Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 144: The Immortal

The stone chamber was empty.

Qu Duanyun wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or worried. He was pleased that a century-long endeavor could result in such a spectacular outcome. However, he was concerned due to the odd circumstances, which were far from his previous understanding. Back then, he assumed that immortals lived above the clouds, dressed in flowing robes, often seen in silhouette but not in person. The recent explanation of the Shirou from the Grandmaster left him feeling lost and overwhelmed.

According to the Grandmaster on the flesh idol, the True Immortal should be the last person to have consumed the “Shirou”.

He or she only provided intelligence for the Hanging Tree, having lost all humanity. Once Shi Jingzhi consumed the Shirou and became the new True Immortal, this individual would leave to a foreign land and bury themselves in the soil.

In other words, if the “Immortal” was about to leave Great Yun, why choose this time to meet?

Although these thoughts whirled in his mind, Qu Duanyun obediently knelt beside Jiang Youyue and bowed towards the empty space.

After the bow, the stone chamber began to shake. Invisible fine roots emerged from the crevices of the rocks. They intertwined and oozed dark red flesh, slowly forming a human figure. At first glance, it seemed like a person being formed from the void, growing organs and flesh, followed by skin. The sight was deeply unsettling.

Once the flesh was formed, countless delicate roots turned milky white, wrapping around the figure like a cocoon of silk. Shortly after, a simple white robe materialized, with its hem dragging on the ground without gathering any dust.

Upon closer inspection, Qu Duanyun found the milky white substance eerily familiar, much like the manifesting threads of the “Three Thousand Threads of Worries”.

Just like that, a man materialized out of thin air in the underground chamber.

Unexpectedly for Qu Duanyun, the man wasn’t an “ethereal-looking old man”. Instead, he was tall and muscular with deep-set features—undoubtedly handsome. However, his eyes, hidden in shadows, glowed a bright luminescent green. Just by looking into those eyes, one would be reminded of a wild beast in the night.

With a stern expression and undeniable determination, the man felt strangely familiar. Yet, his gaze was so intense that, despite Qu Duanyun’s vast experience, it caught him off guard.

Much like a tiger observing a bug, there was no malice or curiosity in those green eyes, just an overwhelming presence that made it hard for one to raise their head.

Although Qu Duanyun was semi-informed and had prepared internally, the innate fear within him bubbled up uncontrollably.

Was this the True Immortal?

Upon his arrival, the True Immortal stood silently without even the slightest movement or sign of breathing. If one were to ignore the daunting aura, he genuinely resembled a tree.

“This is the second-generation True Immortal of our Great Yun,” Jiang Youyue whispered. “You might have heard of this shell. It belongs to one of the founding heroes—Sun Wang, the Marquis of Lie’an.”

“The body it chose is simple, making it a top-quality vessel. It’s been around for about three hundred years, and its abilities are well understood. If Yan Budu hadn’t given up the Shirou, he would have already left this place to ‘seed’.”

Jiang Youyue remained kneeling, his head lowered. His voice was soft but loud enough for the True Immortal to hear. Yet, the immortal just watched, unmoving.

Suddenly, Qu Duanyun felt that this being wrapped in human skin wasn’t “not understanding”, but rather, “indifferent”.

It only required their respect and submission. Given the vastness of the Hanging Tree, it probably didn’t care about these “insignificant beings” at its roots.

Jiang Youyue continued, “The reason I brought you here is for the Hanging Tree to mark you beforehand. Even if you’re severely injured, you won’t exhibit… the ‘broken horse’ symptoms that Taiheng mentioned.”

Like his master, Qu Duanyun kept his head lowered. “Thank you, Master.”

Jiang Youyue, with the utmost respect, bowed again to the True Immortal, who finally turned to Qu Duanyun.

Countless snow-like, thin roots crawled over his skin, their faint green glow puncturing his body with countless tiny blood spots. The blood spots quickly scabbed over, and Qu Duanyun felt a weight lifting from him, a sensation of profound relief.

This feeling was extremely peculiar, like being trapped in a damp tomb for a lifetime and suddenly being released into an endless open space, feeling a refreshing cool breeze.

Before Qu Duanyun could fully process the sensation, the True Immortal, wrapped in Sun Wang’s shell, resumed his original posture, looking much like an exquisite statue. His green eyes fixed on Jiang Youyue, unblinking.

Jiang Youyue, still kneeling, stood upright. He took out a fine silk scroll from his chest and was about to unroll it when the True Immortal’s expression changed for the first time. For a split second, he appeared more human.

“The Child of Desire is in danger. I will be back shortly.”

His voice was clear and pleasant, very human-like, but with an extremely detached tone.

Subsequently, he instantly turned into a lump of flesh right where he was and quickly vanished into thin air.

The oppressive aura in the air abruptly dissipated, and both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Qu Duanyun didn’t have time to feel the changes in his body; he hastily wiped the fine sweat from his forehead.

“…The second generation True Immortal? Wasn’t Sun Wang from the founding period?”

“Who do you think led the way to conquer this world?” Jiang Youyue sighed. “The Saint specifically chose Xu Le to gradually establish the territory of Great Yun. At that time, the nation’s power was weak, and Xu Le’s abilities were limited. The True Immortal was a civil official, so they couldn’t get involved in warfare… Just as the Shirou matured, the Saint gifted it to Sun Wang.”

When it came to worldly matters, Qu Duanyun got it immediately.

After the True Immortal He Cheng’an gifted the Shirou, he disappeared under the guise of “offering sacrifices to the heavens” and went abroad to “sow seeds”. Xu Le passed away, and the Imperial Preceptor died. Compared to the young prince, Sun Wang had a greater reputation, making him an excellent choice.

As it turned out, the Saint wasn’t mistaken—after Sun Wang became the True Immortal, he served as a loyal regent and later went on to war, becoming a famous minister of his generation. He laid a solid foundation for Great Yun and continued He Cheng’an’s plan, “sowing seeds” in the royal bloodline.

Three hundred years passed. Great Yun’s foundation was robust, and the heirs were all raised well. It was time for the Hanging Tree to find a better puppet.

Just now, that True Immortal said, “The Child of Desire is in danger”, and then disappeared immediately. Could it be…

Qu Duanyun gasped sharply.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Jiang Youyue’s face. “As you thought. Duanyun, is there anything else you want to ask?”

“No more.”

Qu Duanyun swallowed, saying it with lingering fear in his heart.

No wonder his master didn’t care about Shi Jingzhi’s life at that time; the destiny he once looked down upon was even more terrifying than he imagined.

At this moment, Shi Jingzhi was lying on the edge of the town.

There was no one around, and he painfully curled up. His clothes were stained with blood, and a deep wound marked his throat—

The members of the Changle Sect slashed his throat first, followed by Su Si cutting his windpipe. The current cut was precisely at the old wound. With three injuries combined, the wound appeared even deeper and longer.

Blood was everywhere, staining the green grass and dried stems. In his dying agony, Shi Jingzhi’s fingers dug into the soil, trembling.

Unlike last time, Yin Ci didn’t immediately appear to treat the wound. Only a gentle breeze circulated, making a soft whistling sound.

Dozens of steps away, Yin Ci had completely hidden his presence, hiding in the bushes. The scent of blood in the wind grew stronger. He held the disaster warding talisman tightly, staring unblinkingly at Shi Jingzhi. Unconsciously, his fingernails pierced his palm, staining the talisman bright red.

Shi Jingzhi was dying; there was no doubt about it.

Yin Ci had seen too many people die in front of him, taking their last breaths. He had to muster all his cruelty to resist the urge to use the disaster warding talisman.

However, no matter how dire the situation, no matter how much Yin Ci felt for him, he couldn’t look away for a moment. At this moment, what he held was not a talisman but the life of his beloved.

[Zizhu, when the time comes, you must restrain yourself.] Shi Jingzhi had repeatedly warned. [The demon tree is also a demon of this world. The True Immortal won’t wait for me to die before coming. If necessary, activate the disaster warding talisman when I take my last breath; it should still be on time.]

Life was precious to a Children of Desire, and even though Shi Jingzhi spoke calmly, he was trembling. Despite this, he insisted on speaking.

[My life is in your hands, General.]

Yin Ci had fought on countless battlefields and traveled the world for over a hundred years. The cycles of life and death were but fleeting moments to him. However, right now, he felt like he was seeing an injured person for the first time, and the sweat soaked through his inner garments.

In the distance, Shi Jingzhi twitched a couple of times, with barely any movement in his chest. Yin Ci clenched his teeth, about to activate the mechanism on the disaster warding talisman—

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.

It felt as if the world suddenly stood still, with the clouds frozen and even the leaves no longer trembling, exuding a sense of absurd stagnation. The quietness seemed to be the calm before a storm. Yin Ci abruptly stopped his actions, taking out the jade eye. Without any hesitation, he embedded it into his eye socket.

Connected to the underground demon tree, although he didn’t possess inner force, he had an inexhaustible supply of vital qi. Indeed, the jade eye, once filled with this vital qi, became active again. Within Yin Ci’s vision, bare branches filled the sky once more. The culprit that disrupted the atmosphere also revealed itself—

A lump of flesh appeared above Shi Jingzhi, hovering in mid-air, moving slightly, and vaguely taking human form. Just when Yin Ci thought it would take shape, it twisted instantaneously, transforming into two extremely thin giant hands.

The pair of giant hands flicked at their fingers, and the emerald green vital qi gathered into a distinct thread. One of the hands held Shi Jingzhi in place while the other stitched up the wound on Shi Jingzhi’s neck. The skinny fingers moved like spider legs, stitching skillfully and eerily, one stitch after another.

With the dance of the qi threads, the wound closed at an unnatural speed. Though the deep scar remained, the gushing blood ceased in an instant. Without this jade eye, others might find it mysteriously halted from bleeding.

Shi Jingzhi had long been unconscious, hanging by a thread.

The giant hands continued their meticulous sewing, as if mending a delicate doll.

A wave of nausea surged in Yin Ci’s stomach. He covered his mouth with one hand, barely containing his breath.

Their speculation was indeed correct.

Past Children of Desire either committed suicide or died in madness, all deemed subpar products. However, Shi Jingzhi remained mentally stable, still wanting to live even on the brink of death… Such a “high-quality” individual wouldn’t break so easily.

The lineage of the Imperial Preceptor likely already knew of this—knowing that Shi Jingzhi had the protection of an “Immortal”.

…Perfect.

Yin Ci took a deep breath, activating the disaster warding talisman.

Since you’ve come, don’t think about leaving so easily.

Having been treated by the “Immortal”, Shi Jingzhi’s injuries weren’t that severe. Once the talisman took effect, the remaining pain vanished in an instant. He swiftly awakened from unconsciousness, opening his eyes.

Without the jade eye, he couldn’t see the giant hands and the needle. Fortunately, the unexpected event didn’t hide its presence.

Lying in a pool of blood, Shi Jingzhi gazed up at the clear sky, smiling faintly.

“Nice to meet you.”

The next moment, the Hanging Shadow Sword emerged, and golden fire shot to the sky.

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