Chapter 22: An Immortal Descends to the Mortal World

As for the specifics of that great catastrophe, stories abound and opinions diverge.

Some say that an immortal, enraged, sent rivers of blood flowing across the land. With a mere wave of his hand, seventy percent of the martial world's masters vanished!

Others claim that several grandmasters launched a surprise attack, catching the immortal unawares and even wounding him. Yet, in the end, the immortal produced a treasure resembling yellow talisman paper, and with it, annihilated the martial elites.

There are also those who insist that, if not for the royal guards, the immortal might have perished.

Even the accounts given by Chen Xiaosheng and Su Jishi along the way differed greatly, leaving Li Ji'an unable to ascertain the truth.

However, the final outcome was unanimous: nearly half the martial artists in the realm were gone.

Whole sects, families, and friends... Nine clans exterminated, ten clans razed, the methods unspeakably cruel. The principal offenders were cast in molten iron to become statues forever kneeling at the immortal’s feet, while the rest suffered dismemberment, quartering, boiling, roasting—every manner of torment imaginable.

From that moment, everyone accepted that the only path to the immortal world was to become an Immortal Seed.

Li Ji'an, while paying respects to the immortal, silently mourned the martial pioneers in his heart.

He owed them gratitude; had they not blazed the trail, he might have spent several lifetimes searching for another way, each additional lifetime fraught with risk.

Registration complete, Li Ji'an had no desire to stroll through the imperial city, and returned directly to his quarters.

His ranking, third in Chong'an Prefecture, was nearly the lowest in the Immortal Palace.

Here, the palace gathered talents from across the realm: besides those like him—preparatory Immortal Seeds summoned only for the Immortal Ceremony—many had been cultivated from childhood, and martial prodigies from every region flocked here like fish in a river. With land in the imperial city at a premium, his assigned lodgings were a small courtyard shared by four people, far smaller than his private residence in Chong'an.

His quarters lay in a corner of the palace’s residential zone; the other three were not from the current batch of Immortal Seeds. Fortunately, the four rooms were independent, sharing only the courtyard, so he was not much disturbed.

Having settled his accommodation, Li Ji'an immersed himself in cultivation without distraction.

He had to admit, the palace spared no expense in resources: the blood and meat of rare beasts, which required connections to obtain in Chong'an, were supplied in abundance.

Even immortal pills and divine medicines, scarcely seen in Chong'an, were offered as rewards to encourage excellence.

Among them, he spotted the “Marrow Cleansing Pill,” a prize he had coveted for his next life.

This doubled Li Ji'an’s motivation.

Two months later, all Immortal Seeds gathered, and he again saw the Ning sisters.

He learned of a major news: two Immortal Seeds had perished in this realm, one the prodigy of the Wang clan, a grandmaster family, and the other the talented son of the Qiongzhou Prefecture’s governor.

The Wang clan was ambushed by two unknown grandmasters; the clan’s patriarch was held off, and the Immortal Seed slain.

As for the Qiongzhou governor’s party—including the palace emissary and accompanying Immortal Seeds—not a single survivor remained!

The emperor, enraged, issued three edicts proclaiming the news, denouncing the criminals on behalf of the immortal, vowing to capture the culprits and mete out the harshest punishment. He ordered the Court of Justice to join with the Ministry of Punishments, the Censorate, and the Shadow Guard to lead all forces, swearing to unearth the criminals even if it meant digging up the earth.

This news sent a chill through Li Ji'an; had the enemy been more prepared, Duke Dingguo's group might have met the same fate.

He resolved that in his next life, he would begin in the imperial city, or even directly within the palace, to avoid being intercepted on the road.

Besides fearing that after finally becoming an Immortal Seed, he might be assassinated midway, there was another reason: the Cloud King’s party had encountered no ambush at all!

Such open schemes meant that, regardless of the Cloud King's true intentions, the greatest power among the princes was now opposed to the emperor, and the outcome would be either his death or the emperor's.

Chaos was brewing in the realm; the only ones likely to remain untouched were those the immortal favored—those who served in the Immortal Palace.

“Does every class struggle eventually become an internal conflict?” Li Ji'an shook his head; he had little interest in the mundane world.

As one of the eight remaining Immortal Seeds about to meet the immortal and follow him to the immortal world, Ning Yutan now held a position of unrivaled prestige within the palace.

Even the grand steward of the palace, the famed Master Mo, third on the Grandmaster’s List, treated Ning Yutan with utmost respect.

Her peerless beauty, lively and gracious manner, and high emotional intelligence made her the object of admiration among the five other male Immortal Seeds.

Rumor had it that the seventeen-year-old prodigy, the most gifted of this batch, had even declared that upon reaching the immortal world, he would make Ning Yutan his Dao companion.

“Brother Li, they’re so annoying. Right now, I only want to spend a quiet moment with you, without anyone else’s interference.” Ning Yutan complained, then glanced at Ning Sujin in the room, speaking with a hint of coquettishness.

“Absolutely not!” Li Ji'an refused instantly.

The three of them were all from Chong'an, so gathering together was natural. But if only he and Ning Yutan were alone, it would invite unnecessary trouble.

Especially with that youthful prodigy—proud and immature—if someone provoked him, he might leverage his imminent ascension and newfound status to target Li Ji'an, which would be disastrous.

“Why?” Ning Yutan, seeing Ning Sujin silent and Li Ji'an so resolute, felt aggrieved, her eyes turning red.

“You fool, are you trying to get Ji'an killed?” Before Li Ji'an could reply, Ning Sujin snapped.

Ning Yutan’s eyes flashed with realization, and she pouted, “Brother Li, I’m sorry—I just couldn’t bear to miss our time alone. I didn’t think it through.”

Dealing with clever people was indeed easier, sparing Li Ji'an from making excuses.

“Brother Li, don’t worry. When I reach the immortal world, I’ll wait for you—I believe we’ll be reunited in ten years.” With that, Ning Yutan ignored Ning Sujin, or perhaps was simply putting on a show for her, growing ever more sentimental.

By contrast, Ning Sujin remained silent, never interrupting.

It was only when Ning Yutan mentioned she had asked her father to ensure Duke Dingguo’s household would support Li Ji'an, that Ning Sujin could not help but speak: “You fool, Duke Dingguo’s household is on the brink of disaster. The future is uncertain—how could they have the resources to help us?”

“You’re wrong! I’m about to ascend to the immortal realm, and His Majesty relies so much on my father. Our household will surely prosper!” Ning Yutan disagreed.

“Hmph! Short-sighted fool. His Majesty appointed your father as imperial envoy to investigate the Cloud King’s household. Do you really think it’s only because he doesn’t trust the Cloud King?”

“Don’t forget, among the four Immortal Seeds from distant lands, only the Cloud King’s household and yours remain unharmed.” Ning Sujin sneered.

“So... you mean His Majesty suspects us, too? No, we were attacked, unlike the Cloud King!” Ning Yutan protested, somewhat naïve.

Ning Sujin looked at her as though she were dim-witted. “Some things don’t require looking at the process—only the result matters!”

“You—”

“Dong! Dong! Dong…” Just as Ning Yutan was about to retort, an awe-inspiring peal of bells thundered from outside, shaking the very walls.

“Nine tolls of the golden bell?”

“The immortal descends!”