Chapter 2385 - Favors, Paving a Path

The most powerful and influential concubine of the Great Qin was, naturally, one of Gu Huaxian’s clones.

She turned to look at the new arrival, then furrowed her brow. “The old man who refuses to die? Clear Breeze Daoist Temple is a long way away. What are you doing here?”

The thin old man laughed and looked around. “Choosing a place like this to lie low and temper your heart is quite unique indeed. If I’m not mistaken, you rose to prominence and seized authority without using your cultivation base in the slightest. You reached your position through scheming alone. Am I right?”

Gu Huaxian slowly rose, then faced the nearby old man who refused to die. “In the mundane world, they have a saying. ‘Those who wish to don the imperial crown must be willing to bear its weight.’ These words resonate deeply with me. The way I see it, if I wish to achieve eternity, I must sever the five aggregates of the self. That is my reason for cultivating here.”

The old man sighed. “Any other time, this old man would love nothing more than to discuss the wondrous truths of the path of emotional severing. Unfortunately, this isn’t the right time.”

“So you’re saying you’re here to kill me?” asked Gu Huaxian.

“That’s right, said the old man who refused to die. “You didn’t participate in the battle of Skybright Mountain, but I know that you and your allies have already categorized me as an enemy. If we’re enemies, we naturally need to determine victory and defeat, as well as life and death.”

As he spoke, he opened his hand, and a lotus seed floated into the air, scattering mysterious tides of light and shadow.

This was a taboo treasure, the Lotus Seed of Light and Shadow!

Gu Huaxian’s pupils constricted.

......

About ten minutes later, the old man who refused to die walked out of the imperial palace.

“How’d it go, Master?” Si Ming had been waiting outside, and he rushed over to welcome him.

“How do you think it went?” the old man asked with a smile.

Si Ming clapped and applauded. “I just knew that victory was in the bag as soon as you got involved, Master!”

“Here, this taboo treasure is yours,” said the old man who refused to die, giving the Lotus Seed of Light and Shadow to Si Ming. “When the Dark Days of Legend, stick with Su Yi. Nothing will happen to you then.”

Si Ming looked stunned. “What about you, Master?”

“Me...?” the old man said softly, “So long as I’m here, you’ll inevitably lean on me. That makes me a stumbling block on your path. I have to leave.”

Si Ming was stunned.

Even more astonishing was that his Master disappeared before his voice had even finished echoing through the air. When it came time to run, he was faster than anyone.

“You just don’t want to take care of me anymore. What’s with all that talk of stumbling blocks? Sheesh.” Si Ming shook his head, then turned and left.

It was only after Si Ming faded into the distance that the old man who refused to die reappeared. He murmured, “I already paved your path for you. How far you can go now will depend on your fortune, as well as whether or not Fellow Daoist Su succeeds in restoring order to creation...”

A moment later, he broke into hacking coughs, and blood flowed from the corners of his lips, splashing his clothes.

“Gu Huaxian... sure is fierce. A clone, that’s all, but she managed to damage my vitality...” said the old man, his face pallid.

When fighting someone like Gu Huaxian, determining a victor wasn’t all that difficult, but killing your opponent was hard.

If someone was dead set on fleeing, it was almost impossible to stop them.

Fortunately, this time, he’d come prepared. He’d used the Lotus Seed of Light and Shadow, a taboo treasure, to catch Gu Huaxian off guard.

Even so, the old man who refused to die had paid an extraordinarily heavy price for his victory.

But then, the greater the price, the more certain I am that Fellow Daoist Su will take good care of that kid, Si Ming. It’s enough!

The old man wiped the blood from the corner of his lips and broke into a satisfied grin.

The Dark Days of Legend had not yet arrived, but the old man knew that arrangements were best made in advance. Only then could you effectively “send someone coal in a blizzard.” That was how you won true friendship.

If you waited until after the curtains fell to lend a hand, you’d be too late to even “add flowers to brocade.” You’d inevitably miss the perfect opportunity.

The favor he’d just done Su Yi was a good example of this. If he waited until after Su Yi brought order to the world to do him a favor, it would be too late.

This was the perfect timing!

It was, admittedly, an extravagant gamble, but he’d thought it over long and hard, and he trusted that Su Yi would understand his intentions.

He’d grown old, and he no longer coveted Eternity, nor did he seek to bring order to the world. All he wanted was to pave his disciple’s path.

......

A barren, blood-soaked battlefield.

A group of gods were fighting with all their might against a devil of the wastes, a creature comparable to a Lesser Gods.

The gods were obviously injured.

One of them, a woman, was obviously the most injured of all. Her companions were surrounding and protecting her.

After killing the devil of the wastes, the group sighed in relief, and their faces lit up with delight.

“We finally won.”

“Let’s get together and celebrate when we get back to camp!”

“Of course!”

...The group was already looking forward to the party they’d throw when they got back.

But then, the woman, the most badly injured among them, said suddenly, “The bonds forged amidst life-or-death combat matter more than life itself. Is that right?”

The others were stunned.

Doesn’t that go without saying?

They were completely open with each other, and they fought side by side in the face of life and death. Nothing else in this world could replace a bond like that.

“But I don’t like it.” The woman shook her head. “This will influence my Grand Dao, making it hard to sever my karmic attachments and temper perfect divinity.”

“What are you just standing there for? That crazy bitch is using your lives and feelings to temper her heart!” someone shouted.

Immediately afterward, a fair-skinned, amiable-looking, fat old man in Daoist robes appeared out of nowhere.

“Very well. I’m a good-natured sort, so I’ll send you all to safety.” He waved his hands, and all of the gods were swept away uncontrollably in a gust of wind.

Only he and the woman remained.

“Xu Zuizhen of Purple Mist Grotto?” The woman frowned, her gaze cold and indifferent.

“I’m surprised you know about me, Fellow Daoist,” Xu Zuizhen said amiably. “Then are you willing to let me send you on your way, too?”

The woman was, of course, Gu Huaxian.

She furrowed her brow and said, “Earlier, I sensed that two of my clones had been destroyed in a row. I knew that this didn’t bode well, and indeed, it seems I was right.”

Xu Zuizhen was stunned. “You mean I’m not the first to send one of your clones on its way? Two whole people beat me to it!?”

He was instantly frantic. “Fellow Daoist Gu, let’s skip the chatter and fight to the death already!”

Boom!

He raised a fat, meaty hand and swung it at Gu Huaxian.

“Xu Zuizhen, who sent you?” Gu Huaxian asked as she blocked his palm strike. “And how did you know I was here?”

“Survive this, and I might well tell you,” Xu Zuizhen said impatiently.

The grand battle went on for a full hour.

When the crescent moon was as red as blood and night was fast approaching, Xu Zuizhen finally plopped onto his rear and breathed in ragged gasps.

Gu Huaxian was dead.

No, strictly speaking, it was one of her clones that had died.

Still, Xu Zuizhen was exhausted, and his whole body was covered in wounds. Throughout his body, countless bones had snapped, and his source powers of the Grand Dao had been badly damaged.

“Are you alright, Master?” Yan Zhuiming hurried over, frantic with worry.

“Come on, do I look like I’m alright?” Xu Zuizhen glared at him.

Yan Shuiming said sheepishly, “Master, I just would never have guessed that someone as strong as you would suffer such heavy injuries taking down a mere clone.”

Xu Zuizhen was so angry that he laughed. “Little whelp! What kind of person do you think Gu Huaxian is? All she needed was the right opportunity, and she’d be able to step onto the River of Destiny! She’s far stronger than those Nine-Tribulation Master Gods. Never mind her clone; even a wisp of her soul could destroy one!

“Defeating an opponent like her might not be all that difficult, but killing her... Hehe, once you’ve reached this level, you’ll naturally understand how difficult it was for me to kill Gu Huaxian!”

Yan Shuiming laughed. “All of that is in the future. I just know that this time, we did Su Yi an enormous favor! That’s what you call ‘doing someone a solid!’”

Whap!

Xu Zuizhen slapped him on the head and bellowed, “Remember: it was Su Yi who gave us this opportunity to do him a favor. We have to be grateful!”

Yan Shuiming’s eyes widened. “We did him a huge favor, and you want me to thank him for it!?”

“How many people in this world long for Su Yi to owe them a favor? Do you think just anyone can acquire a precious opportunity like this one?” Xu Zuizhen said with a cold laugh.

Yan Shuiming was stunned.

We did him a favor, and we’re supposed to thank him for the opportunity?

He didn’t understand. It was astonishing!

“Also, don’t be impudent. When you see Fellow Daoist Su going forward, you’re to address him as ‘senior!’” warned Xu Zuizhen. “If you dare put on the airs of a benefactor, I’ll be the first in line to punish you!”

Yan Shuiming sighed. “A chance to do a favor like this... really is hard to come by. You’ve convinced me, Master!”

Xu Zuizhen pursed his lips. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re convinced or not. I risked my life to create this opportunity for you. If you can’t seize it... you can forget about achieving Eternity in this lifetime!”

Yan Shuiming fell silent, his heart instantly solemn.

......

A sect hidden from the outside world.

“No! I have to leave as soon as possible!” A woman was refining a batch of medicine when her expression darkened, and she suddenly jumped to her feet and headed toward the exit.

“Junior Apprentice Sister, quick, come to my room and help me quell my inner fire!”

She’d only just stepped through the doorway when one of her senior apprentice brothers seized her by the wrist, his expression lewd and full of hunger, as if he longed to swallow her whole.

Then, without so much as giving her a word in edge wide, he tugged her toward his room.

“You have no idea. You’ve been busy refining medicine for days; I almost couldn’t hold back any longer. When we get down to business, you’ve got to use both your hands and your mouth....”

Bang!

The woman waved her hand, and her lust-muddled senior apprentice brother exploded into pieces, his ashes scattering to the wind.

She didn’t even pause to look at him before fleeing the sect.

The skies shone with the light of the setting sun.

Not long after she passed through the sect gates, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, and her face paled.

“A third clone was destroyed! Just which bastard is targeting me?”

Gu Huaxian was both furious and alarmed.

The hiding places of her clones were top secret. Only a select handful of her closest friends knew them.

Yet now, she’d suffered three backlashes in rapid succession. That meant that three of her clones had been destroyed in a row.

How could she not be alarmed?

She inwardly gnashed her teeth.

I’ve got to hurry back to the Mira Realm!

The Mira Realm was her home base. So long as she made it back there, she could resolve all of this.

To prevent others from finding the clones hiding throughout the God Domain, she’d personally severed the link between them. They had no means of contacting each other, either. This was to prevent enemies who found one clone from simply following the trail to find the rest.

But obviously, these arrangements were no longer effective!

No, this isn’t right. Don’t tell me my enemies are strong enough to attack all five of my clones at once?

Gu Huaxian had only just thought this when she abruptly stopped in place.

A figure stood silently between the mountains, illuminated by the fiery light of dusk. It seemed he’d been waiting there for quite some time!