Immortal Travel of Longevity

By now, the original site had developed into a fully established Demon Market.

Naturally, this also brought about many intractable difficulties.

Specific issues caused particular headaches not only for Hu Yin, but for the badger demon and the Forest Deer Immortal Official as well.

"But in truth," Hu Yin said, "the most critical issue remains the matter of land. It is the greatest trouble we face today."

"The matter of land?"

"Yes."

Hu Yin was at a loss over this issue and could only explain, "As the old saying goes, under the whole of heaven, every inch of land belongs to the sovereign. In the mortal realm, the mountains and rivers are ruled by the emperor. In the beginning, when the Demon Market only occupied a small, unmanaged mountain without a mountain god, it wasn't an issue. However, now that the Demon Market has expanded into a full settlement and its territory continues to grow, the local City God and the earth god refuse to allow it. The implications are simply too vast."

"At its current speed of development, it probably won't be long before traces of the Demon Market spread across the entire world. When that time comes, will these mountains and rivers belong to the mortal realm, or to a demon nation?"

Hu Yin let out a breath and said, "Lord Huan anticipated such a situation long ago, and he has constantly restricted the Demon Market's growth. On the one hand, he sought out mighty figures to lay down formations, shrinking the space into a bounded realm so as not to affect the outside world. On the other, he has slowed the market's expansion to avoid alarming the mountains and rivers and triggering a short-term backlash. Lord Huan understands that overly aggressive development is by no means a good thing."

Chen Changsheng did not respond to this directly. Instead, he asked, "What are his thoughts on the matter?"

Hu Yin said, "Lord Huan was troubled by this for a long time. Eventually, he sought answers from the Dragon Lord. To exist within the mountains and rivers of the human dao means one must seek blessings for the human dao. Since we reside here, we must fulfill our responsibilities. Afterward, Lord Huan began sending out demons of good character under his command to manage barren forests and mountains, essentially performing the duties of mountain gods. Additionally, they have helped maintain the local crops. Over time, they have done everything they could possibly think of."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "That is a rather good direction."

Hu Yin paused. "However, Lord Huan said that they are currently only familiarizing themselves with these tasks. Only in the future can these become true responsibilities. From what I can tell, his intention seems to be for demons to become deities of the human dao, just like the Dragon Lord—like proper mountain deities or righteous gods of the land."

"That will likely take some time."

Chen Changsheng said, "The mountains and rivers are divided today, with various kings vying for power. The imperial court struggles to pacify the chaos. If the lands are not unified, it will be impossible to confer divine titles."

Hu Yin stared blankly for a moment, then asked, "Does Mister also dabble in the emperor's investiture of deities?"

"I do not," Chen Changsheng said. "I have merely heard a little about the Investiture of Immortals Assembly, and I also chatted a bit with the Human Sovereign about it previously. This matter accords with the timing of heaven, so it can be done."

Hearing this, Hu Yin immediately caught the subtle implication hidden within those words.

"Accords with the timing of heaven..."

He repeated Mister's words in his heart.

"Mister, do you mean to say..."

Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen is merely saying that the possibility exists."

Hu Yin froze, then quickly came to a realization. He hurriedly said, "On behalf of the demon race, I thank Mister for pointing out the way."

Chen Changsheng waved his hand. "This Chen did not point the way. This is the very path your Lord Huan had already anticipated."

He paused, then added, "However, nothing ever goes entirely smoothly. In the future, the demon race will still face suppression and checks on its power. Where there are gains, there will also be losses. You must be prepared."

Hu Yin fell into deep thought for a moment before saying, "I will strictly bear Mister's words in mind."

Chen Changsheng gave a slight nod, but he did not speak plainly about the specifics.

The rise in the human dao's qi destiny caused the wild beasts within these lands to develop sentience alongside the surging Spiritual Energy, maturing into spirits and transforming into demons. If left unmanaged, a conflict was bound to erupt between humans and demons in the future. Perhaps it would be just like what he had seen back in the spirit cage—a struggle within the Divine Domain that would not rest until one side was dead. This was something Chen Changsheng did not wish to see.

Currently, they could still be guided. Through patient and systematic persuasion, they might eventually settle down under a shared set of rules. Mutual assistance and mutual benefit would be the best possible outcome.

However, this matter would certainly not remain peaceful from beginning to end.

After all, this was never merely a matter between one person and a single demon.

After finishing his tea, Chen Changsheng chatted idly with Hu Yin for a while longer. During their conversation, however, a certain person was brought up.

"This Chen wishes to inquire about Prince Jin. I wonder if you know anything about him?"

"Prince Jin?"

Hu Yin pondered for a moment before his brows furrowed.

"Has Mister noticed something different about Prince Jin?"

Chen Changsheng nodded.

Hu Yin said, "To be frank with Mister, because the Demon Market is located in Jindi, we followed Lord Huan to meet with Prince Jin previously and explained this matter to him."

"On our way back, the Forest Deer Immortal Official informed us that this Prince Jin was no longer the Prince Jin of the past. It was likely a case of substituting a plum for a peach—he had been replaced by an imposter. However, after weighing the pros and cons, both the Forest Deer Immortal Official and Lord Huan felt that we should not involve ourselves in the affairs of the mortal world. This was especially true considering he was a royal prince. The demons who knew of this matter kept their mouths tightly shut and never leaked a word of it."

Chen Changsheng asked, "In other words, you have been keeping an eye on this Prince Jin?"

Hu Yin nodded. "Though we haven't intervened, we still frequently monitor the movements of this fake Prince Jin. After all, one can never be too careful."

"But over these past few years, this Prince Jin hasn't engaged with us at all. Most of the time, he remains in his military camp or is out drilling his troops. He hasn't stirred up any unusual incidents, so we gradually let our guard down a little."

"Moreover, according to our investigations over the past two years, Prince Jin possesses considerable talent in both commanding troops and governance. Everything he has done has been entirely focused on contending for the throne; he has never paid attention to anything else."

Chen Changsheng stroked his chin, unable to figure it out for a moment.

What purpose did this imposter Prince Jin have in acting this way?

Was he scheming for the imperial throne of the human dao?

But Chen Changsheng quickly dismissed this thought.

A mere substitute could never become the emperor!

Heaven would not allow it. What was more, Heaven would send down divine punishment. It was a grave taboo, and even the lightest consequence would be the utter scattering of one's soul.

He didn't think Prince Jin would do something so foolish.

No matter how formidable one's abilities were, they were entirely negligible before Heaven.

"He truly hasn't done anything else?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Hu Yin nodded. "We have our doubts as well, but it is indeed the truth."

Chen Changsheng gave a slight nod. "This Chen understands. Thank you for telling me."

Hu Yin hurriedly replied, "Mister is too polite."

Chen Changsheng took a sip of tea, then stood up. "It is getting late. This Chen will not stay any longer. I have an appointment with someone, so I shall not keep you company any longer."

"What is Mister saying?" Hu Yin lowered his head and said. "Hu Yin is but a humble demon; how could I dare have Mister keep me company? It just so happens that the Demon Bureau is busy with affairs, so I will head back first. I do not know where Mister is heading, but perhaps this humble demon could see Mister off for part of the journey?"

Chen Changsheng waved his hand and laughed. "There's no need to see me off. It's only a few steps away. You go ahead and get back to your work."

Hu Yin nodded repeatedly, then said, "Will Mister be staying here for a few more days? Lord Huan misses Mister very much."

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