Chapter 25: Our Fallen Creature Clan Has Pride — We Swear Never to Be Slaves!

The trio of beasts had only just ascended to the Immortal Realm, and naturally knew nothing of its rules.

Rule One: You must not stray beyond the range of the Chaos World Tree — to do so is to invite erasure by the laws of the Immortal Realm.

Rule Two: Do not provoke the Giant. He can snuff out a Chaos Creature with a single finger — and he can do the same to an ascender.

Rule Three: You must cultivate a good relationship with the Giant. Without his protection, you will be slain by Chaos Creatures that appear without warning.

Rule Four: You must also secure the Giant's patronage. Without him to feed you, you will starve to death in the Immortal Realm.

Rule Five: This is the Giant's territory. He decides whether you get to live here at all.

Rule Six: When you have nothing better to do, take a look at the fallen ascenders around you. See what became of them, and you will understand — this world is far more dangerous than you ever imagined.

In short…

Don't go wandering off.

Don't go making enemies.

And the single most important rule of all… build a good relationship with the Giant.

These were the survival rules of the Immortal Realm, as summarized by the Nine Great Saints.

And those three fallen creatures… seemed to have broken every single one.

They were practically begging for death.

You can be proud — but you cannot be stupid.

Watching the three fallen creatures — beings who had terrorized Qiankun Realm for untold eons, before whom countless cultivators and even Saint Realm powerhouses had trembled — now stumbling into walls at every turn, the Nine Great Saints could not help but feel a deep, satisfying delight.

There was a sense of vindication in their hearts.

And a sense of superiority.

After all, they had ascended before the three beasts. They too had once been utterly lost, knowing nothing of the Immortal Realm, fumbling forward in the dark.

Now, watching others flounder just as they once had… of course they felt superior.

It was that feeling — like someone who once got drenched in the rain because they had no umbrella, now watching someone else get soaked. And not only that, but wanting to tear apart the other person's umbrella too.

Once you've been rained on, you want to rip apart everyone else's umbrella.

"Immortal… what kind of… sorcery have you used on us… if you dare… let us go!"

"That's right — you only have the advantage because you're a being of the Immortal Realm. If we were given the same standing, the same amount of time… you… would be no match for us…"

"Release us if you have the guts — give us a thousand years… just a thousand years, and we will cut you down!"

The three fallen creatures lay sprawled weakly on the ground, as though something impossibly sticky had glued them in place, unable to rise.

Even in this pitiful state, they were still trying to use provocation tactics.

Words were the only weapon left to them.

The stronger a person is, the more susceptible they tend to be to provocation.

But Su Ning simply smiled with genuine sincerity. "You're not wrong. If you were given the same conditions as me, the same environment — you would almost certainly surpass me."

Su Ning did not deny it.

Because in his heart, he truly saw himself as nothing more than an ordinary person.

An ordinary young man from society, from an ordinary family background. His grades in school had been slightly above average — not exceptional, not top-tier. The university he got into was an unremarkable second-tier school. After graduation, he had become just another corporate drone.

In this world, people more capable than him — he believed there were many.

And these ascenders, no matter how weak they looked in front of him now, had been the protagonists among protagonists back in Qiankun Realm. In terms of character, ability, intellect, and every other dimension, they had been unmatched — absolute heroes of their era, who had suppressed their entire generation for untold years.

Any one of them could easily be the lead of a power-fantasy novel.

To say nothing of the three fallen creatures, whose origins seemed even more mysterious, and before whom even the Nine Great Saints had shown some wariness.

Given the same conditions…

If Su Ning were transmigrated into Qiankun Realm with no cheat system, he would be utterly unremarkable.

This wasn't Su Ning selling himself short — it was simply the reality of the situation.

A person doesn't suddenly take flight just because they've been transmigrated.

No matter which world you end up in, you are what you are.

Of course… Su Ning wasn't putting himself down, or looking down on himself, or giving up on himself either. He liked who he was.

Who says being ordinary means you can't like yourself?

Who says you must only admire the exceptional — that you're not allowed to appreciate the ordinary?

It was just that… Su Ning answered plainly, lightly, without a trace of pressure.

And yet that answer left the three fallen creatures completely stunned.

They stared at Su Ning in disbelief.

What kind of move was this?

We said you're inferior to us… and you just… admitted it?

And so graciously at that?

No, no, no…

That's not how you're supposed to react!

You were supposed to… fly into a rage… seethe with fury… feel offended… feel indignant… refuse to believe it…

And then throw down some line like — "What kind of cattle and horses dare compare themselves to me?"

"You're nothing but a bunch of insects… since you refuse to accept it… then I'll let you go, give you time to catch up, and let me see whether you can ever reach my level — and let you see for yourselves the gap between you and me!"

"I… await your revenge!"

And then — release the three of us!

The three of us endure the humiliation…

Lay low, cultivate for a thousand years or so, and if we can win, come back and exact revenge in style.

If we truly can't win… then pretend none of this ever happened.

Just avoid this person from now on.

Either way… we escape today.

But this one… why isn't he playing by the script?

We said you're inferior to us, and you actually… agreed?

So what are we supposed to do now?

Damn it!

Devious!

Shameless…

Truly a being of the Immortal Realm… so cunning.

He saw through our plan and dismantled it with a single "I'm just not as good as you."

He really left us no way out.

The three fallen creatures' hearts turned to ash…

This was looking very bad.

This master of the Immortal Realm… truly played by no conventional rules, and had an uncanny grasp of the human heart.

They didn't actually believe Su Ning was inferior to them.

If he were inferior, how could he flick them away with a single finger?

If he were inferior, how could he have claimed a territory in the Immortal Realm and ruled it as its master?

If he were inferior, how could he be so utterly unruffled?

"My end is near…" The black Kylin's heart sank with a pang of sorrow.

It felt certain it was going to die here.

Crack…

Drifting beyond the range of the small tree's influence, they grew weaker and weaker.

Death was approaching.

This was the first time they had ever felt death so close.

This was real death — not a joke.

Su Ning naturally wasn't going to let them die.

He tossed them back within the range of the small tree's influence.

Whoosh…

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…

That suffocating sensation vanished at once.

The three fallen creatures recovered somewhat.

They gasped in great heaving breaths.

Back from the dead!

The feeling of being alive… was wonderful!

Su Ning gazed down from above at the little village of divine beings and demons.

"They shouldn't be able to die, right?" It would be a shame if they did.

"To answer you, Immortal Senior — they cannot die," Li Qingxuan replied.

But recovering would not happen overnight.

"Hmph… hypocrite… don't think you can imprison us. Do you think we're like those nine humans who bow and scrape? Our fallen creature clan has pride — we will never become slaves to an immortal!" The black Kylin, now able to breathe freely again, had recovered a little of its spirit.

"That's right! Don't ever… think of making us submit!"

"Fallen creatures… will never be slaves!"

The black dragon and the black phoenix roared in kind.

"Idiots…"

"Laughable…"

"Hilarious!"

The Nine Great Saints couldn't help but sneer at those words.

Did these three fallen creatures have absolutely no grasp of their situation?

Had they always been this foolish?

To think I once held these stupid things in such high regard…

How embarrassing…

"You had better keep that pride of yours — forever," said Kunlun Immortal Maiden, her face as cold as an ice mountain, yet with a rare, gentle smile playing at the corners of her lips.