Immortal Travel of Longevity

Wang He rubbed his chin, listening as Jian Shenghua recounted the details of the incident.

"Eating people?"

The phrase made Wang He pause in sudden realization.

"Could it be that he isn't just eating people?"

The suggestion caught Jian Shenghua off guard.

Wang He collected himself and said, "Do you think it's possible that what this person wants to devour isn't people at all, but Spiritual Veins?"

Jian Shenghua's heart gave a slight tremor as he stood up.

Wang He said, "This is getting serious."

"Impossible."

"But what if?"

That single question made Jian Shenghua shudder.

He was right.

What if?

If there truly was someone out there capable of swallowing the world's Spiritual Energy raw, didn't that mean...

"Then where did the swallowed Spiritual Energy go?"

Jian Shenghua asked, "Even an ancient Great Demon couldn't possibly swallow that much Spiritual Energy and convert it for their own use."

"That's exactly what I don't understand."

Wang He said, "If a Spiritual Vein was truly devoured by someone, what did all that Spiritual Energy ultimately become? According to you, the Spiritual Energy around several Immortal Mountains has undeniably thinned out. Yet, nowhere else in the world has experienced a sudden, massive surge in energy."

Jian Shenghua could not help but sink into deep thought.

...

"Clack."

A game piece clicked into place on the board.

But now, the person playing against Chen Changsheng had changed.

Xiao Dongxu sat across from him and said, "Another tome I uncovered mentions that after a Taotie devours the world's Spiritual Energy, that energy becomes trapped inside its body. Over the years, this gathered energy forms a minor world hidden within the Taotie's stomach."

Chen Changsheng asked, "A minor world?"

"That is how it is recorded in the text."

Xiao Dongxu said, "The author of this ancient text had the fortune to enter that world. According to their description, the Spiritual Energy inside is unbearably heavy and incredibly violent. It is a vast, desolate wilderness as far as the eye can see, much like the primeval era."

Chen Changsheng stared blankly for a moment before suddenly coming back to his senses.

"So that's how it is..."

Xiao Dongxu said, "Perhaps this is the only way to keep all that Spiritual Energy sealed inside the Taotie's body."

"Spiritual Energy does not simply vanish."

"Exactly!"

Xiao Dongxu nodded. "But with a method like this, once that minor world is complete, the Spiritual Energy won't dissipate even if the Taotie is killed. Instead, it will permanently materialize as a minor world existing between heaven and earth."

"I suspect this might be a trial-and-error approach. If the results are undesirable, they could simply shatter that minor world."

"But who knows how many people would die in such an attempt," Chen Changsheng said.

"But it is effective, isn't it?"

Xiao Dongxu said, "Cultivators pursue the Great Dao of longevity and can never do without Spiritual Energy. If the Taotie isn't slain in time, wouldn't many cultivators ultimately have no choice but to throw their lot in with that minor world?"

"And what if that minor world is a place you can enter but never leave?"

"Wouldn't that solve the problem from the root?"

Xiao Dongxu's speculations seamlessly wove all the scattered clues together.

Chen Changsheng was thoroughly impressed.

Xiao Dongxu's formidable trait lay in the bizarre sort of luck that constantly surrounded him. Whenever he wanted to investigate something, as long as he put in the time, he would always find the answer.

"Quite ingenious." Chen Changsheng rubbed his chin.

Xiao Dongxu agreed. He played another game piece and said, "We have figured some things out now, but what stands in my way is a different matter."

"What is it?"

"I won't hide it from you, Mister. I have never been able to figure out what would ultimately happen to this world if its Spiritual Energy were to dry up completely."

Chen Changsheng rubbed his chin and said, "This Chen believes that the world will not remain at peace forever. Wherever there are people, there will be conflict. But these are only phases. Across the vast river of time, eras of peace and chaos are always woven together."

"Just like the history of the Mortal World?"

"Exactly."

Xiao Dongxu nodded slightly, then added, "But I feel that even without Spiritual Energy, as the years march on, mortals will eventually possess power capable of rivaling the gods."

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment. "Perhaps they will..."

Xiao Dongxu drew an item from his robes and handed it to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng took it and froze for a moment when he saw what it was.

"What is this?"

"An Elixir Pill."

Xiao Dongxu said, "An immortal pill used by charlatans in the Mortal World to deceive people. When a certain Daoist priest was refining this Elixir Pill, his furnace exploded. It cost him a hand and left him covered in gruesome injuries. At the time, the sound of heavenly thunder even rang out from the furnace."

"I grew curious, so I asked for the recipe and subsequently created this Elixir Pill."

"The exterior of this pill is a thin layer of iron, and it contains a fire fuse inside. If triggered with Magical Power and thrown, it will explode in mere moments."

Chen Changsheng's hand trembled. "Gunpowder..."

"Gunpowder?"

Xiao Dongxu paused at the word and asked, "Mister seems to know of this item?"

Chen Changsheng snapped back to reality and replied, "I merely thought the name was quite fitting."

"Is that so..."

Xiao Dongxu did not press the issue, though a touch of suspicion sprouted in his mind.

Chen Changsheng asked, "So, what is Fellow Daoist Xiao trying to convey by showing This Chen this item?"

Xiao Dongxu said, "This Elixir Pill doesn't require Immortal Arts to create. An ordinary person could make it. And this is just a small one. If someone were to scale it up to a certain degree, wouldn't it be capable of destroying an entire immortal island?"

His words rooted Chen Changsheng to the spot.

He could not help but wonder if the man in front of him possessed a set of unspeakable memories, just like he did.

In those memories, an unknown number of years had separated the appearance of Gunpowder from its actual militarization. Yet, with a single remark, Xiao Dongxu had recognized its truly terrifying potential.

Chen Changsheng asked, "You've already tested it, haven't you?"

Xiao Dongxu nodded slightly and said, "Yes..."

He had watched with his own eyes as an island was blown to pieces, sinking into the depths of the Desolate Sea.

He did not even dare to imagine the consequences if such a thing appeared in this world.

Xiao Dongxu said, "Which is why I am worried. Cultivators have their own restrictions, but an external object like this can be used by anyone. If a person with malicious intent learned how to refine it during an era devoid of Spiritual Energy, what kind of catastrophe would it unleash?"

Chen Changsheng set the iron bead down. After a moment of thought, he said, "In the progression of time, such things will always appear. Perhaps it is inevitable."

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