Looking back, it was all like a fairyland.

At this glance, the man's eyes narrowed. Even now, there was still a hint of indifference in his pupils, and a smile at the corners of his mouth, but this smile did not reach his eyes.

"I apologize for my intrusion."

The man immediately bowed his head and apologized. Only then did he realize his impoliteness. They weren't familiar with each other, so the fact that he didn't turn around and leave after asking was a great deal of leniency. Su Mu was truly too mysterious, her incongruous presence, as if she were the center of the world yet lost in the crowd, made her even more bizarre.

Su Mu nodded in apology.

"Those people? I just overheard others saying that some called them 'Immortal Master,' some 'Your Excellency,' and some 'Immortal,' but all were respectful titles. Yet you used 'those people,' does that imply that you don't have much respect for them either?"

Faced with Su Mu's question, the man was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said confidently, "Of course!"

Not satisfied with that, he added, "Not only is there no respect, but there is utter disgust." His face contorted with revulsion. It was a disgust that couldn't be faked; a deep-seated contempt, as if mentioning these people was a sin.

"Oh?" Su Mu was somewhat surprised.

Judging from what happened just now, no one in this world is disrespectful to immortals.

Seemingly noticing Su Mu's surprise, the man chuckled, "I understand your surprise. After all, people like us are rare. But how can anyone in this world be liked by everyone? Even an immortal couldn't."

"However, there's a reason for my dislike. I wonder if you dare to hear it."

The man kept staring at Su Mu, trying to find some sign of realization or some other sign on her face. However, to his disappointment, there was no sign at all.

"What's there to be afraid of? But speaking of which, you yourself are a cultivator, aren't you? Disliking other immortals usually stems from the same reasons: personal grudges? Or opposing factions?" Su Mu didn't care, but he could clearly see that the disgust in this person's eyes was genuine.

"Uh..." The person choked for a moment.

He hadn't expected this person to guess it so quickly. Furthermore, how did he know he was an immortal cultivator? This person was truly too mysterious. Like a flower in the fog, a mirrored flower in the water, the entire person was shrouded in mystery. Clearly just a mortal? Was he a mortal?

Now he wasn't sure.

That faint sense of transcendence made him seem even more like an immortal than himself. Once this thought appeared in his mind, he couldn't stop.

Su Mu waited quietly for the next words from the other side.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps a few breaths, or even longer—the man sighed and said, "Since you want to know, I will tell you. Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you."

"The high status of cultivators in this world is not without reason. First and foremost, it stems from their immense power. No matter where you are, those with great strength are always respected, regardless of the source of that strength: wealth, power, or sheer force."

"And another reason is... the demon."

Cultivation is the mainstream practice in this world, but it's not the only one. To maintain this respect, one needs to cultivate an opponent. This opponent cannot be too weak, nor too strong. Therefore, the top immortal sects have set their sights on demons.

"These beings, who crawled out of the abyss, were cruel and bloodthirsty, hating all living things, devouring them alive, and delighting in human flesh. These monsters were given the name 'demon.'"

"The abyss is endless, and the demons crawling out of it seem endless as well. And there's a crucial reason: these demons can influence the greed, anger, and ignorance of cultivators, causing them to become abnormal. This is something the top sects cannot accept."

"With the two of them working together, the Abyss Valley became their target."

"Don't you think there's anything wrong with this?" The man chuckled.

"Then you are unaware of something. At first, it was all good; mortals praised cultivators, and cultivators vanquished demons, restoring peace and order to the world."

"But the demons are said to be endless, yet the abyss is inherently treacherous; how many can actually climb out?"

"When the supply of demonic energy couldn't meet the demand, and it could no longer harm the world, the goals of those immortal sects changed. Having already enjoyed their lofty position, how could they possibly accept descending to the mortal realm, even just a little?"

"But if demons have vanished from the world, how can it be maintained?"

"Creating a demon." Su Mu understood upon hearing this and said subconsciously.

"That's right, they created demons. The world has always been controlled by a few top-tier immortal sects. Whoever they say is a demon... that person is a demon." The man said this through gritted teeth.

Now Su Mu knew where this man's disgust came from.

"They label everything that disobeys, everything that dares to defy them, as demons. Then comes the endless crusade. You don't even have a chance to defend yourself."

"And I, or we... since they want to portray us as demons, then let us be demons."

Su Mu looked at the person in front of her. His spiritual energy was mixed with traces of black air, but his spiritual platform was clear and bright, not polluted by the evil spirit. This evil spirit was more of a means than an infection.

"So you yourselves have been infected by demonic energy."

Su Mu saw through the other party.

"Who exactly are you?" It's not a pleasant feeling to be seen through, especially by someone you know absolutely nothing about.

"It seems you infected yourselves, all to fight those cultivators? You really went all out." Su Mu spoke to herself, revealing what the other party was unwilling to say.

Seeing that Su Mu didn't answer.

The man frowned, a trace of imperceptible annoyance flashed in his pupils, and then was torn apart and suppressed.

It seems that there is some impact, but the person in front of me has very strong self-control.

"Since you're unwilling to tell me, then let's just treat it as a story." After Qingming Festival, that person no longer cared who Su Mu was. Enough has been said.

He glanced at Su Mu, said goodbye, and left.

The many eyes that had been fixed on Su Mu also shifted away, heading towards the city. Their target, of course, wasn't Su Mu; from the very beginning, it had been those cultivators. Their motive wasn't particularly important. Their words to Su Mu were meant to keep her out of their way. After all, someone as unfathomable as Su Mu could cause unpredictable changes in their plans.

Another reason was to test Su Mu's attitude. If Su Mu had shown even the slightest bit of disgust, these people would have attacked without hesitation.

But Su Mu didn't, and they wouldn't create unnecessary trouble.

So this kind of conversation without beginning or end took place.