Chapter 149: Are You Going to Become an Immortal?

Zhang Xuan's heart stirred, and he immediately cast his gaze toward that sickly old man who looked as if he might die at any moment.

That old man was already quite aged; the hair on his head was completely gray-white, and it was very sparse, with not much left.

His face was covered in age spots, and he did not seem very spirited as a whole, possessing a sickly air; he would cough once or twice from time to time, though he was clearly suppressing it, trying his best not to interrupt the rhythm of the little girl.

He looked like an old man with little lifespan left, as if he could die at any second.

But the moment Zhang Xuan saw that old man, his mind tightened instantly.

With his current strength at the Great Power realm, he sensed carefully and found that this old man seemed to be just an ordinary old man, with nothing much special about him.

The entire small town was quite normal; except for the seven or eight-year-old girl who had already stepped into the Dao Palace Realm, there was nothing else unusual.

The whole town was full of ordinary people, but the fact that there was nothing unusual was, in itself, a great anomaly.

The Demon Race guide was a follower of Qingjiao Wang among the Thirteen Great Bandits; he was likewise white-haired and aged, with little lifespan remaining.

He pointed forward, specifically toward the little girl who was playing music, and said.

"This little girl's mastery of music theory far exceeds that of ordinary people; she has already reached the point where her skill approaches the Dao. I have previously heard her play a portion of the Crossing Tribulation Immortal Song..."

This very old figure had not yet stepped into the Sendai realm and was at the peak of the Dragon Transformation Realm; in terms of strength, he was not even as good as Zhang Xuan, but he had lived for a very long time and his life experience was extremely broad, so what he said could be considered mostly accurate.

And as Zhang Xuan listened to him and observed the surroundings, he could basically confirm that the girl was indeed Xia Jiuyou, the disciple taken in by Gai Jiuyou, and that sickly old man was, in all likelihood, Gai Jiuyou himself.

To be able to reach the Dao Palace Realm at the age of seven or eight, such talent and aptitude already far exceeded that of ordinary people.

As for Gai Jiuyou, this peerless figure who had once reached the realm of Alternative Enlightenment, it was quite normal that Zhang Xuan could not sense his strength and cultivation; after all, it was very easy for such a figure to mislead Zhang Xuan.

Beforehand, Zhang Xuan had made a great deal of preparation and done a lot of mental conditioning.

But when he truly and genuinely walked here, he still had a strange feeling in his heart; the overall main plot had not yet begun.

The current Ye Fan was still running around the Eastern Wasteland Southern Region, being hunted everywhere, and scurrying around the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.

Even Xia Jiuyou, who had her bottom spanked by Ye Fan, was only seven or eight years old and looked very small.

Truly walking into the small town and gazing at Gai Jiuyou, Zhang Xuan had prepared countless things to say, yet he did not know how to open his mouth.

Gai Jiuyou could be considered a legendary figure even in the early and middle stages of Covering the Sky.

After Qingdi attained the Dao, he practiced against the heavens, walking all the way to the level of Alternative Enlightenment; throughout the ages, very few people had been able to reach this level.

Before Ye Fan attained the status of Heavenly Emperor, the only people in history who had reached this step and were recorded as world-renowned were Chuan Ying, the First Divine General of the Ancient Heavenly Court, and Ning Fei, the First Divine General of the God Dynasty founded by the Undying Emperor.

That Gai Jiuyou could reach this step in the Post-Desolate Ancient Era already proved his strength and potential.

When the Dark Turmoil did not emerge, this figure was the invincible one in the heavens and on earth.

Even if there were enough time, perhaps this figure could have created an unprecedented miracle, defying the heavens to attain the Dao and become an Emperor.

Of course, if everything followed the trajectory related to the Zhetian World, then everything would succeed; this person, during the Dark Turmoil, calmly spoke those world-shaking words in front of the Dark Supreme.

"Who dares to fight me!"

Gai Jiuyou was a legend.

"No, I cannot hold this mindset when talking to him, otherwise there will be a big problem later."

Zhang Xuan's heart stirred; he felt his state was wrong and immediately told himself.

"We are both human, both have two arms and one head; there is no great difference. He possesses top-tier Immortal Scripture, and I do too. I am even the Chat Group Owner; in terms of status and position, we are equals.

I can even discuss the Dao with Qingdi; the scriptures passed down by Qingdi are still with me to this day. I am not inferior to him in any way."

After several rounds of mental conditioning, feeling that he had done enough, Zhang Xuan walked forward; after all, this was his very first time descending in the flesh to converse with a top-tier figure.

And just as he walked in front of Gai Jiuyou and had not yet spoken, this sickly old man suddenly opened his eyes: "Are you specifically looking for me?"

This sentence made Zhang Xuan's heart jump; he knew that the matter of him sending the Demon Race to find Gai Jiuyou must have been discovered by this peerless and terrifying figure. At this moment, Zhang Xuan did not intend to deny it, but nodded and said: "That's right!"

Gai Jiuyou stared at Zhang Xuan with his turbid eyes for a moment, and a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes: "This technique of yours, your talent, and your physique—you have only been cultivating for a year and can already step into the level of a Great Power. You..."

Even Gai Jiuyou was slightly surprised; it was not that he had never seen people who cultivated quickly, but a person as special and strange as Zhang Xuan was truly rare.

"To cultivate to such a level in such a short time, and with such a solid foundation—to be able to reach this degree is truly incredible. But your combat methods are still lacking, and your tempering is a bit insufficient. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Gai Jiuyou's turbid eyes opened a fraction wider, and he stared at Zhang Xuan with interest.

Zhang Xuan's heart skipped a beat; the words he had prepared had not even been spoken, and the rhythm had already completely fallen into Gai Jiuyou's hands.

But fortunately, he had done a considerable amount of mental conditioning beforehand, so he did not take Gai Jiuyou's bait at all, but whispered: "You are about to die."

"Nonsense! What are you saying? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll hit you! Master will live for a hundred years; how could he die?"

Before Gai Jiuyou could speak, the seven or eight-year-old girl spoke up with an angry expression.

Zhang Xuan did not mind, and Gai Jiuyou shook his head: "Do not be rude; this is a guest."

"In life, who is there that will not die? Ancient Great Emperors eventually die and turn into a handful of yellow soil. What is there worth mentioning about the death of a person like me?"

Gai Jiuyou was very calm; even though Zhang Xuan said his life was nearing its end, he maintained a peaceful attitude.

It could be said that this figure had lived for nine thousand years and had seen all kinds of things in the Human World; it was difficult for anything to stir ripples in his heart. He was very peaceful.

"Then do you have no regrets?"

Zhang Xuan could not help but think of the greatest regret in Gai Jiuyou's life in Covering the Sky: being unable to attain the Dao and unable to compete with a true Supreme.

However, in the final moments of his life, he used the Immortal Fire in the Fire Domain to raise his own essence blood to its absolute peak and confronted a Supreme head-on.

In the end, Gai Jiuyou and that Supreme disappeared from the world at the same time, leaving no trace behind.

Gai Jiuyou's expression flickered, but he remained unmoved.

"In life, who can be without regrets?"

Gai Jiuyou was very calm. It was not that he had no great regrets in his heart, but when facing a junior like Zhang Xuan, someone whose status and position were not yet special enough and who was not familiar enough, he would not speak of his regrets or problems.

Just as a grandfather would not confide his regrets and problems to a child.

Zhang Xuan suddenly laughed.

Gai Jiuyou was indeed as described in Covering the Sky, with a relatively peaceful temperament.

"Then what if I said I could make up for some people's regrets? For example, by replenishing a portion of your lifespan and allowing you to maintain a peak state for longer?"

Gai Jiuyou was stunned for a moment, then smiled and shook his head, saying dismissively: "I have basically consumed all the items for extending life; they no longer have much meaning for me."

"Listen, I don't know where you learned about my past, but it is meaningless. You think you have already stood at the peak and want to seek a higher level of power, but the gap between you and me is too great..."

Gai Jiuyou's words were very calm, but within that calmness, there was a powerful dominance.

The Demon Race individual beside them showed an angry expression upon hearing this and couldn't help but step forward, saying: "Do you know who this is before you? This is a senior of my Demon Race, a powerful figure who sealed himself from the Qingdi era until now. He is not strong enough now only because he has not yet recovered to his peak."

This Demon Race individual had a certain understanding of the information regarding Gai Jiuyou, but not much; at most, they knew this figure was once extremely powerful, but now they looked like a sickly old man.

He would not allow this sickly old man to be disrespectful to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan was treated with courtesy by both Qingjiao Wang and Kongque Wang, especially Kongque Wang, who was very respectful toward Zhang Xuan.

In the perception of this elder among the Demon Race, Qingjiao Wang and Kongque Wang were already top-tier figures in the world, and they didn't even look at Saint Masters, yet Zhang Xuan could make them treat him with such great respect, which meant his status and position were a level higher.

In this world, there was no one else who could communicate with a figure like Zhang Xuan in such a calm and direct manner, let alone in such a tone.

"A figure from the same era as Qingdi?"

Zhang Xuan saw a glimmer of light flash in the eyes of the old man before him. At that instant, a trembling aura leaked out, and the Demon Race elder, who was just preparing to speak at length about Zhang Xuan's glorious history, was suddenly like a duck whose throat had been pinched, unable to utter a single word.

And Zhang Xuan's expression shifted; he similarly felt as if facing a formidable enemy, with a terrifying pressure blooming.

"You have met Qingdi?"

Gai Jiuyou finally had a trace of interest and was no longer as sickly as before. He was not releasing a more terrifying aura, but at this moment, his entire bearing was vastly different from before. Standing there, he was like an unscalable peak, causing one to feel fear.

Zhang Xuan nodded: "I see him often, and I often listen to him explain the scriptures."

Saying these words for the second time, Zhang Xuan was already very practiced. It was true that he saw him often; he could frequently see Qingdi in the Chat Group, and he looked over the Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art, the Indestructible Heavenly Art, and the Emperor Scripture that Qingdi explained to him on a daily basis.

Sure enough, upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words, Gai Jiuyou was finally no longer as calm as before.

"Qingdi..."

A large part of the sorrow in Gai Jiuyou's life stemmed from Qingdi. After all, everyone advised him that he could not attain the Dao after Qingdi had attained it, but he still did not believe it and kept moving forward without hesitation.

"Are you related to him?"

Gai Jiuyou's gaze brightened.

"I am only related to myself. As for Qingdi, I know him, and I have the scriptures he explained; that is all."

"Good ambition!"

Gai Jiuyou exclaimed in admiration.

And Zhang Xuan did not want to keep playing coy with him or keep going in circles, so he said softly: "I think I need your help. I cannot be invincible in the world for the time being, so I need a certain amount of help in many places."

"With your accumulation, it won't be long before you can truly become a top-tier powerhouse. Not to mention anything else, with your current cultivation, you can already roam the world, while I have already grown old."

Gai Jiuyou shook his head, unwilling to act directly; this was within Zhang Xuan's expectations.

Gai Jiuyou was indeed friendly to the Human Race and also quite friendly to all living beings of the heavens, as long as they did not want to dominate the world at will and did not exterminate the Human Race.

But at Gai Jiuyou's level, he was indeed very lazy and had few desires.

"No, it is far from enough. The world is vast, and there are many things I need to do. Relying on my current cultivation is far from enough; I lack time."

"You want me to protect your Dao?"

"No, I just need you to help me retrieve some things and help me get through a dangerous period of time. Time is too tight; I must soar into the sky at the fastest speed."

Gai Jiuyou's brows furrowed, and he was finally no longer as indifferent as before.

His eyes opened again, staring at Zhang Xuan and looking him over carefully. The more he looked, the more surprised he became, and then he said softly: "Your current cultivation progress alone has already broken countless cultivation records throughout history, far exceeding your peers. You still want to go faster; what exactly are you pursuing?"

He could perceive that Zhang Xuan's body was incredibly young and the time spent cultivating was incredibly short, yet the foundation of his life was no less than any Great Emperor in history.

With such a cultivation speed and such a foundation, Zhang Xuan's cultivation speed had truly broken many cultivation records.

But even having reached such a stage, Zhang Xuan was still not satisfied, which truly left Gai Jiuyou very puzzled.

"With your cultivation, you should also be able to perceive some things, shouldn't you?"

Zhang Xuan whispered. Before he even needed to say more, Gai Jiuyou's brows furrowed, and he couldn't help but glance toward the location of the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land.

"You want to become an Immortal?"

The fact that the Immortal Path would open in a few hundred years was considered a secret to Beidou, and it was also a secret to ninety-nine percent of the people in the entire Universe, but for figures who had reached the level of Alternative Enlightenment, many secrets were no longer secrets.

Gai Jiuyou must have heard of it at some point.

Therefore, when Zhang Xuan paused, Gai Jiuyou already had his guesses and understanding.

He frowned and shook his head at Zhang Xuan: "Time is too short for you, and it is also too difficult. If you want to become an Immortal, your current progress is not enough. You can wait."

(End of this chapter)