Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 730 - 724: The Boundary Between Good and Evil, Distorted Cognition_1
Jia Ren confirmed that the Demon Immortal wasn’t lying, then left with a look of profound doubt. Free accounting and Demon Immortals saving mortals—it was all too bizarre. My own actions differ so greatly from the usual; what kind of power has influenced me? Can other people not feel the change? Their memories must have been affected. With no past behavior for comparison, they cannot realize their actions are out of the ordinary. What kind of power is influencing the Xihua Fairy Domain? Could there be other unknown hidden dangers?
The power that subtly changed others’ cognition was too unimaginable. Jia Ren wanted to collect more information, gradually venturing deeper into the Xihua Fairy Domain.
After traveling tens of millions of miles, he saw a harmonious scene everywhere. People left their doors unlocked at night. Immortals and Bizarre Immortals coexisted amicably. Incredibly, along the way, he had not once witnessed quarrels or fights among mortals. He had never seen a battle between Cultivators and Immortals. This seemed to be a peaceful utopia, detached from the world’s disputes. Where there are people, interests and conflicts are inevitable; the absence of even arguments was unimaginable.
Faced with all these ’abnormalities,’ two thoughts swirled in Jia Ren’s mind. One was to stay and cultivate in the Xihua Fairy Domain. It was safe and undisturbed, with no worry of being affected by battles between the powerful. The other was the concern over the influence of the unknown power. Staying here for a long time could subtly affect and completely distort one’s cognition. Who knows if the changed cognition can revert after leaving the Xihua Fairy Domain? This type of cognitive change, if permanent and thoroughly altering one’s thinking, is too terrifying! I don’t want to become someone else... 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
The Immortal Path is competitive; not to advance is to regress. Moreover, the Bizarre Path was rampant nowadays. A gentle and harmless sheep could not survive in the cruel Immortal Realm.
The Xihua Fairy Domain is unexpectedly safe. Before I leave, I should gather as many cultivation resources and as much information as possible.
Jia Ren summoned the Treasure-seeking Mouse, letting it search for treasures for him.
After flying some distance, the Treasure-seeking Mouse’s nose twitched as if it had sniffed out a treasure. Its eyes brightened, and it squeaked excitedly. Speeding for a thousand miles, they stopped before a purple-red medicinal fruit. The purple-red medicinal fruit had no scent or Immortal Spiritual Qi, making it hard to find. If not for this, this Immortal Elixir wouldn’t have fallen into his hands so easily. After traveling tens of millions of miles without finding anything unusual, he had only managed to replenish his dwindling purse. The Treasure-seeking Mouse had rendered great service, finding a dozen different immortal materials and over twenty Immortal Elixirs—a bountiful harvest indeed.
Now I can go back and repay the debts I owe!
Jia Ren instinctively thought of returning to the Market to repay his debts, unwilling to owe anyone anything. For a moment, I couldn’t distinguish whether this was the influence of the unknown power of the Xihua Fairy Domain or my own original thought. This place is not suitable for a long stay; I should leave as soon as possible.
Just as Jia Ren intended to leave, he sensed fluctuations of Immortal power from afar, a hundred thousand miles away... someone was fighting.
A fight?!
He was stunned for a moment, then an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. In the area affected by the unknown power, the cognition of Cultivators and Immortals had changed. He had never witnessed hostility before; this place was an unimaginable epitome of virtue and goodwill. This was the first time he had witnessed Immortals fighting. The area where the fight is happening—could it be outside the zone of influence? Fighting is bad. What if it hurts people? What if the flowers and plants get damaged? A thought to prevent them from causing destruction everywhere involuntarily rose in his heart.
He hurried towards the distance. Many nearby people had similar thoughts and were also speeding in that direction.
The distance of a hundred thousand miles was covered in an instant. In the distance, there wasn’t just one Cultivator fighting; there were several battlefields—battlefields for Cultivators and battlefields for Immortals. As for mortals... the shockwaves from the fights were enough to kill them countless times over. Demon Immortals, Bizarre Immortals, True Immortals—it was an all-encompassing melee. It was a chaotic free-for-all where everyone was an enemy, as if they would fight until only one was left standing. Jia Ren scanned the surroundings; the other battlefields were equally chaotic and disordered.
In contrast, his own area was quiet and peaceful, a utopian paradise detached from the world. One side seemed bathed in sunlight under a vast, clear sky. The other side seemed to be under a thick blanket of dark clouds, a torrential downpour imminent. It was two different worlds, clearly delineated.
What remained unchanged was... the world, not the people.
At that moment, a conversation in the distance caught Jia Ren’s attention.
"Fellow Daoist, you discovered this Immortal Herb first, so it should rightfully belong to you." A white-robed Daoist smiled, offering the plucked green Immortal Herb with both hands. The green-robed Daoist, however, waved his hands in refusal. Both politely deferred, neither willing to accept the Immortal Herb.
Finally, the white-robed Daoist tossed the Immortal Herb to the other and activated his Escape Light to depart. The green-robed Daoist chased after him, wanting to return the green Immortal Herb. The two of them, one chasing and one fleeing, covered several miles.
Suddenly, an inexplicable surge of malice rose within the white-robed Daoist flying ahead. His expression twisted and became ferocious. "Damn it, you dare to trick me out of an Immortal Herb! I’ll slaughter your entire family!" The Black-Red Immortal Sword suddenly shot out, thrusting towards the pursuing green-robed Daoist.
A moment ago they were conversing amicably, yielding to each other; in the blink of an eye, they were at each other’s throats. Caught off guard, the green-robed Daoist had his chest pierced by the Black-Red Immortal Sword, a chilling blow that went straight through his heart. The white-robed Daoist who had attacked, gaining the upper hand, was merciless and intended to dismember his opponent. Yet, after advancing only a single step, his expression changed again, now showing panic and self-reproach.
"Fellow Daoist, I don’t know why I lost control. I didn’t mean to harm you... Here are some healing Elixirs..." The white-robed Daoist’s face was filled with guilt. He quickly landed before the injured green-robed Daoist, retracted the Immortal Sword that had pierced his body, and hastily produced several Elixirs for the other to consume.
Fortunately, Immortals were extraordinary; a pierced heart was merely a minor injury to them.
"It’s just a minor wound, nothing to worry about," the green-robed Daoist said, downplaying his injury.
The white-robed Daoist, his expression now gentle, forgave the other party.
Two different forces at play? Jia Ren felt like a bystander, silently observing the changes. Whenever he saw someone injured, he couldn’t suppress the urge to go and help them. Many people, influenced by this force, ventured into the distant area, becoming new members of that affected group. Others, realizing something was amiss, returned the way they had come.
On the other side, could there be a force opposite to this one? Seeing others returning safely, Jia Ren confirmed that the danger was not great.
He silently estimated the distance and reached the area where the white-robed Daoist had been affected, then slowly took a step forward.
The thoughts and emotions in his mind erupted like a long-suppressed volcano; he was unable to restrain his destructive impulses.
This person is looking at me; they must be harboring ill intentions. I should strike first and eradicate the threat! This person looks somewhat similar to the deceased Mou Tianyuan. Could they be his descendant, seeking revenge using some unknown method? This Bizarre Immortal likely knows I possess a Void-level Strange Creature and wants to kill me for my treasure!
Others merely glanced at him, yet malicious suspicions immediately arose in his heart. He felt as if many people were watching him, making his skin crawl. There are always villains out to get me!
Jia Ren struggled to let reason prevail, desperately trying to control his body and retract the step he had taken. In an instant, his Sea of Consciousness felt like an emptied trash can; all malicious thoughts were shattered and swept away, leaving nothing behind. Only one thought lingered, swirling in his mind: The world is so beautiful, yet I am so irritable. This is not good, not good at all.
Jia Ren unconsciously took several steps back, distancing himself from the ’land of sin.’ Large, bean-sized beads of sweat, unnoticed until then, had formed on his forehead. They dampened his temples and trickled slowly down his cheeks.
What had previously been just a guess was now confirmed. All his deductions seemed to have become reality. The area he was in was a land of supreme benevolence; a few steps forward, then, was the domain of sin. The Xihua Fairy Domain had been relatively normal a thousand years ago... An unknown power had descended upon the Xihua Fairy Domain, transforming it into its present state. An invisible boundary in the distance separated the two regions, like a demarcation line between good and evil. One thought led to paradise, another to hell—it was exactly like that.
This place was even more terrifying than he had imagined! Jia Ren did not wish to become a puppet whose emotions and thoughts were controlled by others, nor did he want to stay here any longer. Without hesitation, he unhesitatingly activated his Escape Light and retraced his path, eager to leave this place.
After a few breaths’ time, the sounds of battle gradually receded, and the previous tranquility and peace returned. Jia Ren transformed into a Golden-Winged Peng Bird and fled, his speed far exceeding his arrival pace. Unconsciously, he found himself back at the Market he had first visited. He instinctively sought out the shopkeeper and repaid the debts he owed. After settling everything, he then hurried towards the Void region.
The farther he went, the stronger his reluctance to leave became.
Is there any place in the Immortal Realm safer than the Xihua Fairy Domain? In other Fairy Domains, Bizarre Immortals and Immortals are constantly fighting—a struggle to the death. A single careless move could lead to being caught in the crossfire, resulting in death and the erasure of one’s cultivation. In the Xihua Fairy Domain, people leave their doors unlocked at night. There’s no fighting; one only needs to cultivate in peace. The Xihua Fairy Domain is a pure land, where time passes peacefully. If I leave this place, where can I call home?
The closer he got to the Void, the more such thoughts relentlessly surfaced. A struggle was evident on Jia Ren’s face. For some reason, he instinctively turned his head, wanting to go back. Safety and order seem more important...
Although he turned his head, he did not take a step back. With immense willpower, he forced himself to take another step forward, then a second, and a third. The bewilderment about the unknown in Jia Ren’s eyes intensified, yet it seemed mixed with a yearning for this place.
At that very moment, countless Immortals were experiencing this same phenomenon. They had noticed the abnormality of the Xihua Fairy Domain and wanted to escape this place that distorted their cognition and changed them. But their will, ultimately unable to overcome the distorted cognition, led them to inevitably... return to the Xihua Fairy Domain. As time passed, they were completely assimilated, becoming a part of this place, with no possibility of ever leaving.
Jia Ren, unlike the other Immortals, retained his original, unaltered memories. To prevent any mishaps, he had prepared a countermeasure.
"Thought Bizarre!"
The Thought Bizarre conjured by his Mimic Bizarre appeared. It carefully guarded his preserved thoughts, sealing the reluctance to leave within itself. The exchange was completed silently, seamlessly.
In that instant, the myriad thoughts that had risen in his heart vanished completely. Freed from the mental shackles, Jia Ren quickly fled the... ’beautiful world’ woven by the unknown power.
After fleeing the Xihua Fairy Domain, Jia Ren stood in the Void, his expression complex. He let out a long sigh and drifted away.
