624: Chapter 35 The So-Called Immortal

"We aren't the first? Who else is after the earth spirit pearl?" Jing Tian asked, catching the key point in Jingjing's words.

Jingjing replied, "I can't remember the ones from long ago, but recently, there was a man who was half-demon and half-human, and a fox."

"A half-demon, half-human man... that should be Luo Rulie," Xu Changqing guessed, then added, "As for that fox, it might be Wan Yuzhi."

Everyone thought that made sense.

Then, Jing Tian asked Jingjing, "Little monkey, tell us where that Ancient Vine Demon is. We're going to find him."

Unexpectedly, Jingjing snorted and gestured with his hands while saying, "It's useless to look for it. It has thousands of years of cultivation and is very powerful. Although it just stands there without moving, its vine roots can extend for thousands of miles and are more flexible than arms."

Tang Xuejian laughed, "Since it's so powerful, we should definitely go and see for ourselves."

As she spoke, she reached out to pat Jingjing's head.

Jingjing swiped her hand away and bared his teeth, saying, "Don't touch my head, I won't grow tall."

"As for finding the Ancient Vine Demon... stop bragging, you can't beat it."

Tang Xuejian said dismissively, "We're still going to take a look."

Meng Li summoned Hua Ying, poked her baby-fat cheeks, and said with a smile, "Sense where the essence of earth and wood is most concentrated."

"Chirp chirp."

Hua Ying chirped in response and flew into the air to sense carefully.

After a moment, she finished sensing, chirped twice, and flew in a certain direction.

Seeing this, Meng Li, Jing Tian, and the others followed, heading deeper into the Ancient Vine Forest.

Before long, they found the path ahead blocked by a massive tree stump.

Jing Tian said in surprise, "This path is blocked."

Just as he finished speaking, a vigorous and hearty voice rang out, and a ball of light made of green leaves appeared out of thin air on the stump.

In the next second, the light manifested into an old man leaning on a cane, draped in bark and covered in interwoven vines.

Seeing the old man's appearance, the group was stunned for a moment.

Then, Jing Tian shouted at him, "Ancient Vine Demon, don't be so arrogant! If you have the guts, come down and fight me!"

Meng Li corrected him, "This isn't the Ancient Vine Demon."

Xu Changqing followed up, "That's right. This elder has no Demonic Qi on him; instead, he has a trace of Immortal Qi."

The old man with the cane said, "Correct. This old man is the Ancient Vine Elder, an Immortal. That Ancient Vine Demon is a demon. An Immortal is an Immortal, and a demon is a demon; the two are completely different."

Jing Tian curled his lip, "Well, I've never seen an Immortal like you before."

Xu Changqing cupped his hands to the Ancient Vine Elder and said, "Ancient Vine Elder, Brother Jing meant no offense. Please forgive him. We are looking for the Ancient Vine Demon. We ask Your Excellency to do us a favor and make way."

The Ancient Vine Elder said, "Making way is easy. As long as you can beat me, I will step aside and let you go find the Ancient Vine Demon."

"Otherwise, you'll just be going to your deaths."

Hearing this, Jing Tian asked, "How do we beat you?"

The Ancient Vine Elder said, "I can read minds. I can guess what you desire in your hearts with one try."

"Really?" Jing Tian was a bit skeptical.

The Ancient Vine Elder stroked his beard and said, "One test will tell. If I guess correctly, you shouldn't leave; stay here and keep this old man company. Anyway, I don't have many days left to live; I'll be in the ground in another three to five hundred years. At that time, you won't have to accompany me anymore."

"If I lose, please proceed as you wish."

Jing Tian, Xu Maoshan, and Tang Xuejian were stunned.

Being in the ground in three to five hundred years is called "not having many days left"?

Meng Li, Hong Kui, Lan Kui, Xu Changqing, and Hua Ying didn't think there was anything wrong with those words.

Xu Changqing and Hua Ying knew that Immortals had long lives.

Meng Li, Hong Kui, and Lan Kui had all lived for over a thousand years.

However...

"If you're going to be in the ground in three to five hundred years, aren't Immortals supposed to be eternal?" Meng Li asked the question in his heart.

The Ancient Vine Elder froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Meng Li to mention this.

Then, he replied, "You are talking about Divine Immortals. They are part of the celestial hierarchy and live in the Divine Realm. Being outside of Reincarnation, their lifespan is naturally as long as heaven itself. This old man is merely a Loose Immortal residing in the human world. Although my lifespan is long, I am still within Reincarnation, so there is naturally a limit."

"Are there only Divine Immortals and Loose Immortals?" Meng Li asked again.

The Ancient Vine Elder replied, "Yes, and no."

"What do you mean?" Meng Li pressed.

The Ancient Vine Elder said, "The so-called 'Immortal' is an existence that has reached a certain level of Cultivation, allowing their life's essence to undergo a transformation and transcend the mundane. No matter what creature it is, as long as it reaches this level, it can be called an 'Immortal.' As for the classification of Immortals, as far as this old man knows, they can be roughly divided into two types."

"The first type is classified by their origin."

"For example, those who Cultivate from humans into Immortals are called 'Human Immortals.'"

"Those who attain the Dao from demons to become Immortals are 'Demon Immortals.'"

"To be more specific, they can be divided into Snake Immortals, Fox Immortals, Tree Immortals, and so on."

"The second type is classified by whether they have transcended Reincarnation."

"In this classification, the most common are the 'Divine Immortals' and 'Loose Immortals' I just mentioned. However, as far as this old man knows, besides these two, there is another kind of Immortal that only exists in legends."

"An Immortal that only exists in legends? What kind of Immortal is that?" Jing Tian asked curiously, unable to help himself.

"True Immortals," the Ancient Vine Elder replied, then continued, "According to ancient records, True Immortals only appeared in the Primordial Era, which is difficult to count in years, so they are also called 'Ancient Immortals.' They pursue their true selves and possess great Divine Abilities. Not only are they not part of Reincarnation, but they can even transcend the Six Realms."

"That powerful?" Tang Xuejian exclaimed.

The Ancient Vine Elder said, "It is indeed powerful, but precisely because it is so powerful, the path to becoming a True Immortal is extremely perilous."

"According to rumors, the path of the ancient True Immortal is divided into many stages. When a practitioner reaches Perfection in one stage and wants to Breakthrough to the next, a Heavenly Tribulation will surely descend."

"If you pass the Heavenly Tribulation, you take a step forward."

"If you can't pass it, your body and soul will be destroyed on the spot, and you will never be reborn."

Hearing the consequences, Jing Tian, Tang Xuejian, and Xu Maoshan gasped.

Lan Kui couldn't help but whisper, "That's too dangerous!"

The Ancient Vine Elder stroked his beard and sighed, "Yes. It's precisely because the path of the True Immortal is too perilous that very few have succeeded, and later, few people practiced it. Thus, it became a legend. This old man only learned of the existence of True Immortals by chance through records in ancient books."

Immediately, He changed the subject: "Alright, let's stop talking about Immortals for now. Will you all participate in this contest?"

Hearing this, Jing Tian snorted, "Old man, you're talking big. Staying for three to five hundred years?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Hua Ying, who was eating snacks on Meng Li's shoulder, and said with a smile on his face, "But seeing how pitiful you are, we'll play with you."

Just as he finished speaking, Tang Xuejian objected, "Hey, I don't agree. I object."

Seeing this, Jing Tian asked puzzledly, "What, do you have something to hide?"