We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real?

Chapter 568: Double Happiness, Great Joy... (2 in 1)

Above Mandarin Duck Plain.

Two women slowly descended from midair, one before the other, and walked forward until they finally stopped at the edge of a bottomless chasm.

“Grand Elder, this is the place,” Tushan Hongxia said softly to Tushan Meng, her gaze falling to the chasm beneath their feet. “In the past, the entrance to the Mandarin Duck Secret Realm lay below this fissure.”

“Mm.” Tushan Meng nodded slightly, her expression calm as she looked down.

The chasm was dark, like a sleeping eye.

Several decades ago, after the Mandarin Duck Secret Realm had completely closed, this plain had gradually returned to its former silence, no different from any ordinary place in the world.

Yet Tushan Meng had always felt that this place still required some attention.

For that reason, she had specially dispatched cultivators to take turns standing guard here. If anything unusual appeared, they were to send a flying-sword message back to Tushan at once, without fail.

Not long ago, the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator responsible for watching over Mandarin Duck Plain had suddenly sensed an abnormal fluctuation of spiritual power.

He did not dare neglect it, and immediately sent an urgent report back to Tushan by flying-sword message.

After Tushan Meng received the message, she did not delay in the slightest. She immediately brought Tushan Hongxia and hurried here.

“Hongxia, guard the way for me,” Tushan Meng instructed, turning her head toward Tushan Hongxia beside her.

“Yes, Grand Elder.” Tushan Hongxia nodded solemnly, then swiftly laid down a spell formation. At the same time, she sent her divine sense outward, covering a radius of a hundred li.

If any cultivator suddenly approached this area, Tushan Hongxia would sense it at the first moment.

Tushan Meng brushed aside the hem of her skirt and sat cross-legged at the edge of the chasm. She closed her eyes and gathered her focus, silently reciting an incantation as she slowly activated the innate divine ability of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox clan.

Before long, a palm-sized nine-tailed spirit fox, snow-white and flawless from head to toe, leapt out from above Tushan Meng’s head and lightly dropped into the deep, shadowed chasm. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the depths of the darkness.

She was not worried that this wisp of soul would be damaged.

Even if something truly went wrong, it would only take one or two years of quiet recuperation for her to recover as before. It could hardly be considered anything serious.

However, after falling for the time it took half an incense stick to burn, Tushan Meng’s wisp of soul was still drifting through the dark void.

It was as though this chasm had no end at all, as though it would never touch bottom.

“Oh... So it is a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. I did not expect that your branch of divine-beast bloodline would still exist.”

Suddenly, a voice entered the depths of Tushan Meng’s heart-lake without the slightest warning. Its tone carried a hint of languor, and also a trace of playful interest.

Immediately afterward, Tushan Meng’s wisp of soul landed on solid ground.

And in the darkness not far away, a faint light emerged, standing out sharply amid the boundless silence.

Tushan Meng walked toward that light step by step.

At last, she arrived before a statue.

It was the statue of a woman. Its entire body radiated a sacred, gentle glow. The carving was exquisitely fine, its lines smooth and delicate.

Even though this was only a colorless stone statue, Tushan Meng could clearly feel that, when this woman had been alive, her appearance must have been breathtakingly beautiful.

And in the deepest part of this abyss, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but this faintly glowing statue and endless darkness, vast and desolate.

“Who are you?” Tushan Meng’s mind tightened slightly. She stared warily at the statue before her, her tone cold and direct.

“Who I am is not important.”

That voice slowly rang out again in Tushan Meng’s heart-lake, unhurried, as though separated from her by a thin veil of mist.

“What matters is that I can sense the old wound on your body, the one so difficult to heal. It has left you with little lifespan remaining, and it has also made it impossible for your realm to advance another step.”

The voice paused slightly, then took on a smile whose meaning was difficult to read. “And yet, from head to toe, you radiate the strong scent of an intense, almost obsessive ambition.”

“You are quite interesting.”

Tushan Meng’s brows drew tightly together, her expression grave.

The fact that the other party could see through the old wound on her body at a glance was enough to prove that this was no ordinary being.

A thought even faintly arose in her heart—while the other party was weak, she might as well destroy this statue outright, lest it give rise to some uncontrollable variable in the future.

“I know what you are thinking.”

The statue’s voice sounded again in her heart-lake. Its tone seemed to carry a little mockery, and a little careless indifference as well.

“But I advise you not to waste your strength. A tiny fox like you cannot destroy me.”

“However... if you are willing, you and I can make a deal. I can grant you a measure of power, and help you realize the ambition in your heart. How about it?”

...

In Yellow Leaf City of the demon-race world, the Demon Alliance army led by Tushan Jingci had already made camp.

At first, when Tushan Jingci had just taken command of this army, many generals had not been especially convinced of her ability to march and wage war. In their hearts, they carried some measure of doubt, watching and waiting.

But gradually, they discovered that this holy daughter possessed an exceptionally sharp instinct for the battlefield. She could often perceive the first move and predict the enemy in advance.

Moreover, over these years, Tushan Jingci had read widely through records of major battles, as well as all kinds of military texts written by the strategists of the Ten Thousand Arts world.

In addition, Tushan Jingci was extremely skilled at drawing lessons from actual combat.

After every great battle, her comprehension and understanding of marching and warfare visibly rose to another level, leaving others no choice but to admire her.

More importantly, whenever a great battle came, Tushan Jingci never hid inside the command tent. Instead, she personally led from the front, fighting bloodily across the battlefield.

After several decades, almost everyone had been sincerely won over by this Tushan holy daughter, with not the slightest misgiving left.

The only problem was that the humans’ resistance was truly too fierce.

And on the demon race’s side, there was Tushan Jingci; but on the human side, there was Gui Junmeng, and there was also Xiao Mo.

Originally, Gui Junmeng had been a full major realm lower than Tushan Jingci.

But after several decades had passed, Gui Junmeng had already stepped into the Immortal Realm as well.

Rumor said that the reason Gui Junmeng’s cultivation had advanced so astonishingly fast was that, aside from the fact that she herself possessed an innate dao constitution and shocking talent, the most important factor was still Xiao Mo.

According to the information the Demon Alliance had gathered, that Xiao Mo was currently practicing dual practice together with Gui Junmeng, and their dual-practice method was extremely compatible with both their constitutions and their Great Daos.

In addition, there was another rumor—Gui Junmeng and Tushan Jingci looked exactly alike.

However, the Demon Alliance could not determine whether this rumor was true.

After all, every time Gui Junmeng went onto the battlefield, she wore a veil. Only the cultivators of Seeking Immortality Temple had seen her true appearance.

But judging from her figure, which seemed to have been carved from the same mold as Tushan Jingci’s, and from those fox eyes of hers...

This news was very likely true.

Not only that, the Demon Alliance had also heard that the current Xiao Mo was the reincarnation of the book attendant who had once stayed by Tushan Jingci’s side—in other words, Tushan Jingci’s beloved.

If that was truly the case, then the relationship among these three people was rather intriguing.

For a time, all kinds of guesses and rumors sprang up around the three of them.

Only, under Tushan Meng’s pressure, no one dared discuss the matter openly.

Moreover, as the war grew increasingly intense, most demon cultivators in the Demon Alliance did not even know whether they would live to see the next day. As a result, after those rumors and bits of gossip remained lively for a while, most people quickly cast them to the backs of their minds and paid them no further attention.

“I suggest our army strike straight at Yellow Dragon Valley, then destroy Wind-and-Cloud City afterward to put pressure on the Human Alliance!”

“Absolutely not! Yellow Dragon Valley is a natural no-flight zone. If the enemy has set an ambush there, and our army enters rashly, the consequences will be unimaginable!”

“Then what do we do? We cannot just keep huddling in Yellow Leaf City and sitting around doing nothing, can we?”

“How are the other two demon-race armies doing right now?”

“How else could they be doing? One army has been pinned down by the Human Alliance, and just like us, it can neither advance nor retreat, unable to move. The Soaring Serpent clan’s army, on the other hand, seems rather relaxed. They are probably holding back.”

“Damn the Ten Thousand Arts world! If they were not causing trouble behind the scenes, we would have wiped out the Human Alliance long ago! They had better not let me catch an opportunity, or I will definitely set foot in the Ten Thousand Arts world again!”

“Heh, heh, heh. What use is saying that now? We should first think of a way to resolve the predicament before our eyes.”

Inside the City Lord’s Residence of Yellow Leaf City, many demon-race generals spoke one after another, discussing their next attack plan.

But the longer they discussed, the more intense the anger in their hearts became.

Originally, the Demon Alliance had been beating the Human Alliance into the ground. At the very beginning, they had not even taken the Human Alliance seriously at all.

Who could have known that the Ten Thousand Arts world would secretly support the Human Alliance, continuously sending over all kinds of rare cultivation treasures, pills, and cultivation methods?

There were even quite a few cultivators from the Ten Thousand Arts world who had smuggled themselves over to assist the Human Alliance!

If not for the Ten Thousand Arts world stirring things up behind the scenes, they felt they would have completely exterminated the Human Alliance long ago!

And on the main seat of the City Lord’s Residence, a woman with an exceptional figure and a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms sat with her eyes closed. Beneath her skirt, her legs were lightly crossed, and her elbow propped up her fair, tender chin. Her bearing was lazy and composed as she quietly listened to their argument.

“Send a flying-letter message to the Soaring Serpent clan.”

After a long while, the woman slowly spoke. Her voice was as crisp and pleasant as silver bells, yet it carried a soul-shaking majesty.

“Have them dispatch an army of one hundred thousand here. Their realms must be above the Cave Dwelling Realm. They will attack Yellow Dragon Valley together with our army!”

Tushan Jingci issued the order coldly, her tone allowing no room for doubt.

“If they dare make excuses, my army will break camp and march to Black Serpent City. I will personally go and ask the Soaring Serpent clan. Is that understood?”

“Yes...” The demon-race general named Zeng Qiang hurriedly bowed and answered, fine cold sweat breaking out on his forehead despite himself.

Although Zeng Qiang deeply respected this Tushan holy daughter in his heart, he had to admit that sometimes, he truly felt this holy daughter was simply like a lunatic...

If the Soaring Serpent clan dared refuse to send troops, this holy daughter would absolutely do as she said. She really would lead the army straight to Black Serpent City.

“Good. Then that is decided.” Tushan Jingci said nothing more. She rose to her feet and walked out of the command tent without looking back.

The generals all stood one after another and respectfully bowed to see her off.

However, just as Tushan Jingci had walked out of the command tent, Yueshi hurried over with a rushed expression and dipped into a bow. “Young Lady...”

“Sister Yueshi, what is it?” Tushan Jingci turned her head to look at Yueshi, her tone softening slightly.

Yueshi’s eyes shifted left and right a few times. Her lips pressed lightly together, as though she were repeatedly weighing her words.

“Sister Yueshi, no matter what it is, just say it directly. It is all right,” Tushan Jingci said to Yueshi. In that voice, always so cold, there was now a rare trace of tenderness reserved for an old acquaintance.

Yueshi drew a deep breath, steadied herself, and slowly said, “Reporting to Young Lady, someone sent a letter.”

“Who sent it?” Tushan Jingci asked calmly.

“It was... it was from Seeking Immortality Temple... Xiao Mo...” Yueshi answered haltingly, her voice growing softer and softer.

And the instant Tushan Jingci heard the two words “Xiao Mo,” her heart trembled fiercely. Her small hands also clenched tightly beyond her control, her knuckles turning pale.

“Give it to me,” Tushan Jingci slowly said, her voice carrying an uncontrollable tremor.

“Yes.”

Yueshi took the letter from her robes and presented it respectfully to Tushan Jingci with both hands.

The envelope was an auspicious bright red. On it was a large red paper-cut “double happiness” character, exquisite and eye-catching.

This was...

A wedding invitation...

Looking at the painfully red wedding invitation in Yueshi’s hands, Tushan Jingci’s breath abruptly stopped. Bit by bit, the color drained from her face, leaving it pale as paper.

Her eyes, already as cold as frost, now seemed to have fallen into a bottomless abyss, losing every trace of light.

She stood there blankly, unmoving, as though time itself had frozen around her. Only the wedding invitation in her hand remained, red enough to pierce the heart.

But in the end, Tushan Jingci still slowly reached out and took the wedding invitation, her slender fingers trembling almost imperceptibly.

She opened the invitation and drew out the sheet of red paper inside.

Each word and phrase on that red paper slowly unfolded before her eyes.

The woman’s eyes trembled faintly. Starting from the corners, they reddened bit by bit, until at last they were covered by a hazy layer of mist.

She endured it with all her strength, biting her lip.

But in the end, crystalline tears still slipped silently from the corners of her eyes, drop by drop, falling onto that bright red sheet of paper and spreading into a small patch of dampness.

“Young Lady...” Yueshi called softly, but for a moment, she did not know how to comfort her.

In truth, even if she did not look at the contents of the wedding invitation, she had already guessed a little in her heart.

After all, over these past several decades, the rumors of Xiao Mo and Gui Junmeng practicing dual practice had long since ceased to be any secret.

“Xiao Mo is getting married.”

Tushan Jingci slowly spoke. The black characters on the red paper were like nails, one after another, driving viciously into her heart.

“Double happiness...”

“Such great double happiness...”

Tushan Jingci lightly stroked the delicate paper-cut flowers on the envelope. There was clearly a smile on her face, even a curve at the corner of her lips, but her tears would not stop falling, drop after drop, as though they would never run dry.

“Since it is such great joy...”

“Then I must send you a great gift.”

She lifted her head and looked into the distance.

“Wouldn’t you say so?”