The Old Tropes Are Too Stale, Time for New Tricks — Forging the Immortal Path to Defy Heaven
The Old Tropes Are Too Stale, Time for New Tricks — Forging the Immortal Path to Defy Heaven
From Jiang Chuchu, Gu Changge saw a plan targeting the Mortal One.
The faith of all living beings under heaven toward the Mortal One — that was an enormous source of Fortuity.
And something like faith was, by nature, ethereal and intangible.
Smearing his name sounded like a decent approach, but actually pulling it off was quite unrealistic.
If the plan to replace the Mortal One failed, Gu Changge would consider it then — twisting right and wrong, muddling black and white. That sort of thing had always been his specialty.
“That said, the Mortal One’s achievements aren’t so easily smeared. He’s such a righteous, glorious figure — finding dirt on him wouldn’t be easy. Throughout the long river of history, countless truths have been buried.”
“Yet the Mortal Palace insists on erecting exactly this kind of image, making all living beings under heaven worship and chant his name.”
“It’s not like they expect nothing in return. Perhaps that fellow the Mortal One’s cultivation method is tied to Fortuity and faith.”
After that, Gu Changge left the Internal World and returned to the Illusion Gates.
From Jiang Chuchu, he hadn’t obtained any effective method, but the Heavenly Star Realm only had eight domains.
There was no rush.
If forces of the Mortal Palace really did descend upon this realm, he could consider laying an ambush and finishing them off right here.
Although Jiang Chuchu couldn’t pinpoint the exact location of the Reincarnation of the Mortal One, she could sense the people of the Mortal Palace.
When the time came, Gu Changge had plenty of ways to make her talk.
“Besides that, I should also keep an eye on Yue Mingkong’s whereabouts...”
Gu Changge closed his eyes. The tricks he had planted on Yue Mingkong were coming in handy once again.
Very quickly, he sensed her exact location.
The Water Domain.
It was at least hundreds of millions of li away from the Wonder Domain where he currently resided. Getting there wouldn’t be much trouble.
He simply had no intention of showing himself before Yue Mingkong.
And in the days that followed, terrifying upheaval shook the entire Wonder Domain.
An Exalted Immortal of profound cultivation and unfathomable mystery had descended upon the Illusion Gates — and was even an old acquaintance of the Illusion Gates’ Ancestor from eight hundred thousand years ago.
This news swept through every corner.
For a time, the other three great powers were thrown into anxiety and peril, worried that the Illusion Gates would suddenly strike and unify the entire Wonder Domain.
After all, in a situation like this, anyone would swell with ambition and give birth to wild aspirations.
The Illusion Gates had always been domineering and forceful. Now, with this Exalted Immortal presiding over them, would they really refrain from moving against the other powers?
In everyone’s eyes, it was only a matter of time.
And soon enough, along with a decree issued from the Illusion Gates, the entire Wonder Domain was sent into an uproar.
“The Wonder Domain shall be unified.”
It was a simple, casual statement, personally delivered by the Sect Master of the Illusion Gates.
Hearing this news, all Cultivators and living beings were stunned, frozen in place.
In their view, although the words came from the Sect Master of the Illusion Gates, they clearly reflected the will of that Exalted Immortal.
That mysterious Exalted Immortal intended to help the Illusion Gates unify the Wonder Domain!
Very quickly, the news spread like an earthquake!
One of the three other superpowers of the Wonder Domain — the Heavenly Sacred Forest.
Inside the main hall.
The current Honoured Noble of the Heavenly Sacred Forest wore a grave expression as he addressed the assembled elders and disciples before him.
“The Illusion Gates definitely won’t spare us next. That Exalted Immortal can easily break through the boundary between realms — his power is absolutely unfathomable, having reached an unknowable level.”
“Even if we awaken our Sacred Realm Ancestor, it would likely be of no use. We have now reached a critical moment of life and death...”
His voice was heavy, matching his mood, as he slowly finished speaking.
“How is the Illusion Gates’ luck so good? To have such a terrifying Exalted Immortal descend to aid them!”
“This old man refuses to accept it! Is the foundation our Heavenly Sacred Forest built over hundreds of thousands of years really going to be destroyed in a single day?”
“Why? Why? Wouldn’t it be nice to just stay in the Beyond? Why did he have to descend to our world...”
“He’s clearly an immortal of the Nine Heavens — why come to this mortal world? Why meddle in the affairs of ants?”
Hearing these words, the many elders wore expressions of utter despair.
They didn’t want the Holy Lands they had painstakingly managed for hundreds of thousands of years to fall into the Illusion Gates’ hands, nor did they want to submit to the Illusion Gates. But what could they do?
Resist?
The consequence of that would be nothing less than the burial of the entire Holy Lands.
The whole Heavenly Sacred Forest was shrouded in this atmosphere of despair and unwillingness.
Toward Gu Changge, they couldn’t muster even the slightest thought of resistance, nor did they dare harbor resentment!
In the Wonder Domain, they were lofty figures who could easily decide the life and death of countless living beings and Cultivators.
But in the eyes of that Exalted Immortal, they didn’t even qualify as ants.
Scenes like the one at the Heavenly Sacred Forest were playing out across all the other major powers as well.
Under this decree, the entire Wonder Domain sank into an oppressive atmosphere of dread.
Every power besides the Illusion Gates was deeply worried — especially the Cultivators who had personally witnessed the Exalted Immortal’s descent that day, who trembled with fear.
An Exalted Immortal who could casually gift away a Transcendent grade weapon — just how powerful was he? Who could say?
What should one do at a time like this? Naturally, honestly obey the decree, show submission, and not attempt to resist — because that path led only to death.
With this in mind, the great powers of the Wonder Domain weren’t stupid. They began proactively pledging allegiance to the Illusion Gates, willing to submit.
Many Cultivators only then realized that the Wonder Domain, which had been in constant turmoil all this time, was actually beginning to achieve unification.
This news also alarmed the other domains.
Within the Heavenly Star Realm as a whole, the Wonder Domain’s overall strength could only be considered upper-middle tier.
The Sky Domain — that was where the Dragon Veins and Fortuity of the Heavenly Star Realm converged.
By now, the top powers of the other domains had all more or less learned that a mysterious Exalted Immortal had appeared at the Illusion Gates of the Wonder Domain.
Various rumors about this Exalted Immortal began spreading among living beings and Cultivators.
Some said he was an old acquaintance of the Illusion Gates’ Ancestor from eight hundred thousand years ago — an ancient existence who had lived for a million years, with unfathomable cultivation.
Others said he was a banished immortal with immortal bearing and divine bones, wreathed in immortal aura, his features impossible to discern.
For a time, undercurrents began surging through the Heavenly Star Realm.
The forces led by the Illusion Gates, meanwhile, used the pretext of recruiting disciples to search for all kinds of young prodigies with extraordinary talent and powerful cultivation.
Those who had suffered setbacks in their youth and then soared to greatness were even better — they would receive preferential treatment.
The Wonder Domain was vast, its territory boundless, its Cultivators and living beings simply beyond counting.
But young prodigies meeting these conditions were few and far between.
In the eyes of many, the Illusion Gates’ actions were perfectly understandable.
After all, having unified the Wonder Domain, they urgently needed an infusion of fresh blood. Recruiting disciples on a large scale was only natural.
“His Fortuity is indeed considerably greater than that of an ordinary prodigy, but compared to the Reincarnation of the Mortal One, it’s still far too lacking — the difference is like heaven and earth.”
“There’s no comparison.”
“Still, it’s better than nothing. A few thousand Fortuity points — no reason to turn them down.”
Inside the great hall, Gu Changge shook his head slightly, his expression somewhat disappointed, and waved for the Sect Master of the Illusion Gates to withdraw.
He stared at the young prodigy before him — whose face was full of shock and terror, still unaware of what was about to happen — with a rather peculiar expression.
When he’d first heard this young prodigy’s background, Gu Changge had been somewhat interested.
Because this young prodigy had also fallen on hard times — his fiancée had broken off their engagement, and his childhood sweetheart had betrayed him.
His mother had been a xiaojie of a great clan who, while passing through a certain place, was attacked by enemies and gravely wounded.
His father had stepped forward bravely and rescued her.
The two then developed feelings for each other, married, and gave birth to this young prodigy — and then came the usual melodramatic plot.
His mother’s identity was discovered, her clan forcibly sent people to take her back, gravely wounding his father — yet they failed to finish the job, forcibly creating a mindless grudge.
The miserable youth carried the powerful bloodline of his mother’s clan, but because of his father, his meridians were blocked, and he was treated as trash for many years.
Finally, by a stroke of luck, he obtained a stalk of Divine Blood Grass — only to have it swindled away by his childhood sweetheart.
As for what came after, Gu Changge hadn’t bothered asking.
He had thought this would be a decent crop of leeks to harvest, but it turned out there were hardly any Fortuity points at all. No — rather, for the current him, these Fortuity points could barely fill the gaps between his teeth.
“May I ask why the Exalted Immortal has summoned me?”
Before Gu Changge, this young prodigy managed to remain fairly composed, not losing his head in panic.
As expected of a Child of Fortuity — his courage was indeed beyond the ordinary.
However, Gu Changge couldn’t be bothered with words. He didn’t even have the patience to acknowledge him.
Pu!
He slammed down a single palm!
Having casually harvested the few thousand Fortuity points of this trash-to-hero Child of Fortuity, Gu Changge soon fell into thought.
His eyes showed contemplation as he began considering where the problem lay. Searching high and low, he’d found barely any Children of Fortuity appearing.
It was all the same old tropes — far too stale.
This time, with the Reincarnation of the Mortal One, he’d need some new tricks.
“It seems waiting for rabbits by the tree stump won’t work. I need to get out and look around. Relying on these people probably won’t cut it.”
With this thought, Gu Changge rose and left the Illusion Gates, appearing in the high skies outside.
He took a single step, the void blurred, and he vanished in an instant.
...
Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Star Realm, the Sky Domain.
Within a remote and vast mountain range, the peaks towered majestically, stretching endlessly.
Spiritual energy swirled like mist, ancient trees reached for the heavens, Heavenly Herbs exuded rich fragrance, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth rose from every corner, taking the forms of various fierce beasts.
True Dragons, Divine Phoenixes, Black Tortoises, Qilins...
If a Cultivator skilled in reading terrain and Dragon Veins were here, they would surely stare wide-eyed in shock at the abnormality of this place.
The mountain ranges on all sides seemed to have come alive, exuding a magnificent, surging momentum.
Viewed from high above, Dragon Vein after Dragon Vein converged here, nourishing this land.
If this were in the Beyond, it would absolutely be a land where Flying Immortals could arise — one that would provoke fierce competition from all sides.
And at this moment, numerous Cultivators and living beings of all races had gathered here, their blood vitality surging powerfully.
They were excavating the mountains below, seemingly constructing something.
In the high skies, figure after figure stood tall — mighty experts shrouded in divine radiance, their blood vitality immense.
...was swinging a whip, berating the Cultivators below.
Clearly, the crowd of Cultivators and living beings down there had all been treated as slaves, forced into hard labor here.
Their expressions were dull and numb, like walking corpses.
All they knew was to build altars and the like at this place, seemingly unaware of toil or fatigue.
A powerful being with wings on his back, resembling a green fiend, looked down at the crowd below. With a smug expression, he said to the few people beside him,
“Today I captured another batch of slaves. When the time comes, the Sect Master must record this merit for me!”
“It will be recorded, it will be recorded. Rest assured, Brother Qing Gui.”
“You’ve been with our Celestia Holy Land for less than a hundred years, yet you’ve already earned illustrious merits and risen to the position of Deacon. We can’t help but envy you.”
“When the Immortal Path opens one day, in our Celestia Holy Land’s great undertaking of warring against Heaven, Brother Qing Gui will surely take the lead and ascend to the Beyond...”
The several experts beside him all laughed at these words.
In their speech, there was a measure of flattery and fawning toward this expert named Qing Gui.
The reason was simple: this being called Qing Gui had already reached the Enlightened King Realm.
As for them, they were merely at the Enlightened Noble Realm—the gap was far more than a single step.
On top of that, Qing Gui was now deeply valued by the Honoured Noble of the Celestia Holy Land, and his future achievements were limitless.
Even the old fossils in charge of guarding this place held him in high regard and trusted him greatly.
Many important matters were entrusted to him.
Hearing this, Qing Gui also smiled smugly. Being praised and fawned over clearly put him in a good mood.
Then, remembering the matter the Honoured Noble had entrusted to him, his expression turned solemn as he said,
“There can be no mistake about this calling. This is the perfect opportunity for our entire Sect to ascend to the Beyond. The Celestia Ancestor is waiting for us up there!”
“Forge the Immortal Path, war against Heaven and rise—this very day!”
His words also ignited the emotions in the hearts of those beside him. As they imagined what was to come, they couldn’t help but grow excited and stirred.
Their faces filled with incomparable excitement and exhilaration.
The others also spoke up one after another, their expressions agitated and unwilling, yet also carrying longing and yearning.
“Indeed! Forge the Immortal Path, war against Heaven and rise—who could have imagined such a magnificent feat?”
“Ascending to the Beyond is now fraught with difficulties. In the entire Heavenly Star Realm, no one has ascended for nearly two hundred thousand years. Everyone now suspects whether the path to the Beyond has been severed.”
“Since Heaven wants to stop us, why should we obey Heaven!”
“Forging the Immortal Path is the best chance for our entire Celestia Holy Land to head to the Beyond! No one will ever know that we discovered this supreme Flying Immortals site recorded in the ancient texts...”
For a moment, as they dreamed of this, their gazes all burned with fervor, wishing that day would come quickly.
Ascending to the Beyond—that was practically the lifelong dream and pursuit of all Cultivators.
They were naturally no exception.
Now, with such an opportunity laid out before them, how could they not be excited and thrilled?
The Celestia Holy Land was an extremely mysterious and powerful super force in the Sky Domain today, with an incredibly ancient legacy.
Just the Sacred Realm Elders known to the world numbered nearly ten, stationed within the Holy Land, and no one dared offend them.
Beyond that, there were existences like the Sacred Noble Realm Ancestors, and deep within the Holy Land, a Great Sage was suspected to be sealed away.
Such a foundation was world-shaking within the Heavenly Star Realm, unmatched in strength!
Moreover, at its peak, there were rumors that the Celestia Holy Land had produced a Sacred Emperor Realm being—the very Founding Ancestor of the current Celestia Holy Land!
According to legend, this Celestia Sacred Emperor did not seem to be a native of the Heavenly Star Realm. His origins were strange, and he was not of the Humans.
Rather, he was an innately born being, possessing terrifying power from the moment of birth.
Later, he founded the Celestia Holy Land and vanished without a trace. It was said he left this world and ascended.
Amid all these rumors, no one knew the truth of the matter.
But the power and mystery of the Celestia Holy Land were beyond question.
In the Sky Domain, there were few forces that dared provoke the Celestia Holy Land, and those that had were all lost to the dust of history.
“I heard that an incredibly mysterious Exalted Immortal recently appeared in the Wonder Domain. Could it be that he sensed the commotion from the Beyond and thus descended to this world?”
At this moment, one expert suddenly spoke up, mentioning this matter and instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Qing Gui was no exception.
An Exalted Immortal from the Beyond—just those few words alone carried unparalleled, terrifying deterrence.
“Not likely. If the Ancestral Master hadn’t sensed something and sent a dream to the Sect Master, telling us to forge the Immortal Path, how could we possibly know of such things? I think this matter is just a coincidence.”
The person beside him shook his head.
“In any case, we should be careful. The affairs here at Flying Immortal Mountain must not be discovered by anyone. Especially that Exalted Immortal in the Wonder Domain—let’s just hope he leaves soon!”
“Understood. This is a matter of great importance. We must also be careful when capturing laborers. The backlash and Miasma from disrupting the terrain of Flying Immortal Mountain is not something ordinary Cultivators can withstand. Several batches of laborers have already died...”
As they spoke, their gazes carried worry as they swept over the laborers below who were excavating and building altars, intending to forge the Immortal Path.
The forging of the Immortal Path had actually begun over a decade ago, but the natural terrain of Flying Immortal Mountain involved many profound mysteries.
It kept attracting all manner of Miasma, causing progress to slow.
“Huh? Why isn’t this guy dead yet? He’s got quite the tenacious life! I remember all the laborers who came with him are dead. Counting carefully, he’s already outlived three batches...”
At this moment, one expert suddenly noticed a tall youth below whose face was pale, whose clothes were tattered and bloodstained, yet whose expression was incredibly resolute. He couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
This somewhat tall youth looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old, gritting his teeth as he dug at the mountain rock before him.
His face was covered in grime, looking filthy, yet it couldn’t hide his handsome features.
Moreover, there was an indescribable air about him. Even among the crowd of laborers, it couldn’t be concealed, and people couldn’t help but notice him.
“Oh? Isn’t this the youth I took away when I passed by a small village back then? I remember his name was Jiang Yang.”
At this moment, the expert named Qing Gui said with a look of sudden realization, carefully identifying and recognizing that youth.
“Back then, I noticed his physique seemed somewhat special—his blood and qi power far exceeded that of ordinary people. I thought I might have picked up a rare talent, so I brought him back to the Holy Land. But who would’ve thought he’d turn out to be that cursed Barren Sacred Physique, unable to break through the shackles of cultivation...”
“Even with the resources of our Celestia Holy Land, he couldn’t be raised. He’s a bottomless pit. Figuring his strength was decent, I threw him here to cut open the mountain...”
He continued, explaining the youth’s origins to everyone.
Hearing this, everyone understood.
The way they looked at that youth changed, filled with deep regret and pity.
After all, the Barren Sacred Physique—as the name suggested—was a trash physique, cursed by some existence from ancient times.
No matter how many resources were consumed, there was no possibility of a cultivation breakthrough.
“How long has it been since we’ve seen this kind of physique? No wonder he’s outlived so many batches of laborers. His strength really is astonishing.”
The few of them nodded and soon paid no further attention.
After all, he was just an ant-like figure who would sooner or later exhaust his vitality and strength and die here.
Not worth their attention.
If it were the Barren Sacred Physique before the curse, they would probably have treated him like a treasure, devoting all their efforts to nurturing him.
But this was after the curse—he was a cripple, powerless and without influence, fit only to be a laborer here!
“I can’t die here. I still have to go back. I still have to see my little sister and Granny...”
“My sister is still so young. If I die here, what will she do?”
“Granny is so old too, frail and sickly. At her age, there’d be no one to take care of her.”
Meanwhile, down below, the youth named Jiang Yang had a muddled gaze and a bloodstained body. He was laboriously digging at the mountain rock before him, muttering to himself.
He was like a walking corpse. His fingers were already a bloody mess, yet he still didn’t give up. There was a conviction and strength supporting him.
The expert in charge of this place had told him that as long as he endured three years, he could leave.
From three years, there remained one year and three hundred days.
He had always kept this time in mind.
“Why suffer so? You need only accept my existence, and you won’t have to endure this torment anymore.”
At this moment, a voice rang out in Jiang Yang’s mind.
It seemed to carry helplessness and a sigh, and even more, a kind of loftiness and greatness that pitied all living beings.
“I am me. Why should I accept you? Who exactly are you? Get out of my body!”
Hearing this voice, Jiang Yang’s somewhat muddled spirit instantly jolted.
He shouted angrily in his heart, demanding this voice get out of his body.
“This is clearly my body. It’s just that before I awakened, your consciousness was born. I simply don’t wish to erase you.”
That voice, carrying helplessness and a trace of vicissitude, sounded again.
Faintly, a proud figure with hands clasped behind his back, facing away from all living beings, appeared in Jiang Yang’s mind.
His eyes widened in shock. This was the first time the voice had explained itself since it had appeared.
“You need only accept my existence. Then, whatever your long-cherished wishes, I can fulfill them all for you—caring for your young sister and your elderly Granny.”
It had to be said, this voice struck right at Jiang Yang’s weakness, causing his expression to change drastically.
“Sister and Granny...” he murmured, appearing deeply conflicted.
And this voice was very calm, seemingly in no hurry.
Then, Jiang Yang asked in his heart, “Accepting you, or being erased by you—is there a difference? When that happens, I’ll no longer exist, right?”
“There is a difference. You actively accepting me, and being erased by me, are not the same.”
“What’s different?”
“The principle is different.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yang fell silent, then smiled bitterly. “So in the end, I’ll still cease to exist, right? At that time, would I still be the real me? I won’t agree to you.”
The voice seemed slightly taken aback, then asked in return,
“Do you know who I am? Do you know what you would gain by accepting me...”
Jiang Yang was silent for a moment, a flash of determination crossing his face.
He thought of his little sister, and of the elderly Granny who had raised the two of them.
“I don’t know who you are, but I know you’re no simple figure. Still, as long as there’s even a sliver of a chance, I won’t give up!” he said resolutely.
“What a sentimental and loyal kid. It’s just that this body won’t hold out for many more days. When the time comes, you’ll understand...”
With a dismissive laugh, the voice gradually faded away.
His return in this life—no one could stop it.
Although many of his reincarnation memories had yet to merge, it wouldn’t affect him in the slightest.