A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

I was busy during the day and didn't have time to write, so I'll just write it all together and post it tonight. Please forgive me.

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The Azure Lotus Mystic Sect, outside of Pure Heart Peak.

After leaving Wangyatai, Zhou Ping rushed here without stopping.

As the daily residence of many Qi Refining stage disciples of the Azure Lotus Profound Sect, Zhou Ping was naturally very familiar with this place. However, after flying here, he did not return to his own residence, but instead headed towards the central area to find a house with a spacious courtyard.

Relying on his impressions from when he first entered the sect, Zhou Ping easily found the simple courtyard he remembered. After putting away his flying boat, he gently knocked on the door.

"Is Senior Brother Wang here? Junior Brother Zhou Ping has come to bother you."

In the quiet courtyard, apart from Zhou Ping's question, there was no other sound.

Zhou Ping stared at the closed door, his heart suddenly filled with unease.

Following Uncle Yun's instructions, he finally arrived at Senior Brother Wang's door. However, as he got closer, he became increasingly uncertain whether the other party could offer him guidance, fearing that even his last glimmer of hope would vanish.

"I wonder which junior brother has come to visit? Please come in. I am unable to move around easily, so please excuse me for not being able to greet you from afar."

After a while, amidst Zhou Ping's anxious heart, a slightly aged voice rang out from the small house, and the door opened as well.

Seeing this, Zhou Ping took a deep breath and quietly went inside.

Upon entering the house, he saw only a few simple pieces of furniture, just as he had seen during his previous visit, arranged unchanged throughout the small house. An old and thin man sat half-sitting on the bed, quietly observing him.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Ping immediately raised both hands and solemnly bowed to the man.

"Junior Brother Zhou Ping greets Senior Brother Wang. I have come here unexpectedly to inquire about something..."

"Please have a seat. My humble abode is simple and lacks fine tea and wine. Please forgive me, junior brother."

Senior Brother Wang sized up Zhou Ping for a moment, a knowing look appearing in his eyes. He immediately interrupted Zhou Ping's attempt to continue, pointed to the wooden chair beside the bed, and gave instructions.

"Senior brother..."

"I know why you've come. Junior brother, please sit down and let's talk slowly."

Seeing Zhou Ping's anxious expression, Senior Brother Wang interrupted him again in a slow voice, his gaze towards the latter carrying a hint of melancholy, as if it had stirred up some memories for him.

Seeing this, Zhou Ping had no choice but to suppress his eagerness, and after performing the greeting, he sat down as instructed.

Senior Brother Wang sighed softly, shifting his gaze from Zhou Ping to stare absently out the window, and murmured, "..."

"Since you and I share the same fate, junior brother, you must have suffered inhuman persecution as well. It's a miracle you survived. Would you be interested... in hearing my story?"

Seeing that his senior brother Wang looked lost in thought and forlorn, Zhou Ping refrained from making a sound to disturb him. He simply murmured an "Mmm" and then listened attentively.

Then, from the wooden house, came the weary voice of Senior Brother Wang, recounting a little-known past to Zhou Ping...

Senior Brother Wang, whose given name is Mian, is the eldest son of the Wang family in a small town in Dianyun Prefecture. When he was young, the Wang family was quite wealthy in the area. His father, Wang Chengyun, was a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment and had a certain reputation in the surrounding area, which made the Wang family a cultivation family with a Foundation Establishment cultivator in charge.

Given his family background, Wang Mian, who was found to possess exceptional dual fire and wood spiritual roots, naturally became the family's hope in Wang Chengyun's eyes, who devoted almost all his life's learning and energy to him.

Wang Mian did not disappoint him. At a young age, he reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining and stood out from his peers in the vicinity, enjoying unparalleled fame.

With such a smooth and favorable environment for growth, as a spirited young man, he naturally became arrogant. Few of his peers could be taken seriously by him, and his ambition naturally grew higher and higher. He gradually turned his attention to the wider world outside.

This smooth life continued for a period of time until a major event completely changed everything around Wang Mian, including the entire Wang family, which was brought to ruin as a result.

This momentous event was the Ascension Ceremony, a grand gathering held by the Crimson Refining Mystic Sect to recruit numerous disciples.

Each time the Five Great Mysterious Sects convened their Ascension Ceremony, it would be held simultaneously in several major states within the Great Liang Kingdom, covering an area so vast that it encompassed almost all the wealthy, prosperous, and densely populated regions of the Great Liang Kingdom.

Dianyun Prefecture, where Wang Mian is located, is one of the few large prefectures, so naturally it will not be absent from this grand ascension event. Although the prefecture follows the Qinglian Xuanzong, he, who possesses both fire and wood spiritual roots, prefers the Chilian Xuanzong, which is famous for its fire-based supernatural powers.

Therefore, with the tacit approval of his father Wang Chengyun, the confident Wang Mian embarked alone on his journey to become an apprentice of the Chi Lian Xuan Zong and ascend to immortality.

Everything went relatively smoothly so far. After all, his cultivation level was unmatched among his peers. Even in the Ascension Assembly, apart from those cultivators who were much older than him, there were still not many people who could rival him.

And so, Wang Mian fought his way through five trials and six tribulations to reach the final stage of the Ascension to Immortality Gathering. If he could overcome a few more hurdles, he would have a great chance to join the Crimson Refining Mystic Sect, fulfill his long-cherished wish, and become a formal disciple of the sect.

It was at this moment that the accident happened.

After Wang Mian successfully defeated a member of a powerful clan, he finally incurred the wrath of someone with ulterior motives. During a rest period, this person, along with members of several clans, secretly approached him and, with their combined strength, severely injured him, preventing him from participating in the subsequent Ascension Ceremony and ultimately causing him to lose the opportunity to join the Crimson Refining Profound Sect.

Enraged and resentful, Wang Mian had never suffered such humiliation. Despite his severe injuries, he went directly to the city's law enforcement officers to question why someone could commit a mass crime in broad daylight without any intervention or punishment. He was told that the individuals had already turned themselves in and were currently in prison awaiting their sentence and punishment.

Faced with this outcome, Wang Mian vaguely sensed that something was amiss. He did not believe the man's one-sided account, but thought there must be some hidden trickery involved, and that these law enforcement officers might even be in cahoots with the murderers.

Therefore, after losing the opportunity to join the Crimson Flame Sect, Wang Mian quietly recovered from his injuries and secretly began to investigate the matter.

After a period of investigation, just as Wang Mian had expected, the perpetrators had already returned to their respective families unharmed, and were released without charge after merely going through the motions in prison.

This result made Wang Mian feel extremely indignant and almost went crazy. How could he, who had always had a smooth life since childhood, swallow this insult?

So after finding out the families of the people who made the move, he secretly began his revenge. For a long time, he spent his days staking out the places where the people usually went, waiting for the opportunity to take revenge.

Finally, Wang Mian got his chance for revenge. The mastermind among those who besieged the city, after enjoying himself in the city for several days, finally left his family and the city, taking several servants and concubines with him to go hunting and picnicking in the mountains and forests.

Wang Mian ambushed the enemy in the mountains and forests, swiftly and decisively taking down their followers. He also effortlessly knocked the mastermind to the ground, severely injuring him.

This outcome had already somewhat quelled Wang Mian's anger. If the other party was willing to admit their mistake and repent, he would most likely not continue to make things difficult for them.

Unexpectedly, after seeing Wang Mian's appearance, the mastermind brazenly mocked the latter's background and overestimation of his abilities. Now, he even dared to launch a sneak attack to retaliate against him, which would surely make him pay a hundredfold or a thousandfold price and regret his actions today.

Enraged, Wang Mian could no longer contain his anger after seeing his opponent's arrogant and contemptuous face even after being defeated. He was completely blinded by rage.

The hot-blooded young Wang Mian had never been so looked down upon and humiliated in his life. Recalling the tragic experience the other party had brought him, he attacked in hatred, completely crippling the other party's magical cultivation and reducing him to an ordinary mortal, with no possibility of ever setting foot in the world of cultivation again.

After his cultivation was destroyed, this young master of a powerful clan went completely mad, declaring that he would make Wang Mian pay a terrible price. Behind him stood an even more terrifying figure, and all his actions were at this person's behest. If he learned of Wang Mian's retaliation, he would surely seek justice for him and make Wang Mian pay an even more terrible price than he was now.

At this moment, Wang Mian was already furious and could no longer tolerate such a threat. He immediately killed the man in the wilderness and fled from this dangerous place.

Fighting and killing among cultivators is a very common occurrence. After Wang Mian finished doing all this and returned home, he secluded himself to cultivate diligently. As time passed, he gradually forgot about the matter.

Three years later, Wang Mian's cultivation improved again, faintly reaching the peak of the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Furthermore, he successfully passed the test of the Azure Lotus Profound Sect at the Azure Lotus Ascension Grand Gathering and became a true Azure Lotus disciple.

But what he didn't know was that his dazzling display at this moment had completely exposed his background to those with ulterior motives, and a crazy revenge was about to be launched.

Just when Wang Mian thought he was about to begin a new chapter in his life in this mundane cultivation routine, his father, Wang Chengyun, unexpectedly died during a joint demon hunt. His entire clan was also wiped out by villains after losing their Foundation Establishment cultivator as a backer, with no one surviving.

By the time Wang Mian received this news, several months had already passed. By the time he rushed home, everything was gone.

Just as Wang Mian was engulfed in boundless grief, several figures who had been lying in ambush for a long time finally revealed themselves. All of them were at the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refining, and each wore an extremely cruel smile. Without hesitation, they launched a coordinated attack on him...

When Wang Mian awoke again, he found himself in a dark, gloomy prison. Looking around, he could vaguely see figures dressed just like himself, and painful groans echoed throughout the massive cell, making it feel like a living hell.

Before long, he learned why these people were in so much pain, because he had suffered the same treatment.

Every so often, cultivators would come here and attach several hideous and ugly worms to their bodies, drawing precious essence from their flesh amidst immense pain. With all his magical power sealed, Wang Mian could only endure the pain and could not put up any resistance.

Wang Mian knew that this kind of life had been repeating itself for an unknown period of time. He only knew that almost every few days, someone else would have their magical power sealed and be imprisoned in this dungeon, just like him. Others would close their eyes completely due to the long-term loss of their essence, and then be thrown out of the dungeon one by one by the masked guards, their bodies dumped in the wilderness like garbage.

After enduring several instances of having his marrow drained and his foundation severely damaged, leaving him with almost no value, he finally met the person who had caused his downfall and whom he hated to the core.

Fan Sinan is the head of the Fan family, a cultivation family in Dingyuan City, Dianyun Prefecture, and also a cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The mastermind he killed back then was Fan Sinan's only son, Fan Ziyu.

Upon meeting this person, Wang Mian finally confirmed his suspicions. It was indeed because of his youthful arrogance that he had brought about the destruction of his clan. He was filled with remorse and regretted that he had been too sharp and arrogant back then, not understanding the principle that pride comes before a fall.

Although he always believed that he was not at fault for what happened back then, it was an undeniable fact that his father and clansmen were implicated and suffered because of him, and such sins could not be escaped.

Seeing Wang Mian's dejected expression, Fan Sinan let out a ferocious and bloodthirsty laugh, but he was not willing to let him go so easily.

After bringing Wang Mian out of the dungeon, Fan Sinan carefully recounted how the major cultivation families had cruelly slaughtered the Wang family members bit by bit. He even stated that Wang Mian's father, Wang Chengyun, was secretly killed by him, and his soul was refined into a soul-nourishing lamp, which is now being burned by soul fire day and night and is eternally sealed in front of his son Fan Ziyu's tomb.

The reason Wang Mian was brought out of the dungeon now is because his physical body is no longer of value, but his remaining soul can just make up for the other broken soul lamp, so that the father and son can be a pair, kneeling before his son's tomb day and night to burn their souls and repent for themselves.

Upon learning that his father, Wang Chengyun, was suffering the torment of soul refining day and night, Wang Mian felt as if his sky had collapsed, and his whole being was torn into countless pieces. Grief, pain, resentment... all these feelings disappeared, leaving only one thought in his mind: revenge.

But given his current state, revenge seemed like a pipe dream. With this thought, his consciousness, filled with despair, plunged into deep darkness, and he never wanted to wake up again.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, but when Wang Mian woke up again, he found himself back in the Qinglian Xuanzong sect, and Fan Sinan was nowhere to be seen.

After recovering somewhat, he learned that he and Fan Sinan had been spotted by Uncle Yun, who happened to be passing by. Because the two had met several times in the sect, and because he had left a deep impression on these uncles and elders with his exceptional talent of dual spiritual roots, Uncle Yun recognized him even after his appearance had changed drastically. He then decisively took action to frighten Fan Sinan away, thus rescuing him from the other party's clutches and bringing him back to the Qinglian Xuanzong.