Everlasting Immortal FirmamentEverlasting Immortal Firmament
Lifespan Hall’s entrance, Boundless Heavenly Capital:
Whoosh!
Space trembled as Shangguan Hen’s group returned from the nether realm, carrying Lifespan Beiming.
The skeleton Gu Hai, Chen Xianer, Long Wanqing, and others waited expectantly.
“Your Reverence, we’ve completed the task!” Shangguan Hen declared joyfully as he presented Lifespan Beiming.
The Unborn Man approached quickly and checked.
He beamed. “Yes, this is indeed Lifespan Beiming. Thank you for your hard work, Prime Shangguan!”
“Alright, now that we’ve brought him here, let’s open the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm. My brother-in-law has been there for years. I fear he might be in danger!” Long Wanyu said anxiously.
The Unborn Man nodded in agreement. “Your Reverence, the other lifespan cultivators are in the Lifespan Hall. The method I use is complicated and shouldn’t be performed openly. I’ll take Lifespan Beiming into the Lifespan Hall and execute the method behind closed doors. The entrance will then be opened at this palace hall’s entrance. It’ll remain open until Your Reverence’s true body returns.”
“Alright.” The skeleton Gu Hai nodded.
A lifespan Dao secret technique should not be shown openly, so Gu Hai did not press the issue. Right now, the most important thing was to open an entrance to the hungry ghost path of reincarnation. Nothing else mattered.
The Unborn Man then took Lifespan Beiming into the Lifespan Hall.
Creak!
The palace hall’s doors closed with a loud sound.
Buzz!
Moments later, a beam of black-and-white light pierced through the doors and reached the Lifespan Hall’s plaza. The light then took the form of Taiji Yinyang fishes slowly swimming in circles in the air and forming a black-and-white door.
“Is this the gateway to the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm?” Long Wanqing asked in surprise.
“Wanyu once mentioned that one’s strength in there would depend on the strength of one’s physical souls. Although you all possess strong cultivations, some even at the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm, the laws will be different after entering, and you might not be able to bring out your full strength. After you enter, return immediately. If your physical body is over three thousand three hundred meters tall, you may go and look for our true body. If not, get out immediately!” the skeleton Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes!”
The Han Nation experts quickly stepped into the Taiji Yinyang fish door.
After they entered, they came back in the blink of an eye.
“How can this be? I was barely one thousand seven hundred meters tall when I entered!” Kong Xuan exclaimed with an unsightly expression.
“One thousand seven hundred meters tall is already very impressive. It is because you have reached the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm, possessing peak energy to nourish your physical body. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be over ten meters when you first entered. The six paths of reincarnation each have their own special laws. Furthermore, they are very powerful,” Long Wanyu explained.
Soon, everyone entered and came back out.
Be it the Mosquito Daoist, Long Wanqing, Chen Xianer, Long Wanyu, or Vairocana, they entered in all sincerity and seriousness but wore gloomy expressions as they exited.
“Your Reverence, this official was unaffected. This official can search for your true body!” Shangguan Hen said joyfully.
The crowd gasped in astonishment. “Unaffected?”
Does that mean he maintained his appearance from outside in there? The laws within could not suppress Shangguan Hen?
Vairocana elucidated, “Shangguan Hen cultivates the Eight-Nine Profound Art. His physical body, three spiritual souls, and seven physical souls have merged into one, making them impossible to suppress.”
The skeleton Gu Hai nodded.
“Your Reverence, although my physical body is only seven meters tall, I would like to try!” Ao Sheng said.
“Huh?” Gu Hai looked at Ao Sheng with curiosity.
“I possess the ancestor dragon’s dragon pearl. Earlier, I could release some Divine Energy inside. Perhaps I can assist Prime Shangguan!” Ao Sheng said seriously.
“Alright, both of you, be careful.” The skeleton Gu Hai nodded.
“Yes!”
Shangguan Hen and Ao Sheng stepped in immediately.
“Gu Hai, you’re not going in yourself?” Vairocana asked, puzzled.
Looking in the direction of Xuanyuan City, Gu Hai shook his head. “I’m not going in. I believe my true body can hold on for a few days and will be fine. Shangguan Hen is merely leading the way. My true body will emerge soon.”
Gu Hai did not enter but gazed towards Xuanyuan City. Most thought he was on guard against a surprise attack from the Huang Heavenly Dynasty, so no one said anything.
However, unseen by all, Gu Hai glanced at the Lifespan Hall.
------
Lifespan Hall:
Eight altars were arranged in a circle, each adorned with eight trigram diagrams and sporting chains.
Lifespan Chunshen, Lifespan Dongfang, and Lifespan Nangong were all chained through their collarbones and immobilized on the eight trigram altars. They had restrictions all over their bodies.
All three appeared near death, their faces reflecting despair.
At the center of the eight altars, a light orb resembling a Taiji ball floated, slowly pulsating and emitting a dreamy glow.
Creak!
The hall door opened, and the Unborn Man entered, holding Lifespan Beiming.
Bang!
The door slammed shut behind him.
“Another one? Hehehehehehehehe! The Unborn Man has captured Lifespan Beiming as well?” Lifespan Dongfang asked with a hint of despair.
The Unborn Man went straight to an eight trigram altar and placed Lifespan Beiming on it. He quickly chained and restricted Lifespan Beiming. With a pat on Lifespan Beiming’s neck, Lifespan Beiming could speak again.
“Unborn Man, did you capture us using the Han Imperial Dynasty? You’ve broken the oath of the lifespan cultivators. Our eight lines’ ancestral teachings forbid using external forces against one another. You’ll meet a terrible end for breaking the oath!” Lifespan Beiming shouted.
The Unborn Man smirked.
Ignoring everyone, he reached out to activate the black-and-white orb.
Buzz!
It emitted a beam of black-and-white light at the doors, creating an entrance to the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm in the plaza.
Outside, Gu Hai and his group monitored the entrance, ensuring no one disturbed the Unborn Man during this process.
“Hehehehehe! Unborn Man, you could’ve opened the entrance to the hungry ghost path of reincarnation days ago. You set up the steps to open it but didn’t, all because you wanted to capture us. To think you went to such lengths to capture us. You completely disregarded Gu Hai’s life or death!” Lifespan Nangong said hatefully.
“Knowing too much doesn’t help. I’ve captured all of you,” the Unborn Man sneered.
“Why did you capture us? Are-are you trying to cultivate that evil technique?” Lifespan Beiming yelled in fear.
“Evil technique? It is just that you all don’t have the courage to do so. There’s no such thing as an evil technique in this world. This is Fuxi’s legacy, the most righteous technique!” the Unborn Man retorted coldly.
“Fuxi labeled it as forbidden and prohibited its cultivation,” Lifespan Beiming countered.
“But it’s still a legacy passed down by Fuxi, isn’t it?” the Unborn Man sneered.
Lifespan Dongfang jeered hatefully, “I should have realized earlier. Lifespan Ximen and Lifespan Qiufeng’s passing their lifespan cultivation to one person is heretical and disrupts the balance!”
The Unborn Man chuckled, “It’s not about breaking the balance but perfecting lifespan cultivation. Fuxi’s claim of it being an evil technique is a lie. My existence is the best proof. Even Fuxi can be wrong.”
“Perfecting? In lifespan cultivation, there are four life cultivators and four death cultivators. Those who cultivate life overflow with vitality, resembling young children. Those who cultivate death appear withered, like the elderly. Still, we maintain a human form. But you? Half childlike and half aged? Your dual voices? You are neither human nor ghost, utterly repulsive. How is such a combination perfection? Just thinking about how such old and young parts of your body connect turns my stomach,” Lifespan Chunshen sneered.
“True, I’m neither human nor ghost now, but this isn’t my final form. Once everything is done, it will be. Do you know why I discarded names like Lifespan Ximen and Lifespan Qiufeng and chose the name Unborn Man?” the Unborn Man sneered back.
“Because the truly perfect me hasn’t been born yet! Just watch; you’ll witness it soon!” the Unborn Man said coldly.
As he spoke, the Unborn Man slowly mounted an eight trigram altar.
“Is that Lifespan Ximen’s altar?” Lifespan Chunshen asked with misgivings.
“Indeed, it’s Lifespan Ximen’s altar. Now, I can control the four life cultivations!” the Unborn Man replied in a deep voice.
As he spoke, he activated the altar.
Buzz!
The altars of the Unborn Man, Lifespan Dongfang, Lifespan Nangong, and Lifespan Beiming all turned bright.
The Unborn Man executed a secret technique. Arcs of electricity came from the chains holding Lifespan Dongfang, Lifespan Nangong, and Lifespan Beiming, making the three lifespan cultivators shine like bulbs.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
They screamed in agony. From within them, entities resembling spiritual souls and physical souls rushed towards the Unborn Man via the chains.
Buzz!
The Unborn Man’s body lit up as well. He seemed to enjoy the process while the other three were in torment.
“Unborn Man, you’ll pay for this!”
“Taking my lifespan physical soul? You aim to annihilate my Dongfang lineage?!”
“Unborn Man, you’ve broken the taboo. Fuxi’s inheritance will settle scores with you!”
…
The three great lifespan cultivators screamed in agony, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Their positions rendered them powerless to resist.
------
The hungry ghost path of reincarnation:
Cangjie, Ji Dihong’s true body, and Ao Ying stepped in.
“This is the place, Your Holy Eminence. I once saw the five hungry ghost kings gather here. Gu Hai must be trapped or imprisoned, if not dead. Furthermore, only one-third of the hungry ghosts at this base would have perished at worst, so there should still be two-thirds left,” Cangjie said with anticipation.
However, what they saw was destruction—flattened mountains and craters everywhere.
The once-teeming hungry ghost base had vanished.
“How could this be?” Cangjie blurted out in a heavy voice.
“Mister Cangjie, this isn’t what you described!” Ao Ying exclaimed in surprise.
Cangjie surveyed the vast battlefield around them, noting its chaos.
“Look, there’s a thirty-three-meter-tall hungry ghost,” Ji Dihong pointed out.
“Come here!” Cangjie commanded, drawing the hungry ghost over with a sweep of his sleeve.
“Please spare me! This insignificant one was just passing by,” the small hungry ghost pleaded.
“Where is the hungry ghost base that was here?” Ji Dihong demanded.
Terrified, the small ghost hesitated. “I-I don’t know.”
Cangjie shouted, “Speak!”
The small hungry ghost trembled.
“I don’t know much, only that about six months ago, a great battle took place here. The five hungry ghost kings fought among themselves. A black dragon took advantage of their conflict to devour all the hungry ghosts from this base. This has nothing to do with me! This has nothing to do with me at all!” the horrified hungry ghost insisted.
Ji Dihong’s face sank.
“Gu Hai instigated the five hungry ghost kings to fight among themselves? Is he trying to exploit the chaos?” Cangjie inhaled sharply.