We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real?

Chapter 565: Today, My Answer Is Still the Same

Seeking Immortality Mountain.

Xiao Mo followed behind Gui Junmeng, climbing step by step along the winding stone stairs until they finally arrived before an ancient, plain Daoist temple at the mountain summit.

He raised his head and saw the three large characters written above the lintel: Seeking Immortality Temple.

From those three simple words alone, Xiao Mo could feel a dense resonance of the Way.

Crossing the threshold and entering the temple, Xiao Mo saw disciples of the Daoist temple coming and going.

Some practiced sword techniques in the courtyard, while others bent over stone tables, focused on drawing talismans.

Villagers from the nearby settlements often came to the temple as well to offer incense and draw fortune lots, and the Daoists of Seeking Immortality Temple patiently answered their questions.

The entire Daoist temple was just like Sikong Temple, peaceful and tranquil.

When the Daoists of Seeking Immortality Temple saw Xiao Mo, they all cast curious looks his way.

They were curious why a bald monk had come to their Daoist temple.

What made them even more curious was that their always cold and detached First Disciple, Gui Junmeng, was actually walking so closely with a man.

Their arms even brushed lightly against each other from time to time.

In their eyes, this was a first.

Because Daoist Yunxi had gone out on business and had not yet returned, the temple’s affairs had temporarily been handed to one of her junior sisters to manage.

And so, Gui Junmeng first brought Xiao Mo to pay respects to that junior sister.

This junior sister’s Daoist name was Yunmeng. She appeared to be in her early forties, yet her true age was no lower than Daoist Yunxi’s, and her realm was the Immortal Realm.

After seeing Xiao Mo, Daoist Yunmeng did not ask many questions. She only gave him a flat once-over.

After they went through a simple procedure, Xiao Mo officially became a disciple of Seeking Immortality Temple.

As though she knew the relationship between Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng, the newly admitted Xiao Mo was not made to live with the other male Daoists. Instead, Yunmeng arranged for him to live in the courtyard next to Gui Junmeng’s.

The two courtyards were separated only by a low wall. Once the windows were pushed open, they could see each other’s eaves.

Near noon, when Xiao Mo followed Gui Junmeng to his residence, a woman in Daoist robes was already waiting there.

When she saw Xiao Mo approaching, a flash of joy she could not conceal passed through the woman’s eyes. She hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully bowed.

“Liu Shui of Seeking Immortality Temple greets Young Master.”

“Greetings, Miss.”

Xiao Mo returned the bow, his expression calm, as if he knew nothing.

But in his heart, Xiao Mo could not help feeling somewhat emotional.

After several decades apart, he had never expected Sister Liu Shui to have already reached the perfected Golden Core Realm.

From this, it could be seen that Sister Liu Shui must have obtained some tremendous opportunity over these years.

Otherwise, even the direct disciples of some great sects might not necessarily possess such astonishing cultivation speed.

Unfortunately, Sister Liu Shui’s talent was ultimately limited.

If she wanted to attempt the Nascent Soul Realm afterward, it likely would not be so simple.

“Xiao Mo, this Sister Liu Shui lives next door to us.” Gui Junmeng turned slightly and introduced her to Xiao Mo. “If you need anything in the future, you can look for me, and you can also come to Sister Liu Shui at any time.”

Xiao Mo nodded, then bowed to Liu Shui again, his tone polite.

“In that case, I will have to trouble Miss Liu in the future.”

“Young Master, why be so distant?”

The eyes Liu Shui used to look at Xiao Mo were filled with softness and joy she could not hide.

“Several decades ago, if Young Master had not saved me, I fear I would have died at the hands of the demons long ago. How could I have lived until today? And how could I have set foot on the path of cultivation?”

Xiao Mo shook his head and smiled faintly, his tone peaceful yet carrying a deliberately maintained distance.

“What Miss speaks of should be a matter from my previous life. My previous life has already ended. In this life, Miss and I are only ordinary fellow disciples and friends. How can there still be any talk of kindness from the past?”

“For Young Master, perhaps that is so. But for me, Young Master’s kindness has always remained!”

Unable to restrain her emotions, Liu Shui took a step forward, her voice filled with stubbornness and sincerity.

“For these several decades, Liu Shui has never once forgotten Young Master’s kindness. Today, Young Master has come to Seeking Immortality Temple, and I am able to reunite with Young Master again. This is Heaven’s will. If Young Master does not disdain me, I am willing to become Young Master’s servant girl and attend at Young Master’s side day and night, to repay the life-saving grace of that year.”

The moment Liu Shui finished speaking, Gui Junmeng, who stood at the side, blinked and looked at Xiao Mo, then looked at Liu Shui.

No one knew what those alluring yet clear fox eyes were thinking.

“Miss does not need to go this far,” Xiao Mo gently declined. “This humble monk has only just entered the temple. By rights, Sister Liu Shui is my senior sister. How could I dare use so-called kindness from a previous life to make my senior sister serve me?”

Hearing Xiao Mo’s rejection, Liu Shui could not help lowering her lovely head slightly. A trace of disappointment seemed to flash through her eyes.

“I understand...”

A moment later, Liu Shui raised her head and looked at Xiao Mo, trying hard to squeeze out a smile.

“But no matter what, I will always remember Young Master’s kindness in my heart. In the future, if Young Master needs anything, please do not be polite with me.”

“All right.”

Xiao Mo smiled and nodded.

After Xiao Mo exchanged a few more pleasantries with Liu Shui, Liu Shui, as one of Seeking Immortality Temple’s stewards, took her leave first to handle important matters within the temple.

Xiao Mo entered his room.

The furnishings inside had already been arranged perfectly. The tabletop had been wiped spotless, bright and clean as a mirror.

Even the bedding was folded neatly, giving off a plain, fresh air.

“After Sister Liu Shui learned I was bringing you back, she carefully cleaned this room every day.” Gui Junmeng looked at Xiao Mo and slowly spoke. “Every single thing in this room, every corner, was arranged by Sister Liu Shui with her own hands. You can see that Sister Liu Shui really likes you.”

“What Senior Sister Liu likes is only the me from my previous life.”

Xiao Mo shook his head.

“But no matter how many times a person reincarnates, no matter how many times the physical body is remade, the soul never changes.”

Gui Junmeng walked up to Xiao Mo. She was so close that Xiao Mo could almost feel the slight rise and fall of her chest, as if in the next instant, she would touch him.

Her gaze was clear and certain.

“Whether it is me, Sister Liu Shui, or Jingci, in our eyes, you are you. No matter how many lives pass, you will not change.”

Inside the room, their eyes met. For a time, neither of them spoke again, and an indescribable quiet filled the air.

Just as Xiao Mo was about to say something, a soft cough suddenly came from the courtyard.

“Cough, cough... If the two of you are going to gaze at each other so tenderly, you really ought to close the door first.”

Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng both turned their heads.

They saw a woman draped in Daoist robes, ethereal and dignified, standing outside the door. The corners of her mouth held a faint smile as she quietly watched the two of them.

“Master.”

Gui Junmeng’s cheeks flushed faintly, and she hurriedly bowed respectfully to her master.

“Greetings, Temple Master.”

Xiao Mo also bowed.

“Greetings, Young Master Xiao.”

Daoist Yunxi inclined her head slightly and returned the bow. Then she turned to her disciple and said softly, “Junmeng, there are some things I would like to discuss with Young Master Xiao alone. Is that all right?”

“Yes, Master.”

Gui Junmeng straightened, turned her face to look at Xiao Mo beside her, and said gently, “I’ll come find you later.”

Xiao Mo nodded and watched Gui Junmeng turn to leave, her slender back gradually disappearing around the corner of the courtyard.

“I wonder whether Young Master Xiao knows about the matter between Junmeng and Jingci?”

In the courtyard, Xiao Mo and Daoist Yunxi sat facing each other, and Daoist Yunxi opened with a question.

“Along the way, Miss Gui told me many things about my previous life.”

Xiao Mo nodded, then continued.

“Miss Gui told me that she and Jingci were actually one and the same. Only, their bloodline split apart, and the Great Dao split in two. I need to cultivate Great Dream of Yellow Millet, then dual practice with her, and the two of them can ascend the Great Dao together.”

“Miss Gui also told me that if Jingci cannot testify to the Way and ascend within a thousand years, she will likewise meet her tribulation and have her soul scattered.”

“Even so, Xiao Mo, you still came to Seeking Immortality Temple?” Daoist Yunxi looked at Xiao Mo, her tone carrying a few notes of inquiry. “In your heart, between Junmeng and Jingci, who is more important? Are you truly willing to let go of Jingci and dual practice with Junmeng?”

After hearing Daoist Yunxi’s question, Xiao Mo turned his head, looked straight into her eyes, and spoke with a calm and serious expression.

“May I ask Daoist Yunxi, several decades ago, did you once ask me the same question?”

“I did,” Daoist Yunxi nodded.

“Then may I ask, Daoist, how did I answer at the time?” Xiao Mo asked.

“At the time, you said—whether it was Junmeng or Jingci, you would not let either of them die.”

Daoist Yunxi repeated it, each word as clear as if it had been spoken yesterday.

Xiao Mo smiled softly. There was a certain openness in that smile.

“Today, my answer is still the same.”

...

The demon-race world, Autumn Water City.

Over these years, under Seeking Immortality Temple’s mediation, the humans had gradually abandoned their internal conflicts and begun resisting the demons.

The strength of the human forces grew day by day, their momentum swelling, making the demons feel a threat unlike any they had ever felt before.

The demons knew that if they continued fighting among themselves like this, all demons would sooner or later be reduced to the humans’ slaves.

And so, the Tushan Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox clan stepped forward.

As the alliance leader of the Myriad Demon Alliance, and as the strongest force in the demon-race world, Tushan was like Seeking Immortality Temple within the human race. It integrated the various major demon forces and concentrated their strength to jointly resist the humans.

Thus, under Tushan’s leadership, the “Myriad Demon Alliance” disappeared. Replacing it, an enormous “Demon Alliance” came into being.

Like the imperial family of the demon-race world, Tushan studied the enfeoffment systems of certain dynasties in the Ten Thousand Arts world, joining with the various major demon forces to suppress disobedient sects.

As for demon cultivators who established military merit, Tushan would grant them fiefs.

To date, this Demon Alliance had divided itself into three battlefronts, splitting its forces into three routes to confront the humans.

Among them, Autumn Water City was a key front-line city on one of the three battlefronts.

As a fortified city guarding a crucial pass at the very front line, many sect masters and rulers from demon sects and kingdoms had gathered here to discuss major plans.

And the nominal supreme commander of this army was the Tushan holy daughter—Tushan Jingci.

The others did not actually have much objection to this holy daughter serving as commander.

After all, she was the future clan leader of Tushan, and she had displayed astonishing talent.

Barring the unexpected, it would be easy for her to step into the Ascension Realm in the future.

That was not even mentioning that Tushan Meng stood behind her, and her grandfather was Gui Ning.

Only, Tushan Jingci had never had much interest in charging into battle against the humans. Forget killing human cultivators; over these past few years, she had very rarely even come to the front line herself.

But regarding this, most demon sect masters and rulers could actually understand. After all, rumors had long said that the person she loved in the past was human, so naturally, she held some closeness toward the human race.

Furthermore, they did not want Tushan Jingci interfering too much in the affairs of this army either.

Therefore, at present, this army in Autumn Water City was actually under the command and coordination of Song Lin, ruler of Hidden Abyss Kingdom.

However, today, while Song Lin and the other military commanders were discussing strategy in the residence and planning to attack a certain human town, a woman walked into the City Lord’s Residence.

Her hands were folded before her. Beneath her skirt, her long legs moved with unhurried composure, step by step.

“Greetings, Holy Daughter.”

After everyone saw Tushan Jingci, they all bowed respectfully, not daring to show the slightest neglect.

But they could not help feeling curious in their hearts as well.

Why had this holy daughter, who had not come even once in several years, suddenly appeared today?

Tushan Jingci did not look at any of them. She walked straight toward the main seat in the great hall.

When Tushan Jingci brushed past them, the hearts of these commanders tightened.

They felt an extremely terrifying chill.

As if with a single thought from her, their heads would fall to the ground.

The woman walked to the very front, turned, and took her seat. Her fox eyes swept over everyone present.

“What plans does Autumn Water City’s demon army currently have?”

Tushan Jingci spoke coldly, her voice clear and icy as frost.

“Reporting to Holy Daughter.”

Song Lin, ruler of Hidden Abyss Kingdom, stepped forward and bowed to Tushan Jingci.

“Some commanders feel attacking the humans’ Hidden Shadow City would be a good choice. But I believe that if we take the humans’ Martial God Sect, we can control the enemy’s right flank. We can advance to attack and retreat to defend. The risk is merely somewhat greater. We are still discussing it.”

In Song Lin’s view, perhaps the holy daughter had merely come to ask about the situation and go through the motions, so she could return and report to Tushan Meng.

But he never expected Tushan Jingci’s next sentence to make Song Lin abruptly raise his head.

“There is no need to discuss it.”

Tushan Jingci shook her head, her tone brooking no refusal.

“Pass down my military order. Tomorrow, the army marches toward Seeking Immortality Temple!”

“This... Holy Daughter, Seeking Immortality Temple is no small matter. Furthermore, it occupies a dangerous strategic position. If we advance now, I fear...”

“Shut up!”

Tushan Jingci cut him off without the slightest courtesy.

A majestic pressure instantly filled the entire great hall.

Cold sweat broke out on everyone’s foreheads, and none of them dared meet her eyes.

“How is this possible?”

Everyone’s hearts were shaken, their expressions filled with disbelief.

As far as they knew, this holy daughter of Tushan had only just reached the Jade Pith Realm ten years ago.

But now... this was clearly the pressure of the Immortal Realm!

What exactly had this Tushan holy daughter experienced?

In a short span of ten years, how could she possibly have stepped into the Immortal Realm?!

“I said!”

Tushan Jingci’s voice was filled with killing intent.

“Flatten! Seeking Immortality Temple!”