Lonely Immortal of the Mortal World

## Chapter 42: Lonely Immortal of the Mortal World

Tonight, Jiangting was destined to be a restless night.

First, an Immortal burned the river to refine the Poison God's Golden Toad, then a sword severed the river and split the mountain to slay the Mountain God.

Immediately after, the Prince Jian's Estate's Gu God emerged, turning half of the estate and the Yuande Square into a massive, ruined pit. The earth shook, and the tremors were felt throughout Jiangting.

By the river, the Golden Pearl Tower was closed for the day, but its top floor was brightly lit and resplendent.

A solitary figure danced gracefully on the Golden Pearl Tower, witnessing every scene on the river and in the Yuande Square with perfect clarity.

"A sword that severs mountains and rivers, flames that blaze across the sky!"

"What a magnificent sight, an Immortal arriving with a sword, eradicating demons from heaven and earth!"

The Five Gods Cult's Cult Leader, clad in a luxurious opera robe and with vibrant, elegant makeup, looked on at the grand spectacle with uncontrollable joy. Compared to before, it was now faintly discernible that this person was a woman.

It was as if the inferno consuming her Five Gods Cult was an unrelated matter.

"True Lord Xuanzhu Huode, now that this matter is concluded, I must depart for the capital." She drew out the last word, twirling in the air for a few moments.

At this, the Golden Toad, which had been perched atop the Golden Pearl Tower for years, motionless like a decorative statue, began to move.

A cascade of golden powder fell from the eaves, leaving everyone in the Golden Pearl Tower below bewildered.

The Golden Toad leaped up as if climbing silk threads into the clouds.

However, countless silken threads descended from the sky, connecting to the top floor of the Golden Pearl Tower.

The entire top floor was lifted and drifted away, landing precisely on a large ship docked by the river. It seamlessly integrated, as if it had always been part of the vessel.

Everything had been prepared long ago. True Lord Xuanzhu Huode had ascended to this level through the power accumulated by the Five Gods Cult over a hundred years, and the Cult Leader, by merging with it, had gained the power of eternal life.

Individuals, like marionettes, emerged under the direction of a pair of twins.

The great ship set sail, hoisting its sails and heading upstream along the river towards the capital.

The Five Gods Cult's Cult Leader did not cease her dance. Within the resplendent, brightly lit pavilion, she continued to dance gracefully, as if tireless.

Perhaps only in this way did she feel alive.

But this moment was different from the past. The melodious opera singing conveyed an endless sense of desolation.

"I too was once young and innocent, but the world rarely grants perfection."

"The suffering of birth, aging, sickness, and death are the lives of ants; resentment, hatred, separation, and calamity entangle us."

"Spring passes, autumn arrives, beauty fades; half a life of wandering hastens white hair."

"You~"

"Lonely Immortal of the Mortal World, Heartless, Free, Carefree Immortal!"

"How can you understand~"

"Life is full of suffering and little joy; I resent the endless flow like the river."

The ship and the opera lyrics drifted away along the river, disappearing into the darkness.

As dawn broke, the entire Jiangting Commandery buzzed with news of the previous night's events. Even those unaware of the details had been alerted by the immense commotion.

"The gods of the Five Gods Cult were actually monsters! You don't know, but yesterday, Immortals rescued over a hundred people from Prince Jian's Estate. Those people... it's truly wicked!" A middle-aged woman buying vegetables chatted animatedly with a familiar face.

"I know for a fact, they say those monsters ate so many people every year. Just think how many people these monsters must have eaten over the years?" The old man buying vegetables was already well-informed.

"To think so many monsters lived right beneath our feet. It sends shivers down my spine." A crowd quickly gathered on the street.

"Little Liu from next door went missing before and was never found. He must have been harmed by those monsters." People began to speculate if the missing individuals in the city had all been devoured by these creatures.

"How could this Prince do such a thing! It's simply..." The person dared not finish their sentence, but the implication was clear.

Heroine Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, went out for breakfast at Tianxiang Tower. The events of the previous night had excited her so much that she hadn't slept a wink, only rising when the sun was high in the sky.

Upon entering, she saw that the owner of Tianxiang Tower had already arranged for someone to tell stories about the Sword Immortal of Gongzhou.

Tang Yao took her seat and noticed that the storyteller wasn't just recounting the night's events in Jiangting but had also moved on to tales of Great Immortal Kongchenzi in Gongzhou and the surrounding villages.

"The Immortal emerged riding a donkey, his head touching the clouds, gazed upon by thousands. How many people saw him off in Gongzhou City..." The storyteller looked up at the sky, his words filled with boundless admiration.

He then spoke of the story of Gongzhou City and the Demon Lord of Silver Flower Palace, to which the audience roared with approval and clapped enthusiastically.

The storyteller slammed the table, sighing with emotion, "The Immortal saved the entire region, asking for neither gold nor silver, only urging the villagers to do good deeds, and then departed alone."

This was the tale of the Sword Immortal slaying the River Demon in the surrounding villages.

As the Immortal's noble deeds were recounted – refining pills to save people, accepting no payment, and leaving without even accepting a banquet – many in the audience were moved to tears, their voices choked with emotion.

"And then he came to our Jiangting Commandery and rid us of the great scourge, the Five Gods Cult!"

Immediately, someone in the crowd shouted, "Those fellows from the Five Gods Cult are beasts! This is a true Immortal, saving the common people from dire straits. Wherever he passed, millions revered him."

An old man stood up, tears streaming down his face, "That's right. My distant nephew came to visit, and I wondered why he disappeared halfway. Only yesterday did I learn from those rescued by the Immortal that he was harmed by that Prince."

The crowd was incensed, and many young knights slammed their fists on the table.

"This is all thanks to the Great Immortal!"

"If it weren't for the Immortal, who knows how much longer these monsters and the Five Gods Cult would have plagued us."

"I truly hope the Immortal can stay in our Jiangzhou forever."

"The Immortal descends the mountain to slay demons and exterminate devils; wherever there are demons, the Immortal will surely appear."

This scene wasn't just happening at Tianxiang Tower; it was unfolding in various places throughout the city.

Heroine Hong Yuan, Tang Yao, watched from below, and a myriad of emotions welled up in her heart.

After what happened last night and the scenes that had just unfolded, Heroine Hong Yuan suddenly felt that although her name was famous throughout Jiangnan, she had always been seen as merely an entertainer. While people liked her, no one truly considered her a great hero. No one had ever felt such deep gratitude towards her, to the point where her name alone brought a sense of peace, like a solid mountain.

She felt that the Heavenly Dao was just and that evil deeds would surely be met with retribution.

In the past, she had only written fabricated stories, some erotic storybooks. Although she earned a lot of money and was considered famous throughout the Jianghu, Hong Yuan knew her true standing in the public's eye.

Only by acting heroically, like Great Immortal Kongchenzi, and being thanked and admired by thousands, could one truly be remembered.

Even after a thousand or a hundred thousand years, their stories would still be sung.

At this moment, Heroine Hong Yuan felt a subtle change within her. Perhaps she could write storybooks that could change people's hearts and guide them towards goodness, stories that truly existed among the common folk and happened to the people.