The Immortal Descends [Third Update, Seeking Votes!]

Mountain rain pattered down, soaking the small Daoist temple.

Li Ping'an took off his Daoist robe, wearing only a loose inner garment. He moved a bamboo stool to sit before the eaves, gazing into the distance through the curtain of rain. Before long, he closed his eyes and emptied his mind.

The spiritual energy, washed clean by the rain, carried a few extra notes of cool clarity.

This was already the fourth day since Elder Yan Sheng had left, and Li Ping'an still couldn't determine whether returning to the Myriad Cloud Sect now would be safe.

Yesterday, Steward Wei Yanzi had received a Message Transmission Jade Talisman—someone from the sect was inquiring whether Wei Yanzi was safe at present.

Clearly, the situation on the East Sea front remained extremely tense. Some of the sect's immortals seemed to have temporarily lost contact with the sect.

'Has nothing much to do with me now, either.'

Li Ping'an, a Light Condensation Realm minor cultivator, thought to himself.

He had never been one to enjoy stirring up trouble. Moreover, in his view, external things like magical treasures and spiritual medicines were far less important than one's own comprehension of the Great Dao.

Even if he were now an Origin Immortal or True Immortal, unless the sect directly ordered it, he most likely wouldn't go join in the excitement either.

"Ping'an! Quick, try the wild game This Humble Daoist just caught!"

Chen Gongmin held up a roasted rabbit as he crossed the misty, rain-drenched forest and charged into the Daoist temple, shouting all the while.

Li Ping'an smiled at the sight.

Daoist Priest Chen had always enjoyed making some spiritually infused wild game to go with his wine—that habit of his had never changed.

Li Ping'an brought over a small table and took out two pots of good wine he'd swiped from his old man. Daoist Priest Chen Gongmin ran to the back of the temple to grab a handful of wild greens and dug up some of the sweet sauce Li Ping'an had "invented" back in the day.

Chen Gongmin wondered, "Where did Steward Wei Yanzi go?"

"Said he went to cultivate on the back mountain," Li Ping'an shrugged. "His aura's less than ten li from here. Who knows what he's tinkering with."

"When the steward gets back, This Humble Daoist will catch him another one. Let's eat first while it's hot."

Chen Gongmin tore off a rabbit leg and stuffed it into Li Ping'an's hands.

Li Ping'an hadn't eaten directly in over a year, but seeing this glossy, oil-slicked roasted rabbit leg stirred his appetite. He lowered his head, took a bite, and chewed slowly. His taste buds awakened once more, and a sense of satisfaction settled in his heart.

The Dao of desire lies not in form, but in the heart.

He stored away a few insights, chewed the rabbit meat carefully, and let out a soft sigh.

"Troubled?"

Chen Gongmin leaned back in his bamboo chair, took a sip from the mouth of his wine pot, and wore an expression of pure bliss:

"Good wine! This is real immortal brew! Different—the wine immortals make is just different from what we brew!"

Li Ping'an smiled. "The only difference is whether you get a headache or get dizzy when you drink too much."

"I heard you sigh just now... Did something upset you within the mountain gate?"

Chen Gongmin's clean-shaven face carried a hint of a smile, and his eyes were full of concern.

"These past few days, This Humble Daoist has heard many things about you and your father from Steward Wei Yanzi. I never imagined your father had such formidable luck and talent.

"This Humble Daoist, stationed here in Wan'an City, truly misjudged him.

"No need to worry about this matter. The sect has strict orders not to spread it, and This Humble Daoist will naturally keep the secret."

"It's just that you never had much contact with my father in the first place."

Li Ping'an poured himself a cup of wine, watching the liquid tremble slightly, and said quietly:

"I'm having some trouble finding a True Immortal Master to take me on now. But what a master could give me, my father can give me too, so it's not really a bad thing.

"It's just that without a master guiding my cultivation, I'm not sure if I'll go down the wrong path in the future."

"Your troubles would make others green with envy."

Chen Gongmin laughed:

"The current Sect Master is a disciple of Ancestor Kongming's disciple's generation. The sect values both nominal and actual seniority.

"Nominal seniority means one seniority per realm—once you reach the Heavenly Immortal Realm, you can address other Heavenly Immortals as fellow Daoists. Actual seniority is the real generational rank, passed down through master-disciple relationships.

"When immortals take on disciples, they still look at actual seniority. It really is hard for you to find a master.

"But your cultivation speed truly astonishes This Humble Daoist. How did you manage it? To reach the Light Condensation Realm in just three short years."

Li Ping'an shrugged. "It must be one part luck, three parts opportunity, and six parts hard work and sweat."

Chen Gongmin's gaze was full of suspicion.

Li Ping'an had to add: "And ninety parts of my father's full support."

"Hahahaha!"

Chen Gongmin threw his head back and laughed. Li Ping'an shook his head and went back to gnawing on the rabbit leg.

A short while later, Li Ping'an added slowly: "My father should be ascending to immortality now."

Chen Gongmin's laughter stopped immediately. He looked at Li Ping'an with a complicated expression, then lowered his head to gnaw on the rabbit leg.

After a few mouthfuls of immortal brew, Daoist Priest Chen couldn't help but start grumbling.

"The gap in talent between Qi cultivators and Qi cultivators is just too huge!"

"Those with good innate talent are born in harmony with the Dao; breaking through in cultivation is as easy as drinking cold water. What about us, with our mediocre aptitudes, barely able to cultivate as Qi refiners?

"Within the sect, we're overlooked, our cultivation speed slow and stagnant. If we want cultivation resources, we have to fight and scramble for them ourselves.

"With this body tangled in karma, how can the heart remain as still as an ancient well forever?

"Ah!

"The Great Sect Master on Golden Ao Island of the East Sea says that cultivating the Dao is the fairest thing for all beings, but in this humble priest's view, where is there any fairness among living creatures?"

Li Ping'an smiled. "Being able to cultivate—isn't that already surpassing ninety percent of all living beings?"

"True," Chen Gongmin laughed. "Hearing you say that, this humble priest's Dao heart feels much more at ease."

Li Ping'an held his wine flask, took a sip, and turned sideways to gaze at the drizzling curtain of rain.

He murmured, "The individual differences in this world are too vast. The word 'fairness' is nothing but a fool's dream."

"Individual differences?"

Chen Gongmin chuckled.

"That phrasing is novel, but indeed, that's how it is."

"None of this has much to do with you or me."

Li Ping'an smiled.

"We're just minor cultivators. Let's first strive to become immortals and seek the Dao before worrying about anything else. Even an Origin Immortal can barely stand firm in this world. Taking care of ourselves is enough."

Chen Gongmin nodded with a smile and asked, "Ping'an, when do you plan to leave?"

"In the next couple of days."

Li Ping'an said.

"If the fighting is still going on over in the East Sea, I'll try to detour west. Let Steward Wei Yanzi take me; I can return to the sect in a day."

"Want me to write you a reply?"

Daoist Priest Chen laughed.

"Just write: 'This humble priest has received the sect's letter. This disciple is exceptionally outstanding and may enter the Outer Sect for training.' Haha! The Outer Sect Elder will probably fly over to beat me up!"

Unexpectedly, Li Ping'an said with a straight face, "You really should give me a letter. Just write what you said—'This disciple is exceptionally outstanding'—but leave me out of it."

Daoist Priest Chen was taken aback. "That was just a joke."

Li Ping'an said seriously, "We need to handle everything thoroughly, so no one can find fault."

Daoist Priest Chen looked puzzled. "Your father has already taken a master among the sect's grandmasters. Why be so cautious?"

"It's always good to be meticulous."

Li Ping'an said softly.

"My father is only about to ascend now, not yet a Heavenly Immortal. All the blessings we father and son enjoy in the sect come from the Grandmaster's favor. This is ultimately water without a root—it won't last.

"In other words, my father gained his position through his master. If he loses that position one day, there will surely be those who harbor grudges and come to settle scores with us.

"Therefore, if we leave no handle for others to grasp, we can reduce future worries.

"If my father rises straight up one day, breaking through to True Immortal and reaching Heavenly Immortal, then we father and son can stand firm in the sect.

"I've always wanted to find a Heavenly Immortal or True Immortal in the sect to take me as a disciple, and that's partly for this reason."

Chen Gongmin thought for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Your thinking is correct. Your roots are too shallow, you two. If any word displeases the Grandmaster, your situation will instantly reverse... Come back and eat! This humble priest will go write you a reply right now!"

"Thank you, Daoist Priest."

"Oh my, we're fellow sect members now. If you call me 'senior brother' in the future, it'll puff up this humble priest's face to bursting!"

Chen Gongmin flicked his sleeve and hurried into the house.

Li Ping'an sat back down in the bamboo chair, tore off a piece of rabbit meat, took a sip of immortal wine, and stared blankly at the rain curtain.

Before long, Daoist Priest Chen tossed a Message Transmission Jade Talisman to Li Ping'an.

Li Ping'an was about to thank him when his Dao heart suddenly stirred with a faint tremor.

It was the kind of tremor that came with the sudden arrival of danger.

Hum, hum, hum!

Li Ping'an immediately reached into his robe and pulled down the Storage Pouch that held the Myriad Cloud Return Sect Token, tucked inside his inner armor.

The pouch was shaking violently, golden streaks flashing across its surface—these were the restrictive seals inscribed on the artifact.

Those restrictive seals seemed to be rapidly melting away!

Li Ping'an directly tossed the pouch into the air. Several protective light barriers lit up around him, and he shielded Chen Gongmin behind him as he swiftly retreated.

Crack!

The pouch artifact shattered outright. The blade-shaped jade talisman hovered in midair, its emitted light shooting straight into the heavens!

Spiritual energy suddenly converged, forming a vortex around the pillar of light, with streaks of lightning crisscrossing and flashing.

Li Ping'an and Chen Gongmin had already retreated out of the Daoist temple.

Just then!

A cyan lightning bolt struck down from the center of the vortex, linking to the Myriad Cloud Return Sect Token suspended midair, and a slender figure plummeted straight down from behind the lightning!

The various phenomena scattered rapidly.

Li Ping'an and Chen Gongmin exchanged glances. Chen Gongmin immediately moved to charge forward and rescue her, but Li Ping'an reached out and pulled him back.

"Ping'an! That's a Myriad Cloud Sect immortal! She's also holding a Return Sect Token!"

"Don't go over. The immortal power inside her could spiral out of control at any moment... Steward Wei Yanzi! Stop reading!"

Li Ping'an turned his head and shouted:

"Come help!"

"Coming, coming! What's going on here!"

Wei Yanzi's figure flew over swiftly from the back mountain, hurriedly putting away the picture book in his hand, his flushed face quickly returning to its normal color.

A moment later.

Inside Daoist Priest Chen's temple.

Li Ping'an stood by the bed with a furrowed brow, various bottles and jars placed at hand.

Wei Yanzi and Chen Gongmin were one setting up a formation outside, the other watching with concern from behind.

A woman lay on the bed.

Her face appeared relatively young, and her cultivation realm seemed to be that of a True Immortal, or perhaps even higher... For Li Ping'an at this moment, it was indeed too high to judge precisely.

Maybe half-step Heavenly Immortal?

The female immortal's face was deathly pale. Her hair, originally styled into a Spirit Snake Bun, had scattered loose, and several terrifying wounds marked her slender frame.

Fortunately, Li Ping'an had brought quite a few Immortal Pills with him. Some of these pills could even be used for healing Heavenly Immortals, and he had already fed them to the female immortal.

For a Light Condensation Realm spiritual sense to probe a True Immortal's immortal body would be nothing short of asking for trouble.

Li Ping'an didn't attempt it lightly. After feeding her the pills, he simply observed her expression and sensed the changes in her aura.

The female immortal's brow twitched slightly, and her cracked lips parted a little.

Li Ping'an quickly said: "I am Li Ping'an, a disciple of the Myriad Cloud Sect, on good terms with Qing Xu's disciple Mu Ningning. Please rest and recuperate, Senior. You used the Myriad Cloud Return Sect Token and were teleported to the token in my hand."

The female immortal's furrowed brow gradually relaxed, likely upon hearing familiar names.

Chen Gongmin asked: "Ping'an? You know her?"

Li Ping'an said: "This should be a True Immortal from Colorful Cloud Peak, with the Daoist name Qing Su."

In truth, Li Ping'an had only heard Junior Sister Mu mention that her Martial Uncle Qing Su was a Daoist Obsessive, cultivating the Pure Heart Dao, with a lotus flower forehead mark. She was called the number one immortal of Colorful Cloud Peak in a thousand years, having cultivated for over three hundred years with hope of breaking through to the Heavenly Immortal realm.

This female immortal held the Myriad Cloud Return Sect Token, so she must be someone valued by the sect. Her cultivation level matched, and her Dao resonance had no impurities, which also fit the characteristics of the Pure Heart Dao...

His guess should be about right.

Wei Yanzi finished setting up the formation and hurried over: "Ping'an! I've checked everything! No anomalies for several hundred miles around! How is she?"

Li Ping'an said: "Steward, come look at this immortal's injuries."

"Let me try!"

Wei Yanzi approached and pointed a finger from a distance at the female immortal, then sucked in a sharp breath.

"Her Nascent Soul is nearly shattered, her immortal body has dozens of wounds—these injuries are lethal...

"But she must have used some secret technique or a rare treasure. There's a peculiar immortal power in her Nascent Soul that's barely holding it together at the edge of collapse.

"The immortal body's wounds can be healed with pills. The main problem now is her Nascent Soul. If her will isn't strong enough, things could easily go wrong."

Chen Gongmin asked: "I'll report this to the sect!"

"Daoist Priest, you must not."

Li Ping'an frowned slightly:

"This matter is a bit suspicious. The Myriad Cloud Return Sect Token should send the user back to the sect. How come it found me instead?"

Wei Yanzi said: "Now that you mention it, that's true. Unless the path back to the sect was blocked by someone's spell."

"There... is... a... formation... blocking..."

The female immortal opened her mouth slightly, speaking in an extremely faint voice:

"Don't... mind me... leave... and... that's... enough..."

The three exchanged glances.

Chen Gongmin said in a low voice: "If we see a fellow disciple in danger and do not help, how can our Dao hearts be at peace?"

Wei Yanzi's eyes lit up: "If we can protect her back to the sect, that would naturally be a great merit."

Li Ping'an had already taken out the map he'd acquired in the sect, spreading it out to study carefully, trying to figure out a few emergency escape routes.