Chapter 483 - 482

Li Jing had a good impression of Domain Lord Cangming, also known as Li Lingyin.

Firstly, Li Lingyin’s forthright and unassuming nature immediately won him over.

Then, he found her quite interesting as a person.

Even without getting too close, he could tell that having her as a friend would be a pleasant experience.

When someone handed him a drink, Li Jing reflexively took it.

But upon hearing Li Lingyin’s sudden confession, he was taken aback.

Earth?

The Blue Star from another timeline?

Could that...

Could it be the Earth where he once resided?

When he first came into contact with the Secret Realm Space, Li Jing had pondered this.

He wondered if his previous Earth was a Secret Realm, existing as a parallel world.

After learning that the Blue Star was just a part of the Big World, he contemplated even more.

Could Earth be located somewhere in the Big World?

However, he had long dismissed such thoughts.

Compared to Earth and the Blue Star coexisting somewhere in the Big World, it seemed more plausible for them to be parallel worlds.

After all, even though their recent histories had nothing in common, their ancient histories were basically identical.

Famous ancient dynasties existed on the Blue Star too.

All kinds of mythical stories also had versions circulating on the Blue Star, hardly differing from those on Earth.

If one were to ignore modern history, the Blue Star could be considered a mirror world of Earth, which developed along a starkly different trajectory due to the existence of Immortal Learning.

Now, Li Lingyin’s reference to another timeline was undeniably striking at the core.

Li Jing’s train of thought broadened.

The concept of timelines, once familiar to him as a former Earthling, used to be a hot topic during his time-travelling days, permeating literature and blockbuster movies.

As he looked at Li Lingyin, Li Jing hesitated.

He had never revealed the secret of his being a traveler to even his closest friends like Liu Sisi, Chen Yuran, and Yulian.

If all went well...

He planned to take this secret with him to the grave.

But now...

Li Lingyin could potentially be his "fellow villager"...

Li Jing didn’t necessarily want to establish familial ties with Li Lingyin, but he was very intrigued by this other timeline.

Moreover, there was one more question.

If the Earth that Li Lingyin mentioned was indeed his home, would he be able to return and visit someday?

Though Li Jing’s parents had passed away long ago, he still had friends and relatives on Earth. Despite his new life, some parts of the old one still lingered in his mind.

Seeing him lost in thought, Li Lingyin tilted her head.

"What? Surprised to find out that I come from another Blue Star?"

Before Li Jing could reply, she quietly continued.

"Don’t be too shocked. There are quite a few in the Immortal Realm like me. The existence of mirror worlds at different time nodes in the Big World is no secret."

"Though it’s rare for cultivators to ascend across timelines, it’s considered an occasional phenomenon. But if Blue Stars and Earths coexist on different time nodes, they naturally have corresponding Immortal Realms as well."

Speaking, Li Lingyin laughed.

"In our part of the world, what you call the Immortal Realm is called the Immortal World. Despite the difference of just one word, the two are not alike. At least in Earthly cultivation, the Immortal World is considered a place where bona fide Immortals reside and ascending means being counted among the ranks of the Immortals. Unlike the Immortal Realm, where life after ascension is similar to life on the Blue Star, just with a better environment."

As Li Lingyin confidently carried the conversation, Li Jing’s expression grew stranger by the moment.

There were many like her in the Immortal Realm, so it wasn’t something out of the ordinary.

If Li Lingyin were a one-off case,

She wouldn’t have been so casual about revealing her origins.

The crux of the matter is...

Listening to her, Li Jing felt that it’s highly likely she is indeed his "fellow villager".

Li Jing didn’t know if there were hidden cultivators on the Earth he once lived in, but concepts such as the Immortal World and ascending to join the Immortals’ ranks were almost ""cliches"" in Hua Xia.

There were even some eccentric people.

Who would shout "Which Taoist friend is crossing the calamity here?" whenever lightning struck.

After a moment of silence, Li Jing spoke.

"Domain Lord Li, my hometown isn’t the Blue Star."

Upon hearing this, Li Lingyin appeared surprised, then asked in curiosity.

"What do you mean...Did you come from a Secret Realm Space connected to the Blue Star, then ascend from there?"

Expressing her surprise, she gasped, taking a good look at Li Jing.

"No, that doesn’t make sense! Everyone knows that the Blue Star, which serves as a cornerstone of the Big World, is very unique. Non-native beings can’t set foot here once they reach the Seventh Realm, even if they cultivated on the Blue Star. Unless...do you possess the power to Deceive the Heavens and can hide from the Heavenly Punishment’s discernment?"

Li Jing was at a loss for words.

He had to admit that Li Lingyin had a vivid imagination.

Strictly speaking,

Her speculation wasn’t baseless.

But were those who can Deceive the Heavens so common?

As an individual who had only recently reached the Tenth Realm, how could he possibly possess such a power?

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Li Jing decided to speak more directly. He looked at her and asked,

"Has Domain Lord Li ever heard of the term ’traveler’?"

?

Li Lingyin slowly formed a question mark, then her eyes widened in realization.

It was clear that she had heard of "travelers". Li Jing smiled modestly.

"To be honest, my hometown is also called Earth, but I don’t know if it’s the same place as yours."

While speaking, he subtly inquired,

"Are there others like me, travelers, in the Immortal Realm?"

Faced with this question, Li Lingyin frowned and said.

"Strictly speaking, I, having ascended after crossing time nodes, could be considered a traveler. But there is no such concept as ’traveler’ in the Immortal Realm. In the Earth where I’m from, there are references to ’travelers’ in some novels and comics."

A novel about time-travelers?

Comics?

Li Jing was stunned.

These things, they should have existed only after the 21st century at the very least.

Looking at Li Lingyin with a strange expression, Li Jing whispered.

"Master Li, could it be... you’re a modern person from the 21st century?"

"Hmm."

Li Lingyin nodded and replied, "When I ascended, it was the year 2021."

"..."

Li Jing.

2021.

Not only the same era as his, but also the year when he had arrived at Blue Star.

Seeing Li Jing fall silent, Li Lingyin’s face gradually became delicate, she whispered.

"By the way, on our Earth, cultivators are extremely rare, 99% of people are just ordinary people who don’t even know cultivators and some alien species exist. But the myths about cultivators and certain alien species are a hot topic on the internet."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing replied,

"What a coincidence, it’s the same with my Earth. In fact, before traveling through time, I wasn’t a cultivator but an ordinary person. I didn’t know if cultivators really existed."

After saying that, Li Jing asked.

"When did you ascend?"

"Three thousand years ago."

Li Lingyin responded, then giggled.

"This is quite an amusing fact, you were the last one to ascend to the Immortal Realm through the Blue Star Ascension Platform, even before me."

Saying this, she stared at him and asked.

"When did you time-travel?"

"About four years ago."

Li Jing replied, "It seems unlikely that we’re both from the same place. The Earth we live on is extremely similar, but we are not from the same time period..."

Before he could finish, Li Lingyin suddenly interrupted.

"Who was the previous president of the United States?"

"X-P."

Li Jing replied subconsciously.

"And the current one?"

Li Lingyin tilted her head.

"X-D, he took office about half a year before I traveled."

Li Jing stated calmly.

Upon hearing this, Li Lingyin took a deep breath, and then tearfully threw herself into his arms.

"We’re from the same place!"

"..."

Li Jing.

Although they were just randomly mentioning things, since they were matching up, it indicated that Li Jing and Li Lingyin were from the same Earth.

Furthermore, they both belonged to the same era.

The year Li Lingyin ascended was the same year he had traveled to Blue Star.

But compared to his travel to Blue Star in the 21st century, Li Lingyin had been in the Immortal Realm for a full three thousand years since her ascension.

Still, he found such a matter a bit hard to believe.

Before he had ascended, he had wondered if there might be other time-travelers like him on Blue Star.

He hadn’t met any on Blue Star, but now he had met one in the Immortal Realm.

Though this was a bit different from what he had initially thought, strictly speaking, Li Lingyin was not a time-traveler, but had ascended on her own through cultivation.

Seeing Li Lingyin hugging him with an expression of being on the verge of tears, Li Jing silently opened and closed his mouth.

"Have you been living unhappily all these years?"

?

Li Lingyin looked up with questioning eyes, "What makes you think I’ve been unhappy?"

"..."

Li Jing was speechless, thinking to himself, If you haven’t been unhappy, why are you so emotional?

Just as he was disparaging her in his mind, Li Lingyin pushed him away with a slap, picked up the gourd of wine, and began to chug. Then she stared at him intently.

"This is indeed a bit peculiar, we might even be from the same era."

As she spoke, she exclaimed with wonder,

"When I ascended, it happened to be the middle of 2021, I remember it was June 16."

Li Jing raised his eyebrows upon hearing this.

"That’s really a coincidence, the day I traveled was also June 16th. Don’t tell me you are also from Magic Capital by any chance?"

"No, I am not from Magic Capital."

Li Lingyin shook her head, then chuckled, "However, I had a premonition that Magic Capital was a ideal place for ascension before I ascended. So, I went there for a sightseeing trip."

As she said this, she giggled again. "There was a slight accident. I went sightseeing in Magic Capital, and couldn’t help triggering the Heavenly Punishment. I had no choice but to brace myself and fly above in the sky of LuX Zui..."

She stopped in mid-sentence, because Li Jing’s expression across from her was becoming increasingly wrong.

Seeing someone’s face looking even worse than having eaten a pound of shit, Li Lingyin asked in bewilderment,

"On June 16th, you weren’t by any chance at LuX Zui, right?"

Li Jing didn’t respond, instead, he reached out to take the gourd of wine from Li Lingyin’s arms, tilted his head back and drank.

Upon seeing Li Jing’s expression, Li Lingyin’s face turned exceedingly strange.

The things they could relate to, were not ordinary at all.

Even the time when she ascended coincided with the time when Li Jing traversed across time.

If you were to insinuate that their respective ascension and transmigration shared no connection, it seems rather incongruent.

It’s hard to tell.

It might be a chance occurrence that Li Jing’s transmigration was influenced by hers...

This kind of scenario is not entirely impossible.

The Immortal Realm and the Big World are one.

But there’s a cultivation level threshold to enter the Immortal Realm.

An ordinary person, with no cultivation level, could not possibly come to the Immortal Realm through the Ascension Platform because certain rules are at play here.

If Li Jing’s transmigration was indeed influenced by her, he should’ve arrived in the Immortal Realm with her, but he ended up as an unexpected anomaly.

There is a concept known as ’repatriation’ within the rules of ascension.

It is not uncommon for someone to "stowaway" to the Immortal Realm with an ascendant.

However, unless they could truly deceive the Heavens and cross the sea, these "stowaways" would ultimately be sent back the way they came.

Li Jing...

It’s highly likely that because he came from another time node on Earth with her, the effects caused by time and space factors are not quite the same, leading to the replicable process of ascension not taking him back. This caused him to be delayed and later sent to Blue Star...

What Li Lingyin pondered, Li Jing also considered.

But he didn’t just think about this.

He also thought about the Big World’s Heavenly Tao...

Presuming that his transmigration was influenced by Li Lingyin, there was no escape from the fact that they both ascended and transmigrated on the same day.

Once they arrived in the Big World, there was no reason for a difference of three thousand years.

Most likely, due to a bug in the rules of ascension, and the system not knowing where to send him, he was left stranded on the Ascending Path.

If someone who is not supposed to appear gets stuck on the Ascending Path, won’t the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist, who controls this heaven and earth operation, have to intervene?

With that said...

Everything makes sense!

The first time they met, the Big World’s Heavenly Tao was surprised by his existence.

And then, inexplicably, the Heavenly Tao looked after him, giving him a trace of the Breath of Heavenly Path...

Why did the Big World’s Heavenly Tao treat him so well?

There has to be a reason, right?

All signs indicate that the Big World’s Heavenly Tao must have known him beforehand and even understood how the Breath of Heavenly Path could affect him.

If there were no accidents, then the "hang-ups" on Li Jing’s are most likely compensations given by the Big World’s Heavenly Tao.

She probably didn’t expect him to grow so quickly.

Which is why she was surprised when they met again.

Then there’s a subtle fact...

After Li Jing’s transmigration, no ascenders ever appeared on the Blue Star again.

This...

It doesn’t seem to be a problem with the Blue Star, but rather his arrival caused a problem with the Ascending Path, and the Big World’s Heavenly Tao hasn’t been able to fix it.

And the reason for this might be somewhat related to Li Jing, who was supposed to come to the Immortal Realm with Li Lingyin but ended up on the Blue Star instead.

Rules can be seen as programs.

Programs are known for their inflexibility.

Perhaps the Li Jing who was sent to the Blue Star was marked as not being sent to the Immortal Realm by default, essentially occupying the Ascending Path.

If the person is not sent away, the Ascending Path will not be freed up.

Then the Big World’s Heavenly Tao might have chosen a compromise method due to the trouble, preventing Blue Star cultivators from entering the Ninth Realm.

If no one ascended, then no one would discover that there’s a problem with the Ascending Path, right?

Theoretically, the Will of Heaven would not do something this absurd.

But who can know what the Will of Heaven is thinking?

Considering all the possible scenarios, Li Jing’s mouth twitched violently.

Li Lingyin had also thought of corresponding conjectures.

However, since she had never encountered the Big World’s Heavenly Tao, she couldn’t connect all the dots and only managed to comprehend a possible reason why she was the last ascendant through the Blue Star Ascension Platform to reach the Immortal Realm.

Seeing a certain someone clutching her wine gourd with an increasingly strange expression, Li Lingyin snatched back the wine gourd, took a swig, and said,

"Some things cannot be comprehended by us, nobody can precisely explain what happened, don’t overthink it. What we can confirm at the moment is that there seems to be an extraordinarily ordained fate between us. Being able to meet in the Immortal Realm is likely destined."

Li Jing looked at her as he heard that.

Destined?

That’s possible.

After all, Li Lingyin is the Domain Lord of the Cangming Realm.

As an ascendant from Blue Star, he would eventually meet her in the Immortal Realm unless he lived in obscurity.

However, he felt that more often than not, it was the Big World’s Heavenly Tao pushing things along from behind.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Li Jing reigned in his thoughts and decided to cease pondering. He then looked toward Li Lingyin and said,

"Master Li, could you please keep my status as a traverser a secret for me? I do not want to invite unnecessary trouble because of this."

"Don’t worry, I’m not a gossip."

Li Lingyin replied with a smile and added,

"You and I share common roots and are of the same generation. Furthermore, I will be registered in Chen Tang City soon. So stop calling me ’Master Li’. Just call me Lingyin."

"..."

Li Jing.

Sharing common roots is easier to accept.

But to say that Li Lingyin was of his generation, that was a hard pill to swallow.

Although they both ascended and transmigrated on the same day, Li Lingyin was at least in the Ninth Realm during her ascension.

Unlike the Blue Star where spiritual cultivators and spiritual Qi abound everywhere, and there are no shortages of cultivation techniques or spiritual objects on Earth, cultivating to the Ninth Realm could take hundreds to thousands of years.

Furthermore, it’s uncertain if one could ascend once they reached the Ninth Realm on Earth...

Each world has its own limit of accommodation.

Therefore, the threshold for ascension is different.

Li Lingyin’s earlier mention of "our ancestors may not be from the same family" is not something a common person from the 21st century would say.

Who in the 21st century could know who their forefathers were many generations ago?

And who would care about it?

Of course.

In person, Li Jing wouldn’t be foolish enough to expose Li Lingyin.

Especially this one, who seemed to be very sensitive about her age.

Just as he was hesitating whether to change the topic, Li Lingyin suddenly leaned in and whispered.

"The Blue Star Ascension Platform is in trouble, and it most likely has something to do with us. We should keep this matter to ourselves. Although besides Star Picking, not many people in the Immortal Realm care about this, but if the word gets out, we might be in trouble."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing nodded silently.

Seeing that he remained silent, Li Lingyin tilted her head to look at him and frowned.

"I say, you’re not blaming me for this, are you?"

"That’s unlikely, I’m just a bit melancholic."

Li Jing chuckled and said,

"Honestly, I want to thank you. The four short years I spent on Blue Star were far more exciting than the twenty-odd years I spent on Earth, not to mention that I had a companion on Blue Star. If I were on Earth, I would probably be a lone orphan working nine to five in a company."

Hearing him say this, on the surface an insensitive Li Lingyin visibly relaxed and laughed.

"There’s no need to thank me, as long as you don’t suddenly seek revenge on me in the future, that’ll do."

Li Jing laughed at her words, then asked,

"By the way, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask, is there a possibility for us to return to Earth?"

"Well, it’s not entirely impossible."

Li Lingyin replied.

"But the premise to all of this is that you must possess the power to deceive the heavens and hide from the perception of the Heavenly Path. Otherwise, the rules of Earth will not tolerate you. Only under this premise, can you use some special means to return."

She continued,

"Compared to going to Earth, going to Blue Star is much simpler. After all, Earth involves a time node different from the Big World we are in, it involves not only space but also time, it won’t be easy to return."

Listening to Li Lingyin’s words, Li Jing seemed lost in thought.

The rules of space.

He could control them.

The rules of time.

He was no stranger to them either.

But at present, returning to Earth doesn’t seem like something he could ponder upon.

Deceiving Heaven Power, he didn’t need it.

Since becoming an administrator, he has been considered on par with the Will of Heaven.

As a superior, he should be given some face.

He is just going back to Earth for a quick visit, the Will of Heaven managing Earth shouldn’t react too drastically.

Even if it did, he wouldn’t be affected by the Heavenly Punishment.

However, he must find a way to cross both space and time nodes and precisely travel to Earth.

Without thinking too much about it, Li Jing let out a sigh and changed the subject.

"I previously went to the Domain Lord Mansion in Phoenix Sun County to find you, your city guard told me you came here for an auction in Beilang City. Do they have something you need at the auction?"

"Yes."

Li Lingyin nodded and then chuckled, "But it doesn’t matter now, I mainly came here to bid for a rare spirit wine. Now that you’ve given me the Fine Jade Dew, this spirit wine is not as important to me."

As she spoke, she continued,

"The Path of the Wine God that I cultivate puts wine tasting as part of my cultivation. I search for spirit wine not for anything else, but to ascend to higher levels. The Fine Jade Dew that you gave me is enough for me to delve into for a while, and by the time I grasp the essence of it, I should be able to smoothly step into the Thirteen Realms. When that time comes, a spirit wine of this level will not be of much use to me."

Endlessly talking on, Li Lingyin looked at him with a beaming smile.

"Speaking of this, our connection is not shallow. If you didn’t have three Taoist companions, maybe we could have been together."

Li Jing was speechless.

Despite having the Big World’s Heavenly Taoist pushing things behind the scenes, starting with the Fine Jade Dew, Li Lingyin and he indeed had a deep connection.

But being together...no.

Not to mention Li Jing had made a promise with Liu Sisi.

Someone like Li Lingyin, who was at least a few thousand years old and a seasoned alcohol lover, was easy to get along with, but if a normal person tried to control her, they would find it incredibly hard. You never knew when she might have a bout of drunken madness.

Just thinking about Li Lingyin stepping into the Venerable Realm with Fine Jade Dew in the near future, made Li Jing feel uncomfortable.

Venerable Realm beings don’t commonly get drunk.

But Li Lingyin was different.

She was addicted to wine.

Wine was her cultivation path.

She would always find a way or invent methods to get herself drunk.

A Venerable in a drunken rage...

Just the thought was enough to terrify people.

Not picking up on Li Lingyin’s words, Li Jing said,

"Since you’re no longer interested in the auction, why don’t we go to Cangming Realm?"

"That wouldn’t be appropriate."

Li Lingyin waved her hand and said,

"Since we’re here, we should attend the auction, or at least give the Domain Lord of Ningluo Realm some face."

After saying this, she added,

"He’s not here right now, probably will be back tonight, I’ll introduce you to him when he returns. Getting to know another Domain Lord will be beneficial for your future development in the Immortal Realm."

Hearing this, Li Jing hesitated slightly and nodded silently.

He doesn’t have much interest in the auction now.

Originally, he was planning to sell talismans.

But now, there is no need.

With Tong Xiaoxiao paving the path, once everything is arranged, he will not lack Immortal Crystals.

The talismans he currently owns, even if taken to the auction, could at most be sold for over a thousand Top-Grade Immortal Crystals.

Most of these come from the talisman with the eleventh realm magic skill due to critical strikes and other talismans together could sell for over a hundred Top-Grade Immortal Crystals, which is already quite good.

Now he has over eight thousand Top-grade Immortal Crystals, there is no need to go to the auction for the sake of it.

Since Li Lingyin is not willing to go back and wants Li Jing to meet the Domain Lord of Ningluo Realm, he can only accompany her for the time being.

Getting to know another Domain Lord is indeed beneficial.

He should reluctantly participate in the auction to understand the market.

...