My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting-Chapter 755 – A Thousand Years of Bloodshed Beyond the Sky, A Gourd of Beasts at His Waist, Ah Ting Returns - Part 2

Chapter 755 – A Thousand Years of Bloodshed Beyond the Sky, A Gourd of Beasts at His Waist, Ah Ting Returns - Part 2

Spring came the following year.

For 50 kilometers, peach blossoms bloomed in full splendor. And deep within that sea of flowers, hidden away from the world, lay a secluded estate, a pastoral sanctuary where winding paths crisscrossed and the sounds of roosters and dogs echoed through the air.

There was only one entrance, a narrow mountain stream.

To reach the estate, one had to travel by boat.

And in the heart of this peach blossom haven, a young man sat alone by the yellow earth, where fresh blades of grass had just begun to sprout. His dark robe hung loosely around him, and his hair fell freely over his shoulders as he fished quietly by the water’s edge.

He looked young, but his eyes betrayed a different story. They were distant, clouded by the weight of centuries, filled with the desolate calm of one who had seen too much.

He said nothing, just fished, watching the ripples in the stream, the sky reflected in the water, and the lazy drift of passing clouds.

Behind him, the sudden sound of children’s laughter broke the silence, light footsteps running across the soft soil.

The children came from three different origins.

Some were war orphans, abandoned as infants, some still wrapped in swaddling clothes. Xue Ning, moved by compassion, had taken them in and brought them to this hidden paradise. Li Yuan hadn’t stopped her.

Others were the children of his old friends. Zhao Chunxin had finally found her true love. Tie Sha, too, had met someone and started a family. Even Fang Jianlong, who had followed Li Yuan loyally for years, had fallen in love and settled down. Their children now played freely in the peach blossom grove.

The last group were descendants of Ping’an and Naran.

At first, Li Yuan had only brought out his own wives and daughters back to life. But over the years, he gradually released others from the Deathless Tomb, the children of Ping’an, Naran’s son, and more.

Though these descendants were far from weak, they still remained within the bounds of ordinary people. They ventured into the outside world, met women, and after bringing them here to meet the patriarch, joined the growing family.

Now, this village tucked deep within the Peach Blossom Sanctuary had grown to nearly a hundred households. Several hundred people, bound together not by blood or doctrine, but by quiet kinship and shared survival.

“Old Ancestor! Old Ancestor!”

A playful little girl dashed up to Li Yuan and crouched beside him, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him fish with wide-eyed seriousness.

A moment later, she cried out in excitement, her voice shrill with urgency. “Old Ancestor, the fish is biting! Look, the line’s pulled tight!”

But Li Yuan didn’t move. He just sat there, still and silent.

Eventually, the tension on the line slackened. The fish had gotten away. The little girl sighed deeply, as if she had been the one fishing, and the escape was her personal failure.

Just then, a beautiful woman came hurrying from the distance.

“Old Ancestor, I’m...” she called out as she rushed over and tried to pull the girl away.

A calm voice stopped her.

“It’s fine.”

Only then did the woman let go of the child’s hand.

“Be good,” she murmured, and stepped away.

She knew the Old Ancestor liked children. But seeing her own daughter shouting and jumping around beside him still made her nervous. How could she not intervene?

As she left, she couldn’t help but glance back at him.

He looked like nothing more than a handsome young man, yet he was a sage, one who sat high beyond the heavens.

The Old Ancestor was a sage.

And this Peach Blossom Paradise, they all said it was Heaven Beyond.

Her husband had told her so countless times.

The little girl stayed by Li Yuan’s side, chatting and fussing, adding life to the quiet lakeside. Before long, more children came running over to join them.

They watched as fish took the bait, tugged the line, then broke free.

At first they gasped and cheered, thrilled by the motion. But after a few rounds, the novelty wore off. Some even started tossing stones into the lake for fun.

None of them could understand. If he didn’t want to catch the fish, why was he fishing at all?

But Li Yuan just sat there, gazing at the water.

The lake was calm, a perfect mirror reflecting the deep blue sky above. But whenever a fish bit, its struggle would ripple across the surface, shattering the reflection of the heavens, breaking the clouds apart, making the world tremble in those tiny waves.

And then, as always, the lake would return to stillness, as if nothing had happened.

This was the world now.

If Li Yuan chose to pull the fish out, the disturbance would end quickly. But he didn’t. He let the fish thrash. Let the surface break. Let the reflection of heaven shatter again and again. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

In his mind, Yan Yu’s warning to him echoed over and over.

And so, he watched.

He watched the fish bite. He watched the chaos ripple out. He watched the heavens break.

And he did nothing.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Underworld.

Ji Hu, having mastered the Earth Tome, suddenly rose from his seat. He glanced at the Mirror of Karma, where numerous judges stood guard, then turned and walked toward the palace.

He requested an audience with the Primordial Earth Mother.

Moments later, he could sense a presence beyond the great doors. Someone had arrived.

Before Ji Hu could speak, the Primordial Earth Mother asked, “You’ve truly decided?”

He had prepared countless reasons, explanations, justifications. But in that instant, it felt as if she had already seen through every thought in his mind. So he said nothing more, only bowed solemnly and said, “I ask the Primordial Earth Mother to grant me this path.”

“This isn’t granting,” she replied softly. After a long pause, she added, “Since you’ve made your choice, then go. The Yellow Soup will only shroud your memories for a single lifetime. When you return, they’ll come back.”

She continued, “After years of repair, the reincarnation system is ready. As you enter the Wheel of Samsara, your powers will be cleansed, returned to Heaven and Earth. But the Earth Tome is special. It will plant certain seeds in your soul. In lives to come, you will still be destined for greatness. You understand all this?”

“I am willing,” Ji Hu said. “To descend to the mortal world, to endure suffering and disaster, lifetime after lifetime, offering myself to nourish the Heavens.”

“Then go,” the Primordial Earth Mother said.

Ji Hu rose, striding resolutely toward the reincarnation platform. Under the admiring gaze of Long Gumeng, he raised the cup of Yellow Soup without hesitation and drank. His head dipped low. Then, following behind the spirits of the dead, he stepped into the cycle of rebirth once more.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Far to the north, at the edge of the world was a great wasteland.

A man in a long robe of white and gold suddenly rose to his feet.

“Where is the Pontiff going?” someone called out urgently, hurrying over.

This was the current Shadow Pontiff of the Shadow Court.

And the man standing tall was Tang Zang, the Pontiff of the Church of Light in this land.

Tang Zang replied, “I’m heading for the Central Plains.”

The Shadow Pontiff’s face changed. “The Central Plains are a meat grinder right now. Even with your strength, this is not the time to head south.”

Tang Zang smiled radiantly. “I’ve dwelled here in the far north for over 600 years, ever since the first Tang Emperor carried out a bestowal ceremony in the northern frontier. Only today have I finally glimpsed a sliver of Heaven’s will.”

“Heaven’s will?” the Shadow Pontiff echoed, startled.

But Tang Zang was already walking away. Hands clasped in prayer, he recalled the radiant Lord of Light from centuries ago. He bowed his head in reverence, then lifted it high with clarity in his eyes.

“I, Tang Zang,” he declared, “am willing to rebuild a hundred lifetimes for Heaven and Earth.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Church of Light, Shadow Court.

A man wearing a crescent moon mask abruptly stood. In recent years, he had broken through to the second stage of third rank Human Soul. His mastery of the heavenly seal had solidified into the True Will Realm. He was, without question, among the most powerful beings alive.

Even the current Pontiff was no match for him.

He no longer governed the Shadow Court openly. He had retreated behind the curtain, becoming its hidden sovereign, known only as the Night Emperor.

This Night Emperor was Li Ying. Or perhaps he was Huyan Hai, former master of the Phantom Camp. Or maybe, long ago in the Age of the Ancient Gods, he had been Ye Lianhan, the god-slaying monarch who once painted the heavens in divine blood.

As he stepped to the court’s threshold, he saw a young emperor waiting nervously outside, his posture stiff with awe and fear.

The Son of Heaven couldn’t suppress his presence, not even match it. Not in the slightest. Not before this man who had hidden in the shadows of the Great Tang Empire for generations, and who now stood as one of its most terrifying legends.

The young emperor, though clearly nervous, mustered the courage to speak his purpose. He had come to ask the Night Emperor to return to the world.

To everyone’s surprise, the Night Emperor nodded.

The Emperor was overjoyed. He bowed deeply, then departed with visible excitement.

The Night Emperor stepped forward.

A disciple quickly caught up to him and asked, “Master, didn’t you once say this world is soaked in killing intent, that it’s better to remain here in stillness and focus on cultivation?”

The Night Emperor gave no reply. He simply continued walking, step by steady step.

He had no grand aspirations of saving the world.

But he had begun to understand something, about the world and about himself.

He had reached the second stage of the third rank. His grasp of true insight was likely the pinnacle of what was possible for him. Any further advancement through cultivation alone would be near impossible.

But there was another path, and that was to earn merit.

Great merit would bring great destiny.

The tales whispered between mountains and seas, the crude gods enshrined in fishing villages, the dreams said to come from the Underworld... All of it felt like a pattern, a message from beneath the surface. And now, in this unprecedented era of bloodshed, with the Great Tang Empire caught in the throes of transformation, he could almost see it clearly.

The Tang Dynasty was founded by the descendants of the Lord of Light. And who was the Lord of Light? No one knew better than Li Ying himself.

But now, as the world turned upside down, the Lord of Light remained silent, watching from beyond the heavens. What did that mean?

Heaven and Earth required a tribulation of blood and fire.

And those who stepped into it, those who embraced the chaos, might just become the new gods.

Tribulation was perilous, yes. But it was also an immense opportunity.

The irony, of course, was bitter. Once the Tang Dynasty’s greatest enemy, Li Ying was now stepping forth to prop up the very empire he once sought to destroy.