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Chapter 311: The Tree Wishes for Stillness, Yet the Wind Will Not Cease

Liu said it was true.

Liu Shuyue gazed at the horizon, somewhat lost in thought.

After the Immortal Master died, would something really return to the Lotus Cloud Sect...

What exactly does that faint wisp of spiritual energy represent? Could it be their souls?

"Immortal Master Lord... Are you hurt?" Fu Jiaolu, seeing the outcome, hurried to the edge of the pit and asked worriedly, "What on earth is going on... Was the Immortal Master of Xia Kingdom an imposter pretending to be an assassin?"

Liu Shuyue withdrew her gaze, "No, he is indeed a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect."

Due to the explosion sound earlier, many villagers gathered around.

"Quick, protect the Immortal Master Lord!"

"Hot Pepper Village has been attacked!"

"Don’t worry, I’m fine." Liu Shuyue grasped Song Wei’s body and jumped out of the pit, tossing him alongside two other empty-shell cultivators, "Everyone, go back. Don’t come near here for now."

Her words were like commands.

The Hunting Team members immediately dispersed the gathered villagers and set up ropes by the lakeside as a precaution, following the methods of the Immortal Realm.

"Take these people and bury them in the outskirts, just engrave Song Wei’s name on the gravestone." Liu Shuyue instructed, "But don’t reveal that he was an Immortal Master; he was just an unfortunate visitor caught up by the assassin..."

"Understood." Fu Jiaolu nodded at first, then muttered with a puzzled expression, "Why?"

Seeing Liu Shuyue silent, he realized and quickly bowed his head to apologize, "I misspoke, trying to probe into the Immortal Master Lord’s secret—"

"You did nothing wrong." Liu Shuyue interrupted him, "I didn’t answer you because the matter is too absurd, and I was a bit distracted. His reason for attacking me... and the reason he wanted to cooperate with me are the same: because he is a Xia Kingdom Immortal Master."

Fu Jiaolu appeared somewhat confused.

In his eyes, Immortal Masters were figures worthy of reverence, like deities descending to relieve the suffering of the common people.

"Tragically, he only had eyes for the Xia Kingdom, and his fate was tightly bound to it." Liu Shuyue sighed deeply, "To ensure the survival of a small kingdom, he had no choice but to take radical steps."

Just like the Immortal Master of Ning Kingdom a century ago, who plotted to ambush Liu Zhidong in the Great Qi Imperial Palace... After he failed, this small kingdom caught between Qi and Luo vanished completely from history.

"I... sort of understand now." Fu Jiaolu stared at the empty-shell cultivator, suddenly gaining an insight, "If this person succeeded, he could greatly enhance his power and then compete with other major kingdoms?"

"Exactly."

Liu Shuyue thought to herself, he had traveled to different worlds and broadened his horizons significantly.

"But there’s one thing I still don’t get. Isn’t the risk too high? Does he have to be the Immortal Master of Xia Kingdom?" Fu Jiaolu scratched his head, "Though you said you’re no longer the Immortal Master of Qi Kingdom, everyone acknowledges you as the real Immortal Master... I... I think it’s quite good."

Indeed, it is quite good.

But the Lotus Cloud Sect never taught this path.

The duty of assisting as an Immortal Master is as heavy as everything, concerning the future of kingdom’s people, and must never be abandoned— In other words, from the moment a Lotus Cloud Sect disciple leaves the mountain, they are trapped in an inextricable chain of suspicion, and all these bizarre actions originate from that highest ideal.

If she hadn’t met Chen Xuan and gained the ability from the Encyclopedia of Ancient and Modern, she might have been deeply entrenched in it too.

Ironically, this suspicion doesn’t end even for an Immortal Master of a major kingdom.

Because big and small are relative concepts.

For instance, Qi Kingdom and Luo Kingdom are big, but after Luo annexed Xia and Yue? With that, Great Qi becomes the new small kingdom.

Until the only Immortal Master wins, this competition won’t stop.

And this "only"... even includes the previous and next generation of Immortal Masters.

Therefore, in a certain sense, it will continue forever— Liu Zhidong, Lan Qin, and Song Wei have all confirmed this point: the battle of Immortal Masters is inevitable.

"Which kingdom’s Immortal Master has the surname Li?" Liu Shuyue asked.

"I remember... it’s Lan Kingdom."

Lan Kingdom, a kingdom slightly north of Xia, its Immortal Master, Li Taoyao, had been quietly killed by Song Wei, and Song Wei himself perished in the Wanshan Wilderness.

Of the six disciples, two were gone.

But do the other four truly still exist? In places out of her sight, have they already engaged in life-and-death struggles?

In previous years, Liu Shuyue never concerned herself with the affairs of other kingdoms, not even knowing which disciple served as which kingdom’s Immortal Master. Now it seemed she needed to gather more intelligence in this area.

Whether she’s a Great Qi Immortal Master or staying in the Wanshan Wilderness, it seems she can’t escape this battle of Immortal Masters for now.

Even if she were willing to hand over Great Qi, the other disciples wouldn’t let her go.

"A tree longs to stand still, but the wind won’t stop." Liu Shuyue murmured.

"What did you say?" Fu Jiaolu didn’t hear clearly.

"Nothing. I’ll leave this side to you." She brushed the dust off her pants, "I need to go to a shop."

...

...

"Don’t be too reserved, you can consider this your new home." Chen Xuan led Xu Xuanling into the shop and introduced, "The first floor is where everyone usually stays without much to do, and the main activity area is here. Your room is on the second floor, and once I arrange a room number, you can come and go freely."

Xu Xuanling carefully looked around, her steps as light as a cat’s. Among all the disciples of the Only I am Venerable Sect, only Hua and Jiu had visited the Immortal Realm. They said the lamps there were brighter than luminous pearls, always maintaining a constant temperature, neither cold nor hot... Upon passing through a door, one could reach a vast world, with green, lush fields ahead and countless towering mountains behind, which was where Immortal Liu resided in such Immortal Realm.

But here...

The lighting was indeed gentle, and the room temperature quite pleasant, but outside the main entrance was a stone floor and a row of distinctly old flowerbeds, completely incongruous with the descriptions of magnificence and vastness.

On the shelves in the room were various colorful fruits, looking irresistibly tempting.

Yet these were not any sort of immortal fruits.

Because Xu Xuanling also saw a price tag—these fruits were for casual selection and purchase.

Why was this Immortal Realm so different from the one described by the Wei siblings?

Could it be that she was receiving different treatment from the master?

"Master... The place you took Ji Yun and the others to... was that another Immortal Realm?" Xu Xuanling couldn’t help but ask, without a clear answer, she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight!

"What?" Chen Xuan blinked, then realized, "Oh... you’re referring to the Wanshan Wilderness, aren’t you? That’s not the Immortal Realm, but another world. An Immortal Realm doesn’t rely on size but on subtlety, it refers to this small area here, which can connect to countless worlds in reality. You will have plenty of opportunities to visit Immortal Liu in the future."

"Is the Immortal Realm a fruit shop?" Xu Xuanling was greatly shocked.

"It’s just one of its appearances, so to speak, everyone views it differently," Chen Xuan bluffed. It wasn’t lying; the shop indeed had many skin options to change.

"I see!" She had a sudden realization, "No wonder I suddenly craved peaches before coming."

"Uh... You can take whatever you want to eat. Right... let me introduce you to the shop clerk of the Immortal Realm, Liuli, Liuli?" Chen Xuan called out.

Lin Qing hadn’t returned, so Liuli should be watching the store.

He called out several times, before seeing Liuli rise up from behind the counter.

"You’re back, sorry, I didn’t notice just now..."

Liuli’s cheeks were faintly flushed, and she covered her mouth with a light laugh, "Oho, you actually brought back a girl, let me see... Nice, quite pretty..."

Chen Xuan frowned, Liuli usually maintained a mysterious expert demeanor, why did she suddenly become so sociable and familiar today? Moreover, this affectionate tone was somewhat familiar to him.

That’s right... When he first entered Elorie’s dream, Liuli behaved in this manner. Could it be she—

Chen Xuan quickly walked up to the counter, leaned over, and glanced inside, discovering several empty wine bottles on the floor!