The Sims: I Open the Immortal Path for All Beings

Chapter 830: Chapter 780 The Status of Master and Disciple

Wu Shijiu came in haste, and just as quickly he departed, not lingering long on Shenxiao Mountain, and Pei Xuanjing did not ask him to stay longer.

At this juncture, they were both wholeheartedly dedicated to cultivation, and there was no need to dwell on such formalities. Since the purpose of Wu’s visit had been fulfilled, both needed to prepare for their own affairs before the merger plan of the two realms commenced. Why delay each other unnecessarily? Whether it was Pei Xuanjing or Wu Shijiu, they had a long future ahead with plenty of opportunities to meet again, not limited to this moment.

The arrival and departure of Wu Shijiu had not greatly impacted Pei Xuanjing; however, some items Wu had left behind did pique Pei Xuanjing’s interest.

“[Page of the Netherworld’s Book*3, refining it can yield 3,000,000 Taoyun points.]” Pei Xuanjing held the Page of the Netherworld’s Book, which was neither gold nor jade, his eyes filled with amusement.

This item had been brought by Wu Shijiu, but it was not actually his; instead, it was Zhu Houji who had used Wu Shijiu as a conduit to give it to Pei Xuanjing.

Initially, the Page of the Netherworld’s Book had greatly aided Pei Xuanjing’s rise, but as his power surged, the value of the Netherworld’s Book to him diminished, becoming somewhat superfluous. Although he had instructed the disciples of the Shenxiao Sect to collect it, he wasn’t particularly keen on securing it, harboring no deep sense of loss or gain.

The three Pages of the Netherworld’s Book that Zhu Houji sent through Wu Shijiu were much thicker than those Pei Xuanjing had obtained from the Underworld, with each page’s Taoyun value being more than ten times that of the originals.

Although the three million Taoyun points were but a drop in the bucket compared to the one hundred million points needed for a single simulation, the value of the Pages of the Netherworld’s Book was not limited to that; the secrets they contained were even more crucial than the Taoyun points.

“Even if you are wholly devoted to the Tao, seeking the heart of longevity fiercely, as an emperor, you still value your own identity, constrained by being the Divine Dynasty Lord. The identity of the emperor outweighs your identity as a cultivator, which is why you entertain such doubtful thoughts,” Pei Xuanjing mused.

He knew without guessing why Zhu Houji had sent the Pages of the Netherworld’s Book—although Zhu claimed it was found accidentally and sent by his men, it was a treasure that countless disciples of the Shenxiao Sect had failed to find easily, and even as the Great Ming Divine Dynasty Lord, Zhu Houji must have expended considerable effort to obtain it.

Such an effort was clearly an attempt to ingratiate himself with Pei Xuanjing, seeking to mend the rift that had formed between them or, more accurately, the gap Zhu Houji believed had arisen from concealing the matter of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword.

However, Pei Xuanjing believed Zhu Houji was overthinking. He simply didn’t care about such matters and found no need for Zhu to act in this manner.

In the end, the relationship between the two was built on mutual interests. Despite having the title of master and disciple, their bond lacked substantial sentiment. It was normal for Zhu to be cautious, and Pei Xuanjing found nothing strange or inappropriate about it.

Nevertheless, being an emperor and the Divine Dynasty Lord, Zhu Houji had to consider many things, especially when facing an unmatched and irresistible presence; he certainly needed to tread carefully.

This very fact also proved that their master-disciple relationship was merely nominal, lacking deep sentiment, which was what caused Zhu’s concern. If it were Pang Hong, he wouldn’t act this way. As a direct disciple who had followed Pei Xuanjing’s path, Pang Hong held enough reverence for Pei Xuanjing to never hide or deceive him.

“Despite our nominal master-disciple relationship, as long as you don’t go too far, if you were to really come to me at my doorstep in desperate times, would I truly have a heart of stone and turn a blind eye?” Pei Xuanjing sighed.

Zhu Houji still addressed him as Master Pei, a registered disciple who Pei had watched grow up—even if he couldn’t compare to his direct disciple Pang Hong, when really at rock bottom and seeking Pei’s help, wouldn’t Pei, with his nature, offer aid? In urgent circumstances, Pei Xuanjing would certainly not hesitate to lend a hand.

But having been an emperor for so long, Zhu Houji had developed a suspicious nature, and as an emperor, he could not, or perhaps dared not, place all his trust in another; he remained apprehensive and fearful, unable to trust, hence the initial concealment of the Xuanyuan Divine Sword and now the gifting of the Pages of the Netherworld’s Book as appeasement.

“Well then, let everything follow its natural course; it can’t be forced.” Pei Xuanjing decided to let the matter rest and not dwell on it.

Although the three Pages of the Netherworld’s Book had their secrets, Pei Xuanjing was not in a hurry to explore them, as he had initially been working on something else when Wu Shijiu interrupted him, and he intended to continue that task.

The Martial Arts system, Mortal Martial, Spirit Martial, Immortal Martial; by following this path, one could be said to be on the Path of Human Immortal, battling against Heaven and Earth, becoming a paragon of Martial Arts, cultivating the body’s acupoints to strengthen power, uncovering the body’s Divine Hidden, forming a minor cosmos within the body, connecting with the vast cosmos, and ultimately breaking through the void, Opening the Heavens and Splitting the Earth.

To develop one’s body and discover the limits within to ultimately reach an Indestructible body state, where the body endures even after Heaven and Earth decay, was no easy task.

By now, Pei Xuanjing had maximized the development of his acupoints and was condensing the smaller ones throughout his body. Even after refining all these smaller acupoints, he still had little idea on how to unlock his own Divine Hidden.

Not long ago, he forcefully eradicated the innate wisdom of an evil deity from the Innate Gods, sustaining a Dao injury. With the refinement from this Dao injury, Pei Xuanjing discovered another possibility to enhance his body—the transformation and strengthening of his physique, known as the Demonic God Physique.

“The Demonic God Physique signifies a qualitative change in the flesh, surpassing ordinary beings, comparable to legendary gods and demons. But, generally, there should be two types of gods and demons: one that arises later, and one that is innate,” Pei Xuanjing pondered the things he had deduced: “The evil deity nurtured by the True Martial Sect, though called an Innate God, should actually be a postnatal God-Devil. The so-called innate ones should be born from the beginning, the entities born at the dawn of Heaven and Earth, nurtured by Chaos.”

He wasn’t certain whether his categorizations were correct. Without any reference, Pei Xuanjing could only combine his existing reservoir of knowledge with his understanding of Martial Arts and body cultivation to tentatively research.

Paving the way forward was, after all, a process of constant trial and error. Only through continuous experimentation could one ultimately uncover the true path.

What Pei Xuanjing aimed to explore now was a method he had conceived to continue strengthening his body.