This Is Immortality

The fastest update to Seeking the Dao in the Mortal World!

Ye Ling led Qin Yi to Li Qingjun, an old man in white robes suddenly appeared in the room.

Although he looked old, his posture was as straight as a sword, and his gaze was sharp and piercing, as if a sword tip was pressed against your heart, making the hairs on your body stand on end.

His gaze was fixed on Ye Ling.

Ye Ling was so frightened that she turned and ran away.

Qin Yi was also covered in sweat. Could it be that this person intended to slay demons and monsters? He was doomed! Based on his extensive experience in Martial Cultivation, he could absolutely tell that the person before him was a pure Sword Cultivator, and a terrifying one at that—so terrifying that he couldn't even discern the level of the other's cultivation! Remember, the Xiao King was a powerful demon at the peak of the Core Formation stage, and he was instantly killed!

Instantly defeating a Core Formation cultivator—what does that even mean?!

"Senior..." He braced himself and stood in front of the old man, trying to shift his focus away from attacking Ye Ling.

"A Soaring Serpent that has been tempered..." the old man suddenly said, "Your pet?"

Ye Ling, who had already run several miles, was speechless.

Qin Yi: "..."

It feels like the truth has been revealed by accident...

The old man stopped looking at Ye Ling and instead focused his gaze on Qin Yi's flute. "You possess the talent for both music and painting... Are you Ju Yunxiu's disciple?"

Qin Yi twitched his cheek. "Junior brother. May I ask who you are, senior?"

The old man nodded, seemingly acknowledging the presence of the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace. Then he ignored Qin Yi's question.

It seems that now that the identity of the cultivator in front of them has been figured out, they've said all they need to say, and there's nothing more to add.

His gaze finally fell on Li Qingjun, and his eyes flickered. His expression, which had been completely flat and expressionless, finally showed a slight change.

"Your surname is Li?" he asked.

Li Qingjun nodded somewhat blankly.

The old man reached out and beckoned, and the Jade Pendant that Li Qingjun had been hiding on her person flew out on its own and landed in his hand.

Li Qingjun was startled. "Senior, you..."

The old man said, "This is the Jade Pendant I gave to Li Qinglin. Is he dead?"

Li Qingjun pursed her lips, not answering the question, but instead said, "Since it belongs to a senior... then take it back."

"Oh?" The old man looked Li Qingjun over again with great interest. "Do you know how rare this item is?"

"What's the use?" Li Qingjun shouted. "It's just an inanimate object, unable to save Southern Li or my brother. What was destined to happen has still happened. Not only that, but this time, with Southern Li in trouble, the Demon King is relentlessly pursuing them. I suspect that this Jade Pendant is the one that caused the trouble. What's the point of keeping it!"

The old man rarely showed a smile, and his voice became much kinder. "You possess the essence of a sword. Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Li Qingjun was stunned for a moment, unsure how to respond.

Deep down, she still wants to restore Southern Li... and that's achievable.

But... is it still necessary? What is the point of it all...?

For this shackle, I was separated from my beloved and betrayed my childhood dream of seeking immortality and venturing into the heavens. Now that the shackle is removed, do I have to put it back on myself?

But if I give up now, what have I been doing all this year?

Li Qingjun felt completely lost.

What is the purpose of this? What are they doing...?

Li Qingjun was lost in thought, so Qin Yi asked on her behalf, "May I ask your esteemed name, senior, and where you come from?"

The old man shook his head. "You child, you've probably been slacking off in your cultivation. As a cultivator, how can you not recognize my East Sea Penglai Sword?"

"Penglai Sword Pavilion!" Qin Yi almost agreed on Li Qingjun's behalf. He knew that Penglai Sword Pavilion was a major sect that was absolutely no less powerful than Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace. The two sects had even discussed a duel before, a kind of interaction that could only occur between sects of similar level. Of course, it was very likely that Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace and Penglai Sword Pavilion were not as powerful as Celestial Pivot Divine Palace, but that was not important. What mattered was that Qing Jun had found a path to Immortal Opportunity.

Even without Immortal Opportunity, Qin Yi had been planning to take Qing Jun to cultivate immortality. However, he didn't know if Li Qingjun was suited to the Ten Thousand Dao Immortal Palace's methods, nor did he know if Li Qingjun was willing to abandon Southern Li, so he couldn't make the decision for her directly. Now that Immortal Opportunity had been presented to him, and they even said that Li Qingjun possessed "sword bones," wouldn't it be foolish not to go?

Seeing that Li Qingjun was still lost in thought, he quickly reminded her, "Qing Jun, Penglai Sword Pavilion is a top-tier sword sect, very powerful."

The old man suddenly said, "Can't you let go of Southern Li?"

Li Qingjun glanced at him, unsure how to explain. It wasn't necessarily that she couldn't let go of Southern Li, but rather that she couldn't let go of all her hard work over the years, nor the future her brother had risked his life for. That feeling of everything becoming an illusion, of not knowing what she was doing, could leave one momentarily lost.

The old man then said, "Even I can let go, what can't you let go of?"

Qin Yi's heart skipped a beat, and Li Qingjun's eyes widened.

"My surname is Li, Cao Zi Duanxuan."

Li Qingjun suddenly stood up.

Qin Yi was also somewhat speechless, but he had been somewhat prepared and was not as shocked as Li Qingjun.

Li Duanxuan was none other than the ancestor of the Southern Li Kingdom.

But the way he looked at Li Qingjun was no different from how he looked at a stranger. His appreciation for her came from her "sword bone" and seemed to have nothing to do with bloodline.

"Southern Li is the kingdom I founded," Li Duanxuan said slowly. "You are my descendant from countless generations ago. If I don't need the continuation of Southern Li, then what are you continuing? What responsibility do you bear?"

Li Qingjun's vision went black. Instead of feeling joy at seeing her ancestor, she suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented.

Li Duanxuan continued, "Could it be that you say it's for the people? What's the difference between them being under someone else's rule and under yours? Dynasties are like water, but the people are always there, so what does it have to do with you?"

Li Qingjun coughed up a mouthful of blood. The exhaustion and depletion she had been suppressing surged up all at once. She could no longer hold on, as if she had lost all her support.

Qin Yi rushed forward to support her. Li Qingjun, panting, leaned against Qin Yi's chest and asked in a barely audible voice, "Is this what immortality is?"

Qin Yi pursed his lips, finding it difficult to explain. This was indeed the perspective of an immortal, transcending worldly constraints, like the vastness of heaven and earth, devoid of good or evil, impartial and unbiased.

However, as a human being, the emotions and ties we've invested cannot be erased with such cold indifference.

But we must admit... though it is cold, reason remains constant.

To see through and sever—that is the essence of immortality.

He didn't answer Li Qingjun, but instead asked Li Duanxuan, "Senior... since you bestowed the Startling Dragon Jade Pendant upon Brother Qing Lin, it doesn't seem like you're so heartless?"

Li Qingjun's eyes lit up as she looked at her ancestor with a hint of expectation.

Li Duanxuan said, "Twenty years ago, I suddenly felt that my destiny with my homeland was not yet fulfilled. So I traveled to Southern Li and met a little boy named Li Qinglin. I felt that he was very talented, but not suitable for cultivating immortality. However, he was extremely suitable for the Immortal Dao of the sword, so I wanted to take him to cultivate."

At this point, he chuckled and said, "An interesting little boy held up a stick and told me, 'There are no gods in the world, liar, get lost!' I found it very interesting, extremely interesting. His ancestors abandoned their thrones and their kingdoms to cultivate themselves, yet his descendants say there are no gods in the world. His ambition is to conquer the world."

Qin Yi and Li Qingjun looked at each other in silence.

"But I've already seen that Southern Li only has twenty years of good fortune left. His ambitions will ultimately be nothing but empty words." Li Duanxuan smiled. "I saw a demonic aura hidden within the dragon's energy, which seems to be related to demons, so I gave him Jade Pendant. Even if Nanli Kingdom is destroyed, he can save his life with this Jade Pendant. I will come again then and ask him if he wants to cultivate with me."

That's a very accurate calculation; that's why he was here, though he's long gone now...

"His death is no big deal. Asking you is the same; your talent seems to surpass even your brother's." Li Duanxuan then asked Li Qingjun, "My destiny wasn't over, and it turns out it was meant for you... Now that Southern Li is destroyed, what are your thoughts?"

Qin Yi couldn't help but ask, "But the cause of the kingdom's destruction was precisely this Jade Pendant. Could this be due to your presumptuous involvement in karma, senior?"

Li Duanxuan, however, remained unconcerned. "The Jade Pendant couldn't be the cause of the kingdom's destruction. This Jade Pendant has been in Southern Li for twenty years; why did nothing happen to it until now? This Non-Self presumptuously interfering in cause and effect, but rather that Southern Li's fate has run its course. I know that the Kun Peng Demon City is currently unifying the land. Even if this Xiao Beast hadn't emerged beforehand, it would have escaped during the demon war, and the defeated Xiao Kingdom's army would have destroyed Southern Li —this is an easily predictable outcome. The Xiao Beast's corpse is here; the cause and effect are clear and unambiguous. Anyone with even a basic understanding of divination can trace it back clearly. As for why it knew that Qing Jun possessed the Startling Dragon Jade Pendant, leading to this upheaval, the cause and effect are disordered; you'll have to ask yourselves that."