Pillborn Immortal

Zhuan Ming stood silently in the shadows of the forest, his mind racing with plans for the future. Now that I've joined the academy, it's finally time to grow stronger, he thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"What are you smiling about?" Qi Pill Ancestor's voice broke through his thoughts.

"Oh, nothing," Zhuan Ming replied, his expression serene. "You'll see soon enough. Just sit back and watch."

The night was warm and peaceful, the rustling of thick grass in the forest the only sound breaking the silence. Not far away, two brothers were walking until they found a clearing deep in the forest, their voices carrying softly through the air.

"Elder brother, are you sure this is okay? What if Father finds out?" the younger brother asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.

The older brother chuckled, trying to ease his sibling's worries. "That old drunkard won't notice. He's too busy drowning himself in bottles. He probably won't even remember how many he's bought, let alone think we took one. Besides, this is for you—to celebrate becoming an outer disciple."

Zhuan Ming watched from a distance, a faint smirk playing on his lips. How adorable, he thought, amused by their innocence.

The brothers settled on two moss-covered rocks in the clearing. The older brother pulled out a bottle of sake and two small cups from his pocket. "Cheer up, little brother," he said, pouring the drink. "Soon, you'll be working so hard you won't have time for simple pleasures like this."

The younger brother hesitated but took a sip, his face contorting slightly at the unfamiliar burning sensation. He forced a calm expression, not wanting to appear weak in front of his elder sibling.

"Not so bad, right?" the older brother teased, his tone light. "But don't get addicted like Father. Promise me that."

"I promise," the younger brother replied, his voice firm. "I'll never end up like him."

They continued drinking, the bottle nearly empty. The younger brother leaned back, gazing at the night sky. The moon shone brightly, surrounded by a sea of stars. "Brother," he said softly, "I'll work hard. I'll strive for the heavens."

He turned to his brother, expecting a response, but his words caught in his throat. Instead, he saw Zhuan Ming standing there, holding his brother's severed head, blood dripping slowly onto the forest floor.

"Bro…!" the younger brother screamed, but his voice was cut short as Zhuan Ming's blade sliced through his neck with a swift, merciless motion.

"I suppose you could say you're both striving for the heavens tonight," Zhuan Ming said with a cold laugh, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement.

One of his greatest regrets in his past life had been choosing the Space Path and Theft Path but after having lived a long life—over a hundred years, he had learned to let go of regrets. Regrets were like demons, haunting and unrelenting. They served no purpose. In life, you can take countless paths, but you can never turn back. And so, he had chosen to embrace the paths he had walked, finding value in every step. But now, he saw the benefits of the Space Path—they were the countless inheritances he had stolen over the years. One of them belonged to the Blood Path, notorious for its cultivation speed and power, but it came with a heavy price—death energy. When a human died, their body will slowly be consumed by death energy, which corroded both flesh and mind. To avoid it Blood Path cultivators often resorted to mass killings to obtain fresh materials, drawing the wrath of righteous cultivators.

But Zhuan Ming had discovered a solution in an ancient inheritance—a array that used the power of the full moon to separate blood energy from life and death energy, drawing it into talismans. Tonight, under the full-moon, he would use this technique to ascend to the next realm.

He worked quickly, smearing the brothers' blood in a circle and arranging their body parts in twelve positions, like the numbers on a clock. Beside each piece, he placed a blank talisman. The array wasn't intricate, so he could perform it as a peak Rank 1. Activating it drained his spiritual energy. He activated the array, refined the incoming blood energy, and used it as material to form his own Nirvana Tree. His experience made the process only slightly difficult, but an average Rank 1 could never perform such a feat.

As the array activated, he felt the surge of blood energy flowing into him. He guided it through his body, channelling it toward his nirvana root, located near his navel. The energy coalesced, transforming the root into a nirvana tree which had sprouted five leaves, each representing a future heavenly fruit.

Five leaves… Zhuan Ming was stunned. Forming three leaves was rare, but five was a one-in-a-billion miracle. "Hahaha! Where was this luck in my past life?" he laughed, his voice echoing through the silent forest.

Zhuan Ming stretched his body, feeling the newfound power coursing through him. "Let's finish this," he murmured, his voice calm and resolute.

He gathered the desiccated remains of the brothers, now devoid of any life-or-death energy—completely dried up. He stuffed them into a bag and made his way to the Poison Canyon, one of the three danger zones surrounding the Azura Sky Sect. The canyon was devoid of life, except for a few poisonous plants that had already been harvested. It was the perfect place to dispose of evidence.

He dropped the bag into the canyon and disappeared into the shadows, the night was still, the forest silent. Zhuan Ming was now back at his house nobody even noticing that he was gone. Not that he had anybody who cared for him.

The room was enveloped in silence, the only sound being the faint rustling of the night breeze outside. Suddenly, a stern voice echoed in Zhuan Ming's mind, cutting through the quiet like a blade.

"Boy, never do that again. It's far too risky." It was Qi Pill Ancestor, his tone sharp and unyielding.

Zhuan Ming smirked, unfazed by the reprimand. "Suck it, old man. Make me not do it again," he retorted, his voice full of defiance.

Qi Pill Ancestor fell silent, his disapproval hanging heavy in the air. But Zhuan Ming paid no mind. Without another word, he laid down and closed his eyes. The room returned to its quiet stillness.