Chapter 616: Immortals Descend to the Mortal World Over Several Lifetimes

At that moment, Songlun also performed a deep bow towards the distant figure. As Ji Yuan and the distant figure returned the gesture, Songlun paused for two breaths before slowly straightening up.

"Mr. Ji," Songlun introduced quietly, "that is my master, Zhong Pingxiu. He resides permanently on the barren and desolate Boundless Mountain."

A calm voice gently drifted from the mountain. "I have long admired your name, Mr. Ji. Zhong Pingxiu has been awaiting your arrival here on Boundless Mountain for a long time!"

"Fellow Daoist Zhong, I have also long admired yours!"

As the cloud carrying Songlun descended, Ji Yuan and Zhong Pingxiu were able to observe each other up close for the first time.

In Ji Yuan's eyes, Zhong Pingxiu wore a fitted dark grey robe, his long white hair unbound by a topknot. His complexion was rosy, showing no signs of age; he appeared simultaneously middle-aged and youthful, looking much younger than his disciple, Songlun. In Zhong Pingxiu's eyes, Ji Yuan wore a wide-sleeved green robe with his long hair tied in a small topknot, adorned only by an ink-jade hairpin. His pale eyes were devoid of spirit or ripple, as if they had seen through all worldly affairs.

The two were similar in stature, and their mutual appraisal lasted only a few breaths before Zhong Pingxiu gestured with his hand.

"Boundless Mountain has no pavilions or towers, but since it's raining today, I invite you, sir, to my dwelling within the mountain's belly for a talk."

"As the host prefers, I am not particular."

Zhong Pingxiu nodded, then invited him forward again, and the two walked together into the misty rain curtain.

Boundless Mountain appeared extremely desolate, yet it wasn't entirely devoid of vegetation; there were some wild grasses and trees. However, not a single animal, not even an insect, was visible. In Ji Yuan's view, the most common colors were the various hues of rock, predominantly cyan and ochre, which looked incredibly hard. Few stones stood alone; most of the rock and soil were fused together.

The trees in sight were mostly gnarled and twisted, appearing like old, root-bound specimens covered in scabs. As Ji Yuan passed one, he reached out to touch it, then knocked on it. The sound was like metal, and the touch was equally hard.

The so-called inner dwelling within the mountain's belly was indeed a unique space. Entering through a cave, one could find areas for quiet contemplation and bedrooms. The spot where Ji Yuan and the other two now stood was even more distinctive. Not only was the area spacious, but there was also a wide fissure in the mountain wall, more than a person's height and seven to eight zhang long. It was so close to the cliff face that it resembled an open, unobstructed, floor-to-ceiling ventilation window.

A low table and two futons were arranged, with Ji Yuan and Zhong Pingxiu seated opposite each other, while Songlun insisted on standing to one side. On one end of the table was tea, but the prominent feature was a chessboard. This was not set up for a game with Ji Yuan, but rather for Zhong Pingxiu to alleviate his boredom during his long years of solitude here.

"Mr. Ji, you must have many questions you wish me to answer, and I, too, have many questions that I hope you can shed some light on."

Ji Yuan's brows furrowed slightly as he spoke. "Fellow Daoist Zhong, please first tell me about this Boundless Mountain."

"Very well." Zhong Pingxiu's gaze drifted through the wide fissure, looking out at the Boundless Mountain, which, though not appearing precipitous, was undeniably grand. He spoke in a measured tone.

"This Boundless Mountain, named 'Boundless' for its vastness, actually separates two realms when transversed; its true name is Two Realms Mountain. 'Boundless Mountain' is merely a name used for convenience when speaking to outsiders. The mountain range has always been enveloped by an extraordinary gravitational pressure. The higher one ascends, the more exaggerated the weight one bears. Currently, ten thousand zhang up, I personally maintain the Dual Polarity Suspended Magnetic Great Array. That's why when you first entered Two Realms Mountain, you felt light; in reality, the higher you go, the heavier it should be."

As he spoke, Zhong Pingxiu pointed towards the mountain peaks visible outside. "In truth, Boundless Mountain once had countless precipitous peaks arranged like fish scales. Heh, but over time, the high peaks have been flattened, and the mountain's height has decreased immeasurably. Its current altitude is less than one or two tenths of its original height."

Ji Yuan was slightly taken aback. Looking outside, he recalled his initial impression of Boundless Mountain when flying down from the sky. He had defined it as not particularly precipitous, but certainly not small, and its height was exaggeratedly immense. Yet, it was now merely ten or twenty percent of its former height.

"For a long time, everything in this mountain — be it rocks, vegetation, or even soil — has become incredibly hard. Regardless of your cultivation level or magical power, Two Realms Mountain is not an easy path. Only those with a clear spiritual mind and detached state of being can, to a certain extent, transcend the 'boundlessness' within this mountain."

Zhong Pingxiu slowly recounted the history of Two Realms Mountain, explaining to Ji Yuan how it had long remained hidden from the world. When Zhong Pingxiu's cultivation was still incomplete, he stumbled upon the remains of an immortal master's dwelling. Besides receiving gifts left for the fated, he also inherited a divine consciousness from the master's cave.

"This divine consciousness resided within the spiritual energy and currents of the cave dwelling, circulating repeatedly until I arrived and received its essence. Through it, I learned many wondrous or awe-inspiring pieces of knowledge that ordinary cultivators could not access... That master was a long-bearded elder from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, from ages long past. However, this elder's lineage operated outside the main Heavenly Secrets Pavilion tradition, pursuing their own explorations and missions. According to their records, they first discovered Two Realms Mountain thousands of years ago, when it still had sharp edges and corners. Since then, it has slowly changed..."

Ji Yuan frowned upon hearing this and asked, "From what Fellow Daoist Zhong says, that lineage has been broken?"

"Precisely!" Zhong Pingxiu nodded. "That lineage indeed ended. Although I have taken over some of their tasks, it truly ceased to exist because that long-bearded elder and a few disciples, after years of collective effort, glimpsed a profound heavenly secret. Their primordial spirits and physical bodies couldn't withstand it and were torn apart. The elder barely managed to leave behind a divine consciousness, revealing seventy percent of the true meaning and retaining thirty percent as a warning. The shocking revelations within are difficult to explain to outsiders... Even my own disciple, hehe, only knows part of it and dares not speak of the rest!"

At this point, Zhong Pingxiu looked earnestly at Ji Yuan again. "In the southern reaches of Yunzhou, an ancient immortal slumbers in the mortal world. With every sixty-year cycle, they appear as a monk, a Taoist, a commoner, a figure of authority, or nobility... seemingly able to circumvent the Heavenly Dao. Even after death, their soul does not disperse; instead, they can live another life. However, they are ultimately mortals, not the ancient immortal. They might awaken, or they might never awaken. If this immortal descends to the mortal realm, it could add three parts of vitality to the tribulations, and Two Realms Mountain absolutely must not be shattered."

Zhong Pingxiu counted on his fingers, then shook his head and smiled. "I have been here stabilizing Two Realms Mountain for over eleven hundred years. The mountain bears immense pressure; without someone to stabilize it, its rocks and body would struggle to coalesce and would instead easily crumble under the infinite weight. In recent years, the mountain's changes have also been unstable, making it even more inconvenient for me to leave."

"Alas... self-imprisoned here for a millennium, Two Realms Mountain exists outside, in dreams..."

As Zhong Pingxiu uttered these words, Ji Yuan was deeply struck. He realized he had encountered the sentiment of this phrase before, specifically in "Journeying Through Dreams in the Clouds." However, while the book conveyed a sense of carefree liberation, the current sentiment was one of desolation.

After speaking, Zhong Pingxiu remained lost in thought for a moment. Then he turned to face Ji Yuan, his eyes seemingly showing a hint of fear. With a slight movement of his lips, he finally whispered the question that was in his heart.

"Mr. Ji, I cannot divine your fate, nor can I discern your true depth. Even now, as you sit before me, you appear almost like a mortal. For over a thousand years, I have sought countless individuals through various means, and never, never has it been like today... Are you, are you that ancient immortal?"

Over these years, Songlun had traveled the mortal world on his master's behalf, carefully searching for individuals with spiritual sensitivity, regardless of age or gender. If their special nature was confirmed, he would sometimes observe their entire lives or directly take them as disciples and impart his skills. The southern region of Yunzhou was a particular area of focus.

Ji Yuan had heard much from Zhong Pingxiu that he was eager to understand, though it differed somewhat from his expectations before arriving. Nevertheless, being able to come to Two Realms Mountain and meet Zhong Pingxiu was an immense stroke of good fortune for him.

In response to Zhong Pingxiu's question, Ji Yuan had initially intended to speak his mind truthfully. Even after countless speculative detours in his thoughts, Ji Yuan largely leaned towards the possibility that he might indeed be the "ancient immortal." However, he didn't want to state it definitively. Yet, facing Zhong Pingxiu in that moment, Ji Yuan fell silent.

Closing his eyes slightly, Ji Yuan calmed his mind and focused for more than ten breaths. Then, his pale eyes slowly opened, and he looked down at the chessboard on the low table. Unsurprisingly, it was an unfinished game, as often happens when one plays against oneself.

"When I first awakened," Ji Yuan began, "the world had undergone vast changes, and what lay before me was no longer a place I recognized. To be honest, back then, I had no special abilities apart from keen hearing; I possessed no magical power, and my primordial spirit was unstable, preventing me from even moving my body. I almost became prey to a mountain tiger. I wondered if I would ever awaken again if my luck ran out. And just like that, decades have passed..."

As Ji Yuan spoke, he used his sword-finger to pick up a single piece from the chess box, then placed it on a specific spot on the board.

"Clack."

The crisp sound of the piece hitting the board echoed through the mountain dwelling. A wave of heroic spirit surged within Ji Yuan's heart, and a pure qi emanated from him as he smiled, as if sweeping away all dust.

"Since it's an unfinished game, allow me to complete it!"