Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Escape
Hu Qing desperately wanted to raise her cultivation.
She’d thought that once she reached the immortal realm, breakthroughs would come naturally. But maybe her constitution was special—she couldn’t absorb spiritual qi directly from the air unless she entered that mind-and-heart-as-one state while forging artifacts.
Later, when she went to the Heaven’s Grace Continent, she discovered the qi there was dense enough that some of it seeped into her now and then. She was thrilled. If that place was already like this, surely the true immortal realm would be even richer.
She’d imagined herself inhaling qi by the ton and racing straight toward Divine Transformation Stage and beyond.
The dream was beautiful. Reality was brutal.
The immortal realm’s qi really was thicker, and more of it slipped into her pores like a blind cat stumbling into a crack. But according to Juan Bu’s assessment, the speed and amount she absorbed were still far below the immortal realm natives.
Hu Qing could only stare. Then she forced herself to accept it. Heaven had already given her plenty of luck. Having one weakness to balance things out was normal.
Complain less. Be grateful more.
Juan Bu’s suggestion was to find an ascension pool.
The spiritual liquid inside could help reshape a person’s spiritual roots and rebuild their immortal bones. The spiritual power there was basically free—use as much as you could hold.
Hu Qing hesitated. “Are you sure I can use it?”
“In theory,” Juan Bu said, “ascension pools are only useful to people who came up from the lower realm. Immortal realm natives get nothing from soaking in them. You came from below, right? Whether it ‘counts’ as ascension or not—I think it’s worth trying.”
He hadn’t expected it either. Even after reaching the immortal realm, Hu Qing’s body still absorbed qi with the same stubborn difficulty.
Maybe an ascension pool would finally let her shed her old shell.
They both clung to the same bright hope.
But there was one problem: where was an ascension pool?
The Deng Yun Realm immortal realm wasn’t within Juan Bu’s knowledge. He suggested, “You could go to the immortal realms I’ve visited. I know where the pools are there.”
Hu Qing gave a dry laugh. “You think I have money?”
To travel between immortal realms, she’d have to use teleportation formations. She had no money for that.
Juan Bu fell silent. “Then you’ll have to ask around and see if there’s an ascension pool here.”
“Aren’t there pools in every immortal realm?”
“Of course not. Some have them. Some don’t.”
Hu Qing frowned. “Why not?”
“How should I know?” Juan Bu snapped. “That’s just how it is.”
Hu Qing clawed at her hair in frustration, then hardened her resolve. “Fine. Let’s go. First we find people and get something to eat.”
With people around, she could gather information.
“Stay farther away from Changdao Sect,” Juan Bu warned. “Don’t run into that couple again and get dragged off. Those two still have plenty to tangle over. Since their fates are tied to refining emotions and testing the heart, it won’t end just because they want it to.”
Hu Qing nodded. “I agree. It’s probably arranged marriage, mutual slaughter, the whole ‘chasing after a breakup’ mess, then enemies-to-lovers. Add misunderstandings, ruthless separation, a sudden awakening…”
She clicked her tongue. “If their bond is only a hundred years, the ending’s probably ‘we’ve already lived through an ocean, and now it’s all past.’”
Juan Bu didn’t understand a word and demanded an explanation.
Hu Qing explained while flying in the opposite direction from Changdao Sect, feeling out the terrain as she went. Luckily, even at Nascent Soul Stage she could still fly here. If she had to walk, she’d break her legs before ever crossing these million mountains.
Endless peaks stretched to every horizon. She kept her nerves taut, listening to her instincts and drifting toward whatever direction felt safer.
But the deeper she went, the colder the back of her neck became. After weaving around who knew how many places that screamed danger, her neck felt frozen stiff. Even the hair on the back of her head stood straight, bristling like boar bristles.
She wanted to cry. Was it still in time to turn back?
“Little Bu,” she whispered, “I think I picked the most dangerous route.”
“This isn’t the most dangerous,” Juan Bu said. “You already detoured around the worst places. The road ahead will only be… more dangerous.”
Hu Qing swallowed.
She tried backing up a few steps, but the sense of danger didn’t weaken. If anything, it grew sharper, more skin-crawling. Going back felt like stepping into a trap.
She gritted her teeth and pushed forward. Retreat was death. Forward meant at least a chance.
She found a clean rock on higher ground, dusted herself off, and bowed to the heavens, knocking her forehead once. “Father, please bless me.”
Juan Bu sounded appalled. “Do you think that works? And that Father isn’t the same Father as before!”
For the next month, Hu Qing lived like she was walking a tightrope. She had the distinct sense she’d entered a dense demon beast territory, and she kept scraping along the edges, following that faint thread of “less dangerous” as best she could.
And she really did end up walking.
At first she could fly. Then she only dared fly low. Then she skimmed treetops, threaded between trunks, and finally she didn’t dare leave the ground at all.
By then, she didn’t even dare use spiritual power. She activated concealment aura, terrified that even the smallest ripple of qi—or human scent—would draw something horrific.
With concealment aura active, she blended into the world like a dead leaf or a stone. She could pass close to low-grade beasts and they wouldn’t even glance her way.
For a while, it worked. Then her luck ran out.
Without warning, a massive swarm of something erupted from nowhere—tens of meters wide—sweeping up from the ground into the sky. By sheer bad luck, it slammed straight into her.
She was only hidden. She still existed.
The impact sent her flying. Pain flared through her ribs, and her breath caught. In that instant, her concealment aura shattered.
The moment the swarm caught the scent of a human, a smaller group peeled off and charged at her.
“Run!” Juan Bu yelled. “Those are man-eating flying corpse-worms. If they bite you, they’ll leave scars.”
Scars?
Hu Qing went pale. Spiritual power was basically the best scar remover there was, yet Juan Bu still emphasized scars. That meant these things could leave marks even spiritual power couldn’t easily erase.
She exploded into motion, spiritual power fully unleashed, darting for any gap in the swarm. She snatched out a thick stack of talismans, slapped speed charms onto herself, and hurled attack charms behind her without looking.
Fortunately, immortal realm creatures weren’t automatically stronger than everything in the lower realm. After a frantic chase, she finally managed to shake the worms.
Panting, she looked up—and immediately felt her stomach sink.
The air here was too quiet, thick with a heavy, tense pressure.
“Oh no,” she whispered. “Don’t tell me I ran into great demon territory…”
A fierce roar burst from the forest ahead. Hu Qing reacted on instinct, flicking out an earth-escape talisman and plunging more than ten meters underground.
Don’t see me. Don’t see me. Don’t see me.
Through the packed soil above, she could hear everything: chaotic voices, repeated tiger roars, the earth trembling, and heavy impacts that boomed like distant drums.
She prayed they wouldn’t fight directly overhead.
The moment she thought it, a thunderous blast struck right above her head. Then two more. The soil overhead ruptured with violent cracks.
Hu Qing didn’t move an inch. She suffered in silence, cursing herself. She should’ve chained earth-escape talismans earlier. Now if she ran, she’d draw attention. Better to stay still and hope—
No. That was wishful thinking.
If those immortals couldn’t notice a living person hiding in a shallow layer of dirt, they didn’t deserve to be called immortals.
Dust rained down. Someone shouted, “Can you come up on your own?”
Hu Qing sighed. Slowly, she climbed up and emerged with her head lowered. Before she even saw anyone clearly, she blurted out, “Sorry, sorry. I wandered in by accident. I’ll leave right away.”
A few people snickered. Someone asked in baffled curiosity, “Who are you? How did you end up in our Mountain Delicacy Garden?”
Hu Qing’s heart loosened at the tone. She finally lifted her head.