Chapter 2

Until this moment, Peng Wanli couldn't figure out one thing: even in a completely unfamiliar world, with his power diminished, he still retained the strength of a True Lord. There was no way he could be injured by those brutish villagers, let alone be beaten to the brink of death. Even if he stood still and let them slash at him with knives for a hundred days, not a single hair on his body would be harmed. But the reality was... he was beaten to a pulp by these villagers with their bone clubs, and he was about to die... How could he accept such an unjust fate?

However, when he saw the pile of items the young boy pointed to, he felt as if he had been struck by five thunderbolts. In one corner of the earthen cave, there was a broken lamp, half a tattered robe, and a red banner. This red banner, though seemingly ordinary at first glance, gave off a faint but vast aura of immortality that only cultivators could sense. And he recognized this banner.

"This is... the Red Immortal Banner of Sea Calming! Young thief, how dare you..."

The Red Immortal Banner of Sea Calming was a shocking treasure of the Dongzhu Sect, said to possess boundless divine powers. In the past, the powerless old ancestor unfurled the banner to envelop the stars and swallow the sun and moon, suppressing a vast expanse of a million miles with infinite Dao might. Later, the old ancestor ascended to immortality under the three moons and left the world, and the banner was never seen again. Who would have thought it would end up in a different world, decayed and broken, discarded in a corner, gathering dust...

"...Nine Heavens Lotus Lamp, Red Refining Sun Immortal Robe... Two Instruments Immortal Binding Rope... Four Symbols Tribulation Tower... These, these are all the immortal artifacts used by Dao Lords... no, True Immortals. Why..."

"Look at you, so surprised. Are these things really that impressive?" The young boy picked his nose and sneered. "They were all left behind by people who came here before you. Should you call them seniors? They, like you, came here with great pomp and circumstance, but were quickly subdued. When they died, they always said that if they had just half a day more to recover, they would massacre the village and kill everyone... Seriously, if they said that, could they be given half a day? Of course not, they were killed. One of them was quite strong, and after he died, his bones became very large. The villagers picked them up to hunt, and they worked better than bows and arrows. It was probably one of these bones that smashed your head... I kept one, it's over there, holding down some paper..."

"...Daoist Huigen!"

Peng Wanli's vision went black, and he almost fainted. On a pile of books in the corner, a piece of white bone was pressed down. Though it was dry and colorless, it still emitted a faint immortal aura, clearly the remains of a True Immortal. Even without refinement, it was more powerful than many treasures of the Heavenly Venerable level, containing the great Dao principles that a True Immortal had comprehended in life. Wielding it felt like holding the Dao itself, especially effective in suppressing cultivators. If it were in his original world, it would be a supreme treasure that everyone would fight over.

A mere True Lord, under the overwhelming Dao might of a True Immortal, was nothing. No wonder his magic was ineffective, and a single blow from a bone club left his body in ruins. All his invincible defenses were shattered... But, a True Immortal, transcending the mundane, revered as a Dao ancestor, the pinnacle of a cultivator's path, instead of ascending to immortality and becoming an eternal existence, ended up buried in a foreign world, his body incomplete, his bones... used in such a humiliating way...

The path of immortality was arduous. Who among those who achieved success on this path had not poured their hearts and souls, spared no effort, and given up countless things they cherished? After enduring endless hardships and paying the price of most of their lives, the final outcome... was this?

Thinking of his life and all he had given, Peng Wanli almost spat out a mouthful of blood in anger. A lifetime of cultivation was not for such an end. Looking at those who came before him, the "seniors"... even before they became True Immortals, they were supreme figures who dominated their eras. If they had known their fate, would they have ascended? Would they have insisted on... cultivating immortality?

Regardless of these thoughts, the fact was that he was about to follow in their footsteps. A thousand years of cultivation, all for naught. Perhaps this was fate, perhaps it was the cruel mockery of the Heavenly Dao, but was he willing to accept it? To challenge this absurd world and ensure his Dao was not lost, perhaps he should...

Numerous thoughts flooded his mind, and Peng Wanli suddenly realized the young boy was still staring at him. "Youngster, what are you looking at?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just wondering if you have anything to say or anything to give me." The young boy picked his nose and said, "I'm responsible for burying the dead, especially those from other places. If you have any last words, I'll help you record them, leaving something behind in this world."

"You're right. I have a cultivation technique I want to pass on to you, in gratitude for your burial. Remember..."

"Sure, sure, you people from other places are always like this. You come here fearless, charging around, but when you're about to die, you start thinking about leaving something behind. I'm really tired of you all..."

"This technique is extremely powerful, but it is a path of killing, with a heavy aura of malevolence. You need to be careful..."

The technique he was about to pass on was the Blood Shadow Evil Technique of the Demon Sect. He had obtained it unexpectedly from the pocket of a demon he killed in his early years, amazed by its wondrous and profound content but wary of its bloodthirsty nature. He had sealed it away, and now... it was a good opportunity to pass it on to a "worthy recipient."

"Sure, sure, you people are always like this. You're about to die, and instead of leaving something to benefit the world, you want to leave something that makes people kill for you. I think you people from other places are all crazy."

The young boy frowned, rummaged through a pile of junk at the back, and threw a dirty, tattered book at Peng Wanli. "The person called Daoist Huigen also left something similar. It's pretty much the same as what you said. You can help me choose which one is better. I'll keep the good one and leave the bad one out..."

"...Immortal Phoenix Nirvana Sword!"

Peng Wanli's eyes nearly bulged out. A Dao Lord was indeed a Dao Lord. The secret manual left by Daoist Huigen was the supreme secret of the Phoenix Hidden Divine Palace. The Immortal Phoenix Nirvana Sword had once bloodied the world, and although its practitioner was only a Law Emperor, it made Heavenly Venerables and Dao Lords flee in terror, invincible for a time. Compared to the Blood Shadow Evil Technique, it was like a child's play, not even in the same league. If it weren't for his imminent death, Peng Wanli would have wanted to open the manual immediately and study its shocking secrets.

With such a world-shaking technique in front of him, how could the Blood Shadow Evil Technique even be considered? Realizing his final plot had been seen through, like a child caught in the act, Peng Wanli felt both ashamed and humiliated, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Wow..."

"Hey, don't rush to spit blood. Sigh, there are so many troublesome people from other places, and you immortals are the worst. Even that lunatic who tried to stick iron pieces in my head wasn't as difficult to deal with as you. You start spitting blood after just a few words. Your mental fortitude is so poor, you might as well just die! I rarely get a live one, and I wanted to ask you a few questions!"

"You... what do you want to ask?"

"Well, I just want to know, what are immortals? Are they really that impressive? Why do you all act so arrogant? Among all the people from other places, you are the most arrogant. What do you mean by 'ants'? Do you call people 'sir,' 'miss,' 'master' like that? You're quite polite, then."

Peng Wanli was speechless. He wanted to make the young boy understand that the power of cultivators could move mountains and seas, and compared to them, ordinary people were like ants. But given his current state, saying such things would only bring shame upon himself, making him unworthy.

"You don't want to say? Fine, I'll ask another question. Why do you hate this world so much? Why do you want others to kill for you even when you're about to die? Does killing make you immortal or bring you back to life? Does this world owe you something?"

At this, Peng Wanli had something to say. "You... you don't understand. We have cultivated for nearly ten thousand years, enduring countless hardships, to achieve our current level. We ascended to immortality, only to end up like this! How unjust is the Heavenly Dao? Can I not seek revenge on this unjust world?"

"...Ten thousand years? You've cultivated for ten thousand years and still have such a temper? You get angry at a few words and turn red. No wonder you've been cultivating for so long and still aren't immortals."

"You... this... this..."

Peng Wanli was speechless. As a Heavenly Venerable, he would have crushed the young boy with a single finger in normal circumstances, but now, even if he did, it would only confirm the accusation that "a thousand years of cultivation has not calmed your heart." In a moment of panic, he spat out another mouthful of blood.

"Wow! Spitting blood again? Is it really that serious? I was just asking casually. Do all those who cultivate for ten thousand years act like you? I shouldn't have asked. Actually, you don't have to hate so much. You were unlucky, came to Xiaojiao Village, and were killed by them, but you also killed their people. One life for one life, it's even. You must have killed others before, right? So you're ahead. Why hate?"

Peng Wanli was speechless at first, but this last sentence struck him like a bolt of lightning. It brought up a question he had gradually forgotten since embarking on the path of immortality.

...If others kill me, I feel so miserable and so hateful, then when I kill others, do they feel the same pain and hate?

This thought brought to mind countless enmities and killings he had experienced in his life. To seize immortal treasures, he killed without hesitation; to maintain his immortal dignity, he crushed people like ants. If he counted the number of lives he had taken, the blood on his hands would number in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. When he was in his prime, they were ants, but now that he was crippled and about to die, he realized there was no difference... Immortals, immortals, were they not also human?

To reach the pinnacle of the path of immortality, he had climbed over countless corpses of his peers, his feet drenched in blood. And those who could be revered as Dao ancestors, had they not all done the same? Although the Dao Sect did not have the concept of karma and retribution like Buddhism, all paths ultimately led to the same end. Thinking of the killing karma he had accumulated in his life, the faces of the ants he had killed, Peng Wanli suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, and boundless regret flooded his heart.

...If the Heavenly Dao has a spirit, how could someone who tramples on their peers and defies the Dao become an immortal? What right do I have to become an immortal? Being sent here and meeting this fate is indeed the just retribution, and I am not wronged...

In an instant, all resentment vanished. Peng Wanli struggled to prop himself up and nodded in gratitude to the young boy.

"...A lifetime of foolishness, but at the end, I am fortunate to be enlightened by a young friend. This is enough to comfort my life... Thank you."

The page turns, and the advertisement begins.

The page turns, and the advertisement ends.