Immortalis

Meat Well 12

Yang Wujian immediately abandoned his entanglement with Shen Qingshi and rushed straight to the medicine pavilion. He called for Zhou Huai and urged anxiously, "Quick, let's go! Bring the medicine Fangqiong Sword gave you! The Longevity Heart Sutra is in the back mountain. The Zhaoming Division has already stormed up the mountain—we must hurry to the back mountain."

Zhou Huai, true to his profound internal energy foundation, had recovered enough after taking Fangqiong Sword's medicine to move about. Hearing this, he looked utterly incredulous. "What? Wasn't it said that the Longevity Heart Sutra had rotted away in the Meat Well?"

"If only it were that simple."

Yang Wujian had no time to explain further. He gathered everyone and prepared to head to the back mountain. As soon as they stepped out of the medicine pavilion, Zhou Huai saw Shen Qingshi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, standing quietly at the entrance, watching them.

"Miss Shen..."

Zhou Huai's eyes widened, but Yang Wujian didn't pause for even a moment. He leaped onto a tree and sped toward the back mountain. "Hurry! Guanri has already gone ahead. We must stop him from obtaining the Longevity Heart Sutra from Zhuang Tianyou!"

Though Zhou Huai hadn't fully grasped the situation, the commotion from the front mountain had grown too loud. Regardless, they could no longer stay in the manor. Heading to the back mountain might offer a way down.

He followed Yang Wujian's lead, and behind him, Shen Qingshi silently pursued. The three of them soon reached the deserted back mountain.

"The ore Zhuang Tianyou collected at the renowned sword gathering is the Longevity Heart Sutra. He has already practiced the techniques within. Over the past few months, several people have gone missing on this mountain—all captured by Zhuang Tianyou to serve as Flesh Conduits, attempting to refine the Cicada Molt."

Yang Wujian succinctly explained the current situation. Zhou Huai listened, dumbfounded. "What are you saying? The Longevity Heart Sutra is ore? Zhuang Tianyou is also using living people to refine the Cicada Molt?"

The sword cavern was not far ahead. Yang Wujian didn't see Guanri's figure—unsurprisingly, he had likely already gone underground.

At the entrance of the sword cavern, Yang Wujian halted. Remembering what he had witnessed in that cave earlier, a chill ran down his spine even now.

"Zhuang Tianyou went into seclusion after the renowned sword gathering, claiming to be forging a sword, but in reality, he was practicing the Longevity Heart Sutra. His reorganization of the Four Seas Alliance to seek the Longevity Palace was likely also to find the method for refining the Cicada Molt."

Yang Wujian's face was ashen, a series of questions swirling in his mind.

Who had given Zhuang Tianyou the ore from the Meat Well?

And if that truly was the Longevity Heart Sutra, why had that person chosen to hand over such a treasure, coveted by everyone under heaven, so freely?

Everything was now shrouded in mist. Though Yang Wujian couldn't make sense of it, one thing was clear to him: the final chapter of the Longevity Heart Sutra was likely just as he had suspected—an Evil Entity.

After all, Zhuang Tianyou had gone mad after obtaining the ore.

This thing, like the Meat Well, poisoned the mind. It could never be some immortal method leading to enlightenment and ascension.

Yang Wujian said, "Guanri probably knew all along that the Longevity Heart Sutra was no ordinary technique. That's why he saw through the fake I gave him at a glance... He's here now for the real Longevity Heart Sutra."

With that, Yang Wujian jumped down from the tree. Shen Qingshi and Zhou Huai followed closely behind. The three drew their swords and stepped together into the pitch-black sword cavern.

The previous flames had already gone out.Yang Wujian's back was soaked in cold sweat. He walked to the spot where he had stopped earlier and cautiously peered into the cave, only to find that the flames beneath the massive alchemy furnace had extinguished. The cave was eerily silent, as if everyone had vanished.

Where was Zhuang Tianyou?

Yang Wujian carefully stepped inside and immediately spotted over a dozen swords haphazardly piled in a corner. Among them, one gleaming with a cold light stood out—it was Dong Zhu's Green Rain Sword.

No one could have imagined that the Sword Sect, which cherished swords to the point of obsession and even held an annual Famous Sword Gathering, would casually discard such a renowned divine weapon here...

"Is that the Green Rain Sword? Has Dong Zhu died?"

Zhou Huai was utterly astonished.

After all, Dong Zhu's martial arts ranked among the best in the entire martial world, and he had long been Zhuang Tianyou's proud disciple. Yet, in this gloomy underground cavern, Dong Zhu was merely a flesh conduit casually used by Zhuang Tianyou for alchemy.

The three of them ventured deeper and indeed found several more corpses. Unlike what Yang Wujian had witnessed years ago in the Longevity Palace, most of these bodies had already decayed, nearly all killed by a single sword thrust through the heart.

"Zhuang Tianyou has failed to grasp the essence of alchemy, which is why he's desperate to find the Longevity Palace."

The more Yang Wujian saw, the more alarmed he became. Continuing onward, he soon discovered that this cavern was not a dead end—deep within, a fissure in the rock wall led to an unknown destination.

"There's someone down below."

At that moment, Shen Qingshi, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke.

She had already heard voices coming from deep within the fissure—two people.

Shen Qingshi said, "It's likely Zhuang Tianyou and Guanri. They've already gone down and are currently fighting."

Zhou Huai frowned. "So, Zhuang Tianyou still has that piece of meteorite iron on him? That must be why the Meteor Stars on us reacted earlier."

"The back mountain is only so large, yet Zhuang Tianyou managed to hide so well... It's possible this path leads outside the mountain. With the Zhaoming Division blocking the main entrance, our only choice is to go down."

Yang Wujian lit a firestarter, took a deep breath, and said, "Who knows whose martial arts are superior between the Sword Sect and Guanri, but it would be best if they both end up wounded. That way, we might have a chance to find the Longevity Heart Sutra on Zhuang Tianyou."

To be frank, even against the Sword Sect alone, the three of them combined were likely no match, let alone now with the White-faced Guest present.

Despite knowing this, the three had no choice but to proceed downward. After a short distance, the voices from the depths finally became clear.

"Without the Cicada Molt, everything you're doing now is futile. You might as well hand it over to me, and I'll teach you how to refine the Cicada Molt."

The White-faced Guest's voice was unusually hoarse, sounding as if he were injured. Yang Wujian couldn't help but feel a surge of hope.

It seemed that, though the Sword Sect had gone mad, he remained the top martial artist in the current martial world. Back then, Guanri had been no match for Zhuang Tianyou, and it was probably still the case now.

However, in response to the White-faced Guest's coaxing, there was no reply.

Zhuang Tianyou, his mind addled, merely emitted guttural grunts like a beast guarding its food, instinctively treating the White-faced Guest who had intruded into the Alchemy Room as an enemy trying to steal the Cicada Molt.

They still had a chance, but what should they do?Yang Wujian was still calculating how they could gain the upper hand when suddenly, noisy movements came from behind the three of them. Shen Qingshi’s sharp ears twitched slightly, and she immediately recognized the leaders as Shen Xin and Fu Hong. Her heart sank, knowing that Cao Zhao never left anything to chance—sure enough, there was a backup plan.

Frowning, she said, "The Bi An and Ya Zi divisions were just decoys to hold back the Four Seas Alliance. Others have infiltrated as well. Their lightness skill is excellent, and they’re fast. We need to go down."

With White-faced Guest ahead and the Zhaoming Division behind.

Yang Wujian gritted his teeth, thinking that since death was certain either way, he might as well take a gamble.

He led the two downward and soon found Zhuang Tianyou and White-faced Guest in another wider section of the cave. The former stood expressionless, holding a broken sword, while the latter seemed injured, clutching his chest and panting heavily.

"It’s you…"

White-faced Guest showed rare surprise upon seeing Yang Wujian, but as his gaze fell on Shen Qingshi, his expression abruptly changed: "Cao Zhao actually dared to let you out?"

The footsteps of Fu Hong and Shen Xin were already closing in behind them. Yang Wujian knew that if things continued like this, they would only meet their end. Without time to think, he shouted Zhuang Tianyou’s name, pulled down one side of Shen Qingshi’s clothes, and showed Zhuang Tianyou the brand on her back.

"You want the Cicada Molt, don’t you? I can tell you now—she is the Cicada Molt who escaped from Longevity Palace fifteen years ago. I’m also from Longevity Palace, and I can teach you the refining method, as long as you take the three of us out."

"Yang Wujian, you…"

Zhou Huai never expected that Yang Wujian’s final plan would be such a terrible idea and was utterly shocked.

Fearing that Zhuang Tianyou, already consumed by inner demons, would immediately run Shen Qingshi through with his sword upon learning she was the Cicada Molt, Zhou Huai hurriedly raised White Rainbow to shield her. At that moment, Yang Wujian added, "You couldn’t grasp the essence before, using corpses to refine the medicine. Even if you used a peerless master like Green Rain Sword as the Flesh Conduit, it would be useless—the Cicada Molt must be alive. Take us out, and I’ll teach you."

In the blink of an eye, as soon as Yang Wujian finished speaking, he felt a fierce gust of wind brush his face. Zhuang Tianyou was already in front of him. Knowing he couldn’t dodge, Yang Wujian closed his eyes and awaited death. Yet, the next moment, Zhuang Tianyou grabbed the three of them as if they were quails and, like a rampaging beast, charged straight into another crevice in the rock!

He actually believed it!

Yang Wujian, dragged by one arm and thrown over Zhuang Tianyou’s shoulder, was in so much pain his vision darkened, but his heart surged with wild joy.

With Zhuang Tianyou’s abilities, no one here could stop him. They had found a way to survive.

Zhuang Tianyou raced ahead, leading them through the intricate tunnels. Behind them, Fu Hong and Shen Xin gave chase for a while. Fu Hong shot his "fishhooks" at them several times, but Shen Qingshi deflected them all. In the end, the two were no match for Zhuang Tianyou’s terrifying lightness skill and were left behind in some unknown cave.

They remained in the darkness for a long time. Suddenly, Yang Wujian, whose arm had gone numb from pain, felt a breeze on his face. He jolted awake, looking around in shock, only to realize that Zhuang Tianyou had brought them down Boundless Mountain.

So the rumors were true—the Myriad Sword Cave at the back of the mountain really led outside!

"Yang Wujian!"At that moment, Zhou Huai's voice abruptly snapped him back to awareness.

Yang Wujian looked down and discovered the three of them—one slung over Zhuang Tianyou's shoulder, the other two clamped under his arms—were all covered in blood from scrapes sustained along the way, a truly wretched sight.

Zhou Huai, who also bore sword wounds, had been jostled until he was drenched in cold sweat. He now mouthed to Yang Wujian, "We have to make him stop. Miss Shen was hit by a hidden weapon from those Zhaoming Guard and has been bleeding nonstop."

Yang Wujian focused his gaze and only then noticed that Shen Qingshi, clamped under Zhuang Tianyou's right arm, had a large crimson stain on her waist, as if clawed by some hook. Though she hadn't made a sound, she had long lost consciousness.

Zhuang Tianyou continued to rush forward with them in tow.

Yang Wujian thought to himself, He's clearly over sixty, yet he still possesses such monstrous strength to carry the three of us down the mountain. It's truly terrifying. If we were to confront him head-on, we'd stand no chance against the Sword Sect. That's why we have to find another way to deceive him.

With this in mind, Yang Wujian struggled to prop himself up and said to Zhuang Tianyou, "Senior of the Sword Sect, please set us down first. I'll find a place to teach you how to refine the Cicada Molt."

Just as he expected, Zhuang Tianyou was now completely obsessed with the Cicada Molt. Upon hearing those words, his footsteps halted abruptly, like a horse reined in, stopping dead in his tracks.

The three were tossed to the ground like sandbags. Meeting Zhuang Tianyou's beast-like eyes sent a shiver through Yang Wujian. He lowered his voice and said, "The Cicada Molt is no ordinary object. A single piece can only serve one master for life. Therefore, it requires a living Flesh Conduit, along with the internal energy of the one who consumes it."

Lying to the Sword Sect like this made Yang Wujian undeniably nervous. Yet, despite this, he stared straight at Zhuang Tianyou and spoke with unwavering certainty.

"She is the only Flesh Conduit in this world capable of producing the Cicada Molt."

Yang Wujian lifted the unconscious Shen Qingshi, feeling how much lighter she had become these past days—in his arms, she seemed little more than a bundle of bones.

"To refine the Cicada Molt, you must first circulate the Longevity Heart Sutra, transfer your internal energy to her, and then enter the Alchemy Furnace. Only then can you achieve the pinnacle of alchemy in this world..."

Yang Wujian continued slowly, "Soon, I will guide you to draw out your internal energy. Just follow my instructions, Senior, and you will soon become the first person in the world to master the entire Longevity Heart Sutra."