Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 507 The Legend of Guyun Prefecture
Xiao Jie's heart tightened; these were words that couldn't be spoken carelessly.

Fearing that Shenjizi would make a move, he hurriedly said, "Immortal, you are mistaken. The Nameless Dao Scripture has already been spread throughout the world. I am not the only one who cultivates it. Even if I die, a second or third person of destiny will appear."

Ultimately, so-called destiny is nothing more than a matter of chance; it could be me, or it could be anyone.

I am wary of that nameless Taoist, which is why I am here discussing countermeasures with the Immortal Master. If it were someone else, they might not have thought this way, and then that nameless Taoist's scheme would likely succeed without any problem.

Shenjizi chuckled, "So you're still thinking of me after all."

Xiao Jie said loudly, "That's right. As the saying goes, those involved are confused while bystanders see clearly. Immortal Master, being in the midst of the situation, it is naturally difficult to detect anything unusual. Therefore, you have been deceived for thousands of years. But now that you know about the nameless Taoist's scheme, and I am his pawn, Immortal Master, you can keep me by your side to observe me closely. In this way, bystanders can see clearly and perhaps you can better figure out what the nameless Taoist is plotting."

Do you agree, Immortal Master?

The strategist scrutinized Xiao Jie for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Boy, you've probably rehearsed this line many times before, haven't you?"

Seeing Shenjizi laughing, Xiao Jie finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The saying goes, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger," and the same applies to immortals.

"As expected of the Immortal Master, you are truly a man of extraordinary wisdom. I dare not conceal the fact that I have indeed practiced it many times."

"Hahaha, good lad, your attitude is quite frank. And your words have some twisted logic. I almost got persuaded by you."

Shenjizi was only anxious for a moment before he quickly regained his composure and even revealed a mischievous smile.

This… Xiao Jie thought to himself, "This is bad. I almost fell for it? So you still haven't been persuaded? I've provoked you so much and you still won't take the bait? Okay, looks like I'll have to use my ultimate move."

"As expected of the Immortal, you are wise and insightful, unlike us ordinary people. Alas, my little thoughts have been seen through by you. I have no choice but to plead with you. All my brothers have died in battle. I bear endless responsibility to save the world, to save the people, and to save my brothers. Therefore, I have no choice but to plead with you."

"However, Immortal Master has not yet answered my question. Is it that you are unwilling to compete, or that you dare not compete? If you dare not compete, then I will naturally not force you. I will take my leave now."

Hearing Xiao Jie continue to press him, Shenjizi's expression also became serious.

"Of course I don't want to fight. That nameless Taoist is just a coward who hides his face. Even if he is an immortal, I don't take him seriously. But you have gone to such lengths to force me to submit, which has moved me a little. Hehe, fine, I will give you a chance."

You said you were chosen by the nameless Taoist, that your destiny was all part of his plan, and that you were destined to become an immortal... and that my help might also be part of his plan.

If that's the case—then I'll make a deal with you.

My fellow Daoists and I are currently living in seclusion in Guyun Prefecture. If you can find me, tell them that this scheme is indeed true and that I am indeed involved in it. I will then naturally help you become an immortal. I want to see what kind of scheme this nameless Daoist is plotting to dare to play tricks on me.

But if you can't find me here, it means your so-called earth-shattering plan is nothing but a joke, and you can forget about getting my help. Are you satisfied now?

Upon hearing this, an option box suddenly popped up on Xiao Jie's screen.

System notification: The quest "Seeking Immortality" has been triggered. Find the legendary hermitage of immortals—Guyun Prefecture—and locate the immortal Shenjizi there.

Mission details: After your persuasion, the immortal Shenjizi has finally agreed to give you a chance. Shenjizi promises you that as long as you can find the place where the immortals are hiding and find his hiding place in Guyun Prefecture, he will help you become an immortal.

Mission Reward: ????

It worked!
Okay, it's only half successful.

This immortal is indeed hard to talk to, but it's better than nothing, right? At least having a task gives us a direction to strive for, which is better than being completely clueless.

"I am willing to accept this agreement. May I ask, Immortal Master, where is this Lonely Cloud Prefecture located?"

"No comment."

"Then you can at least tell me its location."

"Hehehe, I'll not reveal it."

"If I find Guyun Prefecture, where should I go to seek out the esteemed immortals?"

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed." Shenjizi said calmly, "You don't need to ask anymore. You've already said that you are the chosen one by the nameless Taoist. If you truly have such a destiny, all your questions will naturally be answered."

If you can't solve it, then it means you're not a person destined for greatness.

"Alright, our earthly ties have ended. Whether we meet again depends on your own fate."

After saying that, Shenjizi waved his hand, and his figure disappeared instantly.

Seeing the other party's decisive departure, Xiao Jie thought to himself that it seemed that the question of 'unwillingness to fight or fear of fighting' had finally angered the immortal.

Fortunately, this immortal is reasonable. Now that we have a goal, things will be easier. The next goal is Lonely Cloud Prefecture.

After leaving the Three Immortals Temple, Xiao Jie fell into thought again.

So, how do we find this Guyun Prefecture?

"Brother Jie, this mission is completely random, how do we do it? Do you even know where Guyun Prefecture is?"

"I don't know, but I can find out slowly," Xiao Jie said confidently.

A skilled gamer can deduce hidden backstories and even deeper secrets from fragmented information and snippets of conversation between NPCs.

Uncovering hidden information in games requires strong logical reasoning skills and the ability to organize fragmented information.

The answer is often hidden in the details.

Xiao Jie is quite experienced in this area.

Although Xiao Jie mainly plays online games, he is also interested in single-player games, especially Souls-like games. These games often do not explain the background story to the players clearly, and the main quest is often shrouded in mystery. Various pieces of information are scattered throughout the game, requiring players to collect and organize them themselves.

Even after completing the game, many players are still completely confused about the story it tells.

Xiao Jie, however, was quite interested in this kind of game, especially in deducing the truth of the game's story from snippets of information within the game.

If I hadn't started a game studio back then, I might have become a content creator who analyzes game backgrounds.

At this moment, Xiao Jie began to draw upon his past experience.

Throughout Xiao Jie's gaming experience, he had heard about Guyun Prefecture many times.

However, without exception, none of them mentioned the specific location of Guyun Prefecture.

However, there is some other content.

According to the NPC, before the Immortal Path was severed, there was contact between Guyun Prefecture and the mortal realm.

In other words, there must be records about how mortals traveled to Guyun Prefecture; this can be found in the archives.

In addition, there is another keyword: 【Lonely Cloud Prefecture Broken】.

The description of the Longevity Pill states, "This item can extend the lifespan of mortals. In ancient times, it was a treasure bestowed upon mortal heroes by the Lonely Cloud Prefecture. With the fall of Lonely Cloud Prefecture and the disappearance of the immortals, such elixirs have rarely appeared in the world since."

The description of the Divine Tiger Inner Core also mentions the destruction of Lonely Cloud State—[However, with the destruction of Lonely Cloud State, the path to immortality was severed].

It is obvious that the destruction of Guyun Prefecture, the severance of the Immortal Path, and the disappearance of the immortals all occurred at the same time, and may even be related by some cause and effect. Because Guyun Prefecture was destroyed, the Immortal Path was severed. So the question is...

Why did Guyun Prefecture shatter? The power of the immortals is so great that this world can be said to be invincible. There is only one answer—the power that caused all this came from outside the world.

Xiao Jie immediately thought of the three legendary calamities.

The Immortal Xiaoyue once mentioned that when the immortals gathered, they deduced the myriad ages and performed the Great Derivation Number. After calculating forty-nine days, they determined that there would be four calamities in the world.

The first event, titled "The Calamity of Demons," refers to the intrusion of extraterrestrial demons into the heavens due to a crack in the sky.

The second event, known as the Calamity of Yin Sha, is the opening of the Gates of Hell, where underworld soldiers invade.

The third event, titled "The Calamity of Demons," is about a demonic star descending to earth, triggering a catastrophe for all demons.

The fourth match was not specified and remains unknown.

The previous three calamities have already occurred one after another.

The cause of all of these is the work of forces outside the world.

Xiao Jie speculated that the destruction of Guyun Prefecture was probably related to these three calamities.

It shouldn't be the Yin Sha Calamity, since the Netherworld Rifts are all located on the ground, and there's no reason why they could affect Gu Yun Prefecture.

There is a possibility that extraterrestrial demons or a celestial being descended upon the world.

However, the invasion of the extraterrestrial demons occurred 10,000 years ago, while the destruction of Guyun Prefecture and the severance of the immortal path occurred 3,000 years ago. Therefore, it should be the arrival of the demon star.

A demonic star descends—Lone Cloud Prefecture shatters!

Xiao Jie suddenly remembered a game he had played before – Elden Ring. In this game, there was a broken sky city that was destroyed by a meteorite that fell from the sky.

This meteorite that fell from the sky eventually transformed into a monster.

This bears a striking resemblance to the arrival of a demon star.

This is one of the benefits of playing a lot of games; you can always find similar examples.

Could it be that Guyun Prefecture was shattered when the demon star descended upon the world?
If that's the case—a sudden inspiration struck Xiao Jie, and he came up with a way to find the location of Guyun Prefecture.

If my speculation is correct, and the destruction of Guyun Prefecture was indeed caused by the destruction of the demon star, then the location of Guyun Prefecture must be on the trajectory of the demon star's fall. As long as I can deduce the trajectory of the demon star's fall, I can find the approximate location of Guyun Prefecture.

The method of calculation is also very simple. There are astronomers in this world. In the past, the Longhua Empire set up observatories in various places to observe the stars, perform divination, and predict good and bad fortune.

Major events like the descent of a demon star must have been recorded; one only needs to check the records from that year in the archives.

Without delay, Xiao Jie immediately transformed into a Storm Thunder Eagle and flew towards Howling Wind City.

As darkness fell, Xiao Jie finally landed in Xiaofeng City and headed straight for the storage room.

By this time, it was time to light the lamps in the storehouse. Outside, the room was brightly lit with candlelight, but inside it was pitch black, because candlelight could easily cause a fire, so it was not allowed to be used indoors.

Yuan Tianke, the chief clerk in charge of the archives, was reading outside when he saw Xiao Jie enter the outer room. He immediately smiled and said, "Just now, I had a feeling and did a divination. I found out that an old friend is coming to visit."

"I never expected it to be you, young brother. What brings you to the archives so late? Perhaps you've been missing me?"

Xiao Jie was speechless; this old man really liked to tease him.

He had no time for small talk and said seriously, "I have important matters to attend to and need to consult some information. May I ask if Mr. Yuan has any knowledge of Guyun Prefecture?"

"Haha, you've come to the right person. If you ask who in this world understands Guyun Prefecture, there is no one better than me. If you have enough time, young brother, I can tell you in detail."

He then gestured with his hand, indicating that they should go ahead.

Xiao Jie then sat down opposite the desk.

Yuan Tianke took a sip of tea before beginning his story.

According to the "Ancient Records", in ancient times, the world was unified and the land was vast, divided into nine provinces. At the east and west poles, there was a mountain, one called Fangzhang and the other called Penglai.

According to this book, in ancient times, the land of the Nine Provinces was one. The two provinces of Guyun and Penglai were also connected to the other seven provinces at that time, located at the easternmost and westernmost points of the Nine Provinces respectively. The two great mountains stretched for hundreds of miles and were the two poles.

Back then, Guyun Prefecture wasn't called by its current name; it was known as Fangzhang Mountain.

Penglai and Fangzhang? Immortal mountains in ancient Chinese legends?

Xiao Jie seemed to be deep in thought. He had already seen many similarities between this game and ancient myths and legends, so he wasn't surprised. "Then why change the name?"

"That's a long story."

According to the ancient book "Records of Immortals and Gods", in ancient times, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was abundant, and there were people cultivating immortality and practicing qi in all parts of the nine provinces. However, it is unknown when, the spiritual energy began to gradually fade away.

Most places are not suitable for cultivation, except for the two great mountains of Penglai and Fangzhang, where spiritual energy still gathers.

Thus, most of the immortal cultivators in the world resided in these two places, and many of them ascended to immortality in these two places, hence the name "Immortal Mountain".

Many mortals who wish to seek immortality and enlightenment will go to these two places to ask immortals for help.

The immortals, unable to bear the disturbance any longer, simply used their magic to separate the two mountains from the Kyushu continent, and they floated to the sea, forming two large islands.

However, mortals were still unwilling to give up, and many sailed across the sea in search of immortals.

The immortals of Penglai Island then simply floated the island to the depths of the ocean, escaping overseas, and further enveloped Penglai Island with layers of mist, making it impossible for mortals to approach.

The immortals of Fangzhang Island were even more resolute, using powerful immortal techniques to lift the entire land up into the sky and hide among the clouds.

Therefore, it was renamed Guyun Prefecture.

The Lonely Cloud Continent soars between the heavens, while the Penglai Continent drifts on the sea. The lands of both continents are unpredictable and have no fixed abode, probably to prevent them from being found.

However, during this period, there were still enlightened masters and powerful practitioners who could use Taoist magic to travel between the two places.

Moreover, in the mortal world, there are occasional people who ascend to immortality and travel to these two states to reunite with the immortals.

However, the number of ascendants dwindled over time, and three thousand years ago, with the Path to Immortality severed, no one knew where these two places were anymore.

Xiao Jie listened thoughtfully.
The path to immortality was severed three thousand years ago. What happened to cause this severance?
"Well, I don't know."

"Is it because—Guyun Prefecture is broken?"

Yuan Tianke asked in surprise, "Guyun Prefecture is shattered? What makes you say that?"

Xiao Jie thought to himself, "That's right. This kind of extremely hidden information can only be found in the descriptions of some very special treasures. Yuan Tianke probably doesn't know about it."

"Mr. Yuan, do you have any records here about the descent of a demonic star?"
"Of course it happened. The Record of Celestial Changes states: In the years of Yin and Mao, on the 16th day of the first month of autumn, stars fell like rain at midnight. Suddenly, a red light tore through the sky, passing from the constellations of Kui and Lou to the Purple Palace, illuminating the entire field. The star was the color of cinnabar, with a tail of flame three zhang long. When it appeared, the sound was like thunder as a chariot rolled over, and all the beasts fled in fright. An old man saw that it was as large as an inverted bucket, surrounded by a blue and white aura. When it passed through the constellations of Pleiades and Hyades in the western sky, the star officials were dimmed. It fell south of Canglin, the earth shook like a drum, and the mountains and forests were burned to ashes..."

(End of this chapter)