Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Origin of the Immortals

Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

A figure gradually materialized, revealing none other than Duobao Daoist.

"Amitabha Buddha. Benefactor summoned this poor Daoist through a message. For what purpose?" Duobao Daoist asked Ye Xu solemnly.

"Daoist friend, are you aware… the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest has appeared?"

Ye Xu smiled, a trace of mockery glinting in his eyes.

Whoosh!

Instantly, Duobao Daoist’s body stiffened, disbelief flooding his gaze.

"The Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest has emerged…" he murmured to himself, waves swelling in his heart, unable to calm for a long time.

"Could this be why those Great Emperors came to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion together?"

Duobao Daoist had been monitoring the visits of Mystic Law Sect’s Great Emperor and Dao King to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion. Hearing Ye Xu’s revelation about the mystic forest, he immediately connected it to these Great Emperors.

"This information… surely came from you, Benefactor?"

Duobao Daoist stared at Ye Xu, terror concealed deep within his eyes.

He fully understood the immense significance of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest in this era!

Such explosive news actually originated from a reclusive casual cultivator in the lower realm.

"Across the vast lower realms with their billions of souls, if anyone knows the whereabouts of the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest… it must be me alone." Ye Xu replied softly, his tone brimming with confidence.

Duobao Daoist’s expression turned grave.

Ye Xu’s claim held truth.

Passing down since the Era of Primordial Beings, not a soul had ever tracked the mystic forest’s trail—proof enough of its unfathomable secrecy.

This master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion before him truly seemed omniscient.

"Benefactor possesses vast divine abilities. Since you’ve divined the mystic forest’s location, why summon this poor Daoist?"

"If you have words, speak directly."

Duobao Daoist demanded solemnly.

"Dealing with perceptive people brings satisfaction."

After a chuckle, Ye Xu’s expression shifted subtly.

"A transaction?"

Duobao Daoist’s heart stirred.

"Precisely." Ye Xu confirmed. "Don’t you wish to know where the Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest lies?"

"Few in this world wouldn’t crave entry to that forest, and this poor Daoist is among them." Duobao Daoist’s eyes burned intensely, yet suspicion clouded his gaze. "What is your objective?"

Free feasts never existed in this world—a lesson Duobao Daoist knew well. He refused to believe Ye Xu lacked hidden motives.

"No profound motives. Merely… this conscience bears some guilt. And incidentally, I’d like you to watch over Lin Qianmo and Nangong Zhandao."

He did hold partial responsibility for Withered Wood Daoist’s death.

But this wasn’t Ye Xu’s main purpose.

His aim was to have Duobao Daoist look after the two of them, especially Nangong Zhandao.

Lin Qianmo had an unusual background, but Nangong Zhandao was the child of fortune, carrying the luck of the Yuan Realm.

If it were just an ordinary child of fortune, Ye Xu wouldn’t have paid much attention.

But the Yuan Realm was the ancestral home.

The Seven-Treasure Mystic Forest was connected to the ancestral home; the Heavenly Emperor had unified the myriad worlds from the ancestral home and built the Upper Realm—all of it revolved around the ancestral home.

Thus, the child of fortune Nangong Zhandao seemed especially extraordinary.

What’s more, Dao King and Duobao Daoist were sworn enemies. Allowing Duobao Daoist to disrupt Dao King would lift Ye Xu’s spirits too.

Killing three birds with one stone while earning a favor from Duobao Daoist—why not?

After all, he hadn’t paid any coin for this information.

Duobao Daoist gazed cautiously.

Ye Xu’s background was far too mysterious, making him deeply uneasy. He couldn’t decipher Ye Xu’s thoughts and felt hesitation at such a huge temptation.

"As the benefactor said, Withered Wood’s death was part of his tribulation; the responsibility still rests with this poor Daoist," Duobao Daoist replied, not dwelling on Withered Wood Daoist’s passing.

Birth, old age, sickness, and death—they were all predetermined by fate.

Withered Wood Daoist escaped once but ultimately couldn’t escape the second time. It seemed he was simply doomed.

"As for protecting Lin Qianmo and Nangong Zhandao, this poor Daoist will do his utmost…" Duobao Daoist pondered and, in the end, agreed to Ye Xu’s request.

"But…"

Duobao Daoist’s voice paused.

Ye Xu stayed silent, watching him quietly.

"This poor Daoist was born free and dislikes owing debts. The benefactor’s kindness weighs heavily, yet this poor Daoist has nothing precious on hand…"

Ye Xu’s eyes brightened.

Duobao Daoist of course possessed great treasures.

He’d obtained a replica of the Human Emperor’s brush, a ghost-face jar, and an unnamed box from the Return to the Ruins tidal surge—they were mighty treasures indeed.

Their value was at least comparable to the Heaven, Earth, and Man treasures of the Mystic Law Sect.

But Duobao Daoist’s next words instantly left Ye Xu baffled.

"So, this poor Daoist wishes to offer you a message instead," Duobao Daoist said gravely. "It involves the secret to becoming an immortal. Would the benefactor be interested?"

Ye Xu frowned slightly.

He could hear Duobao Daoist’s thoughts, yet the secret to becoming an immortal remained absent from them.

Clearly, that memory was sealed away with the Reincarnation Lock.

Duobao Daoist and Lin Qianmo were no ordinary mortals; they wielded great power and could seal their own memories to avoid outsiders’ notice.

"Just who is this monk anyway?"

Confusion stirred within Ye Xu. Heaven’s Secret Pavilion isolated all, shielding even the Heavenly Dao’s perception. Few could conceal their inner thoughts or memories from him.

Duobao Daoist and Lin Qianmo, however, could make memories vanish through other means.

Unless they were willing, no one could see it.

This method was truly bizarre.

"I do understand some secrets to becoming an immortal, but since you, Daoist friend, are willing to share, I am all ears."

Ye Xu said calmly.

Outwardly, he appeared composed, but internally, he was frantic and anxious.

No matter what, he could not lose face for Heaven’s Secret Pavilion.

"Hmm."

Duobao Daoist nodded, yet his eyes held a flicker of suspicion.

He could not quite grasp Ye Xu’s state of mind.

However, he felt certain that Ye Xu’s knowledge of the secrets was probably incomplete.

This master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion was too strange.

"Actually, during the Primordial Era, there was no concept of immortals between heaven and earth."

The words were extraordinarily shocking; Duobao Daoist’s first sentence left Ye Xu utterly stunned.

There were no immortals in the world?

Then where did the secrets to becoming one come from?

"Under the heavens, besides Innate Divine Beings, no one was naturally capable of cultivation. Just like the path of cultivation, the immortal path was a later-opened road, merely named ‘immortal’." Ye Xu said with a smile.

His words were ambiguous and contradictory.

Superficially, they seemed to convey much, but upon closer thought, they were like meaningless chatter.

Listening to him was akin to hearing empty talk.

"You speak rightly, Benefactor."

Duobao Daoist said seriously, "The techniques we cultivate now and the divided realms were all created by predecessors; they opened a path to longevity."

"However, the path of cultivation was very crude in its initial stages."

"Not until the birth of the human ancestor did the cultivation system gradually become refined."

Ye Xu gave a slight nod.

He had read about the human ancestor in the history of the Yuan Realm, but it was very crude.

The human ancestor’s greatest contribution was improving the cultivation system and dividing the simple cultivation realms. He led humans and numerous postnatal beings from being mere fodder for deities and demons to becoming one polar force between heaven and earth.

He gathered the fortune of humans, and since the creation of the heavens, he was the first powerful being among humans.

"Even so, the concept of immortals did not emerge."

Duobao Daoist recounted earnestly, as if entranced, his tone surging with passion.

"Not until the Heavenly Emperor was born, who led humans and various postnatal beings to rise strongly, waged bloody wars against descendants of deities and demons, suppressed innate deities and demons, and unified the domains of all realms."

"After this, the Heavenly Emperor founded the Central Heavenly Court, perfected the cultivation realms and system, and with the power of all beings, forged the Immortal Realm."

"Only from that moment on did immortals come into being."