Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 590 Immortal Traces Appear in the World, Undercurrents Surge

At this moment, the shock and discussion caused by the appearance of the immortals extends far beyond the Tourist Information Bureau.

Jiuding Mountain - Falling Star Cliff:

This place is a remote and untouched land. The towering peaks rise steeply, so steep that even birds cannot cross them and monkeys struggle to climb them; there is no way to reach the summit. However, above the sea of ​​clouds, which is inaccessible to ordinary people, the scenery at the summit is quite different from the natural world.

The mountain peak's tip appeared to have been completely flattened by an immense force, leaving a broad and flat cross-section. On top of this was a magnificent platform meticulously constructed from massive bluestone and warm white jade, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

Above the platform, twelve crystal-clear jade discs are arranged according to mysterious patterns, subtly corresponding to the positions of the twelve constellations in the celestial sphere. At the very center of the platform, there is a massive main jade disc, far larger than the surrounding discs, with runes flowing continuously.

At this moment, twelve illusory figures of different shapes and extraordinary auras appeared on the twelve small jade plates. Among these twelve figures, eleven were translucent projections with flowing light, while only the middle-aged man standing in the main position, with a calm demeanor and deep eyes, presented a clear and solid physical appearance.

They are the twelve core members of the mysterious organization "Pantheon".

The middle-aged man at the head of the table looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Fellow practitioners, I'm sure you've all heard about what happened outside Longhua City. The immortals... have actually appeared. This proves that our long-term efforts have been in the right direction—the special items dropped by world-class event bosses do indeed contain the opportunity to create 'Ascensioners'."

He changed the subject, a hint of regret in his voice: "However, it is regrettable that this first successful ascension was not from within our Pantheon."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp voice rang out from a jade disc projection, filled with obvious resentment: "Hmph! I really don't know whose decision was wrong back then! Of all the world boss drops, why did they have to choose that 'Dragon Emperor's World-Shaking Book'! And what was the result? It has absolutely nothing to do with true immortal ascension!"

The projection of the Divine Calculator Demon, which was being accused, fluctuated and retorted indignantly: "Hey, you make it sound so easy. There were so many people competing for the BOSS's loot back then, and even those few real people were involved. It was already very difficult to get even one piece."

"Since you're so confident, how about you take on the next mission to seize the ascension item?"

"Hmph! I'll do it! It's better than some people who only criticize afterward!"

"Enough!" The middle-aged man at the head of the table said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time for mutual recrimination. Although the 'Dragon Emperor's Book of World-Shaking Techniques' is not a direct ascension tool, it has allowed us to comprehend three powerful legendary spells, which have made a significant contribution to the overall improvement of the organization's strength. The primary issue now is—since our lord is already aware of this matter, should we, and how should we, convey our lord's intentions to that newly ascended immortal, 'Hidden Moon Following the Wind'?"

A projection with a hoarse voice cautiously spoke up: "I think it's best not to act rashly. After all, the other party is an immortal, whose rank and strength are unknown. If we take the initiative to make contact, the risks are unpredictable."

Another member, whose voice was younger, held a different opinion: "I think the focus shouldn't be on making contact. According to my calculations, the next large-scale world event is very likely related to the 'Demon Star Tower.' The final boss of the Demon Star Tower has a very high probability of dropping 'Ascension Items' again. We must concentrate all our resources to ensure that next time... nothing goes wrong!"

While these official members were arguing, "Cicada Under the Tree," who was sitting next to the Divine Calculator and attending the meeting, was already experiencing a surge of emotions.

Hidden Moon with the Wind… He had almost forgotten this name, but after the last Ten Deadly Formations event, it came back to him clearly—wasn't that the person he had met briefly in the gloomy dungeon of the Xuanxu Palace? In a way, the two could be considered "friends in adversity." He never imagined that the seemingly ordinary player from back then would now have become a legendary immortal!

Unlike the other members who generally believed that Hidden Moon Follows the Wind achieved immortality through a core item dropped by a world boss, Cicada Under the Tree had a different guess. The key likely lies in that "Nameless Daoist Scripture"!
Wang Xie was the holder of the Nameless Dao Scripture, and the other party also possessed a fragment of the Nameless Dao Scripture at the time. Now, it was he who became an immortal... There must be some unknown connection between them!

He has now mastered most of the Nameless Dao Scripture, only the last volume, "The Heavenly Dao Chapter," is missing. Yin Yue Sui Feng must have the Heavenly Dao Chapter in his possession, which is why he was able to ascend to immortality!
The more I thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed, and I even felt a little resentful. If I had been a little luckier, I might have been the one to become an immortal!
'He must have stumbled upon the complete Nameless Dao Scripture by sheer chance, successfully comprehending it, which allowed him to ascend!' This thought grew clearer in his mind, even giving him a strong urge to immediately seek out Yin Yue Sui Feng and ask him for clarification. After all, they were acquaintances; perhaps the other would remember their past relationship and offer some guidance?

But in the end, reason prevailed over impulse. How precious was the opportunity to become an immortal? How could the other party easily bestow it upon him? He even maliciously speculated that if the other party knew that he was also secretly plotting to obtain the "Heavenly Dao Chapter," would he eliminate him directly to prevent a second immortal from threatening his transcendent status and to eliminate any future trouble? At least, if he were in that position, he might very well do the same.

You can know a person's face but not their heart. Who can truly see through the nature of that newly ascended immortal?

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Meanwhile, far away in Longhua Prefecture, in the tranquil village of Ginkgo, Xiao Jie was gathered with his three fellow immortals, Lin Xuance, Wu Qingyue, and Su Zhiqing, under an ancient ginkgo tree, sipping tea and recounting everything that had just happened outside Longhua City.

He briefly recounted what had happened and was immediately praised by the three men.

Lin Xuance clapped his hands in admiration, his eyes filled with appreciation: "Hahaha, wonderful! Fellow Daoist Suifeng's actions this time are indeed in line with the righteous path of our immortals! Defeating a powerful enemy without taking his life, displaying immortal might to stop the fighting, intimidating the army while showing compassion, he can be called a person of both benevolence and virtue, wisdom and courage. Such methods not only demonstrate the majesty of the immortals, but also avoid causing needless killings, which is the greatest good!"

The martial arts immortal Wu Qingyue also nodded in agreement, his voice booming: "Indeed! If it were a rough man like me, although I could also beat that Golden Dragon brat to a pulp, fists and feet have no eyes, and it would inevitably affect those around us, creating a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. Fellow Daoist Suifeng handled the matter so lightly, solving the problem while minimizing the negative impact. It was truly appropriate. I admire you!"

Xiao Jie quickly replied modestly, "Not at all, not at all. All three of you are highly accomplished and knowledgeable. If you were to take action, you would surely have your own profound methods and handle the situation much better than I could. I was merely doing my bit and going with the flow."

Upon hearing this, Su Zhiqing, the Myriad Dharma Sovereign, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, her eyes sparkling: "Fellow Daoist Suifeng, why be so modest? We left the secluded cultivation ground of Guyun Prefecture and descended to this chaotic mortal realm of the Nine Provinces in order to gather strength to deal with the unknown apocalyptic calamity and save all living beings. If we didn't have a bit of the heroic spirit and sense of responsibility to take on this task, how could we accomplish such a great undertaking to save the world from collapse?"

Her tone turned serious, with a hint of encouragement: "When the day comes that we have accomplished our mission, who in heaven and on earth can compare with the four of us in terms of our merit in saving the world? Let's not make such humble and modest remarks again. Otherwise, if even we ourselves dare not accept this merit, how can outsiders be convinced? How can we boast with a clear conscience... uh, I mean, encourage ourselves?"

Xiao Jie was taken aback at first, then chuckled to himself, thinking, "Well, that makes sense." He was used to the hypocritical and polite social interactions of mortals, but forgot that true immortals are often free-spirited and straightforward. Compared to the affected manner of mortals, they are more sincere and would never be hypocritical, pretentious, or self-deprecating.

Of course, the main reason is that they have the means to be so carefree.

In fact, his choice of such a "mild" approach was well-considered. At first glance, immortals seem to be truly lawless and unrestrained. However, the immortals of Guyun Prefecture prefer to live in seclusion rather than easily set foot in the mortal world, showing that even immortals have things they need to be wary of, the core of which lies in the two words "Heavenly Way" and "Cause and Effect".

Although Xiao Jie himself has yet to personally experience the direct punishment of the so-called "Heavenly Dao," he has already gained considerable experience of the troubles of being entangled in "karma." Since the senior immortals are so cautious and unwilling to easily get involved in trouble, he naturally wants to follow their example and act prudently to avoid accidentally stepping on a landmine. However, while there haven't been any problems with karma in the game yet, things might be different in reality.

"Let's call it a day." Xiao Jie stood up, cupped his hands to his three fellow cultivators, and said, "I have some personal matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave for now. We can meet again at this time tomorrow and discuss our next action plan in detail."

The group nodded in agreement. Saving the world was an immense undertaking, not something that could be accomplished overnight. But so far, the start had been quite smooth—the two crucial steps of quelling the rebellion in the underworld and unifying the human realm of the Nine Provinces had already shown initial results.

Lin Xuance asked astutely, "Judging from what Fellow Daoist Suifeng said, could it be that you've encountered some trouble?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet." Xiao Jie shook his head slightly. "It might not be trouble, but... there might be some blind fools who can't resist their curiosity or some other motive—and end up courting disaster." He spoke calmly, as if he were talking about something trivial that had nothing to do with him. "It's possible that I'm just overthinking it."

After bidding farewell to his three fellow cultivators, Xiao Jie found a quiet corner where no one would disturb him, and on a whim, he chose to exit the game.

The world before him trembled slightly, and the surrounding scenery—the ancient ginkgo trees, the distant village houses, the ethereal clouds—began to fade and disintegrate like a faded ink painting, transforming into countless flowing streams of data. Immediately afterward, a soft and pure white light enveloped his senses, as if he had traversed a brief time tunnel, and his body experienced a slight sense of weightlessness and detachment.

The next moment, the scene before him froze, transforming into the familiar interior walls of the game pod. He reached out and pushed open the pod door, and with a soft hiss, cool, slightly metallic-smelling air rushed into his nostrils. Xiao Jie lazily climbed out of the game pod, stood on the room floor, and stretched his somewhat stiff limbs.

"This flesh and blood body is such a hassle..." he muttered to himself. "Lying down for too long makes my blood and qi stagnate, and my limbs feel stiff." However, it was precisely these inconveniences that belonged to mortals that made him clearly feel his real existence as a "living person," a stark contrast to the ethereal and almost insensible state brought about by his previous pure immortal body. This feeling, unexpectedly, made him feel... very grounded.

"Huh? Brother Jie, you logged off so early?" Gu Feiyu's head peeked out from the crack in the door of the next bedroom, looking curious.

"Hmm, there are some things I need to confirm." Xiao Jie flexed his wrists. "Just now in the game, I was a little... high-profile. That might have attracted some unnecessary attention."

"High-profile? What did you do?" Gu Feiyu immediately became interested and crawled out of the room.

Xiao Jie then briefly recounted how he descended onto the battlefield as an immortal and quelled the war between the two countries with a mere gesture.

"While not many people know my true identity, there are still some. Right now, there are likely some eyes already watching me from the shadows." Xiao Jie's tone was calm, even carrying a hint of sarcasm. He wasn't too worried about it; in fact, he felt a faint sense of anticipation. If no one caused trouble, fine. But if some foolish individuals tried to test him, he wouldn't mind using them as practice, to experience firsthand how this immortal power would fare in the real world.

"Wow! Brother Jie, you did something so awesome without saying a word!" Gu Feiyu's eyes lit up as he listened, and he slapped his thigh hard. "It sounds amazing! What a pity, what a pity, I've been exploring maps and searching for immortal opportunities in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and I haven't been able to witness this scene in person. What a huge loss!"

Hearing Gu Feiyu's complaint, Xiao Jie realized what was going on: "If you want to see it, try searching on the game forums. There should already be players who have recorded videos. By the way, how's your search for your 'fate' going? Any leads?"

"Sigh, it's a long story..." Gu Feiyu immediately wilted, his head drooping. "I did have a fortuitous encounter, but it wasn't a celestial connection; it almost turned into a 'demonic one'! At first, I had a preconceived notion that I had met a reclusive immortal, but it turned out to be nothing but a bewitching evil god. I almost lost my life there. Luckily, I was quick-witted and reacted fast enough to scramble out of there, also managing to save an old man who was trapped with me."

He sighed and concluded, "It seems that encountering immortals isn't so easy. I'm going to change my strategy. I'll first visit the archives and libraries of various counties in the Nine Provinces to systematically collect a batch of ancient documents and mythological materials, and see if I can find any definite clues related to immortals, grottoes, or ascension. I'll first determine the location of the immortal's destiny on the map, and once I have a general direction, I'll conduct further in-depth exploration."

"Hmm, good idea. Go ahead and get busy." Xiao Jie nodded.

Gu Feiyu didn't leave immediately, but looked at Xiao Jie with some worry: "Brother Jie, the 'consequences' you just mentioned... could it be that someone in real life wants to cause you trouble?"

"Trouble?" Xiao Jie chuckled and shook his head. "Not really. Even the most foolish person, if they have a brain, wouldn't go so far as to directly cause trouble for a 'celestial being' like me. However... if some people think they're clever enough to secretly monitor, observe, or even test my limits, that's quite possible."

Based on Xiao Jie's understanding of human nature, his high-profile appearance as an "immortal" in the game would inevitably cause unrest among many forces and individuals in the real world. The countermeasures they might take are nothing more than a few: currying favor, trying to win them over, cautiously probing, secretly monitoring them, or potential hostility... Of course, they might also choose the wisest course of action, which is to avoid them as much as possible and never provoke them.

The very existence of immortals is a massive variable that disrupts existing understanding and the rules of balance. To avoid the potential troubles that may follow, Xiao Jie had already devised a countermeasure before deciding to reveal himself—a merciless "deterrence." If the other party showed even the slightest hostility, threat, or merely displeased him, he was prepared to punish them with swift and decisive action.

You need to make the other party understand exactly what kind of entity they are dealing with.

When I was an ordinary person, I was always constrained. Even though I knew some people were acting unethically, I was limited by laws, rules, and my own abilities, and often had to choose to endure it and pretend not to see it. Looking back, I don't know how many injustices I encountered and how much humiliation I suffered.

Now that he has ascended to the celestial realm and possesses power surpassing that of mortals, he naturally no longer needs to endure these things. Similarly, he will take this opportunity to make those harboring ulterior motives fully understand—he, Xiao Jie, this immortal walking among mortals, is not someone they can casually fathom, much less easily provoke!
Without another word, he walked straight to the center of the living room, sat cross-legged, and focused his mind. As he gradually entered a state of complete absorption and spiritual immersion, his powerful divine sense expanded slowly in all directions like mercury spilling onto the ground. Within a ten-mile radius, everything—from the bustling traffic on the streets to the mundane affairs of daily life in residential buildings, and even the slightest flutter of insects' wings in the grass—was captured and perceived by his vast spiritual awareness.

He secretly activated a profound immortal technique—Mind Reading and Spiritual Reflection. Although this technique could not directly read another person's specific thoughts, it could keenly sense whether the beings around him harbored malice, hostility, or ill intentions towards him. As soon as the slightest negative emotion arose against him, he could immediately and clearly sense its source and approximate intensity.

Time passed second by second, but Xiao Jie remained motionless, like an old monk in deep meditation.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, his expression complex, containing both a hint of satisfaction and a trace of undisguised...disappointment.

Under his spiritual perception and the probing of "spiritual resonance," everything around him was normal. There were no suspicious surveillance personnel present; it seemed those in power weren't stupid, at least not doing anything superfluous so far. Similarly, no player faction, having gained some game power, had become arrogant and dared to cause trouble nearby.

"What a pity..." Xiao Jie thought with some regret. He had been hoping for a chance to try his hand at immortal techniques and experience the specific effects and nuances of applying them in reality. It seemed that opportunity was not available for the time being.

However, the exposure of his immortal identity has only just happened. Just because it didn't happen today doesn't mean it won't happen in the future. Xiao Jie has a feeling that sooner or later, some foolish guy will appear by his side. He wants to see which foolish guy will be the first to offer up his head.

(End of this chapter)