Chapter 22: “A Mere Sea Monster, Nothing to Fear” p2
These mealtime chats weren’t entirely without value; Li Yu learned quite a bit from Mu Tao.
For example, the current ruling dynasty in the human realm was the Qin Dynasty of the Huai Kingdom.
However, the person who sent the envoys to Mount Chao Yao wasn’t the current emperor, but his most beloved daughter, the third princess of the Huai Kingdom—Qin Yuan.
This princess, born with spiritual apertures, had been fascinated by immortals and gods since childhood and was always eager to learn about cultivation.
Upon learning that the Unasking Flower could lead mortals to the overseas immortal mountain, she was so excited that she almost packed her bags and snuck out of the palace.
Of course, she didn’t succeed and had to send someone in her place.
Li Yu vaguely remembered this name.
After all, in the original story, she was the little protagonist’s biggest love rival.
This little princess had no resistance to handsome, otherworldly immortals. After meeting the male protagonist, her advances were relentless.
The male protagonist, as dense as a block of wood, didn’t know how to handle such a passionate girl. His every misstep fueled the little protagonist’s jealousy.
Of course, such a scenario definitely wouldn’t happen now.
No matter who pursued that blockhead, it wouldn’t make her little disciple jealous.
Because the little disciple was no longer interested in men!
Although incredible, after a period of observation, Li Yu was almost certain of one thing.
—Mu Tao was now in love with cooking!
People with hobbies were spiritually fulfilled and didn’t need romance to fill the void in their hearts.
How wonderful, the little protagonist wasn’t interested in romance because her spirit was rich.
Unlike her, who wasn’t in a relationship because she was poor in both body and spirit, but incredibly “rich” in work.
Anyway, back to the topic!
Since the Third Princess couldn’t travel herself, she sent Lord Zhao as her envoy, bearing the spiritual flower, to seek immortals overseas.
This Lord Zhao’s full name was Zhao Xianchen, an Eighth-rank cultivator in the imperial court.
Although there were many cultivators in the human realm, only those cultivated by the imperial family had ranks. But these ranks could also be used as a general indicator of a cultivator’s strength.
If she remembered correctly, in the original setting, the highest rank for imperial cultivators was Ninth-rank, roughly equivalent to a demon at the Heavenly Tribulation stage.
Demons at the Heavenly Tribulation stage were those over three thousand years old, whose lifespans were nearing their end. They had to endure a tribulation every hundred years to extend their lives.
Usually, demons who reached this stage were only half a step away from ascending to immortality.
But this half-step was often a world away.
Demons struggled to ascend, not necessarily because of insufficient cultivation, but often due to a lack of immortal destiny.
And immortal destiny was a vague concept, entirely dependent on the author’s whims.
But these details weren’t important.
What was important was that Zhao Xianchen had said that currently, in the human realm, whether in the imperial court, immortal sects, or among rogue cultivators, there were no Ninth-rank cultivators anymore.
He, as an Eighth-rank cultivator, could fight thousand-year-old demons, but he was responsible for guarding the imperial city and couldn’t deal with the demonic calamities elsewhere.
In recent years, demonic calamities had become more frequent, and the resentment in the world was growing stronger.
And most of this resentment was converging towards a single place.
That place was called the “City of the Undying.”
Li Yu instantly recognized the name.
The City of the Undying was the haunted city in her vague memory, the capital of that destroyed kingdom, the male protagonist’s hometown from three hundred years ago!
Whenever the main storyline was mentioned, Li Yu became alert.
Because she really couldn’t remember the details, and she needed to catch up, lest she messed things up.
So, she held her rice bowl and asked curiously, “Did Lord Zhao say anything else about this City of the Undying?”
Mu Tao nodded seriously and sat up straight. “Lord Zhao said that the City of the Undying was once called the ‘Moon Capital,’ the royal city of a southern kingdom over three hundred years ago!”
Li Yu: “Mm, and?”
Mu Tao: “It is said that the southern kingdom worshipped the Moon God and ruled with witchcraft for centuries.”
Li Yu nodded; she remembered this.
“Later, when the Huai Kingdom besieged the city, the princess who had been sent to the southern kingdom for a political marriage, the queen at the time, jumped from the city walls. The Huai emperor, enraged, ordered the massacre of the entire city.”
There was such a scene in the original story?
Damn it, she had skipped too much, she had no memory of this…
“That night, the Moon Capital burned, and the city was filled with corpses.” Mu Tao picked up some fish. “After that, the Moon Capital became a dead city.”
“But the dead city wasn’t truly dead. The Huai emperor didn’t know that a grand ritual was taking place within the city. This ritual somehow turned into a spirit summoning formation, instantly attracting countless vengeful spirits. Their resentment turned into a miasma, trapping the souls of the city and preventing them from entering reincarnation.”
“The Huai emperor ordered his cultivators to cleanse the city, but the resentment was too strong; they couldn’t do anything. Since then, countless souls became earthbound spirits, trapped within the Moon Capital, unaware of their own deaths, reliving the last day of their lives.”
Li Yu frowned. “The day of the massacre…”
Mu Tao nodded vigorously. “During the day, it’s a dead city, but at night, the earthbound spirits awaken, and the city becomes ‘lively’ again, hence the name ‘City of the Undying’!”
Li Yu: “And then?”
Mu Tao thought for a moment. “Then, the Huai emperor invited sorcerers to exorcise the city, but most were powerless. To prevent the resentment from spreading, they sealed it within the city walls. This protected the surrounding cities but worsened the situation within the city.”
No wonder the resentment in that place was so strong in the novel; it was essentially a quarantined zone.
“Over three hundred years have passed, and the resentment within the City of the Undying is out of control. Perhaps influenced by this resentment, evil spirits and demons are becoming more common in the world, and ordinary people live in constant fear, unable to sleep peacefully.”
Mu Tao finished speaking and took a large gulp of soup.
Li Yu asked again, “And then?”
Mu Tao shook her head. “That’s all Lord Zhao told me.”
Li Yu sighed.
What a tragedy. A blood sacrifice coinciding with a massacre, so many innocent lives caught in a hopeless situation.
Li Yu absentmindedly took a bite of food.
Mu Tao looked at her worriedly. “Master, this City of the Undying sounds terrifying. Can we really help them?”
“Mm, don’t worry,” Li Yu replied casually.
Mu Tao’s worry instantly vanished.
“With Master here, this disciple isn’t afraid!” She smiled, revealing her small canine teeth.
Li Yu nodded, picked up her soup bowl, and was about to take a sip when Mu Tao said, “Master will protect me!”
Better not drink the soup yet.
She might choke from guilt.
Li Yu put down the soup bowl and picked up her rice bowl instead.
Suddenly, the ship, usually stable even in rough seas, lurched violently.
Li Yu lost her balance and fell sideways.
Mu Tao reacted quickly, catching her just in time. “Master, are you alright?!”
Li Yu shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Before she could regain her composure, the ship lurched again, sending dishes and food crashing to the floor.
These violent movements weren’t caused by waves; it felt like something had struck the ship.
Li Yu: “What happened?”
Mu Tao: “I, I don’t know…”
The violent shaking stopped, but the ship continued to rock. Screams came from outside; clearly something was wrong.
Li Yu, supporting herself against the wall, stood up. “Let’s go and see!”
Mu Tao quickly followed, half-supporting, half-following Li Yu towards the deck.
Before lunch, the sun had been blazing, but now, before they even reached the deck, they heard the sound of pouring rain.
The sky had darkened dramatically, as if night was falling.
Mo Yichu, Zhao Xianchen, and a dozen other human cultivators were all looking out at the ocean, expressions alert.
What was going on?
Would it be better to hide?
Li Yu hesitated, but curiosity won. She conjured a rain-repelling barrier and rushed onto the deck with Mu Tao.
She quickly joined the others, looking out at the ocean in the direction they were facing.
She refused to believe that something could block the protagonists’ path so soon after leaving their “starting village”!
“Master Li Yu!”
“Immortal!”
Two respectful greetings reached her ears.
Li Yu, her expression unchanged, asked calmly, “What’s all the commotion?”
Before anyone could answer, an enormous, dark blue shape leaped out of the turbulent water, then plunged back into the depths.
She couldn’t even see what it was before the massive wave it created startled her.
The wave crashed against the ship, hitting the invisible protective barrier. The spray momentarily shook the vessel before being deflected by the spiritual light.
Li Yu: “…!”
Was there a mistake?
She didn’t remember encountering such a monster before entering the first story arc!
That thing was enormous, it was terrifying!
Li Yu took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
Then, she made what she considered a very wise decision.
Faced with unknown danger, Li Yu, the head of the Three Revered Ones of Mount Chao Yao, said calmly, “A mere sea monster, nothing to fear.”
Then, without changing her expression, she took two steps back.
—Shielding everyone behind her!
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