The First Immortal of Destiny

Chapter 540: Chapter 540 Longevity Flesh_1

”What exactly happened to turn Elder Li into this ghastly state?”

Shen Mo gazed at the coral-red mass of flesh, a look of sorrow inevitably crossing his face. Another Elder from the Riverside Sect had fallen. It was Elder Li—the one with the longest Lifespan and most experience, the guardian of the Jade Pool Dungeon—who had perished.

[Insight into All Beings] is unable to extract any information from this mass of flesh, which implies it’s not a creature of this world. Yet, it continues to squirm like a living being.

Immediately, Shen Mo switched to [Method Eye Candle Wisp].

Under this vision, he only saw a cluster of incredibly vigorous yet extremely chaotic vitality, somewhat similar to certain types of spiritual medicine.

Then, Shen Mo used his Mana to collect Elder Li’s belongings, hoping to glean some clues from them.

Several jade slips were stored in the Universe Bag, but most of their contents were records of cultivating magic, concocting Elixirs, cultivating spiritual plants, and other miscellaneous, irrelevant information.

The strange transformation seemed to have occurred very suddenly; Elder Li had no inkling of it at all before he transformed into this crimson mass of flesh.

Just then, Mi, hidden within Shen Mo’s sleeve, transformed into a streak of firefly-like light. She circled the mass of flesh a few times, then opened her mouth and began to speak in a series of soft chirps.

”Moro Shen, Mi knows what this thing is.”

”Oh?”

Shen Mo raised an eyebrow. After carefully stowing away Elder Li’s belongings, his questioning gaze fell upon Mi.

”According to our clan’s Manuals, this mass of flesh is referred to as ’Longevity Flesh’...”

”Longevity Flesh?”

Shen Mo murmured to himself, then began to listen intently to Mi’s explanation.

...

The Flower Fairy clan hailed from the Outer Zone. Before relocating to the Red Flame Zone, they had, on multiple occasions in different worlds, encountered a group of Outer Zone Demons known as the ’Longevity race.’

Members of the Longevity race generally possessed Lifespans far exceeding those of other creatures.

Even a Class I Demon, equivalent to a Human Cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm, could live for over five hundred years if they avoided calamity. Stronger members, naturally, lived even longer, easily reaching a thousand or even several thousand years.

Besides their innate talents, more importantly, the Longevity race Demons were particularly skilled at concocting Elixirs. They were one of the few races in the Outer Zone proficient in utilizing external resources.

Furthermore, within the Longevity race, from the weakest low-class Demons to the powerful Protectors of their forbidden land, all shared an astonishingly unified pursuit:

An even longer Lifespan!

To this end, they had mobilized nearly their entire race to develop a series of ’longevity’ Elixirs. The most successful among these, one that was still undergoing continuous improvement, they named the Longevity Pill.

Hearing this, Shen Mo began to sense something.

”In the beginning, many powerful entities paid a tremendous price to obtain the Longevity Pill from the Longevity race...”

As Flower Fairy Mi continued her tale, a corner of the mysterious veil surrounding the Longevity race was slowly lifted.

Among the many powerful creatures that sought Elixirs from the Longevity race were even a few Flower Fairy Big Moros. However, not long after consuming the pills, they too transformed into masses of flesh. Apart from a difference in color, they were virtually indistinguishable from the fleshy mass that Elder Li had become!

This was the so-called ’Longevity Flesh.’

What was even more outrageous was that when the kin of these Outer Zone powerhouses sought an explanation from the Longevity race, they actually claimed this transformation was the ’price’ of ’longevity.’ To add insult to injury, they then demanded these masses of Longevity Flesh for themselves.

The Longevity race members themselves closely resembled these fleshy masses, almost as if cast from the same mold.

But there was a critical difference: the former were extraordinary creatures possessing souls, complete gnosis, and the ability to wield Mana, while the latter were merely masses of seemingly living yet undoubtedly dead flesh!

The aggrieved Outer Zone races, having suffered such a loss, naturally would not let the Longevity race off so easily and planned to unite and destroy their forbidden land.

Alas, the Longevity race was well-prepared and promptly relocated from that world. When they descended upon another world, their forbidden land also became hidden and difficult to find, giving the other races no opportunity for vengeance.

However, their efforts to improve the Longevity Pill only grew more frenzied. They would either scatter large quantities of Longevity Pills to entice native creatures into consuming them, or capture other Outer Zone beings to forcibly administer the pills. Through various methods, they collected all sorts of ’Longevity Flesh,’ and then used these samples, each with different properties, to continue refining and improving the Longevity Pill!

According to the conjecture of the Flower Fairy clan’s Big Moros, their ultimate goal was to achieve ’true immortality,’ enabling even newly born members of the Longevity race to possess endless Lifespans.

Theoretically, this was not an impossible feat.

The Longevity race’s method of reproduction differed greatly from that of humans. They reproduced by fission, where a single individual split into two: one part remained the original Longevity race member, and the other became a new, independent individual—its offspring.

They were not naturally this long-lived from birth. Instead, through generations of reproduction, they continuously passed down this extraordinary trait, ensuring that every newly born Longevity race Demon possessed a Lifespan far exceeding that of ordinary beings.

By continuously enhancing the efficacy of the Longevity Pill and accumulating the ’longevity’ trait, their Lifespans would progressively lengthen.

However, to reach the stage of ’true immortality,’ who knew how many tens of thousands of years it would take, or how many worlds they would have to traverse.

In other words, Elder Li turned into Longevity Flesh because he consumed the Longevity Pill? But as far as I know, although he did consume a Grade VII Elixir, that was before the cataclysmic changes of Heaven and Earth. Back then, other than Heavenly Demons, Outer Zone creatures couldn’t massively descend upon this world.

Contemplating this, Shen Mo considered a possibility.

Perhaps it was beings similar to the Soaring Serpent Bizarre Dragon, or even stronger entities, that inadvertently brought the Longevity Pill to the Red Flame Zone while traversing the myriad realms. By some coincidence, it ended up in Elder Li’s possession. After consuming the Longevity Pill, Elder Li’s cultivation stagnated, but he did acquire an unusually long Lifespan—right until he transformed into Longevity Flesh!

Subsequently, Shen Mo swung his Demon Slaying Sword, slicing off a palm-sized piece from the crimson mass of flesh that had once been Elder Li. He stored this piece in a jade box, affixed a prohibition talisman to it, and placed it in his Universe Bag.

I might be able to get a glimpse of the Longevity race’s understanding of the Alchemy Path from this lump of Longevity Flesh!

Then, he summoned Nether Fire, reducing the slowly squirming mass of flesh to a pile of ashes.

If I had used the [Pure Yang Pupil], the power would have been somewhat excessive; after such incineration, hardly any ash would remain. Now, I can take these ashes, along with Elder Li’s belongings, back to the subsidiary courtyard at Chong’a Mountain and set up a cenotaph for him.

If I ever get the chance to capture a Longevity race Demon, a thorough interrogation might significantly enhance my understanding of the Alchemy Path!

Shen Mo himself had no great desire for the Longevity Pill.

This Elixir obviously has extreme side effects. Consuming it leads to becoming ’Longevity Flesh,’ a fate even Class V powerhouses cannot escape. Even if I obtained one, I wouldn’t take it. What intrigues me more is the Longevity race’s proficiency in the Alchemy Path. Having accumulated knowledge for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, their alchemical standards have probably reached an absolutely astounding level!