A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm

"You can say whatever you want to me, but he's still our eldest brother, so make sure you don't speak about him like that in public. Several centuries ago, Zhanfeng was sent to the Black Water Mountain Range of the Black River Region, and he eradicated all of the bandits that had laid claim to the area for many years.

“As a reward, Father granted him control over the priests. That on its own wouldn't be a significant development, but it's becoming more and more difficult to glean Father's thoughts of late," Shi Pokong said.

"There's no need to worry, Pokong. All this time that I spent in the True Immortal Realm hasn't gone to waste," Shi Chuankong said with a smile.

He swept a sleeve through the air as he spoke, and a silver lute appeared amid a flash of silver light.

"Is that the Virata Lute?" Shi Pokong asked as his eyes lit up slightly.

"That's right!" Shi Chuankong confirmed with a smile before offering the lute to Shi Pokong.

"What are you doing, Chuankong?" Shi Pokong asked.

"Zhanfeng isn't the only one who can appease our father! The Virata Lute is one of the most powerful treasures of our realm, and now that it's been recovered, Father will for sure be ecstatic. If you offer up the lute to him tomorrow, you'll definitely be rewarded!" Shi Chuankong replied with a smile.

Shi Pokong stared at the Virata Lute for a moment, then pushed it away in a decisive fashion as he shook his head and said, "You were the one who recovered the Virata Lute, so you should be the one to present it to our father. I'm not so inept that I have to take your accolades and claim them as my own."

"Pokong, what's mine is yours, don't be so stubborn! What point is there for me to present the Virata Lute to our father? It would be nothing but a complete waste!" Shi Chuankong protested.

"In all these years that you've been away, Father has mentioned you quite frequently, so I can tell that he thinks quite highly of you. On top of that, you're also a prince, so I don't think you should give up your claim to the position of successor so early," Shi Pokong said with a smile.

"What are you talking about? I traveled to the True Immortal to search for the Virata Lute for your sake, and I've never even thought about claiming the position of successor for myself!" Shi Chuankong exclaimed.

"Don't think too lightly of yourself, Chuankong. You've managed the Vast Origin House extremely effectively over the years, and Father has been very pleased with you. You may be lacking in some areas, but you're a very fast learner, so if Father displays intentions of nurturing you, don't refuse. After all, you and I are in the same camp, so I'll also be very happy if you can earn more of our father's approval," Shi Pokong said.

Shi Chuankong was silent for a moment before asking, "Did something happen?

"No, don't overthink it. It's just that I was struck by some enlightenment recently, and I realized that while striving for the throne is important, there's no need to obsess over it. Instead, it's better to just go with the flow sometimes," Shi Pokong replied with a placid smile.

A surprised look appeared on Shi Chuankong's face upon hearing this.

Shi Pokong appeared to have quite a mellow personality, but he had previously expressed a very high degree of yearning for the throne, and it was no exaggeration to say that this was a lifelong pursuit of his.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. It's just that I made some progress in my cultivation base recently, and my mental state has also changed a little as a result," Shi Pokong reassured with a faint smile.

"Have you already reached the Great Encompassment Stage?" Shi Chuankong exclaimed in an ecstatic voice.

"Not yet. The Great Encompassment Stage is not so easy to reach, but I've definitely taken a step in the right direction," Shi Pokong replied.

Shi Chuankong wasn't disappointed at all to hear this.

He knew how prodigious a cultivator Shi Pokong was better than anyone else, and he was confident that Shi Pokong wasn't far away from the Great Encompassment Stage.

"I'll still do everything in my power to become the successor, but don't focus your efforts on helping me anymore, and certainly don't go taking such massive risks in the future. Think about how distraught our mother would be on the other side if something were to happen to you," Shi Pokong sighed.

A look of melancholy appeared on Shi Chuankong's face upon hearing this.

"In any case, it's fantastic that you've returned safe and sound," Shi Pokong said with a wide smile, quickly changing the subject, and a smile reappeared on Shi Chuankong's face as well.

"What have you been up to all these years?" Shi Pokong asked.

Shi Chuankong took a moment to collect his thoughts, then gave Shi Pokong a recount of his adventures in the True Immortal Realm.

He spoke about the search for the True Mantra Sect ruins, the descent into the Gray Realm, the eventual escape, and the journey from the Ten Hazards Mountain Range to Night Sun City.

In order to try and put Shi Pokong at ease, he glossed over all of the close calls that he had, but even so, the disapproval in Shi Pokong's eyes only grew more and more pronounced as he listened to the story.

"In the end, we were able to kill Daoist Master Bone Shine before entering the Night Sun Domain, and here we are in Night Sun City," Shi Chuankong concluded.

The journey had been fraught with peril and close encounters with death, yet as Shi Chuankong spoke about it now, it was as if he were giving a recount of something that had taken place a very long time ago.

"I didn't think your journey to the True Immortal Realm would be so eventful. While it's good that you were able to experience so much, you placed yourself in far too much danger. You are a prince of our race, so make sure you don't ever put yourself in harm's way like that again," Shi Pokong scolded with a stern expression.

Shi Chuankong nodded in response.

Even though this journey had been extremely perilous, it was also one that was filled with spectacular and exciting memories.

As a prince, he had grown up his entire life under the protection of those around him, and he didn't know if he would ever get to go on such a riveting adventure again.

"That Li Feiyu is certainly an exceptional talent. Not only has he mastered the laws of time, he possesses power far beyond his cultivation base. On top of that, it sounds like he greatly cherishes friendships, so make sure to remain on good terms with him. Perhaps he'll be of great use to you in the future," Shi Pokong said.

"Brother Li and I have been through a lot together, and I have full trust in him. By the way, what are you planning to do about the Black Weasel King? In order to leave Black Weasel City, I had no choice but to accept some of his requests. I hope that hasn't caused any trouble for you," Shi Chuankong said.

The Ten Hazards were enemies of the devilish empire, so if the other princes were to acquire evidence of their collusion with the Black Weasel King, then that would be a major problem.

"Of course not. It's a good thing that you were able to forge an alliance with a Great Encompassment cultivator. The Black Weasel King has actually already sent someone to contact me, but he's a very cunning man, and I'm unable to see through his objectives for now," Shi Pokong replied with a thoughtful expression, and Shi Chuankong heaved a faint sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Seeing as you've already overcome your baleful decay, you should focus on your cultivation and consolidate your cultivation base. I've already arranged for you to enter the Moon God Altar, and you can go in in seven days. Try and reach the High Zenith Stage before Father comes out of seclusion," Shi Chuankong said.

"Father's in seclusion again?" Shi Chuankong asked with a surprised expression.

"That's right. Recently, Father has been going into seclusion more and more frequently, and no one knows what he's up to," Shi Pokong replied.

"That's rather strange," Shi Chuankong mused as his brows furrowed slightly.

"I'm sure Father can take care of himself. You must be quite weary after such a long journey. Go and have a good rest," Shi Pokong said with a smile.

Shi Chuankong rose to his feet upon hearing this, then turned to the Virata Lute beside him, but before he had a chance to say anything, Shi Pokong declared in a decisive voice, "I already told you that you recovered the lute, so you should be the one to present it to our father. According to what you've told me, our father already knows that you were the one who recovered the lute, so if I were to present it to him, that would only raise his ire."

Shi Chuankong was silent for a moment, then heaved a faint sigh before stowing the Virata Lute away and leaving the hall.

Meanwhile, Shi Pokong remained seated in the room, and he looked on with a warm smile as Shi Chuankong departed.

Moments later, a serpentine black shadow suddenly emerged from his shadow on the ground, and quickly transformed into that purple-robed young man from before.

However, this appeared to only be an avatar, and it wasn't giving off any aura fluctuations.

"Your Highness, I've already arranged for Fellow Daoist Li to stay in the Long Pavilion Garden," the purple-robed young man reported as he fell to one knee.

"That man may be a friend of Chuankong's, but he's still from the Immortal Realm, and we don't know what his objectives are, so make sure to keep a close eye on him. He's far more powerful than his cultivation base suggests, so take care not to blow your cover around him," Shi Pokong instructed.

"Yes, Your Highness," the purple-robed young man replied, then vanished back into Shi Pokong's shadow.

Shi Pokong remained in the hall for a while longer, then quickly departed.

……

There was a courtyard deep within Shi Pokong's manor that was complete with pavilions, pagodas, gardens, and flowing water, and it was even better constructed than many of the immortal gardens in the True Immortal Realm.

This was the place that Shi Pokong had arranged for Han Li to stay. There were special restrictions around the entire courtyard that were constantly pumping large quantities of spiritual power into the courtyard.

Inside one of the rooms deep within the courtyard, Han Li was seated with his legs crossed, and streaks of light of different colors were shooting out of his sleeves before descending around the room, creating four or five layers of restrictions.

Only after all of those restrictions were in place did Han Li conjure up a door of silver light, and he stepped into it to arrive in the Flower Branch domain.

He paid a visit to Weeping Soul to inspect her condition, but there were no improvements.

Han Li heaved an internal sigh upon seeing this. There was no way for him to treat Weeping Soul's condition, and he could only hope that Shi Chuankong would be able to recruit the services of the grand priest.

With that in mind, a concerned look appeared on his face.

At the moment, things were extremely complex and sensitive in Night Sun City. All of the princes and princesses were constantly plotting against one another, and he could easily be swept up in this mess if he weren't careful.

Even though he was currently good friends with Shi Chuankong, he didn't want to become entangled in all of this. However, he had already slain several trusted subordinates of the other princes and princesses to protect Shi Chuankong, so it most likely wasn't going to be easy for him to remain a passive bystander.