Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 838: Farming or Guarding the Gate?
Previously on Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal?...
"Immortal... Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty, I believe... I might serve better elsewhere. Regarding the mining..." The Spirit Void Old Ghost fidgeted with his hands, hesitantly suggesting, "Such labor could be handled by just about anyone, so why assign it to an immortal?
Any cultivator from the Cangyun Realm was capable of digging.
It's not that this junior is complaining, but rather that this junior yearns to offer a substantial service to the Immortal Realm, rather than tackling something so basic and devoid of any real challenge..."
White Sword gazed at the Spirit Void Old Ghost with a mocking grin.
How could he fail to grasp the thoughts swirling in the Spirit Void Old Ghost's mind?
This Cloud Pattern Steel appeared no different from ordinary ores in the Lower Realm, yet it required tools powered by immortal force to cleave it apart. In the Lower Realm, it would rank as an unbreakable treasure, a supreme resource for crafting godly weapons.
However, within the Immortal Realm, it amounted to merely a basic, low-tier ore.
In White Sword's view, such material suited only the construction of grand palaces.
Indeed...
He was gearing up to restore the Immortal Realm.
The ruins displayed earlier to the Spirit Void Old Ghost had been nothing more than an illusion woven from Immortal Qi, encompassing those Immortal Bridges and the ethereal Celestial Music—all staged merely to facilitate the Spirit Void Old Ghost's ascension.
Yet, to truly set everything in motion, he couldn't shoulder every task indefinitely on his own.
Back then, as resources dwindled in both the Upper and Lower Realms of Cangyun, the immortals turned greedy and isolated, ignoring Cangyun's fate, exhausting every last drop like draining a pond for a single fish. To secure the Cangyun Realm's endurance, and driven by his own ambitions, he had purged the immortals entirely.
Now, armed with vast quantities of Celestial Jade Marrow—an Innate Spiritual Treasure that could endlessly restore the Cangyun Realm's vitality—new immortals could emerge naturally. And for the assault on Earth Star, greater numbers of immortals would prove advantageous.
Therefore, a stark, empty Immortal Realm felt somewhat inadequate.
Corridors, lofty halls, elegant pavilions, spacious terraces, and soaring towers—all demanded reconstruction.
The Immortal Realm ought to resemble the Immortal Realm once more.
Only then would ascending immortals experience a true sense of unity and loyalty. They would battle fiercely for the Cangyun Realm, heedless of peril, lending their full might.
"You seek a different role? That's feasible enough."
White Sword scrutinized the Spirit Void Old Ghost from head to toe.
He appeared to be assessing the old ghost's potential uses.
Upon hearing this, the Spirit Void Old Ghost's eyes sparkled, his bony hands clasping eagerly—anything would do, so long as it avoided mining.
Was there a more humiliating task in the Immortal Realm than toiling in the mines?
He doubted it!
"Gratitude, Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty!" He bowed repeatedly. "Fear not, be it vanquishing fiends and beasts or delving into hidden domains, this old one vows to execute it perfectly, without fail!"
His mind was already racing with schemes.
Even if a position of true authority eluded him, at least he'd dodge the grueling drudgery of mining.
Lacking prestige was preferable to endlessly hammering away at stone daily.
Above all, he trusted that his cunning ambition would one day elevate him beyond the other immortals.
Yet, before his grin could diminish...
White Sword abruptly extended his arm, seizing the Spirit Void Old Ghost by the collar's nape, lifting him as if a mere fledgling.
The Spirit Void Old Ghost perceived only a blur of light and shadow before his vision, and in the instant that followed, his boots touched down on barren soil—this spot was far more desolate than the prior mine. The earth lay fractured, revealing dull, brownish bedrock. As void storms raged, they hurled tiny shards of stone that stung his cheeks with sharp snaps.
Ahead, sparse, faded yellow weeds clung stubbornly within the fissures of the rock. Not a trace of verdant life appeared anywhere, much less celestial blooms or sacred plants.
The atmosphere carried merely the scent of soil, mingled with sparse Immortal Qi.
It felt even more lifeless than Cangyun Realm's arid wastes.
"If mining displeases you, then tend crops here instead."
White Sword let go, gesturing toward the barren ground beneath them, his voice even and unyielding.
"Surely you won't claim ignorance of vegetable farming."
"F-farm vegetables?" The Spirit Void Old Ghost's smile solidified on his features, his composure shattering utterly. He craned his rigid neck toward White Sword. "Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty, this is no jest, is it?
This old man has just ascended as an immortal!
Assigning an immortal to vegetable tending... Could no other laborers be spared?
Should word of this spread, I..."
His words halted as he encountered White Sword's chilling stare.
The remainder of his plea lodged in his throat.
The Spirit Void Old Ghost contorted his features into a pitiful pout, mustering a fawning grin. "It's not that this old man views farming as beneath him; rather, I haven't wielded a hoe in millennia, and I scarcely know one seedling from another. What if they wither? Wouldn't that squander your intentions? Moreover, this soil seems so infertile, I fear nothing could sprout here..."
White Sword offered no further debate, pivoting to seize him once more.
A whirl of vertigo struck again, depositing them before a colossal gate piercing the heavens.
Crafted from some mysterious substance, the gate gleamed inky black, adorned with elaborate, ominous, and savage carvings. No signboard graced its top, merely two massive chains, thick as a bowl's rim, dangling from each side. Though flecked with corrosion, they radiated a dread-inspiring Killing Intent.
Beyond the gate, darkness swallowed all, obscuring any view inside.
Faintly discernible was a enormous orb throbbing rhythmically, akin to a living heart.
Before the Spirit Void Old Ghost could respond, White Sword clutched one chain and, with a sharp "click," bound it to his wrist.
The links constricted on their own, as though animated.
A chilling chill surged through his frame, even impeding the flow of his immortal power.
"If mining and farming both repel you, then watch over this gate." White Sword's tone stayed devoid of emotion. "This portal seals a taboo zone of the Immortal Realm. Should anything breach it, your life ends."
The Spirit Void Old Ghost's resolve crumbled completely.
The chain bit into his flesh with agonizing force.
Envisioning daily vigilance over this foreboding, ruined entrance, coupled with lethal risks...
He howled in despair, his face twisted in anguish. "Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty! This old man erred! This old man will mine!
Mining is splendid! It strengthens the form and aids in erecting your majestic palace—truly marvelous!"
Clarity had dawned on him now.
Negotiating with this sovereign of the Immortal Realm invited only hardship.
Mining might exhaust him, but it spared him wrestling with fragile sprouts or courting death from a lax watch.
White Sword eyed him briefly, then lifted his hand to release the chain.
No sooner had relief washed over the Spirit Void Old Ghost than White Sword yanked his collar anew, ripping through space once more to hurl him back to the original mine.
"Take this pickaxe. Mine ten baskets of Cloud Pattern Steel each day. Fall one short, and you'll guard the gate."
White Sword tossed him a pickaxe glowing with azure sheen. With that, his form dissolved from view.
The Spirit Void Old Ghost gripped the weighty tool, staring at the Cloud Pattern Steel deposit laced with golden veins before him, tears threatening but none forthcoming.
Nearby stood pre-positioned baskets, yet their scale dwarfed those from the Mortal Realm. A single one could occupy half an average home's yard.
Luckily, as an immortal, larger loads posed no issue for him.
"Merely ten baskets of Cloud Pattern Steel? Surely this is the Immortal Emperor's trial for this old man."
The Spirit Void Old Ghost mulled it over, finding solace in the notion.
After all, the circumstances were fixed; framing it positively eased his spirit somewhat.
The Immortal Emperor had declared that immortal arts held no sway over Cloud Pattern Steel.
Thus, he hefted the pick, infused it with immortal power, summoned his full vigor, and brought it crashing down.
Clang!
He anticipated a light strike would dislodge a hefty piece.
Unexpectedly, the pickaxe merely sparked off the Cloud Pattern Steel, leaving the ore entirely intact.
"Curse it all! So unyielding?!" The Spirit Void Old Ghost stood stunned.
Was this the caliber of an Immortal Realm mine? Even as an immortal, he couldn't fracture it?
Thankfully, though the stone resisted, the impact didn't rattle his arm painfully.
As an immortal, such frailty was behind him.
Yet, shattering this Cloud Pattern Steel plainly demanded real effort.
With no alternatives, the Spirit Void Old Ghost hiked up his sleeves and attacked with relentless force.
At once, a barrage of 'clang' echoes filled the mine.
...
In a hidden void overlooking the mine, unseen by the Spirit Void Old Ghost.
White Sword observed the elder laboring below, his eyes narrowing faintly.
"Immortals remain too scarce. At the Spirit Void Old Ghost's pace, daily yields of Cloud Pattern Steel will be meager.
We require additional miners. Immortal fields must be tilled, immortal beasts herded, and pavilions, terraces, towers, along with mighty Great Formations, all demand builders."
At present, the Cangyun Realm hurtled ever closer to Earth Star.
The merging of the realms loomed near.
Perhaps... he ought to deliver a nudge to Cangyun's inhabitants, spurring them toward immortality.
Though coerced advancement carried risks.
White Sword rubbed his chin, contemplating deeply, until images of the Moon Shadow Sect and that pawn, Chen Huaian, surfaced, igniting a scheme.
...