Immortal Master

Tu Shan Jun stood blankly in the open space at the edge of the village.

He had only just transmigrated, and before his body's original injuries could even heal, he had been herded toward the village entrance like a duck.

The scorching sun of the dog days was hot enough to melt gold and sear stone.

Having stood there for only a short while, he felt his body growing too weak to hold him up.

As he swayed, cold sweat poured off him like rain.

Ultimately, it was the injuries of the original body that were dragging Tu Shan Jun down.

Touching the wound on his head, Tu Shan Jun couldn't help but let out a sigh.

The person who had been riding the horse had fled; with no one to hold accountable, he could only rely on his meager savings to scrape by.

Having grown up on the charity of a hundred families, he had no savings, and now that he couldn't work as a long-term laborer, he had to rely on the relief of his neighbors to survive.

The village chief had said there was a very important matter to announce today, and even the wounded had to attend.

Tu Shan Jun had come to the village entrance lured by the promise of a bowl of thick porridge and half a steamed white flour bun.

Besides, what kind of major event could happen in this ancient place? He was just there to make up the numbers.

Sacrifices, conscription, taxes... those were all still far off.

For now, he needed to think about how he would live his life.

As the saying goes, a growing boy can eat his father into poverty.

If he relied solely on the charity of his neighbors, it wouldn't be long before he wore out his welcome and turned their kindness into resentment.

They were all simple farmers scratching a living from the soil; none of them had much surplus grain.

Tu Shan Jun cast his gaze around.

Every household in the village had come; not a single person was absent. He had to admit that the old village chief still commanded quite a bit of prestige.

Of course, that steamed white flour bun, the size of a child's fist, had played a major role.

"Ahem, I've asked every family to come to the village entrance today because there is a heaven-shaking matter to announce," the village chief cleared his throat, finally broaching the subject.

The village loafer, hands tucked into his sleeves, wore a curious expression; he wondered what could possibly be important enough to warrant a white flour bun for every family.

"Old Village Chief, don't keep us guessing. Since we're all here, why don't you let everyone hear what this big deal is?"

"That's right, that's right."

The villagers had little worldly experience, and gathered together, they were a noisy, milling crowd.

It was quite lively, at least.

The matrons gathered to gossip about household matters, while the farmers greeted one another.

Even the loafer, who usually spent his days lying around, had become active.

It was hard enough to find a reason to gather; if he could use this opportunity to find a wife, that would be just perfect.

"An Immortal Master has come to our village to stay, and it was the Immortal Master himself who asked me to summon every family," the old village chief finally revealed the secret, his gaze shifting to the shade of the locust tree not far behind him.

Guided by the village chief's gaze, the villagers only then noticed a dark shadow within the shade of the tree.

It was as if they had deliberately ignored the person before; they hadn't noticed anyone there at all.

Tu Shan Jun's expression turned to one of surprise, his wandering gaze sharpening.

His weak body straightened instinctively.

An Immortal Master?!

This meant that this world might be a world of cultivation, a place possessing extraordinary power.

He had very likely transmigrated into a world with cultivators.

Cultivation, immortality, the Great Dao.

Following his initial bewilderment and confusion came surprise, joy, and a tremor hidden deep within his heart.

Tu Shan Jun's already frail body trembled slightly.

Under the scorching sun, cold sweat broke out along his spine, dampening his tunic.

He wasn't sure if it was real, if this was truly a world of cultivators.

Deep down, he was actually afraid.

One only had to think of the law of the jungle to understand that cultivation was essentially "eating people"!

Could he, someone who hadn't been a top-tier figure in his past life, really walk this path that seemed smooth but was actually filled with thorns?

"Can I really do it?"

In a new world, starting his life over, could he really become one of the elite?

"I can!"

Tu Shan Jun steeled himself, as if afraid that if he didn't use these words to anchor himself, he would succumb to the urge to retreat.

He had never desired anything so much; it was like a starving beast craving food, pure and driven by biological instinct.

When one's life is not in one's own hands, fear takes root.

Fear is the most primal human emotion, yet it can also drive a person to become powerful.

No matter the nature of society, becoming stronger is never a mistake.

System panel not activated.

Tu Shan Jun stared in astonishment at the light-blue interface that had manifested before him, bound by heavy chains.

It looked exactly like those panels found in games, yet it displayed as "not activated."

"A cheat!"

Tu Shan Jun was overjoyed; as expected, ninety-nine percent of transmigrations came with a cheat.

With a cheat now in his possession, the desperation in Tu Shan Jun's eyes faded slightly, and his expression grew more composed.

He did not rashly attempt to make contact with that Immortal Master, who looked like someone not to be trifled with.

Judging by the man's appearance, he did not look like a good person.

The Immortal Master who stepped out from the shadows was about five-foot-eight, his face the color of gold paper, his cheeks deeply sunken.

His fierce eyes were dim.

He was injured.

Severely injured!

His black robes were tattered and stained with blood that had yet to dry.

The man's inverted triangular eyes narrowed slightly, and he bared his teeth in a grin.

Tu Shan Jun shivered, his wandering gaze sharpening, revealing a glimmer of light and vigilance.

He felt that something was wrong; the way the Immortal Master looked at them was like looking at livestock or prey.

As the man's gaze swept over him, Tu Shan Jun's left eyelid twitched incessantly, which only deepened the panic in his heart.

What kind of Immortal Master looked like this?

Shouldn't they possess a transcendent air, with crane-like features and a youthful face? Even if not, they should at least be refined and elegant.

If the person before him was truly an Immortal Master, he was certainly not a practitioner of the righteous path.

There was no difference between a Rogue Cultivator and a Demon Cultivator; both were thugs.

"Sanqing bless me, Bodhisattva bless me, keep me safe and sound."

Tu Shan Jun forced down the fear in his heart, taking several deep breaths to calm himself, telling himself not to be frightened by his own imagination.

He had already developed the intention to retreat.

Since he had a cheat, he didn't need to risk contact with a cultivator, and even if he did, he should seek out an Immortal Master of the righteous path; the one before him was clearly not a good match.

Tu Shan Jun's expression was grave as he quietly retreated behind the crowd.

He kept his head low, using his peripheral vision to size up the black-robed Immortal Master.

If something were to happen, he would have a buffer, buying himself some time.

Of course, the priority was to figure out the intentions of this Immortal Master who didn't look like a good man.

"It's actually an Immortal Master; I never expected an Immortal Master to come to our village."

"The legendary Immortal Master..."

"This must be a major event; if we could obtain an immortal destiny..."

The villagers were suddenly both shocked and delighted, wearing expressions of disbelief.

After all, they had only heard rumors and had never truly seen an Immortal Master.

The boys from the village who traveled to the city would brag about having seen Immortal Masters, but everyone just listened for amusement, dismissing it as nonsense.

If he really was an Immortal Master, perhaps they could ask him to help clear out the Chaos Burial Mound.

Because of its long history, the Chaos Burial Mound had birthed filthy things.

"Thank you for your hard work."

The Immortal Master with the inverted triangular eyes patted the old village chief on the shoulder, turning to face the villagers with a cruel smile: "And thank you all as well."

"I have come to bestow a great fortune upon you all."

Tu Shan Jun clearly saw the old village chief standing frozen in place, as if struck by a binding spell.

His gaze was vacant, his thin frame like a withered tree.

"It's a trap!"

Tu Shan Jun's expression changed drastically; without a moment's hesitation, he turned and ran.

Thud. He collided with something, the impact leaving him dizzy and seeing stars.

Even though there was nothing in front of him, Tu Shan Jun felt as if he had slammed into a wall of solid bronze.

"Formation."

"Rise!"

The Demon Cultivator with inverted triangular eyes cast a sidelong glance.

With a flick of his sleeve, a small banner with a black face and red edges flew out from his cuff.

It grew in the wind, transforming into a banner a zhang in length and width that stood above everyone's heads, while the transparent walls on all four sides were gradually stained gray by black smoke.

The Demon Cultivator swung the long sword in his hand; blood was drawn the moment it left the sheath.

The old village chief's head detached from his hunched body, his fine head tossed into the air and rolling away as blood sprayed a zhang high, the fishy, sweet scent filling the formation.

"Ah!"

Terrified screams jolted the stunned villagers back to their senses.

"Murder!"

"The village chief has been killed!"

The villagers were struck with panic, causing a chaotic commotion as they shoved and moved about like scurrying poultry or headless flies.

They crashed into one another, crowding and piling up.

Unfortunately, there was no escape.

Tu Shan Jun had already scouted the path for them; the transparent walls had sealed off every exit.

The black Soul Banner above their heads spun rapidly, and the gray shadows surging from the corpses were suddenly swallowed into it.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

The sword-wielding Demon Cultivator killed the villagers within the formation as if he were slaughtering chickens.

In a short while, blood became a trickling stream, and corpses were piled into a small hill.

Nearly two hundred villagers had not even lasted the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

The Demon Cultivator's face grew increasingly ferocious, and the blood splattered across his features only revealed a morbid madness.

Tu Shan Jun leaned against the transparent wall in terror, his chestnut pupils involuntarily constricting.

Curling his body, his brain raced frantically, trying to find a way to defeat that Demon Cultivator.

System, is there a newbie gift pack?

Something that can quickly boost my strength.

What about a starting draw?

Any pills that can help me survive this crisis?

Damn you, System, I'm going to die!

...

Countless calls failed to activate the pale blue panel.

While Tu Shan Jun stared with wide eyes, searching for a solution, the Demon Cultivator had already finished off all the villagers and walked up to him.

A shadow loomed over him, and the man looked down, revealing a face twisted with madness.

Hideous and terrifying.

"It's your turn."

"You are a bit special, after all."

"Perfect, my Soul Banner is still missing a Main Soul."

"You're so clever; I hope you can hold out." The Demon Cultivator smiled cruelly and raised his long sword.