The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 58: The Cultivator

"Cough! To be honest, I am also a victim."

Yu Zitong began by trying to win Han Li's sympathy, attempting to distance himself from Doctor Mo as much as possible. However, seeing that Han Li remained unmoved, he had no choice but to continue:

"I was originally a rogue cultivator..."

Yu Zitong honestly recounted his background and the events that had transpired, detailing everything meticulously. Of course, in his version of the story, he portrayed himself as a pitiful figure who had been forced into complicity by Doctor Mo, shifting all the blame onto the deceased doctor.

Naturally, Han Li did not fully believe everything Yu Zitong said. However, by combining it with the information Doctor Mo had previously revealed, he was able to deduce about seventy to eighty percent of the truth.

After filtering out the likely falsehoods in Yu Zitong's account, Han Li gained a general understanding of the situation.

The story Doctor Mo had told him earlier, up to the point where he was ambushed and went out to search for a method to restore his power, was likely true. There was no reason for Doctor Mo to deceive him about that.

However, the part about finding a mysterious book in some secret location, from which he supposedly discovered a method to restore his power, was a fabricated lie. In reality, it was because of Yu Zitong that Doctor Mo was able to recover, but it was also because of Yu Zitong that he became cursed.

As it turned out, Yu Zitong was originally a member of a so-called cultivation family. He had cultivated the Eternal Spring Art to the seventh layer, achieving a certain level of proficiency. However, due to his limited aptitude, he was unable to progress further and meet the requirements for formal Foundation Establishment.

Without achieving Foundation Establishment, a cultivator could not be considered a true member of the cultivation world, nor could they officially step into the Immortal Realm. Thus, Yu Zitong had no choice but to leave his secluded dwelling and venture into the mortal world, hoping to gain some experience and perhaps break through his current bottleneck in terms of mental state.

Of course, if he could also find some precious medicinal herbs to take back and refine into Spirit Pills, that would be even better. However, he knew this hope was slim. Nevertheless, it was a matter of luck—perhaps he would have a stroke of fortune and stumble upon something valuable!

With this tempting ambition, Yu Zitong, who was only in his twenties, entered the mortal world as referred to by cultivators.

The dazzling outside world quickly overwhelmed Yu Zitong. His mental state, already not very stable, completely deteriorated within a few years. He became a guest of honor at the home of a powerful noble, indulging in the luxuries and splendor of the mortal world, and gradually lost his desire to cultivate immortality.

For a disciple like Yu Zitong, who had given up halfway, his family would naturally remove his name from the family registry after a hundred years. From then on, his lineage would be considered part of the mortal world, with no further contact with the main family. Unless a descendant of his emerged with outstanding aptitude for cultivation, they would not be allowed to return to the family.

If things had continued this way, although Yu Zitong would have no hope of achieving the Dao or cultivating immortality, he could still have expected to live a long and prosperous life. While this situation was rare among cultivators who had not achieved Foundation Establishment, it was not entirely without precedent and was not considered a major issue.However, whether it was the heavens opening their eyes or Yu Zitong's luck finally turning, on a certain day several years later, he happened to wander into the streets and, out of habit, visited a pharmacy. There, he unexpectedly discovered a rare Blood Spirit Herb. This Spiritual Plant closely resembled the common Red Oil Flower, so it had been mistakenly placed alongside them by the shopkeeper, who failed to recognize its true value.

Yu Zitong was naturally overjoyed at the sight. With this Spiritual Plant, his hopes of breaking through his bottleneck were greatly renewed, and his desire to cultivate the Dao stirred once more. He immediately decided to purchase it.

However, complications arose when another Cultivator entered the shop and also noticed the herb. Naturally, this person was unwilling to let it go, and the two began to argue on the spot.

The shopkeeper, seeing the situation, immediately recognized the opportunity to profit. He declared that the herb would go to whoever offered the highest price. In the end, Yu Zitong had slightly more silver on him and thus secured the Spirit Medicine.

But Yu Zitong was no fool. Knowing that the other party would not let the matter rest, he fled his residence that very night and headed toward his Family's territory. However, he had only covered half the distance when the other Cultivator caught up with him. A fierce battle ensued.

The opponent's cultivation was far superior to Yu Zitong's, and he was quickly defeated, coughing up blood. Yet, he could not bear to part with the Spirit Medicine he had obtained. Gritting his teeth, he activated a Life-Preserving Talisman he had brought from his Family, using a mutual destruction technique to scare off his pursuer and escape.

By this point, however, Yu Zitong was severely injured. It was in this state that he encountered Doctor Mo, who was also out searching for a cure.

Fate seemed to have a cruel sense of humor. Although Yu Zitong had wandered the world for several years, he had no experience dealing with Jianghu figures. After assessing Doctor Mo's physical condition, he carelessly revealed that he possessed a potent medicine, inadvertently letting slip that he carried such a treasure.

This proved to be a fatal mistake. Doctor Mo, desperate for a cure and having searched in vain, suddenly heard that this man had the medicine he needed. Naturally, he spared no effort in trying to persuade Yu Zitong, pleading with him relentlessly.

The medicine Yu Zitong spoke of, while not as rare as the Blood Spirit Herb, was still a concoction of over a dozen precious ingredients, refined through a Cultivator's method and requiring a significant amount of Origin Qi. He had little of it left, and in his severely injured state, he treasured it even more. How could he simply give it away to a Mortal he regarded as insignificant?

Seeing that his groveling had failed to secure the medicine, Doctor Mo grew furious and secretly followed Yu Zitong to a secluded spot. There, he poisoned Yu Zitong from behind with a secret concoction.

Under normal circumstances, such poison should have had no effect on Yu Zitong. However, Doctor Mo's secret drug was far more potent than even he realized, and it worked instantly, catching Yu Zitong off guard.

Already gravely injured, Yu Zitong now suffered from the poison's assault on his heart, leaving him on the brink of death. It was then that Doctor Mo revealed himself, boldly searching Yu Zitong's body for the medicine.

Realizing the full extent of the situation, Yu Zitong, consumed by rage, instinctively unleashed the "Blood Arrow Soul Curse." He transformed all his vital essence into a blood curse, which he spat onto Doctor Mo's head. Then, abandoning his Physical Body, his Primordial Spirit quietly drifted out of his corporeal form.After his Primordial Spirit left his body, Yu Zitong realized he had made a miscalculation. He hadn't prepared a Magical Artifact to house his spirit beforehand. Left with no choice, he had to enter Doctor Mo's body to temporarily avoid the danger of his Primordial Spirit dissipating.

Doctor Mo, who had been drenched in blood, was initially startled. However, upon finding nothing unusual, he quickly dismissed the incident from his mind.

Relying on his knowledge of Medicinal Pills, Doctor Mo identified a few pills from the corpse and joyfully consumed them. As expected, the pills worked wonders, and his strength was fully restored.

Overwhelmed with elation, Doctor Mo gathered the items he had scavenged from the body, along with an incomprehensible manual of the Eternal Spring Art, and prepared to return to Lan Zhou. His goal was to seek revenge and restore his former glory.

(End of Chapter)