Immortal Paladin

May the dead find peace beyond this life.

May they find redemption on the other side.

And may whatever awaits them be kinder than the lives they lived.

Amen.

I let out a slow breath as I internally whispered my silent prayer.

Why pray?

For some, it was a way to seek strength.

For others, a way to seek forgiveness.

And for probably a lot of people, it was just a way to look for answers.

Me?

I didn’t really know.

To save my soul? Nah. Too soon.

To ease my conscience? …Dunno.

As far as I was concerned, my conscience was clean.

Or maybe I just felt pity.

I kind of wished they had better endings.

When I first came to this world, survival had been my highest priority. Nothing else mattered but making it to the next day. I tried to make smart choices, but no amount of wisdom stats would cure what the heart wanted, wouldn’t it?

That was how I came to doing Paladin-stuff—helping people, fighting the bad guys, standing up for whatever justice I could believe in.

I was never in it because I thought I was a hero. Not because I had some grand destiny. I was not that delusional. Some people just do stuff, because they could. I didn’t have any noble ideals. I just didn’t like feeling shitty when it came to it.

Simply put, I couldn’t bear to do nothing when I could do something.

So… why didn’t I bother using my skills or items to bring those bandits back?

It wasn’t about justice, morality, or being smart.  It was human selfishness at its finest. I’m not perfect. I’m fully aware of it. Sometimes, I’m inconsistent. Other times, I’m just spontaneously naive. And other times, I could be selfish.

I had people I cared about now.

I wouldn’t use them as an excuse for what I did. The murders I caused were on me.

But still—

It was for my sake that I chose to be selfish. That was the point.

The warp finished.

The Floating Dragon emerged from the twisting void of space, stabilizing as the world settled back into focus. Beneath us stretched a vast, foggy lake.

I turned to Ren Xun, arms crossed, and asked, “What’s going to happen to the bandits?”

His expression was neutral as he recounted. “I found some of their wanted posters back in the city. Their leader?” He exhaled through his nose. “Probably a death sentence. He had a long list of crimes under his name.”

That wasn’t surprising.

“And the others?”

“Labor camps, most likely.” He shrugged. “They weren’t innocent, but they weren’t worth executing either. The law will decide the rest.”

I frowned slightly. “Were they connected to any Abyssal Clans?”

Ren Xun shook his head. “If they were, that’s the Black Clan’s business. They’re the ones in charge of law enforcement on Deepmoor Continent.”

I considered that for a moment before shrugging. “Guess that’s out of our hands, then.”

Justice, punishment—whatever happened next, it wasn’t my concern.

Dave, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up. “Are you fine, My Lord?”

I frowned at him. “…What are you up to?”

His tone had been careful—too careful.

Dave tilted his head slightly, unreadable behind that featureless Puppet Armor. “I am simply asking.”

I sighed. “I’m fine.”

If he had anything else to say, he didn’t push it.

Meanwhile, Gu Jie gently placed the aquarium by the mast, the water inside shifting as Ren Jingyi swam in slow, lazy circles. The fish blinked at me.

On the starboard side, Hei Mao and Lu Gao leaned over the railing, staring out at the foggy lake ahead. The mist stretched endlessly across the water, shifting in slow, eerie swirls.

I turned back to Ren Xun. “Where’s the Shadow Clan? How long will it take to reach them?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he gestured toward the lake.

“We’re here.”

I blinked. “What?”

“This is the place.”

I narrowed my eyes at the thick fog, trying to see past it. Nothing. No structures, no land, no hidden passageways. Just endless mist rolling over the water’s surface.

Ren Xun continued, “There’s a spell formation concealing their territory. Now that I am seeing it firsthand, oh man… this is gonna be a pain in the ass… I’ll need time to decipher it.”

“…How long?”

“Weeks. Maybe months.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That complicated, huh?”

Ren Xun nodded. “It’s not just any formation. The structure is layered, and from what I can already sense, it actively shifts its patterns to prevent unwanted entry.”

I crossed my arms, thinking. Ren Xun was low-key very good with formations, even if he didn’t boast about it.

Admittedly, I didn’t have a good reference for how skilled he truly was. However, the fact that he could analyze formations from a distance and make confident assessments already spoke volumes about his competence.

Still, weeks to months was a long time.

Gu Jie folded her arms and tilted her head. “Master, wouldn’t we waste a lot of time waiting, then?”

I nodded and turned to Ren Xun. “What she said.”

Ren Xun sighed. “It’s not that simple.” He pointed toward the dense fog below us. “Descending blindly would be dangerous. There’s probably a maze hidden within, not to mention all sorts of spells designed to target the mind.”

“And?” I prompted.

“And,” he continued, “there are likely... other things in there.”

I squinted at him. “Other things?”

“Creepy crawlies,” he muttered. 

Now that caught my interest. A maze? Mind-affecting spells? Weird creatures lurking in the fog?

That sounded a whole lot like a dungeon.

And for some reason, that thought made me weirdly excited. The inner PvE player in me was itching to do something. It would be an understatement to say I was bored. I know I’m asking for trouble in looking for some excitement, but maaaan… boredom was a pain in the ass.

Still, there wasn’t much point in going in blindly when I could just cheat.

I focused, extending my Divine Sense outward—and sure enough, I could detect something solid hidden within the fog.

An island, or at least something similar.

If I really wanted to, I could just jump straight onto it.

I shared my thoughts with Ren Xun.

The moment I did, a nervous tic twitched at his brow. “That… would be incredibly rude.”

I frowned. “Since when do I care about being polite?” Sometimes, I just wanted to fuck around and find out… or something.

“Since now,” he said firmly. “These people are hidden for a reason. If you suddenly drop into their territory like some brute, they might take that as an attack. I suggest we wait… They should have detected us by now, however, it will be up to them to welcome us or not.”

Okay. Fair point.

“Also,” he added, “what if there’s a spatial trap? You might end up somewhere very, very bad.”

…Oof.

I winced. That was also a very good point.

Now that I thought about it—yeah. Formations were terrifying.

Gu Jie wandered over to the starboard, peering down into the dense fog. Meanwhile, Lu Gao and Hei Mao had already lost interest in the discussion.

Lu Gao sat cross-legged on the deck, his hands resting on his knees, his breathing steady. Meditating. He was probably squeezing in some extra training, working on the Blessed Weapon spell I had assigned him. Meanwhile, Hei Mao sat by the fish, probably contemplating how he would broach the topic about his family to this people.

Gu Jie, still gazing downward, frowned slightly. “Master… I can feel it.”

I turned to her. “Feel what?”

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she placed a hand over her heart, as if trying to still something within herself. “…Misfortune,” she finally said. “From beneath the fog. It’s thick… like resentment, grudge, and the like.”

Ren Xun sighed. “That’s not surprising.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“That presence could be coming from the spirits of dead Shadow Clan members—those who suffered the punishment of the Grand Emperor.”

“…Or?” I prompted.

“Or,” he continued, “it could be the remnants of challengers who dared to displace the Shadow Clan and failed.”

Ah. That explained a lot.

Ren Xun glanced at the swirling mist below. “The Shadow Clan may be something of an offshoot branch of the Black Clan now, but they were once a major power.” He looked at me seriously. “Don’t underestimate them.”

I leaned against the railing. “So, they’re dangerous?”

“Extremely.”

Ren Xun didn’t usually emphasize things this much. That alone told me how cautious I needed to be.

At that moment, Dave stepped forward. “My Lord, shall I do reconnaissance?”

Considering his constitution and the fact that death was temporary for him, I understood why he was offering. If anyone could handle this without permanent consequences, it was Dave.

Still, I shook my head. “No. It’ll do us better if we’re polite… like Ren Xun said.”

Ren Xun quipped, “For some reason, I feel like you are about to do something… er… wild… Senior…”

“Little Mao?” My gaze landed on Hei Mao, who was trying to act nonchalant. Too nonchalant.

His ears twitched slightly, betraying his feigned indifference.

Seeing me staring at him, Hei Mao sighed and finally took on a more serious expression. “I’ll behave.” He hesitated, then added, “I only wish to know why my family was targeted years ago.”

I nodded. That much, at least, was fair.

We made this trip for him, but that didn’t mean Hei Mao could act so shamelessly he’d do whatever he liked. Hei Mao understood that. If anything, this kid was raised right.

I turned back to Ren Xun. “Is there any decorum that must be followed on how to greet them?”

Ren Xun looked… confused. “…Senior, it should be fine to at least announce your presence.”

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air.

Then, I roared.

”Esteemed members of the Shadow Clan!

”We come as guests, not foes.

”We seek an audience with those who govern these waters.

”May the path be opened to us, that we may speak with courtesy and respect!”

My voice thundered across the lake, carrying my greeting to the Shadow Clan.

It wasn’t just any roar—I had used Lion’s Roar, a sound technique I had read about. It was an entry-level technique, but that didn’t mean it lacked power. Considerably, the power behind my roar was mostly supported by my stats alone. My voice surged outward, a martial technique and a sound technique combined.

The effect was immediate.

The fog shuddered as if startled, momentarily thinning under the force of my voice. Even the lake itself trembled, its surface rippling outward in a wide radius.

But the fog was stubborn.

A few seconds later, it regenerated, closing in again like a living thing.

I exhaled, watching the lake settle. ”Hope they appreciate the effort.”

Gu Jie blinked. ”Master… was that really necessary?”

I shrugged. ”Would you prefer I knocked? Where do I even knock?”

Ren Xun sighed. ”Senior, I don’t think that was knocking. That was more like… kicking the door off its hinges.”

Dave chuckled. ”A grand entrance is befitting of His Lordship.”

I smirked. ”Exactly. Gotta make an impression.”

Lion’s Roar was the closest thing I could find to Battlecry and Warcry from the War Path. I had always envied those abilities in melee classes back in LLO, so when I saw this technique, I thought, why not? Unlike cultivation methods, physical techniques seemed fair game for me as long as my stats could support them. Sound techniques were skirting the territory of non-physical techniques though.

A tense minute passed.

Then, finally, a response.

The lake shook again.

This time, the fog peeled away, parting to reveal a narrow, winding path leading toward an island hidden within.

At the same time, I felt something press against me— it was Qi Speech.

“The impudence!”

I noticed how the pressure behind the Qi Speech was making it difficult for the rest of my party members to breath. Trying to assert dominance, huh? I shrugged the pressure and then cast Bless on the rest of my party members.

It enabled them to withstand the pressure.

A voice resonated through the mist—deep, measured, and brimming with authority.

”Guests of unknown origin, you have called upon the Shadow Clan. The path has been opened. Step forward with respect, or turn back now.”

The words carried an undeniable force, pressing against my chest like an invisible hand testing my strength. It was… ticklish…

But as the last syllable faded, the lingering echoes of my Lion’s Roar still danced across the lake, sending ripples through the water. It was a bit awkward.

There was a moment of silence.

Then, a different, fainter voice muttered in the distance, as if coming from somewhere within the fog.

”...Did they just overpower Elder Yuan’s Qi Speech?”

Another voice, more urgent, ”Shut up! Do you want him to hear you?”

I blinked.

Gu Jie glanced at me, her lips twitching. ”Master… I think you just embarrassed them.”

Ren Xun let out a tired sigh. ”Senior… That was unnecessary.”

Dave, on the other hand, was grinning. ”My Lord, that was very Paladin of you.”

I raised an eyebrow. ”You mean loud?”

”I mean righteous.”

”...Right.”

Even Dave was cracking jokes now. The world must be ending.

Shaking my head, I focused back on the cleared path. The fog had parted, and a dark and foreboding island lay ahead.

I gestured forward. ”Keep sailing.”

Ren Xun lowered the Floating Dragon onto the lake, its bulk settling just by a small wooden bridge that served as a harbor. The vessel barely made a ripple as it touched the water’s surface—a testament to Ren Xun’s control.

Waiting for us by the bridge was a lone old man, dressed in black and purple. His robes were deep in color, lined with faint, intricate patterns that seemed to shift under the dim light. His posture was relaxed, his hands hidden in his sleeves, but I wasn’t fooled—this wasn’t someone to underestimate.

And he wasn’t as alone as he liked to present himself.

With my Divine Sense, I felt multiple presences lurking—some hidden beneath the lake, their qi faint as if they had merged with the water itself, while others skulked in the shadows of the nearby trees, their forms blending unnaturally well into the darkness.

Before I could say anything, Gu Jie stepped forward, her brows furrowed.

”Master, I detect no danger,” she reported, her tone carrying an odd note of doubt.

I turned to her, raising a brow. ”None?”

”None,” she confirmed. ”Not a single ounce of… misfortune. It’s peculiar.”

That was indeed peculiar.

Gu Jie had survived calamities that even made me balk, things that should have turned lesser cultivators to dust. Her instincts and senses were razor-sharp, refined through trials of blood and fire. And yet, she was detecting nothing.

Either the Shadow Clan had perfected their stealth arts to an absurd degree, or they genuinely didn’t see us as threats.

I glanced back at the old man. His eyes were calm, studying us with an unreadable expression.

Then, he cupped his fist in greeting.

”This one is Hei Yuan of the Shadow Clan. May I ask whom I have the honor of welcoming?”

His voice was deep, but it held a certain fluidity, like silk over steel. His cultivation… from what I could sense, he was somewhere between Jiang Zhen and the fragment of the Heavenly Demon—which put him at Sixth or Seventh Realm. Maybe even lower.

I returned the gesture, my own fist meeting my palm.

”I am Da Wei.”