Chapter 52: The Drowning Man

In the ancestral hall, a heavy silence fell.

All the Qi practitioners and ancient figures stared with their jaws agape. The phoenix-eyed young man possessed a noble status as a descendant of the Qinghe Cui clan, and he was even a cultivator who had undergone the third transformation of the Feathering Realm. Yet, in this instant, he had been ruthlessly crushed and casually tossed outside the door.

"This person acts with unmatched dominance," a descendant of a noble family from Crimson Crow City murmured in a low voice, feeling that Chen Xuan was even more arrogant than the Cui family—someone who would rather resort to physical action than waste his breath.

"It fits his personality," Yan Yushu muttered to herself, pondering the potential consequences of this incident... She had no idea that Chen Xuan had the Great Ghost of the Southern Wilderness standing behind him, and thus had no fear whatsoever of the Qinghe Cui clan.

"...Damn it," Ye Kui looked up in astonishment. He had been squatting on the ground, toying with a teacup once used by a mortal of the dusty world. His aptitude was only slightly above average, and all his skills were forcefully pushed up through stat points, which was why he had only obtained an ordinary ancient artifact.

"People really do wear two faces, huh?" Ye Kui widened his eyes, his horizons broadened, feeling that the stereotype he held of Chen Xuan had instantly collapsed.

The group of ancient figures stared nervously at Chen Xuan. Liu Jiao waved his hand backward, gazed at Chen Xuan, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Come with me. I am quite curious as to what kind of conditions you can propose."

Liu Jiao invited Chen Xuan to accompany him to the back courtyard for a detailed discussion. In truth, he did not believe the other party could offer terms that would satisfy him. The so-called invitation to the back courtyard was merely a way to provide both sides with a face-saving exit.

The phoenix-eyed young man from the Cui family had handled things poorly, brazenly threatening him in front of numerous cultivators. If such a matter spread to the outside world, it would undoubtedly put Liu Jiao on the spot, with severe consequences...

Stepping into the back courtyard, Chen Xuan went straight to the point, asking Liu Jiao what a Longevity Seed was.

Liu Jiao looked surprised, not expecting the other party to bring up this matter.

However, the affair of the Longevity Seed was no secret; many ancient sects and powers had records concerning it. After a brief moment of reflection, Liu Jiao spoke:

"In the ancient times, I had a nickname: the [Ginseng Fruit]. Both humans, demons, and ghosts believed that consuming my flesh and blood would grant eternal life."

"I had no power to resist, and was seized by countless factions for research."

Liu Jiao paused for a moment, then continued: "During my most difficult times, an ancient Qi practitioner whose lifespan was nearing its end took action, keeping me nourished within a spiritual spring brimming with vital energy. He ate away at me until only my heart remained, yet by the next day, my body would regrow, and he would consume it once more. This cycle was repeated over and over, lasting for a full several hundred years... At times, he even attempted to refine my body into an immortal elixir to swallow."

Chen Xuan was stunned, never expecting that Liu Jiao had endured such a tragic, dark, and desolate past.

Liu Jiao went on: "That ancient Qi practitioner was a friend of mine in our youth. Back when countless factions eyed us with covetous hostility, it was he who repeatedly lent a hand to shield me from the storms... But when one's lifespan is near its end and death approaches step by step, no one can remain calm, nor could he escape it... Being eaten by him was still better than being eaten by strangers, and I do not resent him."

"In the end, that matter did not succeed. Later, when he was forced into seclusion and fell along the Dao, he remembered our old friendship and constructed this secluded Peach Blossom Spring for me."

This was the only ancient heavyweight Liu Jiao had befriended, and the relics of the ancient departed immortals within the Peach Blossom Spring all originated from this connection.

Following behind Liu Jiao, Chen Xuan knew that countless people had researched the Longevity Seed, among them epoch-making grand cultivators, yet all had ultimately returned empty-handed.

Liu Jiao's entire being, inside and out, possessed not a single aspect different from ordinary people, yet he was simply able to live forever, surviving longer than the immortals of old.

"Past matters are not worth mentioning, alas... Oh?"

Liu Jiao felt a sensation as if needles were pricking his back. He whipped his head around and asked in bewilderment:

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

To his astonishment, Chen Xuan was scrutinizing him closely from behind, eyes widened as large as copper bells, straining so hard that tears were almost welling up.

Ancient beings possessed extremely powerful physiques; even if someone stared at them from hundreds of meters away, they could quickly perceive it. Yet at this moment, Chen Xuan's eyes were like a tiger's, his gaze terrifyingly intense, making Liu Jiao's heart turn cold as if his whole body were being pierced by steel needles, causing him immense discomfort.

Chen Xuan said in a deep voice, "Never mind that, just continue with your story. I am listening attentively."

He was fully channeling his Heart Fasting. The mad visions transcending the current world—such as the Small Netherworld, the Yellow Millet Dream, and the Six Desires Heaven—surfaced before his eyes as Heart Fasting activated automatically, allowing him to perceive them. But this time, he was attempting to actively approach and peer into the Mandate of Heaven known as the Longevity Seed.

Earlier in the ancestral hall, he had attempted to secretly use Heart Fasting to observe Liu Jiao, but to avoid misunderstandings, he had to stop halfway, though he had already caught a glimpse of a clue.

"What on earth are you trying to do!"

Liu Jiao demanded sternly, in no mood to continue recounting his own affairs. The scene before him was far too bizarre; Chen Xuan was leaning in close, eyes wide and bright like torches, rudely staring right at him, making his scalp tingle to the point that he wanted to turn and leave.

"The Mandate-bearer possesses the posture of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix, bearing an extraordinary aura. This is my first close encounter, please allow me to admire it carefully for a moment."

Chen Xuan spouted nonsense, his expression solemn and grave, widening his eyes even further as if he wanted to engrave Liu Jiao's appearance and form into his memory.

"Ah? This."

Liu Jiao froze, subconsciously touching his utterly ordinary face. Then, straightening his collar, smoothing his sleeves, and standing tall with his chest puffed out, an air of arrogance emerged from his plain-looking frame as he said in a deep voice:

"Hmph, gaze your fill then!"

This was not a malicious request; the other party was shallow in experience, and seeing him—a Mandate-bearer—for the very first time, it was completely normal to be struck with awe. Satisfying him once would do no harm... After all, he had lived for tens of millions of years, standing among the oldest living beings in the world. Was there any existence in the world rarer than himself?

Habitually residing in a position of authority naturally bred a majesty that surpassed the grace brought by physical appearance.

Even though Liu Jiao looked like an ordinary person, he carried an immense dignity far surpassing that of the aristocratic youths of Crimson Crow City, who appeared to be of a similar age.

[...]

Chen Xuan no longer replied, for a faint, boundless white glow had lit up within his field of vision.

The Heart Fasting had successfully activated!

It resonated with certain visions hidden behind the current world.

"Swish, swish..."

The sound of flowing water echoed leisurely in his ears, as if it were rushing endlessly toward the distance since ancient times, filling Chen Xuan with a sense of vast antiquity.

"I see it..."

Chen Xuan abruptly realized that his divine soul had left his physical body, landing upon a pale white great river. The current resembled the flow of light and time, unceasing day and night, with mists swirling over the water's surface. A bright, clear moon rose from the river, casting a soft radiance that made the water ripple with sparkling light.

Within the Mandate of Heaven.

Gazing at the boundless, roaring river, Chen Xuan felt a sense of fading splendor and a return to ultimate simplicity.

This seemed to be a long river condensed from time itself.

"Is this the legendary River of Time? Where is Liu Jiao?"

He murmured to himself. The clear moonlight cast its radiance from the sky, and he strolled across the water's surface amidst rippling waves, searching for traces of Liu Jiao.

"Swish, swish!"

A dark shadow drifted down the current, bobbing up and down upon the pale white water—it was a drowned corpse.

Stepping across the river water, Chen Xuan walked up to the dark shadow and lowered his head to look.

"What is this situation?"

Liu Jiao's soul body had its eyes tightly closed. Portions of his garments had rotted away, exposing the decaying black skin of his wrists and chest. In the worst areas, the internal organs and bones beneath his skin were faintly visible, exuding wisps of black Qi, utterly devoid of life.

"Is he rotting away?"

Chen Xuan stood frozen, a chill rising in his heart. Liu Jiao's soul body was plagued by illness within its own Mandate of Heaven, currently rotting away!