Chapter 907: Why Is It Different? (II)

Whoosh!

As Caiyi, Daoist Yan, Noble Azure Dragon, and Chu Liang entered the world of the immortals, they were immediately struck by a terrifying pressure from above. It felt as if the majesty of the heavens was pressing down on them, making flight impossible. They had no choice but to continue on foot.

There was no need to rush. They descended at the edge of the realm and came to a stop in front of the first pavilion.

Before they could make a move, the doors of the building opened, and a young boy stepped out. He appeared to be around seven or eight years old, with delicate features and clear, intelligent eyes. Dressed in a small Daoist robe, he carried himself with the calm presence of a reclusive master.

The boy stepped forward with light, nimble movements and spoke in a bright, clear voice. "Congratulations, exalted immortals, on your arrival at our Xuanle[1] Heavenly Sect. The road ahead is long and filled with challenges. Why not come inside and take a look? Perhaps you will decide to stay and cultivate with us."

"Xuanle Heavenly Sect?" Daoist Yan said as she looked off into the distance. "Are you saying each of these buildings belongs to a different sect?"

"Not exactly," the boy replied with a smile. "Some sects have many disciples and occupy dozens of pavilions. Others are much smaller, like our Xuanle Heavenly Sect, which has always passed down its teachings through a single lineage. At most, there are only three or five of us. It is the perfect place for an exalted immortal with exceptional talent to cultivate in peace."

"Exalted immortal..." Chu Liang echoed the term, then asked, "You’re not an immortal?"

"Of course not. I am merely an attendant of the Xuanle Heavenly Sect," the boy replied with another smile. "I am dull-witted. Even after more than two hundred years, I have yet to attain the Dao. In this lifetime, I hold no hope of truly entering the realm of immortals."

The group was stunned as they questioned, "Over two hundred years?"

Each of them was sharp-eyed, yet none had noticed anything unusual about the boy’s demeanor. Who would have imagined that he was actually an old cultivator with two centuries of experience?

"In the immortal realm, I am still but a child," the boy said as he extended his right hand, inviting them toward the pavilion. "Please, come inside. We can speak at length."

Without a word or expression, Daoist Yan swept her gaze from side to side before stepping into the building. Nothing appeared to change?

One after another, the four stepped inside. The hall before them was bright and elegant, adorned with jade ornaments, flowering plants, and finely arranged trees. Nothing within the space seemed mundane or out of place.

When they turned around, they saw the boy already seated before a qin. He offered a gentle smile and began, "Allow me to—"

He placed his hands on the strings, just about to strum, when Caiyi suddenly stepped forward and pressed her hand down on the qin.

"There’s no need to play that qin," she said coldly, her gaze fixed on the boy’s face. "I have only one question for you."

"Exalted Immortal, what would you like to ask?" the boy replied, tilting his head slightly, appearing somewhat confused.

Suddenly, Caiyi shouted, "Are you alive or dead?!"

"I..." The boy opened his mouth to speak, but his voice faltered. He froze mid-sentence, his body stiffening on the spot.

Crack!

Though he remained still, thunderous booms erupted around him. Amid the tremors, the entire pavilion lost its color and spiritual aura. In the blink of an eye, it collapsed into a heap of decay and ruin.

As for the boy, he turned terrifying in an instant. His body shriveled away, revealing a skeleton seated cross-legged. Faint traces of dark golden hue still lingered on the bones, a sign that he had once been an eminent cultivator. Yet, even the remains of such a powerful figure had decayed to this point, making it clear just how many years had passed.

Chu Liang raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"He wasn’t consciously maintaining the illusion," Caiyi explained. "Something in this valley must be triggering the spiritual nature of these ancient remnants. They don’t know they’re dead. They’re simply repeating whatever they were doing before they died."

As Chu Liang listened, he thought this place resembled the Jiuli Bronze City they had visited before. The memories of the bronze city was just replaying itself. However, this time, there was just a lot more ancient beings participating in the replaying of memories.

"If we had let him play that tune, it might have triggered even more killing intent within the illusion," Caiyi continued. "But once he became aware of his own death, the illusion would collapse, and the threat would be resolved."

"I see," the Azure Dragon said with a nod.

Even with all his years of experience, the Azure Dragon couldn't understand the finer aspects of illusion techniques.

"Let’s keep moving," Daoist Yan said as she stepped forward to take the lead. "We can’t fly here, and there’s still a long way ahead. Who knows what dangers lie in wait."

...

Not long after they left, two figures emerged from the shadows at the edge of the valley. Both wore azure Daoist robes, and both carried the same cold, sinister gleam in their eyes.

Had the Azure Dragon been there, he would have recognized them at once. They were cultivators from the Penglai Supreme Sect, the very ones he and the Elder of Mount Lu had once joined forces to drive out—Daoist Cangyun and Daoist Cangqiu.

"That old traitor Azure Dragon is here too?" Daoist Cangyun said grimly. "He knows about the hidden treasure of the Immortal Pavilion?"

"No, I don’t think so," Daoist Cangqiu said as he shook his head. "Most of the sect’s secrets were never shared with him. He never involved himself in such matters anyway."

"Then why is he here with the members of the Mount Shu Sect? That’s an awfully big coincidence." Daoist Cangyun glanced uneasily in the direction they had gone. "Should we just leave?"

"If we walk away now, aren’t we just handing over the hidden treasure?" said Daoist Cangqiu.

After being driven out, the two had once planned to rally followers and establish their own sect, hoping to restore the glory and benefits they once enjoyed at the Penglai Supreme Sect.

They believed that if they could restore the glory and benefits of belonging to their sect, all the former disciples of the Penglai Supreme Sect who now served under the Mount Shu Sect would change their minds and recognize the true forces worth following.

Resources were always hard to come by. Even Eminent Ones found it exhausting to gather spirit plants and rare treasures one by one. There were stories of powerful figures enlisting followers to help them collect resources but never of Eminent Ones toiling to support their own subordinates. Such a method clearly wouldn't work.

They couldn’t risk exposing who they truly were. They didn't dare to steal or rob, and they were far too proud to lower themselves to finding work like the other disciples of the Penglai Supreme Sect.

In the end, it was Daoist Cangqiu who recalled something—a long-standing rumor within the Penglai Supreme Sect about a hidden treasure from the past.

As it turned out, the cultivator who had survived the joint expedition into the Divine Ruins all those years ago had been an Eminent One of the Penglai Supreme Sect. To the other immortal sects, he spoke of danger at every turn and uncertain rewards, stating it was not worth it to explore the Divine Ruins. But in truth, he had buried the real secrets deep within his heart.

This Eminent One had retrieved three ancient grains of azure sand and a small vial of spirit potion from one of the ruined towers. With just those three grains, he killed an eighth-realm Eminent One whose cultivation surpassed his own. As for the potion, that single vial extended his lifespan by nearly two hundred years.

The origin of the items became a top-level secret within Penglai, known as the Immortal Pavilion's pile of hidden treasure.

Within the ruined pavilions of Thousand Pavilion Valley lay exotic treasures from the higher realm. These were items that appeared unremarkable but held immense power. The sect leaders of the Penglai Supreme Sect had passed down this secret for generations, though none had ever made an attempt to excavate the site.

There had never been a need. The Penglai Supreme Sect had always possessed resources in abundance.

For a sect like the Penglai Supreme Sect, which had held exclusive control over blessed lands and celestial grottos, there was no reason for it to excavate those treasures at the cost of great danger or the risk of discovery by the other sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten. Even without claiming the treasure, the Penglai Supreme Sect had still reigned as the top immortal sect in the mortal realm.

But no one had expected the Penglai Supreme Sect to collapse so swiftly, losing all its prestige in the blink of an eye. Now, among what little remained of the sect, it was likely that only Daoist Cangqiu still knew of this matter, having heard it from Daoist Cangsheng.

After being cast out of their sect, the two of them came here in search of exotic treasures, hoping to one day return and take revenge on Yang Shenlong and the Mount Shu Sect.

But they hadn’t expected to be stopped at the very first test.

At first, they tried to stop the boy from playing the qin, but it was impossible. His cultivation was far too high, and even with both of them working together, they couldn’t make him stop. Once the music began, the spirit birds and exotic beasts of the immortal realm would go berserk, tearing apart anything that moved. They couldn’t even get close.

They were trapped there for a long time and only retreated into hiding when they sensed others approaching.

To their surprise, it turned out to be people from the Mount Shu Sect.

"So what do you propose we do?" asked Daoist Cangyun.

"If you ask me, we should just follow behind them and let them clear the path for us," Daoist Cangqiu said, slapping his palm through the air. "The moment they show even the slightest weakness, we strike. Kill the ones from the Mount Shu Sect and take the hidden treasure of the Immortal Pavilion for ourselves."

"Agreed," Daoist Cangyun said with a nod.

The two of them walked onward and stepped into Thousand Pavilion Valley. Mist and clouds began to rise once more, and in an instant, the scenery returned to its immortal state. The boy playing the qin slowly appeared again, smiling as he said, "Welcome, exalted immortals, upon your ascension. Since you’ve arrived at our Xuanle Heavenly Sect, why not come inside for a visit?"

"Don’t be so quick to play that qin. Let me ask you this first..." Daoist Priest Cangyun said with a sly smile. He stepped forward and barked, "Are you alive or dead?!"

"I..." The boy froze at the question, his body trembling slightly. His eyes quickly turned vacant, but instead of revealing his true form, he suddenly looked up and declared, "I am dead!"

Crack!

The color drained from the surroundings once more, leaving behind only the black-gold skeleton of the boy standing before them. Yet, he didn’t collapse. Instead, he let out a furious roar and pointed directly at the two of them.

"I am dead! And you are not allowed to live either!" the boy screamed. His voice sounded hoarse and ancient, dripping with venom and resentment.

Boom!

Daoist Cangyun was caught off guard. The blow hurled him hundreds of zhang through the air, leaving a gaping, bloody hole in his chest.

Daoist Cangqiu summoned purple lightning into the air and slammed his palm down on the boy’s head, seemingly pinning him in place. But the boy’s hollow, dried-up eye sockets suddenly lifted to meet Daoist Cangqiu’s gaze. Then his mouth opened and spewed out a puff of black smoke.

Hisssss.

"Ah!" Daoist Cangqiu let out a cry and tumbled to the ground.

Daoist Cangyun shouted, "Why is it different this time?!"

...

As they stepped out of the first pavilion, Chu Liang asked, "If the Demon King of the Verdant Foxhills already knew the boy was just an illusion, why wait until the moment before he played the qin to break it? Why not expose him earlier?"

"Because he had to return to his place," Caiyi explained. "For an illusory avatar formed from a soul fragment, awakening it before it returns to its original place can be extremely dangerous. This is especially true if the person died a violent death. Disturbing them too early could provoke violent and aggressive qi, which would cause serious trouble for us."

She looked up at the pavilions ahead and furrowed her brows. "This was likely the most prosperous region that collapsed when Hallowed Li severed the divine land. I wonder how many souls perished here before they had the chance to escape, and whether any of them were true immortals."

1. The characters for “Xuanle” probably means “mysterious happiness”. ☜