Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 838: Farming or Guarding the Gate?

"Immortal... Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty, I believe... I might serve better in alternative roles. Regarding the mining..." Spirit Void Old Ghost fidgeted with his hands, hesitantly remarked, "Such labor can be handled by just about anyone, so why assign it to an immortal?

Every cultivator within the Cangyun Realm was capable of excavating.

"It's not that I'm being choosy, but rather this junior desires to offer substantial aid to the Immortal Realm, rather than perform a task that's so basic and completely lacking in challenge..."

White Sword gazed upon Spirit Void Old Ghost and let out a mocking snort.

How could he fail to understand the thoughts running through Spirit Void Old Ghost's mind?

This Cloud Pattern Steel appeared indistinguishable from the minerals found in the Lower Realm, yet it demanded tools empowered by immortal power to be cleaved. Down in the Lower Realm, it would rank as an unbreakable treasure, prime stuff for crafting divine weapons.

However, within the Immortal Realm, it amounted to merely a basic, low-tier ore resource.

To White Sword, such material suited only the construction of palaces.

He was currently gearing up to reconstruct the Immortal Realm.

The wreckage he had displayed to Spirit Void Old Ghost before was nothing more than a fabrication woven from Immortal Qi, encompassing those Immortal Bridges and the Celestial Music—it had all been a mere performance for Spirit Void Old Ghost's ascension ceremony.

Yet to restore proper order, he couldn't manage every detail single-handedly indefinitely.

In bygone days, as resources dwindled in both Upper and Lower Realms of Cangyun, the immortals acted with greed and isolation, ignoring the fate of Cangyun, exhausting its vitality like draining a pond for fish. For the sake of Cangyun Realm's endurance, and driven by his own ambitions, he had purged the immortals entirely.

Presently, armed with abundant Celestial Jade Marrow—a Innate Spiritual Treasure that could perpetually restore the Cangyun Realm's resources—new immortals could emerge naturally. And for the assault on Earth Star, greater numbers of immortals would prove advantageous.

Therefore, a stark, empty Immortal Realm felt somewhat inadequate.

Corridors, lofty halls, pavilions, platforms, and spires—all required rebuilding.

The Immortal Realm ought to resemble a true Immortal Realm.

Only in that way would ascending immortals develop a feeling of attachment and unity. They would then battle fiercely for the Cangyun Realm, heedless of peril, lending their full power.

"You wish to undertake different duties? That's feasible."

White Sword scanned Spirit Void Old Ghost from head to toe.

He appeared to assess the suitability of Spirit Void Old Ghost for various tasks.

At these words, Spirit Void Old Ghost's gaze sparkled instantly, his shriveled palms rubbing eagerly—anything, so long as it avoided mining.

Was there a more humiliating role in the Immortal Realm than that of a miner?

He doubted it!

"Gratitude, Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty!" He bowed repeatedly. "Have no doubts, be it vanquishing fiends or delving into hidden domains, this elder vows to execute it perfectly, without any disappointment to you!"

Already, calculations churned in his thoughts.

Though he might not secure a position of authority as an immortal official, at minimum, he could evade the grueling toil of mining.

Lacking prestige, it remained preferable to endlessly wielding a tool and chiseling stone.

Crucially, he trusted that his cunning ambition would one day elevate him beyond his fellow immortals.

Yet before his grin could diminish.

White Sword abruptly extended his arm, seizing the nape of his robe as if lifting a fledgling.

Spirit Void Old Ghost experienced a blur of light and shadow before his vision, and in the following instant, his boots touched barren soil—this spot proved even bleaker than the earlier mine. The earth lay fractured, revealing ashen-brown bedrock. As void storms raged by, they hurled tiny, shattered gravel that stung like pellets on his skin.

Far off, a handful of desiccated, pale weeds clung stubbornly in rock fissures. No trace of verdant life appeared here, much less immortal blooms or spirit plants.

The atmosphere carried, beyond the scent of soil, only sparse Immortal Qi.

It felt more desolate even than Cangyun Realm's wastelands.

"Should mining displease you, then tend crops in this plot."

White Sword let go, gesturing toward the barren ground beneath them, his voice even.

"Don't claim you lack the knowledge to cultivate vegetables."

"F-farm produce?" Spirit Void Old Ghost's grin stiffened on his features; he could no longer maintain composure. He craned his rigid neck toward White Sword. "Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty, surely this is jest?

This elder has just become an immortal!

Assigning an immortal to grow vegetables... Could no other labor be found?

Should word spread, I..."

Ere he concluded, his eyes locked with White Sword's frosty stare.

The remainder of his speech jammed in his throat.

Spirit Void Old Ghost contorted his visage into one of injustice, mustering a fawning grin. "It's not that this elder views vegetable farming as lowly; chiefly, I haven't handled a hoe in millennia, scarcely identifying the plant sprouts. What if they wither? Wouldn't that squander your intentions? Moreover, this soil seems infertile; I fear nothing will sprout..."

White Sword offered no further argument, pivoted, and seized him once more.

Another wave of vertigo assailed them, depositing the pair before a colossal portal piercing the skies.

Crafted from some enigmatic substance, the portal gleamed utterly dark, adorned with elaborate, ominous, and savage motifs. No signboard graced the top, merely two massive chains, each as wide as a bowl's rim, dangling at the sides. Though they bore a rusty patina, they radiated a chilling aura of Killing Intent.

Beyond the portal stretched utter darkness, its contents obscured.

Dimly discernible was a enormous orb throbbing rhythmically, akin to a living heart.

Ere Spirit Void Old Ghost could respond, White Sword clutched a chain and, with a sharp "clink," bound it to his arm.

The chain constricted on its own, as though animated.

A chilling chill surged through his frame, even impeding the flow of his immortal power.

"If mining and farming both repel you, then stand watch at this portal." White Sword's tone stayed devoid of emotion. "This gateway conceals a restricted zone of the Immortal Realm. Should anything breach it, your life ends."

Spirit Void Old Ghost utterly collapsed in despair.

The binding on his arm bit painfully.

Envisioning daily vigilance over this foreboding, ruined entrance, coupled with lethal risks...

He howled in distress, his countenance twisted. "Immortal Emperor, Your Majesty! This elder erred! This elder will mine!

Mining is excellent! It strengthens the form and aids in erecting your grand palace—what a boon!"

Now, clarity dawned upon him.

Negotiating with the Immortal Realm's sovereign invited only hardship.

Though laborious, mining spared him the hassle of nurturing sprouts or the peril of inadequate gatekeeping.

White Sword eyed him briefly, lifted his palm, and released the binding.

Ere Spirit Void Old Ghost could exhale in relief, the collar was gripped anew, reality warped afresh, and he tumbled back into the prior mine.

"Take this pickaxe. You must extract ten loads of Cloud Pattern Steel each day. Fall short by one, and you'll watch the gate."

White Sword hurled him a tool aglow with azure sheen. With that, his form dissolved from view.

Spirit Void Old Ghost clutched the weighty pickaxe, staring at the Cloud Pattern Steel lode laced with golden veins ahead, on the verge of tears without the ability to weep.

Adjacent to the lode stood prearranged containers, yet their scale dwarfed those from the Mortal Realm. A single one could occupy half a typical home's yard.

Luckily, as an immortal, larger vessels posed no issue for him.

"Merely ten loads of Cloud Pattern Steel, is it? Surely this serves as the Immortal Emperor's trial for this elder."

Spirit Void Old Ghost mulled it over, a form of self-soothing.

After all, the circumstances stood unalterable. Best to embrace them in a manner that eased his spirit somewhat.

The Immortal Emperor had declared immortal arts ineffective on Cloud Pattern Steel.

Thus, he hefted the extractor, infused it with immortal power, summoned his utmost vigor, and brought it crashing down.

Clang!

He anticipated a light strike would dislodge a sizable fragment.

Unexpectedly, the tool merely sparked off the Cloud Pattern Steel, leaving the deposit utterly intact.

"Curse it! So tough?!" Spirit Void Old Ghost stood stupefied.

Could this be deemed an Immortal Realm quarry? Even as an immortal, he couldn't fracture it?

Thankfully, though unyielding, the rebound didn't jolt his limb with agony.

As an immortal, he possessed greater resilience.

Yet shattering this Cloud Pattern Steel evidently demanded considerable effort.

With no alternatives, Spirit Void Old Ghost hiked up his sleeves and attacked with full force.

At once, a relentless barrage of 'clang' echoes filled the quarry.

...

Hovering unseen in the emptiness over the mine, beyond Spirit Void Old Ghost's perception.

White Sword observed the elder laboring diligently below, his gaze sharpening faintly.

"Far too scarce are the immortals. At Spirit Void Old Ghost's pace, scant Cloud Pattern Steel yields per day.

More diggers are required here. Immortal plots demand tilling, herds of immortal beasts need tending, and structures like pavilions, platforms, spires, along with mighty Formations, all call for hands to erect them."

At present, the Cangyun Realm hurtled swiftly toward Earth Star.

The merging of the realms loomed near.

It appeared... a nudge was necessary for Cangyun's inhabitants to pursue immortality.

Though hastened advancement held risks.

White Sword rubbed his jaw, contemplating deeply, until recollections of the Moon Shadow Sect and that pawn, Chen Huaian, sparked an idea.

...