, "They have someone in mind?"

’If they didn’t have a candidate, no one would be saying such things.’

The rotund man was quiet for a moment. "Yes. There are three in total, but the other two don’t really matter. There’s one person with extremely high support."

"Who?" Chen Shi asked.

"Jiang Man," the rotund man said.

"He’s an undercover agent," Chen Shi said in a low voice.

"But what kind of undercover agent would reveal his own identity? And not only that, how could an agent get caught up in the Evil God affair?" the rotund man lamented. "That’s exactly how they’re questioning it."

"Then if he’s not an agent, how did he get out safely?" Chen Shi retorted.

"Because the Immortal Spirit favors and helped him. Otherwise, how could he have walked out of the Law Enforcement Hall unscathed?" The rotund man sighed again. "They’re convinced of it. They believe Jiang Man is the chosen one, that he’s the one who can lead us."

Chen Shi was stunned. ’Have these people gone crazy?’

The rotund man continued, "Actually, the fact that Jiang Man revealed his identity has made them feel more at ease.

"Because if there’s really a problem, they can report him. If reporting doesn’t work, they can ambush him. At worst, they can just take him down with them.

"No other Messenger is as ’safe’ as he is.

"Some are convinced that the Immortal Spirit favors Jiang Man, while others just think he’s the lowest risk.

"In any case, he has the most support right now."

Chen Shi was silent for a long time and didn’t speak.

The rotund man asked, "What are you going to do?"

Chen Shi shook his head slightly. "Nothing."

"You’re not going to object?" the rotund man inquired.

Chen Shi recalled the Taiyang he had seen with his own eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and said, "I won’t object."

The rotund man breathed a sigh of relief. "Then the task now is to figure out how to make him the Immortal Spirit Envoy."

————

「The Well-type Sixth Secret Realm.」

Within an unseeable void, the blurry figure of a girl was slowly recovering her Divine Thought.

The first thing she sensed was that the Heart Lock had been broken.

In her moment of surprise, she subconsciously issued a command.

It was a warning to be wary of this person, Jiang Man. He must not be allowed to get close, must absolutely not be deceived by him, and must not be allowed to learn their core secrets.

Only after sending out this warning did she feel more at ease and continue to gather her strength.

Elsewhere, Huo Bingzhi, who was able to receive the message, sat quietly in her prison cell.

She could do nothing, and could no longer even enter that place by falling asleep.

She was in immense pain.

Because she’d heard that Jiang Man, who had also been captured, was already out.

So why wasn’t *she* out yet?

She was indignant.

’Why can’t I get out?’

But she quickly composed herself. ’I have to carve this message onto a stone tablet to warn them, and then get them to find a way to rescue me.’

’I am everyone’s only hope.’