Immortals and Demons Forever

Chapter 3: Fleeing to a Distant Land

Su Qing gritted his teeth and said, “It was this wicked woman who caused your mother to die in childbirth, resulting in you being born with a toxic stagnation within your body! She used some forbidden technique to steal your destiny and transfer it into her own body. I, Su Qing, don’t know what kind of sin I committed to have become infatuated with this vicious she-demon. She’s been hiding her true nature right under my nose all along, causing the death of my beloved wife and leaving my beloved son on the brink of death…” “That demoness deserves to die!” Su Mu clenched his fists. He had thought his life was simply cursed by fate, but that was not the case at all—this demoness had brought utter ruin upon his entire family. “The envoy from the Great Qi Kingdom is due to arrive tomorrow. His Majesty is to meet with the new ruler, and I fear the outcome will be dire. I wonder if the Empress of the Jade Pool will spare him out of old affection, or if she will eradicate the threat completely…” Zhu Bo trailed off at this point. “Father, you must not go!” Su Mu gripped his father’s hand tightly. “Mu’er, disaster cannot be avoided. If I dare to disobey, the Qi Kingdom’s warriors will soon come to kill us, and it would be no trouble for them to raze the Kingdom of Heshuo to the ground. By then, even you would be killed. That demoness might not kill me, because the Azure Dragon Soul of our Su clan has reached a certain level of cultivation and is facing a critical hurdle. I know the method to cross this threshold; from the very beginning, she approached me specifically for that. As long as I remain silent, I can live one more day.” Su Qing continued, “Mu’er, I’ve made up my mind. Tomorrow, you must leave—cross the sea and go far away. Beyond the Dongli Realm lies an ancient sect called Lingxiao Sect. I have a painting in my possession, a gift from an elder of that sect whom I had the good fortune to meet in my youth. I believe that with this painting, he will take you in.” “Father, I…” “Do you really want to live like this for the rest of your life? Mu’er, after I’m gone, you’ll have only three years left to live—do you realize that? Only an ancient sect like Lingxiao Sect has the power to suppress the poison within you. If you’re blessed enough, you might even be able to open your fifth Source Vein. Don’t you want to become a Source Master and avenge your dead mother?” How could Su Mu not want that? He longed to devour that wicked woman alive. From now on, he would have to rely entirely on himself. His father was leaving tomorrow, and his fate was uncertain. If there was only one way in the world to save his father, it was for him to become a Source Master—to grow stronger step by step—so that he would have the power and the means to set foot on the land of the Great Qi Kingdom and avenge that blood feud. His father had secured this opportunity for him; he simply had to take this step. “Father, I understand. Once I arrive at the sect, I will devote myself to my cultivation.” “Uncle Zhu will escort you on this journey. Mu’er, listen carefully: I do not ask that you achieve great fame, but at the very least, live with dignity.” After speaking, Su Qing patted his son’s hand. “I’ll go make preparations now. With demonic beasts rampaging across the seas, I’ll send men to invite several masters to provide protection. We’ll set out at first light. I won’t be there to see you off.” With that, the ruler of the Kingdom of Heshuo turned and left, his retreating figure appearing desolate. This was all he could do. The regions of Heshuo and Daqi are located in the Dongli Realm, on the eastern edge of the Tianxing Continent. The world is composed of multiple parts, divided into realms; to venture beyond the Dongli Realm means to leave it entirely. Here, the Qi Kingdom enjoys unparalleled military might. This was the first time in his life that Su Mu had traveled so far. He set out westward, crossing the sea on a long journey to the Xiaoyun Kingdom in the Yunhai Realm. At the foot of Mount Ling Xiao. Su Mu gripped Zhu Bo’s hand nervously. The calligraphy and paintings, along with his father’s handwritten letter, had all been delivered to the mountain, yet no one had come to receive them. “Don’t worry, Your Highness. Please wait a little longer.” Su Mu was frail and pale, and he began to cough uncontrollably. Before long, a man and a woman dressed in sect robes adorned with cloud patterns descended to the ground riding a pair of immortal cranes—Source Beasts that had already attained sentience, which only Source Masters could command. The two who landed appeared to be about the same age as Su Mu; the man was dashing, and the woman was lovely. The woman stepped forward and said, “My mentor has been briefed on the situation and has agreed to take in this guest who has traveled from afar. Regardless of his previous status, once he joins Lingxiao Sect, he will be subject to the sect’s rules.” “Of course, of course! A thousand thanks to Elder Qingsong!” Zhu Bo gave Su Mu a gentle push on the back. “Your Highness, please follow this young lady up the mountain. From now on, you’ll be a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect!” “Cheng Yao, we should be going. Every disciple Master has ever taken on has been exceptionally talented—why would he suddenly accept such a sickly-looking fellow? Can someone like him really become an inner-sect disciple?” The young woman raised an eyebrow. “Come on, it’s not your place to question Master’s decisions. Little junior brother, what’s your name?” “Su Mu。” “From now on, call me Senior Sister Cheng.” Cheng Yao reached out and grabbed Su Mu’s hand. “Come with me to see Master.” Su Mu was led onto the immortal crane and soared into the sky. He couldn’t help but turn his head and saw Zhu Bo and the group escorting him waving vigorously. The wind in the sky was strong, and as he gazed at them, his vision gradually grew blurry. He fought back his tears. His father had now reached the Great Qi Kingdom; he didn’t know what fate awaited him there. He hadn’t come here to merely scrape by in this world; he intended to become a true Source Master and, one day, return to his homeland to seek revenge. Su Mu went up the mountain to pay his respects to his mentor. Elder Qingsong held a high position within the Lingxiao Sect and treated him with considerable kindness. The next day, the elder personally examined Su Mu’s body and made it clear that to remain at Lingxiao Sect, one must possess a foundation for cultivation—a basic requirement that Su Mu lacked. Therefore, they would have to find a way to purge the stagnant poison from his body—and do so within a year. Only then could Su Mu, after half a year of recuperation, begin cultivation and barely keep up with the others. Otherwise, even with Elder Qingsong’s status and influence, he could not arbitrarily accept an outsider with no possibility of becoming a Source Master. While Su Mu could remain in the Inner Sect, such a precedent had never been set and would inevitably invite criticism. On his second day at the sect, Su Mu learned a harsh reality: he had only one year to purge the stagnant toxins from his body; otherwise, he would have no way to remain there. His father’s favor had secured him only a year’s reprieve. Elder Qingsong promised to do his utmost to treat him, but if the effort ultimately failed, Su Mu would be cast out. As an Inner Sect disciple unable to cultivate, even though many knew he was Elder Qingsong’s disciple, he was met with cold stares and ridicule at every turn. Only Senior Sister Cheng Yao stood up to defend him. As for Senior Brother Bi Hua, the youth who had brought him up the mountain that day, he treated Su Mu with utter disdain, ignoring him completely. Su Mu had thought a life full of hope was beginning, but less than ten days after arriving on the mountain, he realized that without his father’s protection, in this world where the strong reign supreme, the weak have no dignity to speak of. The more setbacks he faced, the more they tempered his resilient character. Elder Qingsong had given him only the sect’s most basic physical cultivation technique; he could not simply wait for his master to find a cure to neutralize the poison. Su Mu began learning to gather and prepare herbs while simultaneously practicing physical cultivation. He rose at the first light of dawn every morning. A year passed in the blink of an eye, and he had no choice but to stay.