The Immortal Path Is Crowded

Bai was the first to react.

When Jin's body collapsed against the stone, the dull thud echoed through the entire chamber and hit everyone in the chest. For an instant no one moved; the mind was slow to accept what the eyes had just seen.

Seconds ago Jin had still been standing in front of the demonic cultivator, covered in blood but with that confident smile of someone who has everything under control. Even after a mortal battle he had still found the strength to joke. And now he lay motionless on the ground.

"Jin!" Bai shouted, and started running.

The others followed immediately. Their hurried footsteps echoed on the stone as they surrounded the body. Bai dropped to her knees beside him and, for a second, her hand hovered in the air, trembling. She gritted her teeth and turned him over carefully.

"...Big Brother Jin..." she whispered.

Up close, the damage was worse. His clothes were in tatters and stuck to him with dried blood, his breathing was weak and irregular, each breath costing him his life. But the worst was his right arm. The veins under the skin had burst and were still bleeding slowly, the muscles seemed torn from within, the accumulated energy had exceeded what his body could withstand.

Bai's chest tightened and she felt tears rising to her throat. No. Not now. She took a breath and forced herself to stay steady, because if she broke down, the others would panic. Even so, two of her companions were already on the edge. One covered her mouth with both hands, her wet eyes fixed on Jin's pale face.

"B-big Sister Bai... i-is he... is he dead?" she asked in a broken voice.

"Don't say that!" the other cut her off, pale, moving closer. "Don't talk nonsense!"

The third, the calmest one, frowned and assessed the situation. Without saying anything she reached into her storage ring and took out a small jade vial, holding it out to Bai.

"Wait. My master gave these to me before leaving the sect. She said they can heal almost any physical wound."

Bai looked up, surprised. "Really?"

The girl nodded firmly. Bai opened the vial. Inside were several pills of a deep blue, almost like a clear sky, wrapped in a bluish mist that gave off an intense medicinal aroma that filled the chamber.

"This should help..." Bai said, and brought one toward Jin's unconscious mouth. Then she stopped.

She blinked. She looked at the pill, then at Jin's closed lips, and slowly frowned.

"...Wait a moment."

The three raised their heads at once. "What's wrong?" one asked.

Bai held up the pill. "How am I supposed to give it to him?"

There was silence. One tilted her head. "Well... open his mouth..."

"If he's unconscious he can't swallow," the second replied, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

The one with the vial crossed her arms, concentrating. "We could crush it... and mix it with water."

"But we don't have water! We're in a cave!" the other protested, pointing at the stone floor.

The girl hesitated, frustrated, and shrugged. "Then... use saliva."

The one who was crying opened her eyes wide and jumped back. "WHAT?! I'm not going to spit medicine into his mouth!"

"I didn't say it had to be you..." the other murmured, uncomfortable.

"Then you do it!" the first snapped at her, pointing.

"Why me?"

They started arguing louder and louder, pointing at the pill with the repulsion of someone looking at something cursed. Meanwhile, Bai remained still, her gaze going from the pill to Jin's increasingly pale face, feeling his breathing weaken. The pressure in her chest became unbearable.

Damn it... we don't have time for this...

She clenched the pill and raised her voice. "Silence."

The two fell quiet instantly. Bai took a deep breath, gathering courage, and lifted the pill in front of them.

"I think there's only one way."

The three tilted their heads. "Which one?" one asked.

Bai was silent for a second. "I'm going to chew it... and I'll pass it to him myself."

For a moment no one reacted. Their brains slowly processed what they had just heard. Then, in unison, their eyes opened wide.

"WHAAAT?!?!"

---

Unaware of everything happening in the cave, Jin's consciousness floated again in that dark and infinite space. Or at least that's what it seemed like.

The darkness stretched without limits, but this time there was something different. Below, covering the bottom of that world, was an immense and silent ocean. Its black waters extended to the horizon, barely reflecting a light without origin, completely still, untouched by wind and time.

Jin observed the sea with confusion when the whole space trembled. An invisible wave made the ocean vibrate and a deep, arrogant, almost insane laugh resonated everywhere. Jin didn't need to think to recognize it. It was the soul that had entered his body.

On the surface, a crimson light began to condense. First it was a reddish mist, then it took shape, sculpted by an invisible hand from pure energy. A tall and slender body appeared, with elegant proportions, worthy of an immortal from ancient legends, dressed in a black robe with red edges, simple but with a natural drape that conveyed an ancient and refined power.

Then the face formed. It was beautiful, with a dangerous beauty, the kind that warns instead of inviting. Its features were perfect, almost too perfect, but the expression in its eyes broke any illusion of nobility. There was cruelty there. And contempt.

When it finished materializing, the man floated above the dark sea and slightly extended his arms, smiling with satisfaction. "Heh... so this is the inside of that body." His gaze swept the horizon with the satisfaction of an owner inspecting a newly acquired property.

His satisfaction didn't last long. He lowered his gaze toward the sea. And he saw it.

In the middle of the dark ocean, standing on the motionless water, was Jin. Or rather, a representation of him, with the same face, the same relaxed posture, the same calm and curiously irritating gaze.

The man in black and red stared. The delight in his eyes went out abruptly, extinguished, and was replaced by irritation.

"...You."

He frowned, trying to understand the impossible. "How is it possible that you're here if you haven't even opened your spiritual consciousness?" His gaze swept the space more carefully and stopped on the dark ocean. The arrogance disappeared from his voice, leaving only surprise. "Wait... how is it possible that there's a soul sea here? You haven't even reached the Nascent Soul realm, boy."

On the other side of the ocean, Jin looked at him with a mix of caution and confusion. If anyone needed answers, it was him. I'd like to know that too... he thought. If that really was a soul sea, nothing made sense. Normal cultivators couldn't even perceive that place until much higher realms, much less consciously enter it. Forming a soul avatar... Jin looked at his own hands in that strange space. That shouldn't be possible either.

The demonic cultivator noticed his confusion and a cold smile curved his lips. "Hm... so you don't even understand it yourself." He shook his head, losing interest. "It doesn't matter."

He descended slowly toward Jin, floating with that unnatural elegance. "Those things will stop mattering soon. After all..." his eyes shone with crimson light, "this body will soon be mine."

As soon as he spoke those words, the entire dark space trembled with a violent jolt, an invisible blow crossed the world. The black sea stirred and Jin felt something tear inside him. It didn't hurt like a physical wound or like spiritual exhaustion; it was a pressure that attacked the very essence of his consciousness, a pull that tried to rip him out by the root.

Jin gritted his teeth as his avatar trembled. The man's low laugh resonated again. Then, his actions seemed to awaken something hidden and the space trembled in another way, a deep resonance, that of the world waking from a long sleep.

The infinite darkness began to fade. A faint luminosity appeared in the distance and expanded until the void became a luminous and limitless sky. Below, the change was even more evident. The black waters cleared, an invisible ink washing away from within. In seconds, the gloomy sea became a crystalline ocean, transparent and deep, reflecting the new light.

The effect was immediate. The crushing pressure on Jin's consciousness began to dissipate. It didn't disappear completely, but an invisible barrier interposed itself between his soul and the oppressive will of the invader. At the same time, a soft and constant energy began to rise from the bottom of the ocean toward his avatar. It wasn't violent; it was a calm current that filtered into his consciousness, reinforcing his presence and stabilizing his form. The pain reduced to a distant annoyance.

His mind, which struggled not to collapse, regained clarity. Good... think... Jin breathed deeply looking at the crystal ocean under an infinite sky. If this really is a soul sea... The scenes from the cultivation novels he had read in his previous life surfaced in his memory. In many stories, the soul sea was the core of the cultivator's consciousness, the place where you could face invaders, refine your will or turn it into a prison or a battlefield.

While Jin organized that torrent of ideas, the man in black and red floated over the transformed ocean with a frown. The arrogance had disappeared. He could feel it. A strange energy rose from the depths and interfered with his control. His crimson eyes shone with irritation. "What is this...?" He extended his hand trying to reaffirm his dominion, but the space responded clearly. The energy of the sea kept flowing toward Jin. And his control kept weakening.

Although irritation crossed his face, the cultivator quickly recovered his composure. In fact, upon observing the luminous sky and the crystal ocean, a different ambition appeared in his gaze. "Heh..." The initial surprise turned into a greedy gleam. The stranger this place was, the more convinced he was that invading this body had been the right decision. The more secrets it has... the better. After all, whatever belongs to the brat will soon be mine.

His expression hardened. He could no longer waste time. He slowly closed his hand and a much more intense pressure spread from his figure, the remaining power of his soul condensed with a violence that even he knew was dangerous. The crimson energy expanded around him, slightly darkening the luminous sky.

Below, Jin felt it immediately. A new wave of energy fell on him with the weight of an invisible mountain, much stronger than before, making the surface of the ocean shake violently.

"Well then, boy," said the invader in an almost condescending tone. "I don't know what secrets you carry... nor who you really are. But you should be grateful. I will take this body to the martial peak."

Jin remained silent for a few seconds while feeling the pressure increase. The ocean kept feeding him, but the difference in strength was obvious. ...So he's stopped playing. A silent sigh escaped his lips. He had always known this moment would come. If I don't do something now... this bastard really will steal my body. And that... I can't allow.

He raised his head and looked directly at the man. His mind quickly reviewed every ridiculous idea that had crossed his head seconds before. Many were impossible. Others made no sense. But one of them... was so ridiculous that, paradoxically, it could work.

Jin let out a small laugh. "You know... in moments like this, a hidden grandfather usually appears inside a ring to save the protagonist." He raised his gaze toward the cultivator, with a smile full of irony. "Too bad I don't have one of those."

The man frowned, not understanding, but Jin was no longer paying attention to him. He lowered his gaze toward the crystal ocean beneath his feet. The energy of the soul sea kept flowing toward him. And an idea took shape.

Since I'm inside my soul sea... then this world... is mine.

He held the invader's gaze and his smile didn't fade. "So try this, old man."

Having said that, he slowly raised both hands in front of his chest. For a second nothing happened. The cultivator watched him with disdain, expecting some impressive technique. However, that expression changed almost immediately when a turbulent energy began to stir around Jin's palms.

The crystal ocean responded instantly. Two currents of energy surged from the surface, rising in liquid whirlpools until they reached his hands. The energy twisted and compressed in irregular spirals, fighting against itself.

A heartbeat later, the currents took shape. Two lotus flowers of energy appeared over his palms, formed by layers of luminous petals that slowly rotated. Each petal seemed made of pure and compressed spiritual energy, and inside them small currents of power violently collided with each other.

What stood out most was their instability. The energy didn't flow in harmony, it vibrated and twisted on the verge of explosion, releasing irregular pulses that made the surface of the sea under Jin's feet ripple.

Jin looked at them with clear interest, slightly turning his hands. The spiritual flowers trembled, deforming for a moment before stabilizing. It was dangerous, extremely dangerous. One mistake could erase his soul completely. But that only made his smile widen.

"Oh..." he murmured, almost with admiration, tilting his head. "This looks even more unstable than I expected. I guess improvising inside the soul sea has its... side effects."

The man in black no longer looked so relaxed. His crimson eyes narrowed as he looked at the two spiritual flowers. Even at a distance he could feel the chaotic nature of the energy.

The ocean stirred again under Jin as the two lotuses vibrated with more intensity, fed by the soul sea itself.

"Well..." Jin murmured watching the lotuses spin on his palms. "Let's see what happens if I try this."

The cultivator frowned upon seeing Jin begin to slowly bring both hands together. The two lotuses began to vibrate violently. The energy inside them was already chaotic on its own, but when their edges began to touch, the reaction was immediate. The spiritual petals deformed and a violent pressure spread throughout the entire soul sea. The crystal ocean beneath his feet stirred, sensing the danger. Even the luminous sky seemed to darken slightly.

The cultivator's crimson eyes opened slightly, alarmed. "What are you doing...?"

Jin simply smiled as he kept pushing the two lotuses against each other.

"If my memory serves me right..." he murmured as the energy roared between his hands, "this should be a very bad idea."

The two lotuses finally touched.

And then...

The entire space of the soul sea began to tremble.