Chapter 1637: The Immortal Life-Bearing Art of the Mystical Source of the Spirit

[1]

“That’s true.” The Old Heavenly Master nodded. “Alright. I accept your request.”

The Chief Libationist saluted him with a smile. “Sorry to trouble you, Old Heavenly Master.”

The Old Heavenly Master demanded, “Don’t just pay me lip service! Give me something of actual substance.”

The Chief Libationist replied, “But of course. I’ll treat you to some wine.”

“Don’t try to trick me with those bland and tasteless soup water, you hear me?”

The Old Heavenly Master stroked his beard with a glint in his eyes. “I heard that you have a jar of White Head Black Plum. I want that!”

An incredulous laugh escaped the Chief Libationist’s lips. “You devious bastard. From black plum to white hair; to be together from youth to old age. I kept that not for myself, but for my future wife, you know?”

“Future wife?” The Old Heavenly Master scoffed. “It takes a special kind of shamelessness to say that at your age. Besides, you are destined to be single for life just like me.”

“Don’t try to dissuade me. I am drinking that White Head Black Plum wine no matter what!”

It was at this moment the Dragon Subjugating Zen Master spoke up. “Amitabha, count me in too.”

The Old Heavenly Master was startled. “Huh! Were you eavesdropping on us, monk?”

“I did not eavesdrop on you,” The Dragon Subjugating Zen Master said seriously. “I was openly listening to your conversation.”

“Shameless bastard!” The Old Heavenly Master rebuked him in a joking manner. “By the way, I thought monks cannot drink wine or eat meat?”

The Dragon Subjugating Zen Master recited a Buddhist chant and said, “Wine and meat may pass through my intestines, but the Buddha will always reside in my heart.”

“Besides, happiness should be shared with everyone, not monopolized. It would be unethical of you to enjoy a drink without me.”

“Hahaha... indeed, how can we enjoy this happiness among ourselves only?”

The Chief Libationist suddenly let out a hearty laugh. “My Dao brothers and sisters, please accompany me to the Jixia Academy. I would like to treat you all to a drink and celebrate the successful extermination of King Taishan!”

“We will drink until we drop!”

“Well said! We drink until we drop!”

“We drink until we drop!”

“We drink until we drop!”

Everyone cheered. The sun was bright, and the world was clear.

......

“Ahhhhhhhh!” Ghost Gate, Mount Mang. Everyone in the sect—the elders, the guest warriors, the disciples, and even the servants—suddenly looked up at the sky and let out a ghastly howl at the same time.

Strangely, their expressions and gestures were exactly identical. It was as if one man was manipulating them all like puppets.

“Dammit! Dammit! Damn the Chief Libationist! Damn the Great Emperor of Fengdu! You all deserve death! Ahhhhhhh!!!”

The next moment, they all started cursing the Chief Libationist and the Great Emperor of Fengdu with overflowing hatred and resentment.

If someone were looking closely, they would discover that a shadow was lurking deep within their pupils. It was writhing in a bizarre, disturbing fashion.

“Just you wait. I will be back. When the time comes, I will cut you into a million pieces, strip your bones, and rip out your soul to fulfill my vengeance!”

After venting for a bit, the group of people finally calmed down and stopped screaming. Even so, their eyes were shining with malicious intent. “I believe it is time to enact that plan. I didn’t want to do this, but you forced me. You forced me.”

Bang... bang... bang...

It was at this moment everyone heard the sound of striking bamboo.

The sound was crisp and melodious. Neither impassioned nor ear-piercing, it was rhythmic like some sort of tune. However, the group of people suddenly looked terrified. The next moment, they scattered in every direction.

Bang bang bang bang...

The thumping sounds suddenly grew rapid, and the world abruptly plunged into darkness. The escaping disciples abruptly froze in place as if someone had cast an immobilization spell on them.

Slowly, everyone’s souls left their bodies and floated into the air. When they combined, they took the form of King Taishan.

“Who dares to go against me?” King Taishan shouted savagely and angrily.

“I do.” A numb, indifferent voice broke out, and an old man with a crooked back and wearing rags slowly stepped out into the open.

The old man was walking very slowly, but he reached King Taishan in just the blink of an eye.

“Soul Collector? You’re still alive?” King Taishan’s eyes widened to saucers.

“Why would I pass away when you are still alive?”

The Soul Collector replied indifferently, “But of course, you will be passing away very soon.”

“Impossible! How did you know that I am still alive? And how did you find me? This is impossible!” King Taishan muttered frantically and distractedly. He could not seem to hear the Soul Collector’s words. Then, he recalled something and raised his voice, “It’s him. It’s the Earthly Sovereign’s work, isn’t it? It has to be him!”

King Taishan started screaming like he was crazy, “Why won’t he leave me be? Why does he keep getting in my way?”

“Why?

Why?!

”

The Soul Collector replied indifferently, “The leader does not wish to get in your way. It is you who wish to get in humanity’s way.”

King Taishan roared, “I am a god! I am born the master of the world, and humans are just my slaves! Why can’t I kill them? Why shouldn’t I kill them?”

The Soul Collector’s indifferent voice finally gained a hint of ridicule. “You say that, but the victor of this battle is the slaves you speak of; the ones you look upon and treat as ants. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Ants will never be more than just ants. They will never know the great power gods like me wield.”

King Taishan looked at the Soul Collector and laughed like a madman, “I have millions and millions more puppets like these. You can never kill them all.”

“Hahahahaha!”

However, the Soul Collector scoffed and said, “It is just the Immortal Life-Bearing Art of the Mystical Source of the Spirit. A small Way.”

King Taishan’s mad laughter abruptly ceased. “How did you know?”

“Like I said, it is just a small, insignificant Way. Why wouldn’t I know?” The Soul Collector said, “If I am not mistaken, you hid this art in some martial arts manual and scriptures and spread it across the world. You intend to turn the living into the fuel of your recovery. Am I right?”

“Impossible. This divine art is my own invention. There is no way an outsider could find out about this!” King Taishan shook his head, but the great terror—the fear toward death—had already taken root in his heart. “There is simply no way!”

The Immortal Life-Bearing Art of the Mystical Source of the Spirit was a divine art he invented during ancient times. It possessed unfathomable power and boasted miraculous results.

The art was easy to understand, easy to learn, and easy to master. Not only did it improve the practitioner’s strength in a short amount of time, it could transform their foundation and talent into that of a dragon or a phoenix. It was why it was considered a miraculous art.

However, the greatest thing about this art wasn’t the effects it had on others. It was the effects it had on King Taishan himself.

King Taishan was the inventor of this spell, so anyone who practiced it would be known to him. Not only that, his soul and consciousness would be born in the practitioner’s soul and consciousness and be nourished by their flesh, blood and soul. In other words, this allowed him to accumulate power endlessly without needing to do anything.

The most terrifying part about this art was the fact that the practitioner would fall under King Taishan’s influence without knowing. He could even wipe out their mind and consciousness and manipulate them like puppets with a single thought.

Therefore, if even one person in the world practiced the Immortal Life-Bearing Art of the Mystical Source of the Spirit, then King Taishan was effectively immortal. And the more people practiced this art, the stronger he would become.

1. Google translate did a surprisingly good job with this one so I just took it as it is. ☜