Chapter 129: The Aloof Immortal and the Wealthy Prince 18

Two years later.

Zhongli  Mingji returned to the immortal realm with his newly ascended immortal fiancé, heading straight to the Eastern Continent and the Zhongli  family, who had resided there for generations.

His parents quickly accepted Jin Muhan.

Jin Muhan also adapted swiftly to the immortal realm, getting along well with the immortals of the Zhongli  family, but his favorite thing was sticking close to Zhongli  Mingji.

However, Zhongli  Mingji didn’t have much leisure time to spend with Jin Muhan at the moment, as he was preparing for a decisive battle against the Demon Lord in the Western Continent.

The three-year deadline they had agreed upon was approaching, and Zhongli  Mingji was determined to fulfill his promise.

Over these three years, he had shifted to cultivating the Path of Emotion and had spent every day with his beloved. His cultivation was nearly complete, just one step away from the Fuyao Realm.

As for his mission, he had already completed half of it. Breaking free from the role of a “tool character” had been achieved the moment the world’s consciousness faded.

Only two tasks remained: “Make the name of Xuan Shuang Immortal resonate across the Three Realms” and “Face Demon Lord Fanti in the Western Continent as promised.”

The former required the latter as a foundation.

He needed to win this battle to truly make his name known throughout the Three Realms.

While Zhongli  Mingji was fully preparing for the battle, Demon Lord Fanti was equally confident.

Fanti believed that his three years of seclusion would guarantee his victory over Zhongli  Mingji, who had switched to the Path of Emotion midway. If he lost, he might as well stop being a demon.

He, the strongest Demon Lord who had been in the demonic path for two hundred years, defeated by Xuan Shuang Immortal, who had changed his cultivation path midway?

That would be utterly humiliating!

Before meeting Zhongli  Mingji, Fanti was convinced he could win.

But when he saw Zhongli  Mingji in the Western Continent, dressed in flowing white robes, a cold and disdainful smile appeared on his handsome, demonic face.

“Can you change that expression of yours? That icy face of yours is going to freeze someone to death!”

Zhongli  Mingji looked at him coldly, his beautiful phoenix eyes devoid of any warmth.

“Not everyone is like you, flaunting themselves for centuries without change!”

If Zhongli  Mingji adored white robes, then Demon Lord Fanti had a penchant for red.

He had been wearing bright red for centuries, as if he were about to get married and become a groom.

The two of them were equally matched, and neither had the right to criticize the other.

Fanti stared at Zhongli  Mingji in exasperation. “Your tongue has certainly sharpened!”

He must have picked it up from that mortal, Jin Muhan. The Zhongli  Mingji of the past would never have wasted words; he would have drawn his sword and attacked immediately.

Zhongli  Mingji summoned his immortal sword. “Let’s settle this with our skills.”

Fanti coldly observed the icy blue sword that had suddenly appeared in Zhongli  Mingji’s hand. During their last battle, the sword had been simple and unadorned, but now it was engraved with intricate blue patterns.

“You changed your cultivation path, and now your aesthetic sense has changed too?”

Zhongli  Mingji replied coldly, “None of your business!”

He lunged forward, the aloof immortal in snow-white robes swiftly attacking Fanti.

Fanti quickly formed hand seals to block Zhongli  Mingji’s sword, parrying the oncoming icy blade.

“We’ve fought for centuries. Today, it’s time to settle this once and for all.”

Zhongli  Mingji responded calmly, “I agree.”

To anyone other than Jin Muhan, Zhongli  Mingji was indifferent, always composed and unfazed by any situation.

Even when preparing a lethal move, he carried his unique air of aloofness and pride.

Fanti took him seriously. After their initial exchanges, he realized that Zhongli  Mingji’s cultivation had not weakened but had instead grown stronger.

“Your cultivation has actually improved?!”

Zhongli  Mingji swung his sword, unleashing a wave of icy frost and snow that swept toward Fanti.

His actions were his answer.

On the sidelines, the Demon Lord’s left and right envoys watched the battle with grim expressions.

The enchantingly beautiful right envoy gritted her teeth. “It seems like our Lord is being overpowered by Xuan Shuang Immortal. Every move is being countered.”

The cold-faced left envoy nodded in agreement, whispering, “Xuan Shuang Immortal’s strength has surpassed what it was three years ago when he last fought our Lord.”

“Has cultivating the Path of Emotion made Xuan Shuang Immortal more formidable than when he was on the Path of Emotionlessness? Could it be that he’s more suited to the Path of Emotion?”

The right envoy scoffed. “Nonsense! That icy block of a man, does he even understand emotions?”

She touched her own face. “Even a beauty like me, he ignored back then, even threatening to cut me down with his sword!”

“Completely unreasonable.”

The left envoy shook his head helplessly, offering a rare fair comment.

“Xuan Shuang Immortal prefers men. Your attempts to seduce him were bound to fail.”

He sighed. “Besides, how long ago was that? Do you really need to keep holding onto the fact that Xuan Shuang Immortal didn’t fall for you?”

It was no secret that after meeting Xuan Shuang Immortal, she had sworn to win him over, only to fail miserably and nearly die by his sword.

Ever since, this once-invincible enchantress had become a devoted hater of Xuan Shuang Immortal, frequently cursing him.

The right envoy’s delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her slender fingers clenched into fists.

“It’s the greatest humiliation of my life!”

“If I could defeat him, I wouldn’t need our Lord to fight Xuan Shuang Immortal.”

She’d be the first to charge in!

The left envoy rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the battle.

Not far from them, disciples of the Lingxiao Sect were also intently watching the battle. Among them was a graceful female cultivator at the forefront, focusing intently on Xuan Shuang Immortal wielding his immortal sword.

She was the world’s female protagonist, Lin Qianxue.

Also the head disciple of the Lingxiao Sect’s sect master, the niece of Xuan Shuang Immortal, and the sect’s senior sister.

This female immortal also practiced swordsmanship. She had studied the sword under her master for a hundred years, but only now, upon witnessing her grandmaster’s Frost Sword Technique, did she gain some insight.

She felt that after watching the battle between her grandmaster and the Demon Lord, she might be able to break through to the Kunling Realm upon returning to the Lingxiao Sect and entering seclusion.

The reason was simple: Xuan Shuang Immortal’s swordsmanship had reached a level far beyond theirs. Witnessing him wield his sword at full strength was enough for them to gain enlightenment.

But she didn’t expect to gain enlightenment and break through before returning to the Lingxiao Sect—she achieved it during the final strike of Xuan Shuang Immortal’s victory over the Demon Lord.

A thundercloud of advancement rose above her head.

This commotion attracted the attention of Zhongli  Mingji and Fanti, who had just concluded their battle.

Fanti, clutching the sword wound on his chest, remarked, “It seems another genius has emerged in the immortal realm.”

A Kunling Realm immortal at just a hundred years old—even more impressive than he and Zhongli  Mingji had been at that age.

Zhongli  Mingji paused and glanced toward the female protagonist, his expression calm. “After me, the Lingxiao Sect will likely produce another immortal lord.”

In the original storyline, the female protagonist, Lin Qianxue, had broken through from the lowest Tian Shu Realm to the Yu Heng Realm, qualifying her to become an immortal lord, during her travels outside the sect.

But clearly, the plot had changed.

He hadn’t died in the Heavenly Dao’s scheme three years ago, so the female protagonist was able to witness his battle with the Demon Lord and gain profound insights from his swordsmanship.