Chapter Forty: The Undying Old...

Taixiao Palace, one of the Three Sacred Lands of the Xuan Sect.

Verdant mountains and clear waters, radiant clouds swirling overhead. Immortal palaces and ancestral halls stood amidst the divine peaks. The mountain itself took the form of dragon and tiger, towering majestically, piercing the heavens.

This place was one of the nine great dragon veins of Xuanzheng Continent, its summit reaching the Seven Stars and Nine Heavens, its base descending into the Netherworld of Eight Desolations and Ten Lands. The air was saturated with divine thunder energy, and amidst the mist, one could faintly see thunder mansions and celestial towers.

Sun Yu returned to Taixiao Palace by means of talismans. Just as he was about to ascend the mountain gate, a sudden rumble of thunder echoed behind him. The thunder was swift, striking straight at the back of his head, sending chills down his spine—gone was any semblance of a cultivated immortal.

His expression changed dramatically; disregarding all decorum, he fled straight to the Xuanwei Hall, crying, “Grandmaster, save me!”

Wei Feng pursued relentlessly, swift as wind and rain, his voice booming, “Boy, even if you call Brother Liu You, you won’t escape my wrath today!”

Liu You was one of the three Grand Elders of Taixiao Palace, revered and honored, residing in the golden hall beside the main peak.

He sat within, divining the secrets of heaven, a cloud of light swirling above his head, reflecting the brilliance of the Seven Stars. Suddenly, the clouds dispersed and the light faded. The old immortal opened his eyes to see his disciple’s grandson, disheveled and flustered, rushing to kneel before him.

Sun Yu hastily bowed, pleading, “Grandmaster, save me! I acted under your command to rescue someone, but Elder Liu Ya refuses to let it go and insists on taking my life.”

Liu You swept his jade whisk, saying, “Go and hide behind the Xuanwei Hall, at the secluded spring.” The secluded spring was an immortal spring behind the hall. Sun Yu acknowledged the order, straightened his robes, and hurried away.

At that moment, Wei Feng entered Taixiao Palace, furious, wielding a jade branch, murderous intent in his eyes, cursing, “Brother, look at the fine disciple you’ve raised!”

Liu You swept his jade whisk again, conjuring a cloud seat before him. “Brother Liu Ya, why such anger? Yu acted on my command. If you have grievances, direct them at me.”

Wei Feng, like Liu You, was of the “Liu” generation in Taixiao Palace, among the first disciples after the ancient era, their seniority far above the current Palace Master.

He sat down heavily on the cloud seat, the throne gleaming with five-colored essence, auspicious mist rising, and as he settled, a wave of tranquil air soothed his temper.

After a while, Wei Feng bowed again, “Please enlighten me, Brother! Catching that drought demon back then was no easy feat. I painstakingly forged the Water and Fire Pillars to subdue her, and you decide to release her with a single word? And that troublemaker Sun Yu—Sun Yan, Sun Yu, ha—aren’t you afraid of backlash? What if this brat betrays us in the future?”

“Rest assured, Brother. If any backlash comes, it will find me,” the old immortal replied calmly. “Three thousand years of suppression should be enough, no?”

“When she recovers, she’ll surely seek trouble here. Will you bear the brunt then?” Wei Feng was uneasy. Having suppressed the drought demon for three millennia, he knew she would not spare him. At that time, the path to celestial attainment would be blocked, impossible to achieve perfection.

“Of course. Before I reach celestial immortality, I must resolve this karma. Otherwise, why accept Sun Yu as my disciple’s grandson after my early-departed disciple?” For a hundred years, Sun Yu had been personally taught by Liu You, nominally a disciple’s grandson, but in truth nearly his own disciple, cultivated to attain the human immortal fruit.

Wei Feng was taken aback, gazing at Liu You. The old immortal’s aura was ethereal, merging with heaven and earth, as if returning to original purity.

“Brother, you’re about to break through?” Wei Feng’s face showed both envy and jealousy. Since the end of the ancient era, the two had joined Taixiao Palace and cultivated for five thousand years. From mere disciples, they had grown into grand elders, weathering countless tribulations, finally touching the threshold of celestial immortality.

Celestial immortality—the ultimate goal of the immortal path, unconstrained by law or doctrine, the final aspiration of all cultivators.

The old immortal sighed, “Only one karma remains unresolved.” The matter of the drought demoness years ago was not handled honorably by Taixiao Palace.

“What if she comes to hinder your enlightenment?”

“Sun Yu,” the old immortal spoke softly, then closed his eyes to rest, serene and composed. “Sun Yu bears my name. With him, the karma will be unraveled. Besides, we were not the masterminds of that event. Let the Chen clan seek others for their reckoning.”

“However, the Chen clan’s escape was within my expectation, but the involvement of the demon folk was unforeseen. I tried to divine the one who rescued her, but their origins elude me. Brother, do make an effort to capture that person and send them to the Immortal Execution Platform for punishment.”

The escape of the drought demoness was inevitable. In Liu You’s plan, he would have orchestrated her release quietly, without damaging the Demon Suppression Tower. Yet Ji Feichen’s actions were a direct affront to Taixiao Palace’s dignity—intolerable!

Thus, someone must be dispatched to apprehend Ji Feichen and rescue the disciples.

“Understood, Brother.”

“The Demon Suppression Tower has fallen; the Palace Master will surely inquire. Go see him, issue the Taixiao decree to capture the culprit. As for our disciples, they will return safely. Also, summon Chen Luo and Wu He—they are deeply involved in this matter.”

Though Liu You could not divine the origins of Ji Feichen and the others, his near-celestial cultivation allowed him to sense anomalies in Chen and Wu. These two junior disciples, whom he had never met, were undeniably connected to the events.

Yet, the real Chen and Wu were blameless.

After Ji Feichen decided to journey to the sacred land of the demon clan, he proposed to Tu Shan and the drought demoness, “To protect these two innocents, why not fabricate memories, so they do not suffer on our behalf?”

Ji Feichen, born of the demon sect, was adept in all manner of schemes, but his greatest skill lay in adapting to circumstances.

The drought demoness carried many karmic debts and heavy burdens, but she was not a cruel soul. Ji Feichen’s willingness to accompany her to the sacred land was chiefly driven by his desire to forge a connection.

This immortal woman would never discriminate against him; she would become his strongest ally for the time being.

Hence, Ji Feichen strove to impress her. Hearing of her plans, he volunteered to follow.

An earth immortal might help him lift the blood curse. Failing that, befriending one would benefit his future.

His suggestion earned the drought demoness’ respect. Initially, she was wary of the two, especially Ji Feichen’s affiliation with the Nether Sect. She had witnessed their methods: the founding earth immortals had acted ruthlessly, inciting hatred across the land. To forge a mobile mountain gate, they had sacrificed hundreds of thousands.

The Nether Sect rivaled the Boundless Blood Sea in power and heritage.

“He hails from the demon sect, yet his conscience remains. Perhaps he may attain enlightenment.” The drought demoness herself was an outcast, a product of corpse transformation after death. From the onset of cultivation, she was hunted. After attaining her true form, whenever she ventured out, righteous cultivators sought her demise.

To escape this fate, she fled north, tempering her fire with the icy domain, eventually achieving recognition as an unorthodox immortal by the Xuan Sect.

Seeing Ji Feichen now, she could not help but recall her own past. Her attitude softened. “How do you propose we proceed?”

“Tu Shan can craft illusions. Please erase these two’s memories of the illusory realm, then have Tu Shan simulate our recent experiences, implanting new memories.”

“In other words, transfer your experiences to them, but block out the theft and rescue?” Though the memories were false, for Chen and Wu, they would be as real as any. Even Taixiao Palace’s scrutiny would reveal nothing amiss.

“Precisely. Finally, I ask you to erase their memories again, lightly, so they can be restored if needed. Not only those two, but all the other disciples’ memories as well. This time, be gentle, so their memories can be recovered at any moment.”

Ji Feichen spoke clearly and methodically, earning the immortal woman’s approval.

Tu Shan rolled his eyes nearby: “Pretend all you want!”

Initially, the plan for Chen and Wu was simply to kill them. But after meeting the drought demoness, Ji Feichen changed his mind, seeking to display his integrity—a demon cultivator who retained his conscience, hoping to build rapport and resonate with her.

“This scoundrel first befriended Peng Weng, then ingratiated himself with Elder Chen. Clearly, he aims to gather supporters, so that in future crises, someone will plead for him.”

If Ji Feichen’s demon identity were ever exposed, those earth immortals who owed him would surely intervene, allowing him to cleanse his reputation and escape the perpetual conflict between immortals and demons.

Had Ji Feichen met a true earth immortal of the Xuan Sect, he would have sought their favor, ensuring someone to plead for him in the future, avoiding imprisonment in the Demon Suppression Tower as a sacrificial pawn.

“In truth, villains hope to be surrounded by good people, for when they err, good people will not destroy them utterly or act worse than they do. Surrounded by villains, life is exhausting, with endless scheming. Better to have good people around—then only he will scheme against them.”

Tu Shan saw through Ji Feichen’s calculations, but he too wished to use Ji Feichen and the drought demoness as laborers, aiding his search for the demon clan’s sacred land.

With Tu Shan’s demon lineage, Xuan Sect cultivators were utterly untrustworthy, except for Ji Feichen, a demon cultivator with aspirations to refine his qi, and the drought demoness, an upright immortal—barely trustworthy.

Thus, the three spent time erasing the memories of Taixiao Palace disciples and simulating the past days’ events in illusion, implanting new memories on the surface of their minds.

Finally, the memories stopped at Chen Luo investigating the Demon Suppression Tower, accidentally falling beneath the Water and Fire Pillar in a struggle with a demon. Wu He, trying to rescue him, was captured by the drought demoness.

After beautifying and modifying their memories, the immortal woman erased them again, gently, so Taixiao Palace could restore them.

According to Ji Feichen’s plan, even if Taixiao Palace rescued its disciples and restored their erased memories, they would only find Tu Shan’s fabricated illusions. As for the true memories, would Taixiao Palace go so far as to erase their own disciples’ memories, or probe deeper by soul-searching?

The disciples were left in a cave, and the three, following Tu Shan’s map, set off for the sacred land of the demon clan.