Immortal Travel of Longevity

Chen Changsheng looked around and suddenly noticed something.

Clinging to a nearby tree was a summer cicada. Strangely, despite the scorching summer heat, the insect wasn't chirping; it simply rested motionless on the bark.

As if sensing his gaze, the cicada abruptly spread its wings to flee.

Chen Changsheng reacted quickly, sending a Divine Ability darting through the air.

In an instant, the cicada's wings were bound, and it dropped.

He stepped forward and caught it.

The summer cicada struggled in his palm, but the binding Divine Ability left her powerless.

Chen Changsheng examined the cicada, finding it inexplicably familiar.

"It's you."

He paused in surprise. "This Chen clearly remembers putting you in my sleeve back then," he said.

The memory came back to him.

He reached into his sleeve and, indeed, pulled out a green cicada.

Upon closer inspection, however, the green cicada was completely motionless, like a lifeless object.

In a moment of realization, he gave it a gentle poke. The green cicada instantly crumbled; it was nothing but an empty shed shell.

Sudden realization dawned on him.

"To think I was actually fooled by you."

The bound summer cicada let out a shrill buzz, as if protesting against him.

"When you used the Golden Cicada Shell-Shedding Art back then, This Chen thought he had seen through it. I didn't expect there to be a hidden trick."

The summer cicada suddenly spoke in a human voice. "I have already restarted my cultivation. Why won't you let me go!"

"Restarted your cultivation?" Chen Changsheng asked.

As Xia Chan explained, he finally understood the whole story.

Back then, when the green cicada—disguised as Dharma Master Tianxin—was caught red-handed, she had attempted to escape using the Golden Cicada Shell-Shedding Art. In truth, while executing such a Divine Ability was no easy feat, it alone was far from enough to deceive Chen Changsheng. Knowing this, she had employed the strategy of turning the scheme against the schemer, shedding her golden cicada shell to offer her physical body as bait, allowing her soul to detach and slip away from his grasp entirely unnoticed.

Intrigued by the explanation, Chen Changsheng asked, "With your soul detached from your body, where did you find a new physical vessel?"

Xia Chan answered reluctantly, "A shed shell."

Hearing those words, Chen Changsheng immediately understood.

"Brilliant..."

His eyes lit up in admiration. It was marvelous enough that Xia Chan could reconstruct a physical body from the discarded shell of another cicada, but her mastery of the Golden Cicada Shell-Shedding Art was truly extraordinary.

Chen Changsheng released her from the binding.

Xia Chan did not dare flee. She knew that in her current state, she could no longer pull off a Golden Cicada Shell-Shedding escape like she had back then.

Chen Changsheng smiled. "You certainly are bold, daring to return here to cultivate."

"The most dangerous place is the safest haven," she replied.

"Well said," he agreed. "Truth be told, had This Chen not happened to be passing by, I wouldn't have come up this mountain, and you wouldn't have been caught by me again."

Feeling sullen, Xia Chan pleaded, "Immortal Master, please spare me. I no longer commit evil deeds. Disguising myself as the Dharma Master back then was merely a moment of foolish greed. Now I focus solely on my cultivation in peace. I wouldn't dare harbor any more illusions of luck."

Chen Changsheng looked at her. "That Golden Cicada Shell-Shedding escape cost you at least two Jiazi of cultivation. Now, even taking human form is an arduous task for you."

"Indeed, Immortal Master," Xia Chan said. "I know my wrongs, and the Immortal Master has already punished me. Please, spare me."

Chen Changsheng pondered for a moment, feeling that would not be appropriate.

After a brief consideration, he looked at Nanyan Mountain, and an idea took shape.

"How about this? Do one task for This Chen—or rather, a task for the sake of the world—and I will drop our past grievances. What do you say?"

Hearing there was a chance, Xia Chan hurriedly said, "I will do whatever it takes!!"

Chen Changsheng said, "It is nothing difficult. You simply need to watch over this place."

"Huh?"

Xia Chan was somewhat confused.

That was until she watched the man before her casually write out several characters she didn't recognize. With a few rumbling echoes, those characters descended upon the entirety of Nanyan Mountain.

In an instant, the ambient Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth surged toward Nanyan Mountain.

This sudden change left Xia Chan somewhat at a loss.

The sheer density of the Spiritual Energy left her stunned for a long time.

"Cultivate well."

Chen Changsheng patted Xia Chan's head and said, "Guarding this mountain is tantamount to guarding the common people of the world. Though it might not erase your past sins, it will still earn you a measure of merit."

Chen Changsheng set Xia Chan down, ignoring her astonishment.

With that, he made his way down the mountain and never asked about the matter again.

Xia Chan stared at the mountain, inexplicably finding it unfamiliar. She had no idea what the man had done, but the dying vegetation around her suddenly seemed to burst back to life.

Such a miraculous technique was truly incomprehensible to her.

It turned out she had never truly known his real capabilities.

Had she understood back then, she would never have dared to offend him.

Heading south, Chen Changsheng bypassed the city gates and crossed into Hongyuan Tianxia.

Times had changed. A vast expanse of the Southern Domain had become demon territory, but despite the region's immense size, one wouldn't find demons lurking everywhere.

There were always places left untouched by demons. Furthermore, demons liked to live in groups; rather than cultivating alone in a mountain, they preferred to be with other demons.

As Chen Changsheng walked along the path, he kept an eye out, yet he didn't see a single demon. It was likely because this area was too remote. After the rise of Hongyuan Tianxia, the demons had gathered together, leaving this Borderland largely unattended.

But as Chen Changsheng continued walking, he suddenly noticed something.

His gaze fell upon a distant mountain.

There was a human presence in that mountain.

"There are still people in the Southern Domain?"

With this thought, Chen Changsheng stepped into the mountains.

As he ventured deeper, the babbling sound of flowing water reached his ears. There was a spring in the mountain, and a sizable one at that; it had likely formed a deep pool.

The chirping of insects and the singing of birds filled the mountain. Listening to them was a pleasant experience that soothed the mind.

Chen Changsheng looked up, only to find his line of sight blocked by a dense bamboo grove. It did not appear to have grown naturally, but rather had been planted by human hands.

"Chirp, chirp..."

Startled birds took flight.

Chen Changsheng stepped into the bamboo grove, and his line of sight gradually widened. Through the gaps, he spotted a pool of water. Beside it stood a water wheel, and nestled close by was a small bamboo cottage.

When everything finally came into full view,

Chen Changsheng noticed an elderly man dressed in plain clothes by the edge of the pool. He was holding a bamboo pole, sitting quietly by the water and fishing.

Seeming to sense something, the old man let out a soft sound and turned around.

"To think that even here, in these deep mountains and ancient forests, a guest would come visiting."

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