Chapter 284: Chapter 226: Overseas Immortal Mountain: The Perfect Immortal Abode (Middle)

Once inside the other party’s Secret Realm, they likely couldn’t leave just by wanting to.

A glow enveloped the two of them as they also stepped onto the surface of the sea, catching up to Yi Beidou.

"I’m very curious. Corpse Dissolving Immortals or even Ancient Ones... they’ve lived for ages, but it seems that aside from the various techniques and Dharma Artifacts they’ve accumulated over the long years, their actual, fundamental strength isn’t much greater than that of the people of this era?"

As they traveled, Yi Beidou and Cheng Zhihong chatted idly, and Yi Beidou brought up some things he was rather interested in.

This wasn’t his first encounter with Corpse Dissolving Immortals or even Ancient Ones. But while their methods were unfathomable, their fundamental cultivation didn’t seem to truly transcend the Saint Realm.

Much of their terrifying power came from things accumulated over many years, like Dharma Artifacts, Arrays, and Secret Realms.

"Ancient Ones may live for hundreds or thousands of years, but in reality, they are almost just repeating a single life. Forget about surpassing the cultivation of their first life; the strength of many even diminishes with each reincarnation, eventually leading to a failed Corpse Dissolution and death. To be able to maintain growth from one life to the next is already quite difficult, and breaking through to a new realm is a thousand times harder. In the end, they are nothing more than ’The Dead.’"

Cheng Zhihong said, shaking his head, seeming somewhat disdainful of the path of Corpse Dissolution and reincarnation.

"Oh? What do you mean, exactly?"

Yi Beidou asked.

He knew far too little about Corpse Dissolving Immortals and the Hidden World, so this was a perfect opportunity to get some intelligence from these two.

And Cheng Zhihong didn’t mind telling Yi Beidou this information. After all, it was dirt on the enemy, and revealing it would help solidify their ally’s stance.

"Corpse Dissolution is, in essence, the process of injecting the memories of one life into a new body, a blank slate. But this body has its own bloodline and its own social connections, which in turn give rise to new memories and emotions."

"Under these circumstances, as reincarnations continue, it’s extremely easy for the memories of the first life to become increasingly blurred. This affects their cultivation, and can even change their entire philosophy, causing their Great Dao to collapse. It’s like how Immortals are not supposed to have romantic feelings—they see it as ’falling into the mortal world.’"

"If they forget the personality of their first life, are they still themselves? Is their Dao still their Dao? The clash of two different personalities and Daos will only cause their strength to decline. Therefore, they do everything they can to preserve the purity of their first-life personality and resist the erosion that comes with reincarnation. This alone, on top of restoring their cultivation to its previous peak, consumes nearly all of a Corpse Dissolving Immortal’s energy—to say nothing of trying to continue learning and breaking through while maintaining that purity."

"Those who can achieve that are all exceptionally talented individuals. To put it bluntly, though they may reincarnate for a thousand years, they are effectively living just one life. That’s why they so desperately crave an eternally living body like an Earth Immortal’s, which would allow them to extend this life to its absolute limit, to truly ’return to the living’ and live a new life."

Cheng Zhihong said.

Although Corpse Dissolving Immortals could reincarnate continuously, each new life required them to fight against the ’karma’ of the present and preserve the purity of their original personality. Otherwise, they would gradually ’lose fidelity’ and become unlike their true selves.

One must understand that a Saint must have a pure True Intent. If they lose themselves, the conflict between two sets of emotions and personalities will inevitably cause them to fall from their realm.

Corpse Dissolving Immortals who could grow continuously were few and far between.

Yi Beidou fell silent for a moment at these words, recalling something his master, Hong Datong, had once told him.

A grand dream of a thousand autumns is ultimately empty; a life of both body and soul is lived but once.

’It seemed Hong Datong had also been trapped by the drawbacks of being a Corpse Dissolving Immortal. He must be the type Cheng Zhihong spoke of—the Corpse Dissolving Immortals who "fall into the mortal world," changing their Great Dao and altering their true selves.’

"As expected, it is a twisted and heretical path. It should be purged by tribulation. Longevity is a cage, and you are like silkworms spinning cocoons, unaware of your own imprisonment. You don’t understand liberation, so I will help you find it."

Cheng Zhihong and Yuna exchanged a look, feeling that Yi Beidou’s tone was a bit too arrogant. This might not be a good thing.

As they talked, the three of them advanced rapidly. By the time the sky began to lighten, they had already reached the vast expanse of the open sea.

"We’re getting close."

Suddenly, Yi Beidou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sea fog is forming."

Cheng Zhihong’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Before they knew it, a hazy fog had risen over the empty expanse of the sea. The mist appeared in the blink of an eye, with no warning whatsoever.

"It’s a special magnetic field. It activates when it senses a strong life aura, instantly condensing the surrounding water vapor into fog. And it’s not just the fog; the ocean currents around here have changed too."

Possessing the Green Elf Fruit Position, Yuna was extremely sensitive to changes in nature.

Undercurrents surged beneath the surface, swirling back and forth, seemingly forming a barrier. Anyone or any ship entering this area would find it difficult to advance, able only to circle in place.

This was the method the legendary ruins used to isolate itself from the outside world.

"To have such a massive area of effect... I’ve truly never seen anything like it."

Yi Beidou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

However, such a trick could only stop mortals; it couldn’t stop Mortal Human Immortals like them.

The group walked on the waves, heading deep into the fog. After traveling nearly a kilometer, the mist suddenly dispersed.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!!

In its place were howling gales, rumbling thunder, and a torrential downpour.

SPLASH! SPLASH!

The sea’s surface heaved, and the raindrops struck them like nails.

Suddenly, a pillar of wind formed beside the three of them, taking the shape of a tornado. It rapidly expanded, soaring straight into the sky.

As the whirlwind spun, it swept up the seawater, pulling it upward toward the clouds. It was as if a giant dragon hidden in the heavens was drinking the water of the great sea.

A waterspout!

If caught in such a natural phenomenon, even a large ship could be swept into the sky only to fall back down, destroyed, with all hands lost.

The fog on the perimeter had been relatively mild, but this layer was deadly. If an ordinary person or ship were to stray into it, there would be no escape. Even advanced aircraft would have difficulty entering such an area.

Human technology was indeed highly advanced, capable of leaving Earth and landing on the Moon. In reality, however, technology still had great limitations. There were many strange places in the world that had yet to be explored.

"Let’s go!"

Yi Beidou hadn’t expected the island to have such a profound effect on the surrounding atmosphere. Still, it was nothing he couldn’t handle. Deftly dodging and weaving, he moved out of the range of one waterspout after another, and the three of them quickly passed through the storm zone.

After advancing for another kilometer or so, the sea ahead suddenly became calm and tranquil. There was nothing on the surface.

"In the sky!"

Yuna cried out, pointing toward the sky. Yi Beidou and Cheng Zhihong’s gazes followed.

There, in the sky, layers of pure white clouds were stacked one upon another. Sunlight shone down, faintly tinging the cloud cover with a layer of gold.

And amidst those clouds, overlapping mountains of rock stood tall, wreathed in rosy light. Immortal cranes danced in the air, white feathers drifted down, and waves of heavenly, celestial music floated by. It was just like the Immortal Realm from the legends.

’Penglai Immortal Island?’

’It’s in the sky?!’

’Not a floating island in the sea? But a floating island in the sky?!’

’This is too ridiculous, isn’t it?!’

’Could the legends actually be true? If you can just set foot on that Immortal Mountain, can you really receive an Immortal’s favor and obtain the divine elixir of eternal life?’

For a moment, the expressions on Cheng Zhihong and Yuna’s faces wavered.

They came from a secret organization and knew that many legends and myths were, in fact, real. Humanity’s past concealed an incredibly vast and glorious history; no matter how bizarre something seemed, it wouldn’t be out of place.

"It’s an illusion."

Yi Beidou spoke suddenly, just as the two of them were completely captivated by the Immortal Mountain in the sky.

WHOOSH!!

The next moment, the Blue-White Demon Flame surrounding him erupted violently, enveloping both Cheng Zhihong and Yuna.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Flame refined all magnetic influences!

Instantly, the image of the Immortal Mountain in Cheng Zhihong and Yuna’s eyes distorted. Its light receded, and it reverted to being a normal white cloud, as if the Immortal Mountain had never existed at all.

This was the true reality.

’What kind of Illusion Technique was this? It could so easily affect even Saints like them, and without them even noticing?!’

Cheng Zhihong and Yuna were shaken to the core.

"Watch out! Get back!"

But before they could think about it further, Yi Beidou’s voice rang out from the side.

BOOM!!

Yi Beidou thrust out a palm, and before Cheng Zhihong and Yuna could react, their bodies were sent flying backward like cannonballs.

After striking, Yi Beidou used the momentum to lunge forward nearly twenty meters himself.

In the exact instant he moved.

Beneath the surface of the sea where the three of them had been standing, a shadow expanded at a terrifying speed.

BOOM!!

A wave surged over ten meters high, and within it, a massive body was faintly visible.

Seeing this, the pupils of Yi Beidou and the others contracted slightly.

’Was that... a dragon?!’