A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm

Chapter 1259: Counterfeit

Reincarnation was able to rank alongside space and time as one of the three paramount laws of heaven and earth, and it was the most mysterious of the three.

It was no exaggeration to say that all of the laws of heaven and earth were connected in some way to these three paramount laws.

Ever since ancient times, reincarnation had always been a very mysterious concept, and it concerned subjects such as rebirth and second lifetimes.

Of course, cultivators pursued immortality in the hope of being freed from the reincarnation, while mortals were inevitably bound to fall into the cycle upon their demise.

As for what one experienced after entering the cycle of reincarnation, it seemed that there was no consensus.

Han Li speculated that perhaps some of his residual aura had been left behind in the two cultivation arts that he had planted into Li Yuanjiu's consciousness all those years ago, and that had convinced him into thinking that he was the current incarnation of Ling Yunzi.

At the moment, Li Yuanjiu was a Dao Ancestor that even the Heavenly Court had to treat with respect, but it was clear that he still had a soft spot for the master that had taken him under their wing all those years ago.

With that in mind, it seemed like he had survived thanks to the designs of fate.

"What are you spacing out for, Uncle? Where are we going next?" Jin Tong asked as she tugged on Han Li's arm and began swinging it from side to side.

He then pulled out the map of the Nine Origins Temple that Lan Yan had given him before pressing it against his own glabella to inspect its contents.

Moments later, he concluded, "It looks like we're no longer in the Nine Origins Temple, but just to be safe, let's leave the greater Golden Origin Immortal Region as soon as possible."

With that objective in mind, he raced away in a certain direction with Jin Tong.

......

Several months flew by in a flash.

Inside a strange, murky, gray space, a beautiful woman in a long, azure dress was suspended ijn mid-air, flying in the upstream direction over a dark red river.

The woman was none other than Wyrm 3.

This was the first time that she had physically entered this strange space, and she was constantly being oppressed by the Great Dao of heaven and earth as she fought her way upstream.

There were five other rivers flowing along beside this one, and all of them were different in color and turbulence, but Wyrm 3 didn't even dare to look at them, let alone fly toward any of them.

After what felt like an eternity, Wyrm 3 had traveled several hundred kilometers, and she finally caught sight of the crystal arch bridge that stood at the origin point of the six rivers in the distance.

In contrast with last time, the woman in black sitting under the arch bridge was absent, leaving only the Reincarnation Palace Master seated on the bridge in his usual conical, bamboo hat and heavy bamboo fiber cloak.

He remained in the same posture as last time with his back slightly hunched, holding that bamboo fishing pole with the white spots on its surface. A translucent, dark red line was trailing down from the end of the fishing pole, while the other end of the line was submerged in the water.

"Wyrm 3 pays her respects to the esteemed palace master," Wyrm 3 greeted with a respectful bow upon arriving on the arch bridge.

"The fact that you were able to make it all the way here without any trouble despite this being your first physical transmigration tells me that you've made further strides in your cultivation base and mental state yet again. However, I can see that there's a faint mark on your glabella, indicating an injury. Why didn't you wait until after you were recovered before coming here?" the Reincarnation Palace Master asked.

"It's just a minor injury," Wyrm 3 replied.

"Surely you've heard the adage of water dripping through stone. Multiple minor injuries accumulated over time and left unattended can result in catastrophic consequences. Do not underestimate the top brass of the Nine Origins Temple," the Reincarnation Palace Master said, then casually lifted his fishing pole, and the dark red line trailing down into the water below instantly sprang up with a loud twang.

Hanging from the end of the line was a translucent, dark red fish, and it sprang up into the air before launching itself directly at Wyrm 3's glabella.

Wyrm 3 instinctively stumbled back to take evasive measures, but then immediately stood still again, allowing the red fish to vanish into her glabella.

A layer of red light instantly surfaced over her forehead, and her face took on a bright red coloration, while translucent threads of red light could be seen roaming under her skin.

Close to twenty seconds later, the layer of red light gradually subsided, and she hurriedly extended a respectful bow as he said with an elated expression, "Thank you, Palace Master!"

The faint mark on her glabella had already faded away, and not only had she recovered from all of her injuries, she had also opened around a dozen immortal acupoints in that short span of time.

"How did it go?" the Reincarnation Palace Master asked.

"We managed to secure it," Wyrm 3 replied in a concise manner.

She knew that was all that the palace master cared about, and he didn't care what had been lost to accomplish the objective.

Wyrm 3 flipped a hand over as she spoke, and the five-colored vial appeared over the palm of her hand, giving off bursts of formidable spiritual power fluctuations.

Only then did the Reincarnation Palace finally withdraw his fishing pole before rising to his feet.

While seated on the bridge, he had appeared rather diminutive in stature and hunch-backed in posture, but upon rising to his feet, he was surprisingly tall and imposing. However, even as he turned around to face Wyrm 3, his facial features were still concealed under the large hood of his cloak.

With a casual beckoning motion, the five-colored vial flew out of Wyrm 3's hand before landing in his grasp, while Wyrm 3 stood by to await further instructions.

After carefully examining the vial for a moment, the Reincarnation Palace Master suddenly erupted into laughter.

"What's so funny, Palace Master?" Wyrm 3 asked in a puzzled manner.

"As expected of the founding father of the Nine Origins Temple. You've all been fooled by Li Yuanjiu," the Reincarnation Palace Master replied as he casually tossed the five-colored vial back to Wyrm 3.

Wyrm 3 caught the vial with a hesitant look on her face, while the Reincarnation Palace Master explained, "That's nothing more than a counterfeit."

"Please forgive me, Palace Master, I didn't know," Wyrm 3 hurriedly said as she fell to her knees with a panicked expression.

"It's alright, you're not to blame. After all, I wasn't even able to tell you exactly what it is that you were to search for prior to the mission. This counterfeit Heaven Controlling Vial is exceptional in both craftsmanship and materials used, and it's comparable to a second tier immortal treasure, so it's no surprise that you were fooled," the Reincarnation Palace Master said.

"Please give us another chance, Palace Master. This time, I'll be sure to return with the original," Wyrm 3 implored.

"After the huge mess that we caused this time, there's no way you'll be able to infiltrate the Nine Origins Temple again anytime soon. Besides, Li Yuanjiu personally appeared to confront you, yet you were all still able to make it back unscathed, and that's already a gesture of goodwill, one that we cannot repay with ingratitude," the Reincarnation Palace Master said.

"You're saying Li Yuanjiu allowed us to get away on purpose? But why would he do that?" Wyrm 3 asked with a surprised expression.

"I can think of two potential reasons, the first of which is that perhaps he wants to show us that his Nine Origins Temple doesn't wish to be a sworn enemy of our Reincarnation Palace, while the second reason would be to prove his own innocence," the Reincarnation Palace Master replied.

Wyrm 3 immediately understood what the Reincarnation Palace Master was implying.

"The Heavenly Court sent both Huo Yuan and Immortal Envoy Feng Tian to investigate exactly what Li Yuanjiu had been refining over all these years, yet not only was Immortal Envoy Feng Tian killed by us, the vial was also taken by us right before everyone's eyes. That way, there would indeed be no reason for the Heavenly Court to suspect them of foul play."

"Li Yuanjiu is a very smart man. The Heaven Controlling Vial that was once in their possession was a priceless treasure that had been the envy of countless top-tier powers. In the wake of its loss, it seems to make sense that they would create a replica. Unfortunately for him, the Heavenly Court is not going to be so easy to fool," the Reincarnation Palace Master said with a smile.

"Palace Master, may I be so rude as to ask exactly what the Nine Origins Temple has created to have made even the Heavenly Court so apprehensive?" Wyrm 3 asked after a long hesitation.

The Reincarnation Palace Master merely shook his head with a smile and offered no response, and Wyrm 3 knew not to pry any deeper upon seeing this.

"Make sure that no information on this vial is leaked, and cease all of our activities in the Golden Origin Immortal Region. At the same time, stir up some more trouble in the neighboring immortal regions to divert attention away from the Golden Origin Immortal Region," the Reincarnation Palace Master instructed.

A perplexed look flashed through Wyrm 3's eyes upon hearing this.

"Regardless of what the Nine Origins Temple has created, as long as no concrete information on it is revealed, the Heavenly Court will only be able to make blind guesses, and the more they're forced to guess, the more of a wedge will be driven between them and the Nine Origins Temple," the Reincarnation Palace Master explained, and an enlightened look appeared on Wyrm 3's face upon hearing this.

"All we have to do is plant the seed of doubt, and it'll grow and thrive by itself. We don't have much time left, and there are still other things that must be done," the Reincarnation Palace Master continued as he cast his gaze toward the six rivers diverging away from the arch bridge.