62: Chapter 62 A Marriage in the Mortal World, Time is Merciless

In early summer in the Yunmeng Great Marsh, a warm breeze blew away the cold that had shrouded the water surface for months.

The shallow beach on the outskirts of Reed Island was filled with a festive atmosphere today.

Red silk hung all over the wind-sheltered dock, and the bluestone paths of the Mortal fishing village were scattered with crushed spirit grain husks, symbolizing peace and a bountiful harvest year after year.

At the village entrance, Village Chief Lin Cang had changed into a dark red robe, his wind-weathered old face crinkling into a smile.

Today was a joyous occasion for the village.

The groom was none other than Lin Hai, the elder brother of "Lin Shan," the Genius child who had been tested with dual water-earth Spiritual Roots and had ascended to the main island to cultivate.

When one person achieves success, their whole Family benefits.

Having a younger brother with an Immortal Realm affinity, Lin Hai's status in the fishing village naturally rose.

He was marrying the most outstanding girl from another affiliated Mortal village a hundred miles away.

A flowing banquet was set up in the open space of the fishing village.

The tables were not filled with Heaven And Earth Treasure, but were piled high with fatty river fish cooked with spices, as well as rice wine brewed from the sweet springs of Yunmeng Marsh.

Villagers exchanged cups, children played between the tables, and the smoke and fire of the Mortal world rose on the edge of this island sealed by a Formation.

"The Immortal Master has arrived!"

Just as the bride and groom were preparing to bow, a loud announcement suddenly drowned out the noise of the crowd.

"Hum..."

The azure light screen that isolated the inside and outside of Reed Island parted to both sides.

At the end of the passage, a figure in green robes descended like an immortal god.

Lin Ze walked on the waves with his hands behind his back. He did not release any pressure, but his solid foundation at the Early Stage of the 5th layer of Qi Refining, and the demeanor cultivated through slaughter, made his aura deep and unfathomable.

"Greetings to the Immortal Master!"

Led by Village Chief Lin Cang, five hundred Mortal clansmen knelt and prostrated, their foreheads touching the bluestone, their voices shaking the sky.

Lin Hai, holding his bride beside him, kowtowed three times heavily.

They never dreamed that the high and mighty guarding Immortal Master would personally descend to the Mortal world to attend the wedding of a mere Mortal.

"Today is a joyous day, so Mortal etiquette is waived."

Lin Ze's voice was clear. Enveloped by Limit-Breaking Heavy Water, it turned into a spring breeze that gently lifted everyone up. He walked slowly to the head of the main table, lifted his green robes, and sat down calmly.

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for your grace!"

The villagers stood up, their eyes filled with fanaticism and pride. A wedding with an Immortal Master personally presiding—this glory was enough for them to brag about for generations.

"Serve the tea." Lin Ze nodded slightly.

Lin Hai's hands trembled as he held up the hot tea, raising it above his head.

The bride from the other village was so nervous that her breathing stopped. Assisted by the matchmaker, she held the teacup and bowed gracefully before Lin Ze.

"Please, Immortal Master... drink tea." The bride's voice was as soft as a mosquito.

Lin Ze reached out, his fingertips resting on the edge of the teacup.

Within a thousandth of a breath of touching the teacup, a faint blue divine light flashed in his eyes.

Immortals and Mortals are different, and the world of cultivation is full of murderous intent. Lin Ze had always believed in the essence of the "cautious path" and would never entrust his safety to so-called "coincidences."

How could he not investigate a new face that had entered the core defense circle of Reed Island from an outside village?

[hundred arts: Spirit Net Technique (Major Achievement) — Water Wave Perception!]

Without any leakage of True Qi, and without alarming anyone, Lin Ze's Divine Sense, comparable to the Late Stage of Qi Refining, turned into an invisible net of thousands of threads along with the faint water vapor, performing a microscopic scan of the bride in red in front of him.

Her bones, blood, Meridians, and even the rhythm of her internal organs with every breath entered his Sea of Consciousness.

"No Spiritual Root, bone age seventeen, weak blood and Qi, indeed a pure Mortal," Lin Ze calculated inwardly.

But under the investigation of Water Wave Perception, Lin Ze raised his eyebrows slightly.

He noticed a trace of hidden cold Qi deep in the bride's lung Meridians, and even caught a hint of strange floral fragrance in the interlayer of her wedding dress.

"The cold Qi is a common cold poison ailment among Mortals in Yunmeng Marsh, but this floral fragrance..."

Lin Ze sneered in his heart.

It was the powder most loved by low-level tracking demon insects called "Guide Bees," often used by bandit cultivator to mark fat sheep in the black market.

"It seems that when the bride's procession from the outside village passed by the edge of the market, they were unknowingly smeared with this filthy method. If not cleaned up, within half a month, they might attract a few blind low-level bandit cultivator to come knocking."

Although a few low-level bandit cultivator were not even ants to the current Lin Ze, he would not allow even the slightest flaw in his "iron-bucket empire."

"Major Achievement level Water Purification Art, Microscopic Removal."

Lin Ze's expression remained unchanged as he picked up the teacup and turned it slightly at his fingertips.

A drop of "Limit-Breaking Heavy Water" compressed to the extreme turned into two streams of water vapor.

One stream invaded the wedding dress, dissolving the tracking pollen, while the other stream entered her lungs along with the bride's breathing, rooting out and thoroughly purifying the cold poison that entangled her in a domineering but non-harmful way to the Mortal body.

"Cough..."

The bride felt a heat in her chest and coughed. Then she was shocked to find that her long-standing chest tightness and shortness of breath had disappeared, and her body felt several times lighter.

"Good tea."

Lin Ze drank the tea and put down the cup.

With a wave of his large sleeves, two jade pendants emitting a pearly white luster fell into the hands of Lin Hai and the bride.

"This jade pendant seals a trace of my magic power, which can protect you from all diseases and ward off evil," Lin Ze said indifferently.

"Thank you, Immortal Master, for the treasure!"

Lin Hai and his wife kowtowed repeatedly, and the surrounding Mortals erupted into thunderous cheers.

Lin Ze did not stay long at the wedding banquet.

Since the inspection was completed and the grace was bestowed, the purpose had been achieved. Immortals and Mortals take different paths. If he kept sitting here, these Mortals would not be able to let go and enjoy the carnival.

He stood up, turned into a green afterimage in the awe-struck eyes of the crowd, and merged back into the mist of the Water-Moon Heaven-Blurring Array.

Night fell, and the stars were dotted.

The bonfire in the Mortal fishing village was burning brightly, and the sound of silk and bamboo and laughter drifted into the center of the island with the night wind.

On the terrace of the wooden house on the water, there was a lone lamp, and the green stove was puffing smoke.

Lin Ze stood with his hands behind his back under the eaves, listening to the noise of the Mortal world, his eyes filled with depth.

"唳!"

A crane's cry broke the silence of the night.

The light screen rippled, and a "Wind-Thunder Spirit Crane" with wings spread three feet wide stumbled through the clouds and landed on the wooden plank road on the water.

The Spirit Crane's feathers were messy, and the figure walking down from the crane's back made Lin Ze's pupils shrink.

"Great-great-great-grandfather Lin?"

Lin Ze's figure flashed, appearing on the plank road, reaching out to support the staggering old man. The person who came was none other than the elder of the Linghu Lin Clan, Ninth Great-Grandfather.

At this moment, Ninth Great-Grandfather no longer had the high spirits he had when he delivered year-end supplies six months ago.

The purple-gold cloak was empty, and his originally ruddy face now showed a gray, defeated color. His aura at the Peak of Qi Refining was flickering, revealing Death Qi.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ninth Great-Grandfather coughed violently against Lin Ze's arm. On the white handkerchief covering his mouth, he coughed up a pool of black blood.

"Great-great-great-grandfather Lin, your body..."

Lin Ze's heart sank, and a stream of Limit-Breaking Heavy Water magic power was transferred into the old man's body through his palm, trying to help him stabilize his collapsing vitality.

"Zeler, don't waste your efforts."

Ninth Great-Grandfather grabbed Lin Ze's wrist with his backhand and shook his head with a bitter smile. He walked into the wooden house with help and sat down on the Profound Ice Stone.

"My Lifespan has come to an end."

The old man's voice was hoarse.

"In my early years, I fought for the Family, and my Dao foundation was severely damaged. In recent years, I have relied on Spirit Medicine to hang on, but time, that knife, ultimately spares no one."

Ninth Great-Grandfather looked up at the brightly lit fishing village outside the window.

"Just now, when I was in the sky, I saw the Mortals outside this island holding a wedding..." The old man's withered mouth pulled out a smile.

"Mortals live for a few decades, their lives like grass, but by having children and grandchildren, the Bloodline Legacy continues, and they can always leave some thoughts in this world. Their joy is true joy."

"But what about us cultivators?"

Ninth Great-Grandfather turned his head and looked at the young man in green robes who had grown into a big tree for the Family.

"We people cut off Mortal roots, sever worldly ties, and spend years in seclusion. In order to fight for that trace of the eternal Dao, we fight with heaven, earth, and people. In the end, many old friends turn into a pile of yellow earth. This immortal Dao is too cold, too ruthless."

Lin Ze was silent, his hands clenched in his sleeves.

He cultivated the Dao, but never thought of forgetting his emotions. If he couldn't even keep the elders who treated him sincerely and protected his growth, what was the use of cultivating this longevity?

"Did Great-Grandfather and Seventh Great-Uncle think about using higher-level longevity Spirit Pill..." Lin Ze's voice was low.

"Useless. This is the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Unless a Core Formation Old Ancestor personally washes the marrow and cuts the bones, or it is the legendary third-order longevity holy medicine, otherwise even an immortal cannot save me." Ninth Great-Grandfather waved his hand to interrupt Lin Ze.

He tremblingly took out a dark gold jade box sealed by a Formation from his arms and placed it solemnly on the table.

"I used my last breath today to ride the Spirit Crane to Reed Island, not to cry to you, a Junior."

Ninth Great-Grandfather pushed the jade box to Lin Ze and tapped his withered fingers on it twice.

"The Clan Chief turned the Family treasure house upside down and sold an industry under my name, finally gathering this stepping stone for you to go to the 'Sea Abyss Secret Auction'!"

"Click."

The jade box opened, and inside lay a pitch-black token and an ancient sea chart recording the undercurrents of the sea.

"This 'deep tide pass' is the only proof of entry into the den of iniquity. There are only three months left until the secret auction begins."

Ninth Great-Grandfather stared at Lin Ze.

"In this life, I have no hope of seeing the day when my Linghu Lin Clan truly rises."

"But you are different. You are the future of the Lin Family, and the sharpest knife on our Linghu Lin Clan's broken boat."

"Take the token, take the Magical Artifact you refined to the Shenlan Inner Sea, go to that gladiatorial arena where Foundation Establishment old monsters gather and Golden Core masters look down, and for me, for the Family... smash out a real protective Divine Beast!"

Lin Ze stared at the pitch-black token on the table and took a deep breath.

On it, it carried all the hopes of a dying old man, and the Luck of the Linghu Lin Clan that had to smash pots and sell iron to lift him into the blue clouds.

"Ninth Great-Grandfather, don't worry."

Lin Ze held the "deep tide pass" in his palms, and the dark blue Limit-Breaking Heavy Water rolled in his eyes.

"This Shenlan Inner Sea, grandson will definitely go and break through it, no matter if it is a dragon pool or a tiger den in front..."

"Grandson will definitely bring the protective Divine Beast back to you with his own hands!"