Chapter 272 - 267: Secret Realm or Immortal Realm?

White clouds, a flowing stream, a small bridge.

The fisherman poling his boat began to sing, his voice ringing out: "An old fisherman with a single rod, by the cloudy cliffs and the water’s bend. My humble boat comes and goes, without a care. Gulls dot the distant, clear waves; reed-filled banks rustle in the cold daylight. I sing a song as the sun sets in the evening..."

He sang at a leisurely pace, floating above the white clouds and amidst the sunset’s glow. A gentle breeze drifted by, and his relaxed, carefree posture made him look every bit a man who had transcended the mortal world.

Song Ciwan glanced at the warm sun beside the clouds. She saw the setting sun hanging lazily on the horizon, its soft, pale light dyeing the nearby clouds a gentle orange-red.

She had first thought it was the morning sun, but it was now clear that this was the sun setting.

Though it was sunset, there was no sense of decline. Accompanied by the fisherman’s song, everything here possessed a sort of magnificent beauty, a feeling of profound peace.

It was as the old saying goes: a bird’s call makes the mountain more serene. Here, the fisherman’s song made the water seem even more tranquil.

This sight, this feeling, surpassed all the noise and chaos of the mortal world.

It made one’s restless heart feel as if it had found a safe harbor, and a quiet joy blossomed within, quite unbidden.

And so, Song Ciwan stopped by the water’s edge, quietly admiring the scene before her, which was as beautiful as a painting or a poem.

The fisherman finished his leisurely song. Just as his voice faded, a huge splash suddenly erupted from the calm water ahead.

From within the splash, a ten-foot-long water snake appeared, lashing its long tail. Hissing, it lunged violently toward the fisherman on the boat.

Just as it seemed the fisherman was doomed, he remained perfectly calm. He exhaled sharply and shouted two words: "Hah! Gotcha!"

The moment he spoke, he pointed a finger. A semi-transparent glint of icy light shot out and struck the lunging water snake. With a THUD, its body went rigid and fell onto the fisherman’s boat deck.

The fisherman laughed heartily. "Little snake, oh little snake, don’t you think you’re being a bit too mischievous? I let you go every single time, yet you insist on challenging me again and again. Alas, you can’t win against me, so why bother?"

The water snake on the deck lifted its head, flicking out its forked tongue with a HISS.

Though it wasn’t human speech, the hissing seemed to convey a deep sense of indignation.

The fisherman just shook his head and sighed. He didn’t seem to blame the snake for its challenge. Instead, he reached out to pat its head, then scooped up its body and tossed it back into the water.

"Off you go!" the fisherman said. "I won’t catch you today, either. Go on back to your water and focus on your Cultivation. Don’t come bothering me again."

The water snake fell into the water with a SPLASH, then turned its head to hiss at the fisherman again.

The fisherman waved his hand. The snake, still resentful, slapped its tail against the water before lowering its head and diving deep.

Soon, all that remained was a thin wake in the water, which shot away like an arrow and vanished in an instant.

The fisherman watched it go for a moment before turning his gaze to Song Ciwan on the riverbank.

"Young lady, where have you come from? And where are you headed?" he asked with a smile.

Song Ciwan sensed an almost immortal aura about the fisherman. At his question, an idea suddenly struck her. "In answer to your question, sir," she replied, "I come from where the clouds rise, and I am going to where the water ends."

As she spoke, she clasped her hands in a respectful salute.

The fisherman returned the salute. "Oh?" he said. "To where the water ends? Hmm? Where might that be? I can’t say I’ve ever heard of such a place."

Song Ciwan smiled. "Clouds form and the sun emerges. Water recedes and stones emerge. Where the water recedes and the stones are revealed—that is where the water ends. What do you think, sir?"

The fisherman chuckled. "You’re a clever one, young lady, playing with words with this old man. I understand now. You’re here Seeking Immortality, aren’t you?"

Song Ciwan praised him, "You are truly perceptive, sir. Dare I ask, are there Immortals here?"

The fisherman invited Song Ciwan onto his boat. "Of course there are Immortals! Here in our Yanling Town, everyone can practice Cultivating Immortality. You’ve certainly come to the right place, young lady. Why not come aboard? I’ll take you across the river. We’ll go Seeking Immortality, haha!"

So that sprawling cluster of buildings and streets on the opposite bank was Yanling Town.

A Town built upon the clouds, complete with houses, pedestrians, and everything in between. And this fisherman claimed that there were Immortals in Yanling Town!

Song Ciwan felt that everything before her was a marvelous and fantastical sight, almost impossible to describe or depict.

She immediately made her move, using her Lightweight Grasshopper Skill to land gracefully in the boat. She then thanked the fisherman for the ride.

The fisherman chuckled. "Our meeting is fated, so there’s no need for thanks. For me, rowing this boat is a form of Cultivation. I was going to cross the river whether you came or not. What’s the harm in giving you a ride? It’s not worth mentioning."

With that, he began to row leisurely across the water.

Song Ciwan asked, "Pardon me, sir, but if rowing the boat is Cultivation, was letting that snake go also part of your Cultivation?"

The fisherman replied, "Rowing is my daily Cultivation. As for letting the snake go... let’s just call that half a practice."

"Oh?" Song Ciwan asked. "Why only half?"

The fisherman answered leisurely, "The Human Race and the Demon Race are supposed to be irreconcilable enemies. Slaying demons is the duty of every Human. However, I have already entered an Immortal Sect, so I no longer need to concern myself with such worldly customs. Whether I capture a demon or release it is entirely up to me..."

The fisherman paused. Song Ciwan listened quietly, using his logic to slowly form a picture of this Secret Realm in her mind.

’A Secret Realm is different from a Deceitful Realm,’ she thought, piecing things together. ’Deceitful Realms are woven from strange Resentment, and their rules are often generated based on the pre-death experiences of the entity that created them.’

’At first glance, the rules of a Deceitful Realm seem to favor the anomaly at its core, but they also serve to restrict it.’

’In fact, the rules indiscriminately restrict every living being within the Deceitful Realm!’

’To overcome a Deceitful Realm, one usually has to see through its rules and then use them to counter the anomaly.’

’Of course, if you have enough absolute power to just shatter the Deceitful Realm, then none of that matters. Brute force breaks all techniques. In the end, might makes right is the only eternal truth.’

’But a Secret Realm is clearly nothing like a Deceitful Realm. As the saying among Cultivators goes, a Deceitful Realm is a crisis, but a Secret Realm is an opportunity—’

’You aren’t supposed to break a Secret Realm. When you encounter one, the correct course of action is to do everything you can to seize the opportunities it holds!’

Song Ciwan couldn’t help but wonder, ’So where are the opportunities in this particular Secret Realm?’

Just then, she heard the fisherman let out a sigh and a chuckle. "I’ve known that little snake for several years now. At this point, we’re like old companions, so I don’t have the heart to kill it. If it wants to challenge me, it can. Every time it shows up, I just use my Frost Finger on it. I guess that counts as half a practice."

Song Ciwan gave him a thumbs-up. "Sir, you are a truly magnanimous and noble individual, remarkably carefree. This junior is full of admiration!"

The fisherman burst out laughing. "Hardly a noble individual! I’ve just attended a few of the Red Eyebrow Immortal’s lectures on the Dao, and that’s how I’ve come by my meager insights."

He cupped his hands again. "To be honest, it’s rather embarrassing. I have been in Cultivation for three hundred years, and yet I’ve only just reached Foundation Establishment. Who knows how far I still am from the Golden Core Dao... ah!"

He sighed, and though he still had a carefree air about him, his face was tinged with melancholy.

Song Ciwan, however, was stunned. "Sir, you’ve been practicing Cultivation for three hundred years? Senior, you mentioned the Golden Core Dao... if I may ask, Senior, what exactly is the Golden Core Dao?"