Chapter 316: Become an Immortal! Become an Immortal!! (1)

Hearing Fei Yu's words, Yan Jing kept his expression neutral and picked up the two-toned stone.

"I knew you'd be interested in this stone, Xiao Yanzi," Shen Youran said with a smile. "Its tier is indeed very high. Rumor has it that Domain Chief Wang had to call in a massive favor just to borrow it."

"He only borrowed it because its original owner didn't believe anyone could accommodate an orange-red item at the Fourth Tier."

At this point, Shen Youran's smile brightened.

She believed that if anyone could accommodate such a stone, it was the man sitting right in front of her.

"But I have to remind you, Xiao Yanzi. The Fula Rite emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang, serving as a bridge between the preceding and the following stages. As you can see, the first two items were both even numbers. Only this stone..."

Shen Youran shook her head.

Some believed its two-toned surface represented the harmony of yin and yang. Others thought its exterior and interior formed a dual-layer structure. Still others argued that since its description stated it was formed from a person, the person and the stone inherently constituted two separate parts.

But... those were ultimately just guesses. Man and stone might not actually be opposites at all.

In his mind, Fei Yu spoke softly: "This stone is an 'immortal material,' but it possesses a mortal heart."

"The immortal and the mortal stand in opposition. That is the marvel of its yin and yang harmony."

Yan Jing asked internally, "Are there really immortals in this world?"

Fei Yu shook her head.

"Ever since the great change descended, there have been no immortals."

"The path of immortality fractured into three avenues: the Mortal Immortal, the Dharma-Ending Immortal, and the Myriad Laws Immortal. Yet, no one has ever been able to reach the end of any of them."

"The human who tried to capture me last time had an aura similar to a Mortal Immortal. The Domain I used to live in had some contact with the Immortal Anomaly Domain, so I know a little about them."

Yan Jing nodded. He then coated the stone in his hand with weird energy and quietly sensed its changes.

Soon, he heard a profound and mysterious sound.

"Thump! Thump, thump! Thump, thump, thump!"

It sounded like a beating heart. Yan Jing could feel the stone continuously pulsing against his palm.

"Do you want to become an immortal...?"

An old man's voice drifted out from some unknown place.

"I know how to become an immortal..."

"First, you must hold fast to your Dao heart and cast aside all delusional thoughts. Be like a stubborn stone on a cliff, enduring the howling gales and torrential rain..."

Yan Jing listened for a moment. He felt the old man was spouting absolute nonsense, though he had no proof.

First, the old man told him to find a plot of land rich in weird energy and bury himself with only his head exposed for twenty-five days.

If he survived those twenty-five days, he could gorge himself for a single day. Then, he had to find a waterfall heavy with weird energy and sit cross-legged beneath it for forty-nine days.

If he survived that as well, he could feast for another day. Finally, he had to climb a high cliff rich in weird energy and sit perfectly still for eighty-one days.

As long as he accomplished all three of these things, he could become a so-called half-immortal.

"I'll choose this stone," he said. He then walked back into his room and initiated the accommodation of his Fourth Rite.

Focusing his intent, he connected with the Extramundane Realm and let his mind sink beneath the ink-black sea. With his increasing tier, Yan Jing could gradually sense the location of that special space. When he opened his eyes, he was already standing before the familiar futon.

In front of him were still three sticks of incense, a small white cauldron, and a censer.

And the great curtain.

With his arrival, the great curtain didn't lag as it had before; it lit up instantly.

A mighty bell tolled.

One magnificent figure after another appeared behind the great curtain, gazing impatiently in Yan Jing's direction.

Yan Jing knew the routine well. He knew they could hear him speak, but they couldn't let him know they were there.

So, he deliberately said, "It's another good item this time."

"I just don't know if I can accommodate it."

"Sigh... life is so hard. I'm constantly in danger and don't dare slack off. If I can't get past this hurdle..."

As usual, he put on a pitiful act. After the chiming of the clock rang out, he took out the stone and placed it upon the small white cauldron.

The instant the stone touched the cauldron, piercing gazes locked onto it.

Then, those figures—which had already taken on quite a bit of color—seemed to riot. Rainbow clouds and ribbons danced among the massive stars. Silver-white armor shuddered with the clash of metal and stone, bells and drums rang out in unison with cannon fire, and chanted scriptures and prayers rained down as materialized fragments.

Unlike their previous revelry, the gazes of the figures were incredibly serious this time, as heavy as lake water on a dreary, rainy day.

"It is an immortal material."

"Yes, and a living immortal material at that."

"There have been no immortals in this world for a long time, but an immortal material with such a firm Dao heart is hard to come by."

"This thing is enough to exchange for one person's emergence into the world."

"Who will do it?"

"Who will take the lion's share of this thing?"

"Right, who will it be?! If you emerge, you must bear the karma of the person who offered the immortal material. Who dares?"

"And if he fails to accommodate it..."

"Then he will perish, and his Dao will dissipate."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Only the stone trembled slightly. Yan Jing could feel that the stone was terrified.

So it turned out that "immortals" could feel fear too.

What Yan Jing didn't realize was this:

The stone had originally felt completely secure, firmly believing that no one could accommodate it.

As long as it retained its final shred of consciousness, it would be able to control anyone who accommodated it. But things were different now. It had never expected that so many magnificent entities would gather behind the great curtain in Yan Jing's Extramundane Realm.

If they devoured it piece by piece, it truly risked being eaten alive with nothing left behind.

Therefore, it was genuinely terrified.

It could only continuously chant in silence:

"My heart is like a stubborn stone, my Dao is like a stubborn stone, I am the Stubborn Stone Immortal, and I swear to ascend to the Azure Heaven..."

It could tell that the figures behind the curtain were hesitating, afraid of failure.

That was until a calm voice rang out.

"I will do it."

Everyone behind the curtain fell quiet and looked toward the figure.

Yan Jing also followed their gaze.

It was a graceful figure, as ethereal as an immortal. He had long hair and could vaguely be seen wearing a green robe. A Jade Pendant, as white as the morning glow, hung from his waist. His aura was detached and unworldly.

The moment he appeared, the other figures began to murmur among themselves.

"It's him..."

"If he wanted to emerge, he shouldn't need to resort to such methods..."

"Is he still going to fight for it? When Advent Day arrived... he had already lost once..."

"I have to say, he truly possesses great ambition..."

Only the stone, upon seeing this figure, suddenly felt its heart turn to ash. It trembled endlessly in absolute terror.

This was because, if it guessed correctly, this man had once ruled an entire era of the Immortal Anomaly Domain before the Source of Mutation descended, and had even crushed thousands of enemies with overwhelming force.

Had he lost too...? Was he reduced to waiting behind the great curtain, enduring the baptism of mutation...?

But seeing that his aura remained so ethereal and detached, the mutation he suffered must not have been deep.

Just as it thought this, the figure suddenly bent over as if in extreme agony. Then, his elegant green robe instantly transformed into strands of long, pitch-black hair. The Jade Pendant at his waist warped into a cluster of bloody severed heads, hanging upside down from his belt amidst cascading black hair.

Seeing this, the surrounding figures were startled before realizing what had happened.

"He isn't fighting for it... the injuries he suffered back then were simply too severe... he can't withstand the baptism of mutation anymore..."

"He has no choice but to leave... If someone like him were to fully mutate, he would be better off dead..."

"Indeed... he's far too proud..."

"Let it be him... let him try..."

"Right, let him try..."

Some of the figures had originally been hesitating over whether to step forward, but seeing the man's current state, they all yielded the opportunity to him.

"Thank you, everyone."

The long black hair covering the man seemed to morph back into his previous green robe, and the Jade Pendant remained bright. However, his voice was several times weaker as he cupped his hands to the crowd.

The crowd immediately returned the gesture.

After all, they had existed together for so long. Even if they had no deep affection, there was still some camaraderie between them.

The man then cupped his hands toward Yan Jing.

"Little friend, whether this succeeds or fails today, the burden falls on me, Wendao, alone. Proceed with the accommodation without worry. If you fail, I have a way to ensure you suffer no backlash. And if you succeed..."

"I, Wendao, swear to you:"

"Before Advent Day arrives, no one within the Real World will dare to touch you."

Immediately, he shot out a beam of black light. It surprisingly pierced three feet beyond the great curtain and swept toward the stone.

"No... no, no, no... don't..."

At that moment, the stone could no longer maintain its hollow lies of a heart like solid rock. A phantom was violently torn out by the black light. It turned out to be an old man who was little more than a skeleton. He was dripping with blood, and most of his wispy white hair was gone. Other than his head, he had absolutely no skin left on his body. His hands and feet had warped into claws, grasping wildly as if trying to hold onto something.

Yan Jing recalled the three methods of becoming an immortal that the entity had described, realizing they perfectly corresponded to the old man's current gruesome appearance.

As the phantom vanished into the great curtain, a familiar slurping sound echoed through the space.

Yan Jing closed his eyes.

Faintly, the man's voice reached his ears.

"The Fula rite refers to the summer Fu and the winter La, when all the people offer sacrifices to the gods, praying for favorable weather and the fulfillment of their desires in the seasons to come."

"During the seasonal rites of Fu and La, lambs are roasted and sheep are boiled."

"Having watched for so long, I have gained some understanding of your generation's cultivation system. Thus, I also know that this rite serves as a bridge for you, connecting the preceding stages to those that follow."

"Here, I shall gift you a method to harmonize yin and yang, my little friend. Even if you fail to accommodate this sacrifice, you can use this method as a substitute to step into the next tier."

"This is where my power reaches its limit. If we ever have the chance to meet, we can speak more of visions of the great world and the delusional words of immortals and gods."

As the words faded away, Yan Jing felt a stream of freezing liquid surge into his body from the stone on the white cauldron.

However, the moment the liquid entered him, a voice abruptly rang out.

"Hehe... hehe... he was hurt too badly... and separated by the great curtain... in the end, he didn't fully discover me..."

"I'm alive... I am an immortal... The stubborn stone survives for ten thousand ages, and I too shall survive for ten thousand ages..."

"To live another lifetime... in this life, I shall become a true immortal!!!"

An almost entirely transparent phantom hid within that cold current. It laughed triumphantly, as arrogant as if it had already achieved immortality.

But unexpectedly, two pairs of freezing eyes locked onto it.

"What era is it... and you're still blabbering about immortals..."

Fei Yu spoke softly.

"Heh. I'd heard long ago that some spineless old fools accepted the grace of the Source of Mutation and still lived in the past. Now, I've finally seen one."

Fear Bird scoffed disdainfully.

"Hmm?!"

The figure instantly shuddered and looked at the two of them in sheer terror.