My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 612 – Reincarnation - Part 3

Dawn arrived.

Li Yuan and Meng Xingxian returned to Immortal Spring City.

The mist still hadn’t lifted. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Li Yuan reverted to his insect form and flew back into the brothel’s private room.

Inside, in just a single night, the combat power above Bai Xinxuan’s head had changed from around 960k...to a clean, perfect 1 million.

She had already changed into a dull gray traveling cloak, clearly preparing to leave quickly.

But the moment Li Yuan arrived, the spark in this enchantress’ eyes reignited, blooming with unmistakable heat.

It was like their bodies remembered each other. As though they were fated lovers reunited across lifetimes.

Li Yuan could suppress that joy. He only needed to twist the ancestral seal seeds in his soul and smother the emotional current surging between them.

But Bai Xinxuan had neither the means nor the desire to suppress it.

So, she threw herself into his arms.

Li Yuan casually lifted the hem of the cloak behind her waist.

One heated, glue-like entanglement later, the two of them straightened their clothes again.

Bai Xinxuan’s face bloomed like a rain-kissed peach blossom, and warmth pulsed through her body in gentle waves. She could feel it clearly, her strength had risen again.

Li Yuan, too, felt something shift. The sense of harmony inside him was intensifying. The three soul aspects, Heaven, Earth, and Human, were beginning to merge.

Man and woman were, after all, simply another form of Yin and Yang. And what better way to harmonize Yin and Yang than union?

The secret art Bai Xinxuan practiced was the pinnacle of dual cultivation techniques. Of course it could refine and balance power through intimate exchange.

At this moment, Li Yuan studied her carefully, the most exquisite masterpiece this world had to offer. His eyes shimmered with admiration and awe. He raised his hand slightly.

But Bai Xinxuan raised hers too. Just as it seemed she might reach out to hold him, her lips curled into a playful grin. She gave him a gentle slap, then lifted a dainty, snow-white foot and nudged his thigh with it, her toes lightly tapping, as if trying to push him out the door with mischief and charm.

That whole little act of playful resistance giving way to teasing surrender was something she performed with absolute precision.

Li Yuan gave a light tug.

The enchantress let out a surprised yelp as she tumbled into his arms. She rolled her eyes with mock annoyance, but nestled obediently against his chest like a kitten curling up by a fire.

There was no love between them. Not really. But this woman was without question one of the finest creations under heaven.

And for a man, especially a man destined to live forever, what reason was there to reject such a gift? She was like a rare fruit that had taken thousands of years to ripen, and he, naturally, would pluck it.

When one lived long enough and grew strong enough, it became second nature to claim the finest things that time brought forth, be it flowers, fine wine, powerful allies, or beautiful women.

Time was a vast field.

And those who lived forever were simply the watchmen at its edge.

“I’m afraid you’ll grow tired of me,” she sighed theatrically, brow furrowed with false sorrow. Then her voice softened as she hooked her arms around his neck. “Dawn is almost here. I must go. But the road ahead is long... Please, my lord, take care of yourself.”

Li Yuan gazed at the woman in his arms and recounted everything that had happened earlier.

Her almond-shaped eyes flicked thoughtfully. “From your description...it was the Toad King. But nothing like this has ever happened in the Eastern Sea.”

Then her tone shifted, eyes narrowing slightly.

“You truly believe...just one of those tadpoles could rival me?”

Li Yuan nodded seriously. “The power I sensed from them...wasn’t any weaker than yours.”

Her expression turned grave. “I’ll look into it when I return to the Five Spirits Institute. Quietly.”

Then, suddenly, her gaze brightened, mischief returning like a breeze. Like a playful young girl, she slid out of his embrace and perched on his lap, knees pressing into his thighs. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered.

But this time, she didn’t whisper sweet nothings.

What she whispered was poison, plans sharp as daggers, a scheme soaked in blood. It was a death trap. A way to help Li Yuan eliminate one of his hidden enemies.

When she finished, she drew back and gazed at him, her eyes hazy with emotion. “To me, my lord, you are like rivers to fish...spring rain to thirsty flowers. I will not betray you. I only hope...you won’t betray me.”

“Mhm...” Li Yuan paused, then gave a small nod.

Just as he was about to pull her back for another moment of warmth, the enchantress suddenly twisted her lithe body, spun away in a graceful arc, and with a flick of her fingers, summoned seven formation flags that shot toward her like white comets.

Then, like a streak of light, she burst out the window and vanished into the early morning bustle.

Li Yuan stepped to the window.

There she was, wrapped in a plain gray cloak, blending in effortlessly with the dawn crowd as she bought steaming meat buns from a vendor. She looked for all the world like an innocent young martial heroine, newly venturing into the world, wide-eyed and full of life.

And that was what he liked about her.

A woman full of life, clever, spirited, with just the right edge of mischief, always made a man think, What if I spent the rest of my life with her?

Li Yuan smiled softly.

But when she had walked far enough, the smile disappeared from her own face.

She tossed the meat bun away, her expression blank. Then, hands clasped behind her back, she vanished in a flash of light.

She had never liked that filthy, lowly pork of the mortal world. To let coarse mortal food pass one’s lips was to invite the stench of the mundane. Only clear wind, bright moon, and the rarest of delicacies were worthy of entering her orchid-like mouth.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Li Yuan withdrew his gaze and returned to the inn.

According to plan, he was supposed to leave the city again at daybreak and head for the next destination.

He opened the window and was surprised to see the heavy mist still hadn’t lifted. From the distance, a sudden clamor rose.

Then came the screams.

In a blink, Li Yuan’s figure vanished from the window, reappearing at the source of the cries. Looking down, he saw a newborn baby, umbilical cord still attached, gnawing on its mother.

The infant’s body was bubbling violently, as if something inside were boiling. Beneath its skin, countless blisters and swollen bumps surged and vanished in rapid succession, like something crawling just under the surface.

And above the infant’s head floated a number, roughly one million.

Li Yuan was stunned, but didn’t hesitate.

A crimson silk ribbon shimmered into existence and lashed out, binding the infant in midair.

The baby jerked its head upward, eyes locking onto Li Yuan. Dropping the corpse of its mother, it suddenly leapt, hurtling toward him with terrifying speed.

Clearly, in its eyes, Li Yuan was far more appetizing.

Unfortunately for it, raw power meant nothing without control.

Its combat power may have been a million, but to Li Yuan, it was still far too weak.

He didn’t even lift a hand. More strands of red silk floated out around him, wrapping the infant tighter and tighter, until it was completely restrained.

If this child truly had the means to unleash its full power, these threads would never have held it.

But before Li Yuan could study it further, the infant abruptly exploded with a loud bang, bursting into a mist of blood. Echoes rippled through the air a rising chorus of eerie voices, thin and distant, as if countless souls were shrieking from across the river of death.

“Thank you, Immortal!”

“Thank you, Immortal!”

On the ground, in courtyards, along the streets, ordinary mortals dropped to their knees in black-clad waves, bowing toward him in gratitude.

Li Yuan looked down at his hand.

There was no doubt. The infant had possessed immense power. But it had been like a cracked porcelain bowl, glazed with strength on the surface, yet fragile underneath. The moment it encountered a matching force, it shattered instantly.

He glanced down at the villagers and the mother who had died so horribly, and let out a quiet sigh before turning to leave.

Then a realization struck him.

In this gray mist...the moment a child was born, something evil was drawn to it.

That raised a disturbing question.

Was it that the child had been corrupted, tainted by some force, before or during birth, turning into a monster?

But even that didn’t quite make sense.

Even if corrupted, a newborn should still be weak. How could it be born with power near a million?

That kind of power wasn’t normal. Not even those monstrous tadpoles from earlier had made sense in this way.

It defied all logic.

Li Yuan shared his thoughts with Ping'an.

Ping'an swept his gaze across the land and instantly split off a clone, handing it his elder token from the Arcane Wood Hall and sending it off to the local sect responsible for defending the region.

Before long, pregnant women were being escorted out of the city by disciples. The local ruler, upon receiving the decree from the immortals, issued a public order.

During the gray mist, no living creature was allowed to give birth.

The aftermath was grim.

Cats, dogs, and other animals that happened to be pregnant were beaten to death. Children sobbed and screamed, begging for the animals not to be hurt. But the imperial decree had been issued, and those below had no choice but to carry it out.

Li Yuan stood in silence, watching the brutal scene unfold before him, a scene from the end of the world.

He exhaled softly.

Then cast a sidelong glance at Meng Xingxian.

She blinked, confused. What?

The little crow chimed in helpfully, “You could link with some animals and spread the message. That way, the pregnant ones won’t have to be killed.”

Meng Xingxian blinked again. Excuse me..? Why though...?

She clearly didn’t feel like going through the trouble. But the moment she met Li Yuan’s cold, wordless gaze, she sighed and relented, “Fine, fine. I’ll do it. The girl’s right.”

A while later, the animal cull came to a halt. People were astonished to see the animals suddenly acting...intelligent. Quietly, they began leaving the city of their own accord.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

By now, the sky had already dimmed.

“We should leave too,” Li Yuan said. “And stay sharp. The changing environment here, that’s our real enemy.”

Just then, a low, raspy voice spoke from the side.

“Maybe...I can try.”

It was Han Feng speaking in her cold, hoarse tone from within the Wolfmother.

Li Yuan turned to her. “Try what?”

Han Feng replied, “As long as it’s alive, I can read its memories.”

Li Yuan’s eyes narrowed. “Those creatures, those newborn monsters, they’re all at peak third rank. You sure you still want to try?”

Han Feng answered calmly, “If it helps you, I’ll try. I don’t have to dive into their souls myself, just send a sliver of mine to probe. Even if it fails, I can cut it off and survive.”

Li Yuan glanced back at the gray-wreathed Immortal Spring City and nodded.

Even though many pregnant women and animals had already been evacuated, there were still others, those giving birth outside the watchful eyes of the city.

Soon, they reached the moat around the city and saw dozens of strange black fish leaping from the water in frenzied chaos.

They were tiny, clearly just hatched from eggs.

But Li Yuan’s eyes saw something more, each one of them bore a combat power near a million.

Han Feng seized the moment. She focused her energy, extending her power toward one of the black fish in an attempt to read its memories.

And instantly, the fish exploded.

Han Feng collapsed to her knees, gasping, drenched in sweat. Her eyes were wide, as if she had glimpsed something unspeakably horrific.

Li Yuan waited until she regained her breath, then asked, “Are you all right?”

She nodded slowly. Her voice was hoarse, barely a whisper. “I saw...memories. Countless memories. Fractured, disordered...as if tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, of human memories had been forced together into one mind.”

Li Yuan fell silent.

Then, all at once, it clicked.

Maybe the problem wasn’t that the children were being corrupted during pregnancy.

Maybe the issue lay deeper.

Maybe these weren’t children at all.

Maybe something had gone terribly wrong with the Wheel of Reincarnation, that great cosmic platform where souls pass to be reborn.

If such a thing existed...then it must have malfunctioned.

Something was spewing out fractured, contaminated souls, bundles of countless identities mashed together, and forcing them into new births.

Then Li Yuan thought again of the so-called Ghost Gate King...and the three ancient halls that had recently surfaced.

His voice turned low and cold. “We leave. Now.”