Chapter 22: The Immortal Returns, Journey to Jinzhou

"Little God?"

Dai Longmei retracted his jade sword back into his storage ring, finally processing the situation.

"Could it be that you are..."

After more than a decade, Dai Longmei had finally encountered the teacher—that figure of transcendent grace who had once guided him, hand in hand, in the cultivation of Void Qi.

"Heh, Young General, I am not his true self."

This sentence extinguished the joy Dai Longmei felt at their long-awaited reunion.

"Huh? How are you not him, old man? It was you who told us to come to Longshan Jade Temple." Lily tilted her head, looking at the old Daoist.

The old Daoist let out a long sigh, stood up, and surveyed the exquisite carved railings and pillars in the temple courtyard.

"I am merely a wandering soul left behind in the Jade Temple by the Jade God himself."

"My purpose was, in the event that something should happen to him, to leave a way out and offer guidance to the children of this Jade Realm."

The old Daoist turned to look at the crestfallen Lily.

"Something happened to him at Huining Fortress, didn't it?"

Lily did not answer; she simply nodded sadly.

"In that final moment, he pushed you into the rift."

"But the Void Qi he channeled was too rushed and too overwhelming, causing your soul to be severed from your body."

"But this fox body..."

The old Daoist rubbed his temples, trying to recall something, but eventually gave up.

"This body should have originated from a... divine beast associated with that old Daoist."

"I do not know why this fox demon wanted to take your body for its own..."

"But it seems he was hoisted by his own petard; the Jade God outmaneuvered him and swapped his body for yours."

Looking at the slightly anxious Lily, the old Daoist continued, "Those Star-people also desire your body."

"However, they do not realize that only when the soul and body are reunited can the gate be opened."

"A key... a key... everyone treats me like a key!" Lily muttered under her breath.

"The Jade God never treated you as a key, child~" The old Daoist’s concerned gaze reminded Lily of the old man she once knew.

"Then, Daoist... no, True God... Jade God... Teacher..."

"It does not matter. Call me whatever you wish."

"Then, where is Lily's original body..."

Before the old Daoist could finish, Lily interjected hurriedly:

"I think I know, old man."

Hearing Lily call him "old man," the old Daoist smiled.

"The Western Desolation! The underground city I saw before I lost consciousness is in the Western Desolation!"

Hearing the words "Western Desolation," even Long Zhu, who had been dozing off outside the hall, gave a start.

The Western Desolation was named for its extreme peril. It was a place where ancient immortal weaponry and the spirits of fallen immortals, now turned into ghost-soldiers, hunted any tomb raider who dared to set foot on its soil.

Yet, legend had it that in the massive underground city within the Western Desolation lay divine weapons from the era of the immortals capable of destroying the heavens and the earth. Thus, despite the danger, a multitude of tomb raiders flocked there, including many "official" teams commissioned by the Three Kings.

"How could the Jade God have sent you to such a dangerous place?" Even one as bold and valiant as Dai Longmei felt a chill at the mention of the Western Desolation.

"I don't know... at the time, she was locked in battle with that mass of yellow Void Qi... in her desperation, she sent me back to Heavenly Jade..." Lily’s expression grew even more worried.

"Do not worry, child. Your Jade God will be fine." The old Daoist looked thoughtfully out the window at the sky, now veiled by a Void Shield. "Killing a god is not so easy!"

"The Western Desolation is exceptionally dangerous. If the three of us go in, I fear we will meet with disaster." Dai Longmei stroked his beard, then found a solution. "I will send a message by carrier crow and have my eldest brother dispatch a team of our household retainers~"

"No, it would be best to have Uncle Yousheng lead them himself!"

"Young General, you must explain this clearly to your brother and the others, especially regarding the fact that the Star-people have already infiltrated..."

"Oh, Teacher, why do you still call me that? You used to always call me 'Meizi', didn't you?" Dai Longmei laughed at the old Daoist, pulling a black crow from his storage ring.

"Hey! There isn't enough air in that storage ring! How can you keep a living creature in there?!"

"Oh, dear lady, it's just for a moment! You know the crows here—they are hardy enough~"

"You really are a brute of a soldier. If the crow suffocates in there, be careful that your ring doesn't start to stink."

"How do you know it would stink? Shouldn't this thing be ventilated..."

"I once put a thorny fruit I dug out of an underground city in there..."

Seeing Dai Longmei and Lily bickering again, a smile touched the old Daoist’s face. This sight—the two of them bickering like Jade Dragon and Blue Phoenix—he felt as if he had seen it somewhere before. The Jade God... it felt as if he had seen it somewhere before...

"Ahem." The old Daoist coughed, putting an end to their flirting.

"Alright, Meizi, remember to explain everything clearly in your letter to your brother."

"Your brothers and the men of the Liaodong Army do not possess Void Qi."

"And they know nothing of these monsters like the Star-dust who have crossed the realms."

"This must be explained thoroughly."

Dai Longmei grinned. "Don't worry, Teacher. I will explain the stakes to my brother."

"Heh, once Uncle Yousheng and the others arrive, even those women riding white lions won't be much of a threat~"

Dai Longmei continued to call the "old Daoist" his teacher, treating this remnant soul as the deity who had taught him the way of Void Qi. The old Daoist shook his head with a smile, letting out a light sigh.

"Lily, you are a tomb raider. You should remember the scene before your soul fled that underground city."

"Yes, I have been to the Western Desolation underground city once."

"That time, although it was a narrow escape, I remember the road there and back."

"Good."

"Meizi?"

"Yes?"

"Tell your brother to send more men—at least a hundred would be best."

"Your household retainers are capable fighters, but the enemy has at least eighty white lion riders who can wield Void Qi. You must be careful!"

"You have my word, Teacher!"

"There is one more thing~" As the old Daoist spoke, he felt his body, formed from the soul of the Jade God, beginning to dissipate.

"You cannot stay here. This Void Shield is maintained by the Jade God's lingering soul."

"The Jade God has moved further away from the Jade Realm, and I can no longer maintain it."

"You must leave. Go south, yes..."

"Go to Jinzhou City. There are many people there, and those eighty-some white lion riders would not dare to slaughter wantonly there; their Void Qi powers are also restricted in that place..."

"It is safer there. Yes! Go there, it is safer!"

"Also, it would be best to establish contact with the army of the King of Long. Having more hands to go to the Western Desolation is always a good thing..."

As he spoke, the old Daoist, who had appeared human just a moment ago, began to fade away.

"Teacher! Teacher!" Dai Longmei, who had been sitting at the table writing, stood up and reached out to grab the old Daoist’s hand, but he grasped only a wisp of white Void Qi.

"I was merely a manifestation of the Jade God's soul. It seems his true self has traveled too far from the Jade Realm. So be it... so be it..."

"Old man!" Lily, too, had come to see the old Daoist as the Star God she had shared hardships with in Dongsong.

"Remember, although the Star-dust people cannot launch a full-scale invasion of Heavenly Jade for the time being due to the Void Wall of the Luma River..."

"The Star God Fenrir and the leader of the White Lion Riders, Freya..."

"Are both cunning and sinister individuals!"

"You must be extremely cautious!"

"Even if their Void Qi is restricted, you must fight them with the utmost care!"

"Under my throne in the temple, there is a book left by the Jade God titled 'Intention in the True Self'. It contains methods for practicing Void Qi."

"The two of you, who have reached the Void Intent realm, can contemplate it yourselves..."

The old Daoist’s form had dissipated up to his head.

"I'm off. Returning to the body now."

"Children, fight them to the very end!"

The old Daoist vanished into thin air.

"Destiny returns! Destiny returns!"

"The Jade form has returned to the True God~"

"From now on, the fragrance of the Dao remains in the world~"

"O soul, return!"

"O soul, return!"

Long Zhu, who had been dozing off outside the door, was startled awake by the row of Jade Sect Daoists and priestesses kneeling outside the main hall.

"Good heavens, the sound of these Daoists shouting nearly scared the life out of me~"

Long Zhu, of course, did not understand the unique "Crane-Riding Rite" of the Jade Sect. It was a ceremony that the disciples held before the hall where an elder had passed away, as instructed before his death. Whenever this happened, the Jade Sect disciples would kneel before the hall and chant the sacred hymns of the sect, hoping that through this holy and enduring sound, the old Daoist’s soul would fly to the "Divine Realm" where the True God resided, to serve the great being who had once saved Heavenly Jade.

"Clack!"

The doors of the hall were pushed open. Dai Longmei walked out with Lily perched on his shoulder, striding out of the hall. The Daoists and priestesses looked up and saw that the old Daoist inside was "no longer in form, having ridden the crane to the west," and they began to chant the sacred hymns even louder.

Dai Longmei looked back at the towering bronze statue of the "True God" inside the hall.

"Farewell~ Teacher~"

The bronze statue seemed to smile back at him.

"Zhuzi!"

"Yes, Fifth Master!"

"Let's go. To Jinzhou!"