The thief never returns empty-handed

Southern Frontier.

Chen Yi was searching for Hua Wuyan.

She was truly difficult to find, as she came with a built-in "radar jammer"—divine sense couldn't detect her.

Fortunately, Chen Yi had the super-immortal artifact Myriad Soul Banner and scattered demon souls across every corner of the Southern Frontier. He finally found Hua Wuyan brewing some medicinal concoction in a remote cave.

"So, the newly ascended Martial God has come. What brings you to seek out this old woman?"

Before Chen Yi could even speak, Hua Wuyan spoke as if she had known he was coming.

Back in the simulations, Chen Yi had already noticed that Hua Wuyan possessed the ability to foresee events.

After entering the Seven Luminaries Ascension state, he finally understood.

On one hand, the shamanic path Hua Wuyan cultivated included a form of divination.

On the other hand, as a Dao Protector, she could also achieve full perception of the human world.

However, a Protector's authority was far below that of the Seven Luminaries Ascension—she knew, but not completely.

"Senior Hua, do you know where the path to immortality lies in the human world?"

"The Path to Immortality? That is an ancient legend, dating back to an era even more remote than the great war between humans and demons. What, don't tell me you've actually found it? Even I don't know where it is."

"I... I really did find it."

Hua Wuyan lost all interest in brewing her medicine.

"Legends say that the most ancient ancestor of humanity was born when the human world was still a wasteland, plagued by countless unknown gods and demons.

The human ancestor led his people, quelling the chaos of gods and demons, and established a foothold in the human world. His power was immeasurable and surpassed the heavens.

Later, sensing that the path of cultivation had no end, he personally found a way to the Real Realm.

After entering the Real Realm, he used supreme immortal arts to fix the path connecting the human world and the Real Realm.

That path became known as the Immortal Path.

Although not everyone could use it, having this path greatly reduced the difficulty for human cultivators to enter the Real Realm.

Later, for unknown reasons, the Immortal Path vanished from the human world.

Even the last Human Emperor, who dazzled an era thirty thousand years ago, failed to discover its existence. He ultimately perished in the prime of his life while battling the demons.

If you truly found the Immortal Path, that would be a great merit indeed."

Now that he possessed the cultivation of a Martial God, Chen Yi feared nothing.

No matter who he was facing, he dared to say anything.

He no longer worried about others questioning how he knew things, how he could predict the future, or how he seemed omniscient.

"Before becoming a Martial God, I was cautious. After becoming a Martial God, if I still acted cautious, then wouldn't my breakthrough have been wasted!"

After listening to Chen Yi's explanation, Hua Wuyan nodded.

"The Ancient Wild Remnants? I've never heard of them. But whether what you say is true or false, as a Dao Protector, it is my duty to fight for the Immortal Path's return to the world."

With Hua Wuyan, a Martial God, joining the cause, the difficulty of contending with the Ancient Wild Remnants for the Immortal Path was greatly reduced.

With Hua Wuyan as the ultimate support, Chen Yi could focus entirely on offense, throwing aside all rationality and just dealing damage.

"And your master, the Great Demon, would surely give his all if he learned of the Immortal Path's existence."

Hua Wuyan broke into a smile.

"Yes, it would also dissolve one of his obsessions. Getting the Great Demon to leave the human world would be another great merit."

Chen Yi finally revealed his true intent.

"Senior Hua, given all this merit I've accumulated, could I trouble you for a few small items?"

"What items?"

"Immortal-nonchalant Flowers."

"How many do you want?"

"Give me as many as you see fit—eight or ten would do."

"Cough! Cough! Cough...!"

Chen Yi smoothly obtained three Immortal-nonchalant Flowers from Hua Wuyan.

Then, together with Hua Wuyan, he went to the Hundred Death Mountain in the Great Wilderness to seek out the Great Demon, who had turned into a forbidden land.

This old demon king had actually died long ago.

It was the Sun-Moon Tower that suppressed a sliver of his remnant soul, and combined with his peerless demonic cultivation skills, he forcibly preserved the power he had before death.

The only cost was that from time to time, he had to devour nearby living beings; otherwise, his soul would scatter and perish.

As mentioned earlier, after reaching the Martial King level, the demonic path no longer existed because the demonic path was simply a shortcut to the Martial King stage. Why take shortcuts once you've reached the end?

But this reasoning didn't apply to the Great Demon.

Even after reaching the Martial God level, he steadfastly walked the demonic path. To ordinary people, all his methods seemed cruel and unreasonable.

When the Great Demon was not stirring up a catastrophe in his forbidden land, he remained silent and still, like a hibernating creature, minimizing his energy consumption.

Unless someone intruded into the forbidden land, he would only then treat them as a small snack.

If no one entered, he wouldn't bother with any disturbance outside the area.

"Master, wake up. I've brought you good news—the news you've wanted to hear the most."

No response.

Black smoke billowed within the forbidden land.

"The Immortal Path..."

"Hua Wuyan!!!"

A sudden roar shocked Chen Yi, and he almost snapped back: "Why are you yelling so loud?"

The black smoke in the forbidden land condensed into a ferocious face in midair, wild hair dancing wildly, its voice carrying a tragic, timeworn tone.

"Hate the heavens! Cut off the other shore! My work has—"

Chen Yi interrupted him.

"Enough, Great Demon, no time for your poetry. One sentence: the Immortal Path has been found, but it's occupied. We need to take it back. Are you in or not?"

The Great Demon glanced at him, let out a dismissive snort.

"I'm in."

With that, he looked at Hua Wuyan.

"Hua Wuyan, are you going as well?"

"Of course. I am the Dao Protector; it is my duty."

"Being able to occupy the Immortal Path for so long, even hiding it from successive Protectors, is no easy feat. Your path is not suited for battle. Better you stay away."

Hua Wuyan smiled and changed the subject.

"If we can make the Immortal Path manifest this time, I only hope that you, Master, will leave as soon as possible, go to the Real Realm to pursue power—after all, that is your greatest obsession."

At that moment, Chen Yi suddenly understood.

In the fifth simulation, when Hua Wuyan convinced the Great Demon to act, she said, "Master, I have found what you need..."

Now he knew what that "thing" was.

It was the Immortal Path!

The Great Demon's obsession was that, despite having heaven-splitting power, he could not ascend to the Real Realm.

The only way for him to reach the Real Realm was through the Immortal Path.

That's why Hua Wuyan had said in the simulation that she couldn't tell Chen Yi what the "found thing" was.

She feared that if Chen Yi knew of the Immortal Path's existence, he would become distracted, just like her master, and fight for a chance to enter the Real Realm and gain greater power.

Without Chen Yi, the human world would not be able to withstand the Sixth Dragon-Person Expeditionary Force.

"So that's how it is..."

Having figured this out, Chen Yi became increasingly certain that Hua Wuyan would never leave the human world.

To complete the simulation task of "sending four people to the Immortal Path," he couldn't rely on her.

True to form, he never came empty-handed.

"Great Demon, I found the Immortal Path for you. Shouldn't you give me something in return?"

The Great Demon looked down at Chen Yi with contempt.

"No!"