[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-path-of-immortality":3,"chapter-the-path-of-immortality-the-path-of-immortality-chapter-69":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Path of Immortality",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2271219,4436,"Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Final Puzzle Revealed","the-path-of-immortality-chapter-69",69,"\u003Cp>This tavern was bustling with patrons, its threshold nearly worn through by feet, thronging with lively energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the two figures in the corner remained utterly silent, like two still rocks in the center of a flowing stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun was the first to speak, shattering the eerie stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surprised? That there are still virtuous souls within the Xuanzhen Sect—like a thousand-year-old ironwood blooming in full flower, unheard of and astonishing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange smile crept across Gu Jun’s face:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When you heard my words about exterminating demons and defending the Dao, didn’t you secretly despise me, wishing to spit in my face and silence me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your own sect is rife with demonic acts of force and plunder—Yan Feichen holds all power, acts with arrogance and cruelty, treating lives as worthless grass; the Sect Master turns a blind eye, letting him do as he pleases; Yuan Ji shuffles between factions, chasing only profit; and I? I’m just a clay idol in a temple, receiving incense and offerings but doing nothing real…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Chen Hang and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that how you truly think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Disciple dares not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang rose to his feet, stepped back, and bowed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t pretend before me—only you and I are here; these are all truths, what’s there to hide?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me teach you another lesson: one must adapt to circumstances and act according to opportunity.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jiang Gulian lost his young son to a demonic blood sacrifice—he despises all heretical arts of the demonic sects. My words earlier were meant specifically for him, to be spread so he learns you’re not rooted in demonic true qi, but in the Xuan Sect, worthy of being taken in as a disciple!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun raised his aged eyes, then abruptly changed tone:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember? Before Yan Ping deliberately spread the news of your mother’s death to Xiao Gan Mountain, though your heart was heavy, you were deeply fascinated by the Immortal Path—once, foolishly, you even blocked the Sect Master’s divine carriage and asked him which Daoist texts to read to achieve fetal breathing…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the time, Yan Feichen was so enraged his face turned ashen; had Yan Zhen not desperately pleaded with him, he would have flogged you to death publicly. You may have forgotten, but I remember vividly—your audacity then was extraordinary, utterly reckless!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang’s gaze flickered slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too bad, your devotion to the Dao lasted only that one moment—since Yan Ping delivered the news of your mother’s death to Xiao Gan Mountain, you’ve become a dog with its spine broken, only whimpering pitifully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun sneered, continuing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If Yan Zhen hadn’t ordered her spiritual sense to monitor you day and night, would you even be sitting here talking to me? You’d have killed yourself long ago—now you’d be reborn somewhere unknown. How laughable!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then why are you helping me now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang’s voice was as calm as a still lake: “In the past, I’ve never received such favor from you, Elder.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why? Because the Xuanzhen Sect owes you. Because you’re no longer what you were. And because I want you to owe me a great favor—this is the truth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun’s face was expressionless:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you were still that same man, I’d never have spared you a second glance! Even if I were as compassionate as they say, what do I care if a mortal lives or dies? Why risk angering Yan Feichen and bringing disaster upon my family for you? But now—you’re different. Zhou Xingling was personally trained by Jiang Gulian since childhood, a top disciple of the Dongxuan Lianshi—and even he speaks highly of you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared straight at Chen Hang, his eyes gleaming with sharp light:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many months have passed since Yan Zhen’s death? You’ve shattered fetal breathing and entered Qi Condensation! Such talent moves even Jiang Gulian—let alone me. Such a golden opportunity—how could I not place my bet early?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s it. Elder, what do you expect me to do to repay this favor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you truly survive the Abyss and become Jiang Gulian’s disciple, one hundred years—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun extended his ten fingers, speaking slowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want you to protect my clan for a century, ensuring they enjoy wealth and comfort in the mortal world, free from cold, hunger, or violence. If any among them show promise, you must guide them onto the Immortal Path. Will you agree?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang paused, considering, but did not answer immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re still alive only because Yan Feichen, however arrogant, dares not openly defy the Sect Master and ruin his mission to seek treasures in the Abyss. But what then, when you emerge from the Abyss?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun said coolly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And when you emerge from the Abyss? The Sect Master won’t care about you again! You’re no kin or ally—he won’t risk a rift with Yan Feichen over a mere lowly disciple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But how do you know I’ll survive the Abyss?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang’s voice paused, then he said after a moment’s thought: “And why me? You have many disciples and old acquaintances—why entrust this duty to an ordinary disciple like me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you die in the Abyss, all is void—today’s talk was wasted. But why I choose you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun spoke slowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think your deeds on Yang Mountain went unnoticed? Even someone as timid as Xu Zhi—you refused to deceive him, and split the spoils equally. I know your nature well. With such talent, if not you, then who else could I entrust my legacy to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Mountain…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spoils?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Chen Hang shook his head and smiled bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After killing the Yang Mountain Daoist, he had seized the Thunderfire Thunderbolt Pearl—he’d gained a great advantage. Yet in Gu Jun’s mouth, it sounded as if he’d suffered a great loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Gu Jun had said all he needed to say, and had no intention of further idle talk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled a palm-sized crane-feather token from his sleeve, placed it on the table, called for the waiter to settle the bill, and rose to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder, forgive this disciple’s boldness—I have one more thing I must say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang suddenly called out to him, his gaze unusually solemn as he bowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xu Zhi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said: “Was he truly expelled because he refused to fight?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun halted, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, he slowly turned, his narrowed eyes like blade-light, cutting into flesh and bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you bring this up before me? Don’t you fear death?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elder still needs this disciple’s useful body,” Chen Hang bowed again, his expression unchanged: “Forgive this disciple’s presumption—but Xu Zhi treated me as a friend. I seek nothing else but the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The truth? You want to clear his name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Jun sneered: “Whether he fled or not—what does it matter now? It’s all long past!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My only son is dead. I am still a man—not a clay idol, not a bodhisattva!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his words ended, his figure vanished instantly—a flash of yellow light spiraled into the clouds, then disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang slowly raised his head, picked up the crane-feather token from the table, sat back down, and fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From start to finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither Gu Jun nor Chen Hang mentioned the Abyss—not even the possibility of petitioning the Sect Master to spare him from going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both knew it was pure fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once you’d received the talisman and taken the payment for your life, with Ai Jian’s nature—treating disciples like slaves and beasts—there was no turning back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Jiang Gulian was merely observing, not yet committed to taking him as a disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Jiang Gulian truly needed him, Ai Jian would never release him—he’d see it as a personal insult, and grow even angrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Gulian is merely a Dongxuan Lianshi. Thirty years ago, when Ai Jian founded his sect on Xiao Gan Mountain, he slew countless heads—his sword had already been stained with Dongxuan Lianshi blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I survive the Abyss, I’ll likely betray this kindness…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang shook his head, slipped the crane-feather token into his sleeve, and did not look at it again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The path of cultivation: Law, Companion, Land, Wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his past life, he had no choice—accidentally entering this sect. Now, reborn, with lessons learned, he would not repeat his past mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Baihe Cave were filled with fraternal harmony and virtuous customs, it could never lead him to Golden Core, let alone Primordial Spirit and the Great Dao of Return to Void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to his current sect, even this Xuanzhen Sect was superior—Ai Jian’s killing power was unmatched, forcing neighboring sects to bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Xuanzhen disciples, treated as slaves by their own Sect Master, carried themselves with greater arrogance than disciples of other sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To join a great sect, I need one with a Primordial Spirit True Person residing within. After weighing all options, only one fits me—the Flower Goddess Mansion in the Southern Region…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang sighed inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his gaze to the left landscape screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was calm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sister, have you heard enough? Come out if you have.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the screen, Qing Zhi let out a startled “Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, Wei Lingjiang stepped out slowly, head bowed, embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young woman’s pure white cheeks flushed a rosy hue, glowing like dawn clouds, strikingly radiant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This little cup fell off the table by itself—it’s not Qing Zhi’s fault!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the screen, Qing Zhi was still arguing with the waiter:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t touch it! It hit my hand—look—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang winced, spun around, clapped a hand over Qing Zhi’s mouth, quickly apologized to the waiter, and dragged the girl over like a stubborn piglet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she turned back, she met Chen Hang’s gaze—and instinctively turned her head away, flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang’s voice was unusually hesitant: “When… when did you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Soon after you arrived.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang’s tone remained unchanged: “Qing Zhi’s chewing was too loud—I heard it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? I chew loudly when I eat?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qing Zhi poked her large head out from behind Wei Lingjiang, utterly confused: “But I didn’t feel it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s none of your business!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang shoved the head back down, stammering: “I… I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just… I just…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I only came because I was worried about your life and feared something had truly happened to you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Wei Lingjiang’s mind flashed with this sentence out of nowhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She startled, quickly shaking her head as if to shake the words out of her mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop—I just happened to come here for a meal… I didn’t expect you’d be here too. What a coincidence…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang spoke stiffly; by the end, even she found it absurdly clumsy, so she fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is that so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dim, flickering light beneath the eaves, Chen Hang’s figure seemed to flicker between shadow and light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his dark, deep eyes and gazed quietly at Wei Lingjiang. After a long while, he turned to look out the window, a strange smile forming on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed, what a coincidence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang grew even more flustered; the atmosphere grew more awkward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lightly pressed her lips together. Recalling the old man’s earlier conversation with Chen Hang, an unexpected surge of pity rose in her heart, and her previously shy gaze now held something indescribable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even she couldn’t say what this feeling was—was it the same pity one feels seeing a drenched, pitiful puppy in the rain, or something else entirely?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang couldn’t tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you pitying me? There’s no need.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang suddenly startled—Chen Hang had turned his gaze, meeting hers with cool detachment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yan Zhen is dead now. I am a free man. I am still alive, I can cultivate Qi, I can practice. That alone puts me ahead of nearly everyone else in the world. Sister, please stop wearing that look of pity on your face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang was taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few steps away, his eyes held only a transcendent indifference—neither sorrow nor joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fleeting emotion he had accidentally revealed moments before had vanished like receding tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Night is falling. I won’t stay longer. Farewell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang gave a slight bow, and his footsteps grew distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang stood frozen in place until Qingzhi tugged hard on her sleeve, snapping her back to awareness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This man has a foul, stubborn temper—he won’t yield to kindness or force. I think you’ll never win him over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingzhi whispered: “My advice? Punch him unconscious, get him in bed, and then everything will be easy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang gave no reply to her nonsense. She frowned in silence for a long moment, then suddenly let out a cold laugh and turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss! Miss! Wait for me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingzhi shouted several times, her short legs scrambling to chase after her—but before she’d taken more than a few steps, several waiters subtly blocked her path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We haven’t paid yet?!” Qingzhi cried out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ll stay here and wash dishes to pay your debt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Lingjiang didn’t look back; her voice was cool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hongye Island, guest room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clear, distant cry of cranes and the sound of cloud-drums filled the room. Chen Hang paused his Qi cultivation, took a wooden box from his Qiankun Bag, and held it in his palm, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems the sealing fire has reached perfect maturity. It’s time to consume it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crimson, blood-red jade chain that had bound the box had now fallen away, its luster greatly dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, the Crane Embryo Pill bounced and leapt restlessly, as if desperate to burst through and fly free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang lifted the lid, pinched the pill—no larger than a silkworm bean—between his fingers. Instantly, the crane cries in the air grew clearer, each note rising higher than the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard this pill is the finest external elixir for Qi cultivators—one single pill contains boundless essence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang admired it for only half a moment, then gripped Jin Chan and entered the True Dharma Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seated himself in his mind’s eye, swallowed the Crane Embryo Pill—and instantly, boundless essence seemed ready to explode within him. His eyes glowed with radiant light; the air filled with strange fragrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But only half a moment later:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang abruptly halted his cultivation, his eyes filled with shock and doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… is a Heavenly Demon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body now sprouted dense, fine gray-black scales. His form swelled three or five times larger; countless white, bony spines pierced through his skin, coiling along his back into a pair of massive bone wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great destruction. Great collapse. Great descent. Great diminishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless voices howled and laughed in his mind, stoking his envy, his lust, driving him to slaughter, to plunder all things under heaven!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Chen Hang recalled the words of Luo Zhang, the Daoist of Fuyu Lake, when he gave him the pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This pill was a private treasure of the Lord of Huaiwu Cave. He specifically ordered Luo Zhang to give it to us. This man… how could he… has he consorted with a Heavenly Demon?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Hang’s face suddenly changed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—Sister!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hastily exited the True Dharma Realm, still clutching the Crane Embryo Pill, and burst through the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door next door also burst open—Wei Lingjiang rushed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes met, held for a moment, then both looked away simultaneously. Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only silence filled the space…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Fuyu Lake,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man selling white-sand spirit fish rowed his boat, preparing to drift farther, when suddenly, from a fish barrel inside, a golden-bearded carp chuckled loudly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dao Jun, you crafty old trickster—after all your scheming, it’s finally come to pass!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense. This is nothing—only two percent of my effort!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the young man could react, a white-haired old man with a pipe in his mouth stepped across the water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With my own hands setting the plan, how many things in the Nine Provinces and Four Seas could possibly fail?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merged into one\u003C\u002Fp>",2693,"2026-06-19T22:29:59.276Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","27b87006011d703ac45f89cdfdc0494630dba520cd749d46731b7516df03095f","the-path-of-immortality-chapter-70","the-path-of-immortality-chapter-68",545,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-path-of-immortality-cover.jpg"]