Immortals rarely revealed their true faces to others.
Just as with their names, an Immortal’s appearance carried a certain majesty, one with far greater influence.
Ordinary folk who wished to “pay respects to an Immortal” did so before sculptures or paintings—indirect representations. To gaze directly upon an Immortal’s true visage was an act of extreme boldness, and one fraught with peril.
Yin Luan had yet to complete her transformation when the golden light enveloping the Immortal “Jing” suddenly dissipated without warning.
As the golden glow faded, it revealed the figure of a middle-aged woman.
Her long hair was tied back simply, her features regular and unadorned, her gray robes plain. She was neither alluring nor endearing. If two words could sum her up, they would be utterly ordinary.
Incredibly ordinary. She paled not only in comparison to a ravishing beauty like Yin Luan but even lacked the eye-catching charm of Su Paopao.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the Little Snake Demon, particularly at those snake pupils, momentarily oblivious to her own state.
Rumble—
Dark clouds gathered ever more densely, plunging this Cave-Heaven into gloom.
“Heaven and earth are stirring,” Jing murmured to herself. “And she claims to be just an ordinary snake demon… How could a typical demon trigger such a phenomenon?”
While Jing pondered in suspicion, Yin Luan continued wrestling with her own body.
Truth be told, ever since descending the mountain, she hadn’t attempted to revert to her snake form. The main reason was that the process was extraordinarily difficult for her.
Even changing just her eyes had taken considerable effort before. A full-body shift was out of the question.
This was yet another baffling puzzle.
Demons shouldn’t have such trouble transforming. Look at the Radish Spirit and the Lily Spirit—they changed forms at will.
The Little Snake Demon’s face grew redder by the second, strange gurgling noises bubbling from her mouth.
The surroundings had changed dramatically, but her body—aside from those eyes—remained stubbornly the same.
The ground shook violently, and the space flickered between light and shadow.
Jing observed for a moment before finally speaking.
“Enough. Stop.”
“Hoo—”
At those words, the Little Snake Demon deflated like a punctured ball. She let out a long breath, her belly sucked back in, and her complexion returned to normal.
“Huh? That’s weird. Transforming this time felt ten times harder than before… Hey, where’d your golden light special effect go? How’d you turn into plain skin?”
Jing ignored her bizarre question, staring intently instead.
An ordinary person gazed upon so directly by an Immortal would have their mind freeze and their body lock up, just as Black Peach had when she called out her name earlier.
But the Little Snake Demon? She acted as if nothing was amiss, locking eyes with the Immortal Lord without a care.
She might not match her in power, but in figure… well, she seemed to have the edge. With that thought, the Little Snake Demon proudly puffed out her chest.
“I sense no fluctuations of the Dao’s laws from you,” Jing said. “You’re no Dao Achiever… at least not in your current state.”
The Little Snake Demon scratched her head, not quite grasping the meaning.
“Yet you can stir the heavens and earth…”
She pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.
“This must be the power of your bloodline at work.”
“Oh…”
“If I were still alive, I might have been able to analyze it more precisely,” Jing shook her head. “Never mind. I only wanted to sate my curiosity. Since I can’t see through it, no point dwelling.”
She raised her arm and waved it lightly. Golden light enveloped her once more. With another wave, she sent Yin Luan out from within the barrier.
Seeing the Little Snake Demon emerge, Su Paopao hurried over, brimming with excitement. “Senior, what did the Immortal say to you? What was all that about just now? Why the earthquakes and gathering storm clouds? You didn’t make her mad, did you?”
Xian Yuan and Black Peach also turned their gazes toward her.
Not long after the Immortal had drawn her in, the Cave-Heaven had begun acting strangely. There had to be a connection.
But before the Little Snake Demon could respond, the Immortal “Jing” spoke first.
“You’ve intruded into my Bottle Pure Heaven. By the rules, you ought to join the ranks in the Corpse Pit,” she said flatly, her words carrying no hint of jest. “But as luck would have it, I have a task that requires your assistance.”
“A task?”
Black Peach frowned.
This Immortal was relentless—even in death, she was still making them work…
“I died too suddenly and left an item somewhere,” Jing explained slowly. “Retrieve it for me.”
“Is it dangerous?” Xian Yuan asked gravely.
“Yes,” Jing replied. “You’re quite likely to run into remnants of the Immortal Lord’s power. If you’re not careful, your lives might be forfeit.”
“This…”
Everyone’s faces shifted at her words.
Who in their right mind would go? They weren’t fools—why risk it all?
“It’s only a possibility,” Jing added. “I asked you to fetch it because I want you to bring it back alive.”
Her reassurance fell flat.
They’d busted their asses to get here, not to slave away for an Immortal for free…
“Immortal Lord, if I may be so bold,” Black Peach said, steeling herself. “What’s in it for us if we retrieve it for you?”
“Benefits?” The Immortal Lord’s voice took on a sterner edge. “You want benefits?”
“Y-Yes!”
Black Peach nodded stiffly.
Jing turned her gaze to the others. “And you? Same for you?”
“Uh, well, heh…”
Su Paopao was caught between yes and no, managing only an awkward smile.
“Mm…”
Little Snake Demon didn’t know what to say.
She wasn’t close enough to this Immortal for blind trust. Nice attitude or not, even brothers had to settle accounts clearly…
“You’re right,” Xian Yuan said, cupping her hands firmly. “We’ll retrieve it, but only if there’s compensation!”
The air on the grass grew thick with tension.
The Immortal Lord hovered in a seated lotus position, utterly silent. The four greedy mortals didn’t dare make a peep.
“Haha.” Out of nowhere, the Immortal Lord laughed. “Interesting. As expected, no one who dares grave-rob an Immortal truly reveres the divine.”
Her laughter shattered the heavy atmosphere in an instant. Everyone felt the weight lift from their shoulders, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“Fine, then. What do you want?” Jing asked. “One request per person—that’s all I can grant.”
“R-Really?”
Black Peach’s face lit up with disbelief.
Weren’t Immortals supposed to be tyrannical types? Command free labor, and you’d better feel honored to obey…
“Why not?” Jing shot back. “Quid pro quo is only natural. Just don’t get greedy. After all, you’re the ones who broke into my Cave-Heaven—you’re bandits, legally speaking.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Black Peach said, equal parts shocked and thrilled. She thought for a moment before speaking up first. “Immortal Lord, you can tell my cultivation path. Getting to my current level… well…”
“The drawbacks are starting to outweigh the gains, aren’t they?” Jing said. “Your talent is middling at best. The orthodox path would cap you at Innate Mid-Stage. To push further, the Evil Path was your gamble.”
“Exactly, exactly! That’s just it!”
Black Peach bobbed her head vigorously.
“That’s why it’s called the Evil Path—the price is far steeper than the righteous way. Poison’s seeped into your body; your Dantian and Niwan Palace are beyond saving. True Void Treading Realm? Not in this lifetime.”
“This…” Black Peach’s eyes darted about before she let out a deep sigh and cupped her hands. “I get it.”
“I can offer you two paths,” Jing said evenly. “Preserve your current strength and squeeze out every last drop of lifespan. Or suppress the backlash and go all in—gain whatever power you can.”
Such was cultivation: every boon came with a bane.
Most would agonize over a choice like this for ages, but Black Peach decided in a heartbeat.
“More power!” she declared resolutely. “I didn’t come here to scrape by!”
Yin Luan and Su Paopao couldn’t help giving her a thumbs-up.
Rogue she might be, but the woman’s guts were undeniable. Here’s hoping the extra power made her shorter life worthwhile…
It was Su Paopao’s turn next.
“Immortal Lord, I know I’m not much use, so just one tiny request…”
“The Innate Cultivation Method, right?” Jing replied. “And don’t sell yourself short—your talent’s actually better than this Evil Cultivator’s.”
Black Peach whipped her head around, face like stone as she stared down the sect disciple.
“Er, you’re joking, right, Immortal Lord? Me, talented…?”
Su Paopao let out a nervous chuckle and cupped her hands, careful not to meet her gaze.
Some things, like talent, you just couldn’t envy away…
Third up: Little Snake Demon.
“I…”
She hadn’t even spoken when Immortal Lord’s voice rang directly in her mind.
“Enough. You’ve already seen my true face, so there’s no need to stand on ceremony… I see you’re practicing Breathing Circulation in preparation to rebuild your Innate Realm? Let me give you a Breathing Circulation technique that’s perfect for you.”
“Oh…”
Little Snake Demon touched her face.
I wasn’t planning on being polite with you anyway…
The last one was Xian Yuan.
Immortal Lord had saved her for last because she knew this woman’s situation was by far the most complicated.
“Your injuries are severe,” Jing said. “Shall I heal them for you? Consider that your request fulfilled.”
“Thank you, but these wounds are nothing to worry about. I can handle them myself.”
Xian Yuan cupped her hands in salute.
“Then what do you want?” Immortal Lord asked coolly. “There’s not only something connected to Immortals on you, but also the scent of a special bloodline… Your ancestors were no ordinary folk.”
“Senior Immortal,” Xian Yuan replied without explaining her background, her head bowed. “I want your… Jade Gourd Bottle.”
The words had barely left her mouth when a tremendous oppressive force emanated from Jing. Black Peach, Yin Luan, and Su Paopao were shoved far back, while Xian Yuan’s eyes filled with pain as she dropped to one knee on the ground.
“You dare ask for the Jade Gourd Bottle? Do you even know what it is?”
Immortal Lord’s tone was frigid.
“I do,” Xian Yuan rasped, as though crushed under an immense weight. “It’s the Natal Treasure you kept on you at all times in life, capable of purifying everything in the world.”
“Hmph.” Jing snorted coldly. “Do you understand what a Natal Treasure signifies?”
“I do.” Beads of sweat trickled from Xian Yuan’s chin to the ground. “It’s equivalent to half an inheritance.”
“You know full well,” Jing said as she floated right up to her. The gentle golden light now burned with scorching heat. “And yet you still dare ask me for it?”
“Yes!”
Xian Yuan raised her head and met Jing’s gaze head-on.
From a distance, Black Peach watched with arms crossed, sneering.
“What a lack of guts paired with such greed. Don’t people like her always get the worst of it? Anger Immortal Lord, and see if you make it out of this Cave-Heaven alive!”
Xian Yuan remained half-kneeling on the ground while Jing hovered in the air above her. The standoff dragged on for quite some time.
“You’re essentially forcing me to take you as a disciple,” Jing said. “Without my approval, you wouldn’t be able to use even a sliver of the Jade Gourd Bottle’s power.”
“Please, Senior—make it happen!”
Xian Yuan had been cautious and measured every step of the way, but now she came across as utterly stubborn, dead set on her goal no matter what. It was a complete departure from her usual demeanor.
Jing fell silent again for a moment.
“To be frank,” she said at last, “I’d sooner give the Jade Gourd Bottle to the girl with the biggest chest… Yes, you. Stop that idiotic grinning.”
Immortal Lord shot Little Snake Demon a glare before continuing.
“But she has zero connection to it. The Jade Gourd Bottle is the work of my entire life. Even in death, I won’t let it gather dust. Tell you what: on top of retrieving my item, I’ll give you one additional task. Succeed, and I’ll accept you as my disciple and pass the Jade Gourd Bottle on to you. Deal?”
“Please, tell me!”
Xian Yuan nodded.
Immortal Lord then used Divine Sense Transmission to privately convey something to Xian Yuan alone.
The other three watched from afar, smacking their lips in astonishment.
“Are we getting shortchanged here?” Su Paopao said. “That Jade Gourd Bottle sounds way more valuable than everything we got put together.”
“Has to be.”
Little Snake Demon bobbed her head vigorously.
“She played it so straight and narrow before, but pulls this stunt at the clutch moment,” Black Peach grumbled, her expression sour. “Should’ve asked for the Jade Gourd Bottle myself…”
She had some familiarity with Immortal Cave-Heaven, but her aims weren’t nearly as precise as Xian Yuan’s. All she really knew was that “Immortal treasures were definitely hidden inside.”
Sure, she’d gotten what she wanted—but watching someone else snag a bargain right in front of her still rankled.
A moment later, Immortal Lord finished her private talk with Xian Yuan. One was shrouded in golden light, the other concealed behind a mask; neither face gave anything away.
“I’ve made you all my offers,” Immortal Lord announced. “Now it’s up to your abilities whether you claim them.”
“Immortal Lord, what exactly is it you want us to retrieve?” Su Paopao asked. “It can’t be the Jade Gourd Bottle, can it…?”
Yin Luan and Black Peach harbored the same question. Whatever they were being sent to fetch had to be extraordinarily important—and the Jade Gourd Bottle certainly fit the bill.
“If it were my life-bound treasure left out in the world, I might not even send you to retrieve it. What’s the use of a treasure when you’re already dead?”
The Immortal Lord refuted their guesses, explaining at an unhurried pace.
“What I want you to retrieve… is the Divine Stele.”
“The Divine Stele?” The group exchanged puzzled glances. “What’s a Divine Stele?”
“The Divine Stele is the ‘tombstone’ that condenses after an Immortal falls,” Jing replied. “If someone defiles the Divine Stele, that Immortal… will go mad.”
