Chapter Forty: The Story Begins [Please Vote for Recommendations]

In the dead of night, a chilling wind swept through, shrouding the land in darkness, with neither sun nor moon to cast their light.

"Spirits, make way! The living, avoid the path!"

...

A Daoist priest, clad in a yellow robe and wearing a pair of spectacles, made his way toward Ren Family Town.

A sudden hiss—

"What a powerful surge of yang energy..."

"Heavenly spirits above and earth spirits below, Star Lord of Supreme Purity, shield me with divine protection!"

The moment a cloud of white smoke began to rise from his guest, the Four-Eyed Priest cried out in alarm and swiftly chanted an incantation. At once, a veil inscribed with talismans descended over the head of the walking corpse, enveloping the body completely.

"Whew! Good thing I was prepared, or this could have ended badly. Now, let’s see where that burst of yang energy came from."

Exhaling a breath of foul air, the Four-Eyed Priest activated his spiritual sight and gazed in the direction of Ren Family Town.

There, beside the town, within a grand villa, a blazing crimson sun of vital energy surged and pulsed, sending waves of yang energy billowing outward, enveloping the surrounding ten miles. A column of golden-red essence rose straight into the sky, churning the very heavens with its force.

"Well now! It's been years since I came to Ren Family Town. Where has such a mighty figure appeared from? No, I must find Senior Brother and ask about this."

Wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, the Four-Eyed Priest led his walking corpse toward the town's mortuary.

Thud, thud— "Senior Brother, open up! It’s me, Four-Eyes..."

"Coming..."

"Oh, it’s you, Uncle! Please, come in..."

The doors to the mortuary swung open, and Wencai quickly stepped aside, bowing respectfully to allow the Four-Eyed Priest to enter.

"Wencai, where is your master?"

Guiding his walking corpse into the courtyard, the priest glanced about, searching for his senior brother.

"Master is in the backyard having tea. I’ll go fetch him."

"No need. Just settle our guest for me; I’ll find him myself." With that, the priest handed his cloth banner and soul-summoning bell to Wencai.

"Always giving me orders..." Wencai muttered with a disgruntled look, but nonetheless led the walking corpse to the mortuary chamber.

"How have you been these past years, Senior Brother?" Entering the backyard, the Four-Eyed Priest made himself at home, pouring a cup of tea and seating himself across from Ninth Uncle.

"The same as always. What brings you here, Junior Brother? I hear you’ve been busy lately, with business spreading all across the land. You must be a very busy man." Ninth Uncle’s eyes flashed with a trace of envy as he regarded his junior.

"Ah, these are chaotic times—war everywhere, and with that, the dead are many. It’s kept me run off my feet these past few years." Gulping down a mouthful of tea, the Four-Eyed Priest caught his breath and continued, "By the way, Senior Brother, on my way here, my guest was suddenly disturbed by a surge of yang energy. I saw, just outside the town, a blaze of vital force, bright as the sun, shooting straight into the clouds. My goodness, when did Ren Family Town attract such a master?"

"You must be speaking of Li Yang, a young friend who moved here three years ago..."

"A young friend? He’s not that old? Yet his cultivation is no less impressive than yours, Senior Brother. Remarkable!" At this, the Four-Eyed Priest’s expression turned curious, his eyes glinting with intrigue as he looked at Ninth Uncle.

Back when the two brothers studied the Dao together at Mount Mao, Lin Jiu was acknowledged as a prodigy among their generation, advancing in cultivation faster than any other, and rivaling even their most senior brother in depth of attainment. Four-Eyes and the others had suffered much at his hands, so now, having caught an opportunity, he could not help but tease in return.

"Ahem... There’s really no comparison. Our Maoshan Sect descends from the Celestial Dao, while Li Yang cultivates the path of the Human Immortal. The two are entirely different in nature." Even as he spoke, Ninth Uncle felt a bit embarrassed—such a justification hardly stood up to scrutiny, and his face colored slightly.

"Heh... That manor is truly magnificent. I thought, after all my years of hard work, I was considered well-off among cultivators, but compared to this Daoist Li, I’m still far behind!" Though he jested, the Four-Eyed Priest knew his senior’s temperament well, and refrained from pressing too far, lest he invite petty retribution later.

"Indeed, Daoist Li is exceedingly wealthy," Ninth Uncle replied, his own face filled with longing.

"Alas... With the world changing so drastically, cultivation grows ever more arduous. In order to preserve our Maoshan lineage, many of our predecessors, upon dying, chose not to reincarnate, but instead cultivated the path of the Yin Spirit, seeking positions within the Underworld. By borrowing the power of the gods, they hoped to weather this great calamity.

"From then on, our sect’s tradition intertwined with the Divine Path. Disciples inscribed their own soul-plaques, anchoring their spirits and calling upon the divine power of their ancestors to perform talismans and incantations. It is convenient, but since then, our Maoshan Sect has been unable to escape the karmic debts and flaws that come with it. Who knows if this is right or wrong..." Ninth Uncle sighed, a hint of melancholy shadowing his features.

"Come now, Senior Brother, everything has its price," the Four-Eyed Priest said, "Our forebears borrowed the power of the gods to protect their disciples, so it’s only natural we bear some consequences. With the world so changed, cultivation grows ever harder. Without enough power and divine arts, it’s hard to accomplish anything. With our talismanic arts, our disciples can still vanquish monsters in these troubled times, and the Maoshan name will endure. After all, we lack the deep foundations of the Heavenly Master Sect, with no true Immortals left in our midst.

"Even the Heavenly Master Sect has declined in recent years, rarely showing themselves. Their reputation now rests upon the old Heavenly Master, who alone has attained the Golden Core and walks the earth as an immortal. But even his lifespan is nearly spent," he concluded, a somber look settling on his face, as if to comfort Ninth Uncle.

...

Three days later, outside Ren Family Town, at the manor.

"Hoo... Crack... Crack..."

Li Yang exhaled a long, turbid breath and stood up from the ground. His bones crackled like a string of firecrackers.

"Open!"

With a loud shout, Li Yang leapt up and pushed open the lid of the pill furnace. Instantly, a pale golden mist surged forth, and the flowers and plants around the furnace withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His expression shifting, Li Yang immediately focused his mind.

"Croak!"

With a frog's cry, the Golden Toad sprang up, took a deep breath, and, like a whale swallowing water, inhaled all the poisonous mist, clearing the air.

"What a potent toxin! This Golden Marrow Elixir truly lives up to its name!"

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow and gazing at the withered plants, Li Yang could not help but marvel as he turned and flipped nimbly to his feet.

At the bottom of the furnace lay nine golden pills, each as bright as the sun, round and lustrous as pigeon eggs.

Clang, clang, clang...

Li Yang struck the wall of the furnace, and the pills rolled out, ringing with the sound of metal upon metal.

He carefully gathered the nine golden pills, picking one up and weighing it in his palm. Each pill weighed precisely nine catties, nine taels, and nine qian.

Such density was astonishing—it was hard to imagine how the nobles of ancient times could have thought it possible for a person to consume such a thing.

Even with his own cultivation, Li Yang doubted he could fully digest one. For an ordinary person, to swallow such a pill and survive would be a miracle; as for digesting it, that was simply a fantasy. This tiny pellet was denser than steel—aside from some extraordinary beasts of heaven and earth, perhaps only those whose bodies had been wholly transformed by the Dao could hope to absorb it.