Chapter 193 : What They Seek Is Immortality

Chapter 193: What They Seek Is Immortality!

At that moment, a new question arose in Chu Huaixu’s heart.

“In that case, besides Little Xu, what roles do the other three World Protagonists play?” he wondered.

Since they were all World Protagonists, it couldn’t be that Xu Ziqing alone had to risk his life every time to carry the rest.

Chu Huaixu personally guessed that the roles of the other three World Protagonists were likely to manifest more clearly in the mid to late stages.

More importantly, his thoughts were aligned with those of the upper echelons of the Dao Gate.

“If it relies solely on the Baleful Aura of the Evil Sword to devour Nascent Souls, it’s no different from drinking poison to quench thirst.”

“This would only make the Evil Sword stronger and the Baleful Aura heavier.”

“Who knows, by the end, the true final boss might not even be the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, but rather... this Evil Sword!”

“Hmph! I won’t give it the chance to devour any Nascent Soul!”

— “I'll just kill, kill, kill!”

His Heart Sword resonated with his intent. When it came to dealing with the Bronze Sword, both man and sword were unusually eager; the Heart Sword immediately brimmed with battle spirit.

In a certain sense, both Xu Ziqing and Han Shuangjiang, as World Protagonists, were the Dao Ancestor’s contingency pieces on the board.

“And I am indeed, just as Jiang Zhi said, a variable!” he thought.

He was the unexpected move beyond the chessboard.

To the Xuanhuang Realm, he was the greatest variable.

To the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, he was no different.

He might be the piece that could overturn the entire game!

But knowing Chu Huaixu’s nature, perhaps he would never willingly be just a piece.

Even if that piece was the one to decide victory or defeat, even if he was as crucial as a godlike move on the board.

...

...

Inside the grand hall, seeing that Chu Huaixu had fallen into thought again, the crowd decided not to pressure him further.

Even the stern-looking Enforcement Elder Lu Pan, whose expression was perpetually grim, chose to speak in a gentle tone at this moment:

“You encountering cultivators who rebuilt through Possession during the Qi-refining stage is merely our worst-case assumption.”

“However, your Heart Sword is unique. For you, the impact on the Nascent Soul level is rather minimal.”

“The key issue lies in those old monsters who’ve lived for who knows how long. They likely possess many means.”

“Just stay alert when it comes to that.”

“When the time comes, we’ll prepare more for you as well.”

The moment Chu Huaixu heard that there were more benefits to gain, he immediately said, “This disciple thanks the Sect Master, Little Martial Uncle Ancestor, and all the elders.”

Then he voiced his confusion: “So, the Nascent Soul I killed at the altar, it came from the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, and entered our Xuanhuang Realm through the Origin Spirit Realm?”

Jiang Zhi nodded and replied, “Most of the Nascent Souls wandering in the Xuanhuang Realm emerged from the fourth or fifth layer of the Origin Spirit Realm.”

“At first, after killing those cultivators, we didn’t know Nascent Souls could exist independently. Some attached themselves secretly to hosts, others used different methods to escape through the Origin Spirit Realm, and have lingered in our world ever since.”

“If a Nascent Soul doesn’t perform Possession, it will quickly weaken until only a trace of Soul Seed remains.”

“Furthermore, the cultivation system over in the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven is different from ours. They require a thing called Spirit Root to cultivate.”

“A Nascent Soul that’s too powerful needs a host with top-grade Spirit Roots to serve as a vessel during Possession.”

“Likewise, upon arriving in our realm, they need a body with a top-grade Spirit Embryo to withstand the power.”

“However, due to the difference in cultivation systems, even with a top-grade Spirit Embryo, they can’t inhabit such bodies for long.”

Chu Huaixu thought: “Damn, they sure know how to adapt!”

No wonder. No wonder that Nascent Soul inside the altar started wailing the moment it entered his body.

“At first, I thought he was shocked that I became the Xuanhuang Champion despite only having a mid-grade Spirit Embryo, and I even felt like I was showing off.”

“Turns out, that damned thing was just disgusted by my inferior aptitude!”

Jiang Zhi looked at Chu Huaixu, then pointed at the Golden Alms Bowl on the table and said:

“Originally, I planned for you to bring this into the Origin Spirit Realm. That way, if you couldn’t destroy the Nascent Soul, you could try sealing it.”

“But now, that doesn’t seem necessary.”

Upon hearing that, Chu Huaixu glanced at the Golden Alms Bowl.

— “A top-grade spiritual artifact. I want it!”

Moreover, this thing was inscribed with numerous formations and restrictions. The gurgling liquid it contained seemed like a high-grade Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure.

Taken together, it might be close to a Supreme-grade Spiritual Artifact, a true priceless treasure!

So, he immediately spoke up: “Little Martial Uncle Ancestor, why not let me bring it? What if I manage to capture one alive?”

In the past, it was impossible to kill them, so sealing was the only choice.

But now, with the ability to kill at will, he might as well catch one for fun.

Jiang Zhi looked at him and suddenly chuckled.

“You brat just want this Golden Alms Bowl, don’t you?”

This was the most goodwill he had ever shown toward Chu Huaixu.

The Dead Fox, watching his expression, immediately judged the situation and chuckled dryly: “Ahem, that’s true.”

“Then I won’t just lend it to you. I’ll give it to you.” With a wave of his hand, the Golden Alms Bowl floated to Chu Huaixu.

“You killed that Nascent Soul. Consider this a token of thanks on behalf of my senior brother and sister.”

— “So you don’t think I owe you anything.”

Chu Huaixu immediately, cheerfully stored the Golden Alms Bowl in his Storage Token.

Since it was a gift of thanks, he felt no burden.

He was just afraid that Jiang Zhi, the pressure-monster, would randomly dump more burdens on him and irritate him again.

The conversation in the hall continued, and Chu Huaixu finally understood the fundamental link between the Origin Spirit Realm and the Heaven-and-Earth Calamity.

The Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, in essence, could be viewed as an invasion by outer-world demons.

They had somehow found a way to open a path into the Origin Spirit Realm, with the goal of seizing the Fragment of Xuanhuang Origin.

However, each layer of the Origin Spirit Realm had very unique entry conditions.

Like the first layer, which only allowed one person inside, with a realm restriction.

The Kunlun Grotto-Heaven used some method to send in a cultivator at the Qi-refining stage, but even so, the number allowed remained one.

If they truly obtained enough Origin Fragments, they might be able to descend en masse into the Xuanhuang Realm.

And that—was the so-called Heaven-and-Earth Calamity.

Jiang Zhi turned to look at Chu Huaixu and suddenly asked him a question.

“Chu Huaixu, what do you think is the root of everything?”

This was asking him to see through appearances to the essence.

But such a thing differed from person to person. He could only share his own view.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Huaixu said, “This disciple believes the root of everything lies in just two words—immortality!”

Jiang Zhi’s eyes immediately lit up, and he exclaimed three times in a row, “Good! Good! Good!”

“You think exactly like my Fifth Senior Brother!”

“In his view, all problems stem from those so-called immortals!”

“I’ve heard that in the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven, once a cultivator reaches the Soul Transformation Stage, their Nascent Soul truly becomes undying. Among themselves, even other cultivators find it nearly impossible to annihilate such a Nascent Soul.”

“On top of that, they can perform Possession. In a sense, those Soul Transformation cultivators are like gods of their realm, living as long as heaven and earth!”

“But what if more and more of these Soul Transformation cultivators attain the Fruit Position?”

“Can that realm bear such pressure? Can it support so many Soul Transformation cultivators?”

“Not to mention the masses beneath them—those at the Nascent Soul Stage, Golden Core Stage...”

“It’s said that even reaching the Golden Core grants at least several hundred years of life, if not more!”

“Worse still, their consumption of the world’s resources is endless.”

“My Fifth Senior Brother also believes that more crucially, immortality erodes human nature.”

“Once one steps into the world of cultivation, a chasm opens between mortals and cultivators.”

“Even the weakest Qi-refining cultivator lives far longer than mortals.”

“And the higher their realm, the more completely their view of mortals changes.”

“To them, mortals become mere passersby in life.”

“The more immortal one becomes, the less human they remain.”

“What’s more, the allure of immortality is so great—who could resist it? Who wouldn’t go to any length for it?”

“With greater power comes greater superiority. In such a position, who wouldn’t want to live longer?”

“My Fifth Senior Brother once said: that breeds endless greed!”

“They become endlessly selfish, endlessly self-centered!”

Chu Huaixu found this extremely reasonable—exactly what he had also thought.

Hence, he kept nodding as he listened.

There’s a saying—some things are more important than life.

When life is short, people tend to cherish such things and ties more.

But if you could live hundreds, thousands, even ten thousand years?

That changes everything.

Of course, as a Dead Fox, he was particularly sensitive. He soon noticed something off—Jiang Zhi’s feelings for his Fifth Senior Brother seemed... special.

“When he talks about his Fifth Senior Brother, why does it remind me of how Little Xu talks about me...?” he muttered inwardly.

Jiang Zhi continued eloquently:

“The cultivation system of the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven is bound to enter a Dharma-ending Era—that’s only a matter of time.”

“Our Xuanhuang Realm is different. Our cultivation hardly extends our lifespan.”

“That’s also why our cultivation speed is so much faster. I heard that over there, reaching the Golden Core in a hundred years marks one as a true prodigy.”

“Some cultivators there close up for decades, even centuries.”

“So my Fifth Senior Brother believes: the root of all problems lies in immortality—in those undying immortals who’ve attained the Fruit Position.”

“‘The old who do not die become thieves!’” he said loudly.

Chu Huaixu didn’t expect that phrase to be used like this...

But here, it felt very literal.

Jiang Zhi looked at him, a new thought stirring, and decided to share one more thing.

He said, “Back when my senior brothers and sisters were about to enter the fifth layer of the Origin Spirit Realm, knowing how dangerous it was, we stayed up all night talking by candlelight.”

“I asked my Fifth Senior Brother Zhong Ming if he was afraid.”

“Fifth Senior Brother said: Of course I’m afraid. Who isn’t afraid of death?”

“But he immediately added: But we’re different from those cultivators of the Kunlun Grotto-Heaven.”

‘We have attachments, bonds, hopes for the future, cherished treasures, and valued legacies... too many things.’

“So, what my Fifth Senior Brother said to me in the end was...”

Jiang Zhi looked directly into Chu Huaixu’s eyes, paused briefly, then said word by word:

“Life is but a fleeting century—when it’s time to die, then die!”

......