Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

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Between the steep cliffs, a billowing white robe surged.

Shen Yi silently gazed far into the distance below the mountain, where all that met his eyes was clouds and fog, the true face of the human world indiscernible.

He suddenly felt the mountain wind slightly chilly.

It seemed he stood at a a position all too high.

Ye Wenxuan claimed to be at the first level of Return to Void, yet this wooden figure was evidently one of the strongest even among those in the Return to Void Realm, but still it met such a dismal end.

In comparison, Shen Yi's strength, even if superior to Ye Wenxuan's, didn't seem to count as anything exceptional in this world.

Through the words of that middle-aged man from the Pure Moon Sect:

Shen Yi could quickly deduce that the mighty beings behind these six Dao Plates, in fact, held a status lower than that of a Sect Master, and with his current strength, he probably would find it difficult to maintain such a lofty status.

He glanced sideways at the wooden figure, "Nan Hong Seven Sons, is this place called Nan Hong?"

Li Xuanqing, although preoccupied with matters inside the Nanyang Sect, still responded earnestly, "This place is called Hongze, we are located to the south."

"How is the relationship between the seven sons?" This question was of great importance to Shen Yi.

"Bound by life and death," replied Li Xuanqing without hesitation.

"..." Shen Yi fell silent for a moment, not agreeing or disagreeing, "Then why, over so many years, have they not paid any attention to what has happened inside the Nanyang Sect? Is it because they can't break through the Array?"

"If a Sect Master took action, it could be broken, but then this place would also be destroyed," Li Xuanqing looked at Shen Yi, and just from the not yet fully dried Monster Blood on him, he could roughly infer the situation inside.

"The most valuable thing about the Nanyang Sect is the sect itself."

"What do you mean by that?" Shen Yi was somewhat curious; he didn't quite understand what was inside the Nanyang Sect that even prevented Cultivators from breaking through to the second layer of Return to Void, and yet seemed worth coveting by those powerful beings outside.

Upon hearing this, Li Xuanqing closed his eyes, "In the heavens, White Jade Capital, with its twelve floors and five cities, Immortals pat my head, bequeth long life upon my hair, the so-called White Jade Capital is a metaphor for the Immortal Palace, hence Return to Void is divided into twelve levels, ascending White Jade Capital is almost the same as becoming an Immortal."

Shen Yi digested this for a moment, a look of surprise emerging in his eyes, "Were you previously an Immortal?"

He didn't quite match up with what Shen Yi imagined an "Immortal" to be.

"Almost," Li Xuanqing corrected, "To ascend White Jade Capital still requires a piece of Union Dao parcel; either you gain recognition from the Celestial Court, henceforth leaving your name in the celestial registry, or you gain heaven's recognition and take a share from this world on your own."

"Hongze hasn't had anyone visit the Celestial Court for many years now."

"Union Dao parcels are numbered, each one was granted heaven's acknowledgement by the great will and great fortunes of our predecessors."

"If this place were destroyed, the metaphysical contract initially set with heaven would be invalidated, and one would need to start anew."

Shen Yi listened very seriously.

He roughly understood now.

This thing was somewhat similar to the imperial examinations in the mundane world; after passing the twelve floors, you are considered successful, having earned the qualifications to hold office.

But whether or not you can assume that office, or become an Immortal, depends on whether there is a surplus of positions.

So, there really exists a Celestial Court in this world, and what he was holding in his hand was, in fact, an Immortal's position?

Upon this thought, Shen Yi suddenly felt the Dao Plate in his hand to be somewhat scalding.

Apart from that, Shen Yi also keenly caught the detail in Li Xuanqing's words, where he distinguished "Celestial Court" from "heaven."

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This indicates that there is more than one path to immortality.

"If I say, if I give this to you, you could become an immortal immediately?"

Shen Yi slowly raised the Dao Plate in his hand, appearing utterly serene.

In reality, however, if this wooden figure desired to take it by force, he and his companions stood no chance of defending it; they might as well be more generous.

"It was like that once."

Li Xuanqing didn't even glance at the Dao Plate, heaving a long sigh, "Now, I can hardly be considered a cultivator anymore, and if I must say, I am more like a demon..."

At this point, he suddenly noticed that the expression of the young man beside him had changed, looking thoughtfully at him.

"Don't misunderstand, I was just giving an example, I will not harm you."

Li Xuanqing smiled helplessly, "I am not even worth being called a demon, just a solitary soul parasitizing in a wooden puppet, can you take me home now? I am the true direct disciple of the Sect Master of Nanyang, and this Nanyang Sect was indeed intended to be left to me, but now it is up to you to deal with."

"One last question."

Shen Yi exhaled lightly, "How did they die?"

If he did not clarify this matter, it would be like a sharp sword hanging over his head, and he would never be able to rest easy.

Li Xuanqing fell silent for a long time, then spoke indifferently, "The responsibility for that matter lies on me, but it has nothing to do with you, and as for how they perished, it is indeed related to the He Dao Bao Di."

"If one day you become the true Sect Master, uniting Dao within Nanyang, the beings within that realm would no longer consume the energy of heaven and earth but instead feed on your energy. They would be called Dao servants or Dao slaves, their entire cultivation at your disposal, their life and death hanging on your thoughts."

As he spoke, Li Xuanqing's voice took on a note of sorrow, "They were devoured by our master. You could also understand it as, they returned all their cultivation to the Sect Master of Nanyang, so that this land could struggle for its last breath."

Hearing these words, Shen Yi felt as if he were struck by lightning: "..."

With his cautious nature, how could he possibly entrust his life in someone else's hands?

Yet, according to what this wooden figure said and the appearance of the other sects, it seemed that in the outside world, this was a very common occurrence.

It seemed as if he had read Shen Yi's thoughts.

Li Xuanqing set aside his sorrow and said softly, "Without the protection of the He Dao Bao Di, wandering alone in the world would only lead to a worse fate, and besides, the Nanyang Sect is just an exception. Other sects' Sect Masters, even if they fall, would generally not harm the He Dao Bao Di, since as long as the sacred ground remains, it can be passed down smoothly, cultivate the next Union Dao Cultivator, and continue to support the sect."

"This period has actually been a time for the Nanyang Sect's realm to recuperate and regenerate."

"It's just that it's been far too long."

Li Xuanqing couldn't even remember how many years he had waited, and the executive elders of other sects had changed time and again.

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yi had not yet reacted, but the faces of the disciples from Wutong Mountain changed slightly; they, who had perused the ancient texts, were aware of some of the past events.

If it were not for the old dog that had survived back then, all the sect disciples and demons would have been consumed.

Following the normal procedure, the remaining descendants of the Nanyang Sect cultivators should be able to retake control of the Thousand Demon Cave in a very short time and, once they have cultivated to the Return to Void, be able to reopen the sect.

"Looking at your nature, it seems you would find it very difficult to accept such a concept."

Li Xuanqing looked back at Shen Yi again, understanding that someone like him, a true dragon who had led cultivators out of the abyss, how could he deign to be subordinate to another, to entrust his life and death to the hands of others.

"Since you are unwilling to join another sect, then try your best to protect your Dao Plate... although it will be more difficult than you can imagine."