My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 608 - Joyous Union - Part 2

Li Yuan didn’t press Ying Zhuoyao futher. Matters of this scale, tied to the end of an era, were likely beyond her gaze. It was normal for even someone like her to be unable to see clearly.

So he simply let her continue her quiet ministrations while he sank deeper into thought, turning over strategies in his mind.

Yes, he was unbeatable for now. Yes, he wielded his power like a hammer, crushing all opposition, so thoroughly that no one dared even touch his kin. But that didn’t make him immortal. Or invincible. Or all-knowing.

He could still die.

And when he thought about it, he could already imagine how.

Suppose a coalition of top cultivators formed a grand formation? Even Sheng’er had mentioned the existence of the Heaven Soul Grand Formation. It stood to reason that this Eastern Sea’s Immortal Domain could pull something similar together.

Those powerhouses might only average around a million combat power individually, but if they united into one grand formation...the combined power could surpass even him.

Or what if something went wrong in one of the ancient halls?

If he were trapped inside, then no matter how strong he was, he could be ground down and left to die there. When Ping'an entered the ancient halls, he usually sent his clones as cannon fodder, really. And there were still many crucial secrets even he didn’t know. That ignorance could cost him everything.

Put simply, Li Yuan needed to form real alliances, bind himself to powerful forces in this world through shared interests. Only then could he move freely. Whether it was exploring the ancient halls, seeking out trials, uncovering the secrets of this realm, or simply finding opponents worthy of tempering his strength, he couldn’t do it alone.

Charging ahead recklessly without a plan wasn’t an option.

Because in the end, he was still just the biggest piece on the board.

No matter how big a chess piece is, it was still a piece.

And as long as he was on the board...he could be taken.

Even a lion went all out when hunting a rabbit. A swarm of ants, small as they were, could devour an elephant. He understood this well.

The weak survived by hiding in the shadows and slowly growing.

The strong couldn’t become arrogant or careless, thinking they were above all consequence.

"Young Master..." Ying Zhuoyao let out a soft breath, almost a whisper. “It’s late. Tomorrow’s worries can wait until tomorrow.”

Li Yuan understood that this was her gentle way of reminding him not to act rashly. That sometimes, doing nothing was better than acting without a plan.

He nodded. Then suddenly said, “Summon Meng Xingxian.”

Ying Zhuoyao didn’t question it. She simply bowed her head and answered sweetly, “Yes.”

Li Yuan stepped out of the bath and dressed.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A short while later.

Meng Xingxian arrived, practically skipping into the room. After all this time together, she knew Li Yuan’s temperament well.

Being summoned privately in the dead of night didn’t raise any suspicions for her. Instead, she simply said with a grin, “So, Young Master’s planning to start with the demonic beasts?”

Li Yuan chuckled. “Clever girl.”

Meng Xingxian’s soul power stemmed from her natural-born affinity with beasts. She could command many of them and was, in essence, a walking ambassador of beast-human diplomacy.

Li Yuan wanted her to accompany him into demonic beast territory. Maybe they could quickly carve out a chunk of land. Maybe he could form some real alliances with the stronger beast clans. Or, better yet, just subdue a few beast kings on the spot.

He said, “The mist here is strange. On the way, I kept hearing folks whisper about a Toad King. I’m guessing that’s one of the Six Beast Kings, the Giant Toad?”

Meng Xingxian nodded. “Most likely.”

“Then let’s move tonight,” Li Yuan said. “Head straight into the center of the fog.”

“Fine by me,” she replied with a shrug. “Ready whenever.”

Li Yuan nodded and closed his eyes briefly, sweeping his senses across the surrounding area.

Sure enough, no foolish stalkers had decided to tail him tonight.

He and Meng Xingxian changed into plain grey robes. Then with barely a sound, Li Yuan’s body shimmered and shrank into a tiny mosquito, buzzing silently into the night.

Meng Xingxian grabbed a curved blade, then, like some rogue warrior from a pulp novel, leapt clean out the window. Her boots barely touched the curved, moonlit rooftop before she launched into a silent sprint across the black-tiled eaves.

Her footwork wasn’t particularly elegant, maybe sixth rank at best. But she moved with a strange, chilling aura, something feral and untamed. She was not someone anyone wanted to mess with. She only acted meek in front of Li Yuan. Out in the wild, she was still the savage demon queen, ruthless and shameless in equal measure.

Li Yuan settled quietly into her hair, scanning the world below through the eyes of a mosquito.

It was past midnight in Immortal Spring City.

Unlike the Great Zhou, this place didn’t have a curfew. So some of the night markets were still bustling.

And none more so than the red-light district.

As they passed that particular stretch of street, thick with perfume and make-up, where even the mist glowed a flirtatious shade of pink, Meng Xingxian cast a glance, then immediately looked away.

Her mind was focused. Get out of the city fast, find the Giant Toad King, and help her father-in-law take control of the beast forces.

Most people wouldn’t even dream of doing something like that.

But she had confidence. She wasn’t just someone who could talk to beasts. Her affinity with them was perfect, absolute.

Frankly, if she really wanted to, she could plant her feet wide, put her hands on her hips, and scowl at the nearest beast king with a line like, Back when I was playing with your ancestors, you lot weren’t even a sparkle in your mothers’ wombs.

But just as they were about to cross the pleasure district, a voice rang in her ear, “Wait.”

Meng Xingxian halted instantly, dropped into a low crouch at the edge of a slanted rooftop, her figure melting into the shadows.

In a hushed voice, she asked, “What is it, Young Master?”

“Wait for me here. I’m going to visit the brothel.” Li Yuan said.

“Huh?” Meng Xingxian was shocked.

Without offering a single word of explanation, Li Yuan descended to the street. With a flicker of light, he resumed his original form. After a moment’s thought, he subtly altered his appearance, nothing too drastic, and removed the plain gray cloak, tossing it up to his baffled daughter-in-law.

Then, under her utterly perplexed gaze, he walked confidently and openly toward the brothel.

When he reached a narrow alley nearby, he paused.

A withered autumn vine, crushed flat by domain force, stretched from one wall to the other, forming a makeshift gate of sorts, a crude threshold between worlds.

Li Yuan’s hands turned pale in an instant. His left palm gently pressed against the ground, while his right reached into the space between the vine-bound alley walls, and pulled out a jar of wine.

He popped the wax seal, took a hearty swig, and emptied the whole thing in one go. Then, staggering just enough to look the part, he stumbled out of the alley and made his way inside, reeking of alcohol.

Up above, Meng Xingxian blinked, caught in a haze of confusion mixed with admiration.

Apparently, her father-in-law was...quite practiced at this.

She didn’t for a moment believe he was here to indulge in carnal pleasures with mortal women. That wasn’t his style. So she watched with curiosity, intrigued.

What on earth was in that brothel that made Li Yuan walk in so suddenly?

Outside the building, the women were already gathering, faces painted, smiles fixed, their voices sugar-sweet as they called to passing guests.

But when they saw a drunken youth weaving his way toward them, they immediately recoiled, fluttering their silk handkerchiefs in distaste.

Drunkards were bad business. They didn’t like them.

But while the courtesans downstairs turned up their noses, someone far above, hidden in the brothel’s topmost private chamber, was delighted.

This wasn’t just any woman.

This was Bai Xinxuan, the seductively beautiful and dangerously cunning Dean of the Faculty of Seduction, one of the Five Spirits Institute.

A master schemer, she had orchestrated a classic misdirection. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

On one hand, she sent a trusted disciple disguised as herself to handle a public matter, giving the impression she was still at the Five Spirits Institute.

On the other, she dispatched another group of handpicked disciples to track Li Yuan, making it seem like she was being cautious and hadn’t yet found him.

Meanwhile, she herself had quietly rushed to the city the moment she learned of Li Yuan’s arrival.

Her entire plan hinged on one word, speed.

She had a secret trump card, one she’d prepared from the very first day she took over the Faculty of Seduction, the secret art of Joyous Union. It was the ultimate dual cultivation ritual, to be used only once, and only when the time was right.

Now, Li Yuan might just be that opportunity.

The hardest part, for Bai Xinxuan, wasn’t using the ritual. It was knowing when. How to judge whether Li Yuan was truly worth it. And if he was, how to bind him to her before anyone else even realized what she’d done.

The ritual was her most sacred ceremony of alliance.

Earlier today, she had only just arrived in Immortal Spring City. She’d spent the whole day scheming, trying to craft the perfect encounter, wondering how she might draw Li Yuan in.

Then, to her astonishment, he came knocking on his own.

His presence was unmistakable.

His aura was terrifying. Even when hidden, it was too potent to fool someone like Bai Xinxuan.

She reacted instantly.

With a wave of her hand, seven white lotus formation flags embedded themselves in precise locations, sealing off the entire room.

The chamber was now severed from the rest of reality.