Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 427: Chapter 394: Meeting an "Old Acquaintance

Chu Mu silently watched the three people who had entered the Artifact Room, his gaze flickering.

At times it was cold, at times indifferent, at times hesitant...

Not until the sound of hurried footsteps arrived did Chu Mu snap back to his senses. His gaze shifted and settled on the hastily approaching Chang Er.

He could trust Xu Yuan because of the bond of friendship that had stretched for so many years, from their mortal days all the way to their Immortal Path.

He could trust Chang Er, on the other hand, because of the restrictions of the Divine Contract. He had personally refined the Divine Contract and added a sliver of Sword Intent as its core.

With his level of Cultivation, no one in the Foundation Establishment realm could break it.

Unless an expert at the Golden Core Realm intervened, Chang Er’s life and death, even from ten thousand miles away, were subject to his every whim.

"Senior, two guests have arrived at the shop. They say they have an Elixir they’d like you to refine."

Chang Er said respectfully.

Chu Mu frowned. With a wipe of his hand, a surveillance projection materialized.

When he saw the man and woman in the projection, Chu Mu’s initially casual expression suddenly turned grave.

In the image, both the man and woman wore black robes. The man’s face was ordinary, but his eyes were faintly crimson. Although he sat quietly, his expression shifted occasionally, as if he were suppressing something.

The woman had delicate features but was as cold as frost, projecting an air of keeping strangers at a distance. Only when she glanced at the seated man did her expression soften.

A man and a woman, both seemingly quite ordinary.

But in Chu Mu’s eyes, they were completely different.

Staring for a long time, Chu Mu’s expression seemed to grow dazed.

This man and woman were, of course, no strangers to him.

Back in Nanshan Town, a large part of his fear had stemmed from these two.

His greatest opportunity on the Path to Immortality had come from this man—or rather, the youth he had been back in Nanshan Town.

The wanted posters for him had been plastered all over Nanshan Town back then. It was impossible for Chu Mu not to recognize him.

After so many years, to meet again in these Foreign Lands, and for them to come looking for him...

’Acquaintances?’

Chu Mu pondered for a moment. He hadn’t had many dealings with these two.

His first life-and-death battle had been against this youth.

That was their first direct encounter.

The second time, the youth had been delirious, and Chu Mu had luckily obtained the Puppetry Skill inheritance Jade Scroll, which led to his opportunity in the East Lake Secret Realm.

The third time was in Jingmen, an encounter with the woman. It seemed her companion had been gravely injured, and he had intervened to treat them.

Over so many years, his face hadn’t changed much.

With a Cultivator’s memory, recognizing him would not be difficult at all.

In other words, these two former "wanted fugitives" had definitely recognized him, the former "Nanshan Patrol Officer."

They recognized him, and still came looking for him...

Chu Mu thought for a moment before looking at the projection hovering over the stone table again. With a contemplative flick of his sleeve, the projection dissipated. He took a step and entered the True Understanding Pavilion.

’Whatever it is, I’ll know once I see them.’

He was no longer the ordinary mortal from Nanshan Town.

On the second floor of the True Understanding Pavilion, when Chu Mu stepped inside and saw his "old acquaintances," his expression, which had returned to normal, became grave once more.

The man and woman were seated in a side hall, but he stopped outside it, his gaze toward them now filled with obvious vigilance.

’My senses are definitely not wrong!’

The Supreme Yang and Firm Method, much like the Celestial Thunder Technique, was extremely sensitive to Demonic Qi!

The Demonic Qi on this man before him—the former youth from Qili Village—was concealed with extreme care. But the instinctive reaction of his Supreme Yang and Firm Method had already detected its presence with perfect clarity!

This man was... a Demon Cultivator!

"If you two leave the True Understanding Pavilion now, I will pretend you were never here!"

Chu Mu’s voice was low, and a cold, sharp killing intent began to surface.

Immortals and demons cannot coexist.

He didn’t hold any grand, righteous ideals, but... he was all too clear about the nature of Demonic Qi.

In this conflict, it would be difficult for him to stay out of it.

Even if he did manage to remain uninvolved, being implicated would mean immense trouble!

Back in the Chu Capital, to prevent Demonic Qi from leaking, the Longevity Sect had unhesitatingly sacrificed a Tier Three Spirit Vein and buried the entire Chu Capital!

Chu Mu had no doubt that if news spread of him consorting with a Demon Cultivator, it wouldn’t be impossible for a Nascent Soul Great Power to descend and kill him with a single palm strike!

Seeing Chu Mu’s expression and hearing his words, the man and woman sitting in the side hall exchanged a look, their own expressions clearly growing more solemn.

As if fearing Chu Mu would attack suddenly, both of them immediately stood up. Wisps of Magical Power circulated around them as they watched him with extreme vigilance.

"My husband and I have come on orders."

The woman then spoke, flicking a Jade Scroll toward him with a raise of her hand.

Chu Mu waved his hand, and an invisible force instantly trapped the incoming Jade Scroll. He circulated his Sword Intent, scanning the Jade Scroll in minute detail. After confirming there was nothing amiss, he finally took it in his hand.

He sent his Divine Sense into it, and a Divine Soul Trace immediately appeared within his perception.

A moment later, Chu Mu lowered the Jade Scroll, his expression turning uncertain and dark.

"The message has been delivered. We will not disturb you any longer, fellow Daoist."

The man and woman rose to their feet. After that single sentence, they said no more, turned, and hurried downstairs.

Chu Mu watched their departing figures, then looked down at the Jade Scroll in his hand. His expression had turned ugly.

The Jade Scroll came from... a True Demon!

After so many years, that True Demon, who had vanished without a trace for ages, had actually sought him out!

And he had even sent these two "old acquaintances" to his door, one of whom had become a Demon Cultivator!

In this Cultivation Immortal Realm, filled with Spiritual Qi and a flourishing Immortal Dao, what did "demons" covet most?

It was "True Demon Qi!"

Whether they were Demon Cultivators or True Demons, until they could completely demonize it, the prosperity of the Cultivation Immortal Realm had nothing to do with them.

Their core foundation lay in Demonic Qi, in True Demon Qi!

And as it happened, he knew where to find True Demon Qi.

He could never forget the East Lake Secret Realm from back then—that dead, silent world, and the chaotic, evil, roiling True Demon Qi.

’He knew this youth had definitely been to the East Lake Secret Realm. Could he know about it too?’

’Could his fall into the Demon Dao be because of the "True Demon Qi" from the East Lake Secret Realm?’

’If he really knows, and he’s colluding with a True Demon...’

Although the East Lake Secret Realm had vanished, it was clear the Secret Realm must still exist somewhere in this Cultivation Immortal World.

That Spatial Rift, that dead and silent world, must still exist within the East Lake Secret Realm.

Suddenly, Chu Mu felt a chill run down his spine.

He subconsciously took out the "Ninth True Inheritor" token. Staring at the token, he recalled the terror of that Sword Dao Nascent Soul, and a hint of hesitation crept into his ugly expression.

After a very long time, he seemed to have reached some sort of decision.

He put away the True Inheritance Token and took a step. In the next instant, he appeared outside the True Understanding Pavilion. With a leap, he transformed into a streak of Tunneling Light and shot across the sky...

「...」

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