Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 837: The Meaning of Cultivating Immortality?

On the other side.

The Immortal Bridge transported Spirit Void Old Ghost across successive layers of clouds and fog. Heavenly tunes echoed around him, the Radiant Glow enveloped his form, and his mind brimmed with anticipation for the Immortal Realm.

After five millennia of cultivation, he had listened to those ancient tales endlessly—the Immortal Realm ought to feature Jade Palaces and Towers piercing the skies, golden stairs and jade columns linking to the heavens, spiritual streams whispering beside immortal peaks, rare blooms and strange herbs flourishing eternally, with immortal maidens swaying in dances and immortal elders engaged in chess matches. The Immortal Qi there should be so thick it could form tangible essence; even a simple inhalation would equal a century of grueling practice in the Cangyun Realm.

Right now, he sensed the immortal spiritual power rushing through his body. His lost limbs had healed ages ago, his stooped body had straightened into a robust stature, and even his hair gleamed with subtle golden hues.

He yearned only to enter that fabled paradise without delay, to toast and chat with the assorted Immortals, to narrate the struggles of his cultivation journey.

Yet as he drifted in his thoughts.

Boom—!

The Immortal Bridge under his feet abruptly shook. The seven-colored Radiant Glow withdrew like retreating waves, and the Immortal Qi around him dwindled by over half in an instant.

The Celestial Music in his ears halted suddenly, giving way to a grim, silent icy gale that lashed at his robes, creating a whispering rustle and actually stirring a piercing cold.

This stark shift from before left Spirit Void Old Ghost's heart plummeting.

He glanced below and witnessed the once brilliant Immortal Bridge breaking apart into specks of drifting light, scattering into the boundless emptiness.

"How is this possible?" He cried out in shock, his form still rising uncontrollably.

However, the sight ahead shattered all his preconceptions entirely.

The splendid, vibrant clouds that had greeted him upon arrival had vanished long ago, supplanted by a dull, lifeless stretch of barren void.

The far-off "immortal mountains" turned out to be stark rocks, barren of any growth, their exteriors marred by ugly fissures as though scarred by a cataclysmic battle.

The purported "spiritual rivers" proved mere desiccated trenches. At the valley floors were strewn shards of shattered immortal jade and corroded scraps of artifacts, radiating a subtle vibe of demise.

In the distance, remnants of several crumbling palaces hovered amid the void. Their glazed tiles had faded and flaked away over time.

Palace columns lay fractured, and curved roof ridges had toppled down.

Just a few rays from the dying sun broke through the heavy cloud cover, draping a pall of lonely, dim yellow across this wasted domain.

Where did this resemble the thriving Immortal Realm of myths?

This was plainly a wasteland ravaged by some immense disaster!

Spirit Void Old Ghost's soul quaked; his five-thousand-year worldview crumbled in a flash.

"This... this is the Immortal Realm? That doesn't make sense..."

"Where has Real Person Jade Compassion gone?"

"Where is that fox Tu Shan Yue?"

He reflexively extended his immortal sense to probe, discovering this vast area to be eerily lifeless.

Besides his own immortal spiritual power, he detected no hint of other immortals' presences. Even the world's Spiritual Energy was so sparse it bordered on absence.

Merely a subtle, barely felt trace of desolation and grandeur infused every bit of the emptiness.

As he stood confused and directionless.

Thick fog suddenly surged forward, a grayish-blue hue resembling congealed ocean waves, obstructing his route.

As the fog billowed, it held no trace of Immortal Qi. Rather, it bore a piercing, acute Sword Intent, causing even him, a fresh immortal, to tighten up instinctively.

He cautiously advanced a step, and the fog split open on its own, unveiling a pathway.

At the path's conclusion, a white-robed figure lingered silently in the void.

That individual's stance was upright and imposing, his pristine white attire unmarred by blemish. Even amid this desolate setting, it failed to dim his otherworldly presence.

He faced away from Spirit Void Old Ghost, gripping a lengthy sword in his grasp. The scabbard was old and unadorned, glowing with a soft azure sheen. Though the sword remained sheathed, Spirit Void Old Ghost perceived a known, incisive Sword Intent. It differed utterly from Chen Huaian's easygoing Sword Intent, but was no less daunting to the soul.

What astonished him further was that the silhouette and bearing of that back view felt oddly recognizable, as though encountered previously...

Yet as he strained to observe, that figure seemed hazy and intangible, and he couldn't recall the identity at all.

Spirit Void Old Ghost quelled the uncertainties and cautions within, cupped his hands, and called out resolutely, "I am Spirit Void, freshly ascended from the Cangyun Realm. Might I inquire your identity, fellow immortal? Why does this area appear so forsaken? Have I not arrived at the genuine Immortal Realm? If that's the case, could I request your guidance, fellow immortal?"

His voice reverberated through the fog, yet met with silence.

The white-robed figure kept his back turned, standing rigid like a carved effigy, with only his robe's edges swaying softly in the chill breeze.

Spirit Void Old Ghost's patience wasn't boundless.

He thought this white-clad Sword Immortal ahead was being overly dramatic.

Still, as the newcomer, he was the junior to this elder. He swallowed his irritation and lingered in wait.

Half a minute passed before he lost his composure.

"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear this old man talking? If you can't hear, should this old man jab your ears with the Human Emperor Banner?"

The instant Spirit Void Old Ghost spoke those lines, the atmosphere froze solid.

The previously still white-robed figure at last moved.

His shoulders dipped a touch, and he gradually pivoted around.

As he rotated, Spirit Void Old Ghost's eyes locked onto the silver fox mask covering the other's face—the mask bore elaborate cloud motifs. The eye hollows plunged deep and shadowy, as if devouring nearby illumination, projecting an uncanny blend of spookiness and authority.

It bore... a certain resemblance to the fox mask of that Nine-Tails Heavenly Fox, Tu Shan Yue, accented by a trail of peach blossoms along the cheek.

Before he could dwell on the mask's familiarity.

A ferocious, overwhelming force burst forth from the white-clad man, akin to a heavenly stream cascading from the Ninth Heaven, engulfing Spirit Void Old Ghost in a heartbeat.

"Thump!" Spirit Void Old Ghost had no chance to muster defiance before his knees crashed forcefully against the void.

His whole body was held fast by this force. It resembled a colossal immortal peak of a million zhang pressing on his spine; his bones groaned, and blood trickled from his mouth without control.

This force stood apart from the Heavenly Dao might of the prior heavenly tribulation.

This was unadulterated, supreme authority surpassing every Immortal.

It mirrored the gulf between immortals and mortals, stripping him of any will to raise his head. Endless hopelessness filled his mind alone.

"F-forgive me, senior!" Spirit Void Old Ghost switched tones immediately. The prior haughtiness evaporated completely, his words laced with clear quaking. "I was shortsighted and spoke out of turn! You are generous, please overlook my rudeness!"

He hadn't foreseen this white-clad man's dreadfulness. He had only just ascended to immortality, yet to the other, he meant nothing more than an insect.

The white-clad man uttered slowly, his tone frosty like frost, stripped of all feeling: "This domain is the Immortal Realm. I am White Sword, the Sword Bearer of the Immortal Realm, and likewise its ruler."

"Ruler?!" Spirit Void Old Ghost's spirit trembled, then he hastily groveled, "So you are the Immortal Emperor, Your Lordship! This old man is Spirit Void, newly arrived from the Cangyun Realm. I'm clueless about the Immortal Realm. If I might serve you, I would labor tirelessly in your presence and absence, with utter devotion!"

Inwardly, though, he schemed: What odds of meeting the Immortal Emperor immediately upon ascension?

Wasn't this just self-aggrandizement to enlist underlings?

The Immortal Realm spanned so broadly; factions surely existed. No matter White Sword's affiliation, trailing him beat roaming this desolate waste.

White Sword merely eyed him coolly. That look, filtered through the silver fox mask, still sent shivers through Spirit Void Old Ghost: "You lack the worth to trail me."

He hesitated momentarily, then added, "Earlier, your disrespectful words provoked my ire. That merits death. Given your recent arrival to the Immortal Realm and ignorance of customs, I grant you an opportunity."

Spirit Void Old Ghost grumbled silently.

You stayed mute for ages before, playing the silent type. How could anyone foresee your foul mood?

Wasn't this a trap?

Outwardly, he bobbed his head vigorously: "Gratitude for your leniency, Immortal Emperor, Your Lordship!

This old man will mind his tongue and deeds henceforth, and never provoke again!"

White Sword fell quiet. He extended a hand, and an unseen power hoisted Spirit Void Old Ghost upright.

Next, he lifted his arm and rent the void. A dark spatial tear yawned open at once, spewing roars of chaotic spatial storms from inside.

Before Spirit Void Old Ghost could respond, White Sword seized him and strode into the tear.

In a flash, they crossed infinite distances and arrived in a shadowy locale.

No light pierced this spot. One could barely discern massive dark stone barriers encircling them. The atmosphere held a subtle tang of metal.

Underfoot ran crisscrossing ore lodes. The material inside shone pure white, akin to premium white jade.

Upon inspection, slender golden lines coursed slowly through the ore, casting a dim radiance.

Spirit Void Old Ghost's mind raced.

This mineral appeared exceptional; it had to be a supreme immortal resource for cultivation!

Evidently, this White Sword planned to employ him usefully, assigning him to watch over this vein?

He prepared to vow allegiance when White Sword's voice cut in icily, "Starting now, you will extract ore in this place."

"Extract ore?" Spirit Void Old Ghost stood stunned and blurted, "Im-Immortal Emperor, Your Lordship, is this mineral maybe an immortal resource that boosts cultivation?"

White Sword shot him a look, his voice flat as ever: "This is Cloud Pattern Steel, for constructing palaces.

And you will be the miner!"

Spirit Void Old Ghost petrified on the spot, his grin turning rigid.

He had schemed over countless possibilities, but never dreamed that fresh in the Immortal Realm, rather than joining an immortal sect, he would end up as a stone-breaking drudge!?

Then what purpose did his five thousand years of cultivation hold?

What significance lay in achieving the Dao and immortality?

Was it merely to reach the Immortal Realm for digging ore?!