My Simulated Road to Immortality Chapter 6 - 6: Watching the Battle of the Immortals
Previously on My Simulated Road to Immortality...
Chapter 6: Observing the Clash of Immortals
Positioned at the easternmost edge of the Da Xuan Kingdom, the Endless Abyss is a bottomless chasm perpetually cloaked in a dense, suffocating fog. To tumble into its depths is to embrace certain annihilation.
The secrets hidden at the base of this ravine remain a mystery to all. For generations, this desolate place, where even avian life dares not fly, has been strictly forbidden to mankind.
Through a prior simulation, however, Li Fan had discovered that the impenetrable mist blanketing the abyss vanishes once every fifteen years. He had journeyed here today to witness this rare phenomenon personally.
He suspected that if his theories were accurate, the two cultivators, Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong, might have entered this Immortal Realm via this very abyss.
Li Fan stood in silence near the edge of the yawning chasm, waiting with calm persistence.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the thick white haze, which carried a scent reminiscent of ancient eras, finally began to shift.
“Whoo…”
It sounded as if a prehistoric beast was bellowing from the depths below. As the volume intensified, it became clear that the roar was actually the howling of the wind!
The heavy white fog was disturbed, rippling violently.
The wind surged with increasing power, forcing massive plumes of white mist to erupt from the abyss like an inverted waterfall, surging toward the heavens.
This fierce gale continued for nearly thirty minutes until the suffocating fog finally vanished.
With a grave expression, Li Fan produced a telescope and directed his gaze toward the floor of the abyss.
At first, the bottom was nothing but an ink-black void, revealing nothing.
Slowly, however, flickers of light began to manifest.
Eventually, the abyss floor became flooded with radiance, presenting a scene to Li Fan that resembled a reversed mirage.
Records suggested that the sights at the bottom of the abyss differed for every observer.
What Li Fan witnessed left him profoundly shaken.
A shattered mountain gate stood amidst a landscape of ruined architecture. The ground and stone walls were riddled with fractures, bearing the unmistakable scars of sword strikes and magic arts.
Certain patches of earth appeared permanently stained by blood, cast in a disturbing dark crimson hue.
The discarded remains and broken armaments strewn across the site served as a silent testament to a massive tragedy that had occurred long ago.
Stunned, Li Fan adjusted his view toward a smooth mountain precipice, where four massive characters had been etched into the stone.
“Immortality is Dead!”
The calligraphy looked as though it had been painted in blood, now aged to a blackish-red color.
Despite the immense distance, merely looking at those four words filled Li Fan with an overwhelming sense of dread and hopelessness.
“Immortality is dead… What transpired here? What has truly happened to the world of immortal Cultivation?” Lost in these grim reflections, Li Fan remained motionless for a long time.
…
Once the fog began to reclaim the abyss after its half-day absence, Li Fan made his way back to Xuanjing City.
Time flowed rapidly, and in a flash, fifty years had slipped away.
On the day of Li Fan’s seventieth birthday, the atmosphere in Xuanjing City was tense, with thousands of soldiers stationed on high alert.
“Dao Xuanzi! You have gone too far!”
Kou Hong spun around and roared in fury, suspended in the air above the capital.
Before Dao Xuanzi could offer a retort, voices erupted from the city below, thundering through the streets of Xuanjing.
“Kou Hong, we have been waiting for you under the orders of Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi!”
Following the shout, the sky was suddenly filled with a hail of bullets.
Taken by surprise, Kou Hong was struck repeatedly.
“How can this be? Did Dao Xuanzi know I would retreat here? Since when did he become so calculating?!” Kou Hong was consumed by a mixture of shock and rage.
To his horror, Kou Hong realized his Qi was being drained at an alarming rate while he attempted to shield himself from these mundane weapons. With a quick assessment, the truth dawned on him.
“Immortal-Ordinary Miasma!? Dao Xuanzi, you are truly foul!” With eyes full of betrayal, Kou Hong stared at the approaching Dao Xuanzi, feeling as though he were seeing his century-long companion for the first time.
The arriving Dao Xuanzi was equally perplexed.
“What is the matter with these mortals? Why do they claim to attack Kou Hong in my name? And how do they possess the knowledge to utilize Immortal-Ordinary Miasma?” Dao Xuanzi was blindsided, momentarily paralyzed by confusion.
However, seeing the state of the enraged Kou Hong, Dao Xuanzi tried to regain his composure.
“Something is wrong here! Kou Hong, I am not the one controlling these mortals!” Dao Xuanzi urgently shouted.
“Oh? So you refuse to confess?” Kou Hong let out a bitter, mocking laugh. “Are you afraid that if your use of Immortal-Ordinary Miasma is revealed, the entire world of Cultivation will hunt you down? Or are you simply protecting the reputation you’ve built over a hundred years?”
Recognizing his friend’s volatile state, Dao Xuanzi realized that Kou Hong had lost his capacity for reason. No explanation would be accepted.
Dao Xuanzi felt a creeping suspicion that he had walked into an elaborate trap.
The bizarre circumstances filled him with an intense sense of foreboding.
Engaging in a life-or-death battle with Kou Hong right now was the last thing he wanted to do.
He tried once more to reason with him, “In our hundred years of friendship, when have I ever deceived you? This truly isn't my—”
Before he could finish, an aged voice boomed from every direction, cutting him off.
“Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi, why play the innocent now? Did we not have an agreement? If we helped you eliminate Kou Hong and retrieve his Golden Core Technique, you promised to lead my people out of this Immortal Realm!” The voice sounded wounded, laced with a hint of resentment.
“Golden Core Technique?!” At the mention of those words, the expressions of both Kou Hong and Dao Xuanzi shifted drastically.
“And you still deny it! Who else but you would know of such a thing!” Kou Hong’s hair and beard bristled with pure, unadulterated wrath.
“This individual actually knows of the Golden Core Technique…” Dao Xuanzi’s heart sank like a stone.
The disembodied voice continued, ignoring his shock, “We have faced the wrath of the public for the sake of your Immortal-Ordinary Miasma, Master Dao Xuanzi. The world now burns with hatred for us. If you do not honor your word and guide us out, my family will have no place left to rest!”
Infuriated by the blatant slander, Dao Xuanzi barked, “You lying wretch, be silent!”
He dashed toward the source of the sound, hoping to catch the culprit, but found only a strange, rectangular device emitting the voice. Similar objects were scattered throughout Xuanjing City, their numbers unknown.
“How meticulous…” Dao Xuanzi felt his options vanishing.
“Does Master Dao Xuanzi intend to silence us now?” the voice from the device mocked.
Grinding his teeth in a fit of rage, Dao Xuanzi crushed the object into dust.
To Kou Hong, this appeared to be a desperate attempt to destroy evidence after being caught. It looked like Dao Xuanzi was lashing out in a murderous frenzy.
Kou Hong let out a sky-shattering roar, “Dao Xuanzi! I was a fool to trust you for a hundred years! You want the Golden Core Technique? Why resort to such schemes? I will run no longer—take it if you have the strength!”
“Taoist Technique: Fury of the Flame Dragon!”
A magnificent dragon of fire manifested around Kou Hong, letting out a roar that shook the heavens.
The flame dragon glared forward and exhaled a torrent of scorching crimson fire, surging directly toward Dao Xuanzi.
Dao Xuanzi let out a weary sigh. With a soft incantation, a flying sword materialized behind him. It turned into a streak of brilliant white light, meeting the incoming crimson flames head-on.