Chapter 556: Motive and Explanation

“So that is the reason why Second Senior Brother wanders the Buddhist kingdoms?”

Lu Yang was profoundly astonished. He had harbored the impression that his senior brother had simply been dim-witted enough to provoke their Eldest Senior Sister, earning himself a banishment thirty thousand miles to the west. In his imagination, the man had been reduced to begging on the streets of the Buddhist lands, leading a pitiful, destitute existence, forced to pose as a statue within temples just to scrape by.

It appeared he had merely overthought the matter.

“Regrettably, despite the passing of so many years, he has unearthed no useful clues. Instead, he has been deported back by the Buddhist kingdoms several times, forced to smuggle himself across the border each time.” Eldest Senior Sister shook her head in disappointment. For a immortal who governed time itself, tracing any thread of his existence was an arduous task indeed.

Perhaps she ought to visit the Five Elements Sect herself to observe the Jianmu tree closely.

“Since the Jianmu tree has regained its vitality, if the Immortal of Time is indeed still alive, is it possible for him to reoccupy his original immortal vessel?”

The Immortal Essence nodded in affirmation. “It is possible. After all, an immortal body is exceedingly difficult to forge anew. If the original form is available, one would naturally prefer to use it.”

“There is one more thing. This Immortal encountered Ying Tian and the others within the immortal realm of the Five Elements Sect.”

“What transpired exactly? Pray tell in detail, Senior.” Eldest Senior Sister assumed a posture of strict vigilance. How could Lu Yang and the Senior have gathered such an abundant harvest from a single journey to the Five Elements Sect?

The Immortal Essence detailed everything she had witnessed within that realm, placing particular emphasis on the moment the Immortal of Time had breached a spatio-temporal corridor to converse with her. Naturally, she remained blissfully unaware that Ying Tian and the Qilin Immortal had been playing Go solely to avoid having to eat a meal.

Yun Zhi’s brow furrowed slightly.

“When I entered that immortal realm, no historical reflection manifested. To think that such a momentous affair was concealed within that immortal chessboard.”

Lu Yang found himself perplexed. According to the Immortal Essence, anyone capable of comprehending the chessboard should have witnessed the reflection of history. Why then had Eldest Senior Sister seen nothing?

The Immortal Essence rolled her eyes, convinced that Lu Yang was far too dense to manage without her guidance. “Ying Tian permitted posterity to view that historical reflection merely to flaunt his grandeur. Little Girl Yun stands at the very same level as this Immortal; what purpose would it serve to show it to her?”

Upon reflection, Lu Yang realized this was true. Even if Eldest Senior Sister derived some enlightenment from it, she would hardly be astonished by Ying Tian’s methods.

“By comparison, Ying Tian must have served as the strategist among the five ancient immortals, given how meticulously he arranged his affairs.”

“What absolute nonsense are you babbling? The strategist was, of course, this Immortal! How could Ying Tian and his lot possibly match my intellect?”

“Had they possessed a fraction of my wit, they would have realized that the four of them could have simply conspired to assassinate me in secret, only to resurrect me in the future. That way, all these troubles would have been averted entirely.”

Lu Yang remained silent.

He had to admit it was a viable method, though certainly not one a conventional mind would ever conceive.

“I half expected you to say, Fairy, that the four immortals would simply inform your past self of the transmission, causing your past self to commit suicide on the spot to preempt the assassination.”

“That was Plan B.” The Immortal Essence operated with meticulous rigor, never relying upon a single contingency.

Yun Zhi, acting as though she had not overheard the internal discourse of the Immortal lineage, offered her analysis: “The fact remains that you were assassinated, Fairy. Upon learning from you that you would be slain, the other four immortals undoubtedly made preparations. If those measures were not placed upon your person, then they must have been placed upon themselves—contingencies designed to preserve their own lives.”

“If that is the case, the four ancient immortals may well still draw breath, and the Immortal of Time is likely no exception. They linger behind the veil of history, never intervening. Is it because their condition is dire, or is there another underlying cause?”

“Judging by the fact that neither of you could hear any information regarding Senior within the historical reflection, and that the spatio-temporal corridor was abruptly severed, it is evident that an opposing force intervened to obstruct it.”

Even if the Fruit of Time were fading, it should not have been reduced to delivering a mere five words. Furthermore, the Immortal of Time himself had noted that something was causing an interference.

“It appears a certain power has altered history, rendering it impossible for future generations to glean any knowledge of Senior from the past.”

The authorship of the Immortal Cookbook being altered from the 'Immortal Essence' to 'Ying Tian', and the ancient immortals' speech replacing 'Immortal Essence' with the 'Immortal of Time'—all of these served as proof of this phenomenon.

“Evidently, the accounts within ancient texts cannot be implicitly trusted; certain passages have been deliberately modified.”

“The power capable of achieving such a feat likely stems from a fruit of Karma, of Destiny, of Consciousness, or perhaps a fruit of Absolute Commandment.”

Eldest Senior Sister murmured to herself, then raised her eyes to meet Lu Yang’s gaze. Remembering his youth and that he ought not to be exposed prematurely to such matters, she fell silent.

Within his mind, Lu Yang pleaded for her to either speak fully or not at all, rather than leaving him suspended in half-truths.

Of the powers mentioned, he was acquainted only with the Fruit of Karma, whose precise capabilities he could deduce somewhat from the deeds of the Second-Generation State Preacher.

The Fruit of Karma possessed the power to deceive the heavens themselves, ensuring that not even immortals would retain any memory of one's existence.

Since only an immortal could slay an immortal, Eldest Senior Sister’s implication was clear: there existed a sixth immortal in antiquity, one who commanded the Fruit of Karma and used it to erase their own presence entirely.

The other three fruits undoubtedly possessed analogous capabilities.

Should a sixth immortal truly exist, then despite the formidable strength of the Immortal Essence, that entity's fruit must have been perfectly suited to suppress her.

Lu Yang cast a surreptitious, pleading glance toward the Immortal Essence, certain she would understand the functions of these fruits.

What he failed to perceive was that even as his eyes sought her out, Eldest Senior Sister was simultaneously leveling a warning gaze at the Immortal Essence.

Concurring that Lu Yang ought not to be burdened with such vast knowledge, the Immortal Essence remained resolute in refusing to elucidate the nature of those fruits.

“Speaking of which, what could possibly be the mastermind’s motive for slaying the Fairy?”

This was the enigma that Lu Yang could not resolve. Assuming the adversary possessed the Fruit of Karma, the Immortal Essence had lived a life detached from worldly strife and maintained intimate ties with the other four ancient immortals. Slaying her would inevitably draw their wrath. What rationale could compel someone to risk their life by provoking such formidable adversaries?

“A motive... a reason...”

“A motive... a reason...”

“There must be one, a reason tied directly to their own self-interest...”

A sudden realization dawned upon him, his eyes kindling with excitement. “Could it perhaps be a fruit of a devouring nature? One where the strength multiplies with every fruit consumed?”

“For the time being, let us designate this as the Devouring Fruit.”

“What if antiquity boasted not five immortals, but seven? Suppose the sixth immortal possessed the Fruit of Karma, and the seventh possessed the Devouring Fruit. The seventh immortal then devoured the sixth, thereby acquiring the attributes of the Fruit of Karma to shroud their own existence.”

“Desiring further ascendancy, the seventh immortal targeted the Immortal Essence, striking from the shadows in an attempt to consume the Immortal Fruit and attain true eternity. Yet, an anomaly arose—perhaps the intervention of the four ancient immortals—preventing the consumption from reaching fruition.”

“This would perfectly explain the existence of the Immortal Sect; he established it precisely to consume the embryonic form of the Immortal Fruit!”

Every piece of the puzzle fell seamlessly into place.

The Immortal Essence clapped Lu Yang on the shoulder with equal enthusiasm, fully convinced he had unearthed the truth. “There is immense merit to your words!”

Yun Zhi intervened, cutting their dialogue short. “That is enough, Junior Brother. You must not involve yourself further in this matter; the peril is far too great. Your sole duty at present is to focus entirely on your cultivation.”

“Understood.”