Immortal matters were sometimes truly beyond mortal comprehension.
It was like how, when they died, they didn’t need anyone else to erect a monument—they could handle it themselves…
When an Immortal fell, a tombstone engraved with their Divine Position and name would automatically appear. This was known as the “Divine Stele.”
Far from being a mere stone, this Divine Stele served as the Immortal’s “memorial,” representing a being that had once existed in the world and earned the Heavenly Path’s acknowledgment—a “mark” bestowed by the Heavenly Path itself.
In simple terms, the Divine Stele was an incarnation of their will, equivalent to half of the Immortal’s corpse.
The Immortal might be dead, but their influence lingered.
Thus, if an Immortal discovered their “corpse” being desecrated, they would lose all reason, erupt in thunderous fury, and plunge into madness…
“Even one’s own stele can end up left outside?”
Listening to Immortal Lord’s explanation, Little Snake Demon couldn’t help but blurt out.
Such mood-killing words were too much even for Su Paopao, who subtly jabbed Little Snake Demon in the waist to shut her up.
“…I told you, my death was hasty,” Jing shot Little Snake Demon another glare and said. “If not for those circumstances, Immortals would seek out a safe place—usually their own Cave-Heaven—to fall and dissipate, forming their Divine Stele.”
“What happens if someone’s Divine Stele gets destroyed?” Yin Luan asked curiously.
“…Are you planning to sneak off and smash my tombstone?”
“How could I? I’m just a very innocent little thing!”
Their bond had grown so close that they were even trading jokes now…
“If the Divine Stele is destroyed, the Immortal’s lingering power in the world will immediately go berserk,” Jing explained. “An Immortal’s power running rampant is a terrifying affair. Of course, it depends on how strong that Immortal was in life and how much power they left behind. If luck is poor, it could lead to widespread devastation among the living.”
“After the berserk phase, their traces in the world fade rapidly. Even with a Divine Stele intact, an Immortal’s influence on the world gradually weakens over time—but it’s a slow process, not something that happens overnight.”
“That’s all regarding the world’s effects,” Yin Luan said. “What about the impact on the Immortal themselves?”
Jing fell silent for a moment before answering her question.
“Once dead, nothing can affect us anymore… But would anyone feel good watching their own tombstone get defiled?”
“Immortal Lord,” Su Paopao said, her face full of confusion, “You say you died completely, yet here you are, chatting normally with us… Does that really count as total death?”
“That’s the difference between Immortals and mortals,” Jing replied flatly. “A mortal’s consciousness dissipates the instant they die, but an Immortal’s does not. You could say that even after falling, Immortals mostly dissipate slowly rather than vanishing in a flash.”
Put simply, Immortals dragged out “death” for as long as possible. As the old saying went, “Even in death, they stick around a little longer”…
“Enough already—you lot aren’t becoming Immortals anyway, so why bother learning all this?” Black Peach snorted. “Let’s hurry up and help Immortal Lord get her stuff back!”
“The Divine Stele landed at Clear Seclusion Mountain,” Immortal Lord said. “It’s near the Barbaric Wastes, with harsh terrain, and you’ll face harassment from Evil Spirits. That’s difficulty number one.”
“I battled another Immortal there, so remnants of its power surely linger. That’s difficulty number two.”
“The Divine Stele holds irresistible allure for certain ‘things’—you might run into them. That’s difficulty number three.”
“Overcome those three hurdles, and you’ll have a shot at retrieving the Divine Stele,” she paused before continuing. “That said, unexpected issues might crop up too—I can’t say for sure.”
“Sounds like…” Little Snake Demon swallowed hard, “…it’s not going to be easy?”
“So scary—can I sit this one out?” Su Paopao wailed, her face crumpling. “I’m just a little nobody who got dragged into this; I can’t handle big deals like that…”
“Oh, come on, you two,” Jing turned to them with a teasing scold. “Aren’t you just fishing for some backup?”
Four beams of golden light shot out from Immortal Lord’s body, landing on the backs of Yin Luan and the others’ hands, where they coalesced into a golden character “Jing.”
The moment the mark appeared, everyone felt their minds sharpen to an unprecedented clarity, like they’d downed ten pounds of mint and had to stifle a moan of pure refreshment.
“This mark’s power is limited,” Jing reminded them. “You’d best return within five days.”
“Five days?” Xian Yuan said gravely. “I’m afraid even reaching the Barbarous Frontier in five days would be difficult.”
“No worries. I’ll open a passage and send you straight near Clear Seclusion Mountain. The return trip will be the same,” the Immortal Lord said, glancing at Xian Yuan with what seemed like hidden intent before adding, “But you still need to hurry and complete the mission. Got it?”
“Got it! We’ll definitely complete the mission!”
The Little Snake Demon cheered encouragingly.
After resting half a day in Bottle Pure Heaven to recover their strength, the group asked the Immortal Lord to open the passage.
A Golden Light Gate appeared on the grass, faint black mist seeping from within.
Xian Yuan and Black Peach took the lead, with Yin Luan and Su Paopao following behind. Everyone wore serious expressions, mentally and physically prepared for the adventure ahead.
“Be careful not to get yourselves killed,” the Immortal Lord said with a blessing. “If you fail, who knows when the next batch of grave-diggers will show up.”
The two in front took a deep breath and strode into the Golden Light Gate without looking back.
Su Paopao clutched Yin Luan’s arm, and the pair followed reluctantly on tiptoe.
“Don’t transform carelessly out here,” Jing’s voice rang in the Little Snake Demon’s mind just before they entered the gate. “If you attract any unclean ‘things,’ it’ll be dangerous…”
Whoosh!
Before the Little Snake Demon could ask or reply, the golden light swallowed the four of them, teleporting them to the other side.
~~~
The Barbarous Frontier.
The sky was dim, the earth equally lightless. Endless mountain ranges and vast grasslands stretched out, the air thick with the acrid scent of something charred and lingering.
In every direction, the landscape was dominated by grays and blacks, oppressively bleak. Even the occasional splash of vibrant color felt dangerously off-limits, something no one would dare approach lightly.
A beam of golden light materialized on the plain, coalescing into the shape of a door.
The young maidens emerged one by one, stepping onto the eerie land.
Cough cough cough. Yin Luan covered her mouth the moment she stepped out, mumbling indistinctly, “What is this smell? It’s choking me to death!”
“That’s just how the Barbarous Frontier is,” Xian Yuan said. “Most places here aren’t fit for human survival.”
“You’re all just spoiled,” Black Peach mocked. “I think it’s pretty comfortable here.”
“Uh, that… Senior, did your Black Spirit Insects come along too?”
Su Paopao asked tentatively.
“…”
Black Peach shook her sleeve, and a dozen or so black beetles tumbled to the ground. Some landed upside down, flailing helplessly until the others helped flip them over.
This was all that remained of an army that had once numbered over ten thousand bugs.
“You idiot, why didn’t you say something sooner?”
Black Peach planted her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at the twin-tailed girl.
“I thought something that important wouldn’t be forgotten…”
Su Paopao quickly ducked behind Yin Luan.
“Even if we brought them, they wouldn’t be much use,” Yin Luan said, pointing at the sluggish beetles on the ground. “Creatures not native to the Barbarous Frontier struggle to adapt quickly.”
Black Peach tested them and found her Black Spirit Insects’ combat prowess severely diminished, as if they were sick.
“Good thing we didn’t bring the whole lot, or all that effort would’ve been wasted…”
They hadn’t even started the mission, yet the Barbarous Frontier had already given them a harsh welcome.
Xian Yuan had experience crossing the Barbaric Wastes, so the four-woman team naturally deferred to her leadership—even Black Peach had no objections.
After all, failure meant no Divine Stele, and no one would get the rewards promised by the Immortal Lord.
“The Barbarous Frontier’s environment is harmful to the body, constantly eroding the flesh,” Xian Yuan warned. “This isn’t the true Barbaric Wastes, just the outskirts, but stay vigilant.”
She extended her palm, feeling the wind direction across the grassland.
“If a strong wind blows from the west, we hide and wait it out before moving.”
For now, there was no wind. They needed to make haste toward Clear Seclusion Mountain.
The Immortal Lord had shown them what Clear Seclusion Mountain looked like before departure.
Amid the distant, unbroken mountain chains stood one peak taller than the rest. Its lower half was a normal earthy brown, but from the midpoint upward—nearly a third of its height—the summit was pitch black, unnaturally so. It screamed bad news at first glance.
“It’s not close,” Black Peach said, peering into the distance with a frown. “Let’s get moving.”
Breathing in the charred stench, gazing at the gloomy earth, and bracing against the ever-shifting chill winds, the group set off toward Clear Seclusion Mountain.
None of the women were ordinary mortals. Even Su Paopao, who had the lowest cultivation among them, possessed physical abilities far beyond those of average people. In the outside world, she would count as a “martial arts master.” As such, their pace was incredibly swift.
This was tough luck for the Little Snake Demon, who was also trudging along on two legs.
“Slow down, slow down! Why are we rushing like this…? Oh yeah, don’t we have the mechanism vehicle? Why not use it?”
“The mechanism vehicle is only faster than us on flat terrain,” Xian Yuan explained. “Besides, I only brought a limited supply of energy stones. We can’t waste them in a place like this.”
“But wasting my stamina is fine, huh…?”
No matter how much the Little Snake Demon griped, Xian Yuan refused to pull out the mechanism vehicle.
After pushing at full speed for an entire day, as the sun dipped toward the horizon, Xian Yuan found a spot sheltered from the wind and called for everyone to halt.
“The Barbaric Wastes at night are rife with dangers. It’s not wise to travel then,” she said, raising the back of her hand to display the mark. “I’m not sure how much power this mark holds, so let’s save it for the mountain if we can.”
With eerie ghostly wails echoing from all directions, no one argued against her suggestion.
They kindled a campfire to ward off the Yin energy, then leaned against some weathered stones to meditate and rest.
Black Peach was keenly aware of her own status and knew she wasn’t close to the other three, so she deliberately sat a little farther off.
Until they returned the Divine Stele to Bottle Pure Heaven, they were temporary allies. It paid to minimize friction.
Xian Yuan found a spot hidden from Black Peach’s view, sat down on the ground, and slowly lifted her clothes to inspect her wound.
Perhaps due to their proximity to the Barbaric Wastes, the injury had worsened slightly. The way she bit her lip made it clear the pain was becoming hard to bear.
“Is it serious?”
Yin Luan sidled over and asked in a quiet voice.
“I can hold out,” Xian Yuan replied through the pain. “What about you? Are you alright? Did that guy’s poison do anything to you?”
“Don’t worry. I only swallowed it because I knew I could handle it.”
The Little Snake Demon patted her chest confidently.
“That’s a relief.”
Xian Yuan produced a bottle of pills from her storage ring, swallowed one, and finally exhaled softly.
Yet her wound showed no improvement at all. The pill was likely just a painkiller.
“I owe you an apology,” she said once the ache had eased a touch, freeing up some breath to address other matters. “I meant to take you into Bottle Pure Heaven for some opportunities, but we ended up running into that evil cultivator…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the Little Snake Demon said, waving her hands frantically. “Just bringing me here was already plenty nice of you.”
Xian Yuan might have had her own ulterior motives, but her willingness to share the secret of Immortal Cave-Heaven evened the score.
Repaying kindness with kindness put her head and shoulders above most people. As for whatever dangers awaited inside the cave-heaven, no one could foresee them ahead of time.
“You’re a really good person,” Xian Yuan said softly. “That kind of goodness works fine in a weaker region like the Eastern Wastelands. But out in the wider world, it’ll land you in all sorts of needless trouble.”
Xian Yuan’s manner of speaking sometimes reminded her of Senior Sister Zou Lian—though without the latter’s icy detachment. She knew when to show some warmth, and she did.
“Maybe,” the Little Snake Demon said with a pout. “But I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon anyway, so no big deal…”
She glanced at Xian Yuan’s masked face, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and placed her hand on… the woman’s belly.
As expected of a half-step Void Treading genius cultivator—her flawless, pale skin was smoother than the finest silk, soft and warm to the touch. A gentle press revealed a delightful, springy resilience…
“……?”
Xian Yuan didn’t stop the Little Snake Demon. She simply regarded her with a puzzled look.
“Ahem, uh, I’m not trying to grope you or anything,” Yin Luan said, putting on a straight face to explain. “I’m checking your injury. By the way, aren’t you wearing anything under that white shirt? Lifting it up shows skin right away…”
“……”
If you’re gonna cop a feel, own up to it. It’s not like she was protesting or grossed out…
“While I don’t know much about healing wounds,” the Little Snake Demon pressed on, swallowing her embarrassment, “I’m pretty sensitive to energy fluctuations. The black energy around your wound hasn’t sunk deep into your body yet. In theory, you could draw it out with some external force… at least part of it.”
“No,” Xian Yuan said at once, shaking her head. “This isn’t ordinary energy. It’s more like a curse. Anyone who touches it gets affected. Unless you’re at the Void Treading Realm and can isolate it from yourself, you’d just end up dragging others down with you too.”
“No matter how powerful it is, it’s still just ownerless energy. As long as we don’t tap into another strand of energy, it won’t get stirred up… probably.”
“No energy?” Xian Yuan asked doubtfully. “Then how are you going to ‘suck’ it out?”
“The simplest and most direct method,” the Little Snake Demon licked her lips, “use… your mouth!”
