Chapter 2 Farming and Pig Raising
Is this what the afterlife is like?
There are bamboo groves, sunshine, and a gentle breeze; it's no different from the world of the living.
Li Chang'an didn't know, after all, he had never died before and had no experience.
Only occasionally can one see descriptions from those cultivators, describing the underworld as dark and eerie, and the evil spirits as terrifying.
But the current situation is...
Li Chang'an stared blankly at the group of cultivators, who in turn looked at him with equally bewildered expressions.
Is this the new master of Xuanling Immortal Mountain?
Perhaps that senior just found someone to fool them?
But is it necessary?
While they were still in a daze, a voice suddenly came from among the kneeling cultivators: "Ah, you are Li Chang'an!"
"Li Chang'an? Who is that?"
"Uh..." The person who was initially excited lowered their voice, "An actor I mentioned to you last time."
It's the one that appeared on a rural reality show and, because of bad luck, only briefly appeared at the bottom of the trending topics list for about ten minutes!
"Oh! I remember you followed him and said you wanted to..." Let's see how long this person can keep going before leaving the scene.
Before the man could finish speaking, the cultivator who had recognized Li Chang'an quickly covered his mouth.
The person in question is right here. It would be too embarrassing to speak ill of him in front of him.
Li Chang'an had heard what the two had said clearly.
Following him means you're his fan?
I never thought I'd run into my fans even after I died. It seems all those years of hard work in the entertainment industry weren't for nothing!
Li Chang'an was a little nervous. Looking down, he found himself lying on a black sword. Although he was a little confused, he quickly climbed down, dusted off his sleeves, and then smiled and replied, "Yes, it's me. Hello."
The surrounding cultivators looked at the "fan" with varying expressions.
Even the man in black who had been facing away from everyone slowly turned around.
The "fan" quickly withdrew his hand from his mouth, kowtowed heavily, and his shoulders trembled.
Seeing his terrified expression, Li Chang'an finally realized something was wrong.
The direction in which these people bowed was definitely not towards him.
Who is that aimed at?
Just as Li Chang'an was about to turn his head, he caught a glimpse of a man in black slowly walking forward.
He also noticed that the heads of those kneeling people were lowered even further.
The case is solved.
Li Chang'an was stunned when the man in black stood in front of him, speaking with a cold and authoritative tone:
"The new master of Xuanling Immortal Mountain has arrived. You shall all leave Xuanling Immortal Mountain immediately."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yuheng, who had been secretly observing Li Chang'an, quickly shifted his gaze, trying to say something more: "Wait a minute, senior..."
Before he could finish speaking, the black sword floated to the side of the man in black, a flash of silver light on its blade. When he came to his senses, the group of cultivators were already standing outside the secret realm.
The pool water soaked his trouser legs, and the gate of Xuanling Immortal Mountain silently emitted a seven-colored light.
"this……"
The monks looked at each other in bewilderment.
One of them stepped forward and asked, "Lord Yuheng, what should we do?"
"Is there truly no spiritual energy left in Xuanling Immortal Mountain? Could there still be some spiritual creatures left behind?"
Yuheng gazed at the door surrounded by golden runes.
The people behind him had low cultivation levels and certainly didn't see the two words that appeared on the sword when the sword light flashed.
That sword...that man in black...
He closed his eyes and sighed softly, "I'm afraid you will all be disappointed. After the signs of destruction ended, there was not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation in Xuanling Immortal Mountain."
All spiritual objects possess spiritual power. If you cannot detect any fluctuations in spiritual power, it means that there are no spiritual objects, or that spiritual objects are extremely rare.
All the cultivators fell silent.
The area around the pool fell into a deathly silence.
"Please go back first, everyone. I will discuss this with the other six stars later."
After saying that, Yuheng turned and left, never looking at the gate of Xuanling Immortal Mountain again.
The group of cultivators watched him get into the car; some sighed, some were indignant, and some whispered among themselves.
The Qingfeng Sect cultivator glanced unwillingly at the secret realm gate, then gritted his teeth, turned around, and left.
The opening of the Xuanling Immortal Mountain, which they had been looking forward to for so long, their last hope... ended like this.
It's truly regrettable and upsetting.
——
Li Chang'an was completely unaware of the reactions of the people outside the secret realm.
He stood in the bamboo forest, staring blankly at the man in black.
The group of people disappeared in an instant, just like special effects in a TV series.
Where exactly did he end up? And who was this person in front of him?
"Li Chang'an." In his moment of stunned silence, the man in black coldly called out his name.
"Eh." Li Chang'an responded subconsciously, then straightened up, not daring to move. "Um, is there something else you need me for?"
The man in black turned around, a black sword standing upright beside him. Li Chang'an felt, perhaps it was just his imagination, that the man's entire demeanor was exactly like that of the black sword.
It's as if this person is this sword.
The next second, the man in black confirmed his guess: "I am the sword spirit."
"The sword spirit of the natal divine sword of the Boundless God Venerable."
The black sword trembled slightly, emitting an ancient and deep sword sound, as if it were greeting him.
Then, before Li Chang'an could react, the sword spirit suddenly picked him up and threw him onto the sword, and then stepped back onto the black sword.
"Huh?" Li Chang'an lay there in a daze, watching the black sword slowly rise into the air and watching himself get further and further away from the ground.
The black sword turned its tip around and suddenly flew towards the direction where the golden runes flowed deep into the bamboo forest.
"ah--"
The excessive speed startled Li Chang'an, who quickly hugged the sword tightly. His handsome face was distorted by the wind, his hair was blown back, and his eyes were narrowed into slits.
In just a few seconds, the black sword came to a steady stop.
Li Chang'an slowly opened his eyes and took a heavy breath.
"This...this senior sword spirit?" Li Chang'an swallowed hard, his hands and legs weak, his voice trembling, "Where are you taking me?"
The sword spirit did not answer, but only said, "Look up."
Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an raised his head and looked at the golden runes in front of him.
Golden runes flowed across a towering wall of air, obscuring the view behind it.
For some reason, Li Chang'an felt a sense of familiarity with those golden runes.
He was in a daze and couldn't help but reach out to touch the golden runes.
Golden runes detached from the invisible wall, leaping and fluttering like tiny golden fish swimming in the air, gradually attaching themselves to Li Chang'an's body.
More and more golden fish appeared, swimming around Li Chang'an and surrounding him.
Without realizing it, Li Chang'an forgot that he was still in mid-air and forgot that he was afraid of heights.
He straightened up, sat on the sword, and a faint golden light appeared in his eyes.
A small golden fish swam up to him. Li Chang'an reached out his finger and gently touched it. The fish instantly turned into countless golden particles that landed in his palm.
The other small fish also scattered, turning into particles and flowing into Li Chang'an's brow.
In an instant, a sharp pain spread from between my eyebrows to my entire head!
Li Chang'an's eyes widened, his fists clenched, and his body trembled slightly.
Fortunately, the pain disappeared in an instant, replaced by a clear mind.
It was as if the excruciating pain was an illusion.
Li Chang'an was still breathing heavily in pain, raising his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
After regaining his senses, he blinked, his pupils gleaming with a faint golden light.
“Li Chang’an,” the black-clad sword spirit introduced without any emotion, “This place is called Xuanling Immortal Mountain, the last blessed land in the Cangxuan Realm.”
"Six thousand years ago, this was just a celestial mountain cave dwelling of the Boundless God. Now, the Boundless God has fallen, and you, as a wisp of his soul reincarnated, are the new master of this celestial mountain cave dwelling."
"Am I the reincarnation of a god?" Li Chang'an looked ahead blankly. Without the obstruction of the golden runes, the scenery before him was completely unobstructed.
As he watched, he slowly raised his head.
"A celestial cave dwelling...my...this one?!"
The black sword was already quite far from the ground, almost reaching the clouds, with birds nestled beneath its feet. But what lay before it—no, these several immortal mountains—
He has to look up and still might not be able to see the mountain peak!
The black sword swayed, reminding Li Chang'an to come to his senses, before flying forward rapidly.
Li Chang'an's hair was still blown back by the wind, but for some reason this time, his eyes did not feel any discomfort and he could see normally.
He looked around and saw four majestic mountains that pierced the clouds. They were tall and imposing, their gray slopes giving them a desolate appearance, yet inspiring awe.
Surrounding the four sacred mountains are some lower hills, scattered at varying heights, forming a protective arch around them.
All the mountains were blocked by air walls flowing with golden runes, but unlike before, Li Chang'an could now see the scenery behind those air walls completely.
Beneath his feet flowed a calm, wide river, its surface vaguely several hundred meters wide.
The four sacred mountains are located in pairs on both sides of the great river. Looking further ahead, the source of the great river is a continuous snow-capped mountain range that stretches as far as the eye can see.
These lands, these sacred mountains, and these snow-capped mountain ranges—are they all his?
Li Chang'an opened his mouth, his head spinning from the news.
When others achieve great success, they say it's because their ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke. So, did his grave in his previous life emit auspicious smoke?
The black sword flew over the flat ground and soon stopped just before entering the snow-capped mountain range.
Li Chang'an looked up again, but even the highest snow-capped mountain's peak was nowhere to be seen. A chill enveloped him, making his lips and teeth tremble slightly, and his eyebrows were covered in frost.
"The abode of the Boundless God is located atop this snow-capped mountain. But—"
The sword spirit glanced down at Li Chang'an, paused, and then flicked its fingers.
A beam of white light flew into Li Chang'an's back, and the frost on his eyebrows quickly disappeared.
Li Chang'an suddenly felt a warm sensation all over his body, and knew that the sword spirit must have done something. He quickly turned around and thanked it.
The sword spirit stopped looking at him and continued, "But the snow mountain will only open after the first four immortal mountains have opened. And at that time, you must successfully transcend the tribulation and ascend to become an immortal before you can enter the cave."
A look of confusion filled Li Chang'an's eyes: "Ascension to immortality?"
Him? But he doesn't even have spiritual roots; he's just an ordinary person.
Moreover, with spiritual energy so scarce these days, ascending to immortality has long become an impossible dream.
The sword spirit glanced at Li Chang'an indifferently and hummed in response.
Li Chang'an seemed to see a hint of helplessness in the sword spirit's gaze, but upon closer inspection, he saw nothing at all.
It must be an illusion. This sword spirit is a sword, so how could it have such a vivid expression of helplessness?
Li Chang'an lowered his eyes, somewhat lost in thought.
He had always known that there were people in this world who cultivated immortality.
It is said that spiritual energy is scarce in the world today, and only one in ten million people are capable of cultivating immortality.
People who are one in a million, like scientists or billionaires, are very, very far removed from the lives of ordinary people like him. He has no chance of ever meeting them in his daily life.
And now, these sacred mountains belong to an ordinary person like him.
What can an ordinary person like him do with these sacred mountains?
After a long silence, Li Chang'an raised his head sheepishly and said:
"Um... Senior Sword Spirit, could you please take me back to that bamboo forest?"
The sword spirit glanced at him, silently turned its sword tip, and the black sword carried the two of them back to the bamboo forest at high speed.
Li Chang'an climbed down from the sword and rubbed his numb legs. "Senior Sword Spirit, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I'm just an ordinary person with no spiritual roots, so I can't cultivate."
He followed the example of the person who had just seen leading the group—Yuheng—and bowed to the sword spirit.
“Xuanling Immortal Mountain is the last blessed land, and it must be of great significance to cultivators. Giving it to me is such a waste.”
The sword spirit remained silent, staring intently at him.
After Li Chang'an finished his greetings, he looked around and saw a seven-colored, door-shaped ball of light.
He chuckled awkwardly, pointed to the door, and asked, "Haha, that should be the exit of the secret realm, right? Then I won't disturb you any longer."
After saying that, seeing that the sword spirit was still silent, Li Chang'an touched his temple, unsure of what to do, and walked towards the seven-colored ball of light.
Goodbye, Senior Sword Spirit.
He waved his hand and stepped into the ball of light.
However, in that instant, a violent impact, a sharp pain as if his whole body had been shattered, immediately engulfed Li Chang'an.
It felt as if all the bones in my body were twisted, misaligned, broken, and shattered.
This pain is even worse than the headache I just had!
Li Chang'an even felt like he could barely breathe!
The feeling of impending death sent shivers down his spine. Just as his consciousness began to fade, a hand reached out from behind him, grabbed the hood of his coat, and pulled him into the bamboo forest.
"Hoh—" Li Chang'an knelt on the ground, panting heavily as if he had survived a close call.
It took Li Chang'an more than ten minutes to recover from the pain.
He leaned against a bamboo pole, exhausted, and looked at the black-clad sword spirit standing with his hands behind his back.
"S-Senior...you..."
Did the sword spirit do something to him? How could this happen?
“Li Chang’an,” the sword spirit said calmly, “as you can see, you cannot leave the Immortal Mountain.”
Why?
"Because you are already dead."
Li Chang'an's pupils dilated as the image of the wire breaking suddenly flashed into his mind.
Yes, the wire broke. He fell from such a high cliff, he was sure to die.
Is this really the afterlife?
But……
Li Chang'an touched his head with both hands, then touched his body, "But I can still feel the pain."
There was no blood or injury on his body.
"Falling off the cliff is your death calamity, but the Immortal Mountain has opened. As the reincarnation of the Boundless God, you bear a mission, and the Immortal Mountain will automatically teleport you here."
"Once you leave the immortal mountain, you will have no choice but to face this calamity of death."
In other words, he is only alive in the immortal mountain?
Li Chang'an opened his mouth, but then remained silent.
Is he alive or dead?
The sword spirit looked at him and said slowly, "Complete your mission, and you will be resurrected."
The bamboo forest was completely silent.
It took Li Chang'an a while to process the news.
His gaze was unfocused, and he murmured, "Then what is my mission?"
The black sword, which had been standing silently to the side, suddenly rang out loudly.
The sword trembled and flew to Li Chang'an's side in the next instant.
Li Chang'an heard the sword spirit's cold and majestic voice utter a statement that was extremely inconsistent with its character: "Farming and raising pigs."
A note from the author:
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