Everlasting

 

Hearing the chubby old man’s words, Chen Feng, Ye Ziming and Lu Ta immediately turned quiet. It was the truth. Cultivators would spend their whole lives in pursuit of reaching immortality and eternal longevity. Those who rely purely on hard work, unfavoured with immortal serendipity, would most likely end with a spent lifespan before eventually turning to ash. At that very moment, however, an opportunity had been laid out before their very eyes. Even knowing that death was all that awaited them, some had still charged forward to fight for immortality.

“Master, did you come here with the intention of entering?” asked Chen Feng after pondering it for a moment.

“No rush. Charging forward right now is useless. There is a need to wait for the great sects to arrive first.” A smile appeared on the chubby old man’s face.

“Right, master! You mentioned that I can cultivate up to the Sky Human stage in the shortest time possible. Just how long is this ‘shortest time possible’?” Chen Feng began feeling used to calling the old man ‘master’. For Chen Feng, the word ‘master’ was just the way he addressed the chubby old man. If the chubby old man can give him some benefits, he did not mind calling him that a couple times.

“Given your talent, it should not be an issue to reach that stage within 500 years,” said the chubby old man coolly.

“FIVE HUNDRED YEARS?!” Hearing those words, Chen Feng nearly fell on his butt.

“You call that short? I say, old man, are you messing around with me?” Chen Feng stopped addressing him as master.

“Mm, what do you know, kid? Some cannot reach the Sky Human stage even after having cultivated for 1,000 years. With their life span exhausted, they end up reduced to ashes,” said the chubby old man. 

“Elder, if I may? How much lifespan does a Concealed stage cultivator possess?” Ye Ziming suddenly asked.

“Kid, you are quite the smart fellow. From what I can see, you are even smarter compared to this one. Don’t think that you have a lot of time to squander just because you have cultivated up to the Concealed stage. That is not the case. We humans have a very short lifespan. If you fail to reach the Sky Human stage, you will end up expending your lifespan after 1,000 years. Naturally, that 1,000 years of lifespan is contingent upon you successfully cultivating up to level 9 of the Concealed stage. If you cannot advance beyond level 1 of the Concealed stage, you will age and die after going over 100 years. You will only be slightly stronger compared to ordinary humans,” said the chubby old man as he shook his head.

“What? There is such an issue? In other words, for every level we gain within the Concealed stage, we increase our lifespan by 100 years. If we fail, our lifespan will be exhausted and we will die?” asked Chen Feng in shock.

“That is the general gist of it. Naturally, it will also depend on the cultivator’s cultivation base, cultivation techniques, the medicinal pills taken and the magic treasures integrated into his or her body. All of that can have some effects on the cultivator’s lifespan, but the effects will not be too big. Unless of course, if they swallow an immortal pill or fuse with an Immortal artefact. If they do that, they can attain longevity. However, such opportunities only exist in the dreamworld,” said the chubby old man with a smile.

What a surprise! I did not know anything about that at all. It seems I am still too uninformed about matters regarding cultivation. When Tower wakes up, I will need to ask him properly. However, according to Tower, the Longevity Tower is an existence surpassing Immortal artefacts. I wonder, after I integrate with it, can I attain eternal longevity? However, it seems Tower’s words are not too reliable. Chen Feng’s mind began wandering.

“To be able to cultivate up to the Concealed stage at such a young age, the three of you can be considered as geniuses. However, the cultivation path ahead is extremely difficult. The difficulties you face after breaking through each level will increase ten times, or perhaps tens of times. When you successfully cultivate up to level 9 of the Concealed stage, you will understand just how difficult it is. Right now, you may think that you have plenty of time. However, after breaking through a few more levels, you will understand the difficulties involved. The stage known as Sky Human stage is especially so. Who knows just how many cultivators in our Eternal World have had their cultivation path stopped by this stage? All right, telling you all so much about it is useless. Giving it your all for cultivation is the right way. Naturally, if you are afraid, you can just go to the mundane world to become a plutocrat there,” said the chubby old man passionately.

“All right, I have said enough for today. If you fellows want to achieve something, perseverance alone is sometimes not enough. Just think about it.”

“Experts have finally come. If you fellows don’t want to try making contact with immortal serendipity, hurry up and leave. Run as far as you can. Don’t stay within these muddy waters.” After saying that, the chubby old man gently took a step forward and his figure flashed tens of metres forward. He continued, every step taking him tens of steps forward until he was soon only a black dot on the horizon.

“Old man, hold up! Didn’t you say you are going to recommend an immortal dao sect for me?” seeing the chubby old man rushing towards Driftcloud Immortal Mountain, Chen Feng reflexively shouted.

“Extreme Celestial Sect. You can go practice cultivation under Extreme Celestial Sect. They have an outstanding immortal scripture known as Everlasting Celestial Formula. After practicing the formula, you can comprehend the great daos and become Immortal Human, henceforth attaining undying eternity.” By then, the chubby old man had already disappeared from their sights. And yet, his voice continued ringing clearly beside Chen Feng’s ears.

Extreme Celestial Sect, Everlasting Celestial Formula. Isn’t that one of the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects of the Northern Plains? A shocked Chen Feng thought to himself.

What is the old man’s relationship with Extreme Celestial Sect? Could he be a cultivator from the sect? If he is, joining this Extreme Celestial Sect to practice cultivation there will be a decent choice. Chen Feng pondered silently on his future.

“What do we do now?” asked Lu Ta.

“It is getting too chaotic here. The elder has already informed us how dangerous this immortal mountain is earlier. I suggest observing the situation first. Leaving just like this doesn’t sit right with me,” said Ye Ziming after pondering the situation for a bit.

“That is right. Watching what happens next is also good. The old man mentioned earlier that experts have come. I believe the cultivators from the immortal dao sects must have arrived. As it so happens, I want to experience the power of the immortal dao sects,” said Chen Feng with a smile.

“Look! What is that thing?” A distant Concealed stage cultivator suddenly shouted while pointing into the distance.

A flying-type magic treasure, the size of a small mountain, broke through space as it flew forward to appear before their eyes. The flying-type magic treasure was shaped like a shuttle and its body was sleek and long. Who knows what materials were used to forge it? Its body glowed with a silvery white lustre.

As Chen Feng and the others were observing it, the flying magic treasure flew past their heads. Although it was only an instant, the magic treasure covered the sky and blocked the sun. Like the dark clouds covering the top, it exerted a formidable pressure down on them.

“Is that a flying-type Magic artefact?” asked Chen Feng, a look of shock on his face.

“It is too big! It is like a small mountain!”

“That is the Shadowless Skysoar Earthslip Shuttle. There is a crest on it. The cultivators from Jade Talisman Sect have come.” Someone nearby recognized the flying magic treasure.

“The Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects have finally come. Just look at their magnificent presence. Their strength is truly deep. Though, I wonder what artefact tier is that magic treasure at?” whispered Chen Feng.

“It is said that this magic treasure can jump through space and cover a distance of tens of thousands of li in a day. It possesses extraordinary defence and can be used to fight off enemies. It contains various magic arrays and a separate inner dimension. However, I do not know what artefact tier this magic treasure from Jade Talisman Sect is at,” said Ye Ziming (1 li = 0.5 km). 

“I have seen this Shadowless Skysoar Earthslip Shuttle once before. I think it is a top-grade Prized artefact,” the cultivator from earlier spoke up again.

“Top-grade Prized artefact. That is a very powerful magic treasure. However, can it break open the immortal mountain up front?” someone else asked.

Hearing their conversation, Chen Feng secretly smiled. The chubby old man had already informed them earlier about the immortal mountain’s background. Forget a top-grade Prized artefact. Even the ones at a higher artefact tier, the Sacred artefact or even the Dao artefact would be incapable of breaking this immortal mountain. In the past, the Blackwater Order’s Immortal artefact was broken in its attempt to break this immortal mountain.

“Since Jade Talisman Sect’s cultivators are here, I believe the cultivators from Sword Hall should be coming as well, no?” said Chen Feng with a hushed tone, a smile on his face.

The subordinate sect of these two sects had been the ones to discover this immortal mountain first.

“They are already here,” said Ye Ziming with a smile as he peered into the distance.

Suddenly, Chen Feng felt waves of sword energy approaching from afar. Mercilessly cold, outspoken, overbearing, invincible, overwhelming, concealed. Various type of aura spread out to shock their hearts.

Turning his head to look, Chen Feng saw that sword beams were swiftly increasing in size as they approached. In the middle of each sword beam was a cold-looking cultivator. Everyone of them flew forward with a prideful expression. It was as though there were none in the world who could defeat them. Those were pure sword cultivators. Their hearts were free of distractions and they focused solely on cultivating the sword.

There is a total of 18 people. I am unable to see the state of cultivation of even a single one. The aura from every single one is as deep as the sea, unfathomable. Chen Feng thought to himself. At the same time, he knew that such a thing could only exist due to the fact that the level of their cultivation bases were far higher than his. 

“Could they all be cultivators at the Sky Human stage?” A thought suddenly emerged from within Chen Feng’s mind.

“Brother Chen, unless absolutely necessary, do not provoke those from Sword Hall. They are all mad men. They focus purely on sword cultivation without a care for pleasure. They blindly pursue bitter cultivation and possess a tough mindset. Amongst the Ten Great Immortal Dao Sects of the Northern Plains, they are the strongest. However, compared to some others, they are quite open in their actions,” said Ye Ziming.

Bang!

A loud, thunder-like, booming sound rang out from the Driftcloud Immortal Mountain. It did not take long for Chen Feng to feel a violent ripple of energy spreading towards them all. It was like tens of hurricanes added together, much more powerful compared to the vile astral winds.

“Jade Talisman Sect has begun attacking Driftcloud Immortal Mountain. We have got a good show going now,” said Lu Ta with a cackle.

The gigantic Shadowless Skysoar Earthslip Shuttle was floating not far from the Driftcloud Immortal Mountain. The magic arrays within it ran and a beam of light – tens of zhang thick – shot out to bombard the Driftcloud Immortal Mountain (1 zhang = 3.333 m).

The top-grade Prized artefact contained countless magic arrays within it. By operating the magic arrays, it could generate enough power to move mountains and fill seas. Not to mention, there were also tens of powerful cultivators there to channel their magic powers into it. And yet, after the beam of light struck the Driftcloud Immortal Mountain, it became like a small stone hurled into a pond. It was incapable of doing anything else but create minor ripples.

Even so, Jade Talisman Sect continued to attack the Driftcloud Immortal Mountain. Every time they bombarded the mountain, the immortal mountain’s Driftcloud Immortal Light would counter attack fiercely. However, the Shadowless Skysoar Earthslip Shuttle would disappear and re-appear to dodge most of the attacks from the Driftcloud Immortal Light.

“Magic treasures containing the power of space is powerful indeed. It could actually dodge the counter attacks from the Driftcloud Immortal Light.” Tens of thousands of metres up in the sky, two purple-clothed figures were chatting with one another.

The two figures floated calmly in the sky. The surrounding astral winds, the wandering streams of energy and even the rays of light coming from the sun above would all disappear upon contact with these two figures. It was as though the two of them were bottomless pits, absorbing everything around them.

“That simply means no one is controlling the immortal light. Rather, the fellows from Jade Talisman Sect could not truly trigger the true power of the Driftcloud Immortal Light. According to legends, the Driftcloud Immortal Light is capable of even trapping Immortal Humans.” One of the purple-clothed figures snickered. Purple-coloured light gleamed within his eyes.