Chapter 57: Return to the Summit of Immortals

An immortal lays a hand upon my head, binding my hair and granting me longevity.

The day to journey to the Immortal’s Peak arrived as expected.

Shen Xin and his companions first traveled to Tiger City, then to Martial City, and finally entered the mountains en route to the Immortal’s Peak.

The road was peaceful and uneventful. With Old Mo and Shen Xin—two veritable harbingers of death—leading the group, even the most brazen tigers fled at the mere scent of their killing aura.

In just over a day, they reached the foot of the Immortal’s Peak, set up camp, gathered firewood, and cooked their meal.

After a night of good food, drink, and rest, they awoke refreshed and climbed the Immortal’s Peak the following morning.

Standing before the peak once again, Shen Xin was filled with emotion. Gazing at the verdant lake and the Sacred Spirit Fruit Tree on the island at its heart, he felt as though everything was a dream, as if all that had happened was but a fleeting fantasy.

Once more, a few restless psychics tried to reach the island, only to be devoured by the lake’s tentacled monsters.

Old Mo, seeing others busy constructing rafts, instructed his team to get to work as well.

Shen Xin shook his head and objected, “What use is a raft? Save your energy.”

Tang Ziran obediently stood still, while Chen Jiawang hesitated, suspecting that a raft would indeed be no match for the lake’s monsters.

Old Mo had no choice but to drop the idea.

They watched events unfold, then soon descended the mountain to rest in their tents.

The next day they climbed up again, content to be spectators, knowing that intervention would be pointless.

It wasn’t until Sister Dan arrived that Old Mo realized the Sacred Spirit Fruit Tree was protected by a barrier that could not be broken before the fruit was ripe.

No wonder Shen Xin had been so calm, he mused. Wait—did this boy know this secret? Who told him?

On the third day, Shen Xin saw several helicopters arrive, attempting to haul the island from the lake. With a glance, he took Tang Ziran and descended the mountain. Soon after, the peak echoed with gunfire and explosions.

This time, the casualties were even heavier; more than half of the psychics were lost, and many of the survivors left, cursing.

By the fourth day, only a little over a hundred psychics remained atop the Immortal’s Peak.

Shen Xin knew that today the barrier protecting the Sacred Spirit Fruit Tree would break.

As soon as he saw the barrier shatter, Shen Xin didn’t wait for Sister Dan to speak—he dove straight into the lake.

“What is he doing?” Sister Dan wondered aloud. She had planned to have Chen Jiawang throw Shen Xin onto the island, then use his psychic power to pick the Sacred Spirit Fruit. Never had she expected Shen Xin to leap into the water himself.

In truth, Shen Xin could have harvested the fruit from the shore, but doing so would have drawn too much attention. If Chen Jiawang threw him, the window for action would be too brief.

So he chose to risk the swim. Besides, with so many psychics diving into the lake for the fruit, one more would hardly be noticed.

He swam just thirty or forty meters, then activated his ocular technique, plucking five Sacred Spirit Fruits from the tree. Sinking slightly below the surface, he quickly stowed the fruit in a stainless steel flask, then swam back at lightning speed, taking less than half a minute from start to finish.

Sister Dan asked quietly, her face full of anticipation, “Did you get them?”

“Mm, two.”

“Withdraw. We’ll regroup in Martial City!”

With that, Sister Dan turned and fled on her white tiger, which leapt into the air, enveloped in a sacred white glow that slowed her descent.

Chen Jiawang and Old Mo were equally swift, leaping down the mountainside.

“Ziran, Cloudpiercer Bird.”

“Understood!”

The two of them had practiced this many times before. As soon as the Cloudpiercer Bird emerged, they both jumped on its back and flew away at high speed.

“Stick to the plan. We’ll head straight for Bull City.”

“Right!”

Tang Ziran guided the Cloudpiercer Bird toward Bull City.

“Higher, faster!” Shen Xin urged anxiously, wary of interception.

Tang Ziran pulled out several pills and fed them to the Cloudpiercer Bird, which sped up even more after consuming them.

So far, everything was going according to Shen Xin’s plan.

With the Cloudpiercer Bird flying as fast as a jetliner, only a fighter jet could hope to catch them.

Even if one did, Shen Xin was unafraid—a spatial distortion would make even missiles veer off course. As for bullets, they were simply useless.

In less than an hour, they arrived in Bull City. Once back at the compound, Shen Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Ziran, release all five beast companions to keep watch around us.”

“Alright!”

Tang Ziran obeyed, not quite understanding Shen Xin’s anxiety, but trusting him implicitly; with him, she didn’t need to think, and that was a relief.

Inside, Shen Xin first tucked away two Sacred Spirit Fruits in a bottle and hid them. Of the remaining three, he ate one and put the other two in the freezer.

After swallowing the fruit, he felt a surge of powerful energy rampaging through his body.

This time, at least, he was prepared. He immediately sat down cross-legged to meditate, gradually absorbing the fruit’s spiritual energy.

However, he only possessed techniques to cultivate his mind, and much of the energy dissipated. Some was absorbed by his body, the rest increased his spiritual power.

He felt remarkably well—his senses were keener, and his forehead itched as if something were about to emerge.

The greatest change, however, was physical. One Sacred Spirit Fruit was enough to wash his bones and cleanse his marrow; his body secreted large amounts of thick, black sludge. After a quick shower, he felt utterly refreshed, as if reborn.

Descending the stairs, he saw dusk had fallen. Glancing at his phone, it was already past seven in the evening.

There were many missed calls—Sister Dan, Old Mo, and Chen Jiawang.

Shen Xin didn’t rush to return them, instead going to Tang Ziran’s side.

“Ziran, you’ve worked hard. Let’s eat.”

“Should I call Sister-in-law and Sister Shen Lan?”

“No need. I’ll cook noodles for you.”

“Oh, alright! I’ll keep watch then.”

Shen Xin entered the kitchen. Though there wasn’t much food in the fridge, there was enough. Usually, they ordered in, but after evening training, it was better to have something ready.

He took a large piece of beef, chopped it up, boiled noodles, and prepared a beef broth. Adding green onions, ginger, and chili powder, he simmered it in the pressure cooker for ten minutes while the noodles cooked.

Soon, he’d made two large bowls of beef noodles—one with more meat, one with less.

For the bowl with less meat, Shen Xin fried two eggs and added them, since Tang Ziran wasn’t fond of meat and deserved special treatment.

“Ziran, come eat your noodles!”

“Coming!”

After instructing the five beasts to keep a close patrol, Tang Ziran washed her hands and came to the table.

She took a few sips and, face full of delight, exclaimed, “Wow, Brother, your noodles smell amazing.”

“Heh, if you like them, I’ll cook them for you often. Eat slowly, they’re hot. Drink some milk first—it’s good for you.”

Tang Ziran took a big gulp of milk and asked, “Brother, is this cow milk from a dairy cow?”

“That’s right.”

“So, dairy cows are female, right?”

“Of course. How could a bull give milk?”

Tang Ziran frowned in confusion. “But I’m female too. Why can’t I give milk?”

“Uh… well, that’s…”