My Journey to Immortality Begins with Hunting

Deathless Tomb.

Before the clear blue ice labyrinth, Li Yuan had the Wolfmother pinned to an the wall, his hand tight around her throat. Yet she continued to smile.

"Khagan, you want to know why I can command these wolves while you cannot. The answer is simple. I'm ajade husk. Controlling them is in my blood; you could never steal that from me."

Li Yuan glanced at her single unclouded eye.

"A jade husk, is that so? What is that?" he asked curiously, feigning ignorance.

"I'll bet you're wondering why one of my eyes isn't white," she replied, seeing through his little ruse. "It's because I'm aflawedjade husk. I wasn't born complete."

"But you can still bend sixth rank direwolves to your will. Some flaw." Li Yuan chuckled. "Wolfmother, you say you'd be my woman, yet where's the sincerity? How about you teach me your trick?

"Show me how to command a whole pack of sixth rank beasts so they'll never betray me. I'll even honor you as my master and carry our art to new heights. Deal? We'd be master and disciple, much closer that way, and you'd hold even more sway over the Western Extremes."

"For the Khagan, you're sly as a fox. But… " The Wolfmother flashed a sultry smile. Her expression turned solemn. "I truly was born to command them."

"Straight from the cradle?"

"Not quite. There was…a moment."

"What moment?"

"The instant my memory began."

Li Yuan frowned ever so slightly.

The Wolfmother met his gaze, unflinching. "I've just shared something deeply personal, Khagan. Do you still doubt my good faith?"

"Then why take up the title of Wolfmother?"

"Because that's my calling. I don'tknowwhy."

"Someone's pulling your strings. Who?"

"No one." She drew a long breath, lifted her face to the cavern roof. "I am here to guard a graveyard where gods are laid to rest. Perhaps that sacred duty tugs at me so strongly that I can't help but stand watch. Since you're here, defend it with me."

At the wordsgraveyard where gods are laid to rest,a hush of reverence fell over her. The flirtatious glint vanished; in its place bloomed a pure, almost holy resolve like a wanton maid shedding makeup for a snow‑white wedding dress, stepping onto the crimson carpet toward a solemn altar.

Li Yuan thought for a beat, then said quietly, "Forgive me."

He patted her down. He found a custom hand bow-gun holstered to her waist; and a small red vial, likely blood crystal nestled against her chest.

"What's this?" he asked, holding the vial.

"Seeds. I hoped the tribe chieftains might plant fruit trees near the bonfires. I went to great trouble for them; they're hardy against the cold."

Pop!Li Yuan flicked the stopper and tipped the vial. A few black seeds tumbled out. He nodded, returned the seeds, then slipped the vial into his own pouch.

"Didn't expect such thoughtfulness from the Wolfmother of the frozen tundra," he said, amused.

The search continued. He found a curved dagger sewn into her dress. He then removed her shoes, even pried her cheeks apart and found no more hidden toys. Only then did he release her.

She coughed lightly, rose, and declared, "Those who trespass on the tomb of the gods must die. That is why I fired at you the other day."

Li Yuan regarded her in silence. "So anyone outside this graveyard is expendable?"

"The people of this tundra need faith, hope." Her voice softened. "To believe they will rise anew when the sun returns, reborn in a new world. That faith keeps them here in the Western Extremes, and while they stay, outsiders can scarcely invade. Even you, Khagan, are weakened here. Without your flame, you'd have never made it this far."

"Then why did you support their plan to raid the outside world?"

The Wolfmother laughed. "Restlessness only grows with time. Better to let it run its course. Once enough of them die out there, they'll understand.Hereis safest.Hereis home, their refuge. The duty to guard the Western Extremes will brand itself onto their souls; they'll never again wish, or dare, to leave.

"Besides, Cloudpeak Province is barren. Before they stir up enemies stronger than themselves, they'll birth many children. And those born by the Everflame will belong to this land, wielding its power.

"Khagan, think about it. Strengthen their faith, swell their numbers. Why wouldn't I support the plan?"

Li Yuan exhaled. "You really are sharp. Still, something puzzles me. There are no ghost domains here, so how have you lived this long?"

"I'm only 25 years old." She gave a light shrug. "When I die, another Wolfmother will appear."

"You've never questioned any of this?"

"No. Guarding this place is every Wolfmother's destiny. The gods simply chose me."

"You're too clever not to wonder. Take your memory loss, for instance."

"Also the choice of the gods. I can already see the road ahead; why waste time peering back at irrelevant shadows?"

A thought clicked in Li Yuan's mind. "Fine. You want to be my woman, you want me to help guard the Western Extremes. I can do that. But first you come with me to uncover what you lost, and the truth behind every Wolfmother."

"I sense my past lies beyond the tundra," she replied, "yet I will never leave the tundra. So I can't accompany you."

"Then I'll kill you."

A low snarl ripped from her throat. "I will not leave!"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes. He had handled her roughly before and she never flinched, yet a simple request to leave sent her into a frenzy. Even the threat of death couldn't shake her. Something was off.

Silence stretched.

"Take me to the graveyard," he said at last.

"Very well." She clapped once. The wolves surged forward like a tide, vanishing into an ice‑crystal maze. Two direwolves padded over; she mounted one. Li Yuan swung up behind her on the same beast, arms around her waist.

She said nothing, waved the other direwolf ahead, then tugged the white mane beneath her. Their mount loped into the labyrinth. Built over a bottomless abyss, its flanks sheer dark chasms.

The deeper they went, the more Li Yuan felt his shadow blood icing over. His vision blurred; crimson‑lit walls dulled into murky silhouettes. The flame in his heart guttered from a roaring blaze to a trembling candle.

He could see the combat power of the Wolfmother and the direwolves plummet. His own combat power dropped from 3,600~51,341 to 51~52.

He whipped out the White Serpent wrapped an arm around her, tip at her heart. "Stop."

The direwolves froze on the spot.

Her stats now read 10~11 from the normal 625~635. One more stride, and the numbers would drop to 0~1. This was a zone where Yin and Yang themselves were shackled. Yet the maze still stretched on further.

"Back out," Li Yuan ordered.

The graveyard of the gods might be close, but everything was sliding out of control. If something immune to the suppression lurked ahead, it could kill him instantly.

"Back out!" he barked.

The Wolfmother obeyed, turning the direwolf around.

"Send your wolves first. Nothing behind us."

The advance scouts dashed back, disappearing into the darkness. Once no paw‑steps echoed behind, Li Yuan said, "Go."

The light and his strength were now just adequate, enough to avoid a beating he couldn't survive. Holding her close, he guided the direwolf out of the maze. The instant they emerged, power flooded back into his limbs.

They jogged on, bumping with each stride.

"Can that graveyard truly freeze both soul and flesh," Li Yuan asked, "and revive them once thawed?"

"Yes," she said, "but only coffins fit for gods. Any lesser being who lies there is cursed."

So, he mused, the trueDeathless Tombwas the tomb of gods, and even that had limited room.

Then a different possibility struck him. He reflected,The so‑called gods planted Wolfmothers to guard their coffins, and spread the warning that any non‑god would suffer a dreadful curse.

Logically, this dedication made sense, but—

Gods?He snorted inwardly.Real gods wouldn't need coffins to keep themselves fresh. They're just powerful people, nothing more.

In any case, Li Yuan still intended to see it for himself, just not on foot.