System Granted Me Immortality; I Outlived Everyone

Chapter 18: A Five-Thousand-Li Funeral Journey, The Princess of the Night Moon Country

Hearing that name, Third Senior Brother’s eye flickered slightly, but he remained silent.

Chen Changsheng smiled cheerfully, continuing his anecdote.

“You even investigated the rumors thoroughly back then. You found out The Undertaker’s first appearance was to bury the Blood Demon Ancestor a century ago.”

“You also found out he has deep, complicated ties with Chan Master Yixiu of the Heavenly Buddha Temple.”

“Honestly, I just want to clarify one thing. The Undertaker isn’t nearly as terrifying as you made him sound. He’s just a guy who sells coffins.”

With that, Chen Changsheng turned, waved his hand casually, and strode toward the gates.

Yuanshan shouted at his retreating back. “Big Brother Changsheng! Will you ever come back?”

“I built a custom coffin for each of you. When the time comes to use them, I will return.”

By the time the last word echoed out, Chen Changsheng had completely vanished.

Staring at the empty courtyard, Third Senior Brother felt a complex knot of emotions tighten in his chest.

Truthfully, he had sensed something unnatural about this Junior Brother from the very day he arrived at the Shangqing Temple.

He realized that time simply did not leave marks on Changsheng.

It was true that the Cultivation world had Pills to preserve physical youth, but the passage of time always left scars on the mortal heart.

Ten years had passed. The three-year-old Yuanshan grew into a thirteen-year-old teenager. Everyone had changed in their own ways.

Yet, after an entire decade, Junior Brother Changsheng’s eyes remained as perfectly clear and indifferent as the day he first walked up the mountain.

At first, he assumed Changsheng just possessed a uniquely stable state of mind.

But another twenty years passed. Upon returning to the Shangqing Temple today, he saw that those eyes hadn’t changed a single fraction.

With a soft sigh, Third Senior Brother finally spoke.

“Yuanshan, give it a few days, then make a public announcement. State that the closed-door disciple of the Shangqing Temple suffered a violent Qi Deviation and died.”

“What? Why? Big Brother Changsheng is perfectly fine!”

“Just do as I say. Changsheng has his own path to walk. His karmic ties to the Shangqing Temple have reached their end.”

Yuanshan fell silent, ultimately giving a slow, reluctant nod.

His Master had brought him up the mountain at age three. Even though he had officially entered the sect a few months earlier, technically making him the Senior Brother…

…he had spent his entire life looking up to Changsheng as his own older brother.

If he had a choice, he never would have let him leave. But no banquet beneath the heavens lasts forever.

Seeing the boy’s desolate expression, Third Senior Brother reached out with his remaining right hand and patted his shoulder.

“The Patriarch always taught us: those who successfully walk the Daoist path must maintain shallow worldly attachments, yet carry deep sentimental weight.”

“The rest of the world might not understand him, but we have no excuse not to.”

……

Stepping past the gates of the Shangqing Temple, Chen Changsheng glanced up at the azure sky, then watched the scattered Immortals fleeing from the border. He chuckled.

“Oh, my face-saving Master.”

“You cared so much about your dignity in life. How could you possibly tolerate being left to rot in a foreign land after death?”

“Allow your loyal disciple to bring you home.”

“Considering our relationship, I’ll even waive the Spirit Stone fee this time.”

With a steady pace, Chen Changsheng began walking toward the warzone.

The Daqian Dynasty had been routed, and the frontlines were a blazing hellscape. Chen Changsheng didn’t care in the slightest.

He had only one objective: locate his old acquaintances, and put them in the ground where they belonged.

……

“Human! Entry fee is three copper coins!”

Two demonic guards blocked the gate. Sensing they were merely at the third layer of Qi Refining, Chen Changsheng immediately and obediently handed over the copper coins.

Toll paid, he strolled smoothly into the city.

Feeling the dense, terrifying spiritual pressure rippling throughout the streets, he sighed inwardly. “Hiding my cultivation was definitely the right call.”

“Even a backwater border town has a Golden Core cultivator acting as a garrison. How did the Night Moon Country suddenly balloon in strength?”

Nursing his suspicions, Chen Changsheng rented a room at a local inn.

For this five-thousand-li corpse retrieval mission, he hadn’t used Sword Riding, nor had he burned spiritual energy to sprint.

He used the most primitive method available: putting one foot in front of the other.

The territory he was entering was entirely occupied by the Night Moon Country. A human Golden Core cultivator brazenly flying through their airspace was basically begging to be swatted out of the sky.

His extreme caution was immediately validated.

As he penetrated deeper into Night Moon Country territory, Chen Changsheng finally understood why the Daqian Dynasty had been utterly crushed.

The sheer volume of demonic cultivators was absurd.

Foundation Establishment cultivators were a dime a dozen. Golden Core cultivators were as common as stray dogs. He bumped into a Nascent Soul realm aura every few blocks.

Against an army of this density, the Daqian Dynasty never stood a chance.

After a brief moment of mourning for his fallen nation, Chen Changsheng ordered a few local delicacies, planning to refuel before hitting the road.

However, his meal was rudely interrupted by a conversation at the next table.

“Did you hear the news? The Demon King’s daughter is holding a public husband selection! Anyone at the Foundation Establishment realm or higher can enter the running.”

“Obviously I heard. What does that have to do with us?”

“The Demon King is the patriarch of the noble Silver Moon Wolf Clan. Do you honestly think two grunts like us have a shot at being his son-in-law?”

“Hey, even if we don’t have a shot, it doesn’t hurt to watch the spectacle.”

“I heard the Fox Clan is presenting a genuine Nascent Soul realm puppet as a congratulatory gift!”

“A Nascent Soul puppet? You’ve got to be pulling my leg.”

“Why would I lie? The Fox Clan bagged it at Phoenix Mountain.”

“It took three late-stage Nascent Soul Ancestors from the Fox Clan just to put that human cultivator down!”

Hearing this casual exchange, Chen Changsheng pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered helplessly.

“Master, really?”

“I spent five years walking here, and the second I arrive, you throw this massive logistical nightmare in my lap.”

“The Fox Clan is a major political power in the Night Moon Country. How exactly am I supposed to requisition your corpse from them?”

“It’s not like I can fight my way in.”

Faced with this infuriating bottleneck, Chen Changsheng scratched his head in severe annoyance.

Suddenly, a flawlessly logical solution clicked into place.

“The Fox Clan is a vassal of the Night Moon Country. The Demon King is the Silver Moon Wolf King. Therefore, if I become the Silver Moon Wolf King’s son-in-law…”

“…I would have the political leverage to demand the puppet from the Fox Clan.”

“It sounds completely absurd, but mechanically speaking, the logic is sound!”

He muttered the plan under his breath a few more times. The more he analyzed it, the more perfectly viable it seemed.

……

Night Moon Country, Imperial Palace.

“Reporting to the Demon King! The Princess has escaped the palace!”

“Then deploy the guards and find her! If my daughter loses a single strand of wolf fur, I will have all your heads!”

Following the thunderous roar of the sovereign, the entire palace erupted into complete chaos.

Meanwhile, halfway up a mountain overlooking the capital, a lively young woman turned back to the royal city and stuck her tongue out.

“Bleh!”

“If you love getting married so much, you put on the dress!”

“This lady isn’t playing along!”