Chapter 41 The Legend of the Half-Immortal
Lin Chengye was already struggling to think when he heard Chu Wuding utter the words "blood sacrifice." She sat quietly at the stone table, motionless.
In a daze, Lin Chengye thought her soul should have left this dilapidated body and was now groping in the long night above. Beneath her feet lay a long, intricate web of clues that had been laid out for nearly twenty years. She had followed the faint clues all the way here, and accidentally touched a knot in the thread. Before she could even feel joy, she was overwhelmed by a wave of terror.
Calm down, Lin Chengye, think about it carefully again. Lin Chengye finally raised his well-defined fingers to support his forehead, the veins under his fingertips bulging rapidly, as if they were about to burst through his skin.
When Lin Chengye looked up again and saw Chu Wuding's face, his eyes were filled with an unfathomable darkness.
What is meant by a blood sacrifice? Does everyone who becomes a demigod have to go through it? Then wouldn't he also have... countless lives on his hands?
Chu Wuding was still Chu Wuding, but Lin Chengye could never see him as the otherworldly, ethereal figure he once was. The person before her was so hypocritical; his face melted away, only to be recast as a killer in her eyes. Lin Chengye covered her face with her hands, her eyes, already burning red, peeking out from between her fingers. After a long while, she sighed and said in a hoarse voice.
"What does blood sacrifice mean? And what exactly is a demigod? How many people know about these things? Why..."
I know what you want to ask.
"I originally thought I would tell my chief disciple about this before I was buried, but now I have the opportunity to say it first. Oh well, it's all fate."
The silvery moonlight was obscured by a dark cloud, and Chu Wuding's features were blurred in the deep night, like a faint reflection in a still pool. Lin Chengye could only hear his hoarse, aged voice, which seemed to take her back to a distant past.
Long, long ago, when the martial world was at its peak, a time of great prosperity and flourishing diversity, it was also the time when the Kingdom of Lai, the Southern Qi, and the Northern Yan had just begun to divide the world.
The martial arts world today is utterly desolate compared to what it was back then. Chu Wuding couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke. Apart from Banxian and Bian Yi, there wasn't a single decent character in the current Tianya Yitian Ranking. Even Ji Teng, ranked first, and Guan Yuenan, ranked second, would probably only be considered "not bad" back then.
However, few people missed that era of martial arts; on the contrary, they avoided it like the plague. Back then, there was no concept of righteous or demonic sects, and martial artists acted freely and without restraint. The land was engulfed in war, emperors came and went, and only a fraction of the people survived; blood was spilled, and children were used as firewood.
But at that time, many martial arts were created, and people in the martial arts world devoted themselves to cultivation in order to escape the madness of the world. The sects and techniques that still exist today are the best of the best that have survived the test of time. Very few of them have made a name for themselves, after all, new leaves always replace the old forest, and new swallows always fly north.
"That kind of martial arts world lasted for a long time, until..."
Chu Wuding suddenly smiled, as if finally relieved. Lin Chengye even thought he had misread it for a moment.
Chen, Tuoba, Chu? Lin Chengye's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. These three surnames were all too representative. The person in front of him was surnamed Chu, while Tuoba was the surname of the Northern Yan royal family. Moreover, Bian Yi had mentioned that the last valley master of Qingluan Medicine Valley was named Chen Shuli.
Lin Chengye had a vague idea, and she interjected.
"...The original founders of Qingluan Medicine Valley and Qingluan Carrying Ganoderma Temple?"
"Exactly."
Chu Wuding's smile deepened.
"These three were the first to reach the barrier of the ninth level of internal energy. They realized that the ninth level was not the ultimate in martial arts, so they began to seek a way to break through."
During this time, the three gained great fame in that martial arts world. Chen Zi'an was mild-mannered, Tuoba Li was unruly, and Chu Yuzhou was aloof; their personalities were vastly different, yet on the day they met, they drank and talked all night, even addressing each other as sisters and family.
Chu Wuding suddenly stood up and poured a cup of wine from the table toward the silver moon in the sky.
"Look, just like this. Several great heroes are on the summit of Yunling Mountain, vowing to restore order to the land."
"...In my imagination, this is what a great hero should be like." Lin Chengye's eyes, clear as wine, flickered like another crescent moon. She suddenly understood why Chu Wuding was laughing. She felt the same exhilaration. Which martial artist didn't want this ambition, didn't want a friend to share these words with?
She had never even heard of the three men's names before, yet she could imagine how spirited and ambitious they must be.
And they did just that, slaughtering almost everyone who slew the demons in the heart. Their hands were stained with blood in countless layers, and when their swords were drawn, blood flowed like a river.
The cheers of awe and worship for them far outweighed the faint voices of opposition and worry. Many people asked them to kill the demons, and they stepped forward with their swords, without fear.
"But those who ask them to act on behalf of Heaven are not entirely without fault. They simply exploit their innocent hearts and mix in their own personal grudges. And it is actually difficult to say whose fault it is in those grudges."
Even within that heretical path, there are innocent people. Some impoverished people in chaotic times, seeking a way to survive, have no choice but to join this heretical path, yet they have not committed any heinous acts.
The sincerity of these three people is unlike anything that could have been born in that martial arts world back then.
Indeed, the world of martial arts cannot tolerate those who are innocent. Countless good and evil are mixed together, dragging them into a vat called the human heart. Their bright red, innocent hearts fall into the filthy swamp, and before long, they are stained black.
When they came to their senses, the martial arts world was already avoiding the three of them like the plague. Amidst the truth and falsehood, it seemed as if the three of them were the greatest demons. At this time, various prestigious sects had already risen up and formed a siege against the three of them.
"I don't know if the martial arts world needs a legitimate demonic path. Since they have wiped out the demonic path, then the three of them will be the next demonic path."
Chu Wuding snorted coldly.
Those who asked them for help either remained silent for fear of getting involved, or were too weak to offer any explanation, or were simply malicious individuals who had asked them to settle personal scores and were now eager for their deaths to be exposed.
"...Even if they almost wanted to tear open their chests to show the martial arts world that their hearts were still bright red, no one would care anymore. Besides, the blood on their hands was never unjust, and they couldn't explain that they had been deceived."
Lin Chengye clenched his fist secretly, feeling a helpless anger. The story was only told in a fragmented way by Chu Wuding, and outsiders could hardly understand how cold and desolate the three teenagers' hearts were back then, but they could not help but sigh at the cruel twist of fate.
“That’s right.” Chu Wuding nodded. “So those who claimed to be from reputable sects formed an alliance, and almost all the martial arts masters and disciples of righteous sects fought against those three at Tianluan Mountain, vowing to fight to the death.”
Tianluan Mountain? Could it be that barren mountain of Jiang Jinmeng? This really isn't an auspicious place... Lin Chengye sighed. Fortunately, time has passed, and those who never found peace have turned into soil, where trees and flowers have grown. No one mentions the tragedy of that year anymore.
Now it has become the base of the Jiangjin Alliance, a thriving place. She wondered if those people in the afterlife would offer her any protection.
But everyone underestimated the three's strength. So many martial artists rushed forward, and countless people died in those three days. Blood mist filled the air, and the entire mountain, once lush and green, became barren and blood-red. Although it hadn't rained for several days, the soil was damp, and blood would ooze out with every step. Yet, none of them managed to kill the three.
"After this battle, the martial world was devastated and remained undisturbed for a long time. It wasn't until the emergence of the previous generation of martial artists, such as Qin Ruoliu, that the martial world finally came back to life. But that's another story."
Chu Wuding abruptly changed the subject, a shadow falling over his eyes.
"To put it nicely, it was a blood sacrifice; you could also call it a massacre, a thoroughly enjoyable killing."
Lin Chengye couldn't help but say.
"...This is more like an insult to those three heroes."
"Yes... So the three of them swore an oath of blood again in Tianluan Mountain, agreeing to take this secret to their graves, so that the method of breaking through the barrier and becoming a half-immortal could never appear in the world again. Otherwise, the people of the world would surely create one massacre after another for this reason. This is not the favor of the gods, but rather an invitation from evil spirits."
Chu Wuding sighed and then said.
"It's a pity that they didn't keep their promise. The originally kind-hearted knights-errant, I don't know if they had changed long ago, or if they were ultimately blinded by the power that was above the world."
At this time, the Tuoba tribe had won a great victory, unified the Northwest and established the Northern Yan. Tuoba Li also returned to the royal family and never entered the Central Plains again.
She passed on the semi-divine method to the most talented next generation of the Northern Yan royal family. She left a will stating that this method should not be publicized and should only be known to the Northern Yan royal family.
After that, Chu Yuzhou, having seen through the complexities of the world, no longer wished to be involved in worldly affairs and devoted himself to cultivating the Tao. Together with Chen Zi'an, he established the Qingluan Xianzhi Temple. However, the two later disagreed on their views, and Chen Zi'an was unable to detach himself from the mortal world, so he bid farewell to his old friend and continued to travel the world.
Chu Yuzhou passed on the method of becoming a half-immortal to the next abbot, letting him choose whether or not to kill in pursuit of becoming a half-immortal.
Unable to let go of the mortal world, Chen Zi'an went to the Kingdom of Lai and gradually established the Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley. She used her superb medical skills to heal the sick and save lives, took in abandoned infants, and sent her apprentices to travel the world. However, she confined herself to the valley, perhaps to atone for her sins, or perhaps for something else, and never stepped out of the valley again in her life.
Before her death, she told the next Valley Master about the blood sacrifice. But unlike the other two, Chen Zi'an said that Qingluan Medicine Valley was a sect dedicated to healing and saving lives, and did not allow the pursuit of the path to immortality, which could lead to human tragedy. However, this information could be used as a bargaining chip to seek a way out if necessary. Any disciple who violated this rule would be expelled from the sect.
Thus, the chaotic world of martial arts came to an end, and a more stable world, though lacking in talent, slowly began to move forward.
"Originally, the Half-Immortal was merely a supreme martial arts master, but now he has become a weapon for the three kingdoms to check and balance each other. There is one in the Northern Yan, Southern Qi, and Lai Kingdoms, which is how the world maintains a delicate balance."
Chu Wuding's words sounded absurd and distant to Lin Chengye. After listening to them, he didn't know what to say for a moment, only feeling a pang of bitterness and a sense of helplessness.
"Do you think... they did something wrong?" Chu Wuding asked.
Wrong? Lin Chengye was somewhat dazed when he heard this word; it sounded too light and too condescending. Could one really distinguish right from wrong in that chaotic world? But were those three heroes truly without fault? It didn't seem so.
In the end, she simply shook her head and whispered.
"……I have no idea."
Chu Wuding nodded in satisfaction.
"Well said. I just don't know. There's really nothing to say. The affairs of the martial world don't need anyone to comment on right and wrong. Just listen to it as a story. Too much time has passed, and the truth and falsehood in it are impossible to trace."
Lin Chengye remained silent for a long time. The ending of this story wasn't actually that bad. All three survived and each established their own sects. As time passed, the martial arts world forgot about the sensational event of the past, and they were still revered and regarded as the grandmasters of prestigious sects.
It's just a bit of a regret.
It is regrettable that the pure hearts of the three young girls were corrupted, and it is regrettable that fate was cruel, forcing them to do the impossible, yet bestowing upon them immense rewards. It is regrettable that their once innocent path was stained with blood.
Unfortunately, the three of them could never leave Tianluan Mountain in their entire lives.
Suddenly, Lin Chengye stood up, his brows furrowed, and stared intently at Chu Wuding.
Two events occurred in the forty-ninth year of Zhenping.
First, the Azure Phoenix Medicine Valley was destroyed.
Secondly, Qin Ruoliu claimed that she had broken through to the final realm of martial arts and become a demigod.
Chu Wuding couldn't possibly be unaware of this, couldn't possibly not have suspicions!
Lin Chengye slammed his hand on the table with a bang, making his palm go numb. She asked incredulously.
"Qin Ruoliu...didn't you ever suspect Qin Ruoliu?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com