Immortal Travel of Longevity

Gu Jiangshi seemed to recall something.

He let out a long sigh. "That child wasn't bad by nature, but the scorn of others drove him to become a villain. Nearly a hundred Immortal Mountain cultivators besieged him. In the end, with nowhere left to run, he fell into the demonic path."

"Nearly a hundred Immortal Mountain cultivators lost their lives on the spot. He vanished in the chaos of that battle, leaving us to wander the world alone."

"Three years later, while hiding deep in the mountains, I overheard outsiders speaking of that Immortal Sect. Overnight, the entire sect had been slaughtered by a single demonic cultivator. Not a single soul survived."

"That was how it all began."

It was a long, rambling tale.

Gu Jiangshi spoke for a long time.

The Demon Sovereign, the Demon Sovereign...

No one knew exactly when it started, but that title eventually echoed throughout the entire Land of Immortals.

The decisiveness and sheer ruthlessness displayed by that once-innocent child left even Gu Jiangshi utterly astounded.

"By the time I saw him again, he no longer needed my help. He was surrounded by countless people—all of them, without exception, demonic cultivators. Those bloodthirsty, wicked demonic cultivators wreaked havoc upon the world and slaughtered cultivators, yet before him, every last one of them bowed in submission. And he achieved all of this in just sixty years. A mere sixty years."

"I am the Demon Sovereign. At the sound of my name, immortals tremble, and heaven and earth fall completely still!"

"The world called him the Demon-Summoning Divine Lord. He was the most absolute, pure demon."

Chen Changsheng listened and said, "It sounds like a lot was left out."

"In the years that followed, I rarely had contact with him," Gu Jiangshi said. "An ancient zombie like me couldn't even compare to the most insignificant demonic cultivator under his command."

He smiled. "But even though he fell into the demonic path, he was still an incredibly nostalgic person. Sometimes, when he was in low spirits, he would seek out us old friends to drink. He never poured his heart out or complained. He just drank, getting himself blackout drunk without saying a single word, burying everything deep in his heart. Sometimes, I thought it was fine, but occasionally, it frightened me—how tightly he kept himself under control. Yet, on second thought, it made perfect sense. He was the Demon Sovereign, after all. The man whose very name made the entire Cultivation World pale in terror."

"Do you know how he died?" Chen Changsheng asked calmly.

Gu Jiangshi paused for a moment before replying, "I'm not sure. I only know that he died. One day, he suddenly came to us and used a secret technique to seal us inside a Sarcophagus. He told us that, one day, he would return for us old friends."

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment before asking, "Did he ever return?"

Gu Jiangshi shook his head.

He had waited in vain.

"Someone else unraveled the secret technique and opened the Sarcophagus."

"It was only within the last century that the Sarcophagus sealing me was finally opened," Gu Jiangshi said. "Too much time had passed. When they saw me, they seemed quite afraid. But I harbored no ill intent. Eventually, that group took me back with them. They fed me flesh and blood and nourished me with Yin energy, allowing me to recover my former strength."

"Who were they?"

Gu Jiangshi paused before answering. "They were demonic cultivators. And from what I could tell, a few of them possessed ancient auras, as if they had lived through a very long passage of time."

Chen Changsheng frowned slightly. "Were there many of them?"

"Not too many, it seemed," Gu Jiangshi replied. "Only a few hundred."

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment before saying, "Perhaps they escaped from the spirit cage."

"Spirit cage? What is that?"

"Nothing."

Chen Changsheng offered no explanation, though he had already grasped the rough sequence of events.

He stood up and looked at Gu Jiangshi. "What was your name in life?"

"Gu Xiong. 'Xiong' as in 'fierce.'"

"That character is rather ominous."

"It wasn't meant to be an omen of ill fortune. Back then, my family was constantly bullied. My father was weak, and he didn't want me to grow up to be weak too. At first, he gave me the character 'Sheng' for prosperity. But by the time I came of age, he changed it. He changed it to 'Xiong' for fierceness. I suppose my father felt the first name just wasn't enough."

Gu Jiangshi smiled. "But I certainly lived up to it. From childhood onward, I never feared anyone. Even when I joined the army, I knew no fear. Most of the time, I was the one charging at the very front. A few years later, I became a general of the Southern Dynasty."

"A turbulent life, and an equally turbulent afterlife," Chen Changsheng said. "You've suffered quite a bit."

Gu Jiangshi nodded with a smile. "Fortunately, I had your help. You freed me from my bindings."

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "There is no need to thank me. The ancient runes and the Talisman on your body had already worn down over the passage of time. Even if This Chen hadn't pointed out the formation's core, you would have naturally broken free from them in less than a century."

"A century is still no short amount of time," Gu Jiangshi said.

Chen Changsheng didn't press the matter. Instead, he asked, "What are your plans from here on out?"

Gu Jiangshi thought about it for a moment, then shook his head.

He had no idea where he should go.

"Speaking of which, what about your brothers-in-arms? The ones who were refined into ancient zombies alongside you?"

"I'm not sure..."

Gu Jiangshi shook his head and said, "We were buried in different places. Some in the Land of Immortals, some in the Mortal World, and others in the extreme frozen wastes. The Demon Sovereign seemed determined to keep us out of the great calamity, so he was exceedingly meticulous about where he placed us."

Chen Changsheng raised an eyebrow. "This Chen has a question."

"Ask away."

"From what you've said, your relationship with the Demon-Summoning Divine Lord was quite good. Why, then, in all these years, did he never undo the seals binding you?"

Gu Jiangshi paused at those words. He thought back for a moment before murmuring, "He was probably afraid that if we left, he'd have no one to drink with."

Chen Changsheng fell silent.

Gu Jiangshi looked up at Chen Changsheng. Seemingly afraid that the other man wouldn't understand, he tried to explain. "He didn't have any—"

Before he could finish, Chen Changsheng interrupted, "I understand."

Gathering his thoughts, Chen Changsheng looked at Gu Jiangshi. "How about you follow This Chen for the time being?"

"Is there something you need my help with?" Gu Jiangshi asked.

Chen Changsheng thought it over and said, "Not at the moment. Don't overthink it. This Chen didn't save you just to use you. I simply thought that saving you might lead to an unexpected harvest—and indeed, that harvest was not small. My offer is just to give you a place to stay for now."

Gu Jiangshi cupped his fists in salute. "Many thanks!"

Chen Changsheng gave a nod of acknowledgment and said no more.

He was still thinking about Gu Jiangshi's words.

And more than that, he was filled with doubt.

Chen Changsheng didn't think it made sense for Gu Jiangshi to still be so clear-headed after everything he had gone through. It should have been completely impossible.

Chen Changsheng pondered this for a long time.

A moment later, he turned around and asked one last question.

"Do you think This Chen resembles him?"

Gu Jiangshi froze. "Resembles who?"

"The Demon Sovereign."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!