The Undying Immortal System

Chapter 487 – Life 120, Age 104, Martial Emperor Peak

Over the following decades, I spent most of my time reworking and enhancing the formations used in our new towers. Every few days, Kan proposed new ways to make the fights more immersive. Each of these changes increased the difficulty of my work, but the results were undeniable.

Each kingdom received towers with distinct characteristics. Black Eagle City placed cultivators in wide, open fields, while Golden Eagle City forced them to fight in tight underground tunnels. One kingdom sent them into the depths of the ocean, while another had them fighting from the backs of massive flying beasts.

Kan didn’t follow any set plan or logic. He simply asked Mei and our other illusionists to create whatever scenarios he thought would be the most interesting to fight through.

These unique tower designs proved to be both a powerful draw for traveling cultivators and a clear marker of each kingdom’s boundaries. Whenever Kan came up with a new idea, we would place a new tower in a scheduled valley or remote mountaintop. Then, within a few years, a new kingdom would inevitably grow up around it.

The towers owed their success to a combination of novelty and reward. Some cultivators, long starved for entertainment, were eager to fight beasts in strange and exotic environments, while others only cared about the rewards we were offering. Those who climbed high enough could earn weapons, armor, pills, and cultivation techniques. The towers in the capital of each kingdom even offered the chance to win techniques for body cultivation.

To promote the towers, we built smaller versions in cities throughout both the Nine Rivers and Heroes Domains. These smaller towers only allowed people to fight against one or two beasts at a time, but they offered the full range of environments, giving participants a preview of what the larger towers had to offer.

The cultivators who came to challenge our towers never stayed long. After a few weeks in one location, they would either move on to the next or return home. However, in their wake came merchants, artisans, and laborers, mortals who were eager to profit from the opportunities brought about by our developing kingdoms.

Sadly, little of that profit found its way to us.

Every tower we built increased the strain on our formation specialists and illusionists, requiring both time and resources to keep everything running smoothly. On top of that, keeping the illusions active drained a substantial amount of energy with every passing minute. To prevent our cities from turning into qi-deprived wastelands, we had no choice but to keep the towers fed with a steady stream of spirit stones. Taxes and fees helped offset some of this, but after factoring in the various rewards, the towers ended up costing us far more than they returned.

However, what we lost in spirit stones was made up for in karmic energy.

Driven by the appeal of the towers, our population base expanded to that of two full empires. And with the new wealth flowing through our kingdoms, we generated enough karmic energy for several elders to advance to Peak Emperor.

Naturally, our expansion did not go unnoticed by the continent’s more powerful forces. None of them attempted to stop us. To the contrary, most of the clans in the Nine Rivers Domain sought to curry favor with us. However, beneath their cooperation lay a quiet anticipation, as they watched us, waiting for our next move.

While I mostly spent this time working to improve the tower formations, I didn’t stay cooped up in Black Eagle City. Every few years, Mei would show up and drag me off to some remote corner of the Western Island. At first, we stayed within the Nine Rivers Domain, but it wasn’t long before our journeys took us east to the Heroes Domain or north to the True Martial Domain.

Those trips allowed me to broaden my understanding of the island’s cultures. The True Martial Domain, led by the so-called ‘Alliance,’ presented itself as unified and orderly, but beneath this carefully maintained facade lay fractures capable of splitting the domain in two.

Off the coast of the True Martial Domain lay the Northern Anvil, a slightly smaller island that housed the Devil Domain, the Liberation Domain, and the Myriad Herb Domain. Officially, the True Martial Domain was allied with the Liberation Domain, with the two working in tandem to suppress the devils. In reality, the True Martial Domain was divided, with nearly half its clans covertly supporting the Devil Domain.

It was in the midst of this chaos that Mei carried out her missions.

The Ultimate Rival System she had obtained from Jon issued her tasks tied to the domain’s internal conflicts, most of which involved eliminating promising geniuses who supported the Liberation Domain. As someone in a nominal alliance with the Saint of Liberation, I should have opposed her. However, after meeting a few of the “young masters” she was meant to eliminate, I found it difficult to muster any sympathy.

More importantly, bringing me along on these missions was a deliberate act of trust—whether from Mei, her System, or her original blessing. By defeating my sect, she earned the right to make three of her mission rewards permanent. By bringing me along, she was not only showing me what these permanent rewards might be, but also how she obtained them.

The only inconvenient part of these missions was the amount of travel involved. Even with Rank 6 beasts pulling our carriage, the journey from Black Eagle City to the far reaches of the True Martial Domain took months. Our carriage was large enough that I had a private cabin where I could continue my work in relative isolation, but I was cut off from Kan and Meng LuYao, leaving me unable to consult them on ideas for further refinements to my formations.

Thankfully, before our third trip up north, Mei used karmic energy from the Li Clan to advance to Martial Sovereign. This allowed her to create portals, greatly reducing our travel time.

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Even though some of these trips lasted more than a year, we rarely spent much time in each other’s company. I focused on my tower formations, while she concerned herself with the development of her own empire. There were things we needed to discuss, but we were both aware that we were under constant observation. Too many factions had taken an interest in us, and neither of us wanted to risk drawing the attention of a Saint.

On our third trip, however, Mei asked me to join her for dinner shortly after we arrived at our destination. Seated in an upscale restaurant, we exchanged a few pleasantries, but she didn’t take long to get to the point.

“I’ve reached a bottleneck,” she said, her tone calm and detached. “My body cultivation has stalled at the Rank of Demon Emperor, and I haven’t been able to make any further progress. I had assumed that ascending to Martial Sovereign would allow my blessing to unlock further knowledge, but this didn’t happen. It seems the knowledge contained in that blessing I copied is limited to Rank 6.”

Narrowing my eyes, I activated energy vision and examined Mei’s body.

It was a complete mess. As far as I could tell, she didn’t have the faintest idea how to advance to Rank 7. Instead, she had dispersed tendrils of wu in numerous directions, attempting to brute-force a solution. This included several attempts at refining her blood, but her approach made failure inevitable.

Mei let out a wry laugh. “Even my original blessing has been useless. Whenever I try to probe it for ideas on how to design a new cultivation technique, it breaks down and floods me with conflicting signals. I’ve tried ignoring it and forging ahead on my own, but that hasn’t gotten me very far.”

After a moment of hesitation, I nodded. “You should look into designing a few lower-level techniques. The enlightenments you gain may help you in designing new techniques.”

Mei gave a faint smile, then shook her head. “Perhaps. But this isn’t why I asked you to join me.”

She paused for a long moment before continuing. “My master asked me to pass along a message. The Ancestors of the Nine Rivers Domain are becoming restless. They’re worried that, unless you ascend to Martial Sovereign, you won’t be able to develop any Rank 7 techniques, either.”

Her gaze remained steady, giving away nothing. “They were willing to indulge your desire to build an independent kingdom, but they will not allow this choice to block their path forward. They, along with the Ancestors and Saints of several other domains, may soon force you to join a clan and absorb its blood essence, allowing you to break through to Sovereign and continue your research.”

I lifted my teacup and slowly swirled its contents as I sifted through the reasons behind Mei’s words.

Emperor Li was a Peak Spirit, but he had only a few decades of life remaining. The various forces watching him had to be growing anxious. They almost certainly saw Mei and me as their best hope of understanding how to survive the Tribulation that blocked the path to immortality, and they were no doubt becoming eager for us to show them the way.

That said, I had no intention of absorbing another clan’s blood essence. I would need to shut this plot down before it even had a chance to take shape.

“They will approach you soon,” said Mei. “At first, it will be polite. Invitations and offers of cooperation. Then, it will be suggestions and pressure. And if that fails, they will simply capture you.”

I cupped my fists and lowered my head in a respectful bow. “Thank you, Miss Pei. I understand what must be done.”

After returning to Black Eagle City, I immediately summoned Kan, JiuLi, YuLong, and Meng LuYao to a meeting in our cottage on the Plane of Woody Earth. As soon as they were all present, I laid out everything Mei had told me, then explained what I planned to do about it.

“We need power. Fast. Therefore, I intend to bring the entirety of the Su and Shi Clans to live with us on the Central.”

Their expressions tightened, but no one interrupted me.

“I don’t intend to pull all of them into the sect,” I said, turning to Kan. “The clans will remain independent forces living within our territory. I will simply be feeding them resources to help them advance.”

Kan frowned, as if picturing all the complications this decision would bring.

“If you want to use this as an opportunity to expand, you may do so,” I continued. “You can even look into recruiting a few of the clan’s elders to serve as deacons. But hold off for a year or two. I intend to strengthen them using methods that run counter to the sect’s rules. It's best to do so before they officially join. People might still complain, but my personal actions don’t require the Council’s approval.”

Kan’s expression grew more conflicted. After a moment, he glanced at JiuLi, then gave a reluctant nod. “Understood, Ancestor. But even if they aren’t part of the sect, the Patriarchs will still try to assert authority over their descendants. They won’t remain quiet.”

A faint smile tugged at my lips. “The strongest among them is a low-level King. Their only leverage is filial piety. If they don’t know their place, then you’ll just need to teach them.”

YuLong let out a quiet snort of amusement, while Meng LuYao’s expression remained calm. JiuLi, however, shook her head.

“It won’t be that simple,” she said. “The clans may be weak, but arrogance is carved into their very souls—especially the Su Clan. They won’t be content to live under another’s rule for long. They will eventually attempt to seize control.”

I nodded, knowing the truth of this statement. “Coordinate with them. Let them know our boundaries and let them know the consequences they’ll face if they push too far. If any would rather remain the head of a chicken than become the tail of a phoenix, they can remain in Chang’an. It might be wise to maintain a presence there anyway.”

JiuLi’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Understood, Ancestor. I’ll make sure the message is clear.”

A few days later, the elders of the Su Clan vanished from Chang’an, only to emerge from our stronghold in Black Eagle City. Their cultivation, hardened by centuries of calcification, finally broke under the force of Ascension Pills, lifting them to heights they had long thought unreachable.

As Kan had predicted, this caused minor ripples within the sect, but far fewer than expected.

Most of our elders had already reached Martial Emperor, and the authority of their former clans no longer carried much weight. The Patriarchs of Chang’an were relics—figures worthy of respect, perhaps, but not ones they needed to obey.

Not even the Traditionalists were willing to yield on this point. They maintained the proper courtesies and gave the respect owed to their seniors, but when it came to their real authority, they did not waver.

This attitude not only proved beneficial for the sect but also for the clans. Forced to stand on their own, they were free to develop identities distinct from the sect that so many of their members had joined.

This shift in attitude quickly bore fruit. Within a month, I felt the stirrings of Sovereign-level karmic energy within my dantian. Within a year, I had enough to complete my breakthrough, allowing me to ascend to Martial Sovereign before anyone could force my hand.

Of course, the breakthrough came at a cost: my energy body had been shattered. I would need to recover quickly if I wanted to prevent any hostile force from taking advantage of my weakness.