Immortal Travel of Longevity

As the last of the ghost cultivators fell to the Sword, He Qing finally found a moment to catch her breath.

Nothing remained here but the corpses of cultivators.

The ghost cultivators' souls had already scattered, fading into absolute nothingness.

He Qing sat down and let out a long breath.

Behind her, numerous cultivators began clearing the battlefield, busily gathering the bodies of the fallen.

"Tap..."

Footsteps sounded behind her.

She paused, turning to see a Wine Gourd extended toward her.

Startled, He Qing looked back and realized a familiar figure was standing right behind her.

When old acquaintances reunited, words naturally flowed.

Xuanji had brought her fine wine brewed by Yu Hongjin. After a few mouthfuls of the liquor settled in her stomach, the tension in He Qing's chest eased considerably.

Xuanji sat beside her and asked, "Why are you pushing yourself so desperately?"

He Qing lowered the Wine Gourd. "The sect was destroyed. Naturally, I have to fight with my life on the line."

Xuanji was slightly taken aback by the words. She gently patted He Qing's back, hoping to offer a little comfort.

He Qing shook her head and pursed her lips. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

Xuanji lowered her head. "I thought the Cultivation World would be a fascinating place. I never imagined it would fall into such chaos."

"Don't wander around," He Qing warned. "There are a lot of demonic cultivators around lately. It's far too dangerous."

Xuanji nodded. "I know."

He Qing brought Xuanji back to the city and found a place for them to rest.

Xuanji settled in there. Given the current situation, she truly could not afford to run around recklessly anymore.

Her meager skills were truly nothing worth mentioning in the Cultivation World.

In the days that followed, no demonic cultivators launched any further attacks, giving He Qing a great deal of free time.

The two of them drank and chatted together, just as they had back in the Mortal World.

It was only a pity there were no operas to listen to; it left the experience lacking a bit of its usual flavor.

Xuanji asked, "Have you seen Granduncle since then?"

"You mean..."

"Senior Chen?"

"Yes."

"A few times," He Qing replied. "Over the past few decades, we have crossed paths twice."

"Senior Chen seems very busy."

Xuanji murmured to herself, "Is Granduncle that busy?"

"Probably."

"Whatever Senior Chen is doing," He Qing added, "is far beyond anything you or I could involve ourselves in."

Xuanji paused. "It's not that I want to involve myself. I'm just... curious about him as a person. I always feel like Granduncle is full of secrets. I also wanted to ask him about Big Sister and Second Sister. I never had the chance before, so I figured that since I was coming to the Immortal Realm, I might see if I could track him down."

He Qing pursed her lips. "I'm afraid that will be rather difficult."

"Senior Chen has never had a fixed residence all these years. Or rather, he doesn't have a place to settle at all. There hasn't been any news of him."

"I see..."

Xuanji thought it over for a moment, then let the matter drop.

Still harboring a hint of confusion, she asked, "Speaking of which... is Granduncle really so willing to just let things go?"

"What do you mean?" He Qing asked, perplexed.

Xuanji's gaze shifted, landing directly on He Qing.

He Qing grew even more confused, unsure why the other girl was staring at her.

Xuanji shook her head. "Never mind."

She had always assumed Granduncle would end up living together with He Qing. Yet, looking at the current situation, that clearly was not the case.

Then what did their time together back in the Peach Orchard amount to?

Xuanji could not quite wrap her head around it.

He Qing paused before changing the subject. "By the way, what brings you to the Immortal Realm this time? I thought you preferred the Mortal World."

"The Spiritual Energy has dried up."

"Ah, I had forgotten about that. There truly have been quite a few Human Dao cultivators arriving in the Immortal Realm lately."

He Qing frowned slightly. "However, it isn't just the Mortal World facing this situation. The Spiritual Energy in the Cultivation World is steadily decaying as well."

"The same thing is happening here?!"

Xuanji was visibly shocked.

He Qing nodded. "I suspect that in the near future, the Cultivation World will end up following in the Mortal World's footsteps."

Xuanji opened her mouth slightly. "Doesn't that mean... one day, there won't be any cultivators left in the world?"

He Qing gave a slight nod. "It is very possible."

Xuanji furrowed her brows deeply, truly shocked by the news.

The Spiritual Energy in the Mortal World had always fluctuated wildly. Its sudden disappearance was not entirely incomprehensible to her. But for the Cultivation World to suffer the exact same fate? That was a completely different matter.

He Qing exhaled slowly. "Ultimately, as things stand now, this kind of change is far beyond our ability to interfere. If the sky falls, the taller ones will hold it up. We just need to do our own part."

Snapping out of her daze, Xuanji murmured, "That also means... once the Spiritual Energy dissipates, cultivators will lose their longevity. They'll die, just like ordinary mortals, rushing through a fleeting hundred years..."

Seeing Xuanji daze off, He Qing asked, "What's wrong?"

Xuanji forced a smile. "I'm a little scared."

"Scared?"

Xuanji nodded, admitting frankly, "Just scared. Honestly, I've always been the type to cling to life and fear death. It just feels like it's not my time to die yet. There are still so many places I haven't seen, so many things I haven't experienced."

This was the first time He Qing had heard her speak of such things.

Catching herself, Xuanji asked, "Do you look down on me?"

He Qing shook her head. "No. I used to think that way too. Many cultivators in this world have thought the same, but eventually, they stop caring."

"Why is that?"

"The longer you live, the more Cultivation it demands. In truth, many cultivators in this world lack the necessary fortitude of mind. They try to sidestep karma just to minimize its influence on them. Yet, there are always things that simply cannot be avoided. Life in this world has always been like that."

Xuanji pondered this for a moment. "I understand what you mean, but I haven't truly grasped the feeling behind it yet. Compared to all of you, I have just been drifting aimlessly through this world. I don't really hold onto memories in my mind."

He Qing smiled at her words. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"No."

Xuanji shook her head. "In truth, the more someone is like me, the more they care about such things. Most of the time, I don't remember... but the moment I do, the pain is piercing."

Hearing that, He Qing could not help but fall silent.

In truth, Xuanji was absolutely right. The moment of remembering was always when it hurt the most.

Xuanji spoke up again. "But I still don't want to die right now. I haven't lived enough. I don't actually care for longevity, either. I just want to live until I feel it is enough—until I am truly satisfied. And when I am finally ready to die, I will die on my own terms. It is a very simple matter."

Had He Qing not viewed things just as simply in the past?

But was it truly that simple?

The longer you lived, the more weary you became. Yet the myriad of memories etched into your heart always managed to jolt you awake, reminding you that it was not your time to die yet, and that you had to keep living.

It was precisely this inner torment that forced countless cultivators into the agonizing grip of their inner demons.

Such things were simply far too common.

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