Chapter 192: The Person Behind the Scenes

The divide between mortals and immortals is an insurmountable chasm, not something that can be bridged by mere intention. The Immortal, though not yet a true immortal, is currently in the Tribulation Transcending Stage. Although he lacks a physical body and exists only as a soul, preventing him from being a complete Tribulation Transcending cultivator, his grasp of the nascent Immortal Dao Fruit compensates for his lack of combat prowess.

A cultivator in the Tribulation Transcending Stage would be at a significant disadvantage if they encountered the Immortal in the spiritual realm. However, the Immortal, by chance, encountered the authentic Immortal Maiden. A nascent Dao Fruit is powerless before a true Dao Fruit. After being admonished, the Immortal realized he was likely not a true immortal, but merely a product of imitating the Immortal Maiden.

"As for how the Dao Fruit appeared, Senior, what are your thoughts?" Yunzhi posed this question to the Immortal Maiden.

The Immortal Maiden had been contemplating this exact question. She produced the golden ball of light. "My initial assessment was correct," she stated. "This can tentatively be called a nascent Immortal Dao Fruit, but it's far from fully mature; it's just a nascent form."

"The Dao Fruit's emergence is likely similar to this boy's creation: both are born from intention."

Lu Yang wondered, "Can a Dao Fruit truly be manifested through sheer intention? If so, wouldn't becoming an immortal be remarkably simple?"

The Immortal Maiden shook her head, correcting Lu Yang's misconception. "It's not a true Dao Fruit, but a nascent one," she clarified. "Even if we set aside the fact that this particular one is the culmination of over ten thousand years of accumulation by the Immortal Sect, simply relying on intention to generate a nascent Dao Fruit has significant limitations."

A Dao Fruit serves as the hallmark of immortality, an ultimate creation capable of altering the very rules of the world. Its true essence far surpassed Lu Yang's current understanding, remaining beyond his grasp.

"A nascent Dao Fruit is vastly different from a true Dao Fruit," she explained. "I can conjure as many nascent Immortal Dao Fruits as I desire, but there will only ever be one true Immortal Dao Fruit – mine." At this, the Immortal Maiden smiled confidently, convinced that her Immortal Dao Fruit was the most powerful, surpassing even those of Ying Tianxian and the others. She considered nascent Dao Fruits to be trivial matters.

"However, a nascent Dao Fruit does possess the potential to replace a true Dao Fruit," Yunzhi interjected. Yunzhi's words were a splash of cold water for the Immortal Maiden. Understanding Yunzhi's implication, she instantly sobered. "What do you mean?" Lu Yang inquired.

Only the Immortal Maiden and Yunzhi fully grasped the intricacies of the Dao Fruit; Lu Yang and the Immortal understood nothing. The Immortal couldn't even differentiate between a true Dao Fruit and a nascent one. Had it not been explained, he would have remained oblivious to the origin of his own nascent Dao Fruit.

Yunzhi clarified: "A nascent Dao Fruit is a rough, rudimentary embryo with an unstable internal structure. As it gradually matures, it progressively approximates a true Dao Fruit."

"Furthermore, there can only be one true Dao Fruit of a given type. For a nascent Dao Fruit to fully mature, it must invalidate and replace an already existing, mature Dao Fruit."

Lu Yang gasped, "Are you saying the Maiden's Dao Fruit could potentially be replaced by a nascent Immortal Dao Fruit?" He felt a pang of concern for the Maiden. While she wasn't always reliable, rarely offered help, and frequently created problems for him, he nonetheless wished for her to retain her Dao Fruit and never be supplanted.

Yunzhi shook her head, her expression grim. "Senior holds the ultimate authority over the 'Immortal' lineage," she explained. "No one can challenge her on the concept of 'immortality,' not even a nascent Dao Fruit infinitely close to maturity."

"A nascent Dao Fruit can only replace a true Dao Fruit under one specific condition: if the true Dao Fruit is unowned, and the nascent Dao Fruit is owned." Lu Yang sighed in relief. "In that case, it's fine," he said. "The Maiden is alive, so no one can replace her."

"But she wasn't meant to be alive," Yunzhi added.

Lu Yang felt as though he'd been struck by lightning upon hearing his senior sister's words. He realized. If he hadn't inadvertently spoken the Immortal Maiden's true name, she might never have revived, even by the end of the Great World Contest. Perhaps, as his senior sister suggested, without him, it would have taken another three hundred thousand years for someone else to inadvertently utter the Immortal Maiden's true name. No, that's not right. If the Immortal Maiden hadn't revived, the Immortal could have matured the nascent Immortal Dao Fruit and replaced the original one.

During the Great World Contest, the Immortal would have led the Immortal Sect into the world, spreading his own name. By then, who would dare to casually utter the words "Immortal Maiden" as he had? At that point, the Immortal Maiden would likely have been unable to revive, truly and permanently gone. The Immortal Maiden, too, grasped this realization and was filled with a deep sense of dread.

Yunzhi concisely summarized her thoughts: "In ancient times, Senior was ambushed and killed, causing the Immortal Dao Fruit to lose its owner and become unowned."

"The mastermind then publicized the concept of the Immortal Dao Fruit, fabricating a non-existent 'Immortal' for the Immortal Sect's followers to believe in, visualize, and eventually revive. The 'Immortal' himself, oblivious to this manipulation, would then desperately work to ripen the nascent Dao Fruit."

"Once the timing was right, the mastermind would intervene, seize the Immortal Dao Fruit, and claim it as their own."

"Now, the only uncertainty is whether the mastermind intends to pluck the Immortal Dao Fruit when it's fully mature, just before it matures, or... if they've already arrived?"

As she spoke, Yunzhi's voice turned as cold as ancient ice, and the killing intent within it sent a chill down Lu Yang's spine. Both Yunzhi and the Immortal Maiden simultaneously released their divine senses, meticulously scanning every inch of the surrounding space, determined to uncover the mastermind.

Suddenly, in a corner of the secret chamber, space rippled. A shadowy figure emerged, clapping rhythmically as he praised Yunzhi's extraordinary nature. Lu Yang stared at the shadowy figure; the person was clearly present, yet his divine sense detected nothing. Lu Yang felt an unsettling presence, as if the figure were a bottomless black hole, possessing immense ambition, capable of consuming everything, chilling him to the bone.

Yunzhi and the Immortal Maiden positioned themselves in front of Lu Yang, wary of the newcomer.

"Truly worthy of being the strongest among the Five Great Immortal Sects," the figure remarked. "Of the few threats I perceive on the Central Continent, you are the most significant. I originally came here simply to observe whether a nascent Immortal Dao Fruit had indeed formed. To think, a mere few days of observation yielded such a monumental discovery."

The shadowy figure turned towards the Immortal Maiden. Though his face was obscured, Lu Yang sensed he was smiling. "To my utter surprise, Immortal Maiden, you actually revived. This is the biggest variable, one I entirely failed to anticipate."

"Since you've revived, the plan to replace the true Dao Fruit with its nascent form is now nullified," the figure continued. "What a shame for the Immortal Sect's fourteen millennia of preparations, all for naught." The shadowy figure shook his head regretfully, though it was unclear if his pity was for the Immortal Sect or for his own foiled schemes.

"Ying Tian, Qilin, Suiyue, Jiuchong—who are you?" the Immortal Maiden demanded sharply. "Stop lurking and reveal your true identity!" This individual sought to utterly erase her existence, a life-and-death enmity that could not be resolved. A decisive confrontation between her and the shadowy figure was inevitable.

The shadowy figure shook his head with a soft chuckle. "Were there truly only five immortals in your era? Was Jiuchong Immortal truly the very first?" he mused. "Maiden, too many uncertainties exist. How can you be so certain I am one of those four?"

"Stop playing games!" the Immortal Maiden snarled, gritting her teeth.

Without another word, Yunzhi acted decisively, unleashing her full power. The shadowy figure's expression tightened. "Indeed, your power far exceeds what you outwardly present. Even if my true form appeared, I would likely struggle to defeat you."

"That someone like you could emerge after the ancient era is truly a marvel of creation." Knowing he was outmatched, the shadowy figure decisively self-destructed. "A pity my true form will remain ignorant of what transpired here."

Some perish, yet are not entirely gone...