55. Junxing Mountain·5·Roshan
Fifteen minutes ago.
The edge of the secret realm, the underground city in the wasteland.
After navigating a winding secret passage and unlocking dozens of shackles, Shi Jinxiu arrived once again in front of Director Yan's training room. This time, the guards did not stop Shi Jinxiu, as if they could not see her presence, still holding their weapons and standing there without looking to the side.
Ignoring the pain of her torn wounds, Shi Jinxiu strode inside as if she had no feeling at all, even though the white gauze was already seeping blood.
He made a major discovery.
Shi Jinxiu burst into the training room shouting, so excited he was practically dancing around, "Director! Director Yan! I've made a major discovery!"
The towering mountain of flesh, still draped in a cassock, sat quietly in the cultivation room.
Shi Jinxiu noticed that he wasn't cultivating, nor was he making any move to absorb the demon core. She swallowed hard; no matter how many times she had met him, she had a natural fear of Director Yan. Realizing her discovery, Shi Jinxiu quickly reported it.
"Director, there's a traitor in our institute, Director Yan! This is no small matter! It threatens our institute's longevity plan!"
traitor.
Yan Youzu was startled, and a sharp pain shot through his heart.
This is his Achilles' heel.
Upon hearing those two words, Yan Youzu became much more alert. Through his narrow slits, two cloudy eyes stared at the noisy Shi Jinxiu.
If Shi Jinxiu hadn't suddenly uttered that word, Yan Youzu wouldn't have bothered with him at all. He was too annoying and noisy; it was noisy in his ears and even noisier in his mind.
In fact, Yan Youzu's sea of consciousness has never been quiet for the past few hundred years.
Nearly a thousand years of trials and tribulations gradually transformed Yan Youzu. He knew perfectly well that he had become the embodiment of some kind of 'obsession': every day he continuously cultivated demon cores, every day he meditated without stopping, every day he strengthened his body with specific formations... He wanted to cultivate, to cultivate continuously, to become the first true immortal.
He watched as Shi Jinxiu gradually shut his mouth.
This human, no bigger than my fingernail, was wrapped in bandages all over his body. The bandages were dirty and bleeding. Knowing he was coming to see me, he didn't even bother to tidy himself up.
How dare they say the word "traitor" to my face?
Yan Youzu couldn't have too many emotions, otherwise his body would have a rejection reaction, so he could only look deeply at Shi Jinxiu.
In a daze, he suddenly remembered that he wasn't the one who initially clung to immortality. He was the cultivator chosen by the Immortal Alliance.
But Yan Youzu couldn't remember which step he had done wrong that led to him becoming this ghostly figure.
He wanted to be the only immortal being in heaven and earth, both before and now. This obsession with immortality was deeply imprinted in his mind and could not be shaken off.
"...Director?"
Having received no instructions, Shi Jinxiu looked up somewhat uneasily. No luminous pearls were lit in the training room today, so Shi Jinxiu had to rely on the fluorescent patterns on Director Yan's robe for light, yet she still couldn't see Director Yan's expression.
Director Yan was always like this; he wouldn't hear her even after she called him several times. But Shi Jinxiu was unsure again, wondering if it was because she had messed things up last time and Director Yan was deliberately ignoring her, or if the director really hadn't heard her.
Unable to make up her mind, Shi Jinxiu simply rolled up her sleeves and stepped aside, muttering resentfully, "I've caught several traitors..."
Compared to the noisy sea of consciousness, Shi Jinxiu's voice was insignificant.
Many voices were in Yan Youzu's mind.
Men and women, old and young, elegant, hoarse, resentful, and mocking—because his body had absorbed too many demon cores, Yan Youzu felt that his sea of consciousness was being gradually invaded by those damned remnant souls. Countless voices spoke in his mind, some vying for supremacy, some simply talking to themselves, making Yan Youzu's head buzz and never quiet.
The Magic University thought it was very powerful, saying, "I will bring over all the models from the human world exactly as they are," and "Whatever schools in the human world have, I will have too"... Tsk tsk.
Yes, that's why the University of Magic was filled with a lot of clutter.
When I died, the University of Magic was already quite well-established. It had a Martial Arts Department, a Array Technique Department, a Talisman Technique Department, a Spirit Source Department, an Alchemy Department, a Weapon Forging Department, and even the Divination and Calculation Departments were divided into separate departments. In the end, they even created a Department for Earth Immortals.
What is the Earth Immortal system? Did the Immortal Alliance finally fail to recruit any talent, so they turned Hell into the Earth Immortal system?
No, it's said that the Earth Immortals specialize in studying unknown monsters. Didn't Yan Youzu tell those big fat guys about this? They wanted Earth Immortal students to develop the parts of the blessed lands that had fallen. As for how they died, don't worry about it. Just issue a hero's red flag, and that will comfort the families of the deceased.
Which part of our blessed land has fallen? Has it all fallen by now?
No, it's referring to the part of the blessed land that was shattered by the Ghost Fang Axe and the North Star hundreds of years ago. Isn't that area still undeveloped?
Oh right, the magic university you guys mentioned, I heard about one before I died, the Department of Mystic Arts, has anyone heard of it?
What kind of eerie aura is that? It's a poisonous vein that has seeped deep into your bones.
They threw in students with unconventional spirituality...
What a bunch of nonsense! They want to have everything, but they're not good at anything. The magic academy is eager to recruit talent, but it's become a hodgepodge! They grovel in their blessed land, smug and self-righteous.
Quiet, quiet.
Yan Youzu closed his eyes and concentrated.
"...Chief, Chief Yan!"
Yan Youzu slowly opened his eyes.
So annoying.
This man named Shi Jinxiu speaks timidly and always wraps himself up like a dumpling. Although he is loyal, he is clumsy and annoying to watch.
Yan Youzu was already unable to concentrate on absorbing the demon core due to the massive noise in his sea of consciousness, and was further disturbed by Shi Jinxiu. He was irritable, but he absolutely could not show it on his face, otherwise the skin on his face would fall off again.
"What is it?"
Shi Jinxiu grinned, "Chief, Chief! I've caught several traitors! The leader of the half-demon clan, Lang Yuehua... I'm telling the truth! This time I have evidence! And Fu Guanhong is also very suspicious!"
Yan Youzu slowly raised his arm and pointed in the direction of Shi Jinxiu.
Shi Jinxiu was puzzled. "Director?"
"What's your name?" Yan Youzu asked.
Shi Jinxiu couldn't help but grin, forcing a smile, "I am Shi Jinxiu... uh!"
As they spoke, the entire cultivation chamber, constructed in the shape of a tall tower, suddenly lit up with luminous pearls layer by layer, instantly illuminating the space until the light became blinding. Shi Jinxiu's answer caught in his throat; he was too frightened to utter a sound.
This was the first time he had seen Director Yan's true face.
A huge lump of fat, exuding a faint stench, as large as a hill, was draped in a cassock, but the cassock was stained with the sticky liquid that kept seeping from Yan Youzu's body. Yan Youzu regarded himself as an eternal Buddha.
“Shi Jinxiu”.
Yan Youzu repeated, “Strange, Jin and Xiu together…rust…relieve rust…rust talent…no wonder.”
Shi Jinxiu didn't hear what Director Yan said; he was so frightened that his ears were ringing.
Although Director Yan has never revealed his true identity, he is very generous, giving his subordinates whatever they want. He usually stays in his cultivation room and never goes out, and he never shows his emotions. He speaks in a low and slow voice, giving his subordinates a very reliable feeling.
Now that she had finally seen Director Yan in person, Shi Jinxiu was so frightened that her legs trembled.
He's not normal; he's not like the former director.
Shi Jinxiu sensed something was wrong and was terrified. Just as he was about to retreat, a suction force lifted him up. Before he could react, he heard a "plop" sound.
He looked down at his chest, where a strangely long arm pierced right through his flesh. Shi Jinxiu slowly raised his gaze; the other end of the deathly gray arm belonged to Director Yan.
On the skin above Yan Youzu's head, more than a dozen pale tentacles of varying lengths were churning, some still just fleshy buds, writhing wildly like worms. One of the 'fleshy buds' that had pierced through him was covered with sharp teeth, spreading from the connection point on Yan Youzu's body to the wound on his chest.
After Shi Jinxiu realized what had happened, pain and overwhelming fear followed.
Is he going to die?
Shi Jinxiu tried to struggle and beg for mercy in terror, but in less than a second, his body was like a balloon that had been suddenly deflated, hanging in mid-air by this gray and sticky arm, twitching violently a few times unnaturally.
The limp body fell to the ground with a dull thud, still encasing the skeleton.
Yan Youzu closed his eyes, preparing to savor this "nourishment." However, what he absorbed was not the familiar demonic power, but a warmth that made him subconsciously realize something was wrong.
How could something that is half human and half demon possess such demonic power?
Yan Youzu didn't take it to heart. This warmth was like a hazy cloud of fire, which initially spread only through his internal organs.
But in an instant, this warmth, like a spark falling into a pile of cotton, exploded with a roar!
"Well……?"
Yan Youzu suddenly opened his eyes, incredulous.
Centered on the "burning cloud" within his body, a scorching heat carrying purifying power was spreading wildly and domineeringly throughout his body!
What is this? Fire-type spiritual energy?
No, this feels familiar.
He learned this lesson the hard way hundreds of years ago!
"Vermilion Bird!"
Yan Youzu cursed in shock and anger, but his massive body began to decay rapidly, like rotten meat that had been left for forty-nine years. Finally, it could no longer hold up the skeleton and quickly rotted and liquefied, and the stench spread throughout the cultivation tower.
The Vermilion Bird's "Fire of Inferno," by Shi Jinxiu!
Before Yan Youzu's brain could rot away, he immediately realized where the problem lay: it was Shi Jinxiu, whom he had absorbed a second ago! There was something wrong with him!
The infernal flames spread rapidly within his body, like a spark that had strayed into cotton, burning away his cultivation with the force of a wildfire.
"No...no no no..."
Yan Youzu hasn't felt "panic" for many years.
He lowered his eyes, the festering sores on his skin fighting against the burning flames, sometimes festering and sometimes healing; his body was also in great pain. He looked inward and saw several wisps of black-gold, scalding spiritual energy flowing through his body, very cunning and difficult to catch.
Suzaku! It's her again!
How could Zhuque be in a blessed land? When did she leave the Burning Calamity on Shi Jinxiu?
Yan Youzu tried his best to control his demonic energy and gather it in his dantian, but the originally abundant demonic power in his body was like sand in an hourglass. The more he tried to control it, the faster it leaked out, and the 'Burning Calamity' fire burned more and more fiercely in his body.
He was still unable to deal with the abnormality in his body, and many ignorant believers gathered outside the meditation room.
Someone outside asked, "Director Yan? Are you alright?"
not enough.
That's far from enough.
We need more demon cores!
Flesh buds sprouted from Yan Youzu's face and neck, piercing precisely through everyone outside the door with a "whoosh." Before they could absorb them, some unshakeable and terrifying force urged him to leave the underground city.
Cultivation Tower!
Yan Youzu swiftly drained the believers into dried-up husks, barely managing to balance the raging flames within his body for a moment. But the raging flames seemed determined to oppose him, and at the same time, the cultivation tower crumbled under that overwhelming power, scattering luminous pearls all over the ground with a clatter.
He didn't know who was outside, and he still had the Burning Calamity within him, so he had no time to pay attention to anything else. A strong thought was running through his mind.
not enough.
That's far from enough.
Not enough! Demon core, demon core, demon core!
As the tower-like space crumbled and disintegrated, Yan Youzu broke free from beneath Junxing Mountain. Having not seen the light of day for many years, he felt somewhat dizzy and disoriented.
They've finally seen the light of day again.
It's just that I haven't seen the sun in so long...
Is the sun black?
In the past, even in the realm of immortals, the sun was still very far away.
Centuries have passed, and we do not know where our master's remains are.
"You wicked beast! Yan Youzu, you..."
Tianmen Tongkuang's furious rant paused slightly, his surprise evident. "What!"
"Tianmen Tongkuang?"
Yan Youzu's voice was calm, "It's you again. What's so surprising? You can't get in, is that it?"
This guy forcibly summoned himself.
Fortunately, the other immortals in the Immortal Alliance have far-sighted vision, meticulous minds, and their subordinates are efficient and decisive.
Yan Youzu said with satisfaction, "Not only the barrier, but the entire secret realm is governed by rules and strict laws, which even ghost immortals cannot shake."
Regardless of which deity they belong to, rules are rules, and even deities cannot break the laws.
His body was burning hot, and his cultivation was rapidly depleting.
Yan Youzu felt slightly uneasy. He turned his gaze and saw a demon core. Where was there a demon core?
He needs more demon cores!
Yan Youzu strained to turn his gaze, and a few small flies entered his field of vision.
"What the hell is this?! What the hell is this?!"
Zhang Benyi clung tightly to Tangxi and Da Kuaiping, when he accidentally made eye contact with the pair of eyes on the mountain of flesh. To his horror, he saw enormous maggots falling out of the eyes. Zhang Benyi screamed, "Is it alive?! Its skin! I'll blanch it!"
Tangxi, who already had a slight case of mysophobia, managed to keep her sword steady only through sheer righteousness. "Don't talk, or the stench will get into your mouth."
Zhang Benyi quickly shut his mouth, his two legs standing on the sword trembling into afterimages.
This is a living mountain of flesh, ridiculously draped in a huge cassock, the purpose of which is unknown.
But soon, when Tianmen Tongkuang spoke with him, everyone realized that the mountain was alive, and that Tianmen Tongkuang called him "Yan Youzu".
The mysterious disciple from the legend of the immortals, whose name appeared in legends hundreds of years ago, is now appearing before everyone in a bizarre and terrifying form.
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