Unintended Immortality
Chapter 543: Gained Without Any Effort

Chapter 543: Gained Without Any Effort

The glow of the sunset gradually faded, replaced by a full moon hanging high in the sky.

Somehow, the moon in these times seemed extraordinarily bright. With not a single cloud overhead, the moonlight streamed down unobstructed, illuminating every detail on the ground with crystal clarity.

Even traveling at night wouldn’t be an issue.

By the lakeshore, peace had finally returned. Most of the traveling merchants who had stopped at Mount Huayan had replenished their water and departed. At last, Song You arrived at the lake with his jujube-red horse, the calico cat, and the swallow.

“Drink to your heart’s content,” Song You patted the horse’s neck. “You’ve all worked hard these past days.”

The horse lowered its head and began drinking.

The swallow stood at the water’s edge, pecking at the water, then immediately lifted its head, smacking its beak rapidly as it swallowed.

The calico cat lapped at the water swiftly. Meanwhile, the Daoist filled his water bag to drink.

Each had their own way of quenching their thirst.

As they drank, the calico cat suddenly stopped. She lifted her head, staring intently at the center of the lake, her expression serious and unmoving.

The desert wind rippled across the lake’s surface.

Under the moonlight, the water shimmered with silver light.

“Hmm...”

The cat withdrew her gaze and resumed drinking.

Licking at the water, she suddenly stepped forward, walking straight into the lake. Her entire body floated upon the surface, her long fur drifting and swaying in the water. Only her fluffy cat head remained above, her small limbs paddling in a doggy-paddle motion, carrying her farther and farther into the lake. It was quite an amusing sight.

“The moonlight is truly beautiful,” Song You murmured, holding his water bag as he gazed into the distance.

The water was crisp and sweet, especially in a place like this.

After enduring thirst for so long, every fiber of his being craved the refreshing touch of water. At this moment, to be able to drink such clear, sweet water—few things in life could compare to such pure satisfaction.

“Lady Calico, do not relieve yourself in the lake.”

“...!?”

The calico cat instantly froze mid-paddle, her entire body floating still on the water. She slowly turned her head, fixing the Daoist with a stern, unblinking stare.

She stared for quite a while.

Then, without a word, she turned back and resumed paddling. Her small body drifted along the water until, all of a sudden, with a sharp motion—

She dove straight into the lake.

“Blub... blub...”

A few bubbles surfaced in the lake.

After a moment, the calico cat’s head popped back up. She paddled around, adjusted her direction, and began swimming toward the shore—this time, with a fish clamped firmly in her mouth.

Stepping onto the shore, she gave herself a good shake, sending droplets flying, then set the fish down.

“Eat the fish!” the calico cat solemnly announced to the Daoist. Then, without another word, she turned and walked back into the lake.

“I will catch more!”

That night’s dinner was fresh fish from the lake that had traveled from an island tens of thousands of li away.

After eating his fill and drinking plenty of water, Song You, basking in the moonlight, spread out a woolen mat by the lakeshore and had a blissful sleep.

Despite the desert’s scorching heat during the day, the temperature at night was surprisingly pleasant. With a woolen mat beneath him, he didn’t even need a blanket, but just a light covering over his stomach. With nothing to worry about, he slept deeply and comfortably.

It was one of the best nights of rest he’d had in a long time.

***

The next morning, Song You drank some more water, refilled his water bag, and made sure his horse had its fill before setting off once again.

He left the main road and entered the vast, desolate Gobi Desert.

Once more, it was an endless expanse of land. Once more, it was the lone journey of the Daoist and his companions. They traveled by dawn and dusk, avoiding the scorching sun. Their path was both a search for the fire-element spiritual resonance and a journey of cultivation.

The direction was still faintly discernible. The destination wasn’t far—only about 200 li away.

As they got closer, the spiritual resonance from the other three directions would naturally start resonating.

After three days of travel, Song You finally saw his destination.

It was a Devil’s City in the heart of the Gobi Desert.

The so-called Devil’s City referred to a wind-eroded landscape, where the land had been sculpted by relentless winds and water erosion over time. The earth had been carved into parallel, wind-aligned formations—long ridges and mounds, akin to fleets of warships docked upon a dried-out sea.

Nature and the wind, both masterful sculptors, had chiseled these formations into a stunning variety of shapes. Some resembled animals, others looked like fortresses, houses, or even grotesque demons and spirits. No two formations were alike.

Because of their eerie shapes and the haunting wails produced when the wind howled through the ridges, the place was named Devil’s City.

The destination had been reached.

But finding what he was looking for... that was going to be the tricky part.

Flaming Sun True Lord had spoken clearly—the spiritual resonance of this direction was born deep beneath this very Gobi Desert.

The underground was scorching hot, with lava churning and the spiritual resonance volatile and unstable. It was deeply connected to the earth’s spiritual veins, and after years of accumulated heat, this particular spiritual resonance had finally taken shape.

Once born, the spiritual resonance naturally began to influence the world around it. It just so happened that the southeastern region of the Western Regions, along with Shazhou and Longzhou, was undergoing a shift in climate. Thus, it was gradually becoming more arid.

The spiritual resonance’s nature aligned with this change, and so its presence accelerated the process, making the drought strike with sudden and devastating force, leaving the people no chance to react or struggle against it.

At the same time, this spiritual resonance was buried deep beneath the earth.

Fortunately, Flaming Sun True Lord had previously searched for it and discovered a crack in the ground leading downward.

The problem was that this fissure was not easy to locate.

It wasn’t that a single crack in the vast, barren Gobi was difficult to find. It was that this year’s severe drought had left the land riddled with fissures. Some were mere surface cracks, while others formed deep chasms, but most of them were shallow and did not lead underground.

Song You spent several days exploring this Devil’s City, both marveling at its strange, wind-sculpted landscape and searching for an entrance that could lead him to the underground spiritual resonance. The scenery was fascinating, but the fissure described by Flaming Sun True Lord remained elusive.

Of course, the primary searcher was the swallow.

Luckily, the bizarrely shaped rock formations provided plenty of shade, so he didn’t have to wander aimlessly in the scorching desert sun every day just to find cover.

As long as he remained patient, there was no rush.

“It should be around here,” Song You murmured, sensing the underground spiritual resonance while keeping an eye on the movements of the three other elemental spiritual resonances he carried. He was fairly certain of the location now. “If we don’t find it by tonight, I’ll have to open a passage myself.”

“Alright!”

Once again, the sun was setting.

Without hesitation, the swallow flapped its wings and took off, disappearing into the sky in the blink of an eye.

Song You also set off.

The earth was a mix of yellow and red hues, covered with countless strange, wind-eroded formations. The setting sun hugged the horizon, casting long shadows from every mound of earth. Walking among them, it felt as if no other life existed. Only the eerie wails of the wind echoed through the land, like ghosts weeping in the night, sending a chill down one’s spine.

But the Daoist was unfazed, slowly making his way forward.

The calico cat followed closely behind.

However, unlike him, the cat was highly alert. Every rustling sound in the wind put her on guard, and her vivid imagination turned the shadowed rock formations into all sorts of eerie shapes. Even after several days, she had not grown accustomed to the strange landscape and the unsettling sounds of the wind.

So, as she walked, she stuck close to the Daoist’s heels. She was constantly twisting her head around to scan the surroundings, fulfilling her duty of protecting her Daoist.

As night deepened, the fissure was still nowhere to be found.

“Heh...”

Song You shook his head with a small smile, unconcerned. He turned to the swallow and said, “You've worked hard. It’s fine if we didn’t find the passage. After all, it’s definitely down there. We’ll go in tomorrow morning instead.”

“Alright.”

“Rest well.”

Lying down again, Song You gazed at the moon and stars.

But around midnight, a sudden bright light flared in the distance. Along with it came a wave of heat and a ripple of spiritual resonance, disturbing both the Daoist and the calico cat’s sleep.

The calico was the most alert. Her eyes snapped open instantly, fully awake without the slightest hint of drowsiness. She flipped onto her feet in one smooth motion, stretched out her neck, and turned to stare in the direction of the disturbance.

“Hmm...”

Lady Calico had told them this place was strange.

The rocks were weird. Some looked like people, some like ghosts, some like dogs. They felt wrong just looking at them.

And yet, this Daoist had kept insisting it was all normal.

The calico squinted into the darkness but couldn’t see clearly. Without hesitation, she darted toward a nearby mound, sprinting up its rugged surface with nimble agility, using its jagged edges for leverage. In just a few swift steps, she had reached the very top and looked out.

A streak of red light was rising in the distance, and it was heading straight for them fast.

It zipped across the sky in a flash—almost too quick for the eye to follow—before landing right before them.

“...!”

Lady Calico immediately tensed.

But when the red glow faded, it revealed a man clad in crimson robes, with unbound hair and a full beard. He held something in his hands, an object flickering with an ethereal glow.

“...?”

The calico blinked, momentarily stunned.

It was Flaming Sun True Lord.

Their Daoist, still unhurried as ever, simply sat up. He dusted himself off and exchanged formal greetings with the Fire God. The two conversed, and soon the truth became clear.

A few days ago, they had left a water source beneath the cliffs of Mount Huayan. In front of merchants and wandering refugees, they had spoken up to clear the Fire God's name, ensuring the truth spread among the people. They had even left behind a stone steele.

The Fire God did not particularly care about reputation, but goodwill was another matter. Others had extended kindness to him, taken it upon themselves to clear his name, and for that, he had to care.

Knowing that finding the fire-element spiritual resonance would be difficult, he had spent several days retrieving it himself. Now, he had come to personally gift it to them as a gesture of gratitude.

“Many thanks, Fire God.”

“It is I who should thank you.”

“It’s nothing. It’s just a small act. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Then we’re even.”

The Fire God held the elemental spiritual resonance in his hand—a flickering mass of red light, shifting like flames, water, and pure energy all at once. “Be sure to hold it well. This thing is as light as nothingness, yet heavier than mountains.”

“Understood.” Song You received it with both hands. To him, it felt weightless.

Seeing this, the Fire God raised an eyebrow. “Quite the skill you have there.”

“I am merely blessed by the Heavenly Dao, tasked with gathering and forming the underworld. Because of this, I can carry the Five-Elements Soil as if they weigh nothing.” Song You replied honestly. “It is you, Fire God, who possesses true skill.”

“Enough with the pleasantries. I'm off.”

“Safe travels, Fire God,” Song You said. “Should I need your assistance in the future, I hope you won’t be too stingy with your flames.”

“Hmph...”

The Fire God did not reply, only let out a cold snort.

In the blink of an eye, a flash of red light streaked across the sky, and he was gone.

Now, standing alone beneath the night sky, Song You held the elemental spiritual resonance that had come to him effortlessly. He lifted his head and met the gaze of the calico cat perched atop the earthen mound.

She stared at him with a solemn expression, deep in thought as if she had realized something.