Chapter 367: The Immortals

“I’ve joined the Immortals,” Meng Qi announced with a small cough.

He didn’t directly mention the Buddha’s Palm out of fear that the Myths would spot a problem from his words and target his friends.

“Ah?” Jiang Zhiwei looked startled while Ruan Yushu gasped softly. Qi Zhengyan’s eyes widened, the dead, expressionless expression still stuck on his face.

Meng Qi naturally wouldn’t go into detail. “Basically, Bluecloud Progenitor lent Jiuzhen my lamp, helping him kill Primogenitor Devil. She only gained a Bodhi-seed that was about to crumble.”

Sorry, Progenitor! She just had to take the blame for this one!

“Considering this, she invited to join the Immortals.” Meng Qi’s expression was extremely sincere.

Jiang Zhiwei noticed something was off in Meng Qi’s expression. The little monk hadn’t had any desire to join the Immortals before this so it didn’t seem logical that he decided to join them just because Bluecloud Progenitor had asked him again. Compensating him with another treasure would seem more reasonable an explanation!

Unless… Her pupils shrank as understanding dawned on her.

She considered what she knew of Meng Qi’s character and linked that with the Buddha’s Lamp, him joining the Immortals, and the Bodhi-seed. The truth began to emerge.

But she didn’t continue that train of thought as nothing good would come out of her thinking about it too deeply. It would just simply implicate him for no good reason.

Why didn’t Jiuzhen simply borrow the lamp directly from Meng Qi? Could they have been in cahoots with Bluecloud Progenitor? Why did Meng Qi’s attitude change so suddenly? Qi Zhengyan shot Meng Qi a crestfallen expression, though he quickly gathered himself and put the thought behind him.

Ruan Yushu’s eyes wavered for she knew Meng Qi wasn’t a fickle-minded person. If the situation demanded it and it didn’t involve undermining his principles, he would naturally change his mind in an instant. That meant…

She kept quiet as if she understood his predicament but she decided not to think about it as well. She didn’t think about the Buddha’s Palm which was the foundation of mainstream martial arts.

The three of them weren’t all that worried about the Myths discovering their own secrets. Even if mental arcane was used to call up their memories, there wouldn’t be any noticeable issues. People would find Meng Qi’s decision to be genuine if they didn’t have an accumulated understanding of his character. The Immortals wouldn’t deny it either if asked and Meng Qi was merely a reserve member who knew little about them. Seeking intel from him would be useless.

At the end of the day, the difference in strength between the Immortals and their team was so massive that the Myths wouldn’t be able to guess that the former would slip up. The Immortals merely needed to be uncertain on some details and the blame would naturally fall on them. So the possibilities of them being targeted were minimal, but it was still best to be prepared.

Meng Qi continued, “Either way, I certainly won’t leave our little group. I’ll just be expected to help the organization out occasionally, but I don’t know anything beyond that. But I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to speak for the future.”

“I guess that’s that.” Qi Zhengyan sighed.

Jiang Zhiwei gave a bitter laugh. “It can sometimes be a bad sign when things go too well, like doing more than is expected of you on a task or leaving too much to fate to decide and only just coming away with your life.”

She looked a little deflated.

“I hope you joining the Immortals will be a turn of good fortune,” Ruan Yushu said softly, losing her usual snipe.

“If I ‘acquire’ any useful new cultivation methods, we can share,” Meng Qi added. He had already gotten used to how things would be.

They lingered around for a brief chat before going their separate ways. Jiang Zhiwei stepped into the light pillar and frowned as she said, “Little monk, the way I see it, your fortune with Buddhism is blossoming. You acquiring the Buddhist Commandment Blade Ananda, small jade joss, and Buddha’s Lamp one after the other might not turn out to be a good thing. You need to be careful.”

“Mmm, Master Lu said something similar.” Meng Qi nodded in agreement.

He stepped into the light pillar himself, intending to first look for the Immortals before going to the Nine Villages.

…

After returning to the main world, Meng Qi jumped over the city walls under the cover of darkness. He found a place to hole up and fished out the talisman that the secretive pelagic ‘immortal’ gave him.

The talisman gradually lit up, giving off small rays of green light. A large green hole gathered in front of him.

The large hole warped before suddenly morphing into a green gate adorned with mystical runes.

There was a creak as the void shifted. The green gate opened slowly to reveal the vista beyond—a world of mountains and waterways, red-crested cranes soaring in the sky, mythical creatures running through the landscape, and mountain peaks enshrouded in thick mist. It had quite the fairytale-like atmosphere.

Standing in the doorway was Meng Qi’s acquaintance, Bluecloud Progenitor. She said, “Fortunately it’s near to an exit. Otherwise, I’d have to go up the hill and down the dale to get here.”

“As it turns out, you can’t get into the Immortals from just anywhere…” The corners of Meng Qi’s mouth twitched. The opening of the green gate and Bluecloud Progenitor’s arrival had shaken him. He thought he could use the green gate anytime after joining the organization and use it as his escape.

“Life isn’t that easy!” Bluecloud Progenitor laughed. In an instant, her tone turned cold. “Hurry up and come inside. There’s no time for chit-chat. We mustn’t be seen by anyone!”

He thought to himself, “Progenitor, you can’t drop your act and expose your true character just because I’m about to join the Immortals. Think about your image!”

He stepped into the void of the green gate, where he felt like there was anywhere concrete for him to stand on. A green mist that enveloped him, whisking him away. It was after a short while before he saw the true Blue Immortal Gate.

His Vital Spirit was shaken after experiencing the shocks of the void. His body felt as if cracks were running through his body. It was as if he was at the lit end of a long black tunnel he had just traversed and now, he could properly see the fairytale-like aristocratic family.

Bluecloud Progenitor flew him up to the highest mountain peak and soon landed at a lofty and majestic Taoist temple. The plaque was written in a script that was neither ancient or modern. They carried words of significance that he seemingly understood at a glance:

“The Azure Palace.”

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Meng Qi ignored the first two words for he had mixed feelings. about them. But then again, it was possible that the descendants playing with posterity. If he founded an organization, he might very well just name it something like the Tusita Palace, the Jade Virtual Palace, or even the Azure Palace!

The palace was fairly deserted aside from a few children. Besides Bluecloud Progenitor, Meng Qi didn’t see anyone else from the Immortals.

“Most of us rarely come to the palace if there aren’t any events. We’ll go to the Immortal-tracking Alley next door to choose tasks or display items we wish to sell and find things that we need,” Bluecloud Progenitor explained. It was as if she could sense what he was thinking.

Meng Qi nodded. “Can you tell me more about the Immortals?”

Instead of taking flight inside the palace, she led him on foot in an unhurried manner. She explained as they went, “The Immortals are different from the Myths. Our goal is to detach ourselves from Samsara, avoid the final doom, and achieve genuine immortality.”

“In the beginning, a few of our members went on adventures, meeting and acquiring cultivation methods from a group of Taoist sages. This led to the creation of the Immortals. With cooperation as its core eidos, our organization doesn’t force the members to accept tasks. Rather, rewards are the basis of our organization. For example, if Primogenitor Lingbao wishes to scour a place for ancient artifacts, he may put up a task notice to look for someone who will be interested in joining him. He’ll then offer a handsome reward in return. In another example, I might also issue a task with suitable compensation if it’s inconvenient for me to take on such and such a person. This way, other members or pledges can handle it in my stead.”

“Besides that, the objects you gain from the World of Samsara or the main world can be put up for sale in the alley. Unless you had a prior agreement at the time of the transaction, they can also be directly exchanged with the Immortals and none of it will interfere with your reputation. In any case, it’s a better rate than what you’d get with the Six Realms.”

“Also, it’s forbidden to impart our cultivation methods and organizational matters can’t be leaked to the outside world. It’s all written in the agreement that you signed, witnessed by the Six Realms. If the agreement is triggered, you’ll be instantly obliterated and you won’t even leave a corpse.”

Realization suddenly hit Meng Qi. The corpse obliteration that the Immortals and the Myths practice stemmed from Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms. No wonder His Abbotship Kong Wen saw both organizations as equals to the Six Realms.

He pondered Bluecloud Progenitor’s words once again before asking, “Was Primogenitor Lingbao a previous leader of the Immortals?”

“Yes. He was one of the first members and is actually our current leader. He’s also known as Sky-reaching Eminentor,” Bluecloud Progenitor replied.

“Sky-reaching Eminentor?” Meng Qi was taken aback.

Primogenitor Lingbao was one of the nine Taoist venerables, traditionally held up alongside Heavenly Primogenitor and Morals Primogenitor. However, in the main world, that wasn’t his nickname.

“That’s because, in some Worlds of Samsara, he’s also known as Sky-reaching Eminentor,” she explained.

Did she think he didn’t know what world would have such apotheosis? What was the link with the Taoist Celestial Venerables of the main world? Meng Qi’s expression was unchanged as he said out loud, “Progenitor, what else do I need to know?”

“There’s one more thing. Official members and pledges must accept at least one task each year. This is to ensure every task is accepted and the organization doesn’t become too splintered. Of course, this rule is rarely enforced. Everyone’s highly motivated here.” She led Meng Qi into a temple. “Official members must convene once a year to compare notes. That’s as long as they’re not in hermetic training or unable to make it due to a mission.”

Inside, it was clean and tidy. The place lacked the usual images of the ancestors, morals, or Lingbao for making offerings to. There was just a simple and crude character for ‘Tao’ that carried an indescribable charm.

Bluecloud Progenitor told him to wait and went inside the temple alone. She came out shortly after with brown agreement papers. The paper was simple and crude and the wording obscure. She explained, “This details what I’ve had told you before. You can only become a pledge at the moment, but since you’ve already passed the Death Task, you can apply for the inauguration assessment to become a formal member after completing three tasks.”

Meng Qi looked over the agreement just to be safe. “What exactly is better about being a formal member over a pledge?”

“The Exterior cultivation methods under a title, one or two types of Dharmakaya movements. Further, only official members are allowed to go on certain ancient clandestine missions,” she answered with sparse enthusiasm.

Meng Qi finished looking over the agreement and looked upon Bluecloud Progenitor’s covetous eye. Without hesitation, he read the agreement in an odd tone and formed his Energy, Qi, Spirit and Will into a pen. He then signed the agreement.

The agreement ignited and turned into airborne ash. The voice of Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms rang beside his ears.

“The agreement is established. Prior to the mutual dissolution of the agreement, violators will be obliterated.”

Bluecloud Progenitor’s tone changed when she heard this. She ground her teeth and said, “Don’t forget to give us the cultivation method that you obtained from the Buddha’s Palm. Primogenitor Lingbao has a use for it… Blast! That’s so many cultivation methods and Karma points…”

There was an indescribable melancholy in her voice. She had had a chance at a Buddha’s Palm but had failed to acquire it then…

“Progenitor, do all formal members need to open a shop and involve themselves in intel-gathering?” Meng Qi quickly changed the topic, avoiding topics that caused her anguish.

She said flatly, “Not necessarily. Not everyone is like the few of us who go without an effective disguise. Humph! Some of the guys, for the most part, put on sanctimonious airs and graces with some hoity-toity. Underneath, they’re just intolerable letches!”

Meng Qi slowly nodded. She was Qu Jiuniang alright…

She gathered her grievances and looked at him. “I could see potential in you, which was why I gave you the talisman. Who knew you’d discard it so readily? What a waste of my good intentions…”

When it came to such issues, it was best not to argue with a woman… Meng Qi used his breathing to compose himself.

She rambled on for a moment before pausing and saying, “Primogenitor Lingbao isn’t here today, so I’ll be taking you to select a nickname.”

Surprised, Meng Qi followed her to the area behind the temple.

There, an earthy veil awaited. The suppressed Sword Qi made him feel like something was dangerously wrong as if one false move would cause him to be immediately sliced and diced by numerous blades.

There were more than a hundred pigeonholes set on the wall, each carrying several jade bamboo scripts. Some were dark, whereas others were glowing dimly.

Of the latter were Primogenitor Lingbao, Progenitor Doumu, Primogenitor Nanhua, Primogenitor Guangcheng, and Lord of Purity and Magic. The former consisted of Heavenly Primogenitor, Lord Taiyi, Primogenitor Guangfa, Immortal Yuding, Immortal Cihang, Purple Virtual Progenitor, and so on.

Those that glowed seemed to be the designations of the masters… Meng Qi made a little count. There were at least 50 of them, meaning that pledges would account for 20 or 30 as not everyone in a preparatory team was a pledge. Only those whose strength has reached a particular realm or were selected could receive the designations, and as such, be put forward as assessment candidates.

The Immortals weren’t equipped with all Taoist immortal cultivation methods. Some of the more notable ones that were missing were Morals Primogenitor, Primogenitor Duobao, and so on.

“You may choose any one of them as long as it doesn’t glow green.” Bluecloud Progenitor pointed at the pigeonholes.