Translator: GodBrandy Editor: Kurisu
“Senior White, you said the hole wasn’t deep… but it wasn’t deep for a cultivator of which realm?” Song Shuhang asked.
“Hmm, a cultivator of the Fifth Stage,” Venerable White said.
Song Shuhang said, “In that case, am I done for?” Won’t I turn into minced meat after reaching the bottom?
“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Venerable White reassured him.
“Boom~”
Just as they were speaking, Venerable White reached the ground before the others, and created a deep hole.
Senior White calmly got out of the hole, and stretched out his hand, making a hand seal. In the next moment, countless soft grains of sand resurfaced in the hole.
The sand automatically moved upward and caught Song Shuhang and Fairy Lychee, as well as Northern River’s Loose Cultivator and the others, who were still on the flying sword.
When he jumped down from that mass of sand, Song Shuhang felt that his legs had become somewhat soft. In addition, he felt that his acrophobia might get better only after he had advanced to the Fourth Stage and learned how to ride a flying sword.
“Actually, you could have simply used that ‘Lotus Blossoming Walk’ skill before reaching the ground, Shuhang.” Ye Si’s voice echoed in Song Shuhang’s head. When they were about to reach the ground, they were able to use magical techniques and innate skills again. Therefore, Song Shuhang only needed to use the Lotus Blossoming Walk to stabilize himself in midair.
“…” Song Shuhang.
However, Fairy Lychee’s pupils suddenly shrank as she said vigilantly, “There is someone here!”
Song Shuhang turned his head around, and looked in the same direction as Fairy Lychee.
Soon after, he saw a partly visible silhouette of a powerful ancient cultivator. They were wearing the same cap daoist priests used to wear in ancient times as well as a daoist robe with golden patterns. The cultivator was currently sitting cross-legged on a jade white lotus throne. Above the head of the ancient cultivator was a full-moon-shaped halo that concealed their appearance, making the onlookers unable to see their face clearly.
When Song Shuhang saw the full-moon-shaped halo on the head of the figure, several sudden realizations welled up in his hearts.
The radiant full moon-shaped halo implied the person they were seeing was an ‘Immortal’ that had found their own ‘way’ to immortality. The halo was like a mirror, and regardless of the level of the cultivator looking at it, the latter would come to different realizations after the radiance stemming from the ‘way’ shone onto their body.
“You can see her as well? From the looks of it, there is fate between you and her,” Venerable White said. “Shuhang, she is that ‘Immortal Cheng Lin’ you wanted to see so much.”
It hadn’t been long since they entered the ancient ruins, and they had already managed to see the master of that place.
At this time, Immortal Cheng Lin made a seal with one hand, and used the other one to gently sway her fly-whisk.
The Jade Lake Empress of the ancient Heavenly City was currently saying something.
She was discussing a very famous daoist text that had spread far and wide—the Daoist Canon.
Song Shuhang had also heard about the [Daoist Canon], but he hadn’t researched this text yet.
Soon after, Cheng Lin started with her speech, and a wondrous feeling spread all around.
In the rear, Northern River’s Loose Cultivator, Young Master Phoenix Slayer, Medicine Master, and Riverly Purple Mist also woke up. However, they were unable to see Immortal Cheng Lin, and could only faintly feel the wondrous effects of her speech.
“It’s a pity that her face isn’t visible.” Song Shuhang sighed.
That full-moon-shaped halo was covering Immortal Cheng Lin’s face as she was sitting on that jade white lotus flower. The daoist robe she was wearing was also very baggy, and Shuhang couldn’t get any useful information about her body structure.
“Don’t be impatient. Keep looking.” Venerable White faintly smiled, and stretched out his hand, activating his ‘illusory reality’.
It wasn’t that blazing hot desert, but the brand-new transparent illusory reality.
Along with this illusory reality, an extra little friend Song Shuhang also suddenly appeared in front of everyone.
This brand-new little friend Song Shuhang was sitting cross-legged when he suddenly stood up, revealing a bitter smile on his face. “Hello, Senior True Monarch White. I’m right beside you!”
These were the words Song Shuhang had said to Venerable White the first time they met…
The real Song Shuhang was dumbfounded.
Next, little friend Song Shuhang’s expression turned into one of shock as he screamed, “The brakes, quickly press the brake! …Senior, this is not what I meant! There is a cliff ahead!!”
“…” Song Shuhang.
This memory really wasn’t a pleasant one.
Young Master Phoenix Slayer, Northern River’s Loose Cultivator, Medicine Master, Riverly Purple Mist, and Fairy Lychee all turned silent. It seemed that little friend Shuhang had suffered a lot!
Next, the illusory little friend Song Shuhang was preparing to say something else.
But right at this time, Venerable White snapped his fingers, and that little friend Song Shuhang stopped in place, not moving in the slightest.
“This is a new illusory reality that I’m still building. At this time, it’s half finished. However, the fact that it’s a half finished also has its advantages. For example, the fact that it’s transparent,” Venerable White said calmly.
Through this ‘transparent’ illusory reality, Northern River’s Loose Cultivator and the others could see Immortal Cheng Lin as she was holding her speech.
Cheng Lin started explaining the [Daoist Canon]. Aside from Song Shuhang, everyone else had some understanding of this daoist text, and they were listening with great interest.
The fellow daoists felt as though each word of Immortal Cheng Lin’s speech was a gem, with each sentence carrying the sound of the Great Way itself. Strange phenomena appeared, magical clouds blossomed, and golden lotus flowers continuously bloomed and withered in the air…
All the people present comprehended the things they needed the most from the speech.
“Listening to this speech once had better effects than diligently practicing for several years!” Northern River’s Loose Cultivator said. Exactly what you would expect from the speech of an Immortal!
Very soon… Cheng Lin’s speech came to an end. She had finished explaining the first chapter of the [Daoist Canon].
In the next moment, the full-moon-shaped halo on top of Immortal Cheng Lin’s head became even more dazzling, and the jade white lotus flower she was sitting on changed into starry dust, completely disappearing.
“It’s time,” Venerable White said to Song Shuhang. “Didn’t you want to see Cheng Lin’s appearance? You’ll see her face next.”
Song Shuhang looked at the picture before his eyes with rapt attention.
In the next moment, a huge lotus flower started to ‘grow’ out of thin air, completely enwrapping Immortal Cheng Lin’s body. The wondrous principles of the Great Way then appeared inside this lotus flower.
“That Immortal is about to show us her way to immortality! This trip was completely worth it!” Young Master Phoenix Slayer said in amazement.
If they could look at an Immortal displaying her way to immortality, they would profit immensely!
Just as the Immortal demonstrated her way to immortality, the onlookers perceived an incomplete set of principles. The feeling this set of principles gave them was similar to either ‘being reborn amidst death’ or ‘getting a new lease on life’.
A new life was suddenly born within the body of the ancient cultivator. At this time, the new life was on the verge of coming to the world.
The new, soon-to-be-born, life was her child… but also she herself!
At this time, Ye Si drilled out of Song Shuhang’s body, her expression very tense. She wanted to say something, but at the same time didn’t know what to say.
In the end, she anxiously looked at Song Shuhang. “Shuhang!”
“There is no mistaking.” Song Shuhang gently nodded. This scene was very familiar.
He was already sure of his guess, and now, he was only waiting for Immortal Cheng Lin to reveal her face.
Next to Song Shuhang, Fairy Lychee was also on tenterhooks, and felt very strange.
Am I really Cheng Lin’s reincarnation or Cheng Lin herself after her rebirth? Fairy Lychee started to wonder.
After a short moment, the lotus flower enwrapping the ancient cultivator finally opened, revealing a beautiful body of unsurpassed perfection inside. This body was simply perfect, and didn’t have a single flaw!
It was precisely her newborn self! As for her old body, it had already merged with the huge lotus flower, disappearing.
This was her way to immortality… the ability to give birth to herself and be born again.
The ‘newborn self’ stood up while inside the lotus. The leaves of the lotus turned into a daoist robe that wrapped around her body.
On the other hand, the seeds of the lotus turned into a slanted daoist cap that fell on her head. The lotus flower shrank, turning once again into a jade white lotus throne that floated beneath her feet, supporting her body.
In the next moment, her face became visible to all the onlookers.
As expected, it’s really her! Song Shuhang thought to himself.
“Cheng Lin…” Ye Si called out the name in a soft voice.
Next to Song Shuhang, Fairy Lychee also murmured the name ‘Cheng Lin’.
That lamia made of golden light of virtue residing in Song Shuhang’s body also came out, starting to float beside Song Shuhang. She stared at Cheng Lin’s distant picture without blinking.
Venerable White turned his head around, and looked at Song Shuhang. “Did you find the answer to your questions?”
“Yes, I know the answer now,” Song Shuhang said with a nod.
The Cheng Lin he saw in the picture was none other than the ghost spirit passed down in Senior Sister Ye Si’s family.
Her appearance, her daoist robe, and slanted daoist cap were all identical to that of the ghost spirit in his memories.
Such being the case, the destruction of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion and the destruction of the ancient Heavenly City were related.
Back then, Fairy Cheng Lin lived in the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion with the status of the ghost spirit passed down in Senior Sister Ye Si’s family.
It lasted until the day the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion was destroyed… If Song Shuhang’s guess was correct, those ‘monster hunters’ that destroyed the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion were very likely related to the ancient Heavenly City, possibly even part of the forces of the Heavenly City.
After that, the ghost spirit passed down in Senior Sister Ye Si’s family became the Jade Lake Empress, and joined the ancient Heavenly City. Several years later, she caused the ancient Heavenly City to fall.
After causing the destruction of the Heavenly City, Cheng Lin brought the fragments of the Tribulation Transcender-rank godly weapons of the ancient Heavenly City to the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion, and scattered them all around to pay tribute to the already defunct pavilion.
The scene that played next further confirmed Song Shuhang’s guess.
In the picture, Fairy Cheng Lin said several words to the recording device, just as though she knew her end was drawing near.
In the next moment… a pair of jet-black hands ripped space open and entered the picture.
Those jet-black arms were covered with pairs of blood-red eyes. Above the head of the owner of the two black hands was also a full-moon-shaped halo. The halo was full with the principles of death and destruction—the opposite party was also an Immortal.
“Just as expected…” Song Shuhang said.
In the past, this Immortal with jet-black arms covered in eyes had appeared during the destruction of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion.
Back then, he was very young, and was one of the members of the monster hunter force.
The eyes he had on his arms back then were only the eyes of ordinary monsters, and when he activated these eyes, he could shoot out all sorts of magical techniques and skills…
As such, everything that had happened was related.
However, Song Shuhang was confused about something.
Why had the monster hunters attacked the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion back then? Monster hunters would have that strange impulse to get into action only when they saw the members of the monster race. Was it possible that they had decided to destroy the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion in order to silence a witness?
At this time, the scene had already reached the point where Immortal Cheng Lin’s head was about to be burst open.
The recording should have come to an end after Cheng Lin’s head was burst open… but something totally unexpected happened.
That Immortal with arms covered in eyes turned his head around, and grinned evilly. “I’ve finally found you, Cheng Lin!”
