It seems like I’m not in an illusion formation, or if I am in one, then it’s extremely well made to the point where the opponent could kill me directly. If that’s the case, why is the supposedly strongest sect so weak? “Hey, Jin Mo, why haven’t you and other quasi-immortals joined hands to attack the Holy Beasts Sect before I hired you?”

The quasi-immortal who was standing behind me cleared his throat. “There’s a few reasons. I’m surprised you haven’t thought up of them yourself.”

I’ve thought up a couple, but it’s simply easier to ask someone directly. “Explain.” In the meantime, I’ll proceed with the raid. “And advance to the next pagoda. Capture everyone within a five-mile radius there as well.”

“Understood, Master!”

While the ship flew forward, Jin Mo stepped to the edge of the boat, standing next to me. “For one, I wouldn’t want to work with someone as greedy as myself. If we gathered ten quasi-immortals, how would we split the loot? How would we split the work? If we’re injured while fighting the sect’s quasi-immortals, we’ll have to worry about being attacked from behind—maybe not attacked but being left to die is a very real possibility.”

“You can’t sign a contract with each other? Swear oaths to the heavens?” Is there a problem with my agreement between these quasi-immortals? They signed one with me but won’t sign one with each other. “Are you looking for a chance to leave me behind to die?”

Jin Mo laughed at smiled, showing crooked yellow teeth, some stained black. “No, the contract you made us sign was very tight. There’s a difference between forming a contract with you and forming a contract with other quasi-immortals: You’re paying us upfront. Fifty billion spirit stones are enough to attempt immortal ascension quite a few times.”

Is that so? It seems like amassing resources was a step in the right direction. “What do you have to do to ascend to immortality?”

Jin Mo’s smile disappeared, and he let out a sigh. “You’ll understand when you reach the border. It’s not something I, or other mortals, can explain to you. Perhaps even an immortal will have difficulty explaining it to someone who hasn’t touched the edge. It’s like explaining color to a blind person. You can explain the concept of it, but without vision, it’s impossible for them to truly know what a color looks like. Once you reach the border between mortal and immortal, your eyes will open.”

Is that how it is? I wonder, is Lucia at that border yet?

“Other than that,” Jin Mo said, “another reason we haven’t gathered is because of retaliation.”

“If you defeat the strongest sect, who’s going to retaliate against you? The immortals with roots within this sect?”

“No.” Jin Mo shook his head. There were a few screams in the background as the next round of capturing started. “Immortals don’t act that easily. The retaliation will come from the remaining sects. How do you think they’ll feel if the Holy Beasts Sect falls? They’ll realize their own weakness and band together with other sects to face us.”

I considered that as a possibility, but I didn’t think they’d have the coordination to pull it off. I shouldn’t base my plans around another’s incompetency; that’s just asking for failure. If that’s the case, I’ll have to increase my forces to defeat a coalition, but even I can’t spend too much money hiring quasi-immortals. It seems like I’ll have to convert the Holy Beasts Sect’s strength into my own. I’ll force them to sign contracts with me, backed by oaths to the heavens. Luckily, this is the Immortal Continent. Feeding an army of twenty to thirty million is extremely simple: All I need is a field of immortal rice. I suppose the other quasi-immortals couldn’t forcefully conscript these disciples without getting into an internal argument themselves. So, while the coalition of sects might be a problem for them, it still isn’t a problem for me. Ideally, news of me raiding this sect would take a while to spread, but I don’t think that’ll be the case. I wonder though…. “Why don’t immortals act that easily?”

Jin Mo raised an eyebrow. “Lots of limitations are placed on them, or so I’ve heard. I don’t know the exact details myself.”

Hmm? Immortals don’t act that easily? Why do I feel like that’s not true? An immortal unleashed an attack on Lucia’s apparition without penalty. What was that technique he shouted? “Do you know the technique, Beastly Corruption of the Seven Virtues, God-Slaying Beam?”

“Beastly Corruption of the Seven Virtues…,” Jin Mo muttered. “That’s Beast King Lao Hu’s signature technique. I’ve seen it once.”

“This Beast King Lao Hu, is he an immortal? I saw someone use this technique to instantly kill twenty sky-realm experts.”

“Lao Hu is a quasi-immortal, but it’s rumored he enjoys posturing as an immortal. I can easily dispose of twenty sky-realm experts, and I’m not an immortal. It’d be quite easy to fool someone who hasn’t seen the world.”

…I was tricked? No, I don’t think it was a trick. It might not have been the same person too. After all, that alleged immortal I encountered knew about squirrels. Would a quasi-immortal know? It’s a possibility…. “Do you have a picture of Lao Hu?”

“I only have pictures of beautiful women.”

…Well, alright then.

“But Chen Tao should have a picture of him.” Jin Mo pointed at one of the other quasi-immortals I had hired. Jin Mo leaned in close and whispered, “He only has pictures of handsome men.”

“What bullshit are you spouting now, Jin Mo!? I’ll castrate you!” Chen Tao snorted and stormed over. Then he took a jade slip out of his interspacial ring. “Here, an image of Beast King Lao Hu.”

I touched the jade slip and read the material inside. This … was the exact same person from way back then. He wasn’t an immortal at all! He was just a quasi-immortal, but back then, even a quasi-immortal was too much to handle. No one in our party could be blamed for assuming he was actually an immortal. Then, when Softie told me immortals would hunt down Lucia for being part squirrel, was she mistaken? Immortals don’t move that easily, at least not on the Immortal Continent…. “Once someone becomes an immortal, do they get transferred out of the Immortal Continent?”

“Yes.”

So, immortal ascension was literal. They’re ascending to another plane. Once Lucia becomes an immortal, and if immortals want to kill her, won’t they be waiting for her there?