Immortal of the Ages

A white haired woman sped through the skies on a lotus platform, fast enough to leave the Primordial Ruins in the dust. Yun Xiao reckoned they were way out of there by now.

"Huh?" The lady took a quick gander at Yun Xiao and Lian Xi, noticing their hands clasped tight. Lian Xi, seeming eager to say more, gripped even tighter.

"So, what were you going to tell me?" the woman said, shifting her gaze from their hands to Lian Xi's eyes.

So, Lian Xi laid it all out, the tale of the Nian and Zhang Qingwei's death, clear as day.

"Alright," the woman responded, her eyes turning frostier with each word until she finally nodded.

"Master, the affairs of the Sky Source Ruins are overseen by the Sky Source Immortal. It's not our jurisdiction," Lian Xi whispered.

"True."

"So?"

"No worries," the white haired woman reassured with a slight smile. "Go fall in love or something."

"Okie dokie," Lian Xi nodded obediently.

Yun Xiao stayed mum throughout the exchange.

"My master is the Dean of the Primordial Academy. You can call her Dean Yu," Lian Xi whispered to Yun Xiao.

"Got it," he nodded, impressed by the solid backing Lian Xi had. Yun Xiao felt a weight lift off his shoulders, the tension for the Nine Hells easing a bit.

"The Dean of the Primordial Academy… doesn't that mean she's one of the mightiest figures in the Primordial Ruins? To the Nine Hells, that's practically a deity descending."

Lotus platforms, white hair, eyes bright as celestial bodies, radiance glowing off her skin... quite the sight! But respect for elders was a given for Yun Xiao; it didn't ruffle him one bit.

He glanced over at Lian Xi, her nose slightly reddened with anger for Zhang Qingwei, stirring a sense of compassion...

"Big Brother," she called out again.

"Meet me at the Divine Dawn Pavilion tonight," Yun Xiao whispered back.

"Mhm..." Lian Xi nodded, all agreeable.

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In the heart of the Nine Hells, within the Immortal Asylum, where the deepest crevices hid, the Nian without a single hair, trapped and bleeding, fought fiercely against Moon Fairy. Its roars and screams echoed, a struggle for life and death.

"Someone's coming!" Moon Fairy's voice cut through the chaos.

The blood-soaked Nian lifted its head, spotting at the tunnel's end seven figures in golden robes, mostly elders. Leading them was none other than Yuan Xianjun, arms crossed, an eyebrow raised at the struggling creature.

"A mythical Nian from ancient legends, reduced to such a state after endless torments in the Immortal Asylum. A pity," a voice rang out.

The Nian glared back, venom in its gaze. "Insects and worms, you pose no threat to me."

It feared none but Moon Fairy. To the Nian, these seven were merely nourishment waiting to be claimed, once it freed itself.

Laughter broke out among the golden-robed figures.

"We, the Sky Source Seven, have prepared a special gift for you. Ready to receive it?" With those ominous words, they retreated, vanishing into the sky above the Immortal Asylum.

Yuan Xianjun glanced over the ravaged lands surrounding the asylum, then across the expanse of Nine Hells. "A serene and clear place, indeed a fine spot."

His companions shared his sentiment, their eyes alight with anticipation.

"Let's begin before the night brings more dreams," one suggested, eager to avoid delays.

They had dispatched Zhang Qingwei as effortlessly as crushing an ant and had no intention of wasting time.

"Let's," Yuan Xianjun agreed, taking a deep breath.

They knew it well, every last one of them, that setting the Nine Hells ablaze was nothing short of a catastrophe, a sin of the highest order. Yet, the dream of ascending to true immortality had them in its grip, eyes red with obsession, breaths heavy with desire, unswayed in their dark resolve.

"After this deed is done, we'll pin this disaster on the Nian," Yuan Xianjun rasped, his voice heavy with conviction. Nods all around; they were in agreement.

"Brothers, three hundred years of grueling cultivation, and now, the path to eternal life lies before us. Let's take the gamble!"

With that, Yuan Xianjun produced seven tokens, flames etched upon them. He kept one and distributed the rest, their resolve mirrored in the fiery gleam of their eyes.

"Plant these six tokens at the world's corners, let the ritual fire consume the Nine Hells. I'll channel the rage of all beings into the Immortal Asylum, to refine the Nian." His voice trembled with zeal as he brandished the token, a mad light in his eyes.

When the world burned, where could life flee? Under the ritual fire, even oceans would dry up, leaving no place for fish or shrimp. Such was the dominion of the Primordial Ruins over lesser worlds.

"For immortality!"

Their tokens clashed in the air, bursting into a maelstrom of crimson flames, their eyes ablaze with the same wild fire.

In this moment of madness, a white lotus platform descended from above, its arrival like mountains crashing down.

And there, before the seven, appeared a white haired woman, Dean Yu herself.

"Yuan Xianjun!" The color drained from their faces, their eyes turning icy with menace.

A silent standoff ensued, their murderous intent clear as day. This was an unwelcome blow to their grand scheme.

Yuan Xianjun's gaze snapped to Yun Xiao, his heart tearing apart at the seams. "Did this kid escape and then rat us out?" The thought was unbearable. He'd never imagined someone from a minor world could slip through the net, or he wouldn't have bothered with all this dual cultivation of sword and sigil.

"Seven Lords of the Sky Source Ruins?" Dean Yu rose smoothly, her eyes cold as a winter's tale, her white hair dancing in an unseen breeze, her figure tall and commanding.

"What instructions do you have, Dean Yu?" Yuan Xianjun asked, trying to keep his composure.

The white haired woman produced a mirror, saying, "Got it all here."

The mirror played back the scene of the seven distributing the fire tokens, every word crystal clear. This was the Shadow Mirror, a neat trick of minor illusion magic, simple yet decisive at moments like this. Now, it served as undeniable evidence.

Yuan Xianjun's frown deepened, while the others distorted with rage, their path to immortality blocked.

Yuan Xianjun exhaled and suddenly relaxed into a smile. "Even so, this is a matter for the Sky Source Ruins, not for your Primordial Academy."

"Irrelevant?" Dean Yu raised an eyebrow, lightly stepping off the lotus platform, floating down like a blooming lotus, her robe fluttering around her.

"And what will you do? Best not meddle!" snapped one of the younger elders from the Sky Source Ruins, ice in his voice.

"Execute you." The moment her words fell, her finger jabbed the air.

BOOM! A white light, wrapped in blossoms, flashed and pierced through the chest of the speaker!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The aftermath of the white light surged across endless lands, hitting the shores of the Undead Depths in the Nine Hells, causing waves to overturn the heavens.

"Yu Nichang!" The sight of one falling dead on the spot sent shockwaves through Yuan Xianjun and the rest, their faces turning pale with fear.

Clearly, they were both mad and scared, not expecting Dean Yu to strike, let alone with such force.

"Block her; I'll find an opening!" Yuan Xianjun, previously confident, now seemed desperate, pressing towards Yun Xiao and Lian Xi.

The remaining five launched a combined assault with their magic treasures against the white haired woman.

"Huh?" The lotus platform under Yun Xiao suddenly jerked into motion, tossing him and Lian Xi into a tumble, blurring their view of the chaos around them.

Explosions roared louder than the Nian's rampage, the ground rolling like stormy seas, with firestorms and lightning converging in a wild bombardment, as if the Nine Hells themselves were capsizing.

"Big Brother!" Lian Xi braced herself, pulling Yun Xiao close to shield him within the relative calm of the lotus.

Despite the outer tumult, the lotus remained a sanctuary of softness amidst the storm.

Yun Xiao was thrown all around, the booming din churning his insides. He realized Dean Yu was steering the lotus in battle against Yuan Xianjun, the ride anything but gentle.

Lian Xi, though just a young girl, bore the brunt of the storm to protect Yun Xiao.

"Dean Yu, meddle further and the Three True Immortals will rain their wrath upon you!"

"Have you considered the consequences?"

"Wench, your whole clan will pay with their lives!"

From the escalating shouts and threats, Yun Xiao pieced together the tide of battle, Yuan Xianjun's voice growing increasingly vicious.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Yuan Xianjun, hovering above the lotus platform, went berserk with a giant ruler magic weapon, hammering down on it. But the lotus flipped mightily, smacking him like a mountain crashing onto his head!

Yun Xiao, inside the lotus, felt the world turn upside down as they crashed!

KLANG! The sound of the lotus colliding with the Immortal Asylum sent shivers down the spine of the world, with Yuan Xianjun caught smack in the middle.

Then, a scream from Yuan Xianjun, cut it all abruptly short!

With one last explosion, silence fell as the battle ceased.

The lotus, now resting atop the Immortal Asylum, seemed to still.

"Ugh!" Before Yun Xiao could react, his stomach revolted. "Good heavens," he muttered as his clothes were soaked through.

"What's wrong?" Lian Xi asked, alarmed.

"Nothing, nothing..." Yun Xiao, not wanting to reveal his discomfort in front of Dean Yu, shook his head.

"Eh..." Lian Xi glanced down, her face turning beet red, "Brother, did you...?"

Yun Xiao clamped a hand over her mouth, his eyes wide, "Don't be ridiculous!"

An awkward silence ensued.

Fortunately, the white lotus descended, breaking the tension, with Dean Yu making her entrance.

"Master, what happened to Yuan Xianjun?" Lian Xi scanned the area.

"Here," Dean Yu pointed beneath the lotus.

WHOOSH! The lotus rose.

Yun Xiao peered down to see nothing but a pancake where Yuan Xianjun once stood.

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