I've never felt happy to become an immortal.

Chapter 208 If you only had twenty years of perfect life, would you choose it? (Third update)

"So, what's the price?"

Fan Qingshuang asked this question with a resounding tone.

The 'Third Immortal Slayer,' symbolizing a connection to the immortals, vibrated slightly.

'A predestined connection to immortality is simply a predestined connection; there is no price to pay.'

"No price required?" Fan Qingshuang cast a dismissive glance at her indifferently. "Do you take me for a fool?"

Although she has always been seen this way, Fan Qingshuang is more quick-witted and intelligent than the average person, but she is often too lazy to express herself.

She doesn't like to talk much. People who don't talk are either considered gloomy or clumsy.

This preconceived notion also saved her a lot of trouble... and she never tried to explain herself.

But if she were truly that kind of stubborn and foolish girl, how could she have cultivated to the fourth level of the Crouching Dragon Ranking at such a young age?

Ultimately, everyone lives behind a mask.

Depending on the scenario and the person you're facing, you can flexibly switch between different masks.

At this moment, Fan Qingshuang took off her most ordinary mask, her words became richer, and her emotions gradually came out... Her clumsiness and taciturnity were reserved for her sect, while her harmless, adorable demeanor was reserved for Bai Xuan.

If Bai Mei Shenni were here, she would immediately realize that Fan Qingshuang had switched to hostile mode.

"The world is bustling with activity, all seeking profit."

Fan Qingshuang remained silent. Because of her many experiences since childhood, she had a very keen sense of judgment regarding the good and evil in others.

Did they really think she was a naive little girl who could be tricked into climbing into bed and becoming a bed warmer with just a bag of dried fruit?
"The fact that there is no apparent cost is precisely the greatest cost."

He once said, "What's free is the most expensive."

I wholeheartedly agree.

Fan Qingshuang said in a low voice to the Third Immortal Executioner, "What exactly do you want? What do you want to get from me?"

'...'

There was no answer in the blank text box.

It fell silent.

Fan Qingshuang felt even more strongly the intense malice hidden behind it.

Is a predestined connection with immortals a good thing?
Of course it's a good thing. Having it is like being promised the throne... That's one of the ten people in the world. I wouldn't trade it even for the only two dragon thrones of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

But to say that it doesn't require paying any price would be something even the lowest of the low, the most unsavory characters in the martial arts world, wouldn't believe.

However, they will inevitably accept this deal because they firmly believe that no matter how heavy the price, it is far less than what they will gain.

It is precisely because the opportunity to become a celestial being is a good thing that we must be wary of it.

This sweet treat is as tempting as cheese in a mousetrap.

If a promise is too beautiful, consider whether it is meant to conceal some unknown ugliness.

And that ugliness...

Fan Qingshuang said quietly, "Although I am not as smart as him and can deduce amazing conclusions from many details, even I can see that the existence of the Immortal Fate is like bait and a trap."

"Four hundred years ago, the Feathered Immortal was the first person to obtain the destiny of immortality. She founded the White Plum Sect and left behind many stories and chapters during her lifetime. However, such a celestial being died in less than sixty years."

"After her death, the disaster broke out."

"The root cause is that her corpse transformed into a celestial demon."

"It's really hard to believe this is a coincidence."

"Furthermore, in the hundreds of years of history of the White Plum School, many records contain ambiguities."

"Those who have received the opportunity to become immortals throughout history, if they have not perished, have mostly become celestial beings, and without exception, all of them have short lifespans."

“My master, the White Plum Goddess, was the same.”

"Besides inheriting the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, she couldn't even explain what kind of immortal destiny she had received."

"If the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is the very essence of immortality, then there are some things that don't make sense."

Why did our ancestor, True Lord Qingyuan, choose this method for inheritance and selection?

"Or perhaps, this was not Qingyuan Zhenjun's original intention?"

"even……"

"This so-called predestined affinity was a lie from the very beginning!"

Fan Qingshuang's voice was slightly low. This statement was not a spur-of-the-moment thing, but the result of her long-term investigation.

She entered the secret realm to seek treatment for her illness.

Almost everyone thinks so.

Including Baimei Shenni herself.

Little did she know that Fan Qingshuang was a meticulous person. She knew about the secret realm within the White Plum Sect and the remains of the Sword Immortal. In order to understand more in detail what the Immortal Destiny was, she searched for a lot of information and learned about the lives of all those who had received the Immortal Destiny throughout history.

But the answers received were vague and uncertain.

However, everyone thinks that the opportunity to ascend to immortality is a very good thing, but almost no one cares about what it actually is or how it can elevate a person to a celestial position.

The only person who had doubts about this was Jingxuan, the fourth elder of the White Plum Sect.

Master Jingxuan also examined a large amount of information but ultimately failed to reach a conclusion. She even discovered that many historical records were incomplete, as if someone was deliberately erasing relevant records and traces.

From the very beginning, the seeds of doubt were sown.

Fan Qingshuang did indeed yearn for a divine intervention to cure her illness, but that did not mean she completely trusted such an intervention.

She never spoke herself; instead, it was the White Plum Nun who repeatedly expressed her hope that the Sword Immortal's remains could have some effect, while she simply listened in silence. She had never benefited from any connection to the immortals, and therefore dared to question the authenticity of such connections.

And Fan Qingshuang is not an isolated case.

A hundred years ago, the records left by the Sword Qi Stele also proved that some people in the previous generation had already questioned the existence of the Immortal Fate and had seen through its falsehood.

For some reason, the truths discovered by those predecessors were covered up, and the traces left behind were erased, so that no one remembers them a hundred years later.

Of course... Fan Qingshuang is quite intelligent to have seen through the falseness of the immortal destiny on her own.

She should have been the one least able to refuse a destiny with immortals.

Yet, standing closest to the Immortal's Fate, he questioned its existence.

Just as Fan Qingshuang's doubts began to resound...

The ethereal immortal aura that had originally emanated a faint, soft golden light from the Third Immortal has also dissipated, replaced by... a dense, pitch-black aura.

Violence, ferocity...

Dark, malevolent flames surged from the remains of the sword immortal, enveloping them like a raging fire. From within, a strange human face formed, like a mask, with holes flowing from the dark flames forming two eyes and a mouth.

Although it was just a face, the moment it appeared, the entire scene darkened, as if the light had been swallowed up.

A strange voice, seemingly composed of countless women, began to echo, no longer the rigid question-and-answer format of the past.

'—You really are special.'

The hideous and terrifying face was right in front of her. Fan Qingshuang subconsciously wanted to grab the long sword at her waist, but the moment she touched it, the purple lightning melted away.

This is the other party's territory. The weapon in her hand would easily turn into dust and air with just a glance from the other party.

His fierce face stared at Fan Qing Shuang: "I'm very satisfied... at least you look far superior to your master."

Fan Qingshuang said, "As expected... there is no such thing as a predestined affinity with immortals. Who exactly are you?"

“Smart people never believe in free lunches, but if wealth and glory were to fall from the sky, they would gladly accept it, regardless of whether it was poisonous.” The ferocious flames slowly expanded, growing larger and smaller with each character, changing unpredictably, but the stench of that malevolent aura could not be concealed: “You can call me the Heavenly Demon. I like that name very much; it is very fitting, just as its name suggests.”

Fan Qingshuang's eyes showed no fear as she said in a low voice, "For so many years, the shadow hidden behind the White Plum Sect has been you... You have altered history time and time again, and forged immortal opportunities, all with the goal of getting more people into the secret realm."

“Hmm, not bad... very clever. You are indeed not the first person to realize the truth, but it is meaningless. Everything was destined long ago when the White Plum Sect was established.” The Heavenly Demon laughed happily: “Because what True Immortal Yu Hua saw back then was not True Lord Qing Yuan, but me... I am your ancestor.”

"Then, what about the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts?"

"The Eight-Nine Arcane Arts is indeed a legacy left by that woman, True Monarch Qingyuan, but I intercepted it. It's the perfect tool to use it to forge a destiny of immortality."

Fan Qingshuang remained expressionless, but her mind was slightly shaken. If anyone else knew this, they would probably feel like the sky had fallen. All those years of worshipping Qingyuan Zhenjun were just a disguise by this Heavenly Demon.

Fan Qingshuang said, "As long as the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts are real, then the founder is Qingyuan Zhenjun."

The demon sneered, "There were others who said the same thing before, but in the end, they accepted my gift too."

Fan Qingshuang stared coldly at the Heavenly Demon.

“But none of them are as perfect as you.” He made no attempt to hide the longing in his eyes: “You are the most perfect body I have ever seen, and you are perfectly suited to carry my entire being.”

Fan Qingshuang sneered twice. Although she wasn't good at sneering, her two sneers were stiff like a robot's: "So you wanted my body."

"The innate sword embryo is a gift. It is because your relatives do not understand these things that the precious pearl has been obscured." The Heavenly Demon said, "By accepting my gift, you can achieve the Heavenly Rank within ten years, and I can guarantee that you will have at least twenty years of freedom."

"And then you become a ghoul, your puppet?"

"They turned into corpse demons because they were failures, but you are not," the Heavenly Demon explained patiently. "In the past, most people who obtained immortality were able to ascend to the heavenly position by consuming all their potential and even their lives under the stimulation of the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, but you don't need to do that."

"..." Fan Qingshuang didn't speak, obviously thinking of her master.

"Your master was a genius, but unfortunately she wasn't smart enough. She was lucky, so she probably lived to be around 60 years old."

Fan Qingshuang stared at the Heavenly Demon and asked, "What makes you think I would agree to your request?"

"Promise me you can return to sober reality, have a healthy body, and I will help you suppress the side effects of your constitution. Then you can fully enjoy the glory of your celestial position, embrace your loved ones, and even get married and have children."

His words at this moment were filled with tender affection, as if a reincarnated god was explaining to those unlucky souls who had stumbled upon a stroke of good fortune the wonderful life they would have after being reincarnated into another world—a life of wild arrogance, coolness, and power, with a harem and extravagant parties—revealing a strong sense of temptation and guidance.

"Although you will not be happy in the first half of your life, you can have everything in the next twenty years."

"The love and care of relatives and friends, the respect of fellow disciples, the reverence of the strong, and even the kinship and family that are out of reach."

"Twenty years is enough time for you to achieve all your life goals."

The cakes drawn by the Heavenly Demon were fragrant and soft.

The conversation shifted abruptly the next moment.

"If you don't agree."

His voice became sharp and violent, like grinding teeth and sucking blood.

"Then this will not end, and everyone will be trapped in this secret realm trial."

The demon snapped his fingers, and a screen of light rose up, swarming in from all sides to envelop Fan Qingshuang.

The words echoed around the surrounding area from every angle.

"They will repeat this endlessly, in a cycle, until they go insane and become mad... and naturally, you will be no exception."

Its laughter concealed a sense of pride.

"I have enough patience to wait for the day you choose to give in."

"Now, tell me... what's your decision!"

"It was a perfect twenty years of life."

"It's still an eternal prison that repeats itself endlessly."

(End of this chapter)