Chapter 1266
[Immortal Realm Chapter] The Immortal Lord Breaks His Promise, Bearing the Burden Alone
The Xuanwu Spirit Boat cuts through the sky.
The misty clouds, mixed with a lot of water vapor, covered the light screen outside the boat with crystal-clear water droplets, and a layer of colorful shimmering light on them.
"Silence!"
Ancestor Yanling raised his hand, signaling the noise behind him to stop.
As the crowd gradually regained their senses, they looked up in astonishment at the obelisk before them, towering over ten thousand feet high and piercing the clouds. The solemn and imposing aura emanating from it made them feel utterly insignificant.
Without a doubt, this was erected by the remnants of the immortal path to commemorate the commander of the army, Immortal Lord Xuheng. The fact that it has stood upright for hundreds of thousands of years is enough to show how much manpower and resources were spent at that time!
Immortal Lord Xuheng,
This title once terrified extraterrestrial demons. In the immortal realm, it represented a high and mighty figure who commanded millions of immortal soldiers and generals, and who stormed into other universes to conquer the void. His fame has not faded for a long time!
Now that everyone has arrived before this towering stone tablet, they can't help but think:
Could the one buried below be the immortal lord himself?
Could such a legendary being still be alive after slumbering for so long?
Nobody knows for sure.
But whether from their own expectations or from their own imagination of what is above true immortals, almost everyone thinks that the immortal lord should not be dead.
The evil spirits from beyond the heavens, which cannot be killed even with all their might, how can they be worn down by a mere passing of time?
"Master, what should we do next?"
Everyone was at a loss, and could only look expectantly at Ancestor Yanling, waiting for him to make a decision.
Master Yanling stroked his beard and looked around hesitantly, unsure of how to try to awaken it. Should he dig under the stone tablet instead?
How is this any different from digging up someone's ancestral grave?
But what else can we do?
He cleared his throat, thought for a moment, and decided to follow the proper etiquette first, so as not to offend the immortal lord.
"Someone, set up an altar and burn incense!"
A table and incense burner were immediately set up at the bow of the boat. Three sticks of incense were burning, and the Ancestor Yanling respectfully bowed three times before inserting them into the burner. Then he knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
Everyone behind him followed suit, including Lin Shan; everyone bowed deeply in worship.
"Disciple Yanling, having lived for a thousand years, is dull-witted and incompetent, ashamed before our ancestors, having repeatedly committed grave errors. Now, leading the remaining disciples of the Immortal Alliance to this wretched state, we beg the Immortal Lord to come out of seclusion and guide us on the right path. We are willing to sacrifice our lives without hesitation."
Each grand aspiration, like a resounding bell, echoed amidst the clouds atop the mountain.
Hundreds of descendants of the immortals knelt silently, waiting for a miracle to occur.
But after a long while, there was no response from the front, as if everything was just empty talk.
Master Yanling looked sorrowful. He rose again, knelt down, and kowtowed, repeating his plea over and over again, each time with greater devotion than the last.
But half a day has passed!
The towering stone tablet stands there, motionless and eternal, while clouds drift and gather in the sky, creating an ethereal and dreamlike scene.
The group's emotions went from trepidation, anticipation, torment, and anxiety to eventual disappointment.
My heart is ice-cold!
Since Immortal Lord Xuheng did not respond, could he really have disappeared?
In a daze, the weather in Kongtong Realm changed dramatically, the celestial phenomena became subtle, and a light rain began to fall. Ancestor Yanling knelt at the bow of the boat, not raising a spiritual energy shield, but just staring blankly in the rain.
A mix of emotions welled up in my throat, and an unspeakable bitterness brewed in my chest, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on me.
Rainwater dripped down his long hair, clinging to his scalp as thin as white paper—how utterly desolate!
He recalled the old man of Dongting Lake's lifelong pursuit of seeing the Kongtong Realm and personally awakening the Immortal Lord Xuheng. He could only imagine that after all the hardships he had endured to get here, he found that it was all just wishful thinking!
A disciple behind him, unable to bear it, shouted in the rain:
"Master, I'll go down and dig. I'll find him alive or dead. I refuse to believe it!"
"do not move!"
Ancestor Yanling roared, his aged voice inexplicably hoarse.
"Kneel there properly. No one is allowed to touch an inch of soil next to this stone tablet without my permission!"
He knew that the remnants of the immortal path must have taken precautions when they buried Immortal Lord Xuheng, and they would definitely have prevented him from being exhumed.
How could a celestial being be so noble as to allow others to desecrate him?
Once the restriction is triggered, it will be absolutely earth-shattering!
Even a cultivator at the Void Transformation stage like him would probably be pulverized and wouldn't be able to survive.
Kongtong realm.
It is a hope, a memory forged by our ancestors and left in the hearts of all the descendants of the immortal path!
I will never give up as long as I can't find it.
It inspires the descendants of the past to yearn for the immortal realm. No matter how bitter or difficult the end times are, they will not give up. People live for that breath!
Even the immortal Dongting Elder might know, but a fake act can last for ten thousand years, and a white lie must be left behind even on the verge of death!
"The Immortal Realm, is it possible for us to go back?"
Even though he was bathed in spiritual rain and surrounded by howling winds, with spiritual energy blowing all around him, he felt no joy whatsoever, and his whole body was filled with a deathly aura.
Once one's beliefs collapse, the consequences are extremely serious, and there is even a risk of one's moral compass being shattered!
Lin Shan, standing in the crowd, fell silent and even began to doubt himself. Should he have ascended normally instead of venturing into this godforsaken place halfway through?
Could the mortal realm that the calamity star and the man in the straw hat talk about be a completely different place from the faint universe we live in?
Having stayed here for so long, the great demon Qu Gong has not been seen at all. That big oaf, as a disciple of an immortal, certainly wouldn't have gone astray!
So, is it oneself who has gone astray?
For a moment, he felt a little flustered, but he quickly suppressed his emotions and regained his composure.
At least for now, the Kongtong Realm is rich in spiritual energy and has a uniquely favorable environment. In addition, the spiritual items I have collected along the way are more than enough to help me break through to the Void Realm!
As for how to get out after breaking through to the Void Realm, there are ways.
Lin Shan's eyes were sharp. Even if he was at his worst, he still had the scarecrow of the Seven Arrows Nailhead Book to contact the Immortal Book Master!
We can't contact the Immortal Book Master, and we also can't get in touch with that Immortal Fishing Rod.
If the Immortal Fishing Rod is useless, at worst the Star Array collision will alarm the Calamity Star and make that cowardly old man personally come to rescue me!
If all of these are unreliable, then I might as well do the opposite and follow Zhang Yunxi's example and venture into the technological universe.
In that instant, he went through all his thoughts and realized that things weren't so bad; there were plenty of solutions, it was up to you to choose!
Everyone on the field except him looked like they had lost their parents, their heads drooping listlessly. This sense of frustration and despair spread, and the thought of merely clinging to life began to take root.
"Heh, the Immortal Realm? Never even seen it, yet they keep talking about it all the time. Screw them!"
"Who cares about going? Wouldn't it be better to stay in the Cosmic Light, live a secluded life in the Kongtong Realm, and live a peaceful life?"
"Pah! Liars, all of you are liars! The entire history of the Immortal Path is a lie you fabricated, and I was the only fool who believed you!"
"Our ancestors, you have truly deceived us! Waaaaah!"
"Stop crying, stop being so annoying. The Cosmic Universe is your real home. That damned Immortal Realm is probably long gone. There was never an Immortal Realm in this world; it's just a product of human imagination!"
A myriad of human experiences unfolded in each cultivator. The atmosphere grew increasingly heavy, yet the rain gradually stopped, a rainbow arched overhead, and the clear sunlight shone on the misty spray, sparkling like enchanting pink diamonds, transforming the mountaintop into a fairyland.
Those who had never tasted fine chaff were so captivated by the spiritual energy that they seemed to have gone mad.
Many people resigned themselves to their fate and suddenly felt that the immortal realm was nothing special, and that they were already very satisfied with what they had now, even more so than before!
The Immortal Alliance doesn't have the burden of hundreds of thousands of old and weak people; they only have a few hundred left. They can't even divide up all the resources and territory in the Kongtong Realm, so why would they need to go to the Immortal Realm?
"Young friend Lin."
Ancestor Yanling turned around at some point, looked at Lin Shan with a weathered expression, and waved to him.
“Come with me, let’s talk alone.”
Lin Shan nodded in agreement. He would indeed need this senior protector at the Void Realm to break through to the Void Realm, so he naturally showed him the utmost respect.
Upon arriving at a secluded spot, the first thing Master Yanling said was:
"Tell me the truth: will the powerful figure behind you bail you out?"
"."
Well, so you old man were thinking about this too?
Lin Shan was speechless. So, Ancestor Yanling had previously harbored illusions about the Kongtong Realm, but now that those illusions had been shattered, he simply placed all his hopes on himself!
Looking into the old man's cloudy eyes, which held a last glimmer of hope, even a hint of pleading, his heart softened for a moment, and he said uncertainly:
"Probably?"
He was genuinely unsure, because based on the powerful figures he had encountered so far, the Calamity Star was the least reliable, the Man in the Bamboo Hat was only so-so, and the Immortal Book was surrounded by wolves.
None of them are in a good situation!
He really had no idea who could save him.
If I end up an orphan, I might have no choice but to turn back and seek refuge with my soulmate, and embark on the path of a Star Forger in the technological universe!
But to Master Yanling, these words were nothing short of heavenly music of salvation.
He believed it!
"What you're saying, is it true?"
Lin Shan felt the other person's arm trembling as he supported him, and his legs went weak and he was about to kneel down. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but he didn't want to discourage him, so he could only smile wryly and help him up.
"Senior, please don't say that, you're making me feel so bad!"
He didn't dare to make any definitive statements, but for now, he needed to focus on getting through the Void Transformation stage safely and steadily. He had to keep Ancestor Yanling in check, so he could only acquiesce.
Who would have thought that his vague promise, even though it was unclear, would make Ancestor Yanling regain his brilliance!
So, people live for something to look forward to!
Just moments ago, he was utterly despondent, on the verge of death, but now he suddenly experiences a resurgence of energy, becoming vigorous and full of life.
"Oh my, young friend, you are truly a lucky star sent from heaven!"
He couldn't help but warmly grasp Lin Shan's hand and shower him with praise from every angle, his old face beaming with joy.
I?
A lucky star descends from the heavens?
Lin Shan's lips curled into a bitter smile; he wanted to argue but found it difficult to speak.
I'm barely able to take care of myself and I'm so frustrated I'm scratching my head, but you're such an optimist, you just use your imagination to cheer yourself up!
If he were to reveal that he was born with a calamity, the Ancestor Yanling would probably be completely dumbfounded and die on the spot!
"We can't count on Immortal Lord Xuheng anymore. From now on, we, the remnants of the Immortal Remnant Alliance, will all depend on your strength, young friend. You must rescue us!"
I will try my best.
Having said all that, Lin Shan reluctantly agreed.
Regardless of whether we can succeed or not, we must first break through to the Void Transformation stage. This is the most important matter at present and we absolutely cannot afford to be careless!
As long as he could break through the Void Realm, he was confident that even if he couldn't find a way out in a short time, he would be able to survive in the Microcosm.
To be honest, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, he couldn't escape the space-based weapons here, nor was he a match for a Star Martial Emperor. He was fed up with living in hiding!
Ancestor Yanling had previously put on a melodramatic show, but now that he had brought Lin Shan back, he was all smiles, leaving the cultivators of the Yixian Alliance completely bewildered.
"Huh? Wasn't Grandmaster completely despondent before? How come he seems to have come back to life now?"
"Hey, it really seems so! Look, Senior Lin is coming out with him. I wonder what kind of spell he's cast on him!"
"Could it be that we're saved again? Is our return to the Immortal Realm just around the corner?"
"Pshaw—how could that be? You must be dreaming! Even the True Immortal Dongting Old Man couldn't do it, so what makes them think they can?"
"That's true. I wonder why Grandmaster is laughing so heartily. Perhaps he's thinking of something happy?"
"What could possibly make you so happy!"
"I don't know."
Even at this hour, these people are still so gossipy. It has to be said that there are many oddballs in the Immortal Remnant Alliance. They don't even shy away from gossiping behind people's backs, probably because they feel that their current situation doesn't matter anymore.
Soon after, a message came down from above: everyone was free to explore the Kongtong Realm on their own, and could freely open caves anywhere except on the mountaintop, and no one would interfere.
Clearly, this was a desperate gamble by Ancestor Yanling, who placed all his bets on Lin Shan, and therefore disregarded all other minor details.
Go ahead and cause trouble!
This delighted the cultivators below, who each slipped away on their magical artifacts to find a place they liked to settle down.
Now that we've finally found a place with such abundant spiritual energy, what are we waiting for if not to bury ourselves in cultivation and break through to the next level?
Only Lin Shan and Ancestor Yanling remained on the mountaintop, the very center of the Kongtong Realm, a feng shui treasure prepared by the ancestors of the immortals for Immortal Lord Xuheng. Its spiritual energy concentration was terrifyingly strong; they had never experienced such treatment in the lower realms before!
Lin Shan could feel countless spiritual energies rushing into his body through every pore as he took a breath, making him feel as if he were being pushed forward even when he was standing still!
"You have already mastered the first step of the Seven Steps to Penetrating the Void. Now, let's begin with the second step, Simplifying the Mundane World."
Ancestor Yanling flashed his eyes and looked him over from head to toe!
"But before that, you need to find a way to perfect your late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. This isn't difficult, after all, the spiritual vein below is a remnant immortal vein, the place that nurtured and nourished Immortal Lord Xuheng!"
"What, a celestial vein?"
Lin Shan's throat tightened, and he couldn't help but swallow.
"Could it be that it contains celestial energy?"
"What are you thinking? Even if you had it, you would have already given it to Immortal Lord Xuheng. It's no use giving you immortal energy to someone like you who doesn't even have an immortal body!"
Ancestor Yanling told him not to overthink things, to focus on his cultivation, and to call him again when he was ready to break through to the Void Realm. (End of Chapter)