Chapter 497 - A Young Boy Against the Cruelty of the Immortal Path

BUZZ!

Countless delicate peach blossoms, so abundant they spiraled before Yun Xiao's very eyes.

He stared intently, and amidst the fragrant sea of peach, the Heavenly Immortal clad in floral attire appeared, dreamlike and ethereal. She seemed young, in the full bloom of her twenties, her face tender and youthful. Yet, her demeanor held a lofty and unapproachable chill.

This was a True Immortal, transcending the mundane, before whom mortals could only prostrate in awe.

Her aura, purely celestial, radiated an inherent nobility, clearly born amidst the clouds.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

She gave Yun Xiao a feeling of cool detachment, even cruel!

Even as Yun Xiao had now disrupted her grand design, severing her from the faith power of all beings across myriad worlds, no trace of fury showed in her eyes. There was only a profound indifference, as if she saw Yun Xiao not as a person, but as an inconsequential beast or a pebble that had merely stirred trouble.

Among the swirling peach blossoms, she wasted no time; with a flick of her hand, a piece of pure black cloth flew towards Yun Xiao!

As the black cloth unfolded, resembling a giant bag, it hissed through the air. In the blink of an eye, it expanded a thousand meters, absorbing all the light of the sun and moon that touched it. The space beneath was plunged into a profound darkness, as if night itself had descended!

If Yun Xiao was right, this object was a celestial treasure, far more complex and advanced than any common magic treasure.

In an instant, darkness enveloped the land, covering even over Yun Xiao.

Below on the ground, including Lian Xi, many were tense on behalf of Yun Xiao.

"Two things. The compass and the Peach Blossom Elixir, bring them," the Heavenly Immortal commanded with cold, imperious lips, leaving no room for defiance.

"Impossible," Yun Xiao replied calmly, munching on a handful of Heavenly Dao Sariras.

"Then I shall eliminate you and take them myself," she declared, her patience worn thin.

She had no mind to exchange further words.

As soon as her words fell, the thousand-meter expanse of darkness dramatically contracted, enveloping him from all directions, as if the entire world was closing in.

Yun Xiao tried to escape, rapidly wielding the Sovereign Sword, but still couldn't break free from the engulfing dark firmament.

No matter where he flew, the dark veil chased him until it closed into a complete black sphere, trapping Yun Xiao within!

This display of disparity in strength made all beings in the Primordial Ruins gasp, their eyes filled with even greater reverence for the Heavenly Immortal.

"Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal, she is a Heavenly Officer of the Celestial Court."

"How dare Yun Xiao so boldly defy the heavens?"

The All Life Devouring Gu thrived once more, multiplying and dominating the minds of the masses.

BUZZ!

The dark cloth bag kept shrinking. At this rate, it seemed the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal intended to compress Yun Xiao into nothing but a pulp.

Throughout this ordeal, her expression remained as cold as the blackest night.

Meanwhile, the Primordial Ruins erupted in a tumult!

"Yun Xiao!!" Lian Xi's eyes grew bloodshot. Her fists clenched, she was about to break from the crowd.

"Don't go! You're at your weakest now, going there means death! He has already separated the sun and moon, slain the Three Immortals, and relieved the suffering of the masses! And this woman, descending to wreak havoc, just needs to be reported, and she'll be dealt with!" the little white tiger exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Lian Xi paused, perplexed.

The little white tiger gritted its teeth, "If he dies, it's no matter, his name was made, his mission accomplished."

Lian Xi looked at the little white tiger in disbelief.

In the next moment, she took a step, poised to storm the heavens!

Just then, the dark cloth bag had shrunk to just over a person's height, threatening Yun Xiao.

Many couldn't bear to watch!

Suddenly, with a loud boom, the bag seemed to catch, and despite its frantic shrinking, it could not reduce any further.

"What's that?" Everyone looked up, only to see the object wrapped by the bag taking the shape of a coffin.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The black bag twisted like the stomach of a vicious beast, yet no matter how it contorted, it could not compress the coffin, which even began to mark the bag with its sharp edges.

"What's going on..." Lian Xi and the little white tiger both looked on in shock.

Yet amidst her shock, Lian Xi's eyes brimmed with tears, weeping with joy.

Seeing this, the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal finally furrowed her brows, her pretty face marred by displeasure.

"What's the matter? Didn't you eat? Put some more effort into it," Yun Xiao said, his voice calm yet provocative sounding from within the bag.

"You reek of demon energy, have you become a coffin spirit?" the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal coldly stated.

"And you? What are you? A Heavenly Immortal stooping to dirty deeds, somewhat shameful, isn't it?" Yun Xiao retorted.

Hearing this, the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal shook her head, her eyes filled with cold scorn, "Ignorant."

No matter what she said, Yun Xiao planned to keep dragging this out.

After all, now that he had drunk the Peach Blossom Elixir and separated the sun and moon, the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal really couldn’t do much.

Resisting the celestial treasure's lethal embrace cost Blue Star and Red Moon little.

Yet she seemed unyielding.

"I hear you're called Yun Xiao." The Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal brought the coffin pressed by the black cloth bag before her eyes.

"And you?" Yun Xiao inquired.

"You're not yet worthy to know my name," the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal scoffed coldly, then chillingly added, "I've heard you possess a fatal flaw."

"Tell me, I'd like to know my own weakness," Yun Xiao said.

Inside the coffin, he continued consuming Heavenly Dao Sariras to recover, nearly restored.

"You have empathy. You care too much about the lives and survival of others. You desire fairness and justice too greatly," the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal stated calmly.

"You call that a weakness?" Yun Xiao retorted.

"In the path of immortality, it is the most lethal of weaknesses. As long as it exists, you'll never get far," the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal concluded, her dark eyes fixing on the coffin before her. "Don't believe me? I can demonstrate right here."

Yun Xiao fell silent, likely guessing how the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal might threaten him.

Seeing his silence, the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal smiled coldly. "Enough joking. Come out from that coffin, hand over the compass and Peach Blossom Elixir, then go die. Otherwise, I'll slaughter every being in the Primordial Ruins right before your eyes, turning this place into an ark of blood."

"Go ahead and kill. The divine retribution will be yours, not mine," Yun Xiao responded.

"Divine retribution? I am part of the heavens. How can the heavens condemn itself?" the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal said with a cold smile, raising an eyebrow at Yun Xiao. "It seems you don't care much for the people of the Primordial Ruins. What if I take you, and slaughter all in the Nine Hells before you? I hear you hail from a sect called the Sword Ruins."

At these words, Yun Xiao fell completely silent.

The Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal suddenly burst into girlish laughter, somewhat carried away, "Do you see now? Emotion is the first taboo of the Immortal path. The more people you care about, the more weaknesses you have. Any lesser Immortal can grasp your vulnerabilities and shatter your spiritual resolve. People like you belong to the lowest echelon of the celestial ladder. You love so many mortals, better to remain a commoner than to aspire to the merciless journey to Immortality."

As the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal spoke, she didn’t even shy away from the part of the populace below that still revered and worshiped her.

This left her audience embarrassed and confused, a burning shame on their faces.

And so, they involuntarily looked towards Yun Xiao, wanting to know his answer in this deafening silence.

Yun Xiao suddenly laughed.

"You make a good point, a very good point," he said.

"You can't be serious? You've realized something just now? It seems my enlightening you was a waste of effort," the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal replied.

"Indeed, I have realized," Yun Xiao murmured, his eyes slowly blazing with fervor, "I was always somewhat confused, my will not firm enough. Now I understand. My purpose in cultivation is to slap the faces of pretenders like you, who play the saint but are anything but."

Morality was just that, morality! There was always a reason crafted for every action, often cloaked in righteousness and universality.

From the viewpoint of those in power, proclaiming the ruthlessness of the celestial way surely felt thrilling!

But what of the common people?

What had the beings of the mortal realm done to deserve their fate?

A single decree of the unfeeling celestial way could destroy their lives, and afterward, it would be said they had only themselves to blame.

But what about this so-called Heavenly Immortal? If she were born in the fields of the mortal realm, could she defy fate?

The truth was the vast majority couldn't bridge the chasm that destiny carved at birth. Only a rare few truly defy their fate and change their destiny.

Yun Xiao had been but a young sovereign of a small nation, living 16 years amidst the duties and struggles of the mortal realm. He was indeed too empathetic, too easily angered... because he had witnessed too much suffering.

Those True Immortals standing above the clouds would never understand the meaning of life in the dust.

But Yun Xiao did. For every mortal with intelligence, emotions, aspirations, family, and lovers, life was everything.

Yun Xiao had always wanted to be a carefree wandering Sword Immortal, accompanied by wine and beauties, but such days brought him no transformation of spirit... proving that such freedom was but a fleeting dream.

His heart burned for justice, a fervent dream born from his mortal passions.

It was for these reasons he had to admit, the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal had indeed pinpointed his weakness.

Yet, was not empathy also his greatest strength?

His declaration had certainly given the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal a true measure of him as a man. She couldn't help but laugh again.

Her gaze mocked, yet held a touch of admiration.

"Truly, in the grand realm of immortality, I've never seen a boy as pure as you," the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal said.

"And your point?" Yun Xiao asked.

"To take you to the Nine Hells, to see the bloodshed, to truly understand what it means for one Immortal's ascension to cost a myriad of lives," she said, then added softly, "And don't curse the heavens, it would make you seem quite adorable. So-called morality is utterly meaningless on the scale of immortality."

"No need to go," Yun Xiao suddenly said.

"What? Ready to become a martyr?" the Peach Blossom Heavenly Immortal noted with amusement.

"No, I choose to come out and kill you directly. It's just going to cost more, and I have money now," Yun Xiao paused, then added, "You're someone of high status; I don't believe you'd step out without carrying some treasures."

"What...?"