Longevity Candle

Chapter 35 It turns out, the world is vast.
The sacred mountain remains frozen solid year-round.

An invisible, mysterious force enveloped this place.

A young girl dressed in white with fair skin sat cross-legged inside a palace.

Li Yaoyao climbed the mountain but did not find any bodies on it.

She arrived at the palace, removed the sword case, and went inside.

The girl was slightly taken aback, looking at her in surprise: "You're not a Taoist immortal?"

Immortal masters and Taoist practitioners cannot wantonly slaughter mortals.

But the person before me is a pure martial artist from the Jianghu!

No wonder he killed so many people on the grasslands and remained conscious, without suffering any backlash from heaven and earth.

"Where is that group of soldiers from nine years ago?" Yao Yao asked.

“They left long ago, and I did not kill them,” the girl said.

Where did they go?

The girl said, "They went towards the Great Qian Dynasty. As for whether they returned to the Great Qian Dynasty, you'll have to ask in Zhenbei City."

Yao Yao frowned: "I will go."

"I've given you the information you wanted. You've slaughtered so many people on the grasslands; you should give the grasslands an explanation." The girl's eyes turned cold.

“I warned them, and they were the ones who struck first. Besides, I only killed the people who attacked me.” Yao Yao’s eyes were equally cold.

"It seems you have no intention of giving an explanation," the girl said coldly. "I have protected the grasslands for three hundred years, and you are the first outsider to dare to ascend the sacred mountain!"

"Three hundred years?" Yao Yao paused slightly. "You've lived for three hundred years?"

"To have cultivated martial arts to this level, yet you are unaware of the Daoist masters? Fine, I can still bear the karma of killing a mere martial artist like you."

The girl found it unbelievable, but she didn't want to bother trying to understand a mortal. A vast pressure surged out and pressed down on Yao Yao.

puff
Suddenly, a mouthful of blood spurted from the girl's mouth, and the terrifying pressure vanished instantly. She looked at Yaoyao in horror: "How is this possible?"

But then, golden light surged within Yao Yao's body, forming a halo behind her head.

The Golden Wheel of Merit?

How does a martial arts practitioner in the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) accumulate merit?
She could kill a martial artist without consequence, but even if a martial artist with a body full of merit were to be killed by the spirit behind her, she would be unable to kill him.

"You seem very afraid of this golden light?" Yao Yao pointed her fingers into a sword shape, and the Seven Star Divine Sword was drawn from its sheath, also radiating brilliant golden light, hovering on both sides of her.

She drew her longsword again, which also gleamed with the golden light of merit.

The girl fell silent. No matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn't understand where the person in front of her had gotten his merits.

She has protected the grasslands for three hundred years and has done good deeds, but most of them have been transformed into magical power. The little bit left is really not as good as the golden light of merit on Yaoyao's body.

A person with a body full of merit, committing massacres on the grasslands?

Good heavens, are you blind?

Martial arts master?

That's true. Mundane battles have nothing to do with merit.

"Having lived for three hundred years, why are you so young?" Yao Yao asked. "And what are Immortal Masters and Daoists?"

The girl was too young, even younger than her.

She wanted a way to stay young so that her mother could stay with her forever, and the population of Peach Blossom Village would not decrease.

"You know nothing, so where did you get your merits?" the girl frowned.

She wasn't afraid; at worst, she would just run away and ignore this freak.

“I know an older brother, and he gave it to me,” Yao Yao said. “Now it’s your turn to answer me.”

The girl was stunned. Who would be so extravagant as to bestow so much merit upon a mortal?
She took a deep breath and said, "There are spirits in the world who are immortal and can bestow magical power upon people, guiding them onto the path of immortality and making them immortal masters."

"Elves? Immortals?" Yao Yao's eyes shone brightly: "How do I find them? Are immortal masters like you?" "Immortal masters have long lifespans and their appearance ages slowly. I have a lifespan of a thousand years, and I am only three hundred and fifty-two years old now." The girl said: "I was blessed by the Eternal Heaven, favored by the Holy Mountain, and chosen by the White Wolf King to become a holy maiden and enter the path of immortality."

"Then could you ask the White Wolf King to allow me to enter the path of immortality?" Yao Yao asked.

“Impossible. The White Wolf King only favors the people of the grasslands, and besides, you don’t have the talent for immortality,” the girl shook her head.

"No talent for immortality?" Yao Yao was stunned.

"However, in your Qian Kingdom, there once appeared a sword immortal named Ayan. She was just as powerful as you, and she never aged."

The young woman said that she knew a lot about the affairs of the Qian Kingdom, especially those near the north.

"Ayan?" Yaoyao murmured, "How should I find her?"

"That's your problem," the girl said. "What does the one who bestowed merit upon you look like?"

"What's the use of this merit?" Yao Yao asked.

"Immortal masters and Taoist spirits, when you do good deeds and protect all living beings, you will receive merit from heaven and earth, which can enhance your magical power and martial arts. Your luck will become extremely good. Immortal masters and Taoist spirits, as well as mountain and sea spirits, cannot harm you."

The girl sighed, "If I were to attack you, I would surely suffer a backlash from heaven and earth."

“I understand. You don’t dare to lay a hand on me, so you’re making peace.” Yao Yao nodded, her eyes sparkling.

The girl's heart tightened: "What do you want to do? Even if I can't attack you, you can't kill me."

"I want to know, what exactly are the abilities of the Mountain and Sea Spirits and you Immortal Masters?" Yao Yao asked.

"To command wind and rain, to move mountains and fill seas, to change the world, to ride the clouds and mist, to eat the rosy clouds and drink the dew, and to live a long life," the girl said.

"So, is the current severe drought in Qian Kingdom your doing?" Yao Yao's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

“I can’t do that. Immortal masters and Taoists cannot slaughter mortals at will and create natural disasters. It will create jobs and damage cultivation. That’s what your Qian Kingdom’s emperor brought upon himself.”

"You asked for it?"

"Your Qian Kingdom has a Qingjiang River. Has it ever flooded?"

"That's true. The floods have submerged many villages. What does that have to do with the Emperor of Qian?"

"The Emperor of Qian Kingdom sought immortality and found the spirits of the Qingjiang River. At the same time, a large army entered the grasslands to besiege and kill the spirits on our grasslands. The spirits are gods born of heaven and earth. He angered the heavens and suffered the backlash, which is why we have this natural disaster today."

"Will killing elves cause natural disasters?"

“He’s not like you, with merit protecting him,” the girl said enviously. “If he had your merit, he could offset his karma with it.”

Yao Yao frowned upon hearing this: "Does having merit allow one to kill elves and immortal masters?"

"Didn't you see it for yourself?" the girl said. "You still haven't told me what the person who gave you merit looks like."

"I met her when I was young, it was so long ago, I can't remember clearly," Yao Yao said calmly.

The girl glared at her and sneered, "You sword demon are indeed dishonest. Remember this, my name is Xue. When you die of old age, I will go to your grave and laugh for three days."

After saying that, her body turned into a snowflake and disappeared.

Yao Yao stared in shock at the scene, completely unaware of how she had disappeared.

It turns out that this world is vast, and there are spirits of mountains and seas, immortal masters and Taoist practitioners.

Carrying her sword case, she descended the sacred mountain, ignoring the grassland army, and headed towards the Qian Kingdom. She wanted to continue searching for her father and also inquire about Ayan's situation.

She wanted to be as ageless as Ayan, and she wanted everyone in Peach Blossom Village to live forever.

Snow can live for a thousand years; that's an incredibly long time.

On the sacred mountain, Xue gazed at the departing Yao Yao and murmured softly, "Who in this world can resist the temptation of immortality? Peach Blossom Sword Demon, you will walk the path to death on your own."

Although Yao Yao possessed profound merit, it was far from enough to offset the karma of killing the spirits!
That was a divine punishment that no country could bear!

Moreover, she can't kill elves.

(End of this chapter)