"Then... where is this place?" When William Thompson asked this question, he felt just like a woman stripped naked, waiting to be taken—nervous and helpless.

The old man chuckled, "This is the Immortal Realm."

...As expected.

"Are you an immortal?" He hadn't expected to meet a legendary immortal. Out of professional habit, he wanted to take out his camera and snap a few shots, but the pain in his body made it impossible to move, and his fingers were frozen in place.

The old man's face darkened, and he gave an awkward laugh. "Ahem, although I'm not an immortal, I'm not far from being one."

"How can there be someone in the Immortal Realm who isn't an immortal?" William Thompson asked in surprise.

The old man curled his lip. "Is everyone in the human world a human? Don't make such a fuss!"

William Thompson scratched his head. "That's true."

Although he learned that the old man wasn't an immortal, he still couldn't help but ask timidly, "Can you send me back?"

The old man rolled his eyes. "If you want to be reduced to nothing, you can try jumping into the Reverse Passage. But don't blame me for not warning you when not even your soul is left. The Reverse Passage can tear souls apart."

"......"

A leaf, blown from who knows where, spun past William Thompson's eyes and gently landed on the ground.

Another leaf drifted gently by...

Another leaf drifted gently by...

Yet another leaf drifted gently by...

And another leaf drifted gently by...

......

The old man burst out angrily, "Damn it, the author is padding the word count! Kid, can't you say something?"

Only then did William Thompson weakly ask, "Why did I come here? Isn't this the Immortal Realm? I'm just an ordinary mortal."

The old man stroked his goatee. "I don't know the specifics, but you ascended to the Immortal Realm together with Grace Foster from the Lake of Immortal Birth."

"Grace Foster? Lake of Immortal Birth?" William Thompson was stunned.

"The Lake of Immortal Birth is the greatest treasure of the Immortal Realm, you could say it's the very foundation of this world. It's that lake right behind you." The old man raised his hand and pointed behind William Thompson.

William Thompson turned to look and saw an unimaginably vast lake behind him. The crystal-clear water allowed his gaze to penetrate to incredible depths, and in the very center of the lake, a massive whirlpool was causing the water to spin endlessly. Even from a great distance, he could still feel the force that seemed capable of tearing the air apart.

"That whirlpool is the Reverse Passage," the old man said to William Thompson, pointing at the vortex. "When cultivators in the lower realm meet the requirements, they're guided by the Ascending Immortal Light to fly up to the Immortal Realm through that Reverse Passage. But if someone from the Immortal Realm wants to descend to the mortal world, they need the power to withstand the force of the Reverse Passage. For example... a Great Luo Golden Immortal."

Staring at the enormous whirlpool before him, William Thompson felt a chill in his heart. He really couldn't figure out how he managed to pass through the Reverse Passage unharmed and stand here.

The old man seemed to see through William Thompson's confusion and smiled, "Everyone who succeeds in cultivation and ascends to the Immortal Realm receives the protection of the Lake of Immortal Birth. The Ascending Immortal Light serves this purpose—so long as you're under its protection, you won't be torn apart by the Reverse Passage. That's why you can stand here safe and sound."

"But... I've never cultivated before," William Thompson voiced his doubt.

The old man lowered his head in thought, and after a long while said, "You must have heard the saying: 'When one person attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!' Your situation is probably like that."

"Like what?" William Thompson asked anxiously.

"Grace Foster was ascending, and you barged in during the process. Although she succeeded, the Ascending Immortal Light happened to bring you along to the Immortal Realm as well," the old man speculated. Although his guess wasn't entirely accurate, it wasn't far off. In fact, the lightning that struck William Thompson was a heavenly thunderbolt reflected by Grace Foster's magic treasure during her ascension. Fortunately, it was the last thunderbolt, and the Ascending Immortal Light immediately enveloped William Thompson. Otherwise, as a mere mortal, if he had been struck by heavenly lightning without the protection and transformation of the Ascending Immortal Light, he would have surely died.

"By the way?" William Thompson stared wide-eyed. "Something like this can happen by the way?"

The old man shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself, "Logically, that's impossible. Ascension may not be as dangerous as tribulation, but there's still thunder calamity. And two people ascending together is even harder than passing a tribulation. Did the Thunder God get drunk again last night?"

William Thompson's mouth twitched, looking just like a bearded Mona Lisa.

"Anyway, no matter what, you're already in the Immortal Realm. Congratulations!" The old man beamed at William Thompson.

Damn it, I got struck by lightning for no reason and dragged to this strange place—what's there to congratulate?

William Thompson curled his lip and asked, "So where is that Grace Foster?"

No wonder that hallucination felt so real—it was all true. Remembering the softness he grabbed with both hands in his daze, William Thompson let out a lecherous chuckle.

"Gone," the old man replied curtly.