Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

“Now, please go ahead and kill each other. Only one of you can claim these treasures, and only one of you will walk out of here alive.”

The voice of the woman in the red dress echoed slowly through the air.

Everyone who heard her words froze for a moment. They glanced at one another, then looked at the companions and dao partners still standing beside them.

It was clear now—everyone around them was an enemy. Even their most trusted companions, even the dao partners they cherished the most.

“Y-You… What did you just say?”

A male cultivator trembled as he spoke, his voice laced with fear.

He had even used the honorific “You” in his address, as if he were speaking to a deity.

It was understandable—this woman in red had already demonstrated her absolute superiority. No one here could possibly defeat her.

In this place, she was like a god, holding dominion over life and death.

“I said~”

The woman in red gracefully descended onto a stone, crossed her legs, and rested her fair, delicate hand against her chin. With a playful smile, she looked at the crowd.

“Only one of you is allowed to live. The rest… must die. Was that clear enough?”

Silence.

“A single incense stick’s worth of time~”

She planted an incense stick into the ground, the flame at its tip steadily burning downward.

“If, by the time it burns out, more than one of you is still alive… then all of you die. I’ll just wait for the next batch of people to arrive.”

With that, she fell silent, simply sitting on the stone and watching the scene unfold.

To her, this was a grand spectacle, a thrilling performance about to begin.

The remaining fifty to sixty cultivators instinctively distanced themselves from one another.

They had never truly trusted each other before, and now, that distrust only deepened.

Some even began eyeing their own companions with suspicion, fearing that at any moment, the ones they trusted most would suddenly turn on them.

Yet, no one made the first move.

But as the incense continued to burn, sweat began to bead on their foreheads.

They all understood—whether they wanted to or not, they had to act. Otherwise, death was certain.

“Pfft!”

Amidst the suffocating silence, someone suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The man looked down in shock—

A hand had pierced straight through his chest.

“W-We’re from the same sect… You actually…”

He turned his head, staring at his fellow disciple in disbelief.

Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

And just like that, the slaughter began.

In an instant, the entire battlefield descended into chaos.

Everyone fought for themselves.

Some dao partners and sect members banded together, deciding to kill off the others first before settling things between themselves.

“Kill them first! Otherwise, in the end, do any of you actually believe you can defeat them?!”

One cultivator suddenly shouted, pointing directly at Xu Ming and Shi Xin.

They had all witnessed Xu Ming’s strength firsthand.

To them, Xu Ming and Shi Xin were like final bosses.

If they didn’t eliminate them first, then their own struggles would be meaningless. In the end, they would only be paving the way for someone else’s victory.

The very next moment, an unspoken agreement was reached.

All the remaining cultivators charged toward Xu Ming.

“You want to see the true nature of people?” Xu Ming smiled as he turned to Shi Xin.

“What?” Shi Xin glanced at him in confusion.

“Let me put it another way. You want to see human nature? It’s quite the spectacle.”

Xu Ming let out a cold chuckle.

With his sword in hand, he stepped forward.

The first person to rush at him was immediately cleaved in two.

The one who had just called for his death was cut down without hesitation.

Then, Xu Ming dragged his sword across the ground, carving a long line into the dirt.

“Anyone who crosses this line—dies.”

Xu Ming’s words struck deep into the hearts of those before him.

One by one, they all halted just beyond the thin line he had drawn.

And then, in the next moment—

Xu Ming’s Dao-patterned eyes shifted, the intricate lines within them spinning.

Everyone froze for a brief second.

Then, as if Xu Ming no longer existed in their world, they turned on each other once more, resuming their brutal slaughter.

“What did you do?” Shi Xin asked.

“Nothing much.”

Xu Ming closed his sore eyes, wiping away the thin trickle of blood that had leaked from the corners. Only after a long pause did he open them again.

“I just cast a small illusion on them, making them think we’re already dead.”

Shi Xin blinked, surprised. She hadn’t expected Xu Ming to have such an ability.

And she wasn’t the only one.

The woman in the red dress also watched Xu Ming with great interest.

Especially his eyes.

Those eyes of his… they were like a collection of mystical artifacts, capable of producing all sorts of bizarre, yet incredibly effective techniques.

However, as powerful as these abilities were, they seemed to take a heavy toll on him.

Less than half an incense stick’s time later, only two people remained in the Illusory Realm.

They were covered in wounds, their bodies drenched in blood.

Both of them had formidable strength and remarkable luck—otherwise, they wouldn’t have made it this far.

But now…

Everyone else was dead.

Only the two of them remained.

Yet, only one of them could claim the treasures and leave this place alive.

What now?

The pair—a man and a woman—locked eyes.

Their gazes were filled with emotions too complex to describe.

And beneath that, a quiet wariness.

“Yun’er, I…”

The man swallowed hard, staring at the woman he loved.

“Qiu Shi…” The woman, Yun’er, smiled softly. “Kill me. If I die, you must live well.”

The man shook his head violently.

“No! I could never do that! Yun’er, you kill me instead! I want you to survive!”

Yun’er’s eyes trembled.

“Just hearing you say that… makes me happy. But don’t be foolish, Qiu Shi. Only one of us can leave this place alive.”

“I know that!” Qiu Shi clenched his fists tightly. “But even if that’s the case, I still want that person to be you!”

“Qiu Shi…”

“Yun’er! I will never kill you! If you die, then I don’t want to live either!”

“Qiu Shi, I feel the same… If you die, then I don’t want to live…”

“Then… in our next life, let’s be dao partners again!”

“Mn! In our next life, we’ll be dao partners again!”

As their voices fell, the two lovers turned—

And charged straight at the woman in the red dress.

Their intent was clear.

They had no interest in winning this cruel game.

Either they both lived—

Or they both died.

But just as they reached within twenty meters of the red-dressed woman—

A flicker of shadow passed through their eyes.

In that instant, without hesitation, they turned their swords against each other.