Chapter 35: The Immortal’s Deception and the Unexpected Guardians

Before Lin Ling’s apartment complex,

Zhang Wu, present as the Zhang family’s representative, was currently a whirlwind of nerves and excitement.

The thought of meeting his idol, and potentially being the first human to witness the silver-haired maiden’s true appearance, filled him with an almost uncontrollable thrill.

No, no, this wouldn’t do!

He commanded himself to remain calm. He couldn’t tarnish the reputation of the Zhang family’s eldest grandson, and he absolutely had to leave a good impression on his goddess.

Forcing his tumultuous emotions into submission, Zhang Wu began to recall the ‘experts” prior instructions. He mentally rehearsed how he should approach the silver-haired maiden, seek her assistance, and foster a friendly relationship.

Zhang Wu and Qingfeng Immortal’s purpose in coming here was, naturally, to find the mysterious silver-haired maiden.

However, Zhang Wu’s intentions were quite straightforward. He sought help, hoping the silver-haired maiden would intervene to cure his grandfather.

His other goal was simply to meet the idol he so revered.

He harbored no fear that the silver-haired maiden would harm him.

In his eyes, a being who saved the world like a goddess would never injure the innocent, and would surely be delighted to aid his grandfather.

‘Yes, it must be so!’

Watching the Zhang family’s eldest grandson, who seemed lost in a daze, Qingfeng Immortal secretly sneered with contempt.

He certainly hadn’t come to forge friendly ties with the silver-haired maiden.

Of course, a facade of friendship was necessary, and it had to be convincing.

To this end, he needed someone to provide a plausible reason to draw the silver-haired maiden’s attention. Meanwhile, he would use his spiritual energy to disguise himself as an ordinary person, biding his time to locate and seize the Star Source.

This was precisely why he had bothered to bring along the Zhang family’s fool.

After all, once he arrived in Cangyang City, Zhang Wu would be practically useless. The black and white sphere within his consciousness had already revealed the Star Source’s location long ago.

Now, he could finally make his move!

And so,

Qingfeng Immortal took the lead, striding into the apartment complex.

Seeing this,

Zhang Wu hastily snapped out of his reverie.

“Sir! Wait for me!”

He then scrambled to follow the old man, eagerly glancing around his surroundings.

Gazing at the utterly unremarkable and ordinary apartment complex, Zhang Wu felt a pang of disappointment. Shouldn’t a goddess reside in a secluded paradise, akin to a celestial realm? How could she possibly live in such a common, even dilapidated, neighborhood?

****

The apartment complex remained as tranquil as ever. Aunties danced their square dances in the courtyard, while children ran and played around them.

Wangzai, frolicking with the children, hadn’t forgotten his duty. He was constantly monitoring for suspicious individuals or those with ill intentions.

To that end, he kept his senses perpetually cast over the entire complex.

Though a Sixth-Tier being, he lacked Lin Ling’s ability to directly read minds and memories. However, he could still perceive people’s general emotions and desires.

It was thanks to this ability that he had helped the security guards apprehend numerous thieves, human traffickers, and pedophiles within the complex.

Consequently, he was deeply adored by both the children and their parents in the neighborhood.

Today, Wangzai was performing his duties as usual when he detected two unfamiliar presences entering the building where Lin Ling lived.

Wangzai immediately focused his attention, sensing their physical forms and emotions.

‘Woof?! What’s this? Just two ordinary people with no spiritual energy. Probably visiting relatives, woof~~’

After a brief assessment, seeing no threat, Wangzai withdrew his focus and resumed playing with the children around him.

While Wangzai hadn’t detected Qingfeng Immortal, Qingfeng Immortal, in turn, hadn’t noticed Wangzai either.

This was because Bisika had previously set up a perception-blocking barrier on both Wangzai and Little Pangolin. She had done so to prevent the auras of these two ancient beasts from attracting other monsters and causing trouble for Lin Ling.

A Saint-tier like Qingfeng Immortal, who had only achieved his cultivation halfway, lacked the ability to penetrate a Battle Sovereign’s barrier.

A few minutes later,

The two uninvited visitors had arrived at Lin Ling’s door and pressed the doorbell.

****

Inside the apartment,

A sudden burst of doorbell rings shattered the indoor silence. Yet, before it could chime more than a few times, it abruptly ceased.

“PONG!”

With a thunderous crash, the door was violently forced open from the outside.

The next moment, a hunched old man slowly stepped into the apartment.

“Old sir! This is incredibly rude! How can we just break in like this? We should wait for her to open the door!”

Witnessing this scene,

Zhang Wu anxiously tried to stop the utterly ill-mannered man before him. He had just been knocking, and this wretched old man had simply reached out, destroyed the lock, and walked right in. What kind of stunt was this?

“She’s not home,”

After delivering this terse statement, the old man completely ignored Zhang Wu’s protests and walked further into the apartment without a backward glance.

Seeing this, Zhang Wu could only cautiously hurry after him.

After glancing around and confirming that the old man seemed not to be lying,

Zhang Wu took a swift step to the old man’s side, gripping his shoulder. He spoke with solemn seriousness, “Then we should still wait for her by the door! What kind of manners is this, entering without permission?”

However, the old man didn’t answer him. Instead, he began to laugh eerily.

“Heheheh! Hahahahaha!”

His laughter grew increasingly deranged, increasingly chilling.

As the eerie laughter echoed through the room, Zhang Wu’s unease deepened, though it was overshadowed by a surge of anger.

‘What exactly does this guy want?’

Staring at the boisterous, disrespectful man laughing before him, Zhang Wu felt his anger flare. If this were an ordinary person, he would have surely slapped them.

Though their interactions on the journey had led Zhang Wu to suspect that this self-proclaimed immortal might not possess the lofty morals befitting one, he never imagined the old man would be so utterly frivolous and rude. He shouldn’t have brought him to his goddess’s abode! If she returned and witnessed this, wouldn’t she immediately blacklist him?

This simply wouldn’t do. He had to try his best to salvage the situation!

“Old Mr. Qingfeng! Thank you very much for your assistance. The remuneration promised by our Zhang family will be transferred to your account immediately. So, you may leave now!”

…

Gazing at the fool who clearly misunderstood the situation, Qingfeng Immortal sneered, “Why should I leave? Do you still not comprehend what’s happening?”

“You’re the one who doesn’t comprehend! We’re currently trespassing illegally. Thankfully, that girl isn’t here! Otherwise, how would we explain ourselves?” Zhang Wu retorted fiercely.

‘It seems this boy truly doesn’t understand the situation. Fine, I won’t waste any more time with him.’

“Her absence suits me perfectly!”

With that, the old man, without any warning, directly kicked Zhang Wu in the chest.

The blow caught Zhang Wu completely off guard, sending him flying backward to crash against the wall. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and the distinct shoe-shaped indentation on his chest foreshadowed his imminent demise.

At that moment, Zhang Wu could only stare in horror at the old man. He couldn’t comprehend why he had been attacked, or if he had said something wrong. Feeling his heart steadily weaken, despair slowly enveloped Zhang Wu.

‘Am I going to die? I’m sorry, Grandpa…’

His vision dimmed, his consciousness fragmented.

Observing Zhang Wu slowly losing his life force, Qingfeng Immortal had no intention of delivering a finishing blow. Instead, he disdainfully turned away, finding a perverse pleasure in savoring the despair of a dying weakling.

He then began to meticulously sense the Star Source’s location.

Yet, after a long while, he still couldn’t pinpoint its exact whereabouts.

‘Could it not be here?’

Just as Qingfeng Immortal’s doubts grew, a voice from the black and white sphere resonated within his mind once more.

“Mural.”

‘A mural?’

Upon receiving the hint, Qingfeng Immortal immediately locked his attention onto the mural on the living room wall—a completely unremarkable painting that would never draw anyone’s eye.

‘It truly is!?’

As he carefully sensed the strange, undetectable fluctuations emanating from it, Qingfeng Immortal’s spirits soared.

‘Heh, this silver-haired maiden is quite cunning. She even created a separate dimension within the mural to store the Star Source, and then set up a perception-blocking barrier on the outside.’

‘An ordinary person would never discover it. If not for the treant’s legacy reminding me, and that life-attribute Star Source having previously absorbed a massive amount of power from that treant—power that shares my origin—even I wouldn’t have been able to use this unique sense to find it here. Truly impressive, I must say!’

‘However, now, this Star Source is mine!’

The utterly ecstatic Qingfeng Immortal no longer concealed his spiritual energy. Verdant green spiritual power enveloped his withered hand, which then clenched into a fist and directly slammed towards the mural!

“DONG!”

The barrier remained utterly unmoved.

‘Huh?!’

‘Still quite sturdy, hmph!’

‘Again!’

Immediately after, he gathered his strength once more, unleashing another punch. Both the force and the spiritual energy invested far surpassed his previous strike!

Concurrently,

Unbeknownst to Qingfeng Immortal, the black and white sphere deep within his soul was also slowly exerting its power.

An invisible ‘Authority’ silently enveloped Qingfeng Immortal’s fist.

As this punch landed, a turbulent surge of spiritual energy instantly raged through the room, transforming the formerly neat and tidy living room into utter chaos.

After a tumultuous energy explosion, the barrier on the mural finally shattered, forming a basketball-sized dimensional rift.

“Hahahaha! Success! This barrier was nothing special after all!”

Unable to contain his elation, Qingfeng Immortal plunged his hand inside. After a brief exploration, he grasped something peculiar.

‘My Star Source! It’s finally within my grasp!’

However, when he pulled his hand out, he was shocked to discover that what he held was not the Star Source he had yearned for, but a cat’s paw.

…

Realizing something was amiss, Qingfeng Immortal quickly widened his dim, aged eyes to get a closer look. What he held in his hand was actually a small white kitten, and its tail was hooked around a pangolin?

Six eyes met.

Three faces stared in utter bewilderment.

…

****

Moments earlier,

Little White, as usual, was hidden away in the exclusive nest Lin Ling had prepared for her, diligently researching the compatibility between Star Sources and humans.

Fearing a sudden visit from Lin Ling’s parents or Wu Hang, she and Little Pangolin, also known as Red Horned Beast, had simply hidden themselves within this perception-blocking space.

Today, just as she was basking in the satisfaction of successfully completing her research on the eighth Star Source—the Earth Star Source—a withered old arm suddenly shattered the tranquility of their space. It broke through the spatial barrier, reached inside, and grabbed her paw?

Before she could even react, she was yanked out of the space.

Little Pangolin, who had been sleeping curled up nearby, tried to pull Little White back. He hooked his tail around Little White’s, but alas, in ‘cute creature mode,’ Little Pangolin was truly just a cute creature, devoid of any strength.

Thus, he was dragged out along with her.

This was how the current awkward and peculiar scene came to be.

****

Gazing at the cat before him, Qingfeng Immortal was utterly stunned.

‘Where’s my Star Source?!’

‘What in the world are these two pets? How could there be pets inside that space?’

‘And isn’t a pangolin a nationally protected animal?’

‘Wait, no. This cat definitely has the aura of a Life Star Source about it. There’s no mistake. Could it be inside her?’

‘Hold on… that’s an Earth-attribute Star Source!’

When he noticed what the cat was holding in its other paw, Qingfeng Immortal was overjoyed. An Earth-attribute Star Source was equally a great tonic for him. To think there was such an unexpected bonus today, hahahaha!

‘Why would the silver-haired girl entrust something as crucial as a Star Source to a mere cat, and without any protective measures? Could it be a trap?’

Just as Qingfeng Immortal was pondering this,

Little White’s cat eyes narrowed slightly.

Observing the scene before her and Qingfeng Immortal’s greedy, lecherous expression, Little White quickly pieced together the situation. Star Source theft was hardly uncommon, no matter the time or place, but she certainly wouldn’t sit idly by!

Though she possessed no power herself, she knew who did!

With a flick of her tail, she flung Little Pangolin straight at the intruder’s face!

‘Her companion did!’

“Go! Little Pangolin, I choose you! Kill this stinky old man!” Little White cried out in her clear, childlike voice, rousing the Red Horned Beast’s ferocity.

“BLOOM!”

A tremendous roar echoed throughout the entire apartment complex, drawing the attention of countless residents. Wangzai, who had been playfully licking the children, immediately ceased his activity.

He looked with grave concern towards Lin Ling’s apartment.

****

On the Fourth Ring Road,

A black sedan was speeding along the road, completely disregarding traffic laws, accelerating relentlessly forward. It drew a barrage of curses from surrounding drivers and even indirectly caused several traffic accidents.

As a result, the car successfully attracted the attention of traffic police, with numerous patrol cars giving chase!

It was, quite literally, a real-life Grand Theft Auto 5 scene.

Inside the car,

“Can’t you slow down?! You might not die, but others will!”

Wu Hang, seated in the passenger seat, watched the series of insane driving maneuvers unfold. For the sake of his own life and the safety of the public, he felt compelled to try and stop the reckless driver.

His efforts, however, had little to no effect.

Xi Yue, beside him, didn’t respond. She merely continued to grip the steering wheel.

Her gaze remained resolute, fixed on the path ahead, towards the direction of her and Lin Ling’s home.