Chapter 323

"Since it's decided, let's walk together through this mortal world." Xu Xing's voice was calm. "This world is in the midst of a great transition between immortals and gods—waiting isn't entirely dull."

"Mm."

"Then as my elder brother suggests."

Bie Xuening and Xiang Yuanjun both nodded in agreement, but Seeing Hong Zun slightly shook his head: "I won't accompany you. Earlier, I granted a young one in this world a chance—I should go see how he fares."

To them, distant horizons and close at hand made no difference.

Even if my elder brother wishes to sever the connection from the Tai Xuan Realm, there's no need to stay together constantly.

Better to see how far that young one, who received my method, can go—it'll pass the time.

Most importantly, he didn't want to be with them!

"Besides, I met another young one who obtained a strange artifact related to divination, and acquired something interesting. Elder brother, if you're curious, come find me later."

A divination-class strange artifact...

Hearing this, Xu Xing paused. "Very well. I'll walk a while with my senior sister and Yuanjun, then come find you."

"Mm."

Immediately, Seeing Hong Zun set down his teacup.

Clouds stretched endlessly; sunlight remained bright, but the mountain wind grew sharper, as if wisps of mist were being swept up, swirling around the peak, hazy and indistinct.

Not long after, another mountain wind blew.

Hu~

The mist dispersed, and the four figures beside the stone table vanished, leaving only an untouched plate of fruit, quietly resting, emitting faint spiritual light.

This mountain was steep and remote, rarely visited by humans.

In an ordinary world, it might take years before anyone noticed.

But this was a world ruled by divine law, where celestial decrees were strict, and gods watched over all directions—how could they remain unaware?

Even the local mountain god had not yet sensed anything amiss.

A golden stream of light blazed down, landing atop the peak, resolving into a figure wreathed in golden radiance, its attire indiscernible.

On its forehead glowed a purple mark resembling flickering lightning, dimming and brightening, manifesting scenes of mountains and rivers across the mortal realm.

In its hand gripped a chain forged from interlocking runes, radiating boundless divine might.

Because several deities of Fuming County had mysteriously suffered misfortune, with no cause found, such an eerie event naturally enraged the Tiangong!

Even the Heavenly Sovereign had personally issued a divine edict, commanding the Thunder Department's deities to scour heaven and earth, vowing to find and exterminate the "blasphemous" one!

Though the Immortal Dao was about to rise, this was still a world ruled by the Divine Dao, its laws dense as a net, encompassing all.

The Thunder Department's deities had assumed their full force would swiftly locate and slay the "blasphemous" one—but the outcome was far from expected.

No matter how hard the deities scoured heaven and earth, they found not a single trace of the "blasphemous" one.

In truth, with no leads at all, the Thunder Department's deities had grown anxious.

To evade the search of the Thunder Department's deities—what level of cultivation must one possess?

Even if they found a single clue, the person might simply crush them with a single palm.

So as time passed, most Thunder Department deities had grown somewhat "negligent"—after all, achievements were endless, but life was only one...

This golden-light divine general was one of the deities from the Thunder Department participating in the search.

He reached out, plucking a fruit, his eyes flickering with solemnity.

A spiritual fruit brimming with vast pure spiritual energy—yet devoid of any Divine Dao imprint...

"A thief of the 【Thieving Spirit Dao】...?"

But quickly, he dismissed this guess in his mind.

Ordinary 【Thieving Spirit Dao】 thieves wouldn't waste like this—they'd split even a single unit of such unmarked spiritual energy into two!

"Could it be the 'blasphemous' one?" The golden-light divine general's heart leapt!

Very likely!

He glanced left and right several times, then looked up at the sky—leaving it felt wrong, but taking it seemed dangerous...

After an internal struggle, the golden-light divine general mustered his courage, silently reciting the Heavenly Sovereign's title several times, preparing to collect all the fruit.

But when he reached out, the remaining fruit didn't budge—even with all his methods, he couldn't stir them an inch.

That seemingly ordinary porcelain plate had become fused with...

No!

It had grown together with the surrounding heavenly and earthly void.

【Do Not Be Greedy】

An inexplicable thought surfaced in his mind without warning, causing the golden-light divine general to recoil his hand as if shocked!

"The first to take the fruits deliberately left by Seeing Hong Zun was a deity from this world's Tiangong Thunder Department."

Along a narrow path lined with weeds, winding through endless mountains, two figures walked slowly forward.

But upon closer look, one could see a tiny figure, no bigger than a palm, sitting on one of their shoulders.

It was Xu Xing, Bie Xuening, and Xiang Yuanjun.

"And yet, they're searching for his trail..." Xu Xing walked beside Bie Xuening. "How interesting."

Still, given the gods' surveillance over heaven and earth, this outcome was predictable.

He turned his head toward Xiang Yuanjun on his shoulder: "By the way, where did those fruits come from?"

"They grew in our sect's spiritual fruit orchard," Xiang Yuanjun replied.

Hearing this, Bie Xuening also looked at Xiang Yuanjun perched on Xu Xing's shoulder: "Aren't you always outside?"

"Occasionally returning to the sect, I'll bring back some things along the way."

In a few sentences, the path ahead widened slightly, and the sound of flowing water reached their ears.

After a few more steps, they saw a small stream flowing, its water clear and cold, with a fallen tree trunk spanning across both banks.

Across the stream lay a flat, open official road; following it forward would soon lead them to inhabited lands. Xu Xing stepped aside, letting Bie Xuening walk first, waiting until she stepped onto the log bridge before following closely behind.

Halfway across, Xiang Yuanjun suddenly spoke: "The catalysts for the shifting eras of immortals and gods in this world are varied indeed."

Her gaze followed the stream upward, landing on the distant, precipitous cliff.

There stood a slender boy at the cliff's edge, holding a short staff, facing off against a pack of vicious wolves.

In the end, one of the wolves lunged and bit him, sending him tumbling over the cliff.

But unexpectedly, a platform jutted outward from the cliff face; the boy landed on it and rolled straight into a cave deep within the platform.

Falling off a cliff and gaining an inheritance—classic trope.

But it's not quite this simple.

"Indeed," Xu Xing replied.

Xiang Yuanjun withdrew her gaze and joined Xu Xing on the opposite bank of the stream.

There was not a single soul in sight.

!. Read

"A little farther ahead is the town," Bie Xuening looked at Xiang Yuanjun. "Your appearance isn't suitable for others to see—you'd better return to your normal form."

"No need. This is fine," Xiang Yuanjun refused. "If I don't wish to be seen, they won't see me. It doesn't matter."

Bie Xuening raised an eyebrow and said no more.

The three continued forward, walking a stretch further.

Suddenly, Bie Xuening reached out, lifted Xiang Yuanjun from Xu Xing's shoulder, and placed her on her own side shoulder, solemnly saying:

"Younger brother must expend energy to sever the connection from Tai Xuan Realm. You're better off staying with me."

Xiang Yuanjun: "..."

Xu Xing said nothing, but looked up at the endless mountain range.

Compared to Hun Tian Yi in Tai Xuan Realm, which had been suppressed and entered a state of free evolution, the traces of guidance from this world's Hun Tian Yi were heavy.

The Immortal Dao is about to rise; many will gain extraordinary encounters, yet the Divine Dao also retaliates...

Interesting.

…………

Not long after, within the endless mountain range.

On a cliff, a protruding platform housed an extremely spacious cave, its stone walls covered with thick, emerald-green vines resembling cast bronze.

The lush, jade-like ends extended downward from all sides, coiling and entwining into a circular platform at the cave's deepest point.

Upon the platform sat a man of peerless grace, eyes closed, a simple bronze mirror resting on his knees.

Massive stalactites hung from the cave ceiling, continuously dripping droplets glowing with faint blue radiance, pooling below into a small pond.

The slender boy who had just faced the wolves now lay within it.

Yet miraculously, all his wounds from the wolves' bites and the fall had fully healed.

"Cough! Cough!"

The boy pushed himself up with his hands, his face flushed red as he coughed uncontrollably.

He had nearly drowned!

After a long while, the boy recovered and slowly rose from the pond.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the seated man and was startled; he jerked his head up too quickly and slammed into the stalactite hanging from the ceiling.

He screamed in pain, clutching his head, tears streaming down his face.

At that moment, a spectral shadow appeared, robes fluttering, holding a simple bronze mirror, his face as noble and radiant as the seated man's.

"I am Tian Jue. I cultivated for ten thousand years to attain the Seat of Immortality, merging with the Dao, yet failed to comprehend the Profound Truth."

"I was betrayed by the gods of the Divine Dao and passed away here—what a regret!"

"Whoever inherits my legacy must uphold my will: overthrow the Divine Dao!"

His voice rang clear, echoing throughout the entire cave.

After delivering these three lines, the spectral shadow dissolved into a streak of rainbow light, leaving only the simple bronze mirror falling to the ground.

The boy looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

Just as the boy received the inheritance and became one of the catalysts opening the curtain of the Immortal Dao era.

In the forest below the mountain.

A gray wolf, barely breathing, lay beside a tree, whimpering, its eyes filled with terror of death.

But soon, a hint of human-like bewilderment appeared in its eyes, and its whimpering ceased.

Its pupils turned, scanning its surroundings, then revealed shock.

'This is... Cangyun Mountain Range?'

'Impossible! Cangyun Mountain Range was shattered two hundred years ago!'

It tried to speak, but what emerged was only...

"Woo~!"

It finally realized something was wrong—the pain throughout its body and the fading vitality sent alarm bells ringing in its mind.

'Why is my body...?'

'No—this isn't the injury caused by Qian Yan Daozhu!'

Could it be...

Though he was already on the verge of death, the gray wolf's eyes shone with wild joy! (End of chapter)