Meeting an Immortal

Meeting an Immortal

More than a decade ago.

At a hospital on Wan Island, a woman in labor gave birth to twin girls amid agonized screams. Sadly, she suffered a massive hemorrhage during delivery, and one of the unborn children died while the other survived. The girl who was stillborn had a strange birthmark: she had Double Vision. So did the girl who survived.

With the family's consent, the deceased girl was made into a specimen and displayed in a specially made jar...

The Mazda came to a stop.

Fang Xiu pushed open the passenger door and got out. Huang Huotu followed close behind. He was an ordinary mortal with nothing special about him except his unusual fate, so he had no way to resist the Mangekyō Sharingan's control through Genjutsu.

Besides, no one was going to harm him.

Fang Xiu had brought Huang Huotu along simply as an extra precaution.

Suppose the Corpse-Dissection Immortal proved troublesome, her cultivation far beyond what he'd imagined, and Fang Xiu couldn't even protect himself if he went all out—let alone capture her. Then he wouldn't hesitate to threaten her:

"Immortal, you wouldn't want your younger sister Xie Yali's years of hard work to come to nothing, leaving her unable to attain eternal life, would you?"

After all, if something happened to the Sword-Wielding Executor responsible for the Corpse Severance, what would Xie Yali, hiding behind the scenes, have to cultivate for? She'd be stuck at the final step, all her efforts wasted.

There was no helping it.

Better safe than sorry.

Before this, Fang Xiu had only encountered one Earth Immortal: Hermit Caolu, who came from the Hongzhi era of the Ming dynasty.

To be more precise, he was a cultivator who practiced the relevant cultivation arts. Since he was close to success and his cultivation was unfathomable, he was also revered as a True Immortal of the mortal world.

But he wasn't an immortal in essence.

Now, what came into view was a desolate hospital. A few pieces of medical equipment lay scattered inside, along with specimens that had been forgotten—some deliberately, some not—over the years.

"The Yin Release presence is so strong."

"This is beyond the level of an ordinary Three-Tomoe Sharingan."

His perception expanded without limit.

With his terrifying mental strength, Fang Xiu could easily have served as a sensory ninja in any conventional war in the Naruto World.

At that moment, he had already formed a preliminary assessment: a powerful figure was lying low here, one who was no weaker than the Fusang Ghost King!

It made sense. His sister had already become an immortal without taking shortcuts through the Five Hells Tribulation, and she had no need to undergo Corpse Severance. Her soul had reached perfection, allowing her to naturally break free of her body, which had become a burden!

"Fellow cultivator, since you've come, why not come in and have a talk?" A voice suddenly reached Fang Xiu's ears, ethereal to the extreme.

It wasn't exactly pleasant, nor was it unsettling.

It was simply without joy or sorrow.

At this, Fang Xiu raised his hands and formed a seal, immediately entering Earth Release Sage Mode. A yellow-brown stone mark appeared between his brows.

The direct effect caused the Mangekyō Sharingan's color to take on a faint golden hue.

Susanoo could be unleashed at any moment.

Deep Forest Emergence could be unleashed at any moment.

Takemikazuchi and Amenotokotachi were instant-cast ocular techniques...

Heh, he'd even gotten ready to make a Rasengan, which he could infuse with Fire Release.

Besides, the Fang Xiu who had arrived at the abandoned hospital was, in essence, a Wood Release Clone carrying a large portion of his Chakra. His original self was temporarily taking control of its thoughts!

This was an application and innovation of ninjutsu.

After all, Shadow Clones of any kind possessed a degree of self-awareness and their own thoughts. Though they would carry out their original's orders to the letter, never betray him, and transmit their memories and sensations back when they disappeared, they still had minds of their own.

To improve their practicality, Fang Xiu had spent a little time modifying them while dealing with ghosts on Hong Kong Island, so that his own will could descend into them.

As for the idea behind it?

Mind Transfer Jutsu.

A secret art of Konoha's Yamanaka Clan, C-rank, not especially difficult to learn, and suited for support at close to medium range.

The principle wasn't hard to guess. The user aimed the hand seal at a target and focused their mind on a single point, using their soul to release their mental energy and seize control of the opponent's body.

Success meant an immediate victory or defeat!—The released spirit could usually move only in a straight line.

—Since it consumed a great deal of mental energy, both its range and accuracy were severely limited.

Of course, there were plenty of risks involved. For example, if the user's spirit failed to hit the target, they wouldn't be able to return to their own body for a short time, leaving them unable to defend themselves or take any other action.

But... a Shadow Clone couldn't disobey. On the contrary, it would cooperate fully.

"Fine."

His tone was indifferent. Controlling Huang Huotu to walk beside him, Fang Xiu stepped inside as if he were visiting a zoo. "In all my lifetimes combined, this is the first time I've seen an immortal."

A little later.

The Mangekyō fixed on a specimen jar in a shadowy corner. A female immortal lay submerged in formalin.

Well... it would be more accurate to call it her discarded former body.

A baby only a little bigger than a palm.

Still unaware that she was under Genjutsu, Huang Huotu retained the ability to think and stared in utter shock.

Was this the mastermind behind everything?

"Show yourself."

The Mangekyō glanced at the bizarre infant corpse, then stared straight at the windowsill. Yakushi Kabuto's figure flashed through Fang Xiu's mind:

"I shed my snake skin and ascended into a dragon!"

Almost at the same time, a golden radiance rippled through the dim specimen room.

The immortal appeared.

She wore a blue-green jacket and a red skirt. She looked thin and delicate, with a beautiful face and an air of refined grace.

Only the Double Vision in her eye sockets looked rather uncanny. Her pupils rotated back and forth, reflecting Fang Xiu's image as if she meant to see through his present and future lives.

After a long silence, she sighed.

"Double Vision can identify Renxiao and gather fortune."

"Join the army, and you could become a hero of your age, leading thousands of troops to vie for dominion over the world."

"Cultivate the Dao and seek immortality, and you could make twice the progress with half the effort. But the age of cultivation has ended here, and the earth's spiritual veins have withered. Even the famous mountains and great rivers are short of spiritual energy. If you wish to become an immortal, you have no choice but to find another path!"

"If you're willing, fellow cultivator, you can abandon the Earth Immortal Method and take up the Corpse Severance Immortality Method instead..."

She couldn't discern Fang Xiu's origins.

But she knew one thing:

The fellow before her wasn't cultivating for longevity! He seemed to be following the Earth Immortal path, but in fact he'd converted everything into combat power, as if he lived each day expecting to die at any moment, forever struggling against all things.

What was the point?

Did he intend to defy Heaven in the end?

Even if his body were immensely powerful and well cared for, and he never took part in another battle, he still wouldn't live more than two hundred years among mortals!

His spirit, on the other hand... If he pursued cultivation as a ghost, he could probably find a way to become a Ghost Immortal even without cultivation arts.

"I appreciate you going to the trouble, Immortal."

Seeing that she hadn't spoken harshly and had instead shown goodwill, Fang Xiu, still acting through the Wood Release Clone, spoke bluntly without a care. "Just give me a few good treasures. Any divine artifact, immortal artifact, or spiritual artifact will do. Or cultivation methods for the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches—the more, the better."

When Fang Xiu arrived on Wan Island, the Main God announced that he'd triggered a side mission: Double Vision.

But it hadn't said what he needed to do, and the reward was unknown. It was as if the Reincarnators were being left to explore and make their own choices! In that case, Fang Xiu figured he could negotiate if possible.

He craved battle and had prepared for the worst, but he wasn't crazy enough to attack every powerful figure he saw.

From now on, one update at nine thirty and another at eleven thirty. Would that work? It won't interfere with my work schedule.