Mao Jin and the others had speculated that there were members of the Immortal Trace hidden among the high-ranking officials of the Great Zhou, and this was an open secret among a not insignificant circle. However, they never expected it to be Prince Jin, the heir apparent, who was involved in this mission concerning a divine and demonic-level powerhouse!
If—if they hadn’t thought to investigate the Immortal Trace, they would have undoubtedly infiltrated Prince Jin’s residence without any precautions. The slightest carelessness would have led to their exposure by Prince Jin, who was well-versed in the affairs of samsara, and they would have died without a trace.
At this moment, similar images flashed through their minds: the team exhausting every ounce of effort to finally infiltrate Prince Jin’s secret study while he was away, only to find him sitting in the dim light behind the desk, coldly watching them before slowly donning a mask of an “ancient immortal.” Everything then plunged into darkness.
Just imagining such a scene sent chills down their spines.
Thankfully, they found out in advance. Thank goodness!
Yu Jinghua took a light breath and communicated through the mental network established by Zhu Tianming: “The Six Paths had us read the entire *Great Zhou Defense Manual* without redacting the relevant content. So this was their purpose.”
“Indeed. Without the shock and awe from the revelations of the ‘Six Paths’ and ‘Myth,’ and the logical deductions that followed, we wouldn’t have thought to investigate the Immortal Trace. We wouldn’t have uncovered Prince Jin’s nearly open secret, and the mission would have been at least fifty percent lost from the start,” Luan Yaqian, still invisible, agreed.
This news nearly “blew their minds,” but it also significantly reduced their risks!
Tasks in the Nightmare World truly left no room for error.
Sensing Jiao Li’s astonishment and noticing the change in his expression, Old Zhang couldn’t help but feel smug and immensely satisfied. He chuckled and said, “Don’t doubt it. Back then, the news spread like wildfire in Changle. Everyone knew about it, from the streets to the alleys. It was only later that the Six Gates suppressed it, and with new sensational events cropping up endlessly, people gradually forgot. You, my friend, just need to spend a few more years in Changle to realize how incomparable the capital is to anywhere else!”
Seeing Old Zhang about to launch into another round of boastful rambling, Jiao Li hurriedly interjected, “I believe you, alright? But damn, the Immortal Trace is just too powerful! Even Prince Jin is one of them!”
Old Zhang snorted at this. “You think that’s strong? Brother, you’re good in every way, but coming from a small place has left you with narrow vision and shallow knowledge.”
Jiao Li caught the implication in Old Zhang’s words and pressed further, “That’s not strong enough? Prince Jin, a terrestrial immortal, is a member of the Immortal Trace. How is that not strong?”
Old Zhang leisurely picked up a piece of braised meat, took a sip of wine, and deliberately prolonged the suspense before saying, “Before his breakthrough, Prince Jin was notable in the Great Zhou, but within the Immortal Trace, he wasn’t particularly outstanding. Of course, now that he’s ascended to the ranks of immortals, things are different.”
“If even Prince Jin wasn’t outstanding, how strong is the Immortal Trace? Who could possibly outrank him?” Jiao Li let his genuine emotions show—doubt mixed with an eager desire for answers.
His expression and tone tickled Old Zhang’s vanity. Smiling, Old Zhang said, “Even now, there are several who outrank him.”
“Several?” Jiao Li blurted out, utterly stunned.
This wasn’t just his reaction—Mao Jin, Yu Jinghua, and the others shared it.
Since when did the Immortal Trace have multiple figures capable of suppressing divine and demonic-level powerhouses?
This was beyond exaggeration!
“You know the Ruan family of Langya, right? The family head, Fairy Ruan, is the ‘Chang’e Fairy’ of the Immortal Trace. Though she only recently attained immortality, even when their cultivation levels were similar, she held a higher position within the Immortal Trace. It’s likely the same now.” Old Zhang pointed southeast as he spoke.
Being merely well-connected but lacking true insight himself, he mistook the distinction between core and peripheral members for a hierarchy.
Recently broken through? No wonder! Jiao Li inexplicably felt relieved, as did Yu Jinghua and the others. Fortunately, Old Zhang was only at the level of physical fitness and noticed nothing.
So she had just become a divine and demonic-level powerhouse, like Prince Jin. The intel hadn’t been updated yet—it wasn’t that they were ignorant.
However, with the inclusion of the “Primordial Celestial,” the Immortal Trace now boasted at least three divine or demonic-level experts—far surpassing their initial expectations in strength. The sheer power was overwhelming, bordering on terrifying.
They were no strangers to the “Chang’e Fairy.” Though no one had encountered her in a reincarnation task for a long time, the Immortal Trace occasionally circulated items like her jade pendants imbued with qin melodies or refined elixirs.
“Right, right. Rules don’t change arbitrarily. Who else?” Jiao Li pondered for a moment, feeling that something wasn’t quite right. With only the “Primordial Heavenly Venerable” and “Fairy Chang’e,” it didn’t amount to “several.”
Old Zhang, savoring Jiao Li’s eager expression, shook his head and said, “Jiang the Sword God of the Sword Washing Pavilion, the ‘Jade Cauldron True Man’ of the Immortal Trace, has been an immortal for years and is on the verge of attaining the celestial immortal realm. In terms of cultivation, power, and status, he surpasses Prince Jin.”
Celestial immortal level? That’s what we call the pinnacle of divine and demonic power! Jiao Li nearly knocked over his wine.
Though he had braced himself, he never imagined the Immortal Trace had a figure at the divine and demonic pinnacle!
The “Jade Cauldron True Man” had maintained a low profile for many years, leaving no traces in the cycle of reincarnation and no circulating artifacts. If it weren’t for Yu Jinghua’s casual mention of this title during her interactions with members of Immortal Trace, they wouldn’t even have heard of him. Yet, he was a powerhouse approaching the pinnacle of gods and demons.
The Immortal Trace was terrifying—two divine and demonic-level figures, one nearing the pinnacle of divinity and demonhood, not to mention the “Primordial Heavenly Venerate,” whose power far surpassed that of divine and demonic beings and could rival the Six Paths!
This was nearly half the number of Dharmakaya in the past cycle of reincarnation!
Mao Jin and the others fell silent, feeling as though the Immortal Trace was like an iceberg—what they saw was merely the tip, with a far more massive presence hidden beneath the surface.
Awe and fear quietly rose in their hearts.
“And… who else?” Jiao Li’s lips felt dry, afraid to ask but fearing another divine and demonic-level name.
Old Zhang laughed heartily, “Above them, of course, is the ‘Primordial Celestial Worthy.'”
“Primordial Celestial?” Voices echoed within Zhu Tianming’s mental network, a blend of yearning for answers and dread of them.
Yu Jinghua said in a low voice, “If even Old Zhang knows the true identity of the ‘Primordial Heavenly Lord,’ it means he’s a major figure in this Nightmare World. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have left such a deep impression, let alone spoken in this tone.”
“There aren’t many in the Nightmare World who can rival the Six Paths…” Luan Yaqian murmured.
Before they could analyze further, Jiao Li couldn’t wait to ask, “Who is the ‘Primordial Heavenly Venerable’?”
“Who else could it be?” Old Zhang pointed upward. “The direct disciple of the Primordial Celestial Lord, the presiding master of the Jade Void Palace, the Immortal Venerable of the Great Zhou’s first heir apparent. Heh, of course, he wouldn’t care for the Great Zhou throne—he merely assists the current emperor.”
The four titles—Direct Successor of the Primordial Heavenly尊, Sect Master of the Jade Void Palace, Immortal尊, and First Heir Apparent of the Great Zhou—did not surprise Mao Jin and the others. Instead, their minds were filled with descriptions like “Master of the Myriad Worlds通识 Ball.” They sighed inwardly: Of course, it’s him.
Only a figure who could force the Six Paths into shameless acts would know them so well!
“No wonder he chose the title ‘Primordial Heavenly Venerable’—he’s the leader of the Jade Void Sect and the direct successor of the Primordial lineage…” Zhu Tianming suddenly realized.
Mao Jin let out a deep sigh and glanced at Yu Jinghua. “Only someone of his stature could shelter the ‘Immortal Trace’ and defy the Six Paths.”
“I guessed it was him,” sighed Luan Yaqian.
Yu Jinghua said nothing, her eyes flickering slightly, betraying her inner turmoil.
“So it’s him. No wonder,” Jiao Li inhaled deeply, feigning shock.
Old Zhang grinned. “The Immortal’s rapid growth back then was astonishing, all thanks to this. But later, he battled the Six Paths and forcibly broke through the cycle of reincarnation—and his cultivation speed only increased!”
“What? Battled the Six Paths? Forcibly broke out of the Samsara space?” Jiao Li lost his composure once more, his voice rising sharply—this time, his shock was utterly genuine.
Yu Jinghua and the others reacted similarly—some knocking over wooden beds, others gasping softly—but it was all drowned out by Jiao Li’s loud voice.
They had thought the Immortal Venerable could rival the Six Paths, but never imagined he had achieved this as a Reincarnator, forcibly breaking free from the cycle of reincarnation!
Although the Defense Manual described the members of the Six Paths as flawed (excluding the unknown cases), it was still utterly terrifying—absolutely horrifying!
Having witnessed the unfathomable power of the Six Paths, their beliefs were utterly shattered.
Old Zhang, lacking detailed knowledge, made a few perfunctory remarks and changed the subject. Jiao Li, still dazed and terrified, had no heart to inquire further about the Immortal Trace and kept drinking.
Soon, the wine jar was empty. Jiao Li saw Old Zhang out, and the team members reappeared. No one spoke. They exchanged glances, their faces still pale with lingering shock, eyes filled with confusion.
After a long silence, Yu Jinghua frowned. “This doesn’t add up. Myth would never leak such things—it’d only embolden enemies and dampen their own morale. So who spread the news?”
“It’s simple—it must be the Immortal Trace. After being slandered and alienated by Myth, they decided to flaunt their glorious achievements,” Zhu Tianming said without hesitation.
Mao Jin nodded. “Exactly. It couldn’t be the Immortal Venerable himself, could it?”
They laughed briefly, lightened by Mao Jin’s humor, before Luan Yaqian sobered them. “Let’s strive to join the Immortal Trace.”
…
Two and a half months later, Yu Jinghua finally found her chance to infiltrate Prince Jin’s residence.
Led by an elderly matron, she approached a side door.
The old maidservant, surnamed Zhao, chattered as they walked: “People these days are too restless. It’s harder and harder to find reliable hands for menial work. Even Prince Jin’s household can’t retain workers. Those who missed the Spark Divine Art are growing older, struggling with heavy labor. I chose you because you’re simple, hardworking, and not chasing pipe dreams of overnight fame.”
“Those fools—the martial world is packed with heroes. What chance do they have? Soon, they’ll be begging on their knees to return.”
Yu Jinghua ignored the nanny’s nagging and focused on the side door ahead.
As she approached the steps, the exquisite sight of Prince Jin’s residence came into view.
Crossing this threshold meant stepping into a sea of danger.
Crossing this threshold meant becoming a true lowly maid, free from any distracting thoughts to avoid detection.
She believed she could do it—after all, even she didn’t know why she was infiltrating Prince Jin’s residence. It seemed solely to become a lowly maidservant.
She stepped firmly across the threshold, her mind singularly focused:
“What task will the Six Paths assign six months from now?”
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