novelraw Chapter 1026: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (34)
Chapter 1026: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (34)
Dry mouth, parched throat, and a brain that felt like it was solidifying into concrete—utterly unbearable.
Ren Ziling cracked her eyes open slightly. A mist-like vapor spread throughout the living room… Was the humidifier on?
She couldn’t quite remember. Pressing hard against her forehead, she could feel the alcohol still lingering.
Oh well… It needed to be on anyway. With the heater running, the air would be too dry by morning, making her feel even worse.
She propped herself up slightly, and the thin blanket covering her slid off. Ren Ziling looked down at the pillow she had been using. Wasn’t this supposed to be in the corner of the sofa?
But she really didn’t feel like moving. Fortunately, the water glass on the table was still half full… Wait, did I pour this myself?
Gulp, gulp.
Lying down again, she draped an arm over her forehead. It must still be the middle of the night. It was so quiet outside. She groped around on the carpet, searching for something—and soon found what she was looking for.
Cigarettes.
But when she opened the pack, it was empty. Didn’t I have a few left?Forget it… Her heavy eyelids shut once more. She turned to her side and wrapped the blanket around herself.
It feels… like someone took care of me.
Luo Qiu…
---
The pillar of light still remained.
Appearing around midnight as the old and new years crossed over, it had lasted until past 3 AM. The online world was anything but quiet—in fact, it was getting even livelier.
Many had chosen to stay up this night.
On the rooftop of a residential building near the club’s new location, Luo Qiu stood against the wind, gazing at the distant light. Behind him, soft footsteps approached.
“Master, I’ve cleared out all of Miss Ren’s hidden junk food. However, I restocked her pantry with some noodles, rice, and oatmeal.”
“There was no need to do that.” Luo Qiu shook his head. “She probably won’t open that pantry for at least three months.”
“I also put some frozen dim sum, dumplings, and wontons in the fridge. But I only left her two cans of beer,” the maid, Miss You Ye, said softly. “Also, the red wine she had was of poor quality, so I replaced it with some better ones—the ones you picked up from the ruins of Tu Shenyi’s estate last time. They’re quite decent.”
“You didn’t… exterminate any pests while you were at it, did you?” Luo Qiu teased.
Miss You Ye simply nodded.
So she really did it…
Originally, Luo Qiu had planned to do these things himself. But when he saw Ren Ziling’s tablet still streaming the live broadcast of the Mt. Tai light pillar, he had returned early instead.
“This is spiritual energy, isn’t it?” With that, the topic of the house was set aside. Luo Qiu continued gazing at the pillar of light piercing the sky. It felt exactly the same as the energy he had encountered in the underground spiritual energy river of his own city.
“With such intensity, it must be channeling the latent power of the local ley lines,” Miss You Ye offered her analysis.
That saved Luo Qiu the trouble of purchasing intelligence. Her insights were always close to the truth—she was, after all, the greatest treasure left to him by his predecessor.
“They’ve gone to such lengths… They must be truly determined.” Miss You Ye smiled faintly.
Luo Qiu remained silent.
Indeed, reaching this point required great resolve. The next step might bring radical changes to the very structure of the world.
And if Alaya still hadn’t appeared… did that mean it had silently accepted this course of events?
“I’ll head back first.” Luo Qiu turned around. “Prepare for the next phase.”
“Understood.” Miss You Ye lowered her head respectfully. “Safe journey, Master.”
“Oh, right.”
Luo Qiu suddenly said, “Next time, let’s make dumplings together. Seems like it’d be fun.”
“Of course.”
After her master left, You Ye stood in silence for a long while, watching the massive spiritual energy pillar. Then, she waved her hand.
The air beside her began to distort, swirling into a black vortex… The vortex expanded until it was nearly two meters in diameter.
Without hesitation, Miss You Ye stepped into the rift—into the gap between dimensions.
---
“Chosen ones, congratulations! You have finally defeated the New Year’s special boss, ‘The Pitch-Black Maid’! Please accept your rewards!”
In the sky, swirling clouds formed a massive face—majestic, supreme, and awe-inspiring. It was the ruler of this world: the Lord God Taiyin.
As the clouds dispersed, returning to their original state, players across the New Year special dungeon collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.
A grueling six-to-seven-hour battle, requiring over 3,000 players from around the world, had finally ended with the boss’s defeat. The fight had been so intense that no one ever wanted to experience it again.
But at that moment, the generous rewards rained down from the sky, landing in the hands of each surviving player. At least their efforts hadn’t been in vain.
Consider it a New Year’s gift.
---
At the edge of the world, in the distant domain of the Lord God, a figure collapsed upon returning—his body shriveled, resembling an ancient corpse.
Tai Yinzi.
“I overworked myself too much for this event… My spiritual power is completely drained… I feel awful!”
Even though most of the functions in Miss You Ye’s system world were automated, Tai Yinzi, as the system’s core, still had to pour in his own spiritual energy.
“Log out…”
Shaking legs, aching waist—like an old man who had danced too hard at a nightclub—Tai Yinzi hobbled out of the virtual game world.
Inside the room housing the system’s main server, Tai Yinzi’s real form materialized. He glanced at the robot Adam, and asked offhandedly:
“Hey, Adam, where’s the master?”
“The master and the master’s master have gone out,” Adam replied.
The master’s master…
Wait… The Boss is back?!
Tai Yinzi froze for a moment… then yawned.
Oh well. If the Boss and that terrifying butler didn’t call for me, then it must not concern me.
But… since that venomous butler wasn’t around…
“Heh heh…”
Tai Yinzi slyly glanced at Adam, who was still linked to the system via countless data cables, and tiptoed out of the room.
The Black Soul Envoy’s existence was peculiar—they could experience fatigue, and even hunger.
Of course, hunger could be relieved by eating regular food…
But there was something even better—something that not only satisfied hunger but also restored spiritual power.
And Tai Yinzi knew exactly where to find it.
Miss You Ye’s special flower tea.
“Damn it, who would’ve thought that this ordinary-looking tea works like my era’s spiritual elixirs… I’m sure she hid it here somewhere.”
Tai Yinzi prided himself on knowing every nook and cranny of the club.
Although his tea-brewing skills could never match Miss You Ye’s, he didn’t care about taste—only the effects.
Sip.
“Well, the New Year’s event is over. Next up… the Lantern Festival event?” Tai Yinzi muttered to himself, strolling down the hallway.
Huh?
One of the rooms had a slightly open door.
Would that sinister butler really leave unfinished work behind?
Curious, Tai Yinzi nudged the door open with his foot.
Inside was a simple storage room—mostly stocked with dried goods, seasonings, and liquor.
On the table, a scattered assortment of objects caught his eye.
The last item he picked up was a small, ornate brocade box.
Its design looked strangely familiar.
“This pattern… where have I seen it before?”
Suddenly, long-sealed memories burst open in Tai Yinzi’s mind.
“This… isn’t this the seal pattern of Huan Zhen Dao?”
Huan Zhen Dao was the sect Tai Yinzi had belonged to five hundred years ago.
Tai Yinzi frowned. Unable to suppress his curiosity—especially after seeing something that seemed related to his former sect—he traced his finger over the pattern on the box.
“Who carved this pattern? It’s full of mistakes! One look and I can tell you haven’t been practicing properly! Just wait till I catch you, you little brat!”
Click.
Not long after, under Tai Yinzi’s unsealing technique, the small brocade box automatically opened. A streak of golden light shone through the narrow opening.
Tai Yinzi frowned and fully opened the box. Instantly, a brilliant golden radiance erupted, revealing a faint glimpse of the object inside.
“This… could it be…” Tai Yinzi shuddered. “Could this really be…”
His expression changed dramatically. Without hesitation, he shut the box, stuffed it into his robe, and dashed out of the storage room, sprinting toward his workspace.
Ignoring Adam’s greeting, Tai Yinzi immediately pulled up the perpetual calendar on his computer, flipping through the years—until he reached the current date.
“So… it’s that time again… Penglai Grand Gathering.”
Tai Yinzi slumped into his chair, staring at the brocade box in his hands, his expression flickering with uncertainty.
“Lord God Taiyin, do you wish to continue the intelligent monitoring program? You have been logged out of the game world for thirty-seven minutes and forty-five seconds.”
“Keep it running!” Tai Yinzi gritted his teeth. “I need to go out.”
With that, he hurriedly left—through the club’s ancient pinewood door.
---
All around, peach blossoms were in full bloom, petals drifting in the air like a scene from a fairy tale.
It had been an hour or two since they arrived here.
Windchaser stared blankly at Mo Xiaofei, who, ever since arriving, had been standing under a peach tree, unmoving and silent after muttering something strange.
Windchaser yawned, feeling drowsy.
But something about this place was… odd.
Despite the flourishing peach blossoms, it was eerily silent. Other than the trees, Windchaser hadn’t seen anything alive.
Not even insects.
This place, though beautiful, carried an unsettling sense of stillness.
“Let’s go.”
Mo Xiaofei suddenly opened his eyes and glanced at Windchaser.
“Where to?”
Mo Xiaofei raised a hand, pointing toward a towering mountain beyond the Peach Blossom Grove, its peak hidden in the clouds.
“There.”
“Big Brother… earlier, you said this place was dead. What did you mean?” Windchaser finally voiced his doubts.
“You don’t know about Penglai?” Mo Xiaofei asked.
Windchaser shook his head honestly.
Mo Xiaofei frowned and asked again, “Haven’t you heard the story of Xu Fu sailing east in search of the elixir of immortality? There are tons of versions of it online.”
Windchaser scratched his head awkwardly. “Uh… we didn’t have a computer at home.”
Mo Xiaofei, without further explanation, began walking toward the mountain.
“Xu Fu was a Qin Dynasty envoy sent by the Emperor to find the elixir of immortality. Legend has it that the elixir was in the hands of the immortals of Penglai.”
“Penglai… so this place is Penglai?” Windchaser’s eyes widened.
“Yes, and no.” Mo Xiaofei shook his head. “This is only its shell—what remains of it. But even as a mere shell, it is still like a paradise, an otherworldly land.”
“It is beautiful…” Windchaser looked around, then asked curiously, “So… did Xu Fu ever bring back the elixir of immortality for the Emperor?”
“He did not.” Mo Xiaofei shook his head again. “But he did bring back this dead Penglai—and the corpse of an immortal.”
“An immortal?!” Windchaser was beyond shocked.
Mo Xiaofei gazed at the distant mountain and said calmly, “The body rests within that peak.”
He continued, “Long ago, a lonely emperor built vast tombs, one of which was dedicated to housing this dead Penglai. With the full power of his empire, he commanded the suppressed Daoists and the Demon Clan to work together to anchor this place in reality.”
A deep sigh escaped his lips.
“And now, after all these years… I have returned.
To the place where I buried the greatest regret of my life.”
(End of Chapter)