Immortal Travel of Longevity

"Was it Prince Su who did it?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Gu Jiangshi thought back for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure about that, but something that happened later was indeed tied to Prince Su."

"What happened next?"

The events that followed were enough to leave Gu Jiangshi numb.

For a long time after he awoke, he spent his days in Mass Graves and among piles of corpses, emerging mostly at night.

According to the craftsmen, this was to let him absorb the yin energy of these dead lands to achieve their desired effect. Beyond that, they frequently fed him flesh and blood. At first, it was just wild beasts, but later... it was human flesh.

Even now, the memory filled Gu Jiangshi with lingering dread.

This existence dragged on for years.

Through constant testing, it seemed he had finally achieved the results the craftsmen desired.

"It was only then that I learned their true purpose," Gu Jiangshi said.

The Southern Dynasty had fallen.

The realm was divided.

Western Zhou and Eastern River split the world between them.

Eastern River was the dynasty where Prince Su resided.

During those years, the world was plagued not only by mortal wars but also by demons wreaking havoc in the Mortal World. The rules of the world were in chaos, constantly giving rise to unforeseen disasters.

The Southern Dynasty had completely lost its footing amid this chaos.

Much of its territory was situated along the coast.

"At that time, a demon dragon wreaked havoc from the sea, invading our dynasty's lands. Human strength was too meager to oppose it. The demon dragon churned the waters, turning the Southern Dynasty upside down, which ultimately led to our defeat at the hands of Eastern River."

"They turned me into a Stiff Puppet precisely to deal with that demon dragon."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng sat up straight.

Gu Jiangshi said, "They gave me the name Jiangshi. It wasn't just me; there were many others like me. I even saw a few former colleagues among them—generals from other border passes. They had been transformed by the craftsmen just as I was."

"We were created to guard the estuaries, preventing the demon dragon from invading."

Turned into corpses and baptized by endless yin energy and flesh, their bodies could rival a demon dragon's. With sufficient numbers, they truly had the power to fight back.

The craftsmen succeeded; the corpses actually managed to hold off the demon dragon.

But what awaited them next was an even greater catastrophe.

In that vast sea, there was more than one demon dragon.

"The first demon dragon retreated after being injured. When it returned, several others followed. They came with fury. That time, the citizens of Eastern River suffered a Tribulation. We were scattered in a single encounter."

"The waters surged and broke the riverbanks. Floods washed away homes, leaving the commoners destitute and homeless. The whole realm was in imminent peril."

"Five demon dragons nearly destroyed the entirety of Eastern River."

"Seizing this opportunity, Western Zhou raised its troops to invade, aiming to unify the realm. It was exactly like when Eastern River annihilated my Southern Dynasty."

"However, at that critical moment, a person appeared. Or rather, he couldn't be called a person anymore—he was a corpse just like me."

Chen Changsheng looked at him. "Prince Su? He refined himself into a corpse?"

Gu Jiangshi nodded.

"He was vastly different from us. A veteran of countless battles, he was drenched in killing intent. Prince Su's resolve and endurance were beyond anything I could hope to match. He wasn't a puppet, but a true corpse. The first time I laid eyes on his imposing aura..."

"I immediately understood that what he had endured was likely many times worse than what we had."

"The Mass Graves, eating human flesh..."

"We only ate such things because we had no control, and even then, I almost went mad. But Prince Su endured it through sheer willpower. Heaven knows how much flesh he consumed, or how many Mass Graves he visited."

Chen Changsheng tapped lightly on the table. "What was this Prince Su's name?"

"I heard his surname was Chen," Gu Jiangshi said. "He was the only prince of Eastern River born outside the royal bloodline. As for his given name or courtesy name, I never heard him mention it."

Chen Changsheng froze. He fell silent, pondering for a long time before saying, "Continue."

"Prince Su relied on his perseverance to refine himself into a Perfected Corpse," Gu Jiangshi said, "but he still found himself somewhat lacking against five demon dragons. He rallied all of us together, and only then could we barely hold our ground. The price was Prince Su losing an arm, but he managed to slay one of the demon dragons! Because of this, Eastern River finally had the strength to deal with Western Zhou, saving the nation from ruin."

"Since that battle, the demon dragons never invaded again."

Gu Jiangshi paused for a moment. "As for us, we were hidden away in Sarcophagi, meant to be remembered only when danger struck again."

"What about Prince Su?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Gu Jiangshi shook his head. He didn't know.

"By the time I emerged from the Sarcophagus, many years had passed."

"Strangely enough, it was a group of tomb raiders who opened it."

"It was from them that I learned Eastern River had fallen eight hundred years ago, and we had long been forgotten."

Compared to becoming a puppet, the darkness of being buried deep underground was what he truly found difficult to accept.

Gu Jiangshi let out a sigh. "I was taken out by those tomb raiders. Furthermore, it seemed they already knew methods to control ancient corpses. From the looks of it, they came specifically for us."

"What happened next was a different story."

"They took me out to sea. Not just me, but the 'colleagues' buried in various places were brought along as well. The ship drifted on the ocean for a long time, only stopping when we reached an island."

"These people set up camp there. They cultivated a method called the 'Nine Gates of Corpse Malice.' At first, I thought it was a martial art, but when I saw corpse spots growing on their bodies, I realized they were doing exactly what Prince Su had done back then."

"Afterwards, I learned that they were nothing more than tomb raiders. They had somehow learned of the ancient corpses and searched all over the world for them. What they sought was the path of Changsheng."

"But they failed."

"In just half a month, most of the dozen or so people who came to the island went mad from cultivating that method. They bit and tore at one another, fought among themselves, and in the end, were torn apart and eaten."

"However, one of them ultimately succeeded."

Gu Jiangshi frowned slightly. "His willpower was extraordinary. Feigning madness, he deceived them all. He ate everyone except for us ancient corpses..."

"Even now, I still remember his gaze from that day."

"Cold enough to make one panic."

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