Returning from the Immortal World

“Don’t think all myths are false. Many of them are actually true. These stories may be unfounded or baseless, but there are always traces one can seek out there. The place I’m going to is the Immortal World—a world that may look beautiful on the surface, but is more brutal and cruel than hell in reality,” Tang Xiu said with all seriousness.

Long Zhenglin was the first to manage himself and responded, “The Immortal World really exists? How is this possible? I’ve never heard any real celestial beings nor immortals exist.”

“It’s all true.” Tang Xiu confirmed.

Suddenly, everyone fell into silence.

After a long while, Xue Chao agitatedly tilted up his head to look at Tang Xiu and asked in a deep voice, “Can you take me with you, Tang Big Bro? I want to follow you no matter how brutal and cruel that place is.”

“Hold on.” Tang Xiu shook his head and said, “Many times I thought about this previously and oftentimes I had the idea to teach you cultivation techniques so you can go with me to the Immortal World in the future. However, I chose not to after thinking it through. You guys all have relatives and friends here. This world is your place. What will happen to your families and friends here if I take you guys with me?”

“Brother Tang, my mother has passed away. I only have a wife and a son by my side. Only the three of us in the world left.” Xue Chao said aloud, “I really hope you can take us with you if you can. Aside from some brothers here, I have no one else worth remembering or being together with.”

Long Zhenglin suddenly turned to Long Zhengyu. He suddenly grabbed a bottle of wine from the table and spoke with all seriousness, “Elder Brother, although I hate to part with you, I still want to leave with Big Bro. Doing this makes me an unfilial son, I know. Please be more filial and devoted to Dad and Mom on my behalf.”

“You…” Long Zhengyu’s complexion changed.

“You’re perfectly aware of my fidgety and hyperactive character, elder brother.” Long Zhenglin continued, “Staying here without Big Bro Tang will make me live a muddleheaded life in the future. I love adventuring and stimulation. I want to pick my own path. I was nothing but a street thug before I met Big Bro, but I was able to reform myself ever since I met him. He changed my mind and my path in life. Else, I’d have become nothing but some second-generation silk pant, a dickhead who trolls around the streets and alleys of Star City.”

Long Zhengyu’s lips squirmed a few times and he finally asked in a deep voice, “Have you really thought this through?”

“Yeah.” Long Zhenglin firmly nodded and said, “I can definitely live a thrilling and splendid life by following Big Bro. Being with him, I’ll never look back. Elder brother, I’ve already thought this through although I only spent a very short time to think about it.”

Long Zhengyu also grabbed a bottle of wine and bottle-toasted with Long Zhenglin. He then downed the wine in one go and said with a reddish face, “I respect your choice as your Brother. From now on, the second son of the Longs has died and only lives in our hearts.”

Long Zhenglin’s eyes turned bloodshot. He gritted his teeth and downed the wine as well. He then turned and stared fixedly at Tang Xiu, asking, “Will you take me, Big Bro?”

Tang Xiu slowly closed his eyes and fell into silence. After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes and said, “Alright, you Long Zhenglin and Xue Chao’s family of three can go with me to the Immortal World. But be prepared to follow all my orders when we get there, else I’ll kill you guys with my own hands! Be sure to visit your relatives first… you’ll never see any familiar… your family members again when you die.”

“I promise!”

“I promise!”

Long Zhenglin and Xue Chao shouted in unison.

Tang Xiu slowly shifted his gaze to the others’ faces. He could see their hesitation, so he said in a deep voice, “None of you will speak anything else about this matter to me. I’m going to teach you guys a cultivation technique before I leave, with which you’ll be able to become a cultivator yourself. When you have great achievements in the future, you can come to the Immortal World to find me. But we all will forever live in each other’s hearts if your cultivation can’t reach that realm.

“The reason why I invited you to here today was, in fact, because I want to drink this wine happily and get drunk with you all.

“Are you guys… willing to hang out and get drunk with me?”

Their eyes turned reddish. Long Zhengyu, who was the oldest among them, was the first to grab another bottle of wine and shouted in a heavy voice, “Let’s drink to send off our Brothers, everyone!”

“Drink!”

“Salute…”

That night, everyone drank until they were completely drunk. Even Tang Xiu didn’t force out the alcohol out of his system and fell drunk on the sofa.

The next morning.

When Tang Xiu woke up from his sleep, he looked at a group of people in a messy state literally everywhere. A warm smile suddenly appeared on the corner of his mouth before he headed to the second floor to take a shower, changed his clothes and began to arrange some arrays. By noon, when everyone woke up and sobered up from their drunken state, Tang Xiu began to teach them cultivation techniques and some other things to walk on the cultivation path.

Afterward, he provided medicinal pills, Body Tempering Liquid, and supplementary array methods.

With various effects combined, he eventually helped them set foot on the path of being cultivators. Although they were just able to sense the flow of qi, they were already able to control the flow of energy albeit barely.

Early in the next morning, everyone except Long Zhengyu had already left. In the study on the second floor, Tang Xiu took out an interspatial ring and handed it to Long Zhengyu. “Zhengyu, you’re the oldest, the most mature and steady person among the rest. Further, you’re also someone with remarkable compassion and righteousness, so you’re worthy of my trust. Please accept this interspatial ring. Drip a drop of your blood on the ring and it will be completely yours.”

Long Zhengyu followed Tang Xiu’s instructions and then asked after putting it on, “There are quite a lot of things inside.”

“They’re all cultivation resources,” Tang Xiu said. “I put enough resources and some pills for you guys to cultivate for hundreds of years. You can read the records about each pill in a booklet, be it their effects, the best time and cultivation stage for you to take them—everything has been written clearly on the booklet. Further, I also put four other manuals there, respectively for arrays, alchemy, refining, and records on resources and other materials. All these things are for you guys after I leave. Do pay more attention to others and help them. I hope I can meet you again in the Immortal World in the future. I’ll be waiting for your arrival there.”

A warm feeling surged inside Long Zhengyu’s heart as he firmly nodded and said, “I, Long Zhengyu, swear that I’ll never swallow these things for myself, let alone neglect everyone else. Trust me, I’ll try my best to take them all to the Immortal World to meet you there in the future.”

Tang Xiu patted his shoulder and said, “Remember. You’ll need a massive number of cultivation resources to assist you if you want to reach a very high cultivation level. There are two islands in the South China Sea where you can lead your trusted friends later. One of them is used to rear fierce beasts and the other one is for medicinal herbs plantation. If your cultivation has yet to reach the Golden Core Stage, do not open the island that rears fierce beasts. But the island with herbs plantation is okay for you to manage.

“Additionally, if you want to cultivate faster and obtain more resources, you’ll need tons of money to back it up. I’ll give each of you a 2% stake in the Magnificent Tang Corporation shares, and you’ll have a 20% stake. Some people will find you later to sign the contracts. There are many contracts you need to sign which you’ll find out later.

“You’re very familiar with the situation in Nine Dragons Island. I hope you can use it as your base camp. When you can master the array formations that cover that island, I want you to take and manage it. At that time, I’ll have the island’s transfer document stored in the palace there for you at that time.

“There’s a pocket world in Longquan Mountain in the Western Region as well. I’ve sent some people to seal the entrance to that pocket world a few days ago. Only after you’ve reached the Nascent Soul Stage will you be able to enter it, else all of you will die inside it.

“In the back mountain of my hometown, the Su Family Village, there’s a natural Fengshui Array with Spirit Spring inside. Although it has been used by my people over the years, the spiritual energy in the Earth Vein there is still abundant. If you want to break through to the Golden Core Stage, or the Nascent Soul Stage earlier, take your time to cultivate in seclusion there. Do it after you’ve thoroughly studied the array manual I gave you.”

“…”

Tang Xiu explained a lot of things at one go, while Long Zhengyu directly picked up a pen and notebook to record everything Tang Xiu said.

“Is there anything else?” Long Zhengyu’s heart was filled with warmth, but his expression was full of seriousness.

Tang Xiu took out a cigarette and lit it up. He remained silent for roughly a minute before slowly looking upward and saying, “There’s one more thing which I think is necessary for you to know. The Chinese authorities have established a secret base in the Taklimakan Desert. It’s been three years already. There have been researches and development of high-tech weapons being carried out in that secret base. I was the one who gave them all those weapons which previously belonged to a certain advanced high-tech civilization from outer space. If my estimation is correct, that place will be able to manufacture the first interstellar battleship, which will also mark the first time that mankind is able to leave Earth and set foot on the Milky Way. The power structure all over the world will inevitably change at that time, so you must be extra careful. Do not believe anyone outside your very close circle unless it’s absolutely essential.”

“That means… it’s possible for China to rule over the Earth at that time?” Long Zhengyu was aghast and exclaimed in shock.

“I have no clear idea about the situation that will unfold in the future,” Tang Xiu said. “But you must remember to never oppose the Chinese authority later. You can choose to leave if they’re making trouble and make things difficult for you. Further, I also want you to manage one thing for me.”

“What is it?” Long Zhengyu asked.

“It’s about Duanmu Lin,” Tang Xiu said. “He’s the Special Abilities Bureau’s Director. His loyalty to the country is above all else and is unquestionable. It may be great and all, but you must never get in touch with him more than necessary. Remember to be on guard against him and keep an eye on his movements. Don’t easily reveal your identity as a cultivator. Else, he will very likely make you risk your life for his own gains. The most important thing for you is to keep cultivating and improve your own strength.”

Long Zhengyu frowned and said, “But you haven’t told me what you want me to manage.”

Tang Xiu replied, “Help me look after some families such as the Ouyang Family on Jingmen Island, the Mus of Beijing, and…”

“I know, I know. I get it.” Long Zhengyu nodded and interrupted Tang Xiu, and then seriously said, “It’s about all the families and people that have a special relationship with you. Alright, I’ll secretly look after them for you.”