Chapter 33: A Hundred Thousand Mountains Where No Peaks Are Seen

Li Chen wandered at a leisurely pace, and half a month had already passed by the time he reached the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains. Viewed from high above, one could hardly discern the jagged cliffs and towering peaks; instead, the landscape resembled a vast, verdant expanse of green fabric.

Just as Li Chen prepared to step into the forest, a melodious sound of a zither drifted through the trees. It tinkled like a bubbling spring and sighed like wind through pine needles, instantly washing away the dust of his journey. Following the sound, he moved through the dappled shadows and emerged into a sudden clearing. Hidden within a secluded peach blossom grove stood an antique cottage, where an old man in a green robe sat in a pavilion, playing the zither. Petals danced gracefully in the wind, as if time itself had paused to listen. Li Chen felt a stir in his heart; could this be an unexpected stroke of fortune? He approached slowly, fearful of disturbing such transcendent tranquility, yet his mind was already filled with boundless reverie. Perhaps his journey was about to turn a new page here.

As Li Chen was about to speak, the old man lifted his fingers, and the music ceased abruptly, though the melody seemed to linger in the air. The old man smiled faintly, his gaze sharp as a torch, as if he had long foreseen Li Chen's arrival. On the stone table beside him sat an ancient book and a pot of clear tea; the curling steam mingled with the scent of flowers, heightening the elegance of the scene. The old man gestured for Li Chen to sit and poured a cup himself. "Traveler from afar," he said, "this tea can untie the thousand knots in your heart." Li Chen took the cup and sipped. A warmth spread from his tongue to the depths of his soul, and the scene before him began to blur and shift, as if he were traversing time and space into an unknown and mysterious realm.

Under the magical influence of the "Reminiscence Tea," Li Chen’s spirit was pulled uncontrollably back through the annals of time. According to the laws of the Immortal Realm, once one reaches the Immortal Stage, the events of one's life are recorded as images.

Through his first and second lifetimes, from the Immortal Stage until his fall as an Immortal Emperor, every significant event and key relationship was laid bare. Li Chen’s spirit, acting as a mere observer, witnessed the joys, sorrows, gratitudes, and grudges of those two lives. He saw how the friends he had saved at the cost of his own life had betrayed him time and again, eventually joining others to orchestrate his death. He saw how he had exhausted his heart and soul for his family, only for his elder brother to collude with a Demon Emperor to plot against him for the sake of power. Li Chen experienced it all, the intense love and deep hatred often leaving him unable to contain his emotions. He committed every person, every incident, and their respective clans and strongholds to memory.

After seven days and seven nights, Li Chen’s spirit finally returned to his body.

As he stood up to speak, the old man in the green robe raised a hand and said, "I am Qing Songzi, your sworn brother from your first lifetime. My avatar has come here not only to help you relive the pivotal events and figures of your past two lives but also to deliver the remaining possessions from those lives. I have gathered what resources I could, and I hope they serve you well."

Before Li Chen could bow in gratitude, Qing Songzi said, "My task is complete; I depart now," and his figure faded into nothingness.

Li Chen had encountered this Qing Songzi during his first life at the Immortal Stage; he had been a man of fiery passion, a true friend who would offer his very heart and liver for the sake of loyalty.

Following this, Li Chen spent three years cultivating and gathering treasures within the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Once, he encountered a white-clothed beast that had attained human form at the Unity Stage. It possessed immense, peerless strength, and after a day of all-out combat, Li Chen emerged slightly victorious.

Another time, he faced a flowered-clothed beast at the early stage of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm. Its speed was like lightning, and the two fought for three days to a stalemate.

On another occasion, he met a Great Demon at the Mahayana Stage, who sent him flying several miles away with a single palm strike. Li Chen turned and fled immediately, not daring to show his face again.

His cultivation broke through three levels, reaching the middle stage of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, and he harvested a wealth of rare treasures, spiritual herbs, and demonic cores.

Li Chen now prepared to head toward Penglai Immortal Island in the East Sea. However, as Qing Songzi had mentioned, while it had once been a blessed land for immortals to cultivate in seclusion, the immortals had long since departed or ascended to the Immortal Realm.

Now, Penglai had long been desolate, infested with venomous snakes. For the past hundred years, demonic energy had been billowing from the island, and the roars of evil spirits echoed in every direction.