Absolute Destiny Game.

Chapter 597 Mad Immortal
The passage before him was pitch black, as if even light had been completely swallowed up. As soon as Xiao Jie entered, he was immediately plunged into an absolute, chilling darkness, as if he were in a special space isolated from the world, with endless nothingness and inky blackness in all directions.

Xiao Jie was startled. As an immortal, his perception had long surpassed the boundaries of the mortal realm. He didn't just observe his surroundings with his eyes; his spiritual sense was constantly detecting all energy fluctuations, material composition, and spatial structure around him like radar. Logically speaking, ordinary darkness, even the deepest abyss where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face, should be as clear as day in his spiritual perception.

However, at this moment, his spiritual consciousness seemed to have vanished without a trace, extending outwards only to return to emptiness and deathly silence, as if shielded or absorbed by some invisible force. This situation was far from what one would expect to see within an ordinary living being; it was more like entering some kind of man-made or naturally formed special space, an independent secret realm.

"Could it be that the giant Kun, seemingly honest but actually treacherous, is setting a trap for me?" A thought flashed through Xiao Jie's mind. But he immediately glanced at the mission description still clearly displayed in his field of vision—[Pest Extermination Operation]. The existence of the system mission, to some extent, was a guarantee, representing the "legitimacy" of this mission and the "authenticity" of the giant Kun's request.

"It's alright, since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. At worst, I can use the Escape Technique to teleport away if necessary. I've also dabbled in several escape techniques among the immortal arts, so I should be able to save my life," Xiao Jie thought to himself.

As the saying goes, skill breeds daring. Since becoming an immortal, possessing superhuman strength and a near-immortal celestial body, Xiao Jie has developed a sense of unbridled fearlessness. He feels more of a desire to explore the unknown than fear of it.

He steadied himself and, guided by a faint, unseen sense, slowly flew into the darkness ahead. However, the further he flew, the more astonished he became. Even with his current immortal-level speed, in this cautious exploration mode, he could cover thousands of meters in the blink of an eye. Yet, after flying for quite some time, he found himself surrounded by pure, impenetrable darkness, as if this space had no end.

“This giant Kun is clearly less than a thousand meters long. From its external observation, the straight-line distance from its mouth to its stomach is definitely limited. How could it be so long? Is space distorted? Or is it…” Xiao Jie was filled with doubts and gained a deeper understanding of the giant Kun’s strangeness.

Fortunately, the darkness didn't last long. After a short while, a tiny point of light suddenly appeared in the far distance ahead. As he continued flying, the point of light rapidly expanded, eventually transforming into a bright and open exit. Xiao Jie's spirits lifted, and he accelerated, finally emerging from that oppressive darkness.

Xiao Jie felt a sense of relief, as if he had seen the light of day again. However, when he steadied himself and saw the scene before him clearly, he was once again taken aback, and his pupils involuntarily contracted.

What lay before them was not the flesh and blood, the writhing lining, or the lake of digestive fluids inside a monster's stomach as one might imagine. Instead, it was an extremely vast, boundless "sea"! The inky blue "seawater" rippled gently, and one could even see some strange, faintly fluorescent "fish" swimming within it. The sky was not azure, but a strange, dark red, like congealed blood, resembling the eternal afterglow of a sunset, yet without the sun present. A clear, distant cry, like that of a seagull, echoed in the air. Further away, under the hazy, blood-red light, a lush, clearly defined "island" could even be seen!
"Where have I gotten myself into?" Xiao Jie rubbed his eyes, almost thinking he was hallucinating. "Did I just walk inside the giant Kun's body and then come out from behind it? No, that's not right, the direction is wrong..."

He forced himself to calm down and carefully observed his surroundings. Soon, he noticed something amiss. The dark red of the sky wasn't a sunset at all. With his enhanced Eagle Eye technique, he could clearly see that the "sky" was actually a slightly pulsating, dark red membrane covered with thick blood vessels and neural networks, forming the "sky" of this strange world! The "seawater" wasn't ordinary seawater either; it was a deeper color and emitted an indescribable, strange odor, a mixture of fishy saltiness and the smell of fermentation from some kind of organism. And the distant "island," upon closer inspection, had an extremely peculiar composition. It seemed to be a massive aggregate of countless huge rocks, the stark white skeletons of unknown creatures, and tangled algae, rather than natural soil and vegetation.

"Have I ended up inside the giant Kun's stomach? Or rather, in some special chamber within its body?" Xiao Jie suddenly realized, and then an indescribable shock surged through him. "Good heavens, this thing is really extraordinary! It actually has its own world inside! Although it's not large in scale and the rules seem incomplete, it truly is 'a universe within a universe,' a world unto itself!"

He suddenly felt a surge of interest: "This must be one of the giant Kun's innate divine abilities, right? An inner cave heaven? Or some kind of natural application of the laws of space? Just for this strange divine ability, I must complete this insect-removal mission! If I can learn this divine ability, it will be of great use in the future."

He suppressed his excitement and began to perform his "insect-removal" duty, scanning the strange sea surface, searching for the so-called "little insects" that were tormenting the giant Kun. Before he could search carefully, a muffled rumble of thunder suddenly came from above the distant skeletal seaweed island, immediately catching his attention.

Suddenly, a thick, inky thundercloud appeared out of nowhere above the small island! The thundercloud, about a hundred feet in diameter, resembled a giant stain hovering over the island. Moisture from the surrounding sea was visibly rising and gathering within the thundercloud, causing it to slowly expand. Electricity crackled and hissed within. With another deafening roar, a torrential downpour of rain, as large as beans, poured down like a celestial river, engulfing the entire island.

"It's magic!" Xiao Jie immediately realized that the thunderclouds were not formed naturally. They contained obvious traces of magical power being guided, and this magical power was extremely pure and powerful! Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he dared not be negligent. He hurriedly circulated his spiritual energy and used an invisibility spell. His figure and aura instantly blended into the surrounding environment, and he silently floated towards the island.

From afar, he saw a figure in the torrential rain beneath the thunderclouds, seemingly taking a bath in the downpour.
It was a rather disheveled "wild man," wearing trousers with tattered legs that barely covered his body, and a worn-out Taoist robe stained with dirt and whose original color was no longer discernible. The sleeves of the robe were casually tied at the waist, the rest hanging loose, revealing a pale but lean upper body with clearly defined muscles. He vigorously scrubbed his body with rainwater while singing loudly, his voice piercing through the rain with a desolate and eerie rhythm:

"In the past, there was a furnace that refined all living beings, and all creatures withered and turned into dust."

A lone boat drifts on the dark sea, a broken body clinging to the roots of heaven and earth.

Looking up at the crimson sky, there is no sun or moon; looking down at the dark water, there are no fish or insects.

The four seasons are disordered, time stands still, and the years pass by unnoticed.

I do not wish to live on wind and dew; with only my shadow for company, who will be my confidant?
Even if one possesses supernatural powers to move mountains, it cannot fill the deep loneliness in one's heart.

My hatred for the sea and my hatred for heaven have not died; let no demons or monsters invade my territory!
If any madman dares to test my blade, I will teach you a lesson that will shatter your bones!
Burning the heavens and boiling the seas is as easy as snapping one's fingers; splitting the universe and dividing stars is as commonplace as scattering them!
What is there to fear if we perish together? We'll laugh and get drunk with Yama, the King of Hell, in the netherworld!
Alas, my fate is cruel and unfortunate! Alas, my destiny is bitter and unkind! I sing a long lament, my tears and blood exhausted, yet this will remains to illuminate the world!

The song was incredibly mournful, filled with a sense of despair about the end times and the annihilation of all things, as well as a profound loneliness that penetrated to the bone, making listeners unable to help but shed tears and feel compassion.

Yet, amidst the sorrow, there is also a hint of hysterical madness, especially in the last few lines, which reveal a naked murderous intent and destructive tendency, sending chills down one's spine.

Xiao Jie listened to the song, but did not shed a tear. Instead of marveling at the song's power, he felt a jolt of alarm in his heart, and his emotions were extremely tense.

There was no other reason than that he clearly saw the name that appeared above the person's head.

Ma Yuan (Hun Yuan Immortal): Level 92 Earth Immortal, Health Points: ???

"A level 92 immortal?! And a mere Earth Immortal at that!" Xiao Jie gasped inwardly. An Earth Immortal was someone who surpassed ordinary Loose Immortals and True Immortals, a figure who had already entered the inner sanctum of the immortal system; their strength was far beyond that of ordinary immortals. Of all the immortals Xiao Jie had ever seen, only Shenjizi, a Celestial Immortal, was clearly stronger than this person. And the most crucial point was that this guy had a red name (indicating a negative reputation)!

It's a monster, damn it.

Xiao Jie felt utterly humiliated, a thousand curses running through his mind. He'd only come to visualize an avatar and do a simple pest control task, how did he inexplicably encounter this thing? A level 92 Earth Immortal hiding inside a giant Kun, taking a bath and singing? What a joke on the immortal realm!
Could it be... that he's the 'little bug' the giant Kun was talking about? A bizarre and terrifying thought popped into my head. No wonder even the giant Kun couldn't do anything about him. Damn it, I'm not doing this job anymore!

Although he was an immortal, theoretically possessing an immortal spiritual body, it was only theoretical. His opponent was a level 92 Earth Immortal; their cultivation level, understanding of the laws, and depth of immortal power likely far surpassed his own as a newly ascended immortal. If they were to actually fight, his current level of cultivation might actually result in him being killed on the spot and his immortal spirit dissipating! He didn't want to risk his life to test whether the resurrection mechanism of immortals was reliable.

If you can't afford to offend them, then avoid them! Xiao Jie made a quick decision to retreat silently, as if he had never been there. He carefully maintained his invisibility and slowly retreated, preparing to get away from this place of trouble.

However, he had only retreated less than ten meters when a cold, rough hand, containing terrifying power, suddenly and without warning slammed onto his shoulder like a ghost!
Xiao Jie felt a chill run down his spine, and the hairs on his body almost stood on end! As an immortal, his spiritual sense was constantly projected, and his perception of his surroundings was extremely acute. How could someone have silently gotten behind him? And even touched his body before he noticed? This was simply unbelievable!

He turned around abruptly and saw a face with disheveled hair that covered most of its features. Through the messy hair, a pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes, yet also somewhat murky and crazed, were staring intently at him.

Who else could it be but Ma Yuan, singing loudly in the torrential rain on the island?!
"Damn it, what the hell? Teleportation? Or some profound immortal technique I've never heard of before?" Xiao Jie cursed inwardly, but quickly forced a gentle smile onto his face, while secretly channeling all his immortal power, becoming extremely vigilant.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist! I am an immortal from Guyun Prefecture, with the Daoist name Yinyue Suifeng. I have stumbled upon this place by chance. If I have caused any disturbance, please forgive me!"

"Hehe, hehehe, hee hee hee, hahahaha!" Ma Yuan did not respond to his polite words, but instead let out a series of incomprehensible, unpredictable, and neurotic grotesque laughs. The laughter was initially low like the hooting of a night owl, then turned into a sharp and piercing chuckle, as if he had discovered something extremely interesting; finally, it transformed into a deafeningly loud laugh, filled with long-suppressed violence and an almost liberating excitement, shaking the surrounding blood-red "seawater" into ripples.

The eerie laughter sent chills down Xiao Jie's spine. He thought to himself, "Damn it, this guy is definitely a lunatic! The kind who's mentally unstable!"
"Fellow Daoist? What fellow Daoist? You think you can fool me?" Ma Yuan stopped laughing, tilted his head, and looked Xiao Jie up and down with his crazed eyes. His tone was full of sarcasm and disdain. "You plagued immortal puppet, do you think you can fool me by pretending to be a living person and spouting a few immortal pleasantries? Tell me, how did you find this place? Did 'they' send you? Or did you sniff it out yourself?"

A Celestial Puppet? What's that? Xiao Jie was stunned, completely unable to understand what the other party was saying. But he knew that reasoning with a powerful Earth Immortal who was clearly mentally unstable was probably pointless.

"Fellow Daoist is joking. What immortal puppet? I really don't know!" Xiao Jie tried to explain, his tone becoming more sincere. "I really stumbled into this place by accident. If I have offended you in any way, I will leave immediately and will never disturb your cultivation again!" As he spoke, he made a move to retreat again.

"Trying to leave? Hahahaha!" Ma Yuan's face suddenly turned fierce, his eyes revealing murderous intent. "Since you're here, how can I let you go? Are you going to bring people to capture me? You think you can take away this hard-won spiritual energy of mine so easily?"

Xiao Jie knew things were going badly. Before the other party could finish speaking, his immortal power erupted instantly, and his figure was like an arrow shot from a powerful bow, retreating rapidly to try to create distance.

(End of this chapter)