My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 567 – Eastward Crossing! Father and Son - Part 3

Mid-year.

Zhen'er learned that her mother would be leaving. She cried for a long while, but she was no longer a child. When the tears dried, she accepted it quietly.

The Eastern Sea awaited.

Again and again, Ping'an sent his clones into that mysterious ancient hall. And time after time, they came back battered and broken. Then it was back to consuming Clearwarm Spring Herb to recover again and again.

Gradually, he began to accompany the leader of the Arcane Wood Hall wherever he went. And that hall master was often seen alongside the other hall masters and even the sect leader himself, all of them gazing out at the ancient hall in the distance, deep in thought about how to break inside.

Even when the other elders dispersed, the four hall masters and sect leader would keep Ping'an nearby.

Bit by bit, it was as if Ping'an had become the unofficial sixth seat of power in the Arcane Supreme Sect.

Recognizing both his potential and tireless effort, the sect spared no resources on him. He was given the very best of everything.

Soon, he rose to fame across the Eastern Sea, an up-and-coming powerhouse in both influence and strength.

Leveraging his new position, Ping'an began making connections across the region. He used his status as the leader of the outsider faction to discreetly help his fellow migrants settle safely in various places.

But of course, this wasn’t just charity, it was preparation.

He was paving the way for Xie Yu and Xie Wei to arrive.

Then, at the end of last year, he finally made a breakthrough. He discovered and secured a path to the Xie Clan’s hidden sect.

The Xie Clan’s corresponding hidden force was called the Skygale Sect.

Mount Jade Cloud, home to the Skygale Sect, was already a fairly well-known secluded power.

Ping'an sent a fifth rank female disciple of the Xie Clan to scout the path into the sect, and then deliberately cultivated ties with Skygale Sect.

The Skygale Sect, in turn, was quite happy to befriend this rising star who had regular access to the mysterious ancient hall.

By March of this year, Ping'an had even formed an alliance through marriage.

His eldest son, Li Shen, was betrothed to a descendant of the Skygale Sect’s leader. His eldest daughter, Li Wan’er, would marry one of the sect’s rising stars.

News of these events eventually made its way to Li Yuan, and only then did he give the nod for Xie Yu and Xie Wei to journey east.

No one could ever guarantee absolute safety. But the path of cultivation couldn’t afford to wait. Not everyone had the luxury of stalling like he did.

If the sisters were to leave, that would leave Zhen’er behind alone. But she was 20 years old now. Marriage proposals piled in like an unending tide, enough to wrap around the palace ten times over. What family wouldn’t want to marry this Little Bodhisattva into their clan?

Marrying her meant more than glory, it was a living lucky charm. A shield against fate.

Li Yuan only watched silently.

Zhen’er had her own life. Watching her from a distance like this...was enough.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

An autumn wind blew through the air. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

A solitary guest leaned against the edge of a pavilion. On the wine table stood a single black crow.

The crow’s concealment skill had grown incredibly refined, so much so that unless a third rank powerhouse stared right at it, no one could tell it was anything but an ordinary bird.

Li Yuan looked down at the bustling street. In front of the Xie residence, the crowds came and went in a blur of color and sound. He smiled faintly, then let out a sigh and took another sip of wine.

The little crow lifted its claw and pressed gently on the back of his hand.

Li Yuan stopped drinking and reached over to scratch the crow’s head.

Zhen’er was different from Sheng’er. She deserved a life that, while brief, could still be whole.

But if the Human Emperor were to die, who would protect Zhen’er?

Li Yuan pondered the question. And so did the Emperor.

This year, he had grown crueler than ever. Though he hadn’t slaughtered entire clans like before, he would from time to time suddenly kill a few...without warning.

He could feel it. His condition was worsening, steadily, inexorably, slipping out of his control.

The Black-Clad Guard. The Human Emperor’s mind drifted to that name.

The Black-Clad Guard had always been fiercely loyal to him. He had even looked into Zhao Chunxin’s background and discovered ties to the Blood Blade Sect, perhaps even connections to his own father.

But he dismissed the idea just as quickly.

The Black-Clad Guard had already drawn too much attention. They killed for him, spied for him, and had begun to accumulate enemies in the process.

So instead, the Emperor decided to raise a new force. Not for himself, but for Zhen’er. It was a unit of deathsworn. He gave them the name Heaven’s Net.

For someone like the Human Emperor, creating such a force was child’s play.

Truth be told, there was almost nothing he couldn’t do in this land. The only thing he couldn’t stop was the coming of the Evernight.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Deep winter, the year was nearing its end.

The ferry to the Immortal Domain, which arrived only once every two years, was due to appear again.

Bundled in warm cloaks lined with fine fur, swords strapped to their backs, Xie Wei and Xie Yu joined a group of fifth rank and even a few fourth rank powerhouses as they made their way toward Moon River Beach.

The Human Emperor didn’t go to see them off.

He simply stood alone and unnoticed in a quiet corner atop the Central Capital’s walls, watching until their figures vanished from sight. Only then did he turn and leave.

He couldn’t send them off. He knew this.

If he so much as stepped beyond the capital walls, the entire realm would be thrown into chaos. Storms would rise, factions clash, and the ferry from the Eastern Sea’s Immortal Domain wouldn’t dare make landfall.

And on the other side, the Arcane Supreme Sect’s envoy was once again Ping'an.

But this time, he had a few more strands of white in his hair.

Such whitening had no place on a third rank cultivator. It wasn’t age, it was damage. Too many clone deaths, too much soul trauma. Though he healed each time, the toll added up.

Still, as before, Ping'an arrived at Moon River Beach half a month in advance. And as before, Yao Jue wandered the beach in her usual routine.

But this time, she wasn’t met with just a little black crow...but also a man, Li Yuan.

The beautiful long-legged woman immediately ran straight into his arms.

From a distance, Ping'an stood frozen, staring at him.

His father looked exactly the same as he always had. When he was a child, his father looked like this. When he was a teenager, his father looked like this.

He had once thought his father had died smithing weapons. But they had reunited and nothing changed.

And now, after all the years and all the suffering he’d endured, after returning from the edges of life and death...his father still looked the same.

It was as if the world had changed, the mountains and rivers shifted, the people aged and faded, but his father remained untouched by time.

Looking at his own reflection, grizzled hair, lines carved by battle and pain, he almost looked older than Li Yuan. In fact, if a stranger were to pass by and be asked which one was the father, they’d probably point to him.

“Father,” Ping'an greeted quietly, bowing with solemn respect.

Li Yuan looked at him with gentle eyes. “You’ve grown up.”

Just a simple phrase, but they carried the weight of a thousand storms.

“I’ve never had the chance to thank you properly.” Ping'an’s sharp-featured face cracked into a smile. “I left home thinking I understood things, but only after going out into the world did I truly realize how well you sheltered me...how much effort it must’ve taken to get me onto that ship to the Immortal Domain.”

Li Yuan suddenly grinned. “How about we spar a little? Let’s see how far you’ve come.”

Ping'an laughed and nodded. “I’d like that.”

Off to the side, Yao Jue called out anxiously, “Master, Ping’an is seriously strong now. You can’t take him lightly!”

She still used the old form of address, because technically, their wedding hadn’t happened yet.

Li Yuan chuckled and called back, “Go easy on your old man, will you?”

Ping'an laughed heartily. “It’s Father who should take it easy on me.”

And with that, on the shores of the Eastern Sea, father and son squared off.

In the distance, the waves whispered their lullaby. Moonlight rippled with the tide, rising and falling again and again.

Ping'an moved first. His form flickered, one, two, three...10, then 20 of him.

Where once 10 clones would’ve drained him to the brink, now 20 was his new baseline.

He gave a quick reminder, “Father, each of my clones can manifest at third rank strength. They’re weaker than my true body, of course, but sheer numbers can overwhelm just about anyone.”

Li Yuan’s expression grew serious. “Come, then.”

He’d originally intended to give his son a hard lesson, maybe knock him down a peg. But after hearing everything from the little black crow, how much Ping'an had sacrificed and endured in the Immortal Domain, he’d abandoned the idea.

This son of his didn’t need to be humbled.

He needed to be acknowledged.

So Li Yuan decided he would become the stepping stone in his son’s story. He would help him rise, even if it meant losing on purpose. Because truthfully, if he didn’t fake it, who in this world aside from the Human Emperor could gain even the slightest edge against him?

And so, the father-son duel began.

Petal-like battlefields bloomed in midair, each one a clone-born garden of power.

Wave after wave of third rank might surged toward Li Yuan.

He struck back again and again, shattering one garden, then a second, then a third...

But Ping'an fought with absolute focus.

He wasn’t just sparring. He was seeking closure, a full stop to the years of effort that had brought him here.

Finally, when Li Yuan shattered the 18th garden, he missed a beat, just one step behind.

In that brief opening, the real Ping'an closed in. Hundreds, no, thousands, of vine-like swords surged forward, locking around Li Yuan’s throat alongside Ping’an’s own sword.

For a moment, Li Yuan was stunned. Then he burst into laughter. “Alright, alright, I yield!”

Ping'an sheathed his sword. He threw his head back and drew in a long breath, and in that breath, he felt it. Something dark, something that had festered inside him for years, had shattered.

He dropped to his knees and bowed three times, each one loud and clear, then said, “Thank you, Father, for allowing me this victory.”

Li Yuan pulled him up and said warmly, “Looks like your old man needs to go train in the Eastern Sea too. And I wasn’t holding back just now. You really have grown stronger.”

Ping'an grinned. “I know you let me win.”

But Li Yuan understood.

It wasn’t that his son truly believed he’d gone easy on him; it was that his son was giving him an out. A graceful way down the stage.

That was true maturity.

His heart swelled with joy. “Come, come, there’s still some time before the ferry docks. Let’s get a few drinks, just the two of us.”

Ping'an laughed. “Alright! However much Father drinks, I’ll drink twice as much!”

And just like that, a long-lost sense of boldness and joy stirred in the heart of the world-weary Elder Li.

Only the night wind whispered its quiet truth at his temples, the white strands fluttering gently.

Looking back, Ping’an was no longer that same boy.