Chapter 1350

On the first day of the sixth lunar month, in the Underworld.

Dense nether energy permeated the entrance to the Underworld, where ghostly figures flickered.

"Is this the legendary Underworld?"

Most spirits walked slowly, constantly looking back, seemingly unaware that they had died. The queue behind them stretched endlessly, including souls from the Immortal Cultivation World and other civilizations. Out of the corner of their eyes, they could also see dark mountain ranges undulating in the far distance, like living behemoths, filled with the unknown and terror.

"Those in front, hurry up! So many people are waiting!" a spirit impatiently called from behind.

"Still not enough ghost officers," two high-ranking Underworld officials sighed, shaking their heads as they watched the long queue of spirits. Both had been Tribulation Transcendence stage mighty figures in life, and after death, they remained in the Underworld to maintain order. One of them was quite optimistic: "The Underworld was only recently established; the workforce will gradually increase."

"By the way, have you seen Immortal Venerable Yingtian? The materials he asked me to collect for refining the Three Lives Stone have all been gathered."

"He returned to the mortal realm today; he's not in the Underworld."

"Returned to the mortal realm? Is he celebrating with the newly ascended Immortal Venerable Meng?"

The other shook his head: "I heard today is a very important person's birthday; he went to celebrate with them."

***

Heavenly Gate Peak.

Immortal of Time and Immortal of Nine Heavens faced each other over a chessboard, exuding an immortal aura. The black and white pieces clashed, enacting myriad worlds, accompanied by the lingering sounds of the Great Dao.

"Does Immortal Maiden Immortality still remember it's her birthday today?"

"She definitely remembers. She's always had a good memory for these things; she just doesn't care much, it doesn't matter whether she celebrates or not."

"Then do you think she'll come back today?" Immortal of Nine Heavens asked. Everyone wanted to give Immortal Maiden Immortality a surprise birthday celebration, and they had made many arrangements at Heavenly Gate Peak, just waiting for her to appear.

"That depends on Daoist Lu's skill," Immortal of Time chuckled. Everything was ready; the only issue was that Immortal Maiden Immortality wasn't in the Immortal Cultivation World. She and Lu Yang were traveling the universe with no known return date. Lu Yang needed to trick her into returning, and she couldn't realize it was for her birthday, or it wouldn't be a surprise.

"Daoist Lu is eloquent; I'm sure it won't be a problem," Immortal of Nine Heavens said. Hearing this, Immortal of Time simply smiled, saying nothing more.

"Senior Brother Meng actually managed to ascend to immortality through the position of Karma. Congratulations!" Li Haoran said, smiling as he congratulated Meng Jingzhou. The Dao of Karma was incredibly difficult to cultivate, and many speculated that Meng Jingzhou wouldn't be able to achieve immortality with his Karma Dao Fruit. Unexpectedly, Meng Jingzhou progressed rapidly and suddenly underwent the Immortal Ascension Tribulation in the universe, astonishing everyone.

Meng Jingzhou casually waved his hand, "It was effortless, nothing to make a fuss about." While he said it wasn't surprising, his lips couldn't help but curl into a smile, which he couldn't suppress, clearly overjoyed. Hadn't he toiled in cultivation until now for this very day? He had finally become an immortal, and what he wanted was precisely this feeling of surprising everyone.

"It's a pity Old Lu wasn't here a few days ago. Once he returns today, I must have a match with him!" Ever since Lu Yang ascended to immortality, he had frequently flaunted it to Meng Jingzhou, which greatly annoyed him. This time, no matter what, Meng Jingzhou had to get his revenge!

"Senior Brother Meng, are you interested in joining our Underworld?"

Meng Jingzhou looked at Li Haoran warily, "What? I just became an immortal, and you want me to die?"

"Senior Brother Meng, what are you saying? I've found that after reincarnation, karma is difficult to dispel, and there's a chance of connecting with past lives. Your Karma Dao Fruit can solve this problem."

Meng Jingzhou stroked his chin, "If that's the case, I really could do it."

"But my yang energy is so strong, wouldn't the spirits in your Underworld be unable to withstand it?"

It wasn't Meng Jingzhou boasting; as the highest achiever in his unique cultivation path, his yang energy was terrifyingly abundant. A single drop of his blood was hotter than the sun, and even Immortal of Nine Heavens couldn't compare to him.

"No problem. I plan to establish the eighteen layers of hell, and your abundant yang energy would be perfect for building them."

Meng Jingzhou suspected this was Li Haoran's true reason for approaching him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Li Haoran saw Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi walking by, chatting and laughing. He walked over to consult them. "My two sisters-in-law, since you're free, could you teach me the art of Deceiving Heaven and Defying Fate?"

"What does Senior Brother Yingtian want to learn the art of feigning death for?" The two women were puzzled. The Four Ancient Immortals had maintained their dignity and never learned this skill. Why was Senior Brother Yingtian willing to learn it after several reincarnations?

Li Haoran sighed, "My sisters-in-law, you don't know. The Underworld has just been established, and there aren't enough ghost officers. We're short on staff, and living people can't enter the Underworld."

"The art of feigning death can solve this problem perfectly. I can hire some people in the mortal realm, teach them the art of feigning death to work in the Underworld, and then they can revive and return to the mortal realm after their work is done."

"..."

Although it sounded a bit preposterous, Jiang Lianyi considered it carefully, "It actually seems like a viable solution."

"Are Big Boss and Second Boss not coming back yet?" Yun Mengmeng yawned, rubbing her half-closed eyes, feeling sleepy.

"I'll go find them," Yun Zhi said, standing up. Only she knew where Lu Yang and Immortal Maiden Immortality were. Their Dao Fruits' power prevented her from achieving Dao Unification, so she had a vague sense of their location.

***

Under the dark night sky, countless stars glittered like river sand. Lu Yang and Immortal Maiden Immortality lay on an inconspicuous asteroid, smiling as they watched the universe transform and comprehended the principles of nature.

"Little Yangzi, look at these stars over here. Don't they look like a little tiger when connected?"

"And those ones over there, don't they look like half of a Jianmu tree?"

"The stars next to them, oh, they don't look like anything. Should I move them around and arrange them to look like you, Little Yangzi?" Immortal Maiden Immortality pointed at the vast expanse of stars, grinning.

She found lying on her own palm uncomfortable, so she forcefully pulled Lu Yang's left arm over and lay on it, adjusting her posture. "Mmm, that's much more comfortable."

Lu Yang put on a tired expression: "Immortal Maiden, how long have we been out playing? It's time we went back."

Ever since they began their travels through the starry sky, Immortal Maiden Immortality had taken Lu Yang on uninhibited adventures, leaving immortal traces in various civilizations, building grotto-heaven inheritances, setting up trials, or hiding their identities and living low-key lives, confronting reclusive families and interstellar syndicates... Events followed one after another, with no time for rest in between. In the end, they lay amidst the vast galaxy, like small boats drifting with the current.

"No way! This immortal hasn't had enough fun yet." Immortal Maiden Immortality was naturally lively; there was no "enough" for her.

"Immortal Maiden, I truly have no strength left," Lu Yang said weakly. In truth, he still had energy, but his task for today was to trick her into returning for her birthday, so he had to say that.

Immortal Maiden Immortality stopped looking at the stars, turned her head, and poked Lu Yang's face: "That's all it takes to tire you out?"

"Wait, you're not trying to trick this immortal into going back for her birthday, are you?" Immortal Maiden Immortality looked at Lu Yang warily.

"Huh?!" Lu Yang's eyes widened in surprise. Since when had the Immortal Maiden become so clever, seeing through his intentions so quickly?

Lu Yang turned his head and met Immortal Maiden Immortality's gaze; what met him were still those clear, fathomless eyes.

"This immortal has never cared about birthdays," Immortal Maiden Immortality said with a bright, innocent smile. "The day truly worth commemorating is the day you called out this immortal's name, Little Yangzi, and resurrected me."

Immortal Maiden Immortality lay on her side next to Lu Yang, blinking her eyes. The countless brilliant stars in the sky made her appear even more captivating. Lu Yang gazed at the Immortal Maiden's beautiful eyes, which were like deep blue autumn waters. His heart involuntarily skipped a beat, and time seemed to stop at that moment.

"Immortal Maiden, I..."

"What is it?"

In that moment, myriad thoughts flooded Lu Yang's mind. He recalled their journey, and fleeting moments spent with the Immortal Maiden, who was so innocent and adorable, flashed before his eyes. He took a deep breath, decided to no longer hide his feelings, and said earnestly, "Immortal Maiden, I like you."

"Ah... ah?! Th-th-th-th-..."

Immortal Maiden Immortality was flustered by Lu Yang's words, never having been so flustered before. "I-I-I, this immortal, this immortal, this immortal..." The normally astute Immortal Maiden Immortality's mind was in a jumble, so nervous she had no idea what she was saying.

Since he had said so much, Lu Yang had nothing more to fear. He grasped Immortal Maiden Immortality's small hand and asked, "Immortal Maiden, how about you?"

Immortal Maiden Immortality's face flushed. She lowered her head, not daring to meet Lu Yang's gaze, and mumbled softly, "This immortal, this immortal probably likes you too... I guess."

"Junior Brother, Senior Immortal Maiden, so you two were here all along."

Yun Zhi suddenly appeared beside them, looking down at the two lying on the ground. Her voice was as calm as ever, but intertwined with a hint of ambiguous meaning. Startled, the two quickly separated and stood up, brushing off non-existent dust from their bodies.

"Are you here to invite this immortal back for her birthday, Yun girl? You can go back. This immortal's birthday is fine celebrated with Little Yangzi."

"Since Senior Immortal Maiden isn't returning, why not accept my gift?"

"What gift?"

"Hasn't Senior Immortal Maiden always wanted to defeat me? Today, you can try."

"Oh?" Immortal Maiden Immortality chuckled. If she remembered correctly, this was the first time Yun girl had actively challenged her. In that case, there was no reason not to accept the challenge. "Then let's go!"

After all this time, Lu Yang could long since prevent Yun Zhi from achieving Dao Unification by himself, giving Immortal Maiden Immortality the chance to go all out. The two instantly unleashed an unprecedented aura that soared to the sky. The galaxy itself was shattered by this energy, and the universe trembled!

Although Immortal Maiden Immortality had not yet recovered to her ancient peak state, her mental state was higher and more excited than ever, like a true dragon soaring through the sky, incredibly fierce. "Yun girl, what's wrong with you? This isn't like you. Your attack style has changed."

Immortal Maiden Immortality drew out a long "Ah," then realized. "This immortal understands now. Are you jealous of this immortal?" Immortal Maiden Immortality tilted her head back, narrowly dodging Yun Zhi's palm, and retaliated with a kick.

"Nonsense." Yun Zhi grabbed Immortal Maiden Immortality's ankle and flung her away. A string of stars was shattered into dust upon impact. Immortal Maiden Immortality flew out from the stellar dust, still full of vigor. "Was I wrong? This immortal's premonitions have never been wrong."

The two strongest cultivators of past and present clashed in an extremely perilous battle. Both believed they were the strongest and refused to yield. Any other immortal entering the fray wouldn't last three moves, making Lu Yang's heart pound.

"Immortal Maiden's Fist!" Behind Immortal Maiden Immortality appeared thousands of spiritual plant phantoms, all of which she had mimicked, including the Immortal Jianmu Tree. The thousands of spiritual plant phantoms were like myriad great worlds, intercrossing and overlapping, converging into her fist. Their power was terrifying and immeasurable!

"Cloudfall Palm."

Nebulae formed a palm, bringing desolation to all things.

Boom—

An unprecedented collision erupted in the deepest reaches of the universe, threatening to overturn all rules of the Great Dao!

As the dust settled, it was revealed that the two women hadn't actually collided. Lu Yang had appeared in the center of the battlefield, raising his hands to steadily catch both attacks. "On such a good day, let's not fight," Lu Yang said helplessly.

"Huh? Little Yangzi, why are you completely fine?" Immortal Maiden Immortality was surprised. She hadn't held back when she punched, unleashing her full power, yet Little Yangzi had actually caught it steadily?

Yun Zhi was also very surprised. Even Fuxi couldn't have done it with such ease. "Junior Brother, have you achieved Transcendent?"

Under the gaze of the two women, Lu Yang nodded shyly, admitting it. He had originally wanted to give them a surprise, but he hadn't expected to reveal his cultivation realm in this situation. "Yes, just a few days ago."

"Huh, that shouldn't be right." Immortal Maiden Immortality looked at Lu Yang as if seeing him for the first time, pinching his face and turning it left and right. "Achieving Transcendent shouldn't sever karma, and everyone should forget you, right? But we all still remember you!"

What Immortal Maiden Immortality said was also what Yun Zhi wanted to ask.

"So, strictly speaking, it wasn't 'me' who achieved Transcendent, but 'Lu Yin' who achieved Transcendent," Lu Yang explained with a smile. "Remember, the effect of 'Inverting Yin and Yang' is to alter karma. I achieved Transcendent as 'Lu Yin,' then changed back to 'Lu Yang,' so everyone wouldn't forget me."

"Inverting Yin and Yang can be used like that?"

"After comprehending the Source Tracing Dao Fruit to its extreme, I could discern the origin of all the divine abilities I've learned."

"The divine ability 'Inverting Yin and Yang' originated from one of the nine ancient sages. That sage had condensed the Karma Dao Fruit, and in order to achieve Transcendent without erasing himself, he researched this divine ability. Unfortunately, he hadn't yet achieved results when Fuxi made his move."

Lu Yang sighed. Perhaps this was the correct method to achieve Transcendent. If Fuxi hadn't been so impatient, history might have unfolded differently. Immortal Maiden Immortality once said that the Karma Dao Fruit would ultimately be entangled by karma, preventing one from achieving Transcendent. Fuxi, for the same reason, did not devour the Karma Dao Fruit.

"Little Yangzi is amazing!" Immortal Maiden Immortality wrapped her arms around Lu Yang's neck and suddenly kissed him, catching him off guard.

"What decorum," Yun Zhi said, frowning slightly at the sight.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss!" Immortal Maiden Immortality kissed him a few more times, looking at Yun Zhi provocatively, making Lu Yang's face flush. "Why are you blushing? There are no outsiders here."

Immortal Maiden Immortality observed Lu Yang's and Yun Zhi's reactions with interest, grinning mischievously: "Little Yangzi, you actually like Yun girl too, don't you?"

"Huh? I..."

"S-senior, don't talk nonsense! Cloudfall Palm!"

"Yun girl, that's unfair to launch a sneak attack! You disrespect your elders, you are truly rebellious!"