Pursuing Immortality

Clank!

As the divine mountain rose out of the water, the black sword uttered its last plaintive cry, and quieted down.

The inky black blade was deprived of all its spirituality, and was now lined with dry silver-gray patches. It was now a mere common sword that was slightly sharper than ordinary blades.

"Sigh…" Gu Yu sighed softly as he withdrew the sword. He then said to Mu Kun, "The sword had lost all its spirituality, but I'd like to keep it on Phoenix Mountain. May I do that?"

Mu Kun gave it a thought, and said, "Sure."

"Thanks!"

With a little command of his mental force, the crippled sword was stored into the silver silk bag at his waist. Only then did he go up to the river bank and join the others in observing the divine mountain.

A black mountain about 50 m tall and 25 m wide floated on the wide river, its bottom section under the water. Ridges and peaks undulated over the slopes, and hard-featured stones covered the ground. Everything on it seemed to have blended into a harmonious whole, making it look like a giant sculpture made from a single black rock.

A strange ring of water circled around the mountain, which was darker in color, and the space above it seemed to be sealed off by some confinement. No boats or birds were allowed to cross the water.

"It's not a tall mountain, but obviously some immortal skills were used to protect it. We can't really guess what we will find inside."

"It looked like an integrated mass without an opening to the dwelling. How are we going to get in?"

"Do you see that ring of water? That's should be the Feather-sunken River in the legend—even feathers cannot float in it."

The healing talisman was indeed a work of wonder. Huang Huiguang's severed tongue had been reattached. He was still lisping a bit, but had no problem speaking already. He explained to the others, "A ballad has been passed down in our sect, which goes 'The lady arrived at Feather-sunken River, but found no ferry or boat for miles both upstream and downstream… Great White Golden Star 1 appeared over the clouds, instructing Jinggu in detail: young girl seeking a master, don't worry, a road to Lüshan is hidden in the river; young girl seeking the knowledge, don't panic, a road to Lüshan is in the middle of the water'."

"Are you saying that the way into the mountain is under that water?" asked Xiaozhai.

"I'm not sure, but it's worth trying."

It was after dark now and evening had closed in. Despite all the bright light, ordinary people could not see the mountain at all. The feeling was so awful that all the staff at the scene was overwhelmed by frustration.

Mu Kun was the one with a clearer mind. He went up to the priests, and asked, "Are you going in?"

"Of course!"

"Then what do you need us to do?"

"Please wait here. If we come out, then everything is fine. If not, well, there really isn't anything you can do to help." Gu Yu grinned.

'Show-off!' Mu Kun wanted to roll his eyes at Gu Yu. 'Seriously? Saying that makes you so happy, doesn't it?'

"All right, I'll go have a look first." Gu Yu squeezed Xiaozhai's hand gently, then with a little shift, he appeared over the river. Striding forwards walking on water, he soon reached the edge of the Feather-sunken River.

He then stepped out his left foot and put it lightly over that river.

'Hm?' Gu Yu frowned slightly, sensing an extremely agitated water energy under his foot that was pulling strongly as if trying to drag everything passing from above into the bottom of that river.

He realized what they were dealing with here, and turned to warn the others. "It is a sealing technique of water. Go in one person at a time, and be careful!"

After that, he raised his left hand and pressed down with an open palm, activating the Taoist skill of Five Elements as he had understood, shouting, "Open!"

Splash!

Instantly, the Feather-Sunken River surged, and the water was separated by a great power, slowly turning into two walls or water. A passageway was right in between.

Gu Yu made his way down and landed on the path, then reached the mountain in a few strides. He was about to look for the entrance, but as soon as he made contact with the mountain wall, he was sucked in without a warning.

Rumble!

Splash!

Without the support of Gu Yu's skill, the two water walls slowly closed back up.

"..."

There was a brief silence on the river bank before Xiaozhai chuckled suddenly. "No one wants to go next? Then it's my turn!"

With that, she leapt out onto the river wrapped in the flickering purple-black lightning, which vaporized the water wherever she went; she then dived into the river like a cannonball.

That was a crude way!

The three members of the monastery exchanged a look. 'Well, what are we waiting for?'

Hence, Lu Yuanqing flipped his whisk to move the river water, Shi Yunlai released the blue smoke from his Lucky Smoky Gourd to cover himself from head to toe, while Bai Yunsheng was much more direct—he wielded his sword and hacked open a passageway.

In a heartbeat, all five had disappeared into the river, leaving behind the baffled onlookers that didn't even have time to cheer for them.

***

Darkness, endless darkness.

It stretched out infinitely in all directions around him, and there was no telling the front from the back and the left from the right. There was no sound and no physical substances, just as if the universe was back to its original form.

This was the world Gu Yu stumbled into.

He did not panic, but released his mental force, which reached out in all directions like tentacles. After going through one area of void after another, it soon found a layer of invisible film in one direction.

There was a little resistance, but after he focused his mental force into a needle-like point, it punctured the film right away.

That little puncture was the tell.

"Haha…" Gu Yu smiled, and headed right in that direction. This was not some strange universe, but a mere camouflage similar to a formation.

He seemed to walk on forever before the darkness receded, and light gradually returned. When he was finally out in the open but had yet to see anything, he heard the chirping of birds.

Gu Yu winced a little. The sun was shining mildly, and there was a gentle breeze. Everywhere he turned, he saw the familiar scene of verdant trees, luxuriant plantation, and twittering birds.

"I'm on Phoenix Mountain?"

He stepped into the place, and felt his mind going blurry all of a sudden as if a strange power was invading his brain. He immediately activated his mental force to block it out.

With a half smile on his face, Gu Yu concealed whatever that was going on in his head. He simply wandered around the mountain. It looked identical to Phoenix Mountain, from the layout of the buildings to the arrangement of trees. A short distance ahead stood the Cottage of Calm Mind.

There was no one in the courtyard, but a faint smoke was rising out of the kitchen—someone was busying inside.

"Brother?" The person inside heard his footstep and turned around. She then said happily, "You're back. I'm making lunch. It's the sweet lotus root slices with glutinous rice, your favorite."

"..." Watching the familiar little face, Gu Yu was speechless for a moment.

"Brother, don't you like it?" Long Qiu pouted a little when she did not get an answer.

"Um, I like it." He nodded despite of himself.

"Teehee, I knew it… there, try it first." With that, Long Qiu picked one slice up with two slender and fair fingers and raised it to his lips, chuckling. "Open up. Haven't you always wanted me to feed you like this? Don't worry. Sister is not around."

Looking around, she then asked shyly, "Or, do you want me to feed you like this?"

She put the pink slice of lotus root between her red lips and bit lightly into it. With her eyes slightly closed, her face looked scrumptious.

"What? You two are sneaking around back here!" Just then, another voice rang out from outside, and Xiao Jin Jin ran happily in, shouting in an exaggerated tone, "Wow, you made glutinous lotus root? Give me some!"

"No way! It's for Brother!" Long Qiu took the plate away.

"Don't be so stingy! I'll just have one slice…"

After trying all her way but could not get to the plate, Xiaojin turned around and wrapped herself around Gu Yu, asking in a cloying voice, "Brother-in-law, let's eat it together, shall we? She's not the only one that can feed you like that."

"..."

At those words, a strange look finally crept up Gu Yu's face. What had just happened was hilarious and too miserable to look at at the same time. He sighed.

"Xiao Qiu has all her thoughts written on her face, but she was reserved, polite, and knew her place. Xiaojin might be all over the place and uncontrollable, but she had her principles, and knew what she wanted.

"This conjuring skill was so superficial—you fabricated a vision with the tiny amount of memories you stole from me and made mere speculations on people's emotions just because you knew I live together with the two girls… you have thought too low of me!"

Boom!

Golden light surged in the quiet valley as if a sun was rising out of it. Under the blazing light, the mountain and the cottage vanished like fragile bubbles.

When Gu Yu opened his eyes again, he saw that he was standing in a great hall.

The ceiling resembled the sky, which was engraved with the sun, the moon, and stars, and was supported by twelve giant columns. All walls of the hall were made from black stone, which was carved with cloud patterns and all sorts of strange drawings.

There were no windows or doors in the hall, and it looked like a confined space. Gu Yu looked around briefly, then randomly walked to a stone wall; he saw that the drawings on it were arranged coherently and in order.

The first one depicted three priest running into a handsome teenager in an ancient city; the two parties seemed to be exchanging pleasantries.

In the second drawing, the three priests were by the side of a river, and an ox was lying on the beach.

In the third one, a priest transformed a paper-cut into a black bull to compete with the ox on Taoist skills.

***

In the ninth drawing, the priest summoned ghosts and gods to forge a dragon-chaining well in the south of the city to suppress the evil flood dragon forever.

The drawing did not look like the work of painting brushes or carving knives, but almost felt it had grown naturally out of the walls. The lines looked casually made. Although they weren't exactly exquisite, there was a simple and unsophisticated ancient feeling about them.

Gu Yu recognized that the drawings were about the story of Xu Xun chaining up a flood dragon. He then examined the frescoes, and saw that they were about the other great masters under Xu Xun's leadership.

Despite the absence of an exit, he wasn't worried, for from his probing earlier, someone or something had to be in this mountain, watching him in secret.

Both the darkness and the vision just then were probably its doing, which was actually quite remarkable, for it seemed to be able to read his memory without being detected. It was quite an impressive ability, and even Gu Yu himself was tricked.

However, the illusion it created was crude, which did not match its other capabilities at all.

"Xiaozhai should be here by now. With what she can do, she will have no problem seeing through that illusion…"

Gu Yu's face turned pale suddenly. It could read one's memory, and that memory in her head… sh*t!

***

Rumble!

Rumble!

A streak of Metal Lightning scattered the darkness, and Xiaozhai leapt out. Sensing no immediate threat, she waved her hand and removed the fine net of Water Thunder around her.

She came in following Gu Yu, but saw no one ahead of her. She realized right away that the space and time inside Lüshan were modified by some skill, separating each individual coming in here. She then examined the surroundings unhurriedly. However, as soon as she saw where she was, her eyes seemed to turn darker and deeper.

This was a small northeastern village. The houses, the farmyards, the criss-crossing paths, the gurgling stream, and the Changbai Mountain a short distance away… everything was so familiar.

She used to live here for seven years.

"Changqing Village?"

Xiaozhai clenched her fists, unaware of her nails biting into her flesh. What she was seeing was not the Changqing Village now, but the one she knew from her childhood memory.

Shaking slightly, she strode out and walked down a path as if on instinct. Her pace quickened as she walked on, finally turning into a trot.

She seemed to have forgotten about the Taoist skill she knew that could carry her into the air with a single leap. She simply ran until she was panting. Crossing the river and the woods, she only stopped when she was outside a remote courtyard.

A woman sat in the middle of the yard by a stone table, leaning her cheek against her right hand as if she was taking a nap. Coiling on the table was a translucent white snake, which was making a faint hissing sound as it stuck out its two-pronged tongue.

TL/N: or Taibai Jinxing, the Taoist deity in charge of Venus.