Chapter 348: 205, Higanbana, Child of the Immortal (5k4 Major Chapters) _3
At this time, what the old man said was no different from Yin Shou’s words, just a bit more specific.
"Emperor Senluo is a figure from tens of thousands of years ago. Was it thirty thousand years ago, or one hundred and thirty thousand years ago? I don’t quite recall," the old man sighed. "It’s far too long ago."
The Other Shore River was not deep, less than a thousand feet.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the two reached the palace at the bottom of the river.
Senluo Palace was not very luxurious, even less so than an imperial palace in the mundane world. However, the palace was extremely ancient, its surface eroded by the passage of time, and its architectural style was significantly different from that of the present.
The main gate of the palace slowly opened.
The old man led Xu Xing to a jade wall inside the palace. On this jade wall was a carving of a blood moon, identical to the blood moon in the Netherworld Wasteland. Inside the blood moon, layers of buildings were also carved.
"This is the Senro Scripture..."
"The heritage left by Emperor Senluo here."
"You only have five days left."
The bamboo pole had somehow become the old man’s walking stick, which he now leaned on. His eyebrows raised, he looked at Xu Xing with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
The living could only stay in the Netherworld Wasteland for seven days. Once the seven days passed, if one didn’t leave, they would encounter great terror.
"Thank you for your guidance, Senior," Xu Xing said, maintaining his composure. He first thanked the old man, then carefully observed the blood moon on the jade wall.
He guessed that the old man might be one of the great figures of the Netherworld Wasteland, or perhaps Emperor Senluo himself.
How do I comprehend it?
After looking at the jade wall for a while and sensing nothing, Xu Xing was extremely puzzled, unsure how to proceed. This blood moon was just an image, an image containing Dao Principles. It seemed to have nothing to do with cultivation methods.
After thinking for a while and still not grasping the idea, he simply sat cross-legged in front of the jade wall and recited the Scriptures for Overcoming Obstacles once more. But this time, the Scriptures for Overcoming Obstacles did not work. He needed to find the real scripture.
Emperor Senluo entered the Underworld as an outsider, so my Nine Luminaries Immortal Fate [Underworld Ghost Judge] naturally wouldn’t work on him...
Seeing that reciting the scripture was ineffective, Xu Xing was not disheartened; he was merely trying it out.
I wonder if Shi Yuyan left me a backup plan? She should have seen the Senro Scripture.
Xu Xing entered a meditative state, his consciousness entering his body to observe the drop of Immortal Blood within. The Immortal Blood was stored in his physical body’s Cave. Now, under his call, it gradually responded. A thread of golden blood separated from the Immortal Blood and flew out of his body.
This wisp of Immortal Blood was about the size of a soybean. After floating at Xu Xing’s glabella for a moment, it seeped into the blood moon carved on the jade wall.
In an instant, a chilling, bloody aura spread. A bright moon rose in the hall.
Damn, she really left a backup plan for him... Damn it!
Seeing this scene, the old man looked thoroughly displeased. He had brought Xu Xing here, certainly not intending for him to explore a treasure mountain and return empty-handed. There was a vast difference between Xu Xing obtaining the Senro Scripture himself and him having to plead for the old man to teach it. An imperial scripture was not crucial for a cultivator of his level; strength always came from the cultivator, not from a decaying scripture.
Emperor Xi, since you didn’t want this boy to owe me a favor, then this time, it’s *you* who owes me one...
Thinking of this, a smile touched the old man’s lips. Emperor Xi had set up a backup plan, using her Immortal Blood to reveal the Senro Scripture to the world, thus preventing Xu Xing from owing him a favor for seeking the scripture. However, by doing so without permission, Emperor Xi had effectively broken the rules. Taking the blame for the ’child,’ she herself had incurred a karmic debt.
Near the jade wall, Xu Xing was illuminated by the blood moon. All the meridians and organs of his body became visible, including the "corpse" attached to his back. Logically, his reincarnation in this life had severed the causality with his past life; the corpse of his previous life had nothing to do with him. However, his birth was related to Shi Yuyan’s arrangement. Therefore, the corpse of his past life also became the corpse of this life. When he accepted Shi Yuyan’s Immortal Blood, he willingly took on the karma of his past life. So the corpse retrieved from the River of Nether was the corpse of his past life, "Wu Xing."
The blood moon hung in the sky, illuminating the Elixir Talisman. Xu Xing began to merge with the "corpse" of his previous life. This "corpse" was not only the "corpse" of "Wu Xing" but also contained a part of Innate Origin Energy—the "foundation" stored in the River of Nether from the moment a person is born.
The "corpse" began to transform into a warm Innate essence, flowing into Xu Xing’s limbs and entire body, starting to regenerate his ghostly body and return it to yang. With his "Elixir Talisman" as the core, meridians gradually formed, extending throughout his body.
The three realms of Return to Yang were Approaching Yang, Returning to the Netherworld, and Fate Determining. Approaching Yang involved seizing another’s ’True Fate,’ while Returning to the Netherworld genuinely endowed a Ghost Immortal with ’life force,’ allowing it to truly Return to Yang.
Xu Xing carefully experienced this transformation. From life to death, and from death back to life—such Dao Principles were supreme and unparalleled, offering considerable benefits to his Dragon and Tiger Dao Principle.
Passages from the ’Senro Scripture’ were also thoroughly infused into his mind as his success in Returning to the Netherworld was complete.
"Fate Determining!"
Xu Xing opened his eyes, swallowed the Blood Moon hovering in the hall, and pressed it toward his Elixir Talisman space. The Blood Moon not only carried Emperor Senluo’s cultivation methods but was also an opportunity he bestowed upon inheritors. To break through to the Fate Determining Realm or the Heavenly Origin Realm, one must refine a principle of fate. This Blood Moon *was* such a principle of fate from Emperor Senluo’s inheritance.
One day.
Two days.
...
Until the fifth day.
Xu Xing opened his eyes before the seventh day arrived. He looked inside his body and saw the Ghost Immortal Elixir Symbol and Martial Artist Cave merged into one, divided into two heavens. The first heaven was the scorching sun and daylight; the second heaven was the Blood Moon and the dark night.
Once he reached the Shaping Life Realm, he would achieve what Shi Yuyan described as, "Elixir Talisman to the Underworld, Cave-heaven into Heavenly Palace."
The path of an immortal’s child is indeed extraordinary... the old man stood by, sighing to himself. Ordinary people cultivating two paths simultaneously would court self-destruction if not careful. But Xu Xing had Immortal Blood in his body, and this drop of Immortal Blood helped him forge a special path.
"Younger Generation, it’s time to leave," the old man reminded him.
Xu Xing nodded, respectfully saluted the old man, followed him onto the river’s surface, and boarded the paper boat.
Shortly after, the paper boat sailed out of the Other Shore River and arrived at the River of Nether. After sailing along the River of Nether for a while, Xu Xing suddenly felt his body sway, as if pushed by someone, and he fell into the river water.
When he awoke, he had already returned to the Spirit Land of the Immortal Mushroom Sect. Yin Shou was nervously guarding his physical body nearby.
"Returning to the Netherworld was successful," Xu Xing opened his eyes and smiled at Yin Shou.
「Reality.」
「Two years passed in a flash.」
Xu Xing timed the end of his closed-door cultivation perfectly. He went to the Chen Family Land, bathed and changed his clothes, put on a fragrant sachet, and then hurried to the Ze Sheng Forest.
The Surging cavehouse used to be a True Man’s cavehouse of the Chen Family. Later, after True Man Chen died in battle, it was confiscated by the public and granted to Xu Xing as his residence. However, the Immeasurable Sect emphasized human relations. They had the Chen Family members take care of Xu Xing’s daily life; in exchange, Xu Xing would casually protect the Chen Family.
Although some etiquette could be dispensed with after reaching a certain level of cultivation, dressing appropriately for a banquet was still a sign of respect towards the host family. From small details, one could discern larger truths.
I didn’t expect Sister Yan would also receive an invitation from the Kang Family...
After presenting a visiting gift to the Kang Family, Xu Xing was led into the living room by a boy to meet the Patriarch of the Kang Family. Unexpectedly, not long after he was seated, Yan Xiling also arrived at Ze Sheng Forest and sat across from him.
Xu Xing knew Yan Xiling’s purpose without needing to think: it was simply to keep an eye on him and the Kang Family, lest he and the Kang Family become relatives by marriage.
Kang Sheng, the Patriarch of the Kang Family, raised his eyebrows and conveyed to his second son, Kang Yu, via voice transmission, "Let the female cultivators of our family take a break for now; don’t let them rush to meet True Monarch Chang..."