The Undying Immortal System

When GuiMing had first started building apartments into Mount Jiang, I had instructed him to only build them along the outside edge of the mountain. Even if it meant the mountain wouldn’t be able to house as many people as otherwise, I didn’t want the people in my clan to feel trapped and claustrophobic. I wanted each of them to have a view of the outside world.

This was nice and all, but it left us with a bit of a problem. If we weren’t going to build apartments within the mountain’s interior, what were we going to use it for? Was it just going to be wasted space?

When GuiMing was building out the original five floors for the inner elders, the leadership council, the answer they came up with was about what I had expected. They turned the interior of the mountain into a series of cultivation and crafting rooms. This gave their most valued followers places to work and study without needing to deal with the overcrowded public areas atop the plateau.

Later, when the outer elders were designing their floors, the group on the lower floors, the Third Ring, followed in the inner elders’ footsteps. Not only did this help alleviate the congestion above, but it also allowed their disciples convenient access to important facilities.

However, the outer elders on the higher floors, the Second Ring, came up with a different plan entirely, one that I hadn’t quite expected.

They had GuiMing turn the entire interior area under their control, all five floors of it, into a single, massive atrium. They created a massive cave with only four evenly-spaced reinforced stone pillars left behind to support the rest of the mountain above.

This area didn’t look like a cave, though.

The elders contracted the formation specialists and illusionists who were working on designing a sky of my storage space to make the place look like it was sitting at the top of the mountain. The effect of these prototype illusions was rather weak, and it wouldn’t fool anyone into thinking that they were actually outside, but they were enough to give the cave a somewhat ethereal feeling, especially when they added streaks of reds and pinks into the mix.

Unlike the other two groups, these elders had chosen not to create a place for work and study. Instead, they designed this cavern to be what they felt the mountain needed most, a place to relax.

While I could see the value in this, it had the potential to create a whole host of new problems. Thankfully, I wasn’t the one who would have to deal with them. ShouLi was the head of the leadership council, and she had been studying Legalist doctrines for several years by this point. Creating rules and regulations for operating this leisure area fell squarely on her shoulders.

I did make my stance clear on a few items though. Bars and stage shows were ok. Brothels and the like were not. If someone wanted to visit such a place, they could do so away from the mountain. These decisions were easy enough, but when I heard that a couple of the elders planned to start a gambling hall, I was a little more conflicted.

I didn’t want people gambling away large sums of contribution points. It would be better for both me and the clan if they spent those points on self-improvement instead.

However, after experiencing the games for myself, I gave the elders permission to move forward with their plans. As it turned out, none of the games relied on luck.

The elders building the gambling hall intended to focus on dice and card games. Unfortunately for them, with a powerful enough soul, these games were easy to manipulate. All one needed to do was determine what was showing on the other side of a card or what side of a die was face up while it was sitting underneath a cup.

Thus, the games became a battle of souls. The gambler would use their soul to cheat, and the croupier would have to use their soul to block them.

This seemed like an excellent way to train the use of one’s soul, so I was more than happy to let the gambling halls be built. I just made sure that ShouLi created several rules to keep the competition fair.

In only a few short months, this giant leisure hall had a profound effect on the clan. People were happier and more relaxed. A few used these bars and gambling halls as a way to slack off, and I was certain that this would cause the number of people who were able to advance to Martial Master to drop off, but that was fine. I provided them with opportunities, and they decided what to do with them.

Still, while this leisure hall was nice, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the entire clan, and I still took groups on the occasional trip to Rosehill.

On one of these trips, only a few months after I turned 47 years old, I had an encounter that was destined to shape the course of my clan for centuries to come.

Like normal, I snuck into Rosehill with the unconscious forms of those who had traveled with me tucked away inside my storage space.

While the space had changed dramatically over recent years and could now be considered partially habitable, I still kept everyone unconscious because I didn’t want them to be aware of its existence. By now, everyone in the clan knew that I had some type of storage treasure capable of storing humans, but there was no way they understood the true scope of it. Ř𝒶𝐍𝐨𝐁ЁS̈

After taking everyone out and waking them up, I guided them to the exit of the compound that I had commandeered from the Su Clan and allowed them to leave on their own. One or two of them might choose to pass on information about the status of our clan, but as long as they didn’t reveal the location of our base, I was fine with that.

There were more than a few spies in our ranks by this point, and I was more than willing to let them play whatever part they chose. If they wanted to abandon the Su Clan and join us in truth, then I would let them. If they wanted to spy on us and reap whatever rewards the Su Clan had promised them, then that was fine as well.

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I was hoping that these spies would start trying to tempt members of my clan to rebel and turn on us. While we remained in the Wastes, my clan and I were safe, but once we left, the dangers involved in someone betraying us would increase by several orders of magnitude. My hope was that these spies would help us clean house a bit before that day came.

As this group left the formation and entered the city, I detected several pairs of eyes watching them from hiding.

While it wasn’t unusual for there to be one or two lookouts stationed to track our comings and goings, this time, there were closer to one or two dozen. A few dozen Disciples and Masters were not much of a concern, but the sudden change in the Su Clan’s behavior was a bit worrying.

As my clan mates departed, a couple of these watchers left to follow them, but most of the eyes stayed locked on the compound’s exit.

Wondering what was going on, I decided to provoke them a bit to see what happened.

Wearing a simple, plain blue silk robe, I stepped out of the formation and walked into town.

The moment they saw me, the watchers became frantic. Half of them stood and began following me, ensuring they didn’t lose track of me, and the other half ran off somewhere.

Those who left were no doubt headed to alert someone of my presence. I wasn’t sure who it would be, but I had a few guesses.

Less than five minutes later, a haggard-looking Su Heng ran up to me and bowed deeply.

“Prince Fang, I’ve finally found you.”

I nodded to him in greeting but didn’t say anything.

“Prince… Prince Fang, my father, the Grand Elder, he needs to talk with you. It’s urgent. Would it be possible…”

I cocked my head to the side. “Oh? Why didn’t he come to see me himself?”

This question made Su Heng extremely nervous.

“He… can’t be seen coming here. He has to stay in Dragon Gate City.” Su Heng took a folded piece of paper from his robe. “The place marked on this map is a safe house where he can meet you without drawing undue attention.”

Su Heng dropped into a low bow and didn’t rise. “Please, meet with my father as soon as possible. It’s a matter of life and death.”

I glanced at the paper and then returned my focus to the man in front of me. If this meeting was as urgent as Su Heng said, then one of only a few things must have happened, and none of them were good. It was likely that the Su Clan’s use as a recruitment tool might soon be coming to an end.

I slid the map into my storage bag and nodded.

“Very well, tomorrow at two hours past noon.”

The designated meeting point was a block to the west of the Su Clan’s Dragon Gate City compound. I arrived there a few hours early to check it out, and I was slightly surprised to find nothing amiss and no ambushes waiting for me.

Fifteen minutes before the appointed time, an old man in ragged clothes stumbled down the street and entered the building I was keeping an eye on.

A moment later, I followed after him.

After going down a flight of stairs and entering the building’s basement, I was greeted by the sight of Su TaiZu, Grand Elder of the Su Clan. He was made up to look almost like a servant, but he still possessed the unmistakable aura of a person used to being in a position of authority.

Upon seeing me, he gave a deep bow.

While the Grand Elder had never possessed the Patriarch’s haughtiness, he had always contained an air of self-assurance and confidence. The face he presented to me now seemed far too humble.

“Prince Fang, thank you for meeting with me. I am sorry that I needed to request your presence here, but it was the only way. If anyone were to find out that I had left the city to meet with you, it would be disastrous.”

I held up a hand to stop him. “Elder Taizu, please explain. What is happening?”

He dropped his head and spent a moment ordering his thoughts.

“Prince Fang… How much do you know about the Su Clan’s history?”

I furrowed my brow in thought. “I’ve read several books about this region, so I have a general understanding of the wider politics at play, but I must admit that my knowledge of the Su Clan is somewhat limited.”

Su TaiZu winced slightly. “You should disregard most of what you have read. Unless they were the private histories of the rulers of the surrounding areas, it’s likely that most of them are filled with falsehoods.”

He looked down as he kneaded his hands together. “You might not know this, but while the Su Clan is an old family, its rule of the Wastes is a relatively recent phenomenon. My father, Su HongYi, worked with the Rising Sun Empire to subjugate the other clans in the Wastes and turn the entire region into our private domain. That was only a little over 200 years ago.”

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

“After a century as the Su Clan’s Patriarch, 80 years of which he spent ruling the Wastes, my father stepped down and allowed my brother to take control of the clan. He became the new Patriarch, and I became the new Grand Elder. My father and the previous Grand Elder retired to the clan’s Hall of Ancestral Worship. As Peak Grandmasters with powerful combat blessings, they served as our clan’s ultimate hidden trump cards, but they cut themselves off from the clan’s day-to-day affairs.”

I waved for him to continue. “What is your point?”

He cleared his throat, embarrassed. “By tradition, my brother was only supposed to remain the Patriarch for a century before retiring and allowing one of his sons to take over. However, he did not do so. He has held onto the reins of power for over 120 years. My nephews haven’t been too happy about this, but there hasn’t been anything they could do about it. Last month, though… Last month, my father passed away. My brother’s strongest supporter is gone. He will soon be forced to step down from his position as Patriarch.”

“And?”

“According to tradition, at that time, YuanFei will take over as Patriarch, and his brother, YuanFeng, will become the new Grand Elder while I retire to the Hall of Ancestral Worship with TaiZong.” The elder took a deep breath. “However, YuanFeng has already approached me. He plans to seize the position of Patriarch and has offered me the opportunity to stay on as Grand Elder if I support him.”

“Elder TaiZu, I understand your clan is facing problems, but why have you come to me with them?”

“Prince Fang… I wish to request asylum. I wish to leave the Su Clan and join you. I wish to bring a select group of Disciples, Masters, and Grandmasters with me to support you in your endeavors. The Su Clan is destined for years of turmoil, and I do not want to be consumed by it. Instead, I wish to spend my final years guiding the members of my clan who have already chosen to join you.”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“You wish to join me?”Nôv(el)B\\jnn

“Yes, Prince Fang.”

“How many others do you plan to bring with you?”

“Three dozen Disciples, eight Masters, and four Grandmasters, including my son.”

I had considered pulling in certain powerful Grandmasters and elders from the Su Clan to be part of my clan, but this was a bit too early. Even then, recruiting Su TaiZu and his supporters was a bit beyond the scope of what I had originally envisioned. I wanted to test the loyalties of the people who had chosen to join my clan, but involving TaiZu in such a test would add several additional layers of complications to it.

While he might work to integrate himself at first, I saw little to no chance that TaiZu or the Grandmasters who followed him would be willing to listen to the orders of the young Masters on my leadership council. Bringing this group in would destabilize everything I had built.

However, if I rejected TaiZu’s request now, there likely wouldn’t be another chance to recruit him or any of his followers. If I wanted to do this, it had to be now.

I had thought that this test wouldn’t come until the Su Clan’s destruction several decades in the future. Were the members of my clan ready for it? Some of them were, but most of them? Probably not.

Even if they weren’t, the time had come.

I nodded to Grand Elder TaiZu.

“Very well, you may join us.”