Kao Dao Ji recalled the earlier conversation with Paradise Earth, feeling a bit of embarrassment.
"I was too careless! Even though I knew that this was supposedly Paradise Earth's Era I never actually thought I would meet him…"
He sighed.
The meeting between the two, while it had been shocking at first, it was not that surprising in hindsight.
Why?
Because he knew that the Era in which Spectral Soul was born, and died, when Paradise Earth rose and fell, and when Shadow Sect appeared was in the Late Antiquity Era.
So many events stacked on top of each other, clearly there were no ginormous time gaps between each of them or else the timeline simply would not fit.
Considering that Spectral Soul 'disappeared' close to a thousand years ago, is not too farfetched to believe that Paradise Earth's era is already beginning.
Furthermore, Paradise Earth had yet to mature, he was a mere Rank 6 Cultivator like him, so the timeline did fit.
Of course, one could argue that while the timeline matched, it was very unlikely for them to meet.
But the truth was not so.
The reason?
Because Immortals are rare.
While neither he, nor anybody else knew the exact amount of Immortals in the world, he could say for sure that the amount did not surpass the twenty thousand.
And almost every single one of them, spent their time scrolling through Treasure Yellow Heaven frequently.
Twenty thousand people whilst sizeable was still smaller than even an small city back on earth, and so the odds of meeting Paradise Earth by chance were not too low.
Of course, what truly was surprising was that he was his first client, still even this could be chalked down to a coincidence.
Once he realized this, his shock slowly decreased.
Instead, a certain thought appeared in his head.
"Such a rare opportunity…Should I make use of it? Or should I try to stay away from recorded history?" He pondered touching his chin.
While he knew approaching Paradise Earth would mean inevitably draw Heaven's Will attention, the benefits of cooperation seemed endless.
"Of course, the only reason why I am considering this is because of how he was portrayed in the Novel, if he were anything like Spectral Soul or Fang Yuan trying to 'join' him in his journey would be nothing but suicidal.
Even so…Can I truly trust him?" He wondered aloud.
While everything pointed towards the fact that Paradise Earth was very reliable, he knew better than to trust somebody in RI's absurdly cruel world.
However, he also frowned.
"Even if Paradise Earth is not as kind as he portrayed himself to be, I do not think he would stand against me unless I gave him a good enough reason to.
While he's young I could stir his empathy by saying that I am a Land Spirit who's also a Variant Human, considering his origins this should bring him closer to me.
Of course, I cannot keep the lie forever, so once he discovers the truth, I'll simply reveal to him I am an Otherworldly Demon that somehow reincarnated in a Variant Human's body.
As long as he does not uncover the fact that I've read RI Novel and that I know things that I should not, chances are, he will do nothing against me."
He nodded to himself, finding the plan quite feasible.
Of course, there were still some risks, and hidden dangers, but.
Wasn't life filled with such things?
Besides.
"While my situation looks absolutely safe, is actually filled with peril.
Right now, while I do not think HW's has noticed anything, is only a matter of time until it figures it out.
Why? Because me and a silly Land Spirit are bound to make different choices, for example against Bai Lin Hua could have a simple-minded Land Spirit won?
The Killer Move I made, could only be made because I had inspiration of my memories of cells in high-school, and even if I assume they could have created an equivalent move, it would take far longer, as Land Spirits learn slower.
Without that Killer Move they would not have won against Bai Lin Hua; at most they could have survived and would have been saved by Kao Yu Hun.
Had this happened, would I still receive those 2,000 Immortal Essence stones? Obviously not.
And like this, I am sure there will be more differences, once SC realizes of those anomalies, she will call the people from Heavenly Court to hunt me down like a dog.
Hell, not even in the Clan I am safe, what do I do when the others figure my state?
What if they want answers? What do I tell them?
And while I doubt the current Supreme Leader would care, as by the time he realizes it he would likely be a Rank 8, and by then trying to become a Heavenly Spirit would be nothing but suicide, there are still other dangers.
The main one is the Dao Marks.
Whilst my 'father' told me that the Clan contains several methods of raising the number of Dao Marks, he said that neither method was cheap.
That they either required enormous amounts of Immortal Essence or high-ranked Cloud Path materials.
And most of them just like the Lifespan Extension Method had diminishing returns.
While I do not know the quantity which he should have, I do not think it would surpass the 100 thousand Mark, before he reaches his first Myriad Tribulation.
As of now, I merely possess two thousand Dao Marks within my aperture, and considering that annexing has a high loss, even if he absorbs my aperture, he would gain little more than 6 hundred Dao Marks.
Nowhere near enough to draw his attention.
But what if I had 20 thousand Dao Marks instead what about 50 thousand?
While his strength would not skyrocket, it would already be tempting enough, after all based on what I know Myriad Tribulations are hellishly difficult.
If he believes that by killing me, he can increase his chances of survival by 5%, he may not hesitate to kill me.
Fortunately, this period is still quite far, it should take a while before HW's discovers me, and until he's close to his first Myriad Tribulation.
But if I do not prepare beforehand, once things get ugly, I will die without a doubt.
Thus, before that day arrives, I need to prepare myself, I need to create a way to move my aperture or preferably revive myself.
And I am not sure if I can do this on my own.
Paradise Earth however is the perfect ally in terms of talent, 'Fate' and luck he can without a doubt find a method, of course his temperament is excellent too.
Of course, to gain his help I need to build a relationship with him first."
With this resolution, he began to concoct a plan to get closer to Paradise Earth.
While he was thinking of this, Paradise Earth was staring resolutely at the gaze ahead of him.
Deep volcanos, flowing magma, cracked stone.
As well as a heavy smoke that covered his sight.
He used a few Mortal Killer Moves to observe the situation ahead, but he soon shook his head.
"As expected, I cannot see through it like this…" He smiled bitterly.
"Oh well, I do not like wasting Immortal Essence but seeing that my other means are of no use…" His body which was in the skies descended.
Reaching the earth.
Once he planted his feet in the ground, a thousand of little-like tendrils spread through the earth, slowly heading towards one of the volcanos.
[Earth Sensation]
It was an Immortal Killer Move which in simple terms, could enable him to 'touch' anything with his tendrils, giving a tactile sensation even more vivid than the one he would have from his hands or mouth.
That ability was useful for seeing through any obstacle.
Whilst those tendrils expanded his expression changed several times.
While not a real part of his body was being harmed, his tendrils got nearer and nearer towards those volcano cores, where intense magma was flowing through.
The pain, the heat, they were great beyond measure.
While gritting his teeth, and with cold sweat in his forehead, his tendrils advanced, reaching further.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
Through pure tactile sensation he felt that he had gotten 'inside' the volcano which was quite hollow indeed.
More than that, he could feel an intense flame inside.
His chin trembled; even more cold sweat covered his head.
"White Flames…They are quite powerful indeed…" He said with a lowered head, the pain got the best of him.
Before he lost his mind, he terminated the Killer Move taking a soft breath of relief.
An Immortal who was nearby nodded at his words.
"Indeed…That woman somehow managed to infuse tremendous amounts of Yang Qi into her flame, raising its heat by a tenfold!" The short man who had a crocked nose said in admiration.
Another handsome man with red eyes, with three long black pupils in each eye stood there with a wide smile in his face.
"Hah…Once I get her inheritance, I will be able to input Yang Qi into my Burning Sight Killer Move. By then, I wonder who beneath the Rank 7 Realm will dare to face me?"
"Hahahaha! You still do not even have a single decent Healing Technique in that thing you call a Path, and yet you dare to have such lofty ambitions?" A robust man suddenly appeared; he was wielding a massive armor made of gold.
His hair was red, and his body looked throbbing filled with muscle, whilst his skin was bronze.
Even his teeth were unusual, they looked celeste-blue, shiny like a pair of diamonds.
Clearly that body of his was no natural by any means, rather it was a deliberate effort of enhancement through the usage of countless of Gu's.
The handsome man's eyelids trembled slightly, with a stiff smile he said.
"Hah…I admit my Ocular Path still has its issues, but it cannot be helped.
Is but a new, branching Path I'm building.
And I do admit it still has its weaknesses, but it also has its strengths…" His black pupils grew larger, and begun to spin around.
The feeling of primeval essence flowing through his eyes could be perceived, as if at the slightest change, a devastating move would be unleashed.
"If you have a minute to spare, I do not mind showing you them."
The other man however did not flinch, he took an step forward while grinning maniacally.
"What a coincidence, I too have a few things I'd like to share with you." He clenched his fists; he tilted his body as if he were a boxer.
The two seemingly were about to fight, but at the next moment.
"Brothers, we should not fight. Or have you forgotten the agreement between our Clans?"
The two stared at him, the bulky armored man who was named Jin Quan Hou snorted coldly, whilst the one with red eyes named Uru Hong Jing nodded slightly.
"Ah forgive me follow Daoist, I forgot about such things…" He cupped his fists together, whilst bowing slightly.
"Is just that I hate when others underestimate me due to my personal choices…" He stared at him briefly, his gaze softened.
"Hah…I guess the same applies to you too, right?" He chuckled.
But suddenly, he lowered his brows.
His head turned, as he perceived a nearby presence.
And so did the rest of Immortals.
As they saw a blinding piercing white flame surging through from seemingly nowhere, from the intensity of the light, one could see a vaguely feminine figure manifesting from thin air.
First her chest, then her arms and legs, then her face.
In the blink of an eye, they took shape as she materialized from the flames.
And there they saw her!
A woman with a fierce gaze like that of a tiger with a red turning to orange long hair, and a body filled with scars, and muscles showing her deep experience.
Which would look far more intimidating if she did not look like a ten-year-old girl.
Seemingly noticing the sudden shift in expression on all the immortals the little girl puffed, with a vein mark in her forehead she snorted and crossed her arms while saying.
"Do not underestimate me! Even though I may look like a kid now I am still Bai Lin Hua!"
Then her glance moved sideways as she added.
"Or at least her Land Spirit." Her gaze became complicated, filled with resignation.
Before her death she had been a mighty Rank 7 Cultivator who had already passed a Grand Tribulation and was ready to face her second.
Unfortunately, that second Tribulation was far tougher than she ever expected.
And in the end while she 'successfully' passed it, she ended up dying subsequently due to her wounds.
The Land Spirit made a long sigh.
She rolled her eyes and said.
"Anyhow, my life is now forfeit. Despite my ambitions, I failed to see past the clouds and reach the peak of the Heavens." Her gaze suddenly regained her fierceness.
"However, the flame in my heart still remains, and I am willing to give my everything, to whoever is worthy of my inheritance so they reach those heights on my behalf.
Of course." She narrowed her eyes.
"I will not give this to just anybody, most people would squander it, that is why I am doing this, a competition, whoever is the first to pass my trial would become the victor, and I would pass my inheritance to them."
The handsome man with three pupils looked somewhat bored.
"This old hag, she keeps yapping even though she's long dead, yeah, yeah we know, why are you even explaining?
Just get to the part we don't know." He thought internally.
Bai Lin Hua perceiving his annoyance, squinted her eyes and added.
"With that said, the test I have for you is simple.
Across my whole aperture, I have scattered a total of 10 flags, each hidden very carefully, and split far away from others.
Some are hidden in deep volcanos, some have desolate beasts protecting them, others have nothing of the sort, and are merely deeply concealed deep in the ground, or even in plain sight.
During this process, apart from stealing the resources from my aperture you are able to do almost anything else, be it joining forces, backstabbing, scheming and the like.
Another rule is that during those days, if you feel immense danger, you will be able to call my name and I will come.
I will protect you from whoever is attacking you, however once you receive my help you will be disqualified, and will be escorted away from my aperture.
Anyhow.
With this settled, the duration of this trial will last for a month.
And at the end of that month whoever has the most flags collected will win, another way to directly claim victory is by taking hold of at least 6 of those flags.
The second you do so, I will automatically declare you the victor."
Upon hearing those words, the expression of everyone changed.
Feeling somewhat puzzled.
The short man with a crooked nose frowned as he said.
"Madam, but aren't there oversights in your examination?
After all, what if a person who is weaker teams up with others?
Or what if a person gets lucky, and they find one or two flags, before concealing themselves for the rest of the trial?"
Bai Lin Hua smirked.
"Such things can indeed happen."
Then she added after an small pause.
"But such is life, in life the strongest does not always wins, nor the weakest always fails.
In life, you can scheme your way through to the top, or perhaps you can also Cultivate in seclusion for centuries, unknown to all.
There are also those who slaughter their way to the top, unflinchingly, tirelessly.
There are even those who entrust their life and death to others, willing to even share my inheritance with them once you win.
Right or wrong paths, those things are meaningless, as long as they allow you to reach the heights I haven't, I will accept them."