Transmigration: The Peerless Immortal Husband

The crystal butterfly reappeared in Jiang Yan’s palm, its wings lightly fluttering as if conveying a message.

“Senior, the Shi Clan’s leader and his group should have entered that passage,” Jiang Yan said softly. It was clear that no one here was a fool—Cultivator Zhao and his group also had their tracking methods. Just like the others still arriving, everyone was relying on their unique abilities. In the end, it would depend on whose luck was better.

“Let’s take a different path. Should we stick together or split up?” Fang Wangru asked, glancing at Jiang Yan and the others.

Jiang Yan suggested, “How about we split up? Senior, you lead one group, and I’ll take another. Brother Chi, what about you?”

Chi Changye, holding his sword, said, “I’ll stay with Xiao Yao.” His words were met with unconditional agreement from Gu Yao.

No one objected. Most chose to follow Fang Wangru, given his Foundation Establishment cultivation. Zhou Li and two other students from the Xingyue Chamber of Commerce followed Jiang Yan down one of the branching paths. As their figures disappeared into the tunnel, hurried footsteps echoed from behind. Exchanging a quick glance, Chi Changye grabbed Gu Yao’s arm, and the two vanished into a randomly chosen passage.

Once the sounds behind them faded, only the sound of their own footsteps echoed in the passage. At that moment, Gu Yao felt an unexpected sense of calm.

However, in an instant, the two found themselves surrounded by a sea of flames. Fiery serpents coiled and lunged at them, the searing heat seeming to engulf and consume them.

Chi Changye warned, “This is an illusion. As long as you don’t let yourself be trapped by it, you won’t feel the heat.”

The moment he finished speaking, he swung his sword to one side. With a resounding ‘crack’, a fist-sized puppet hiding behind one of the fire serpents shattered into pieces. Grabbing Gu Yao’s arm, he urged, “Let’s go!”

Along the way, Chi Changye destroyed four or five more of these flying puppets. Blending seamlessly with the illusion, they were difficult to guard against—but they couldn’t escape Chi Changye’s keen perception.

Once Gu Yao calmed his mind, he too began to sense the oddities within the illusion. Using his spiritual energy, or divine sense, he attacked one of the puppets and managed to capture an intact small spider puppet. Gu Yao examined it briefly in his hand before tossing it into his storage bag, planning to study it later.

As the sea of flames vanished, the two found themselves facing a stone door. Chi Changye stepped forward and pushed it open. Only after confirming there was no danger did he allow Gu Yao to follow him inside.

The space behind the stone door was not large. At the center stood a stone platform with a few scattered items on it. The two approached and began inspecting them. Among the items were two jade slips, both ancient and simple in appearance. After ensuring there were no traps, Chi Changye scanned them with his divine sense and said, “One of these contains a fire-control technique, which should be useful to you, Xiao Yao. The other holds a cultivation method for earth-element techniques.”

There were also two jade bottles, which turned out to contain pills. However, upon opening them, it was clear they had degraded into useless residue. The final item was a palm-sized circular artifact. After examining it, Chi Changye handed it to Gu Yao, explaining that it was a defensive artifact.

Chi Changye had been looking for a suitable artifact for Gu Yao but hadn’t found one yet, so this would have to suffice for now. Gu Yao shared the same sentiment—if an artifact didn’t suit him, he might as well rely on spirit talismans, which were equally effective for attack and defense. Since he rarely ventured outside before, he hadn’t paid much attention to obtaining artifacts. However, seeing the variety of artifacts others were using in the Shi Clan’s ancestral grounds, he couldn’t help feeling a little envious.

“This is a high-grade artifact and quite decent,” Gu Yao remarked. “Brother Ye, what kind of figure do you think the Shi Clan ancestor was? These items probably don’t represent the best this place has to offer.”

Finding nothing else in the stone room, Chi Changye led Gu Yao onward. Nodding, he replied, “It might be like how entry into this place works—only descendants of the Shi Clan can obtain the treasures guarded here. For outsiders like us, just a few minor items are considered sufficient.”

After walking a short distance further, the surroundings changed again, transforming into an endless expanse of yellow sand. The desert stretched as far as the eye could see. The two walked for quite some time without encountering anything unusual, though they both remained aware that they were once again trapped in an illusion.

The desert grew increasingly hot. This heat felt even more real and oppressive than the flames they had faced earlier. While Chi Changye seemed unaffected, Gu Yao’s cheeks turned bright red, and his vision began to blur, as if he were burning up.

“Fire poison?” Chi Changye noticed Gu Yao’s state and let out a cold snort. With a sharp thrust of his sword, he pierced the fiery red sun hanging in the air like a decoration. A deafening “boom” followed as the sun shattered into clusters of black and red fireballs that rained down. However, before they could get close, Chi Changye’s sword energy intercepted and destroyed them. At the same time, he slapped a water-element spirit talisman onto Gu Yao, immediately clearing his mind.

“What happened to me?” Gu Yao asked, realizing they were no longer in the desert. They had returned to the corridor, and on the ground lay chunks of black and red stones, steaming with black energy. “What are these?”

Chi Changye, recalling the earlier scene, looked solemn. “These are Black Chain Stones. They release fire poison. Luckily, we discovered it in time, so the effects shouldn’t be significant.”

Gu Yao also noticed how strange his earlier state had been, feeling a twinge of fear. The techniques and traps in the cultivation world were truly unpredictable. If he had been alone, he might not have realized the danger until it was too late.

Looking at the eerie black and red stones on the ground, he said, “Why don’t we collect these? They might come in handy.”

“I’ll handle it,” Chi Changye said, stopping Gu Yao. He retrieved a box designed to isolate spiritual energy, carefully moving the stones into it from a distance before sealing it and placing the box in a storage bag reserved for less critical items.

After passing through this challenge, another stone door appeared before them. Pushing it open, they once again found a stone platform inside. Scattered atop it were four or five items, including spiritual herbs and pills. As before, the spiritual energy had dissipated, rendering them useless. The remaining two items were a water-elemental sword and an earth-elemental shield. Neither suited the two of them, though Gu Yao decided to take the shield for their friend Xiao Pangzi. He collected everything into his storage bag.

There was no telling how many more challenges lay ahead or whether the other corridors had similar trials. Chi Changye and Gu Yao continued advancing, passing through one test after another. The items they obtained varied widely—some were degraded spiritual pills and herbs, others were cultivation techniques, jade slips, or books. Along the way, Gu Yao managed to assemble two usable swords, one fire-elemental and one wood-elemental, which he decided to use until he found better artifacts.

The two swords were of significantly higher quality than their previous weapons—top-tier magical artifacts. Even a Foundation Establishment cultivator might not easily acquire such items, making these quite valuable finds.

Pushing open yet another stone door, they found no expected assortment of items, only a single black, round object.

“This… is an egg?” Chi Changye examined it carefully and said uncertainly, “There’s a faint trace of life inside, but I’ve never seen an entirely black egg like this before.”

Chi Changye prided himself on being well-versed in rare artifacts and creatures, especially as a member of the prestigious Lingyun Sect. Yet, this mysterious object left him baffled.

“If Xu Chen were awake, I’d ask if he recognized this,” Gu Yao muttered, recalling his companion who had remained unresponsive ever since they entered. “For now, should we just take it and investigate later?”

“Alright, I’ll keep it,” Chi Changye volunteered, taking the egg-like object and storing it. He worried it might pose a risk and preferred to keep it under his watch.

Gu Yao had no objections. After all, anything useful to him was handed over without hesitation by Chi Changye. However, it frustrated him that they hadn’t yet found anything that could benefit Chi Changye. Even his sword seemed to lag behind his growing cultivation, primarily because it required a rare lightning element.

As soon as Chi Changye secured the black egg, a glowing circle appeared on the floor of the stone chamber. Grabbing Gu Yao’s arm, he braced as the two of them were transported elsewhere.

“Was that the final challenge of the corridor?” Chi Changye wondered. “Taking the black egg triggered the teleportation?”

The two steadied themselves and immediately heard the sound of battle nearby. Looking around, they realized they had been transported out of the mountain and back to the barren landscape from earlier. Sharing a glance, they rushed toward the commotion.

“Senior Brother Jiang!” Gu Yao exclaimed in delight upon spotting Jiang Yan and Zhou Li. Relieved to see their companions had also made it out, Gu Yao and Chi Changye hurried to regroup with them.

Upon hearing the voices, Jiang Yan was also very happy to see them, and Zhou Li was equally pleased. He patted Gu Yao on the shoulder:

“Well done! You both made it out safely.”

Chi Changye, noticing someone collapsed nearby, saw that it was none other than Shi Yanyan, the one who had been captured earlier. However, her face now showed no trace of the arrogance she once had; instead, it was twisted with hatred. If not for a closer look, it would have been hard to recognize her.

After finishing his conversation with Zhou Li, Gu Yao finally noticed the person on the ground. He carefully identified them and cautiously sent a sound transmission to Zhou Li, asking what had happened. He then looked at the ongoing battle ahead, where several people were tangled in a chaotic fight, including Teacher Fang and Zhao, the cultivator they had met earlier. They were now on opposite sides, while the others were unfamiliar to Gu Yao.

“Can’t recognize her? This is Shi Yanyan. When we first came out, we saw Senior Fang fighting with someone, and among them was the Shi family head. The Shi family head asked us to take care of Shi Yanyan,” Zhou Li explained.

Gu Yao was startled, not expecting that Shi Yanyan had been tortured to the point of looking unrecognizable. Had Zhou Li not said anything, he wouldn’t have believed it. He quietly asked, “Which one is the Shi family head?”

Zhou Li pointed to the middle of the group and said, “The middle-aged cultivator using a ruler-shaped artifact.”

“They found their treasure? What exactly is it?” Gu Yao couldn’t help but ask, curiosity piqued.

Zhou Li glanced around and then lowered his voice even further, speaking to Gu Yao and Chi Changye, “It’s the Black Ming Flame Essence and the Pure Heaven Mysterious Herb. The former can cultivate the unique Black Ming Flame, a type of exotic fire, and the latter helps cultivators directly condense their Golden Core. I overheard their argument earlier; it seems the Shi family’s ancestors once fell into the Black Ming Abyss and survived, bringing back many rare treasures from there. The Heavenly Blood Vine we encountered earlier grows in the Black Ming Abyss. The Black Ming Flame is a special kind of fire that cultivators can never touch; if they do, their body and soul will be completely burned away. But the Black Ming Flame Essence, a treasure from deep within the Abyss, is different. Once absorbed, it allows cultivators to slowly cultivate the Black Ming Flame in their dantian. With the Black Ming Flame, one could fight gods and kill Buddhas!”

When Zhou Li mentioned the Black Ming Flame, his eyes lit up, clearly indicating that it was indeed a valuable item. However, while it was a deadly weapon, it wasn’t much help for alchemy. Gu Yao, recalling the information about exotic fires, found his interest in the Black Ming Flame somewhat diminished. Still, given its destructive power, it was no wonder that it had attracted so many people fighting over it.