Through the 21st Century

"What are you hesitating for! Take out whatever rewards you have right now!" Zhang Xiaojia lowered his voice, a long-lost sense of fear spreading in his heart.

Especially after seeing the three companions he had painstakingly found being crushed into a bloody mist one by one by that invisible hand.

"Nine Nether Underworld Divine Incantation! Pangu Sacred Body! Desolate Ancient True Sutra! Heaven and Earth Barrier!" The system frantically issued rewards; it didn't want to disappear just like this.

Fang Zhiyi also stopped in front of Zhang Xiaojia. "I remember you. As an outer sect disciple, doing some chores was originally your job, but you claimed the outer sect senior brother was making things difficult for you. Later, when the library guard followed the rules and refused to let you enter at night, you humiliated him in public. Which elder was your master again... You even forced away his personal disciple, right?"

"Others follow the rules, yet for the sake of some system's rewards, you frantically challenge them, turning the rules you were supposed to obey into perceived injustices against yourself..." Fang Zhiyi's voice carried a hint of exhaustion. "There are no shortcuts in cultivating immortality. Relying on a system of unknown origins, how is that any different from scraping by on petty theft in your original world?"

"..." Zhang Xiaojia's face flushed bright red as if recalling some past events. He suddenly leaped up, unleashing the ultimate killing move the system had just given him! He had a system, so he was the main character! Fang Zhiyi was just a villain!

But nothing happened.

He called out to the system, but the system did not answer; he only felt a splitting headache.

Until he slowly collapsed to the ground, the system gave him no response whatsoever.

Little Hei let out a loud burp. "I know what my function is now."

"Hmm?"

"System attack nullification. Awesome, right?"

"You ate too much."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Fang Zhiyi stepped outside. "Alright, let's finish the last thing."

Little Hei took a deep breath and smacked its lips. "I just got full, and you want me to risk my life again."

"We're already here."

"The classic 'we're already here'." Little Hei had also learned to be glib.

Just as they stepped out of the hall, a female cultivator peeked her face out from behind the porch.

Little Hei perked up. "Oh, there's dessert?"

Fang Zhiyi spoke, "Do you need something?"

The female cultivator seemed to have made a decision. "Senior, I... I am an otherworldly demon... Master was afraid I would die at someone else's hands, so he told me to come to you to confess my sins..."

Little Hei paused, turned to look at Fang Zhiyi, and retracted the tentacles it had extended.

"What... abilities do you have?" Fang Zhiyi asked.

The female cultivator counted on her fingers. "I have a bracelet that contains a spiritual field space larger than a secret realm. I can grow lots and lots of spirit herbs, and I can raise spirit beasts... I didn't mean to transmigrate here. I just, I just woke up and was here..." Seeing the ruins behind Fang Zhiyi clearly, she was so scared she was about to cry.

Unexpectedly, Fang Zhiyi walked straight past her. "If you can farm, then just farm properly. Why join in on the chaos..."

The female cultivator froze, looking back in disbelief at this legendary, unreasonable tyrant.

Fang Zhiyi remembered something. "Can you grow spirit herbs quickly?"

When Fang Zhiyi pushed open the door of a small courtyard, Dong Chenglin sat there with lifeless eyes, staring blankly at the mountain of pills piled up in front of him.

"Uncle, can I really become an immortal?"

Fang Zhiyi glanced at him. "There are two ways to become an immortal. One is to work hard step by step like everyone else, and the other is to rely on the accumulation of these miraculous pills made from heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Which one do you choose?"

Dong Chenglin didn't hesitate. "The second one! Definitely the second one!"

Fang Zhiyi looked at him and nodded. "Soon. On the day of your ascension, I will personally protect you."

Dong Chenglin seemed to see the scene of his ascension, his eyes full of determination. Watching Fang Zhiyi leave, he narrowed his eyes. Although he didn't know what Fang Zhiyi was planning, the day he ascended to become an immortal, he would definitely trample all these people under his feet! No one here listened to him! They were absolute bastards!

Mixing hope and hatred, Dong Chenglin began swallowing pills again.

A few years later, Little Hei told Fang Zhiyi that Fang Jingshu had died, and Dong Shi had died too. The two star-crossed lovers died in a humble thatched cottage.

Miao Yunxi, who had disappeared earlier, was also found. She had gone completely mad, wandering around all day in places frequented by demonic cultivators, but those demonic cultivators couldn't even be bothered to look at her.

Fang Zhiyi still firmly suppressed the restlessness of the cultivation world with his Soul Splitting stage cultivation. Even those demonic cultivators were meek and submissive when they saw the disciples of the Zhiyi Sect.

"Holy crap, where is this?" A trendy-looking boy appeared excitedly outside the passage. "I'm going to become an immortal! Hahahaha."

But before his laughter stopped, a slap landed on his head.

"It's a bit strange. The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is gradually thinning, and fewer and fewer people have come up in recent years. I thought this passage was blocked."

The boy turned his head in confusion and saw two guys dressed like ancients looking at him with half-smiles.

"Who are you?"

"Cut the crap. From today onwards, you are a member of our Zhiyi Sect. Got it?"

Throwing clothes, bestowing a dharma seal, and casually kicking the boy in the butt—the whole set of actions flowed like water. The other sects who hurried over upon hearing the news could only sigh.

It was getting harder and harder to recruit disciples lately.

"Junior Sister Ling, are you saying Big Brother Zhiyi has a way to send me back? Really?" A male cultivator was hand-rolling pills.

"You've asked dozens of times, aren't you annoying?" Ling'er focused on arranging the spirit herbs in front of her.

"He's the transmigrator who wants to go home the most out of anyone I've ever seen. Seriously bro, what are you thinking? When other people transmigrate, they either want to build a harem or rule the world. But you, you just think about going home every day," another red-haired cultivator teased.

"But right before I came, my mom called to tell me she stewed my favorite ribs."

The few people in the courtyard fell silent at the same time.

"Well, I'm here anyway, so I have to experience it properly... Thank goodness I met Boss Fang, otherwise that damn system would have scammed me out of my underwear sooner or later."

"If you use your brain, you'd know. What kind of system would be so kind as to provide you with a bunch of functions for free, like a private server."

"Bro, are you from Blue Star too?"

"Uh? What's Blue Star? My home is called Earth."

"Oh... But we probably play similar things. Do you guys play games too?"

"Don't even mention games. Right before I came, I just dropped my endgame weapon and was thinking of pushing for a plus-fifteen enhancement... Sigh, there's nothing good about cultivating immortality. You can't even play games. It's all that blasted system's fault."

"You guys had it good. My system was a real dog. I just didn't want to attack strangers, and it electrocuted me three times in one day, almost roasting me alive! If I hadn't heard that the Zhiyi Sect could deal with the otherworldly demon issue, I reckon I'd be a dried corpse by now."

Ling'er wiped her sweat. "Stop chatting, is the last batch of pills ready? The boss needs them."

"Right away!"

Fang Zhiyi focused entirely on preparing the Great Ascension Array. For today's momentous occasion, he had invited numerous powerful experts from other sects. Over the years, the Heaven-Shattering Sect had completely vanished, replaced by the Zhiyi Sect. Stone was actually the one who came up with this name, and Fang Zhiyi truly wanted to crack his head open just to see how his brain was wired.

Fortunately, the management of the Zhiyi Sect had gotten on the right track over the years. Thanks to the internal agents they had planted previously, the tension between the major sects and the Zhiyi Sect had eased, to the point where they even engaged in mutual business dealings. As for Fang Zhiyi's invitation this time, the other sects were quite willing to show him respect. Part of it was simply a matter of face, but more importantly, it had been a very long time since anyone in the cultivation world had ascended. When they heard that an unknown young man was about to achieve ascension, they were absolutely astounded.