My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 605 - Gate of Ghosts - Part 2

The Fire Hall Master’s expression darkened. He didn’t need a divine revelation to know something had gone wrong.

Of all days...why today?

Just yesterday, he’d spoken with that disciple. Everything had been running smoothly.

It shouldn’t be like this. He’d considered the possibility of something going wrong, of the ruse turning real, with the demonic beasts suddenly showing up, killing someone, and then pinning the blame on the Arcane Supreme Sect. That was why he had set up safeguards, given his core disciples some of the sect’s most powerful treasures, just in case.

Among those he sent, there were two third ranks, six fourth ranks. The one leading them, an experienced, level-headed third rank, was the type who’d never stir up unnecessary trouble.

He only meant to trap Cui Huayin, not harm her.

So what the hell happened?

The Fire Hall Master prided himself on understanding the political chessboard of this continent better than most. But at this moment, even he didn’t dare think about the consequences.

If something happened to Li Yuan’s wife, he didn’t even mean death, just someone stupid enough to lay a hand on her, Li Yuan would go on a rampage. A massacre. And then, the only option left for him would be to drop everything and flee.

He smacked the back of his own hand and growled through gritted teeth, “Why? Why now?!”

Then, like a flash of lightning, he shot off again, racing across the skies, mind in turmoil.

“Please...please let nothing have happened. Cui Huayin, hold on. You have to be safe...”

He had flown nearly 25 kilometers when the crane-shaped jade at his chest suddenly lit up.

He snatched it out in an instant.

From within came the composed voice of a female cultivator.

“Master, you called for me?” The Fire Hall Master nearly shoved the jade to his lips. “Hong Ying! Is Cui Huayin safe? Are the rest of Li Yuan’s family safe?”

The cultivator named Hong Ying let out a breath of relief. “We were ambushed by a group of beast cultivators. The fight could’ve gone either way, but luckily, a squad of blade cultivators happened to pass by and helped us. Also...it seems Cui Huayin had a trump card of her own.”

The Fire Hall Master’s expression twisted.

He felt both relief and unease, relieved that the Cui Huayin was unharmed and uneasy that Hong Ying had been seen.

“Which blade cultivators?” he asked, voice low and grim. He had already made up his mind to silence them.

The voice from the jade replied, “They looked like disciples of the Central Plains’ Bladeseekers.”

BOOM! It was like a bolt of lightning cracked through his skull.

His thoughts raced. He immediately dropped the idea of silencing anyone. If they were from the Central Plains, and especially from the Bladeseekers, then killing them would be digging his own grave.

And besides...the timing, the precision, it was too perfect. Could this all have been Li Yuan’s doing?

He fell silent for a moment, then said into the jade, “Hong Ying, can you create the illusion that Cui Huayin was attacked by the demonic beasts, and that you stumbled upon the scene by accident and got drawn into the fight?”

“Huh...?” Hong Ying replied in a confused tone.

“Listen carefully,” the Fire Hall Master said, voice heavy. “Li Yuan...his power is beyond anything I imagined. He is the invincible force of this dying age. No one can afford to provoke him. So we must create this illusion. If we don’t...I can’t even begin to imagine the consequences.”

Silence followed.

Then the woman’s voice returned, steady now. “Understood. Don’t worry, Master, I can do it.”

“Good girl, good girl...everything depends on you now,” the Fire Hall Master whispered, clutching the jade tightly.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Meanwhile, Li Yuan sat calmly inside a horse-drawn carriage.

A little black crow perched on his shoulder, whispering in his ear.

“The fog has cleared. Disciples of the Bladeseekers and Arcane Supreme Sect have been spotted on the scene. Lots of demonic beast corpses on the ground. Looks like Fourth Mama and Fifth Mama were surrounded by beasts, then saved by those disciples. But from what I saw, the two sides weren’t working together.”

“I see...” Li Yuan listened quietly.

In truth, ever since Ping'an had departed from the Eastern Sea, Sheng’er had been watching over Cui Huayin and the others.

Even when the women were trapped, Sheng’er never intervened. If things had truly gone south, she could have used her powers to bury them safely underground in an instant.

“Does this mean the Arcane Supreme Sect is showing its hand?” the crow asked.

“It only shows that Fire and Earth Hall Masters are beginning to show their goodwill,” Li Yuan replied. “Just as I expected. They’re not fools. You don’t live for thousands of years without learning how to weigh risks and rewards.”

He smirked. “They’ve chosen correctly. In the past, maybe they would’ve fought me tooth and nail. After all, two tigers can’t share the same mountain. But now, with the end times looming, they’ve chosen cooperation. They’re not like those young hotheads who let their blood rush to their heads and charge in blindly, fighting to the bitter end no matter the cost.

“If they couldn’t see that much...they wouldn’t have made it this far. And if they hadn’t, I’d have killed them already. Still...the appearance of the Bladeseekers caught me off guard. Seems like a few of my students turned out to be real talents.”

The crow tilted its head. “Papa, then why did you suddenly choose to travel by carriage instead of flying with Ping’an to meet the Sect Master of Arcane Supreme Sect directly?”

Li Yuan said calmly, “When a storm brews over the mountains, the wind comes first. If I don’t slow down, how will the wind arrive?”

The little black crow chuckled. “True. Word of what you just did will spread across the Immortal Domain in no time. Soon, they’ll all realize the truth. The one who came from the Central Plains isn’t some pushover they can test and prod at will, but someone far beyond what they can afford to offend.”

Li Yuan nodded. “Once I arrive at the Arcane Supreme Sect, there will be a negotiation. Some kind of agreement will be made. And yes, an agreement is good. But when one good thing settles into place, it often means the door to other possibilities quietly closes behind it.

“To choose one path is to abandon the others. I don’t yet know enough about the Immortal Domain. That’s why I have to take my time on this road. Everyone will hear about what happened today. They’ll see how Fire and Earth Hall Masters responded. They’ll guess what the Sect Master of the Arcane Supreme Sect is planning next.

“But I’ve never believed that any land is monolithic. That’s why I’m walking this path slowly. I want the wind to blow away every shadow, so I can see the Immortal Domain clearly. I want them to come to me. And while they think they’re negotiating, I’ll be the one quietly steering the whole game.”

With that, he stretched lazily, yawned, and leaned back into the cushions, settling into a comfortable sprawl.

Along this journey, he had learned the art of composure.

Even as the end of the world loomed just beyond the horizon, even if anxiety gnawed at his heart, he had come to understand one thing.

Sometimes, going slow allows one to grasp more. Sometimes, closing one’s eyes allows one to see farther than opening them.

Beside him, Han Feng listened quietly. From the front of the carriage, Meng Xingxian had also perked up her ears, eavesdropping discreetly. The two women could hear it, the tone of an ancient being, detached and inscrutable, toying with the mortal world from above. And they couldn't help but feel a deeper awe toward him.

By now, both women had fully recovered their strength. With them, two Tree’ers, and the silent presence of Ying Zhuoyao, the carriage had become a formidable force in its own right—even without Li Yuan.

Inside the carriage, the silence deepened, and Li Yuan fell silent with it.

He could sense everyone’s thoughts, their shifting inner voices. It bored him.

After spending so long playing the ancient monster, he began to grow weary of it. That weariness urged him to seek out something different. Something entirely new.

Just like back then, when he grew sick of darkness and craved light. So he roamed the human world for years, playing the wandering hero, using the warm snow to mend heaven and earth.

But in truth, had he really done it to be a hero?

No. He just wanted to escape the filth, shadows, and scheming.

Li Yuan embodied darkness. He embodied light as well. He was a monster, but also just a speck of dust. And maybe that was why, in some strange way, he found himself looking forward to the coming apocalypse.

If it really came, if everything reset...then perhaps, the flower would and he would be young once more.

But before that day arrived, he would use this chaotic and crumbling era as his whetstone. To climb to the top. Not just the peak, but beyond it, to the absolute summit.