Chapter 6

"Changshou, do you still remember the incantation I taught you yesterday? Recite it for me to hear."

"Li Changshou! How can a cultivator be so afraid of death? If you don’t fight, how can you gain any opportunities!"

Tsk, how could Master’s mood change so quickly.

It seems like these two memories are decades apart. When I first joined, Master was so kind and gentle; but decades later...

He’s extremely fierce.

Li Changshou laughed wryly, then realized that his Dao body seemed to be asleep, still feeling the fatigue from continuous cultivation.

Is this... a dream?

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a dream. After reaching a high level of cultivation, the number of times I sleep has greatly decreased, and each time I sleep, it’s because of the accumulated fatigue from long periods of intense cultivation. Even if my magical power remains full, I still need to sleep to relieve the pressure on my soul.

"Old Tian, Old Tian, don’t pretend to be asleep! Get up, Old Tian!"

He heard that guy’s desperate shouts again, the siren sounds coming closer, still so clear...

Li Changshou smiled bitterly, as if he turned over in the darkness, facing the memories that came flooding in.

He reviewed the scenes like watching someone else’s life story.

In this story, there are no flying cultivators, no high and mighty deities. ——Perhaps there are deities, but they have always been unknown.

The protagonist is named Tian Zuguang, and the story takes place on a blue planet called Earth.

From his name, it’s clear that the person who named him had high hopes for him, wishing him to bring glory to his ancestors.

He did try, and everything went smoothly until he was twenty-eight, when he was suddenly diagnosed with an incurable disease...

In his last moments, he leaned back in his wheelchair and took a light breath, feeling the last bit of strength being drained from his body, his consciousness falling into an endless abyss.

He suddenly felt a deep sense of regret, like the last flicker of a dying flame. He gripped the wheelchair’s handles and used all his strength to stand up, but before he could take a step forward, he fell to the ground...

So there was that shout from his best friend from his previous life:

"Old Tian, Old Tian, don’t pretend to be asleep! Get up, Old Tian!"

The memory abruptly stopped, with a gap of about three years, after which the scenes became clearer.

A little boy in open-crotch pants, with two pigtails, ran on the grass, then grew rapidly, until he was seven or eight years old, when he was encountered by an old immortal and taken as a disciple...

This was probably a karmic bond, a karmic bond.

Li Changshou sighed lightly, sealed these memories, and placed them deep in his heart.

No matter what, these are the things he cherishes the most, even though they are slowly being erased by time.

He must not slack off, must not be complacent, as the environment around him is not as stable as it seems.

Thinking of this, Li Changshou turned around in the darkness, feeling his body gradually losing its fatigue. His spiritual senses spread around him, finding nothing unusual, and he didn’t want to wake up for a moment.

Laziness had appeared after a long time.

Although living another life is great, and he is very grateful to the ‘great deity’ who opened a backdoor for him, whether or not they truly exist, but...

Could he give him a modern life?

If not modern, then a prosperous Tang Dynasty or a strong Ming Dynasty would be fine. He could live a stable and happy life, with multiple wives and concubines.

But he was sent to a cultivation world, the most ruthless, heartless, and unreasonable of all—

The Ancient Chaos!

Fifteen years after becoming a disciple, through the classics of the Immortal Gate and the various stories told by his Master, Li Changshou finally understood the big picture of his environment.

From that day on, he activated the ‘self-isolation button.’

Yes, he came to the Ancient Chaos, the mythological world of the past, born in a small era between two great calamities.

Looking ahead on the historical timeline of the Ancient Chaos, the effects of the great war between the Witches and the Demons were still ongoing. Although the human race was thriving, the remnants of the Demon race were still powerful, and with the protection of Nüwa, one of the six sages, they lingered in the border areas of the Five Continents, dreaming of a revival, and constantly engaging in battles with human cultivators.

The six sages had already taken their positions and were plotting against each other, willing to let countless lives die for the slightest bit of face.

The two leaders of the Western Teachings, Jieyin and Zhunti, actually controlled the barren Western Ox-Heaven Continent, spreading their teachings and constantly poaching from the Daoist sects.

The three major Daoist sects, Human, Esoteric, and Cutting, had already risen. The Twelve Golden Immortals of the Esoteric Sect had just become famous, becoming the hot topic among cultivators for the past few thousand years.

The Cutting Sect had already gathered the momentum of ten thousand immortals, with various powerful figures converging under the leadership of the Great Master Tongtian, constantly arguing with the Esoteric Sect, but fortunately, no real conflict had erupted yet.

This was the best era for the Daoist sects, with the three major sects thriving and the human race they protected also thriving. The entire Central China was filled with the mountain gates of the Daoist sects, and the traces of the three sects’ disciples could be found everywhere in the Three Thousand Worlds. The Daoist teachings spread throughout the three realms, and the cultivation of the human race became the mainstream of the Ancient Chaos.

This was also the worst era for ordinary cultivators, with the competition for advancement being extremely fierce. The Heavenly Court had just been established and was completely at the mercy of the immortals of the three sects. The Five Continents and the Three Thousand Worlds had no real order, and cultivators had to rely on their own efforts and luck to grow.

Luck played a significant role!

The only thing Li Changshou felt fortunate about was that although his Master was not very strong, to be precise, not strong at all, he at least had some background in the Human Sect.

—Although Li Changshou seriously doubted that the true founder of the Immortal Gate might have been just a named disciple of the Immortal Duren.

The only thing Li Changshou could think of about the Western Kunlun Immortal Duren was that this immortal had trained a disciple who became one of the two generals in the Battle of the Gods; other than that, it was just some vague rumors.

Eighty percent of the time, Immortal Duren was also a named disciple of the Great Sage Taqing, with a very low ranking among the immortals...

Speaking of himself.

No background, no magical abilities, no luck, how could he make a name for himself in this era?

What a joke, just surviving would be good enough.

So, from that year on, Li Changshou set his goal as [surviving], living as long as possible, trying to avoid all kinds of calamities, and living a stable life in this second chance at life.

Becoming famous and achieving greatness were completely out of the question.

No matter how hard he cultivated, could he compete with the leaders of the three sects?

No matter how desperately he sought opportunities, could he match those so-called children of destiny?

The next great calamity was the Battle of the Gods, and the further he stayed from it, the better. Instead of becoming a heavenly immortal in the Heavenly Court, it would be better to cultivate quickly and join the Heavenly Court when it was declining, becoming an elder...

A civil servant in the Ancient Chaos?

This could be an option.

Even if he couldn’t achieve immortality, as long as he lived a stable life and fulfilled his natural lifespan, it would be worth this second chance at life!

So, from that day on, Li Changshou’s ultimate goal was—

To live until old age!

To achieve this goal, he...

"Senior Brother?"

"Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother, why are you sleeping here? The main peak is gathering, we’ll be late if we don’t go now!"

A pleasant voice called out, and Li Changshou stopped his wandering thoughts, slowly opening his eyes.

What he saw was a delicate young girl’s face, with bright eyes, willow-like eyebrows, a delicate nose, cute ears, and thin, pink lips. These already outstanding features were perfectly combined on her oval face, and her slightly furrowed brows and sparkling eyes were full of charm...

"Who are you, beauty?"

"Senior Brother!"

The girl pinched Li Changshou’s nose and gently rubbed it, "You’re sleeping again!"

"Ah, Ling'e, how did you grow up so fast in the blink of an eye!"

Li Changshou laughed, his body floating off the grass and standing straight three feet away.

"I’ve been on the mountain for ten years!"

Ling'e stomped her foot, her lips slightly pouting, looking incredibly adorable.

Not only did she have a beautiful face, but her figure had also fully developed, with slender legs and a slim waist, and her immortal dress perfectly accentuated her alluring curves. Her skin was fair and smooth, and her hair was soft and charming.

Ding—

The bell sound drifted from the clouds, and Ling'e urged, "Senior Brother, hurry up and ride the cloud! We’ll really be late if we don’t go now!"

Li Changshou frowned, "Can’t you fly already?"

Ling'e puffed out her chest and lifted her head, confidently replying, "I can’t fly fast!"

"Alright," Li Changshou seemed somewhat unwilling, summoning a white cloud and jumping on it first.

Ling'e’s eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. She lightly tapped the ground with her pink boots and floated to Li Changshou’s side. Just as she was about to reach out to hold his arm, Li Changshou subtly dodged.

Li Changshou sternly said, "Don’t forget the three rules."

"I know! Senior Brother, you’re so mean! Stingy!"

Ling'e complained, moving a half-step to the side, pouting.

"That’s better. Maintain a three-foot distance in public.

You’re now the rising star of our Immortal Gate, the Ling'e Immortal admired by thousands of male disciples. I don’t want to be cursed to death by them."

Li Changshou stretched, looking back at the direction of the thatched cottage, "Is Master still in seclusion?"

"Yes, Master is in deep seclusion, possibly about to face the heavenly tribulation to become an immortal! Maybe when we return, Master will already be an immortal!"

Ling'e laughed lightly, her eyes filled with anticipation. Then she looked at her senior brother, her face slightly blushing, and she bit her lip, softly saying:

"Senior Brother, you’ve never participated in these group trials before. This time, you came... because... you were worried about me...?"

A large hand suddenly appeared in front of her, followed by Li Changshou’s ‘indifferent’ face and a quick, clear response:

"No.

Please allow me to decline.

You are a good girl.

I’ve always treated you like a younger sister."

"Hmph, I didn’t say anything! Annoying! I’m not talking to you!"

Ling'e’s forehead was full of black lines, her lips puffed into a small meatball, and she turned her back to her senior brother, her fists clenching and unclenching.

Li Changshou smiled calmly, gazing at the white clouds in the sky, calculating the time and angle for him and his junior sister to enter the gathering place.

But the calculation was in vain. With a dazzling junior sister by his side, trying to lower his presence...

It’s getting harder and harder.