SWNOVELXO Chapter 380: The Immortal
Chapter 380: The Immortal
Huangpu Yan spoke to Xu Lian, “The fact that you can refine two ultra-high-grade healing pills from a single batch of ingredients has already been noticed by the various top-level factions. From now on, avoid going out unless absolutely necessary, lest you be captured by them.”
Xu Lian nodded and replied, “Understood.”
Every time he finished refining the Metamorphosis Elixir and went on vacation, he would disappear for a while. While this had become somewhat habitual, it was still risky – it inevitably aroused curiosity about his whereabouts.
Based on the average rate of one Metamorphosis Elixir being refined every 15 months across the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, only about 20 elixirs had been produced in the past 20-plus years. However, Xu Lian needed 64 elixirs to advance from Sage Rank 6 to Sage Rank 7. He was still 44 elixirs short. Even with the 8 elixirs he currently possessed, he was still lacking 36 more. At the current production rate, it would take another 456 years for the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands to produce enough elixirs for him.
“Since returning to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands isn’t feasible, I’ll just spend my vacation at the Grand Master’s residence,” Xu Lian decided.
He began planning his schedule for the next few months. Half of his time would naturally be spent accompanying Ning Meixue and Huangpu Shuyi, touring scenic and historical sites within the imperial city, all while staying safely within the protective barrier.
Of the remaining half, he allocated some time to reciprocate the goodwill shown by the Minister of Works, who had gifted him three tokens of sincerity, as well as to honor the deep bond he shared with his eldest senior brother. The rest of his time would be devoted to cultivating relationships with other nobles and ministers. His days were meticulously planned, filled with simple yet meaningful interactions.
After several months, his vacation ended, and Xu Lian returned with Ning Meixue and Huangpu Shuyi to the super-large exclusive cultivation resource zone to continue refining Metamorphosis Elixirs for the Qian Dynasty.
Decades passed in this monotonous cycle – refining two elixirs over the course of 30+ years, taking a few months off, and then resuming the process. This was the life of an alchemist: tedious and repetitive.
Another 20-plus years flew by, and Xu Lian successfully refined two more Metamorphosis Elixirs. This time, Huangpu Yan granted him a three-month leave of absence.
However, Xu Lian had no intention of spending his vacation at the Grand Master’s residence. After calculating the timeline, he realized that the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands had finally produced enough Metamorphosis Elixirs for him to ascend to Sage Rank 7.
“Eighty-some years… do you know how I’ve spent these eighty years? That’s right, I’ve lived quite comfortably.”
Xu Lian informed Ning Meixue and Huangpu Shuyi that he would be entering seclusion for a while, then quietly departed from the Grand Master’s residence in the imperial city.
Crossing Space
Xu Lian restored his original handsome appearance and returned to the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land .
Atop the 33rd Stage, he cheerfully greeted, “O, I’m back!”
But as soon as he saw the scene before him, his smile froze.
Time Supreme was still meditating amidst the chaotic mist. However, four additional figures now stood beside her: a child-like O, a middle-aged O, an elderly O, and a skeletal frame. They were none other than the four long-lost “Phantom Bodies” that had reappeared.
Xu Lian could clearly sense that as the Time Supreme grew stronger, so too had these four Phantom Bodies. They had become even more terrifying.
“I smell something exquisite… a divine scent,” the child-like phantom said, staring hungrily at Xu Lian as if he were prey.
The other three ghosts also stared at him greedily.
A shiver ran down Xu Lian’s spine. Ordinary Supremes couldn’t detect his divine body, yet these Phantoms could perceive it effortlessly. This realization sent a shiver down his spine.
Time Supreme opened her beautiful eyes and locked her gaze with Xu Lian for a brief moment. Immediately, a pure white radiance enveloped the four phantoms.
The childlike phantom let out a sinister laugh. “Do not waste your strength. You’ve grown stronger, but so have we. You can’t vanquish us.”
The other three Phantoms fought fiercely against the glowing light that contained the essence of the Law of Time. Despite its brilliance, the glow began to fade rapidly, a testament to how powerful the Phantoms had become.
Xu Lian understood the meaning behind the Time Supreme’s glance. Silently, he invoked, “In the name of the Divine Kingdom’s Divine Son, I grant Time Supreme a rank advancement.”
Instantly, Time Supreme’s cultivation surged to the next level. A blinding wave of pure white radiation erupted, overwhelming the four phantoms. Their agonized screams echoed as they were swiftly erased from existence.
The crisis was averted, but Xu Lian couldn’t help but feel a lingering uneasiness. The reappearance of the Phantom Bodies – and their newfound strength – was a stark reminder of the dangers lurking in the shadows. Yet with each challenge overcome, he grew stronger, inching closer to ultimate goal: immortality.
“Damn it, why did our main body suddenly break through in cultivation? We’ve just reappeared, and now we have to disappear again for a while.”
“Don’t worry. We share the same origin as her. As long as she survives, we won’t disappear completely. We’ll return eventually.”
Soon, under the influence of the Law of Time, the four ghosts began to decay and wither… until they turned into nothing but dust.
Although the four phantoms had been temporarily erased, Xu Lian frowned deeply, his concern evident. “O, this is not a permanent solution. As your strength grows, so will those four eerie transformations. Sooner or later, they will reach a point where they can’t be controlled. Is there any way to completely solve the problem of these weird transformations?”
Time Supreme replied, “Isn’t there your Divine Kingdom’s law for ascending and descending cultivation ranks? If you grant me one more rank advancement, my power will surpass theirs, and I’ll be able to suppress them.”
Xu Lian shook his head. “What if one day I’m not by your side and you lose control over them? Who knows what they might do? It would be better to find a permanent solution to these eerie transformations.”
Time Supreme responded, “The only way to permanently resolve the eerie transformations is to locate their source and destroy it-the very origin of the transformations.”
Xu Lian asked, “Where is the source of the weird transformations?”
Time Supreme shook her head. “I don’t know. If anyone knew, the top tier factions would have acted by now. They wouldn’t allow themselves to be tormented by these transformations.”
Xu Lian thought about it and realized that she was right. But in his mind, another question arose. The eerie transformations affecting the Ancient Supreme of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and other Supremes were internal manifestations within their own bodies. In contrast, the eerie transformations affecting the Time Supreme didn’t directly alter her; instead, they manifested as four external phantom entities. This difference was puzzling.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Is the source of the eerie transformations the same for all Supremes, or are there multiple sources?”
Time Supreme answered, “Based on my intuition, there must be multiple sources. They’re not all the same.”
Xu Lian began to think. “If there are multiple sources, then there must be some kind of selection process when these sources infect the Supremes. Otherwise, wouldn’t the different sources end up clashing with each other?
“If the infection is based on geographical regions, that doesn’t seem to fit. The Ancient Supreme of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and you are in the same region, yet your eerie transformations manifest differently.
“If the infection is based on factions, that doesn’t make sense either. The Ancient Supreme of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands and you belong to the same faction, yet your eerie transformations are still different”.
Time Supreme suggested, “What if the source of the eerie transformations considers me to be part of the divine race?”
Xu Lian nodded. “That is possible.”
Time Supreme stepped out of the chaotic mist and waved her hand, conjuring up a vast scene spanning billions of miles.
Xu Lian leaned in close, studying the expansive image alongside her, searching for potential hiding spots of the eerie transformation sources.
“Here, here, and here,” Xu Lian pointed to three dangerous locations surrounding the divine race’s ancestral grounds – two on the ground and one in the sky.
Time Supreme furrowed her brow. “You think the source of the eerie transformations might be hiding in these dangerous zones?”
Xu Lian explained, “It is a possibility. The Supremes of the top tier factions have been tormented by these eerie transformations for ages, yet no one has ever found their source. From this, we can deduce that the source must be in an extremely hidden place. Perilous zones are the perfect choice because even Supremes hesitate to enter them recklessly”.
Time Supreme countered, “If the source of the eerie transformations is hiding in these perilous zones, what about the entities that reside within those zones? Don’t they have a say?”
“…” Xu Lian paused before replying, “Perhaps the source of the eerie transformations has made some sort of agreement with the entities that reside in those dangerous zones?”
Time Supreme glanced at him. “You are treating both the source of the eerie transformations and the entities in the dangerous zones as sentient beings – highly intelligent beings capable of making agreements.”
Xu Lian shrugged. “We can’t rule out the possibility that they are sentient beings. After all, no one has ever seen the source of the eerie transformations or the beings in the Dangerous Zones with their own eyes. They could take any form.”
Time Supreme continued, “Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that both the source of the eerie transformations and the entities in the perilous zones are sentient beings. It’s plausible that one source could make a deal with an entity in a danger zone to allow the source to hide there. But surely all the sources in the world could not have made agreements with all the beings in every danger zone, right?”
Xu Lian fell silent, deep in thought. “This is indeed confusing.”
The two of them debated like scholars, exchanging ideas and refining their understanding through discussion. In the cultivation world, such debates were common. Sitting together and discussing profound issues could enhance one’s insight-a principle well understood by cultivators.
Although their debate wasn’t about grand cosmic truths, it centered on two of the world’s greatest mysteries: the origin of eerie transformations and the nature of perilous zones.
Beyond these two mysteries lay a third: the hidden foundations of the supreme factions.
But above all these mysteries loomed the greatest enigma of all-the ultimate goal of the path to immortality and the existence tied to it: the Immortals.
However, the concept of immortality-and the beings known as “Immortals”-was far too distant and ethereal for someone at Xu Lian and Time Supreme’s current level to comprehend.