The Transcendent Immortal

Xiao Chen, who was laying on his chest on the window, chuckled. He had heard that there were frequent unnatural phenomena in Cangming State lately. Tens of thousands of auspicious lights would gleam at night at the Changyin Mountain Range outside the capital city of Canglan, drawing the frenzied attention of all the cultivators in the vicinity.

In addition, people had been left guessing after learning that the Xianyong Sect had obtained half an ancient scroll and the skeleton of an Immortal King. They wondered if the unnatural phenomena were an indication of another Immortal King manifesting, if the formation left behind by the Ancient Immortal Clan had been activated, or if an extraordinary treasure was being born. This resulted in all sorts of rumors and speculations, drawing the interest of not only cultivators around Canglan City but also those from the other continents.

Three days later, their horse carriage finally neared Canglan City when it was dark out. The queue to enter the city resembled a lengthy dragon. On the city wall tower stood a mighty-looking middle-aged man whose clothes rustled in the wind. Earlier, two Core Forming Realm cultivators tried to force an entry into the city but swiftly killed by his flying sword.

Cangming State wasn"t large by any means, but it was formidable enough that its neighboring countries wouldn"t easily provoke it. The reason was Canglan City. The city wasn"t open to the public like Xianyong City; everyone who wished to enter the city was subject to inspection. This was because a formidable force existed within the city walls: Zuoqiu Clan.

In the city, Zuoqiu Clan was king. Those knew better dared not to cause trouble in the city because it was rumored that there was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator holding down the fort in the clan. Troublemakers were either killed or expelled from the city by cultivators dispatched by the clan.

After joining the queue, Xiao Chen immediately sensed a familiar breath. That breath appeared to have originated from somewhere up front: a cloaked young man also in the queue.

Nearly 30 minutes later, he smoothly made his way to enter the city and swiftly caught up with the cloaked young man. Behind him, Xiao Chen whispered, "Senior Gui Xian."

Frightened, the young man immediately whipped around with a shocked expression. "Xiao Chen, it"s you!" Even though he looked young, his voice was like an old man"s. It was Gui Xian, the one who had once saved Xiao Chen"s life.

"Shh!" Xiao Chen placed a finger at his lips. "This isn"t the place to talk. Let"s go." The three of them made their way into an inspection room, found a quiet spot inside, and sat down.

"Senior Gui Xian, why are you here?"

Gui Xian shook his head, sighing. He had a wry expression as he replied, "I need a suitable corporeal body or the Soul Wardens from the Administration of Heaven will certainly capture me when the day nears."

Xiao Chen understood what he meant. Gui Xian was now a spiritual being. The body of this young man that he was inhabiting wasn"t a victory. His soul was now simply attached to the body and he wouldn"t be able to maintain such a state for long. Murong Xian"er observed Gui Xian with great interest. She grinned and said, "So it"s you, Grandpa…"

Xiao Chen immediately put a finger to his lips to shush her. She stuck her tongue out and said nothing else. Gui Xian glanced at her, alarm evident in his eyes. In a trembling voice, he said, "Young lady, are you also…" He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Xiao Chen frowned. "Senior Gui Xian, are you here for the Immortal King"s body in the rumors?"

Gui Xian sighed but soon nodded. Xiao Chen was shocked that Gui Xian wanted to resurrect himself using the body of an Immortal King. If he truly succeeded, wouldn"t he instantly gain half the strength of an Immortal King? This thought was too daring. Never mind if a complete corpse of an Immortal King truly existed. Even if it existed, how could an Immortal King—even a dead one—allow someone else to obtain his or her body?

Gui Xian"s expression suddenly turned somber, with hatred swimming in his eyes. "It"s all because of him. I recently learned that he didn"t really die back then. When the people from the Administration of Heaven hunted him down, they allowed a sliver of his soul to flee. Now, he has regained a physical body before me! He"s even an expectant Nascent Soul Realm cultivator!"

Seeing that he was getting more agitated as he spoke, Xiao Chen immediately placed a soundproofing Barrier in the corner. He asked quietly, "May I ask who is it, Senior?"

"Hehe! He"s the father of that man on the city gate tower, Zuoqiu Ping!"

Xiao Chen"s heart jolted with surprise. So someone from the Zuoqiu family was responsible for killing all 13 members of Gui Xian"s family. The person in the city gate tower already possessed the strength of a late-stage Core Forming Realm cultivator. It wouldn"t be strange if his father, Zuoqiu Ping, was an expectant Nascent Soul Realm cultivator. Moreover, there seemed to be another Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in their family. It was no wonder that Gui Xian wanted the Immortal King"s body. His revenge wouldn"t stand a chance otherwise.

After briefly pondering over this, Xiao Chen asked, "What do you plan to do next, Senior?"

"I"m heading north of the city and get to the Changyin Mountain Range from there." Gui Xian paused momentarily before looking at him. "What about you? Why are you here? Don"t tell me you"re also here for the Immortal King"s body. Your body is much more valuable than that."

Xiao Chen shook his head with a wry smile. "It"s a long story that"s not worth a mention." It didn"t matter whether it was the Immortal King"s body or the ancient scroll. In the end, what he sought for was none other than traces of his Master.

Gui Xian nodded. "Alright. I"ll excuse myself then. Let"s not go together. I don"t want to trouble you if they happen to detect my breath."

Xiao Chen nodded as well. "Okay. I"ll be heading to the Changyin Mountain Range tomorrow as well. Let"s meet inside." He handed Gui Xian a piece of jade. "Keep this. Shatter this tomorrow and I"ll be able to pinpoint your location."

Gui Xian accepted the piece of jade and put it away in his bosom. With one final nod, he stood up and walked away. He didn"t walk far before he suddenly turned around and said quietly, "That reminds me. You should be careful. I don"t know if I was mistaken but I felt two of their people are secretly watching you."

Naturally, Xiao Chen understood that Gui Xian was referring to the Zuoqiu family. He nodded and replied, "Thank you for the warning, Senior."

Gui Xian said nothing and walked out of the inspection room. Moments later, when the sky was about to darken, Xiao Chen and Murong Xian"er exited the room as well. Canglan City was fairly large and it would likely take them a considerable amount of time to rush to the northern part of the city. After wandering around for a while and checking if there was any room in the taverns, they finally found s.p.a.ce in a rather expensive tavern.

Murong Xian"er was pretty tired after their three-day travel and was no longer as excited as she was before. They had a simple meal and swiftly returned to their rooms on the second floor. The walls were pretty thin here, so it remained noisy even deep into the night. The conversations mostly revolved around recent incidents related to the Changyin Mountain Range.

"Sigh, what bad luck! I"ve been searching for three days but still came up empty! I was even tormented by those venomous bugs and fierce beasts on the mountain!"

"Don"t be hasty! We can continue tomorrow!"

"That"s right. I heard the palace was from the Archean Eon. Surely, there are formations and Barriers protecting it. How can we find the body if we don"t search carefully?"

The voices gradually turned louder. Murong Xian"er tossed around in bed with a frown on her face. She pouted. "I can"t sleep, Brother Xiao Chen."

Xiao Chen chuckled. He stopped listening to their neighbors" conversation and placed a soundproofing Barrier around them. The room instantly descended into silence. Murong Xian"er giggled. "Good night, Brother Xiao Chen."

"Yeah. Good night, Xian"er." Xiao Chen blew out the candle on the table, walked to the other bed, and lay down.

All was well throughout the night. After a simple breakfast the next morning, the duo made their way to the northern side of the city. It was even more boisterous there with an endless stream of people coming in. Most of them were cultivators. Even though it was a mixed crowd of good and evil, no one dared to cause trouble in the city.

Murong Xian"er regained much of her spirit after a night"s rest. She was full of vigor throughout the journey. Whenever she saw something interesting and fun, she would undoubtedly go and touch it. Xiao Chen had long gotten used to her behavior. He merely followed after her quietly with a smile.

Suddenly, two young men appeared at the junction and Murong Xian"er crashed into one of them in a moment of carelessness. She lifted her head, about to ask who he was and why did he block her path. However, the young man was staring straight at Xiao Chen. He said, "Our Young Master invites you to a meeting at the House of Intoxicated Immortals."

Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. These two were both at the late-stage of Foundation Building Realm. Moreover, he was new to the Middle Continent and didn"t know anyone here. Who would find him? Thus, he asked, "Oh? Who"s your Young Master?"

The young man replied, "You"ll have your answer when you get there."

Xiao Chen replied emotionlessly, "Sorry, I don"t have the time." He grabbed Murong Xian"er"s hand and pulled her toward the other end of the street. When they were about 15 to 20 meters away, they heard the young man tell them, "Please halt."

Xiao Chen didn"t turn his head. Suddenly, he heard the rustle of wind behind him as an object flew at him at an incredible speed. He lifted his hand and pressed his two fingers together, instantly catching the object. He saw that it was the jade that he gave Gui Xian yesterday.

He crushed the jade into dust noisily and said emotionlessly, "Lead the way."

The two young men said nothing and immediately motioned for him to follow them. Xiao Chen walked over and followed them through seven or eight streets, all the way to a bustling street filled with courtesan houses.

Seductive fragrance permeated the air. The buildings that lined both sides of the street were built in a rather curious manner, with many beautiful women on the balcony of the second floor tossing petals. It was as if it was raining flower petals here.

Toward the end of the street, Xiao Chen saw a large and magnificent building with ten stories. When he looked up, he saw the words "House of Intoxicated Immortals" written boldly on the building.