Eternal Life Begins with Learning

"Hm?"

As he strolled to the end of the street, a strange sense of familiarity from the corner of his eye made him stop abruptly.

He turned his head and saw a woman in yellow emerging from a house at the end of the street.

The woman’s face was unfamiliar, but for some reason, Chu Mu felt a sense of recognition.

’Her eyes...’

In an instant, Chu Mu identified the source of his familiarity.

The woman’s eyes... he found them somewhat familiar.

’Is it her?’

Chu Mu’s gaze flickered, and an image in his mind overlapped with the woman before him.

The woman was clearly preoccupied and seemed not to notice Chu Mu’s stare as she quickly walked away.

Shifting his gaze, Chu Mu looked at the house. The door should have been closed after the woman left, but now it was ajar.

He raised his hand and swiped, and a Blood Killing Order appeared in his palm. Its indicator was pointed squarely at the house before him.

Even though it was right in front of him, Chu Mu had no intention of going inside to investigate. After all, he still had a massive bounty on his head from the Blood Killing Pavilion.

Although it was unlikely the Blood Killing Pavilion would break its own rules for such a bounty, the Puppets inside weren’t just inanimate objects; they were controlled by people.

And people were unreliable.

He glanced in the direction the woman had gone, pondering for a moment, but ultimately suppressed the thought.

One could change their face, alter their Cultivation, and conceal their aura, but their eyes could reveal a great deal.

The woman just now was very likely the one he had made a deal with to see Zhao Shuang.

But their deal was already complete. Regardless of whether the information she revealed afterward was true or false, there was no point in seeking her out again.

As for the authenticity of the information, he didn’t really care.

After all, he had experienced the events on East Lake firsthand back then.

Now, as long as he could find that mysterious fog again, everything would become clear.

He tossed the Blood Killing Order into his Storage Talisman, then took a Jade Scroll in hand. Chu Mu stared at it for a moment before slowly putting it away.

’If it’s as I think, and the Jade Scroll is a token...’

’Then... wouldn’t the Longevity Sect and the various great Clans have noticed this?’

’After all, the mysterious fog has been appearing for many years!’

’According to Zhao Shuang, her sister entered the Secret Realm behind the mysterious fog long ago.’

’If that’s true, with the resources of those major powers, could they really have been so slow to realize it?’

’The possibility was clearly low.’

Chu Mu rubbed his forehead, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes.

Back in Jade Emperor Valley, he had often heard that the Longevity Sect controlled several Secret Realms, each with a different purpose.

And without exception, none of these Secret Realms had originally belonged to the Longevity Sect.

Some had been seized before the Longevity Sect was even founded.

Others appeared in the world after the sect’s founding and were subsequently brought under its control.

It was said that over two hundred years ago, a Secret Realm materialized in the Northern Border, even attracting the covetous eyes of the Grassland Tribes. But in the end, it too was brought under the Longevity Sect’s control.

Clearly, compared to his own ignorance, the major powers undoubtedly had a much clearer understanding of these so-called Secret Realms.

Why were wild Demon Beasts so rarely seen in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World?

It was because every Spirit Vein and every resource in the lands of Great Chu, no matter how large or small, had long been controlled by various powers.

With no soil to even survive in, how could Demon Beasts possibly exist!

A Secret Realm... was clearly also a resource, and an extremely rare one at that.

If the various powers discovered one, would they let it slip from their grasp? Would they allow others to get their hands on it?

Perhaps, on a level he couldn’t see, there had already been a river of blood...

’Jade Emperor Valley...’

As the thought crossed his mind, Chu Mu suddenly froze.

’Could this be the reason why the Longevity Sect seized Jade Emperor Valley?’

’Considering Jade Emperor Valley’s geographical location, it seemed entirely possible...’

Lost in thought, Chu Mu didn’t linger. He made a circuit of the Black Market, purchased some necessary Spiritual Materials, and led Wangcai out in plain sight.

This time, perhaps deterred by his show of strength, no one foolish was secretly watching or following him.

By the time they reached the lake’s surface, the sky was filled with brilliant, twinkling stars.

Under the cover of night, Chu Mu walked across the water with Wangcai following close behind.

But after traveling less than ten miles, Chu Mu came to a sudden halt.

Straight ahead, a burst of brilliant light was clearly visible in the gloom.

It was accompanied by waves of thunderous roars and surging fluctuations of Spiritual Qi.

Quite obviously, Cultivators were fighting up ahead.

Thanks to his enhanced physical functions, the darkness of night had little effect on his vision.

He could clearly see several flickering figures in the distance.

One person was fleeing, and several others were in pursuit.

It was a common chase scene, playing out right before his eyes once again.

Although the person was fleeing in his direction, Chu Mu wasn’t too worried. The Spiritual Qi fluctuations were very clear; they were just a group of Qi Cultivation Cultivators, posing little threat to him.

"Let’s make way for them."

Chu Mu patted Wangcai and turned to step aside.

It wasn’t his business, so he intended to stay out of it.

Such things were all too common in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

Wangcai followed close behind as the man and his dog moved out of the way.

But this time, it seemed that though the tree wished for calm, the wind would not subside.

He had moved aside, but the fleeing figure suddenly changed direction and headed right for him.

Chu Mu frowned slightly, his gaze instantly locking onto the fleeing figure. When he got a clear look at the person’s face, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Save me, and I’ll reward you with information about the Secret Realm."

A crisp voice immediately followed, transmitted into his mind via Telepathy.

Chu Mu paused for a moment, then the corners of his lips curled up into a faint smile.

’Alright. Straight to the point.’

"Wangcai, time to work."

He patted Wangcai’s head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He then took a step, and in the blink of an eye, he had appeared several dozen feet away.

ROAR!

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

Wangcai’s body expanded rapidly, and he let out a roar from his massive, bloody maw. His usual docile and obedient demeanor was instantly replaced by sheer ferocity!

BANG!

With no technique whatsoever, Chu Mu threw a kick. There was a dull thud, and the Cultivator he struck had his Magic Shield instantly shatter. Blood splattered as he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.

Wangcai lunged forward, his bloody maw opening wide. He caught the flying Cultivator in a single bite. His sharp fangs sank in, followed by a faint scream, and then his mouth was filled with the taste of blood.

Chu Mu didn’t pause. There were only four Cultivators in total, and their Cultivation levels were quite clear.

One was at the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer, two were at the Qi Cultivation Eleventh Layer, and one was at the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer.

Having insta-killed one, it was now three against three. Victory was assured!

"Fellow Daoist, we have no quarrel with you..."

A man to the side cried out in horror, speaking quickly.

But before he could finish, Chu Mu was already upon him.

He didn’t use any Magical Power. Relying purely on physical strength, his Sword Technique, long since honed to its limit, fell like a shower of rain.

BOOM!

In just a few breaths, the Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact Shield blocking the blade was shattered to pieces!

ROAR!

Wangcai seized the opportunity to pounce, his claws tearing right through the man’s Magic Shield and ripping a huge gash in his body. With another bite, he tore off an entire arm.

The man screamed in pain and tried to shake Wangcai off, but he was pinned down by another slash from Chu Mu’s blade. In the end, he couldn’t escape the fate of being devoured by Wangcai in a single gulp.

In just ten-odd breaths, the tide of battle had completely turned.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the remaining two men tried to flee, but in the end, they both fell to his blade.

With both his Dharma and Body Cultivation at the Perfection level, combined with Wangcai’s coordination, their combined strength was more than enough to crush the vast majority of Cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Realm.

"Alright, that’s enough. Any more and you’ll stuff yourself."

Chu Mu stopped Wangcai, who was about to devour the other bodies, and with a wave of his hand, he collected the two remaining corpses.

Only then did he turn to look at the still-pale face of... Zhao Shuang?

’If I remember correctly,’ he thought, ’Zhao Shuang actually recognized me just now...’

’And she immediately tried to make another deal...’

Wangcai also shifted his body, glaring like a tiger stalking its prey. His aura was still ferocious, and his tensed frame clearly showed he was ready to strike at any moment.

And the recent battle had undoubtedly proven that beneath the common-sounding name "Wangcai" was a genuine, terrifyingly powerful Demon Beast...

...