Ling Huyin stepped out of a small settlement called Greengrass Town. It was just a brief resupply stop before continuing toward the Blazing Sun Sect.

Everything was going according to plan so far. Aside from the unusually high activity of monstrous beasts in the area, which were no trouble for him. But that didn’t mean all was well.

Because Ling Huyin felt it, that prickle on the back of his neck, the cold creeping down his spine and coiling in his gut.

He was being followed.

Not by any obvious means; there was no Qi signature, no presence to trace, and no scent to track.

But the old instinct of a monstrous beast still lingered, and they told him something was off.

“Come out,” he said, stopping mid-step. “How long are you planning to keep following me?”

It was dangerous to call out a stalker, especially as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator. Still, he had escape methods that might buy him time, even against a Core Formation expert. As for against a Nascent Soul cultivator? Not a chance.

So he gambled, hoping and assuming it wasn’t someone that strong.

Then, the man stepped into view.

Shan Yi, the Deep Sea Immortal, casually strolled out from behind a tree and gave him a little wave.

“Wow,” Shan Yi said. “You’ve got great instincts.”

Ling Huyin stared, a deep unease churning in his chest.

This wasn’t just keen senses detecting power. An Immortal could mask himself from even the sharpest instinct, which meant Shan Yi had chosen to be noticed, magnifying his presence just to trigger that reaction.

Why? Why would someone go out of their way to be noticed by a near-stranger?

Did he think it was a joke? That because he’d once been powerful at Nascent Soul, he could behave the same way now that he was Immortal?

Most newly ascended Immortals were enamored by the new things, exploring forbidden realms and chasing long-lost secrets.

But not this one. This one had stalked him twice now.

If Ling Huyin had to bet, Shan Yi had an agenda. He wasn’t acting carelessly. He never had.

Still, Ling Huyin wasn’t overly worried. He had seen the rough shape of things to come, and his fate seemed tied to two extremes: the youngest Immortal and the oldest.

So far, that alignment held.

The youngest was easy to find; Shan Yi hadn’t yet erected divination-deflecting protections. The oldest, however, had been far harder.

Or at least… he had been. Until he found him, too.

Either he’d been severely weakened, or he wanted to be found. Ling Huyin hoped it wasn't the latter.

“Why are you here?” Ling Huyin asked.

“I was just walking around,” Shan Yi said lightly. “Got sentimental. Thought I’d visit my old Sect. Total coincidence that I ran into you.”

Ling Huyin didn’t reply. Even a newborn beast could smell the lie.

Maybe having Shan Yi around wasn’t the worst outcome. If his instincts were right, this “coincidence” was anything but.

The old Immortal he sought, if his divination was right, came from the same generation as the Bloodstep and Eternal Grave Immortals.

And Ling Huyin sincerely hoped it wasn’t the latter.

Because the Eternal Grave Immortal’s technique was built for one purpose: Killing other Immortals.

Knowledge of it offered no protection; that was why so many powers had allied to bring him down. His art was rumored to sever the cycle of reincarnation itself.

Ling Huyin exhaled slowly.

And if it was the Eternal Grave Immortal… Then, the rules of this world were about to change. Again.

No… he was not looking forward to that meeting.

“Why are you still following me?” Ling Huyin asked as he began his journey toward the Blazing Sun Sect on foot, though he moved at incredible speeds. “I doubt you have many friends where we’re going.”

Did Shan Yi really intend to test himself against that Sect’s ancestor?

More often than not, Immortals detached from worldly concerns after a certain age because they’d glimpsed just how vast the universe truly was. But even then, most wouldn't tolerate anyone else defecating in their litter.

“Even if we fought, I’m not that worried about losing to the Blazing Sun Immortal,” Shan Yi said with a smile. “My Immortal Technique is really good at killing.”

He said it so casually.

“Sure, the guy has an attack-type technique,” Shan Yi continued, “but my element is water, and so is my Immortal Technique related to said element. In a way, I’m a direct counter to him.”

“Do you even know what his technique is?” Ling Huyin asked.

“No,” Shan Yi admitted with a shake of his head. “But I have a pretty good idea.”

“If you’re not sure, then you’re assuming too much,” Ling Huyin said. “He could’ve faked it and planted decoys to make others believe that was his true technique.”

“Maybe,” Shan Yi said. “But I’ve seen the Blazing Sun Immortal endure four heavenly calamities, two of which I made sure to observe closely.”

“So what? You think you can beat him?” Ling Huyin asked. “Are you planning to take him out? Because if you’re trying to rope me into that… sorry, friend. You picked the wrong ally.”

“Take him out? If the opportunity presents itself, sure. But to plan something like that? Absolutely not,” Shan Yi chuckled as if recalling something absurd. “That guy is monstrous, even by our standards.”

Obviously, otherwise, he wouldn’t have secured such massive territory without a single other Immortal raising a fuss.

That was the unspoken pyramid of Immortal power: those with pure attack-type techniques sat at the top. Divination cultivators? They clung to the bottom.

“You could say that about all Immortals,” Ling Huyin said. “We didn’t get here by being weak or bad at what we did.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Not at all. I mean, look at you...” Shan Yi laughed.

Ling Huyin felt a flicker of irritation.

But he chalked it up to instinct, old muscle memory reacting to old judgment.

He knew how Immortals viewed reincarnation techniques. Everyone who ascended had been strong-willed and decisive. They were people who shaped the world to their will.

They weren’t the type to cling to regrets.

To them, reincarnation techniques were born of weakness and crafted by those too afraid to die or too incapable to succeed in one lifetime.

In other words, reincarnators were seen as losers.

But Ling Huyin didn’t see it that way.

His technique had more potential than any attack-type Immortal Technique ever forged.

He would become the strongest Immortal and master of nine Immortal Techniques!

…

As they approached a mountain shrouded by an invisibility array, it became clear they’d finally reached the Blazing Sun Sect.

It wasn’t the awe-inspiring image Ling Huyin had expected from a Great Sect. Maybe they were going through hard times.

Still, despite the scorched mountain blanketed in a thin layer of snow, marble walls had been erected around its base.

“Huh, they rebuilt the walls since last time. They work fast. Probably Zun Gon, he was always freakishly efficient,” Shan Yi commented.

Ling Huyin ignored him, about to move forward and maybe even try his hand at sneaking past the walls when Shan Yi placed a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

He frowned, turning to protest, but Shan Yi just wore an amused smile as he stared toward a seemingly empty patch of air.

“It seems like you’ve taken a more hands-on role since the last time I was here,” Shan Yi said aloud.

“I had to. Otherwise, the Sect was drowning in quicksand because of you,” a voice replied from the direction Shan Yi was looking.

The air shimmered.

A teenager with dark hair and glowing green eyes stepped into view.

Ling Huyin couldn’t sense a thing, not even the faintest ripple of Qi. And yet, instinctively, he knew: this was the Blazing Sun Immortal.

“Shan Yi,” the Immortal said, eyes glowing like twin pools of lava, “I always assumed you were the smart kind of guy despite your shortcomings. But do you really think I’ll let you walk out of here alive?”

“Hey, I’ll admit, this one’s on me,” Shan Yi said, raising both hands in mock surrender. “But we’re not here for that. Go on, cat guy, give him your sales pitch!”

The Blazing Sun Immortal’s gaze shifted to Ling Huyin, and he cursed internally.

Great. Any hope of making a positive impression was now at zero percent. Was this why Shan Yi had stalked him? To sabotage any alliances before they could form?

“I’m an Immortal too,” Ling Huyin began carefully.

“I don’t care if you’re my own grandpa,” the Blazing Sun Immortal interrupted. “I do not want any outside interference in my Sect.”

“No, I’m not here to interfere,” Ling Huyin said quickly. “But as you’ve likely already deduced, I’m a reincarnated Immortal. Due to certain… circumstances, I’ve caught the heavens’ attention. In less than a century, I’ll be hit with a Heavenly Calamity while still technically mortal. A Sky Grade Divination Technique led me here. I believe the solution to my problem lies within your territory.”

He deliberately left out the part about the old rabbit.

No need to add more chaos. Especially not when Shan Yi and possibly others might decide to team up to catch the time-traveling rabbit. Immortals weren’t usually greedy, not about techniques or tools, but even they had their exceptions.

The Blazing Sun Immortal nodded, then locked eyes with Shan Yi.

“Still, you’re not welcome,” he said. “Are you here to die?”

It sounded less like a question and more like a declaration.

Shan Yi raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, I’ll be the first to admit I messed up a bit. I do feel bad about the whole Sect situation. But I didn’t think my heavenly calamity would have such a wide area of destruction.”

“You were a good Sect Leader,” the Blazing Sun Immortal said. “Until you pulled something like that. But I’m still going to try and kill you if the chance comes.”

“And I wouldn’t fault you for it,” Shan Yi replied. “I did try to stop the calamity myself. Otherwise, something like that would’ve flattened the entire mountain and killed everyone. But I had just broken through and wasn’t used to my power yet.”

Ling Huyin could tell, despite everything, that the tension between Shan Yi and the Blazing Sun Immortal had softened. There was still hostility, yes, but it wasn’t the blade’s edge it had been moments ago.

“Now that we’ve put the arguing aside,” Ling Huyin cut in, “I’d like to say that I didn’t come here to see either of you. So, can you please step aside?”

He wasn’t hiding that he had his own agenda. But he also didn’t want these two to fight because if they did, he’d definitely die.

And the surrounding region? Reduced to a smoldering crater.

If two Immortals with attack-type techniques went at it, the destruction could very well level a chunk of the Western Continent.

Immortals fighting each other was never a good idea; there was nothing to gain and everything to lose.

“Oh, right,” Shan Yi said, feigning realization. “You wanted to meet the oldest Immortal. Do you have any idea who that might be, Lord Blazing Sun?”

It was obvious Shan Yi had already come to his own conclusions and most of them were probably correct.

“You’re probably looking for the Song Clan Leader,” the Blazing Sun Immortal replied. “He’s already here.”

“He is?” Ling Huyin frowned, turning to Shan Yi, who met him with a teasing smile.

He was starting to hate not being an Immortal.

Even with a sliver of those senses he once had, other Immortals could hide from him effortlessly.

And Shan Yi… was definitely planning something. No matter how foolish he pretended to be.

Then, the so-called Song Clan Leader stepped out from one of the shadows cast by a snow-covered patch of grass. His presence was sudden and eerily quiet.

There was no ripple of Qi. No surge of pressure. Just an unnatural stillness that followed him like a second skin. His footfalls made no sound on the frostbitten ground as if the world itself hesitated to acknowledge him. Snowflakes drifted lazily around him, with some landing on his shoulders and refusing to melt. His eyes were sharp and empty, scanning the area with the cold indifference of a monster.

The shadow he emerged from stretched unnaturally behind him as though reluctant to let him go.

Danger!

Every instinct in Ling Huyin’s body screamed it.

He looked human with long dark hair and an emotionless face. But in the ways that mattered... he wasn’t.

“Oh, and don’t bother trying to kill him,” Shan Yi said casually. “He just reincarnates into one of his children. Probably his equally creepy daughter.”

This man…

That single fact cemented the nature of their relationship from now on.

Immediately, Ling Huyin knew he would have to find a way to kill the Song Clan Leader permanently. Another being with a true reincarnation technique couldn’t be allowed to exist unchecked.

The Song Clan Leader would likely eliminate everyone here to preserve his secret.

And Shan Yi’s mention of a “similarly crazy daughter” hinted that bloodline alone wasn’t the only requirement. Mental or physical similarity might matter, too.

Despite the mounting tension, a fragile peace held, for now. Since Ling Huyin needed the Song Clan Leader's help.

“Also,” Shan Yi added lightly, “from what I’ve seen, he can’t kill himself or even orchestrate his own death. Keep that in mind.”

That annoying smile said it all. Shan Yi was setting the stage for war between them.

No Immortal could tolerate another roaming around with a fully exposed secret.

“I don’t know how to help you with your problem,” the Song Clan Leader said, voice flat. “My technique hides me from the heavens as long as my cultivation stays below Immortal.”

What? Another revelation, why was he exposing his own technique like this?

However, Ling Huyin’s mind whirled. If the technique blinded Heaven’s sight below the Immortal realm, then perhaps Heaven’s gaze could be foiled temporarily. Perhaps just because he was in the proximity of the Song Clan Leader, the heavens had lost sight of him for now.

That was it: if he avoided specific “Heaven’s favorites,” he might delay or even dodge his calamity!

Had he solved his problem so easily? Perhaps.

But a new danger loomed. Ling Huyin glanced at the Song Clan Leader.

Maybe this was worse than the heavenly calamity. If that man found a method to disable his reincarnation…

And what about the time-traveling rabbit? Why hadn’t it warned him?

Was this what the rabbit meant by “stop planning like an Immortal looking centuries ahead”? Should he have skipped this lifetime after all?

Because these Immortals would hunt him through lifetimes.

Ling Huyin’s heart grew colder. One truth crystallized:

When he rose to power again, he would have to kill many Immortals. Especially the Song Clan Leader.