Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1075: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (83) — Tentatively Called the Great Thousand Worlds

"Xu Fu?" Long Xiruo was surprised. "The same Xu Fu who once sought the elixir of immortality for the First Emperor?"

The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart nodded slowly. This was a secret passed down only during the transitions between generations of the Plain-Clothed Dao. Now, it was finally being revealed.

"Xu Fu… or rather, the first generation of Heavenly Heart, originated from the real Penglai."

The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart spoke solemnly, "He once served as a young disciple under the immortal of the real Penglai. Back then, the master of the Penglai Treasure Vault from beyond the realms somehow killed that immortal and took over Penglai, using it as the foundation to create the Penglai Treasure Vault. The first Heavenly Heart escaped, concealed his identity, and wandered the mortal world under the name Xu Fu. Eventually, he earned the First Emperor’s favor… and during that time, he secretly established the Plain-Clothed Dao."

"No… something doesn’t add up," Long Xiruo frowned. "You said the master of the Penglai Treasure Vault was an invader from beyond. When I asked how you knew, you said the founder of Plain-Clothed Dao—Xu Fu—left this information behind… because he himself was from another world. But now you're saying he came from the real Penglai. Which is it? Or could it be…?"

"Just as you're thinking, Lord Long," the 70th-generation Heavenly Heart sighed. "For the past thousand years, the Penglai that Divine Land has sought after is also from beyond… or perhaps from a realm even higher than 'beyond.'"

"I don’t understand." Long Xiruo shook her head directly.

"We of the Plain-Clothed Dao believe that the world is not singular but made up of countless similar worlds."

"You mean… world fragments?" Long Xiruo frowned.

He shook his head. "Not fragments, but complete Main Worlds. For example, in another time and space, there could be another Divine Land, another you, another me, another China, and other countries. But their development may differ entirely. In that time-space, there might be a 'you,' but you wouldn’t be the True Dragon of Divine Land—maybe just an ordinary person.""Parallel worlds?"

"You could see it that way," he nodded. "The theory of parallel worlds has existed for a long time. It’s only in recent decades that it’s gained attention among mortals."

"And Penglai?"

"It might come from another time-space… but more likely, it's beyond even parallel worlds." The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart paused, choosing his words carefully, and after a moment continued, "Let’s tentatively call the collective of all these Main Worlds the 【Great Thousand Worlds】. I’m not sure if that’s the correct term, but it seems the most fitting. There's also a modern term—‘dimension’—but I don’t quite understand that, so I’ll stick with 【Great Thousand Worlds】."

He looked at Long Xiruo. "Within the 【Great Thousand Worlds】, there are countless versions of you, me, and others. They are independent yet subtly connected… like branching paths where different choices led to different outcomes. For example, a person faces a decision: a right choice leads to a good result, a wrong one to a bad one. Then, one world has the good outcome, another the bad. And so, two different worlds are born."

"70th-generation Heavenly Heart, if what you say is true, then this is infinite!"

"Time itself is infinite," he said bitterly. "We of the Plain-Clothed Dao excel at calculation, but no generation has ever found the limits of time… perhaps we’ve only seen a drop in the ocean. The changes in the human world each moment can't be measured by mere arithmetic. But we believe that within the 【Great Thousand Worlds】, there exists a singular entity—like truth itself. It is essence, origin, and the root of all laws. Penglai might be that singularity."

"What do you mean?"

"Once someone achieves singularity, they can transcend the 【Great Thousand Worlds】," he said. "By becoming that singular existence, all versions of 'you' across the worlds unify. According to our speculation, perhaps what we call gods or immortals are individuals who achieved this unification across the 【Great Thousand Worlds】 and reached a higher level."

"Higher?"

He frowned. "We’ve studied this endlessly, but still have no conclusive answer. In fact, by my generation, all we can find are vague traces… suggesting that the 【Great Thousand Worlds】 might themselves be fragments of some even greater place. Our Main World may just be a shard of a higher realm."

Long Xiruo took a long moment to process this, rubbed her temples, and said, "Let’s save that exploration for another time. For now—why did you come looking for me?"

"The Heavenly Eye and the Heavenly Heart were obtained by our founder from Penglai. But in truth, the immortals of Penglai also acquired them from that place. According to the first Heavenly Heart, any individual who achieves singularity gains the right to inherit the legacy of that place… though it involves countless trials. And though many may achieve singularity, only one can emerge from them all. At least, the immortals of Penglai failed in that competition—they were defeated and ultimately perished."

"No, that place already has a boss. So how does that make sense?"

"It seems that while the rightful heir is still in position, the other qualified candidates can only obtain a lesser form of power, something like a substitute…" The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart frowned. "But as for how this actually works, we really don’t know… unless, after becoming the 'only one' and unifying all versions of 'me', we might gain some kind of insight."

Long Xiruo shook her head. "According to what you’ve said, that’s something that only happens after someone becomes the only one. The master of the Penglai Treasure Vault wants to awaken just so they can achieve that state… Your Plain-Clothed Dao founder was once a disciple of Penglai’s immortal, and it was only after that immortal died fighting the Treasure Vault’s master that this grudge formed. I can understand why your Dao has been guarding the vault all these years… But whether the master of the Treasure Vault awakens or not, isn’t that just a grudge between them and your Dao? What does that have to do with my Divine Land?"

The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart replied, "What if the path to becoming the 'only one' requires sacrificing everything in an entire world? Not just Divine Land, but everything in this Main World we’re in—turned into fuel for the Penglai Treasure Vault master’s ascension?"

Sacrifice… using the entire Main World as a resource to become the only one!

Instinctively, Long Xiruo thought of that place… the place where anything could be bought—sacrificing an entire Main World to achieve uniqueness in the Great Thousand Worlds!

She found it hard to doubt the 70th-generation Heavenly Heart’s words—because if it really was that place, then it made perfect sense. Someone could pay the price of an entire world to qualify for singularity!

"What do you want me to do?" Long Xiruo asked bluntly.

"The Heavenly Heart isn’t complete," he said. "From the start, it was split in two. The Penglai Treasure Vault’s master holds one half, which allows it to see this Main World’s general future—basically, it can foresee events and avoid failure. The only way to defeat it is to take back that half so it loses its ability to see the future."

Long Xiruo stared at him coldly. "You’re unbelievable… This Penglai Treasure Vault master came from beyond, killed even an immortal who had achieved singularity… and now you want me, just a mere True Dragon of Divine Land, to stop it? You think that highly of me?"

"Actually, no," the 70th-generation Heavenly Heart said. "It seems that the immortal of Penglai was gravely wounded in the struggle to become the rightful heir to that place, severely weakening them, which gave the Treasure Vault’s master an opening. And truthfully, that master is also badly injured. Otherwise, our Plain-Clothed Dao would never have been able to guard the vault all these years without incident."

"Xiao Shengmo," Long Xiruo suddenly said. "Is he helping you… does he know all this too?"

"I only told him that the Penglai Treasure Vault seals away a demon lord from ancient times who must never awaken, or it would bring ruin to Divine Land," the 70th-generation said. "City Lord Xiao is kind-hearted and agreed immediately to help me retrieve the other half of the Heavenly Heart from within the vault. But the place is full of danger. He couldn’t do it alone… Lord Long, that’s the reason City Lord Xiao brought you into the Tower of Ten Thousand Ghosts."

Long Xiruo suddenly let out a cold laugh. "So Xiao Shengmo saved your lingering soul, let you recover in the Tower of Ten Thousand Ghosts… and all you gave him was a made-up story about some ancient demon destroying the world. You Plain-Clothed Dao really have a talent for nonsense—people actually believe you!"

The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart could only respond, "City Lord Xiao is also one of the seekers of Penglai… If I told the full truth, it would expose the many covert actions Plain-Clothed Dao has taken over the years. Now, after the chaos caused by the 71st-generation’s recklessness, our Dao is already in crisis. If we’re exposed again… Lord Long, even though I’m just a remnant soul, I once bore the title of the 70th-generation Heavenly Heart. I can’t just let the sect’s legacy end like this. Besides, the Penglai Treasure Vault master does need to sacrifice the entire world to achieve singularity—that’s not a lie. Calling it a world-destroying demon is really not that far off."

Long Xiruo still sneered. "So you can just tell me all this?"

The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart replied earnestly, "You only care about the balance of Divine Land. Let’s say the real Penglai appears and the Daoist and Demon realms both gain access to it—would you really want to see that? This era is meant for humanity. As the embodiment of Divine Land’s Dragon Vein, no one understands that better than you. If Daoist and Demon forces rise again, they’ll be going against Divine Land’s fate. What good would that bring you? Why not let Penglai remain a myth—a distant, unreachable dream that keeps Daoists and Demons from losing themselves completely? You understand balance far better than I ever could, Lord Long."

"Well, well… what a smooth-talking fraud! What a swindler! What a manipulator!" Long Xiruo snorted and stood up, flinging her sleeves as she turned to leave.

"Lord Long!" The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart hurriedly stood up as well.

"Are you not letting Xiao Shengmo send me out?" Long Xiruo snapped, turning back with a glare. "Do I need to blow up this stupid tower myself? I’m not paying for the damage!"

The 70th-generation Heavenly Heart immediately let out a sigh of relief… It seemed she had agreed.

…

…

Above the clouds, within the drifting mist, everything appeared hazy and indistinct… Windchaser was honestly tired of this aimless mountain climbing.

'Mo Xiaofei' had been silently leading the way the whole time. But as they climbed higher, drawing nearer to the summit of the colossal mountain, Windchaser felt an increasingly oppressive aura radiating from his “big brother.”

It was like a raging ocean—roaring waves and violent storms… yet his expression grew calmer and calmer.

Anger. Windchaser could feel it—a nearly tangible fury emanating from ‘Mo Xiaofei.’

Along the winding mountain path, massive boulders crumbled into dust the moment 'Mo Xiaofei' passed by. The mist surrounding them churned violently, like a demonic dragon stirring up trouble in a sea of clouds.

Windchaser swallowed hard without thinking. At this point, he even had to rely on the power of the Greedy Wolf Divine Skill just to barely keep up with 'Mo Xiaofei's’ pace.

The journey felt endless… and utterly silent.

Windchaser eventually lost track of time and everything around him—he didn’t even know how long he had been climbing. All he knew was that the pressure suddenly vanished.

But only for an instant—a far greater wave of fury suddenly exploded from ‘Mo Xiaofei,’ like a volcanic eruption!

The surrounding sea of clouds churned violently—thunder cracked, and lightning roared!

Windchaser quickly looked up. 'Mo Xiaofei' had stopped walking. Unknowingly, they had reached the very summit of the giant mountain.

Looking ahead, a majestic palace towered in the mist—resplendent in gold and jade!

With a furious roar, 'Mo Xiaofei' launched into the air and charged directly at the grand palace, slamming into it like a human comet!

“Big brother?!” Windchaser shouted in alarm and hurried to follow him.

'Mo Xiaofei' burst through the palace’s colossal gate—an entrance so massive it resembled Heaven’s Gate, making people seem as small as ants.

A fierce wind surged through the palace, rushing deep into its vast interior.

Finally, 'Mo Xiaofei' stepped deep into the heart of the palace, and with a thunderous crash beneath his feet, the entire structure trembled slightly!

There, right before him, stood an enormous, radiant crystal.

Inside the crystal, a figure could be vaguely seen—hair disheveled and hanging down… Windchaser squinted hard and managed to make out that the figure was missing their left arm.

“Big brother, who is that?” he asked.

'Mo Xiaofei' let out a cold snort and said grimly,

“Penglai… Immortal!”

(End of Chapter)