Bonus Chapter 5: Later On

The deal was struck.

Relying on the merit of helping the Taiming Sect improve its cultivation method, Peak Master Guan Yang withdrew the condition of “bursting the sandbag within three days.”

In its place was a completely new mission objective.

“Jade must be polished to become a gem. Even if you have exceptional talent, you still need appropriate tempering. Today, go down the mountain with your senior brothers and sisters to eradicate the Demonic Immortal Remnants.”

I: “……”

Wait, isn’t this only my second day after joining the sect?

And on the second day, I’m being sent on a mission to directly confront Demonic Cultivators?

How is this any different from just sending disciples to their deaths?

Such an itinerary, I’ve never even heard of, let alone seen.

If there wasn’t some deep-seated grudge against the disciples, I truly can’t imagine any master arranging a schedule like this.

“Disciple understands, I’ll go pack my things at once.”

I pretended to agree in a daze, but inside, I was filled with joy.

Xuan Yang’s arrangement is completely abnormal—what does this mean? It means he’s finally about to bare his fangs!

If nothing unexpected happens, then something unexpected will definitely happen on this mission.

“You see! Didn’t I say so?” After seeing Xuan Yang off, I clenched my fists and my tail was wagging with excitement. “As soon as we go down the mountain, Demonic Cultivators will appear to crush us, then we’ll end up in a desperate situation and have no choice but to cultivate the furnace technique…”

Cluru gave me a look usually reserved for fools.

Fine, she’s clearly had enough of my constant alarm… To be honest, this overly suspicious attitude of mine really does kill the mood.

Well, what if—just what if these people really aren’t frauds… though that seems unlikely.

Reflecting on myself quickly, I straightened out my mindset.

Cluru also put on her spotless Taiming Sect disciple’s robe, gleefully trying on her clothes in front of the mirror.

“Do I look like an immortal maiden?” Cluru waved her eight purple tentacles, her eyes bright as she asked me.

An immortal maiden?

Cluru-style?

“To be honest, you look more like a demon king who’s already seduced and corrupted hundreds of immortal maidens.” I struck mercilessly.

“Really? Is it that obvious…” Cluru looked a bit dejected. “It’s only just after we joined, and it’s not even time for the fateful battle where we turn against each other and tear each other apart… That’s not very fun…”

?

What is going on in this girl’s head?

Forget it, I can’t guess, and I don’t want to try.

Who knows how many strange dreams she’s had.

“Going down the mountain sounds good anyway.” I smoothed out my own Taiming Sect robe. “Let’s see what the world’s become.”

“~”

.

“Junior Sister Luo Xian, Junior Sister Cluru, you two have been in Beiju Luzhou for so long, you probably don’t know much about things…”

The senior brothers taking Cluru and me down the mountain for training were actually acquaintances—Taiming Sect’s Shoumen Disciples, Xiao Ming and Shaori, the two brothers.

When we joined yesterday, the first Taiming Sect disciples we met were them.

The two brothers—one chubby, one thin—were very enthusiastic, and rather chatty.

Ever since we started down the mountain, they’ve been eagerly telling Cluru and me about the current state of Shenzhou.

“Right now, the largest dynasty in Shenzhou is the ‘Li Dynasty.’ But even though it’s a dynasty, it’s not like the old emperors who were tyrannical and squeezed the people dry for their own pleasure…”

[Impossible.]

I immediately sent a voice transmission to Cluru,

[If it wasn’t for the sake of living above others and enjoying themselves, why would an emperor found a dynasty? They’re not just bored.]

[Maybe… for ideals? Or something else?] Cluru shrugged and replied via voice transmission, [There could still be some good people in this world, you know…]

[I believe there are dragon slayers, but his son will definitely become a dragon.]

I said firmly.

[Princes born into privilege can’t even empathize with commoners, so how could they ever see people they can’t relate to as equals?]

[Maybe… maybe…] Cluru pondered, hesitating, [Maybe princes could go on “Transformation Experience”? Try some commoners’ fried rice?]

[I don’t buy it…]

Our debate went nowhere, but thankfully, Xiao Ming and Shaori soon revealed the answer.

“It’s all thanks to the Sacred Fox Progenitor… that is, the Houtu Holy Master,” Shaori explained.

“Twelve years ago, the Houtu Holy Master created the Nine Nether Underworld and reshaped the Reincarnation Disk, giving all souls of the myriad worlds a place to go after death.”

Now, those who committed atrocities in the mortal world can no longer just die of old age in peace. Once they reach the underworld, Yanluo will judge them, examine their life’s deeds, and punish them according to their crimes.

Whether they’re cultivators or nobles, everyone is concerned about how they’ll be treated after death, so they don’t dare to abuse their power anymore.

So that’s how it is… Wait, the Nine Nether Underworld?

Could it be the same place Cluru and I traveled through?

“The Nine Nether connects the myriad worlds, linking ancient, present, and future. There, the concept of time doesn’t exist…”

“Even souls who died before the Underworld was built were brought into the underworld by the Holy Master across time, having their sentences added retroactively, only being released after serving their labor.”

[…]

So it really is that place.

“And lately, the investigation department has pried information from captured Ancient Immortals about the ancient era—”

“Tens of thousands of years ago, before the Reincarnation Disk and the Nether Underworld existed, the cultivation world was complete chaos.”

Xiao Ming sighed:

“There was no order. Everyone strove for immortality, plundering resources by any means…

Races schemed against each other, slaughtering one another just to seize cultivation resources.

That era was true hell.”

I nodded inwardly.

I truly agree with that.

“Even in that era, there was once a Holy Master who descended.

Just like the Houtu Holy Master, he once tried to purify the cultivation world and establish a new order.

He fought his way into the Immortal Sect alone, punched countless Ancient Immortals, and struck down an Immortal King with a single blade.

This mighty figure of ancient times even used the Immortal King’s Seal to communicate with the Dao of Heaven, setting a bottleneck for the advancement of Demonic Cultivators, making it impossible for them to surpass the Jindan Stage, or what we now call the Four Symbols and Five Elements Realm.

If not for him, the cultivation world would have become even more unbearable.”

Xiao Ming and Shaori looked full of admiration.

Heroic tales like these always stir the blood.

It’s a pity these stories were extracted from those damn Ancient Immortals—no one knows if they’re true or not.

“And after that?” I couldn’t help but ask, “What happened after that mighty figure changed the rules of the Dao of Heaven?”

“After that?”

Xiao Ming and Shaori’s expressions suddenly turned bitter.

Xiao Ming spoke with emotion:

“Alas, how many heroes ever die well in this world?!

After that mighty figure communicated with the Dao of Heaven, he vanished, probably perished and faded away.

Afterwards, a villain calling himself ‘Imperial Preceptor’ usurped the throne and became king, using the link to the Dao of Heaven forged by the mighty one to change the ascension rules yet again.

This person was a thoroughbred racist! By altering the Dao of Heaven’s rules, he decreed that the demon race could not become immortals, causing the demon race to completely decline, becoming mere medicinal ingredients and cultivation furnaces…

From then on, becoming an immortal was reserved only for those with connections.

Connections meant you didn’t even have to work hard. As long as you reached the Nine Palaces Realm, the tribulation lightning would basically let you into the Immortal Sect!

But anyone who defied the ascension would never, no matter how hard they tried, gain the favor of the Heavenly Dao Light!”

Uh…

That kind of move… Yeah…

That really is something those beasts of our era would do.

After all, that savage age had no morality or humanity to speak of.

But, just now, didn’t Xiao Ming and Shaori mention “interrogating Ancient Immortals”?

That means… these rules have already been overturned?

Suddenly, I felt curious.

If the very rules for becoming immortal were in their hands, who could possibly rise up and overthrow them?

So I couldn’t help but ask:

“And after that?”