The Quest for Immortality

Just as he was about to go back, Elder Ji stopped in his tracks.

He couldn’t help but ask himself:

”Am I out of my mind? Why would I go back?”

This kid named Mo has already let me out, so why should I return?

If I just run away, wouldn’t that be a complete escape from misery?”

As long as I don’t go back to Canglang City and avoid this ’Little Yama’ named Mo, the world is vast, where couldn’t I go?

There are so many luxurious pleasures I haven’t enjoyed enough yet.

And so many beautiful women waiting to please me.

Elder Ji’s heart stirred, he envisioned one enchanting woman after another beckoning to him, and his heart wavered immediately, boldly saying:

”Let’s go!”

”This damned kid named Mo, I’m not serving him anymore.”

”One day, when I succeed in Tao cultivation, I will definitely repay this...”

As Elder Ji thought of Mo Hua’s various eerie actions, and those heart-piercing, bone-corroding torture instruments, he extinguished the unrealistic ambition in his heart.

”Forget it, better stay away, can’t afford to provoke, can’t afford to provoke...”

Like a thief, Elder Ji began to flee towards the outskirts of the city.

After about a mile, the face of the deceased Canglang Sect Leader suddenly appeared in his mind, bloody, open-mouthed, saying something incomprehensible, terribly haunting.

Elder Ji was so frightened he shivered, shook his head, and forced himself to forget everything.

He continued to walk forward.

After half a mile, that Mr. Witch, whom the Sect Leader deeply respected, also suddenly surfaced in his mind.

And without a word, began to dig out his heart, bloody.

Elder Ji broke into a cold sweat and cursed, ”Damn it, seeing ghosts...”

He blinked his eyes, pushed on despite everything, gritting his teeth as he continued to flee.

But this time, after only a few steps, the ghostly pale face of the Canglang Sect Leader appeared in his mind again.

In the blink of an eye, the dead face of Sect Leader Duan suddenly turned into Elder Ji’s own face.

Frightened, Elder Ji slipped and fell to the ground, grabbing something with his hand. Upon closer inspection, he found it was a bloody heart, and when he looked down again, his own chest was bloody, as if his heart had been removed...

In an instant, Elder Ji’s soul left his body, a chill surged from the depths of his heart, making him tremble all over.

Moments later, the chill vanished.

Elder Ji’s confused Divine Sense cleared a little. Looking down, he saw his chest had scar but no blood, his heart was intact, beating in his chest.

The ”heart” in his hand was just a pile of mush.

Awakening from a nightmare, Elder Ji breathed a long sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, resigned to his fate, and turned back, returning obediently to the inn.

In Mo Hua’s room, the candlelight was still flickering.

Elder Ji gently knocked on the door, and Mo Hua’s clear voice came from inside:

”Come in.”

Elder Ji tiptoed into the room, glanced at Mo Hua, and saw under the candlelight, Mo Hua looked as usual, like a handsome young master untainted by anything worldly, with no trace of any eerie or sinister aura.

Elder Ji secretly thought it was uncanny and grew even more desperate.

”Speak,” Mo Hua said.

Elder Ji sighed and relayed what he’d heard, truthfully and in full:

”This place is called Half Mountain City, a Second Grade Little Immortal City, with the Taoist Court’s influence being strongest, and its Court Leader most greedy, using ruthless means.”

”There are two or three large families here. But the local families, to curry favor with the Taoist Court, also exploit the Loose Cultivators harshly.”

”Loose Cultivators are very poor, living difficult lives, but most still live their day-to-day lives.”

”What’s strange is, some days ago, a riot suddenly broke out.”

”Over a hundred Loose Cultivators charged into the Taoist Court trying to kill the Court Leader, but they were outnumbered and were suppressed by the Taoist Court.”

”Suppressed?” Mo Hua was a bit surprised.

Elder Ji nodded, ”Originally, it should have ended there... But the Taoist Court’s Court Leader, to report and take credit with the Taoist Court, started to massacre Loose Cultivators indiscriminately. Many innocent Loose Cultivators who did not participate in the rebellion had their heads cut off, labeled as ’rebels,’ and counted as ’achievements.’”

”This was tantamount to overturning the pot of oil.”

”Rebel and die, don’t rebel and die too.”

”Loose Cultivators rioted completely, tearing into the Taoist Court, a group of Qi Refining Cultivators red-eyed, risking their lives to pile up and exterminate the Foundation Establishment Realm Court Leader. The Court Leader’s head was twisted off, thrown into the oil pot, and his flesh was boiled and eaten to the last...”

”Those families helping the tyrant also met their ends.”

”The men were killed, and the women were disgraced by enraged Loose Cultivators, then killed as well...”

Mo Hua sighed inwardly, then frowned and said, ”With the local Loose Cultivators’ power, they couldn’t have done this.”

Elder Ji nodded, ”The young master is wise.”

”There are traces of the Demon Sect in this.”

”These Loose Cultivators were secretly taught the ’Bloodthirsty’ Demon Path Taoist Skill, driven to despair, they were enraged to madness and insanity, their strength skyrocketed, hence they were able to overthrow the Taoist Court, kill the Court Leader, and wipe out the local families.”

”But the price is, after operating these demon path cultivation techniques, they either become bloodthirsty Fallen Demons or can’t withstand the backlash of monster qi, exploding to death.”

”Therefore, this Half Mountain City, half the people have died, it’s nearly an empty city, those who survived are either barely hanging on or are no longer human...”

Mo Hua’s eyes showed compassion.

In the end, there truly were no winners.

All would die.

The poor would die, the rich too, there was no difference.

”I understand.” Mo Hua nodded, ”You’ve worked hard, go and rest.”

Elder Ji felt a weight lifted, cupping his hands, he said, ”Then I shall not disturb the young master.”

After Elder Ji left, Mo Hua remained by the candlelight, reading while pondering over some things.