Will Chapter 42 lead to a successful break? "………
"..."
Fu Ming fell silent.
He knew this would be the answer.
"In that case, senior, do you think I have the destiny to ascend?" Fu Ming smiled optimistically again, like a weasel asking for a title, trying to get some more information from the true immortal.
The afterimage scrutinized him carefully several times, neither rejecting nor confirming: "This matter concerns a heavenly secret, which I cannot speak of. You will have to figure it out yourself."
Fu Ming's heart skipped a beat.
Since he had already become a demonic cultivator, he naturally knew that his chances of ascending to immortality were slim, but wouldn't that cut off his junior brother's path to enlightenment?
He still felt somewhat guilty towards Xiao Huaiyuan. If it weren't for the uninvited system causing trouble, he wouldn't have had to travel all the way from the Demon Realm to infiltrate, nor would he have taken over his junior brother's disciple spot, creating this deeply entangled injustice.
Cultivation doesn't adhere to materialism; most cultivators are idealists, hence the saying about "borrowing" luck and fortune.
The numerical bonuses mentioned by the system are probably obtained through this kind of exploitation.
However, the system had been dormant since entering the Fox Palace, so Fu Ming couldn't question it. Forcibly binding him to the system was one thing, but why was it also forcibly bound to his junior brother without a word? It was practically an arranged marriage for mortals in some remote, impoverished village.
Fu Ming asked tactfully, "If I sever all ties with him and never see him again, will that break the bond?"
The afterimage also went around in circles: "Perhaps it's possible, but we must persevere."
That's simple. He'll grow legs and run by himself. As long as the identity of "Ming Chen" is gone, who will know that the real person behind the skin is Fu Ming?
The afterimage pondered: "However, things are up to people. I can't tell you what happens after the Tribulation Stage, but I can tell you how to reach the Mahayana Stage, as long as you do one thing for me."
The indifferent afterimage of the True Immortal, with just a few words, reminded Fu Ming of the frustration of being tricked by the fox into clearing monsters.
"Kill me, or rather, my remains, my clone, call me whatever you like." A subtle smile curved the corners of the True Immortal's lips.
"He's coming out."
Fu Ming slowly crawled from underground into the main hall of the Li Hu Palace. He carried the bronze mirror that contained the remnant soul of a true immortal, so he could not teleport directly and could only climb the ladder.
His hair was disheveled, and he looked like a ghost at first glance.
Jiang Jie and Shenmu surrounded them, even pulling the fox along: "You've been gone for a long time, how's the battle going?"
Fu Ming gave a thumbs-up: "Done."
With a creak, as the phantom dissipated, several vermilion-lacquered doors behind the altar slowly opened.
The main hall was crowded with people. The disciples who had been staring at Fu Ming were now all determined to be the first to squeeze into the True Immortal Cave.
"Hey, wait, we can't go in!" Jiang Jie, who had received a warning from Fu Ming, jumped out and shouted.
The four guardian deities lined up, completely blocking the entrance. Given Fu Ming's impressive feat of single-handedly defeating Phantom, no one dared to physically resist, and could only verbally express their dissatisfaction.
"Why can't we come in!"
The disciple who launched the first attack came from the first-class sect, Wanfamen. He was originally a star player on whom high hopes were placed, but because he entered the main hall early, his ranking kept dropping, and he was so anxious and angry that bubbles appeared on the corners of his mouth.
"Exactly, you got all the good stuff but won't let us have a share. Have you no shame?"
Young people are hot-tempered, and their constant chatter is like firecrackers exploding in the room.
Fu Ming was so annoyed by the noise that he wanted to draw his sword and kill them all: "I'm stopping you from going to your deaths. When you came, didn't you see the room full of monsters? The area behind the door is even more troublesome."
The reason why the True Immortal's afterimages acted so ruthlessly was to select those who could fight against the remnant body; those who went in were just there to be eaten.
Even cannibalism can replenish its losses, and the more it is fed, the stronger it becomes, so how can it fight back?
"Alright, if you insist on coming in, then spar with me first." Fu Ming drew a circle in front of the door with his sword and beckoned to the restless crowd.
Bang! A person attempting to smuggle himself across the border was sent flying backward and slammed against the wall with tremendous force. His fellow disciples couldn't even pry him off.
Fu Ming's smile remained unchanged.
As expected, he is still good at persuading people with physical force.
The crowd fell silent. They knew Fu Ming was a formidable opponent, but they hadn't realized the difference in skill level was so vast.
“I already told you, there’s nothing good in there. Look at my fox spirit pet, it’s been bitten bald by the monsters. Why bother getting involved in this mess?” Fu Ming pulled the fox in front of him, and the fox, which was being lifted up by the scruff of its neck, obediently showed off its bald head.
"Now that we've left the divine fox relief, we can still search for rare and precious materials outside."
This would also make room for him to assassinate the mutilated body.
Some of the more easygoing ones complained a couple of times and then made to leave, when suddenly someone let out a loud, booming cry.
"Don't listen to him! He's Ming Chen, the top-ranked man on the Heavenly Ranking. He's just spreading these alarmist rumors because he doesn't want to be pushed down by us. If we all charge in together, he definitely won't be able to handle it all!"
Jiang Jie, being taller, immediately recognized who was stirring up trouble: "Li Yang, you're really unfair! Didn't we give you a treasure? And you're still making fun of us like this."
A familiar sense of foreboding descended upon Fu Ming.
Sure enough, while Jiang Jie was cursing, Li Yang darted through the gap on Jiang Jie's side like a mouse.
A figure moved with incredible speed and disappeared into the dark doorway. The vermilion door, like a gaping maw that had been starving for a long time, chewed the food that was put into its mouth again and again, and even let out a burp.
Wisps of gray mist drifted through the main hall.
You can feel tiny particles when you touch them; the texture is somewhat like demonic energy. But how could there be demonic energy in a secluded, isolated place like Dabi?
"Everyone, retreat!"
Fu Ming shouted sharply and raised his hand to erect three protective barriers in front of the door.
Then a young man slowly walked out of the mist. He dragged a sword and looked exactly like the afterimage, except that the silver-white pupils that should have been there were replaced by gray-black silk cloth.
Oh no, the remnant body has revived prematurely.
Fu Ming turned to Fu Ming and instructed, "Fox, quickly teleport them out. Shenmu Jiangjie, you two cover their retreat and protect them as they go."
"And what about you?"
"I've received the inheritance of a true immortal, so I can hold on a bit longer. Stop talking nonsense and get lost!"
Fortunately, the remnant body that had just awakened was not full, so its movements were slow and it could not hold the sword steadily. It only took a few steps in such a long time.
The usual method of teleportation in relief sculptures is one-to-one, sending one person away before receiving another. However, with hundreds of people crammed into this celestial palace, it would take at least half an hour to send them all away.
The fox gritted its teeth and transformed into a giant fox as tall as three people, which allowed it to carry five or six people away in one go, but it was still not enough to carry them.
Bang!
The mangled body moved, and the barrier was blasted open by the sudden force of the energy, breaking the first barrier.
Fu Ming placed two fingers on his lips and rapidly chanted an incantation to reinforce the second line of defense. He didn't forget to turn his head back to see how many people were still stuck there.
There are still at least two-thirds left.
Before the mangled body could even raise its hand, a fierce wind and rainstorm swirled around it, forming a waterspout that shattered the first layer of the barrier in an instant.
Similar to the True Immortal's afterimage, but with faster and more ruthless attacks, showing absolutely no respect to this mere Golden Core cultivator.
Having transmigrated for many years, Fu Ming finally had an old man by his side to consult. He asked, "Senior, isn't this your clone? Could you try to control it?"
True Immortal Remnant: "Hehe, I wish I could too, but unfortunately, my true body is no longer in this world."
Why is he so unreliable? It seems I still have to rely on myself. Fu Ming sighed.
When the fox was moving the animals, it prioritized those who were howling in a hurry. Therefore, most of the hundred or so people who were willing to stay here were not cowards. Among them were Senior Brother Li from the Surveillance Department and Miss Gu, who had voluntarily given up in Xiao Huaiyuan's apprenticeship competition.
The genuine Miss Gu grabbed her spear and stepped forward, channeling her spiritual power to reinforce the barrier: "How can we let Junior Brother Ming stand alone in front of us? We'll help you too!"
Gu Yunyi, Li Xiang, and others stepped forward one after another, and droplets of water gathered into a river, slowly repairing the barrier.
Fu Ming hadn't felt the camaraderie among his fellow disciples in a long time, and he was somewhat moved at this moment. But the more he felt this way, the colder and harder his heart became.
According to his plan, he needs to use the Primordial Devouring Heaven Record to have a chance to kill the remnants of a True Immortal, so he needs to find an opportunity to get rid of them.
If they knew that their beloved fellow disciples were actually notorious villains behind his back, they would probably turn around and curse him again; such is human nature.
The bright hall paved with white jade was engulfed by a thick gray-black fog. It did not have the mental torment of real demonic energy, but it did frantically consume the spiritual power of those present.
After holding out for another 15 minutes, the second barrier shattered.
The spiritual energy reserves of the Golden Core stage were too small, and even the combined spiritual energy of everyone could not withstand a few attacks. Meanwhile, the movements of the remaining body became increasingly fluid, and Fu Ming judged that its true combat strength had reached around the late Nascent Soul stage.
"The barrier won't hold for much longer either," Fu Ming earnestly called out to the righteous warriors behind him. "Let's run."
A bright red flashed across several dark palace rooms in an instant. The red fox carried seven or eight people as it raced through the maze until the sunlight mixed with water mist poured down, illuminating the weary travelers.
Li Xiang counted the number of people, and after counting them over and over, he found that one disciple of the Tianyan Sect was missing.
"Where is Junior Brother Ming?" Li Xiang asked.
The Immortal Alliance also wants to ask this question.
"Why is the water mirror that was tracking Ming Chen suddenly covered by fog? Isn't this a magic treasure left behind by Immortal Venerable Qian Yuan?" Elder Xu Yan, who was in a hurry, was asking the person in charge of the mirror.
The person in charge of the camera stammered, "Yes...that's how it is, but I only know how to use it; I don't know the underlying mechanisms."
After losing contact with Fu Ming, Xiao Huaiyuan forcibly opened the secret realm gate, but the secret realm passage was already closed; it was just an old and ordinary black jade Lingxing gate.
His neatly combed hair had a few stray strands that were unusually loose. He didn't bother to comb them, but instead immersed his consciousness into the jade slip, but there was no response.
Is Fu Ming unable to contact him, or unwilling to contact him?
...
It's difficult to explain Fu Ming's current situation in just a few words; if I had to use an analogy, it would be like being in jail.
Fu Ming jumped the fox midway, turned back, and made use of the waste of the pure white space where he challenged the phantom. He lured the extremely hungry remnant of the True Immortal to this place, then made a golden bell shield and sat cross-legged inside, letting the remnant attack him.
Amidst the surging, turbulent water-based energy waves, the Golden Bell Shield swayed like a small boat, yet it remained unbroken, all thanks to the protection of the remnant soul of a true immortal.
"Senior, how much longer can you hold on?"
"Hold on until those two incense sticks burn out."
The spiritual energy silently grew within his meridians. As Fu Ming regulated his breathing, he took out a bronze mirror named Xuanyuan Mirror to examine it. This mirror was truly extraordinary; according to the True Immortal, it was the first mirror in the world, capable of seeing through cause and effect and briefly glimpsing future events.
He only had time to ask one question.
Fu Ming silently wondered to himself, "What will be the ending for me and Xiao Huaiyuan?"
Just like the story Xiao Huaiyuan had told him years ago when he cried, the mirror reflected his dead face.
A pool of blood flowed across a certain part of the altar beneath Fu Ming, his eyes closed, yet a smile still lingered on his face.
A wide sleeve with gilded cloud patterns covered his corpse, and a taut half of his profile was visible at the edge of the mirror. It looked like Xiao Huaiyuan's face, but it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad.
He died, but Xiao Huaiyuan is still alive.
It seems he has succeeded in breaking with the enemy.
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Author's Note: The confession and the fake death should happen in the next two chapters, hehe.
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