This Human Immortal Is Too Serious

Lin Suqing always felt that the Young Master was hinting at something to her.

She waited in the room for a while, not knowing how to take a seat, not daring to glance around carelessly for fear of catching a glimpse of the corners of the paintings on the wall.

Then she examined it carefully with her Spiritual Sense.

This was really... too indecent.

She simply sat down by the bed and adjusted her posture carefully, but in the end, she decided to sit with her buttocks halfway on the bed and her hands crossed over her thighs in a proper manner.

Lin Suqing knew that the Young Master was capable.

It wasn't that kind of capability, but rather an inability to make contact on another level; if based on the knowledge taught by the priests from the Bear Hug Tribe, if the Young Master didn't mind some processes, he could actually...

"Cough! Niece, come with me, we are going to move to a different place," Wu Wang called out from outside the door. Lin Suqing felt inexplicably nervous, quickly getting up and heading towards the door, subconsciously straightening her neckline with a hint of guilt.

She opened the door, and Lin Suqing was taken aback again.

Standing behind the Young Master were two old men, one fat and one thin; wasn't that thin elder none other than the Sanxian Daoist they had been avoiding earlier?

Lin Suqing stared at Wu Wang, her large eyes as if they could speak:

If you've been caught, Young Master, just blink your eyes.

Wu Wang put on a mournful face and said, "Coming across someone once could be a coincidence, meeting them twice would be intentional, but thrice, that truly could be called fate. Who would have thought that this Sanxian Daoist is actually the Second Shopkeeper of this tavern?"

After a moment of thought, Lin Suqing understood.

They had walked right into the tiger's den!

Sanxian Daoist asked with a smile, "I haven't had the chance to ask, what are your names?"

"Yan Chixia," Wu Wang pointed at himself and then pointed at Lin Suqing, "and Little Ai."

Lin Suqing's mouth twitched slightly.

"Uncle Master," Lin Suqing asked softly, "where are we moving to?"

"Let's go with these two elders," Wu Wang said. "It's also our fault for not inquiring about the rules here before we arrived, causing some embarrassment."

The old face of Sanxian Daoist broke into a chrysanthemum-like brilliant smile, continuously nodding at Lin Suqing and saying, "It's just a small business, not worth mentioning at all, truly not worth mentioning."

The burly old man made a welcoming gesture and said with a laugh, "My last name is Sun, from the Demonic Sect's Azure Blood Clan, currently managing some businesses in the Southeastern Region. I am flattered by the recognition from my fellow Daoists, having them call me Old Snow Eagle; it's just a modest nickname after all."

After saying this, Sanxian Daoist and the burly old man stood with their chests puffed out, oozing an air of 'toughness'.

Wu Wang blinked at Lin Suqing, and she immediately understood, covering her mouth with her hand in heartfelt amazement, exclaiming, "So you are the revered Old Snow Eagle!"

Old Snow Eagle couldn't help but squint and chuckle.

Lin Suqing mildly curled the corner of her mouth and whispered, "This is actually the first time I've heard of your great name."

The old man's face dropped instantly.

Sanxian Daoist laughed, "This young lady is really humorous. Never mind about old man, he is just at the Heavenly Immortal Realm level of cultivation, just so-so."

Old Snow Eagle snorted, "Still better than your Ascending Immortal Realm! No, wait, you even used elixirs to achieve your Ascending Immortal Realm, tsk, jumping deities Daoist."

Sanxian Daoist held his hands behind his back, boasting, "Some people, even with merely the lifespan of the Ascending Immortal Realm, could have innovations in formations and the Path of Artifact Refining, while some people, having the cultivation of a Heavenly Immortal, would have to call me from afar just to fix a formation."

"Fine, fine, you win, are you happy now?" Old Snow Eagle waved his hands somewhat annoyed. "Enough, let's go upstairs, don't disrupt the other guests here!"

Sanxian Daoist warmly gestured to Wu Wang, "Young hero, please, let's go to the elegant room on the top floor."

"Thank you both elders for your care," Wu Wang said.

Wu Wang secretly motioned to Lin Suqing, who softly expressed her gratitude as well, placing the Jade Talisman on the door to the suite behind her.

The two old men up front were sometimes bickering, sometimes chuckling merrily. Lin Suqing and Wu Wang didn't rashly transmit their voices but communicated with glances instead.

What Wu Wang conveyed was probably to have Lin Suqing keep calm. They might need to use the businesses of these two old men as a cover to find an opportunity to enter the city above the clouds.

The message Lin Suqing received:...

'The Young Master was indeed hinting at something.'

Perhaps, the Young Master already knew these two old men and had conspired with them to see her reaction!

Just now, if she had taken a more proactive stance when entering, perhaps by now...

Ah, what am I thinking about? If I had been more proactive back in the Northern Wilderness, by now I might have had children...

THUMP!

Lin Suqing covered her forehead, staring at the wall draped with curtains in front of her.

At the nearby staircase, Wu Wang laughed, "What are you daydreaming about? You aren't even watching where you're going."

"I was... I wasn't thinking about anything," Lin Suqing's voice was somewhat shrill, her bright eyes filled with laughter. She followed behind with her hands clasped on her back, her steps light and airy.

Wu Wang sized her up and down, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

"To hit your head and still be happy about it, what's there to be glad about?"

Lin Suqing couldn't help gritting her teeth, and she pointed her finger at Wu Wang, making a few vicious gestures. Wu Wang calmly thickened the Ice Crystal film around himself and revealed a smile that showed victory was in his grasp.

After climbing over a dozen floors, the group finally reached the top of the tavern.

There were only two rooms in this place: one belonged to Old Snow Eagle, and the other to Sanxian. They were now entering the suite of Sanxian the Daoist.

The interior was quite spacious, and the furniture was relatively simple. The corners were piled up with ores and waste materials, and in the center was a Heavenly Work Platform used for refining artifacts, on which more than a dozen instruments commonly used in artifact refining were placed.

Sanxian the Daoist wanted to show off his air of a high and mighty figure and lamented, "Back again, after such a long separation, the sight before my eyes is still the same as it was, unchanged."

Old Snow Eagle laughed beside him. "A long separation? Didn't you come here just half a year ago? I told you to stay in the Southeastern Region longer, but you insisted on returning to attend some treasure refining convention. And what happened? You didn't even dare enter the registration treasure shop!"

Sanxian the Daoist's old face turned red, and he shouted with his neck stiff, "That's because I felt that refining should not be compared; it should ultimately be for the benefit of the Human Domain, not for competition! Refining artifacts, how can that be called a competition?"

Wu Wang laughed, "Senior does have a point. However, the reason this treasure refining convention is being held is to form the Refining Master Alliance, aiming to make breakthroughs in the shortest time on the Path of Artifact Refining. It's a real pity you didn't go to register, senior."

Sanxian the Daoist was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, "Is that so?"

Afterwards, he sighed somewhat dejectedly and sat back in the circular chair behind his desk, his thin frame sinking into it.

"Make yourselves at home. Don't be shy, just treat this as your own home."

Old Snow Eagle motioned to Wu Wang and Lin Suqing to sit and called the waiter to serve tea. He then went to take a seat next to the window sill, leaving the desk in front of him free for Wu Wang.

Wu Wang got the hint, sat in front of Sanxian the Daoist, and smoothly found a topic to chat about: "How did you seniors come up with the idea to open such a tavern?"

"Well, HA HA HA." Old Snow Eagle laughed heartily, nearly tumbling out of the window with amusement.

He said, "This is a long story, young man, are you really interested?"

Wu Wang casually crossed his legs and smiled, "I am somewhat curious."

Old Snow Eagle explained, "At first, in the northwestern part of the Southeastern Region, I slaughtered a ferocious beast and found a place of inheritance, which should have belonged to a predecessor from the time of Emperor Fuxi. You might not know, although the Human Domain is stable now, ancient times witnessed it facing the brink of overturn many times. To preserve a ray of hope, or rather, the potential for a turnaround, many senior predecessors, either before their natural demise or when seriously wounded and close to death, would leave their inheritances in some hidden places. The Southeastern Region, being closer to the Human Domain and wild at the time, farthest from the Heaven Palace, had many seniors place their inheritances secretly there.

Unfortunately, what I found was just an empty shell; the treasures inside had long been cleared out by others. At that time, I gritted my teeth and stomped my foot, deciding to take this empty shell back home, which was actually a sturdy Treasure Pagoda. But what can you do with a Treasure Pagoda once you get it? Then I met this guy. He said it was as sturdy as a magic treasure, spacious inside, and it could prevent Immortal Consciousness from probing, so why not run a tavern with it?"

Sanxian the Daoist smiled with his eyes squinted, stroking his beard. "Look, didn't my suggestion reap a bountiful harvest?"

"Indeed," Old Snow Eagle chuckled. "Due to the tavern being quite novel, it attracted many customers; and later, because it was so secretive, it became a magnet for clandestine couples. We two old bones calculated that this could work. So we made some special pathways for those who needed a private meeting, ensuring they could come and go without anyone being the wiser. Later, I opened a tavern in more than a dozen of the more famous cities in the Southeastern Region, all named 'Demonic Subduing Places.' Thanks to Sanxian's good fortune, and the somewhat complicated customs of the Southeastern Region... heh, my business hence took off."

Wu Wang gave a thumbs up and praised, "Truly ingenious."

Old Snow Eagle and Sanxian the Daoist exchanged glances, then burst out laughing together, heads thrown back.

Wu Wang asked, "What about those paintings in the room?"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH!" Sanxian the Daoist choked several times on his breath, face turning red. He hemmed and hawed, saying, "I was left with no choice, forced by this guy to paint those. I'm a laughingstock, a laughingstock indeed; it's just some knowledge sharing."

Ho, truly an old artist! From artifact refining formations to the enlightenment of the young, master of all trades!

Sanxian the Daoist awkwardly changed the subject, laughing. "Our meeting at sea last time was a bit rushed and with some misunderstandings. Please don't take it to heart, young hero. I have some small trinkets here; take a look and see if you like them."

As he spoke, he took out two Treasure Sacks from his sleeve, opened them carefully and presented various magic treasures one by one.

Sanxian the Daoist kept explaining on the side, while Wu Wang and Lin Suqing listened attentively.

Suqing, leveraging her talent, soon made a simple summary.

Although these things looked impressive, upon closer examination, they indeed weren't very useful, only meticulously crafted. To put it simply—trinkets of no significant utility.

Sunlight streamed through the window, with fine dust drifting in the gentle breeze.

The old Daoist's throat was parched from speaking, yet his eyes danced with excitement. Wu Wang listened patiently by his side, occasionally pointing out some flaws in the design of the magic treasures.

Gradually, Wu Wang began to admire him.

If the Great Wilderness had no Immortal Realm, no Innate Gods, only the nine realms before Immortality, only those fierce and brutal beasts, the old Daoist before him would surely be a great man influencing all living beings.

"What a pity that the Dao Realm is limited," Wu Wang sighed. "I'm actually quite curious how things would unfold if you, senior, could become an Immortal."

"Alas, there's no chance, no chance at all." Sanxian Daoist waved his hand and laughed. "I really dare not think about it."

"I have a way." Wu Wang stared into Sanxian Daoist's old eyes. "As long as you want it, senior, I can help you."

"Don't talk nonsense," Sanxian Daoist sighed. "Even a Heavenly Immortal cannot help me. The Transcendent Realm is the cornerstone of the Human Domain; we can't bother them just for my personal issues."

Lin Suqing chimed in, "Our family's founder has a special fondness for my Uncle Master, and he believes that senior's craftsmanship is exceptionally ingenious, which also benefits the Human Domain."

Old Snow Eagle praised, "The girl really has a way with words."

"Let's leave it at that," Sanxian Daoist laughed. "I have some unspeakable difficulties; even if I could become an Immortal, I would have to give it up for a promise I made to someone."

After a moment's thought, Lin Suqing asked softly, "Is it a promise to a woman, senior?"

Sanxian Daoist looked somewhat embarrassed. "Well, about that…"

Old Snow Eagle chuckled, "Let's not bring it up again; I've asked for many years and never got a clear answer."

"Right, right," Sanxian Daoist laughed. "Come and look at the lifetime's work of this humble Daoist, the General Outline of the Shallow Five Elements Formation!"

As he spoke, Sanxian Daoist took out six Jade Talismans. The edges of these six Jade Talismans fit together, forming the pattern of a five-pointed star, gleaming with flowing lights, emitting a five-colored sphere of light.

Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth; creation gives birth to the Five Elements.

Countless are the ways of formations, all within the cycle of generation and restraint.

Wu Wang did not delve into other matters, focusing on Sanxian Daoist's theories about the Five Elements Formation.

Among them, there were many obscure and difficult to understand points.

Although Wu Wang had a limited understanding of formations, he was accustomed to drawing parallels from one field to another, and with the Great Dao of the Star God within him, he could sense the profound principles. They were by no means ordinary.

After this lecture, Wu Wang felt a bit dizzy, while Sanxian Daoist was pleased with himself.

Old Snow Eagle had simply fallen asleep, occasionally snoring as he leaned against the windowsill.

Lin Suqing held a Jade Talisman, quickly recording Sanxian Daoist's lecture into it, taking notes for Wu Wang.

Until the sun began to set, Sanxian Daoist finally ceased his discourse, pushing the six Jade Talismans forward, his face showing a touch of sentimentality and his lips curled into a faint smile.

"Young hero, these are for you."

Wu Wang's fingers trembled slightly as he stared at Sanxian Daoist and spoke slowly, "Senior, I have no intention of taking you as my master."

"What's this master and not master? We don't fuss about that." Sanxian Daoist waved his hand and continued, "You take them. With your aptitude, you will definitely not let these things of mine be wasted. I'm only at the Ascending Immortal Realm; to take you, a Yuanxian Realm, as my disciple would be a laughing matter if it spread. Ah, if you could understand them, I could rest in peace after my death!"

Wu Wang couldn't refuse and didn't have the heart to do so either.

He had no interest in formations and Alchemy Dao, leaning more towards 'technology changes the world,' and had a special fondness for artifact refining, though he had only dabbled superficially.

But in that moment, seeing the old man's hopeful eyes, Wu Wang nodded and agreed.

He took out a Treasure Sack, inspected the six Jade Talismans carefully, sealed them with immortal power, and placed them in the sack.

Sanxian Daoist showed a relieved smile and raised his eyebrows at Wu Wang.

"Would you like me to sign a few names for you?"

"No need," Wu Wang said. "Senior, just thinking about those scriptures of yours scares me."

Sanxian Daoist stroked his beard. "There was no issue with the cultivation, and I even became an Immortal."

Wu Wang just smiled without a word.

The face he was using now was only slightly similar to his real self; the name he used had no connection to the three words Wu Wangzi.

And because of that, a trace of remorse stirred in his heart.

—My friend treats me with sincerity, yet I cannot reciprocate with honesty.

Wu Wang asked, "About the Dao Realm matter, will you not consider it, senior?"

"Ascending to Immortality is enough," Sanxian Daoist leaned back in the wooden chair, and the light from the illuminating magic treasure filled the wrinkles on his old face.

With a soft sigh, he said slowly, "There are insects born in spring that die in summer, spiritual beings born at dawn and dead by dusk, living beings in the expanse of heaven and earth, like the brief blossom of an epiphyllum. I have lived for thousands of years, experiencing various aspects of the world, and the only regret I have is not becoming an immortal. Leaving with some regrets isn't too bad; it's as if I still hold some attachment to this world, and the world reluctantly parts with me as well."

Wu Wang laughed lightly and said, "However, if senior writes books in the future, it's better to write less about cultivating."

The Sanxian Daoist was both amused and at peace in his eyes.

Wu Wang said, "There is something I would like to ask for senior's assistance with."

"What is it?"

After pondering for a moment and considering his words carefully, Wu Wang finally said, "These dozen or so taverns you own—are they for sale?"

Old Snow Eagle's body trembled, and he almost flipped out the window for real.

...

Although the taverns were not for sale, the two elders agreed to help him infiltrate the city above the clouds.

Originally, buying the taverns was merely to reduce some risk for Old Snow Eagle and Sanxian Daoist—to avoid being crushed by the Innate Gods in the future.

Old Snow Eagle insisted that it wasn't about whether the spirit stones worked or not. He needed something to do; there was no hope for a breakthrough in the Dao Realm, and life in the Southeastern Region was rather dull.

Wu Wang had no choice but to fall back on his next move, claiming that he was actually serving the Four Seas Pavilion of the Human Domain and had been tasked with entering the city above the clouds to gather some information.

Old Snow Eagle directly asked if it was because the Lin Family's son was captured by the Young Master. He volunteered to help the people of the Four Seas Pavilion infiltrate the city above the clouds on the condition that the Four Seas Pavilion should give him some help when he encounters troubles in the future.

Wu Wang agreed, obtained a worker's badge, and later disguised himself as a formation master, rushing to the city above the clouds with Old Snow Eagle and the Sanxian Daoist.

The departure was set for three days later.

Old Snow Eagle specially made two sets of clothes for Wu Wang and Lin Suqing, while Sanxian Daoist invited Wu Wang out every day to walk around Jiuhuang City, to drink tea and chat, and discuss the ways of formations.

「So two days passed.」

As Wu Wang and Sanxian Daoist were passing by the market where slaves were sold, they used voice transmission to criticize the barbarity of these foreign races.

While expressing righteous indignation, Wu Wang suddenly stopped in his tracks, and his eyebrows furrowed instantaneously.

With a dull THUD, his Primordial Spirit felt as though it was encased in ice, unable to move on the Immortal Platform in his God's Mansion; the flames of the Yan Emperor's order stopped dancing.

The connection he had with his mother through the necklace also vanished in an instant.

Was this an overpowering pressure? No, not just ordinary pressure. It was as though he had fallen into a world of only black and white, where everything around him became blurred, and beyond the haze was endless darkness.

Wu Wang was not intimidated but was held in place by this situation.

A figure appeared strangely in the open space ahead, dressed in an ancient and elaborate robe, with hands tucked into the sleeves, seemingly smiling.

This was a middle-aged man, with unknown origin and background.

He was smiling and speaking, but Wu Wang realized that he clearly wasn't talking to him.

Who was this visitor communicating with? Wu Wang couldn't help but wonder as it seemed to be a dialogue transcending infinite Heaven and Earth.

Subsequently, the visitor turned his head to look at Wu Wang. Only when his gaze fell on Wu Wang's face did Wu Wang see the contours of his appearance and hear his voice.

Above Wu Wang's head, a great star was about to light up.

But with a gentle flutter of the visitor's sleeve, the great star disappeared in an instant.

Wu Wang heard half a word from his mother—the character for 'escape'—but he was unable to articulate the complete syllable.

"Wu Wangzi."

The visitor laughed lightly. "You have finally left the Human Domain. I have long wanted to discuss with you those scriptures you wrote, which nearly complemented Emperor Fu Xi's Yin Yang Eight Trigrams. They are truly ingenious."

Wu Wang suddenly could move again as the restraints around his Primordial Spirit faded.

Only now did he realize that everyone around him had frozen in place—Heaven and Earth, time, causality… all stopped at this moment.

"How does Daoist friend know of those scriptures?"

"In the world where the Dao resides, all is my existence."

Wu Wang felt a jolt in his heart but still refused to bow his head, calmly saying, "Daoist friend speaks with great confidence."

"You do not know of me?"

The visitor's voice held a hint of surprise. He slowly articulated a few phrases, his facial contours becoming exceedingly clear in Wu Wang's eyes.

The face was incredibly beautiful, naturally so.

It was hard to discern the gender, yet it was evident that the being was predominantly masculine, with not a trace of feminine softness.

And his words made Wu Wang almost want to turn and run, yet he knew running was futile. It was better to take off his shoes, go barefoot, and see what this great entity intended.

Why such a reaction?

Simply because the visitor had said: "My name is Emperor Shun, lord of the Heaven Palace, father of the sun and moon, origin of order. That is, the Heavenly Emperor in your words—infamous for grievous sins and utterly unforgivable."