Seeking Immortality in a Bizarre World-Chapter 732 - 726: Supervising the Universe? I’m an Unyielding Stone_1
BOOM!
The Divine Soul of the Golden-Winged Peng Bird detonated, its body shattering into large chunks of flesh and blood. Better to be a shattered jade than an intact tile.
The Purple-Robed Immortal hadn’t expected his opponent to act so resolutely. The True Spirit Level Golden-Winged Peng Bird was still useful. How could such a rare True Spirit Divine Beast be destroyed?
He changed his pointing finger into a palm! His palm seemed to encompass a world, holding all things within it.
The self-detonation power of the Golden-Winged Peng Bird formed a tide, surging in all directions. This force couldn’t destroy the world within the palm and was gradually nullified by the power within the palm.
The scattered flesh and blood gathered within his palm, not a single drop leaking out. The Purple-Robed Immortal carefully preserved the flesh and blood of the Golden-Winged Peng Bird within his palm.
As a Taiyi Jade Immortal, he naturally had methods to bring the Golden-Winged Peng Bird back to life, but it would come at a cost. This loss would be entirely blamed on the ungrateful nobody.
"You’ve spoiled my good mood. I want to see where you can run to!"
A purple glint flickered in the Purple-Robed Immortal’s eyes, his gaze sharp like lightning, scanning back and forth through the Void, searching for any trace of the Golden-Winged Peng Bird’s master.
Jia Ren had not revealed his whereabouts from start to finish, always maintaining a distance of tens of millions of miles from the Golden-Winged Peng Bird. The Thousand Transformations Mask altered heavenly secrets, influencing his own aura and the celestial mechanisms to prevent discovery.
After controlling the Golden-Winged Peng Bird’s self-destruction, he didn’t choose to flee. The Gold-Winged Great Peng Bird Avatar’s actions had proven that even instantly escaping three hundred thousand miles wasn’t enough to break free and survive. The Purple-Robed Taoist’s strength was terrifying, and he seemed to have mastered Spatial Laws. Once discovered by this person, escaping would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Running would only reveal his whereabouts; hiding was the best choice. The only problem was... could his concealment and disguises truly deceive the heavens?
The purple gaze saw through heavenly secrets; everything within a million miles was as clear as the lines on his palm, visible in minute detail. No trace of any relevant aura could be felt here.
Three million miles! Ten million miles! Still, the Purple-Robed Immortal couldn’t find a trace of any aura connected to him.
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky! Next time we meet, you won’t be so fortunate!"
He memorized the Divine Soul fluctuations and aura. Next time he encountered this Immortal, he would be able to locate him immediately. The purple figure flashed and disappeared like a bubble.
Jia Ren remained motionless, like a rock, perfectly mimicking the breath and presence of a stone.
「Time flew by, and three years passed.」
A purple figure appeared out of thin air, his palm now holding a Golden-Winged Peng Bird that showed no difference in aura or strength from before. The Golden-Winged Peng Bird’s eyes were lifeless, its Divine Soul completely gone.
The Purple-Robed Immortal had revived the Golden-Winged Peng Bird. He retained a strand of Jia Ren’s Divine Soul in his palm, using it as a medium to perform Immortal Path Secret Techniques and Divine Skills. He had a premonition, an inexplicable intuition from Heaven and Earth that he deeply trusted, urging him to eradicate the roots of this problem; otherwise, a great disaster would surely befall him in the future.
For three years, he had used Immortal Path Secret Techniques for tracing the Divine Soul but couldn’t find any trace of the corresponding Divine Soul power. It was as if... this person did not exist in the world. This was also why, after three years, he had returned to this place.
Still, he found nothing.
"Hmph, consider yourself lucky! There will be a chance to find you later."
The Purple-Robed Immortal departed again, as if giving up completely.
Jia Ren never showed himself, still maintaining his state as an unyielding rock. The Linghuan True Heart had long been refined, reaching a Technique-Nearing-Dao Level. Its ability to sense danger far surpassed mere whims of the heart. He had a premonition that the danger was not over! The Purple-Robed Immortal was monitoring this part of Heaven and Earth by some unknown means. If Jia Ren made any slight movement that aroused the immortal’s suspicion, the immortal would undoubtedly teleport there instantly. This would lead to Jia Ren’s death and the destruction of his Dao. For now, the only option was to wait. Before the Tribulation of Heaven and Man descended, the inexplicable monitoring power would vanish.
This place had weathered countless storms, but the years had left no marks on the steadfast stone. It became a witness, as both humans and beasts passed by like transient travelers, hurrying through.
「Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, a thousand years disappeared.」
An unknown force still lingered in this area, seemingly destined to persist until the end of time. The pervasive sense of crisis hung overhead like a poised blade, ready to fall at any moment.
Maintaining the state of a rock had become an instinct for Jia Ren. His thoughts grew increasingly rigid, only occasionally flickering with insignificant consciousness. He dared not use his Spiritual Power, fearing it would draw attention and render all his efforts futile. If this state continued for another thousand, or even ten thousand years, he might truly believe himself to be a stone. When would these days ever end?
An exotic green horse pulling a carriage slowly passed by. A six or seven-year-old child with a topknot poked his head out from the carriage window, his eyes lively. He leaped from the window, nearly tumbling, but steadied himself and, like a freed puppy, ran around with abandon.
"Qing’er, don’t run around! Be careful not to fall," a gentle voice called out. The carriage halted, and a beautiful woman who looked to be in her late twenties emerged, quickly chasing after him.
The child glanced back and quickened his pace. He didn’t notice a dark stone in his path, blocking his way.
PLOP!
The child fell heavily, face down, sprawling on the ground.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed in pain, but didn’t cry. He quickly got up and kicked the stone.
"Ah! That hurts so much!" he yelped. The kick didn’t send the stone flying but caused him so much pain that he crouched, clutching his right foot. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
The beautiful woman hurried to his side, her eyes filled with concern. She removed his shoes, made of some unknown animal pelt, and saw his right big toe swollen like a carrot, a pang of heartache washing over her.
"How could you be so reckless!" she chided gently. "Luckily, I have a healing Elixir."
The beautiful woman took out a carefully treasured Jade Vase and gave the life-saving Elixir to the child.
Du Yuanqing didn’t take the Elixir immediately. "Isn’t this the Immortal Elixir Father left?" he asked hurriedly. "It’s just a minor injury; let’s not waste the Immortal Elixir." Du Yuanqing knew this Elixir was very precious and had always been treasured carefully.
"When we find Father, there will be even more Immortal Elixirs," the woman coaxed. "Qing’er, be a good boy and take the Elixir quickly!"
Du Yuanqing swallowed the Pill. The Pill’s coating melted, and a bitter taste spread in his mouth. He endured the strange flavor and swallowed the medicine. The Elixir wasn’t even as tasty as pine nut candy! This was his evaluation of the first Elixir he had ever taken.
His toe no longer hurt; a cool and refreshing sensation spread through it, extraordinarily comfortable. Is this an Immortal Elixir?
Du Yuanqing, having learned his lesson, didn’t kick the stone that tripped him again. Instead, he dug it out. The mud and rock shell, formed over long years, peeled away, revealing a smooth Black Stone that reflected his face. Clutching the palm-sized Black Stone, Du Yuanqing felt an inexplicable fondness for it.
"Why are you holding onto that unlucky thing?" the beautiful woman asked, glancing at the Black Stone. Thinking of how it had injured her son, she wanted to throw it away.
"I don’t want to!" Du Yuanqing clutched it tighter.
"Qing’er, can’t you just listen to me?"
Seeing that the Black Stone had no sharp edges and was entirely smooth, unlikely to cause harm, the beautiful woman finally relented, unable to win against Du Yuanqing’s pleas, and nodded.
The two boarded the carriage, and the coachman urged the exotic green horse onward, proceeding slowly. Du Yuanqing seemed to have found a new toy; he adored the Black Stone, examining it carefully.
Jia Ren sensed a new change, and his dormant consciousness quietly awoke. Finally, he had left that place. Mortals? He felt somewhat disappointed. Mortals have a limited range of activity in their lives; most spend their entire existence within a thousand-mile radius, far too small to escape the influence of that unknown power. Only a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator, at the very least, would have a chance to carry him out of this perilous land. That goal felt incredibly distant and arduous. His biggest fear was that these mortals would die and, remembering him fondly, take him to their grave as a burial offering. He hoped his fate wouldn’t be so wretched...
The green horse continued onward, heading towards a small, faintly visible city in the distance.
Just then, a man in black robes, driving an Escape Light, flew rapidly towards them.
"An Immortal?!" the coachman exclaimed, seeing the flying Immortal heading straight for them.
The next moment, a black blade light flashed, and both the man and the horse were cleaved in two. Blood spurted out, staining the carriage curtains red, and the thick stench of blood filled the air.
The beautiful woman quickly covered her son’s eyes, not wanting him to witness the gory scene. Du Yuanqing also sensed something was terribly wrong. He didn’t cry or make a fuss, but seemed to be infected by his mother’s terror, feeling an inexplicable dread.
"To think I, Yu, would have to act against mere mortals. It’s truly like using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken!" the man in black sneered.
The blade light flashed again, and the carriage was split cleanly in two down the middle, the cut surfaces as smooth as a mirror. The carriage body broke apart, revealing the two people hidden inside.
"Wouldn’t it have been better to stay in your remote hovel?" the black-robed man said, looking at them, his eyes devoid of emotion. "Why did you insist on coming here to seek death?!"
"He’s just a child! Can you please spare his life?" the beautiful woman implored, holding Du Yuanqing tightly, her eyes filled with desperate pleading.
"Too late!" the man declared.
The blade light flashed. A head, gushing hot blood, flew into the air. The scalding blood poured over Du Yuanqing, his body turning cold and limp. His most beloved mother was dead... Why did that man do it?! Du Yuanqing couldn’t understand why there were such evil people in the world, why they had to kill the person he loved most! To be born human, why be so cruel?!
The black-robed man’s Hei Dao flashed, slashing towards the child. As the blade light ignited, he was already turning to leave.
But...
A trickle of fresh blood escaped the corner of his mouth; his Magic Artifact had suddenly stopped responding.
???
The black-robed man whipped his head around, only to find that his strike aimed at the child had gone astray, hitting a Black Stone instead. The Black Stone was completely unscathed, but his own Magic Artifact... was destroyed.
What is this treasure?! Is it some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or an Immortal Treasure?! The black-robed man was stunned for a moment, then his eyes fixed on the Black Stone with burning greed. Without a doubt, this was an incredible treasure!
"Haha, the heavens are helping me! My, Yu’s, luck has finally turned!" he laughed.
Du Yuanqing realized what had happened. He grabbed the Black Stone and threw it with all his might. The thrown stone was wildly off-target, veering far off course.
Is that all? the black-robed man thought, though he still warily formed a defensive shield around himself, concerned about the potential power of the strike.
It turned out to be a false alarm.
He failed to notice that the Black Stone, like a boomerang, curved back in a graceful arc. The defensive shield tore apart, and the Black Stone pierced through his head, yet emerged unstained by even a single drop of blood.
