Starting with Kengan beating up the Pirate King

Chapter 245 Ascension to Immortality (Part 2)

After leaving the Zhuge family's territory, Guan Yi headed west, following the route he had taken when he first went out with Zhuge Yue, and entered Jiangxi.

The land that was once barren and plagued by famine is now covered with golden wheat fields, and the old oxen have been gradually replaced by mechanization.

The village where the Three Demon Sect Masters once met is now a prosperous town. After some calculations, Guan Yi found the grandson and his family of three of the couple he had saved back then, but he only glanced at them from afar before continuing his journey westward.

He went to the Lu family.

The Lu family was even more remarkable; their mansion was more impressive than the Zhuge family's. Lu Jin, who was 90 years old, was very surprised to see him: "Brother Zhuge, what brings you to my Lu family today?"

Guan Yi laughed and said, "If you're bored, come play some cards and treat me to a meal, Lu Jin."

"Hahaha." Lu Jin laughed loudly and asked the younger generation to set up a banquet. The two old men ate eight dishes and drank about ten bottles of wine.

As the wine flowed freely, Lu Jin sighed, "Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, we've all become old folks. To be honest, if we were drinking together like this when we were young, I would have been a bit reserved, always feeling that Brother Zhuge was like an elder."

But now, well, I guess I'm just relying on my seniority, and I don't have that kind of mentality anymore. After all, there are fewer and fewer old friends of our generation.

"Hmm, I heard that Fengping left last year?"

“It’s not just Fengping. Of the peers who attended my Lu family’s birthday banquet back then, only six or seven are left!” Lu Jin sighed. “By the way, Brother Zhuge, I remember that our old master promised you something on behalf of the Lu family back then? You’d better think about it quickly, because once I, the last one to know about this, am gone, our Lu family may not honor this promise!”

"Hmm..." Guan Yi thought for a moment, "Then let's do it this way. If any of my Zhuge family's descendants encounter trouble in the future and you find out, please help them if it's convenient and doesn't violate any principles."

Lu Jin was stunned for a moment.

"...Of course, that's no problem. I would have done it even if you hadn't said anything."

The two clinked glasses again and talked about the past, about the Trinity, and about all sorts of other things.

“That bastard Li Muxuan, I heard he ran overseas and never apologized to my master. Well, my master doesn’t need his apology.”

“The Sanyi Sect is doing very well now, even better than when it was still the Xuanmen Sect. Since the fourth level of Reverse Life was created, the third level seems to have become easier. My junior disciples who have mastered the third level are all very famous in the world of supernatural beings.”

"Zhang Zhiwei? Hey, he's living the high life. He's currently collaborating with Nadutong to turn Longhu Mountain into a tourist attraction to generate revenue. If the Old Celestial Master knew, he'd crawl out of his grave!"

They chatted until late at night, and when Lu Jin saw Guan Yi off, he even tried to persuade her to stay longer, saying, "Aren't you going to stay even one more night?"

"I'm not staying here anymore; there are still some places I need to go."

Lu Jin paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"Brother Zhuge, have a safe journey."

"Brother Lu, take care."

Lu Jin stood at the entrance of the Lu family home, watching Guan Yi's figure disappear, and let out a long sigh.

Next, Guan Yi went to the Tang Clan.

Similarly, almost all the familiar faces from the Tang Clan were gone, leaving only Xu Xin, who had become the sect leader. He had shed his youthful naiveté and looked much older than Guan Yi and Lu Jin.

Even though he was already the head of a sect, he was still not as carefree as Lu Jin. He was still a little nervous when he saw Guan Yi and respectfully accompanied Guan Yi around the Tang Sect.

"We have just contacted Nadutong and are preparing to change our previous way of recruiting disciples in order to adapt to the changing times and build a martial arts school."

"Oh, by the way, there's something else I wanted to ask you about. We'd like to erect a monument at the place where you and your seniors fought against the Japanese invaders. Of course, the inscription won't be too detailed; it's just meant to serve as a motivational tool for our disciples."

"No problem," Guan Yi said with a smile. "You guys are all quite up-to-date."

"Us?" Xu Xin asked, puzzled.

Guan Yi shook her head without explaining, "Alright, I just stopped by on my way. I'm leaving now."

"Ah, Mr. Zhuge..."

Xu Xin took a half step forward and stopped Guan Yi. Seeing Guan Yi turn around, he said with a little sadness, "Before Brother Dong Chang passed away, he told me that I must thank you when I see you again. Back then, you not only stopped us from making a big mistake, but also gave us a chance to become immortals."

He bowed deeply and said, "Xu Xin thanks Mr. Zhuge. Please take good care of yourself."

"Ah, you too."

Guan Yi departed gracefully. He traveled to many places, retracing many paths he had walked before, ultimately making Longhu Mountain the final stop on his journey. At this moment, Zhang Zhiwei, now the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, already possessed an air of otherworldly grace; only a few who truly knew him were aware of his previously unreliable nature.

"To be honest, Zhang Zhiwei, are you developing this scenic area really for revenue generation, or to take photos with pretty female tourists?" Guan Yi asked, pointing to a photo studio in the distance.

“How could that be? It’s just for shooting some promotional scenery.” Zhang Zhiwei denied it repeatedly: “Brother Zhuge, how come you’re getting more and more frivolous as you get older?”

After exchanging a few teasing words, Zhang Zhiwei shook his head and said, "Sigh, I really don't understand what you're thinking. If it were anyone else, it would be one thing, but you should know the truth, so why would you still voluntarily try to 'ascend'?"

There is no immortal realm in the world. Ascension to immortality is just an illusion. Its essence is "merging with the Dao," which means solidifying one's learning and understanding into a certain rule of the world.

Ascension equals death.

This was something Guan Yi had already learned about in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, and Zhang Zhiwei, after receiving the Celestial Master's ordination, was also aware of it.

“Xu Xin doesn’t understand either, just like you. You guys are just not up to par.” Guan Yi laughed. “It’s been several hundred years since any extraordinary person has ascended. I have to set an example and inspire the younger generation.”

Zhang Zhiwei squinted at him: "Just like those ascended ancestors? I don't believe it."

Believe it or not, it's up to you.

Guan Yi looked at him and said, "It's a pity about you. Your life cultivation is almost at its peak, but it's being suppressed by the Heavenly Master's Degree. How about I help you remove the Heavenly Master's Degree and we can keep each other company?"

"No thanks," Zhang Zhiwei said. "I'm not done living yet; I'm waiting to bully Huaiyi's grandson."

When the old Celestial Master Zhang Jingqing was deciding on his successor, he considered Zhang Huaiyi because he was worried about Zhang Zhiwei. However, Zhang Huaiyi, who had already guessed that the Celestial Master's Seal was a more powerful restriction, was unwilling to accept it.
He actually ran away, and as a Taoist priest, he even formed a relationship with a woman, which infuriated Zhang Jingqing. She was cursing Zhang Huaiyi even when she passed away.

It is precisely for this reason that Zhang Huaiyi has recently reconnected with Longhu Mountain. His son is about to get married, and he is thinking about returning to his roots. If he has a grandson, he is considering sending him to Longhu Mountain.

That's why Zhang Zhiwei made this mention.

As for whether Zhang Huaiyi's grandson is still Zhang Chulan... who knows? Even if they share the same name, they won't have the same personality.

Thinking of Zhang Chulan, Guan Yi also thought of Feng Baobao and asked, "Has that girl Wugensheng come back to Longhu Mountain in all these years?"

“I came here once more than ten years ago, and I was looking for Zhang Huaiyi.” Zhang Zhiwei nodded and said, “He’s still the same as before, not changed at all. It’s a pity about Wugensheng. If his fate hadn’t been so bad, he might have had the chance to accompany Brother Zhuge on his journey.”

As originally planned, in order to cure Feng Baobao's congenital defects, Wugensheng asked Zhang Huaiyi and others to use their extraordinary skills to reshape her body and soul. In exchange for her soul being forever 'pure', she gained a miraculous immortal body.

The only improvement over the original is that Feng Baobao, now a blank slate, learns about her background from Zhang Huaiyi and others, and also discovers the secret she carries.

They've kept it well hidden all these years and haven't been discovered by anyone. But who knows what the future holds, or if someone will covet it?

“If trouble arises again in the world of supernatural beings after I’m gone, then we’ll have to rely on you, Zhang Zhiwei,” Guan Yi said.

"Don't be rigid. Whether it's Quanxing or anything else, if they cause trouble, use swift and decisive measures to kill a bunch of them. After Nadutong was established, Zhao Fangxu also came to me, asking me to be one of the Ten Leaders, and also pleading that I should discuss things with the company more often, but I didn't agree."

The world of supernatural beings certainly needs rules, but if those rules are too rigid, some will exploit loopholes. Only when someone stands outside the rules can they command respect. After I'm gone, only you can replace me.

Zhang Zhiwei shook his head: "I don't have your status, Mr. Zhuge. I'll do my best."

"If you don't do a good job, I'll come down from the sky and beat you up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Zhiwei saw Guan Yi's figure gradually fade away, returning to pure innate Qi, condensing into a wisp of rainbow light, and disappearing into the sky.

It's that simple.

And so, without any unusual phenomena.

Just like that, carefree and unrestrained.

Zhang Zhiwei guessed that Guan Yi had already reached the level of being able to ascend, and when he no longer suppressed his power, 'ascension' should indeed be so easy.

He stood there, gazing at the sky, and after a long while, he let out a long sigh.

Later generations have said that Zhuge Yi, the 48th generation ancestor of the Zhuge family, passed away on the summit of Longhu Mountain in June 1995. On that day, an unusual phenomenon appeared in the sky: seven-colored clouds suddenly appeared in the clear sky, as if sending the immortal back to his place.

Later, curious onlookers sought out those who had witnessed the event, but none could recount the specific details of Zhuge Yi's ascension. They only witnessed a wisp of rainbow light, felt their souls cleansed, and when they looked back, the immortal had vanished, leaving only a sky full of radiant light that lingered for a long time!

More than ten years later, Zhang Zhiwei pointed to a rock and said, "Yes, that's it, little Chu Lan, that's the 'Ascension Stone' scenic area!"

(End of this chapter)