Chapter 935: Chapter 932: "Immortal.
In a hazy moment, Su Ming’an’s consciousness plummeted downward. Before losing the last sliver of awareness, he commanded the Shadow clone to self-destruct, ensuring a successful rebound.
The icy sensation of death was all too familiar, as if he was falling into a dark abyss, unable to perceive anything.
—But right at that moment.
He saw white.
...White?
It seemed like a hallucination before death. It was like a pure white sea, gently enveloping him, a pair of angelic wings unfolding before him, someone embracing him, with pristine feathers gently swaying.
...Did he really see an angel before dying?
...What a pleasant near-death hallucination.
In the last few seconds before death, vision faded, and he heard voices, seemingly those of Chao Yan and Xiao Jingsan, who appeared to be standing by his bed, arguing with each other.
"—You killed him, why?"
"—Just trying it out."
"—Try? Ah! Ah! So it’s like this! So it’s like this! You’re that kind of cruel person who would kill without restraint just out of curiosity!!! Well, answer me, in the future you saw—did I succeed?"
"—Sorry, it’s too distant, I can’t see."
"—Are you trying to say I’ll never find the light across the shore? That I’ll never succeed? Impossible, impossible!!"
"—I’m sorry, I can’t redeem your soul... We cannot reach the other shore. I’ll stop, and so will you."
"—Impossible, impossible, impossible! How ridiculous, how ridiculous!!"
Listening to such voices, Su Ming’an found it somewhat difficult to distinguish which words came from Chao Yan and which from Xiao Jingsan. His mind was in a daze, having lost the ability to discern.
Finally, consciousness dissipated.
Death rebound.
Su Ming’an opened his eyes.
A wooden fragrance greeted him, with a scent of sea breeze wafting in the cabin, and verdant fortune bamboos beside the bed. The bed beneath him gently swayed, as the ship sailed toward Penglai Fairy Island.
—So it returned to this point in time.
According to the previous cycle, when the ship was about to reach Penglai Fairy Island, someone in reality would come to assassinate him. But he couldn’t miss the main storyline in the game, so the best course now was—
"Mo Yan!" Su Ming’an got out of bed, shouting.
Soon, footsteps sounded from outside, and a white-haired head popped in from the doorway, eyes blinking: "Big brother? Did you call me for something?"
Su Ming’an asked, "I want to know, can this ship stop?"
Mo Yan was stunned for a moment, shook his head: "The game system indicates it can’t."
Su Ming’an asked, "Can it speed up?"
Mo Yan nodded: "Speeding up is possible. I’ve mastered the ’Water Control Talisman’ ability, able to swiftly propel the ship by controlling the waves, increasing the ship’s speed."
Su Ming’an asked, "If we use the maximum speed now, how soon can we reach Penglai Fairy Island?"
Mo Yan thought for a moment: "If we really speed up, we can achieve a very exaggerated speed in a very short time. So the fastest would be just over a dozen seconds, but big brother, do we really need to rush this much? We’re already so near."
Su Ming’an deliberately yawned: "Ah... speed up, I’m tired, I want to get on the island and sleep early."
Mo Yan laughed with a chuckle: "Then I’ll go speed up now."
Mo Yan quickly ran off, and as Su Ming’an just stood up, he felt a jolt beneath his feet—Mo Yan was using the Water Control Talisman, rapidly propelling the ship forward, causing the entire cabin to shake violently. When he held onto the wall and stepped onto the deck, Penglai Fairy Island was already there, nearly twenty minutes faster than the previous cycle.
Twenty minutes should be enough for him to complete the island-boarding storyline and quickly exit the game to defend against the assassination.
Amidst the swirling mist, a young girl stood at the edge of the Fairy Island, welcoming them.
"Welcome to Penglai Fairy Island."
She was a girl with a black veil covering her face, with flowing black hair, wearing a white-sleeved flowing fairy skirt, her white garment hem as clear as cold dew. She entirely fit the impression of an "Immortal" in people’s minds, ethereal, noble, and celestial.
Su Ming’an, as the eldest prince of Louyue Nation, was the first to disembark, followed closely by Yi Zhongyu as the Great General, then the swordsman Mo Yan and the Demon Sect enchantress Zou Yuqing.
"I have heard that the four of you will be visiting the Fairy Island, so I am here to await you. Please follow me," the fairy lady raised her hand, indicating the four to follow.
...
"Ding Dong!"
[You have entered (Penglai Fairy Island), Dream Traverse Spirit Point +1000 points.]
...
Ahead was the intoxicating fragrance of peach blossoms, like layers of pink clouds gathering. Penglai Fairy Island truly lived up to its name as a fairy island, with the peach blossom forest tinged with rainbow hues, as if kissed by celestial air. The omnipresent ethereal mist enhanced the sense of illusion. Su Ming’an felt his vision blur slightly, faintly realizing he seemed to have overlooked something.
Su Ming’an spoke: "I’ve heard one can seek immortality here?"
The fairy lady smiled slightly: "Certainly. The Immortal will grant everyone’s wishes. You should decide your wish in advance, whether it’s for wealth, strength, longevity, or...?"
Yi Zhongyu said: "I don’t seek immortality. I just want to know how exotic species are created. It’s said the Immortal knows everything, can you tell me the answer?"
Yi Zhongyu cared not for personal desires; all he sought was the future of humanity.
The fairy lady smiled: "When you meet the Immortal, the Immortal will tell you."
Zou Yuqing twirled her bangs and squinted her eyes: "Where is the Immortal? Aren’t you the Immortal?"
The fairy lady shook her head: "How dare I claim to be the Immortal. In this world, there’s only one Immortal, who alone possesses the omniscient ability and supreme strength far surpassing humans. I can only be called a ’Fairy Lady’, and there are many similar to me on the island. We are merely attendants of the Immortal, far inferior to him."
"So there’s only one Immortal," Mo Yan said, "Then how did you ’Fairy Ladies’ come about? You can’t compare to him, yet you live on Penglai Fairy Island—are you all descendants of that Immortal?"
The fairy lady smiled with pursed lips, her white sleeves like mist: "You could say that. It was the Immortal who created us, allowing us to serve him on the Fairy Island."
Mo Yan inquired: "If we stayed on the Fairy Island, could we become ’Fairy Ladies’ too?"
The fairy lady said: "Of course. If you decide to stay, the Immortal will bestow upon you the title of ’Fairy Lady’, sparing you from the mortal cycle and granting you long life, ageless appearance, and endless enjoyment. Are you interested in staying? You won’t come across such an opportunity in your lifetime again."
Her steps paused slightly, a peach blossom petal landing on her shoulder. Looking at her unblemished face without a hint of wrinkles or blemishes, Mo Yan admitted that it was indeed highly tempting.
Few would refuse the chance to enjoy immortality on the Fairy Island.
However, none of the four present agreed.
The Fairy Lady sighed slightly with regret and continued to lead the way.
Passing by the babbling streams and the overlapping pink peach blossom forests, through the misty white fog, a figure stood quietly beneath the pavilion.
"We have arrived, gentlemen," the Fairy Lady bent slightly and stepped aside.
It seemed that the figure was the legendary Immortal. Many people spent their lives traveling far and wide, yearning to meet the Immortal, yet they never had the fortune to see him before they died.
"Could that be Li Mingyue?" Yi Zhongyu squinted, trying to see clearly.
The State Preceptor Li Mingyue could calculate Destiny, and was the only person who could communicate with the Immortal, making him suspect that the Immortal might just be Li Mingyue himself.
Su Ming’an stepped forward, and the Immortal was standing beneath the peach blossom tree.
Brushing aside the layers of peach blossom branches, and passing through the falling peach petals, Su Ming’an walked forward until——
His eyes met those of the Immortal.
The Immortal smiled slightly, and the wooden plaque at his waist swung gently.
Yi Zhongyu’s expression froze in shock, as he pointed at the Immortal, his face filled with disbelief: "Is it, is it you——?"
Mo Yan’s pupils quaked, and he immediately gripped the hilt of his sword, shouting, "Wait, how could the Immortal be——"
Zou Yuqing slightly furrowed her brow: "This is..."
The legendary all-knowing Immortal, his Strength surpassing all others, the most mysterious entity in the Louyue Nation game——
The Immortal turned out to be...
"Xiao——"
Su Ming’an stared at the face identical to his own, his heart surging with waves of immense shock.
The Immortal slightly lowered his gaze, his jet-black high ponytail swaying gently in the peach blossom night breeze, his pure black robe still the same attire he wore when serving as the Eldest Prince’s Shadow.
"Surprised?" Xiao Jingsan smiled faintly, gently squeezing his palm, crushing the peach petal into powder.
——It was not Li Mingyue; it was Xiao Jingsan.
——The most mysterious figure in "The Louyue Nation," the most powerful BOSS, the most sought-after and intriguing character, and Su Ming’an’s ultimate task target all along——the Penglai Immortal of Penglai Fairy Island——
turned out to be Xiao Jingsan.
He was the first person Su Ming’an saw when he first entered the Tenth World. At that time, Xiao Jingsan had a playful demeanor, softly calling him "Your Highness."
——The person by his side at the beginning, turned out to be his largest task target in the end.
Su Ming’an had encountered the game’s biggest BOSS right from the start.
He suddenly recalled the conversation between Xiao Jingsan and Li Mingyue at the National Preceptor Pavilion when they cleared the first Chapter of Louyue Nation.
...
["Li Mingyue!" Xiao Jingsan shouted: "Only those who pass the Penglai Immortals selection three days from now can go to Penglai Fairy Island. Are you planning to break the Rules by taking him there? You know the fate of those who attempt to break the Rules!"]
[Su Ming’an noticed that Xiao Jingsan only held superficial respect for Li Mingyue. Their relationship seemed more equal. Was Xiao Jingsan truly just a Shadow?]
...
They clearly stood on equal footing.
No wonder they said the State Preceptor could communicate with the Immortal——because the Immortal was Xiao Jingsan himself. They could almost communicate constantly.
Su Ming’an’s heart skipped with the dramatic realization; since the Immortal was Xiao Jingsan, then why did he become the Eldest Prince’s Shadow for what purpose?
——Was it just to lead Su Ming’an to Penglai Fairy Island?
Su Ming’an rapidly went over Xiao Jingsan’s actions in his mind; at this moment, it was as if a chain of clues quickly connected all of Xiao Jingsan’s previously peculiar behaviors.
The tip of the iceberg gradually began to reveal itself.
The first step, Xiao Jingsan assisted the Royal Family in imprisoning the Eldest Prince, waiting for Su Ming’an to enter the game and break through, planting the idea that he "must go to Penglai Fairy Island" in Su Ming’an’s mind.
The second step, after Su Ming’an possessed the Eldest Prince, Xiao Jingsan intentionally went easy, allowing Su Ming’an to escape by jumping off the High Tower. Subsequently, Xiao Jingsan pretended to pursue and corner Su Ming’an, forcing him back to the Royal Family where he encountered State Preceptor Li Mingyue.
Through Li Mingyue’s words, Su Ming’an would inevitably become interested in Penglai Fairy Island. Once he had the desire to visit the Island, Xiao Jingsan could subtly guide Su Ming’an to the Island step by step.
The final step, Xiao Jingsan intentionally revealed Su Ming’an’s dual identity as "Exotic Species and Eligible" in public, causing the world to fear Su Ming’an. This forced Su Ming’an to showcase his powerful Strength as an Exotic Species, dominating the entire Royal Family and earning a place to visit Penglai Fairy Island.
The steps flowed together smoothly.
What puzzled Su Ming’an, however, was——as the Immortal, Xiao Jingsan simply needed to issue a decree to summon the Eldest Prince to Penglai Fairy Island, so why resort to such roundabout and secretive guidance?
Su Ming’an suddenly remembered another person with inexplicably strange behavior.
——Li Mingyue.
Li Mingyue had persistently emphasized that Su Ming’an shouldn’t go to Penglai Fairy Island. If Xiao Jingsan were to give a decree, Li Mingyue would surely stop him. Thus, Xiao Jingsan had to focus on guiding Su Ming’an to willingly go to Penglai Fairy Island, ignoring Li Mingyue’s dissuasion.
Xiao Jingsan. Li Mingyue.
One wanted to lead Su Ming’an to the Island, while the other wanted to prevent him from going to the Island.
And now, with his feet on the Island’s soil, breathing its air, Su Ming’an had inevitably arrived here.
At last, everything became clear to him. The moment he saw Xiao Jingsan’s face, all the clues in his mind connected with a "click," it was as if he had an epiphany.
"Xiao Jingsan." Su Ming’an said: "What is the Immortal truly? And the Fairy? What is the origin of Penglai Fairy Island?"
Without Penglai Fairy Island, "The Louyue Nation" would just be an ordinary ancient-style game.
Penglai Fairy Island captured people’s interest in Immortals, motivating them to use all sorts of means to ascend the Island. All the conflicts and selections revolved around the Island.
The source of everything now stood before Su Ming’an——the Immortal Xiao Jingsan.
Mo Yan pulled on Su Ming’an’s hand: "Brother, let’s leave. I don’t feel safe here."
Su Ming’an waved his hand: "You and Yi Zhongyu go first, Xiao Jingsan’s target is only me. If I stay, you can leave."
Since it was already apparent that this was a trap, Xiao Jingsan’s target was likely just Su Ming’an alone.
At that moment, the sound of rustling branches arose surrounding them. Su Ming’an looked around and saw many black-haired, black-eyed people arriving, the Fairy Ladys of the Island.
Including the white-dressed Fairy Lady who had led them earlier, they blocked their retreat, enclosing the four of them as if in a cage. There was no escape route left.
Mo Yan slowly unsheathed his sword, shielding Su Ming’an by his side.