The Unruly Immortals

With a "snap" sound, as the black piece landed on the board, Li Huowang began to ponder the meaning of the other party's words. "Pan that signifies tangled? What does that represent?"

As someone from the Xinsu, having previously encountered the bizarre abilities of Heart Turbidity, it was very difficult for him to imagine what kind of existence Heart Pan actually was.

Looking at the discordant placement of the two black pieces on the chessboard, Zhuge Yuan slightly shook his head and picked up a white piece with his fingernail, letting it fall onto the board.

"This Pan symbolizes that I am forever entwined with the Three Bodies beyond my past life, regardless of life or death,"

"What is this 'Three Bodies beyond my past life'?" asked Li Huowang as he moved his piece.

When he saw the smile on Zhuge Yuan's face as he closed his folding fan and pointed above his head, Li Huowang's heart suddenly tightened, and his pupils began to tremble slightly; he was reminded of certain things hidden deep within his memory.

"Brother Li, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes. Living a life in this world, sometimes ignorance is bliss," Zhuge Yuan said, then picked up another white piece to place on the board.

The other's action was self-evident; this so-called 'Three Bodies beyond my past life' referred to the name of a Fate Commander in the White Jade Capital. He didn't even dare to say the name, only daring to use the ambiguous term 'Three Bodies beyond my past life' to replace it.

"I understand, I understand..." Li Huowang muttered, nodding to himself.

For a moment, the bamboo cottage fell silent, with only the clear chirping of birds occasionally sounding from outside the window.

As Zhuge Yuan looked at the chessboard filled with gaping holes, he heard the other party begin to ask another question. "Thank you, Brother Zhuge, for your generous help, but may I dare to ask, since you are not a Xinsu like me, why would you help me?"

This question had troubled Li Huowang for a long time, and today, at last, he got the chance to ask it.

"Why do you say that?" Zhuge Yuan appeared very surprised. "Although we are strangers who met by chance, to save a life is more meritorious than building a seven-floored stupa, I simply couldn't stand by and watch you lose your life. If your Cultivation were higher, that Copper Coin mask would be nothing but an ornament."

"Is it really that simple?" Li Huowang looked at him in astonishment. He had thought of many, many reasons in this period, but how could he have never considered that the other's kindness was simply due to his benevolence?

"What else does Brother Li think? Not just you, and not only those of the 'Heart' generation, but if anyone of the 'Spirit' or 'Void' generation is in trouble, if I can lend a hand, I will not stand idly by."

"Is he deceiving me? What are his ulterior motives?" The idea uncontrollably sprang into Li Huowang's mind.

Then Li Huowang immediately quashed the thought himself, considering that Zhuge Yuan did not care about his Xinsu identity, there was no hidden agenda.

With his power that could easily dispatch those seeking fortune, if he truly wanted to target the Xinsu, how many he desired he could have. There was no need to put so much effort into deceiving him. Besides being a Xinsu, his own value was not that significant.

"Brother Li, you have traveled a thousand miles to Apricot Island, could it be that you came just to ask me this?" Zhuge Yuan was quite astonished.

"No, not at all. I came to seek Brother Zhuge's assistance for an important matter," Li Huowang immediately perked up, and began to explain the findings he had about Bei Feng.

Even though Zhuge Yuan had shown him kindness, Li Huowang was not one to take undue advantage. He laid out a mutually beneficial proposal for him.

"Brother Zhuge, you don't need to do anything extra. I know that recently, the Oblivion Path has been causing you trouble incessantly, and it's very likely that Bei Feng will join in too. I just need to stay by your side and help you deal with the Oblivion Path together!"

Seeing the other party holding the white chess piece in the air, hesitating to make a move, Li Huowang continued to increase his bargaining tokens, "Brother Zhuge, rest assured, even after I get rid of the illusion of being a Xinsu, I won't just leave abruptly. I'll make sure to wait until all your matters are settled before I leave."

"Brother Zhuge, are you by any chance questioning my strength? Although I'm not as competent as Brother Zhuge in this regard, I excel at various secret techniques of the Ao Jing Sect, to the extent that I have undertaken the immensely difficult Cangqiong Ascension three times. Even a Demi Immortal couldn't withstand this top-tier secret technique!"

Seeing Li Huowang's tone grow more and more urgent, Zhuge Yuan quickly extended his hand, signaling for the other to pause. "Brother Li, don't panic. I didn't say I disagree, but there are a few things you need to consider. First, you mentioned fighting the enemy alongside me, but do you know what I'm about to do next?"

Li Huowang was startled by the question, but he quickly thought of something and looked up to ask, "The matter of you snatching the Heart Turbidity from the Buddha Bone Temple hasn't been settled yet?"

To brazenly steal Heart Turbidity from the hands of the Astrological Bureau certainly means there is an issue, and given Zhuge Yuan's strength, the fact that the matter has been dragged out for so many months surely signifies a major issue.

Zhuge Yuan looked up toward a landscape painting behind Li Huowang, where a mummified corpse lay upside down on a dirt path halfway up the mountain. "Alas, although I can cut off fortune, as long as those related to the 'Heart' annotation are alive, it's difficult. We're all entangled in karma that doesn't belong to us. It's tough, all very tough."

"This trip I'm about to embark on will no doubt be fraught with difficulties, and the Oblivion Path might obstruct me now and then. Brother Li, if you decide to follow, facing a life-and-death situation at every turn, is it really worth it?"

"It's worth it!" Li Huowang's response was definitive. He hadn't even asked what the other party was planning to do next. "As long as I can completely rid myself of those illusions and that confusion, whatever I do is worth it!"

Zhuge Yuan picked up his somewhat cooled tea and took another sip. "Well then, onto the second point, Bei Feng is indeed a master of Xinsu, capable of dispelling illusions, but is his method truly suitable for you? You must know he is a practitioner of the Oblivion Path."

"Perhaps his method is the same as the previous person, completely deceiving oneself? Maybe his method is some kind of abominable Evil Cultivation Technique? Brother Li, do you also plan to train in that way?"

The question made Li Huowang's expression extremely unpleasant. He picked up the cold tea and forced himself to gulp it down, struggling to say, "Do I have any other choice now? No matter what method Bei Feng has employed, I must go see for myself."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yuan fell into contemplation. "Not necessarily. A long time ago, I really did see a method in a book."

"What method?" Li Huowang's pupils contracted, his heartbeat accelerating.

"That illusion of your Xinsu, after all, is caused by the inability to control that extra bit of Innate Qi within your body. If the cultivation method mentioned in that book can truly control this Innate Qi, maybe the illusion will disappear."

"Have you seen this cultivation method?" Li Huowang asked eagerly.

"I've only read about it once in a book, and I've almost forgotten it, but I think there's a good chance it exists."

"Why is that?"

"Because of the aberrance of the Oblivion Path. I always wondered why the Oblivion Path delights in tormenting and playing tricks on Xinsu practitioners, an obsession that always seemed to transcend other matters—they never do this to Heart Pan or Heart Turbidity."

"I used to ponder whether the Oblivion Path harbors enmity against every Xinsu? But then I realized if the cultivation technique mentioned in that book is true, it would be just the thing to restrain the Oblivion Path's cultivation techniques, which also explains why they act this way towards those who despise Xinsu."

"A cultivation technique that restrains the Oblivion Path? Does the Oblivion Path have a cultivation technique?"

"Of course, the absurd things they do are all attempts to use the false to replace the true. The myriad changes in the world never stray from their origin; Ghost Cultivators, Taoist Cultivators, Evil Cultivators — all exist, put simply, the Oblivion Path is cultivating falsehood."

"Wait, if they cultivate falsehood, and Xinsu's techniques restrain them, then what does Xinsu cultivate?"

Zhuge Yuan did not answer, but instead placed a white chess piece down. Li Huowang followed the gesture to look at the chessboard, where his scattered black chess pieces formed the character for 'true'.

"Cultivation of Truth?"