Immortal Travel of Longevity

Chen Changsheng looked at him and fell silent for a moment before speaking.

"Take her back. This Chen can do nothing to help."

Chen Changsheng said, tucking the half-mask into his sleeve and taking the Altar along with it.

Changshan froze, then called out anxiously, "Mister!"

"Mister!"

He gazed into the distance, but Mister Qingshan was already far away.

Atop the vast expanse of Heavenly Mountain, Changshan collapsed to his knees in the endless snow.

Behind him.

The woman in the purple dress laughed maniacally, her hair a disheveled mess. All traces of her former demeanor were gone.

From above the clouds, Chen Changsheng cast one last look back, but he quickly withdrew his gaze.

He simply felt that the world did not operate on such principles.

How could such transgressions be dismissed with a wave of the hand? How could they be offset by another's life?

All things in the world had their rules.

Saving oneself was difficult enough, let alone saving another.

Even Chen Changsheng occasionally felt a sense of bewilderment.

Out of sentiment, the girl was an old friend's disciple, and he ought to have looked after her. Out of reason, however, he absolutely should not save her.

Caught between sentiment and reason, he ultimately chose reason.

He had not even hesitated much.

Thinking about this, Chen Changsheng inexplicably drifted into a daze.

It was always like this.

He was indeed no longer as hung up on sentimental ties as he once was.

Or perhaps,

He had grown much more rigid.

But he believed he was not in the wrong.

He did not know what fate awaited Zisu.

Only, in the years that followed, when Chen Changsheng crossed paths with Changshan again and brought up the matter, Changshan merely smiled and brushed past it. It was like an old scar he was unwilling to speak of again.

Most likely, the outcome had been bad.

.

.

Cultivation was incredibly dull.

For Chen Changsheng, this was certainly the case.

So he would occasionally chat with others to pass the time—either Manyue or the Black Pagoda.

The Black Pagoda had now returned to the Underworld to continue dealing with the Demon Sword.

It worked diligently and rarely voiced any complaints.

Perhaps, in the Black Pagoda's eyes, staying down here was far better than following Chen Changsheng outside.

"I say, you've been dropping by quite frequently."

The Black Pagoda said, "How come you were never this eager to talk to me before?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "Cultivation is always a dull affair."

"So you're just using me to relieve your boredom?"

"Yes."

The Black Pagoda expressed absolute disdain at those words, saying, "Forget it, forget it. You've never treated me like a person anyway."

"Well, you aren't a person."

Chen Changsheng pointed out.

The Black Pagoda said, "I might not be human, but I still have a sentient mind!"

"I couldn't tell."

"..."

The Black Pagoda was speechless. "Whatever," it said. "I'm going to deal with that sword. I can't be bothered to talk to you."

Chen Changsheng took a sip of wine and asked, "Is the Demon Sword really that troublesome? It's been so many years."

"Did you think the Demon Lord's sword was a pushover?"

The Black Pagoda paused, then added, "Also, what about what we agreed on last time? You promised to help me undo the ancient character seal, but you still haven't delivered."

Seeing how well-behaved it had been recently, Chen Changsheng thought for a moment before saying, "If you hadn't brought it up, This Chen would have forgotten. Come here. This Chen will erase a few characters for you."

The Black Pagoda froze upon hearing this.

"Has the sun risen from the west?"

Chen Changsheng offered a helpless smile. "This Chen genuinely forgot. I wasn't going back on my word."

The Black Pagoda instantly beamed with joy, its voice thick with elation.

"I knew it! You've always been reliable!"

The Black Pagoda drifted over to him.

Chen Changsheng reached out and swiped his hand over the ring of ancient characters etched into the Black Pagoda's body.

The Black Pagoda twirled in a circle, absolutely thrilled.

Chen Changsheng only saw it twirling around; he didn't detect any other reaction.

He remarked, "This Chen thought there would be a massive commotion. Instead, there wasn't so much as a squeak."

The Black Pagoda chuckled happily. "You wouldn't understand."

Chen Changsheng shook his head. He truly did not comprehend the significance of the ancient characters on the Black Pagoda.

Regardless, looking at the Black Pagoda's current state, it was as if someone from his past life was joyfully getting a tattoo removed.

Chen Changsheng figured that the ancient character seal was most likely tied to the Black Pagoda's strength.

But ultimately, he still kept his guard up. Given the endless evil energy contained within the Black Pagoda, there was no way Chen Changsheng wouldn't hold something back as a failsafe.

The Black Pagoda was naturally well aware of this, yet it didn't breathe a single word of complaint. Or perhaps, as far as it was concerned, having even a few of those ancient characters removed was exactly like that old saying in the Mortal World—blue smoke was rising from its ancestral graves.

Chen Changsheng let out a breath and said, "This Chen is leaving now. Keep up the good work."

Brimming with motivation, the Black Pagoda replied, "I shall obey your decree!"

Its current attitude looked exactly like a hired hand who had just received their monthly wages.

Just as Chen Changsheng was about to leave,

he suddenly heard a series of shouts echoing toward him.

"Lord!!"

"Lord Chen!!"

Chen Changsheng paused and looked down.

He saw the Evil Phoenix, sealed in the ravine beneath the mountain, shouting at him with all its might.

Seeing this, Chen Changsheng flew down to take a look.

The Evil Phoenix's current state strongly evoked the tragic image of Sun Wukong pinned beneath the Five Elements Mountain.

The Evil Phoenix wore a fawning expression as it asked, "Lord Chen, have you found the head yet?"

"Oh, about that."

Chen Changsheng said, "I haven't found it."

The Evil Phoenix froze and sputtered, "How could that be? That's impossible, that's exactly what they said! Lord Chen, please look for it again! Keep looking!"

The Evil Phoenix was starting to panic, seemingly terrified that it would remain sealed here forever.

Seeing how pitiful it looked, Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and asked,

"Do you want a drink?"

The Evil Phoenix opened its beak. It was so panicked right now that it hesitated before asking, "Should I drink it, or should I not?"

It spoke as if trying to gauge Chen Changsheng's opinion.

Chen Changsheng stepped forward, raised his Wine Gourd, and poured a mouthful of liquor down its throat.

Upon tasting the wine, a wave of comfort washed over the Evil Phoenix's heart.

"Good, good, good..."

It repeated the word three times.

Likely due to having been sealed away here for so long, this simple flavor was enough to lift its spirits tremendously.

Chen Changsheng rubbed his chin and mused, "Later, This Chen will plant a peach tree here and then go find a kid."

The Evil Phoenix suddenly fell completely silent.

"Lord Chen..."

"I've read Journey to the West."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng paused. He immediately shifted his gaze elsewhere and said, "Ah, is that so? Pure coincidence, I'm sure."

The Evil Phoenix blinked and asked, "Are you... not planning to let me out?"

Chen Changsheng looked at it.

After a moment of thought, Chen Changsheng gave a solemn nod.

He had simply admitted it.

The Evil Phoenix let out a soft sigh and hung its head. "If you had just said that earlier, I would have been better off dying outside."

Chen Changsheng said, "You can't say that. If you faced death out there, you might have been able to pull some tricks and survive."

"And in here?"

"In here, there is only certain death."

"..."

The Evil Phoenix opened its beak, unable to believe that such words had just come out of Chen Changsheng's mouth.

Perhaps this truly lived up to the old idiom.

The tiger descends to the flatlands.

Of course, it didn't dare voice that thought aloud.

Chen Changsheng took another sip of wine and said, "Think it over carefully. This Chen might offer you a choice in the future. Staying here to serve as an underworld deputy isn't a bad option, either."

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