“After my wife passed, I was consumed by grief. I hated the injustice of the heavens. Heartbroken and disillusioned, I intended to bury myself with her in the Far North.”
Without waiting for Nan Zhi’s response, Daoist Qinglong continued on his own:
“The Dao is unpredictable. When a person dies, their soul returns to the Underworld. They must pass the Sansheng Stone and the Six Paths of Reincarnation before they can be reborn.
“But who would have thought that in this world where all things balance each other, the Great Dao of cultivation is vast, and every path can lead to the heavens?
“I actually managed to find the legendary Mayfly Wood.
“You must know that mayflies are born at dawn and die at dusk; their lifespan is fleeting. But if one plants Mayfly Wood into a human pillar, feeds it with the essence of flesh and blood, and supplements it with supreme wondrous methods, one can escape the Six Paths of Reincarnation, live as long as heaven and earth, and shine as bright as the sun and moon!”
“I spent three hundred years of painstaking research to finally create a profound technique called the 《Mayfly Shaking the Heavens Art》. This technique aims to use a human pillar as nourishment, placing the soul within the Mayfly Wood to be carefully nurtured through generation after generation, for a hundred lifetimes of reincarnation.
“This technique proved effective indeed. My wife has reincarnated dozens of times since the Tang Dynasty, always staying by my side. Unfortunately, the human pillars were weak and could not withstand the technique. Their nourishment would be exhausted in twenty or thirty years, leaving me with no choice but to use extremely evil and yin items to extend her life.”
Daoist Qinglong grew more excited as he spoke, the corners of his mouth curling into a strange angle of extreme self-satisfaction:
“But you are different! You were born with an incomplete soul. After eighteen years, your soul returned to its place, and by a stroke of luck, you stepped onto the Great Dao of cultivation. You are the perfect candidate to be my wife’s human pillar!
“As long as you agree, I will grant you a grand opportunity of destiny!
“Do you want to be the General of this Demon Suppression Monastery? Or do you wish to join a great cultivation sect to practice? Perhaps you desire glory, wealth, and a collection of spiritual treasures? You could become the ruler of a nation, governing the world, or the leader of a sect, with a direct path to the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
“As long as you speak the word, I can grant it all to you!”
“Monastery master, if I become the human pillar for this Mayfly Wood, wouldn't it be just like being possessed? I would be no different from a walking corpse.
“Then what use would these external possessions be to me?”
Nan Zhi secretly sensed that something was wrong.
—The other party was offering so many tempting conditions instead of simply seizing her body by force. It was likely that the 《Mayfly Shaking the Heavens Art》 had a flaw, requiring the human pillar to be willing.
That was why Qinglong was being so cooperative, agreeing to clear her name after only one meeting.
“Heh heh heh.”
Daoist Qinglong stroked the Mayfly Wood in his palm with immense affection and said coldly:
“You have ruined my plans time and time again. You have long deserved death. Now that I am allowing you to be the human pillar for the Mayfly Wood, do you actually feel wronged?
“That demon monk Huiyuan is currently a hundred miles outside the monastery, waiting for me to hand you over.
“Choose for yourself. Do you want a smooth path in the immortal dao and an early ascent to the immortal realm, or do you want to become fodder for hungry ghosts and turn into foul mud?”
“There is no need for the monastery master to intimidate me. If I am not mistaken, after so many reincarnations, the madam’s soul must be weakened to the extreme by now.
“You have waited for me for so long, had your prized disciple trick me here using my family, and resorted to promises of wealth and power along with threats and bait. There must be a reason why it has to be me.”
Nan Zhi set down the teacup, which had already gone cold. She looked up and slowly spread her palm before Daoist Qinglong.
Qinglong was somewhat confused and frowned slightly at her.
“I am a butcher’s daughter, and I am as mercenary as they come. If you want me to be the madam’s living human pillar, I can’t just listen to you boast and foolishly believe it.”
Nan Zhi calmly rubbed her hands together:
“You have to give me some sweetness first, so I know the benefits of being a living human pillar, right?”
A Foundation Establishment cultivator actually dared to demand benefits from him?!
Daoist Qinglong was stunned, his eyebrows arching a few degrees in shock.
If it weren't for the fact that Danxia’s current body couldn't hold on much longer, he would never have spoken so civilly to a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Although he was conspiring with the monk Huiyuan and had promised to hand over Nan Zhi, Daoist Qinglong had absolutely no interest in any evil treasure for slaughtering cities.
He had imagined how Nan Zhi would react upon learning the truth.
It usually fell into two categories: either she would be cowed by the pressure and grovel for her life, immediately agreeing to be the living human pillar for the Mayfly Wood to drain her nourishment.
Or she would be defiant and unyielding, preferring death over submission.
But the person before him?
First, she had listened to so many old secrets without a ripple of emotion, and then she was shameless enough to directly demand “benefits”?!
In the cultivation world, if anyone dared to speak to a high-level cultivator like this, they would have been taught a lesson long ago.
But this fourth-class arrest officer—she actually dared.
“What boldness. Are you planning to stall for time so your mortal sister can go to Bianjing to seek help from Miaoyun?”
Daoist Qinglong prided himself on having seen the thousand faces of the world, yet he could not see through a tiny Foundation Establishment cultivator. He sneered:
“The Demon Suppression Division today is no longer as glorious as it was during the reign of Empress Shenlong. It is filled with a worthless lot of clay chickens and pottery dogs. Do you expect the siblings of the Cao family to save you, or are you relying on that wisteria at your waist?”
“Since the monastery master has chosen me to be the living human pillar, you should trust the one you use. I am a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator with low cultivation, and I have no powerful sect or master behind me.
“There is a demon monk outside who wants my life. Even if I tried to run, how could I escape from under your nose?”
Nan Zhi stroked the lifeless wisteria and responded in a heavy voice:
“It’s just that I haven't practiced any powerful techniques, and my cultivation is low. I fear that even if I am a willing living human pillar for this Mayfly Wood, I won't be able to nourish the madam’s soul for more than a few days.
“I ask the monastery master to allow me to bathe, change, and condition my body. It won't be too late to agree after a few days.”
—Though she was in a desperate situation, there had to be a way out.
At the very least, she had to stall for a few more days to let Nan Ye and the others reach Bianjing safely.
“You won't be able to run anyway.”
Daoist Qinglong hesitated for a moment, seemingly considering the credibility of her words.
Then, he put away the Mayfly Wood and casually tossed out a grey storage bag:
“Inside are pills for nourishing the body, as well as some natural treasures for cleansing the essence and nourishing the soul. Use them as you please.
“If you agree, you may also choose anything from my personal storage bag, and I will give you a late-stage Golden Core demon core as well.
“If you are devoted to cultivation, I can assist you during the sect selection next year to enter the Qingjing Sect.
“I will give you only seven days. But if after seven days you still refuse to agree—the times you have ruined my plans are more than enough for you to atone with your death a hundred times over.”
No, if there’s a first and a second time, there will be a third and a fourth. And judging by the current situation, she was very likely to ruin his plans for a fifth time.
“Naturally, naturally.”
Nan Zhi caught the storage bag and agreed with a smile.
Never mind the living human pillar or the Mayfly Wood.
It was clearly a trap, turning her into a mobile blood bag parasitized by the Mayfly Wood.
Like an insect larva parasitized by fungi, she would be unable to move and would only serve as a nutrient pack.
The grand promises the old Taoist made looked delicious, but they were actually covered in poisoned barbs.
Only the benefits in hand were real.
Return them? Why would she return benefits delivered to her door?
Qinglong only dared to be this arrogant because he was certain her cultivation was inferior and that she couldn't escape this Demon Suppression Monastery.
Did he have any idea of the weight of the golden “Savior” title over her head?
Nan Zhi’s smile was exceptionally sincere.
...
...
Perhaps he really believed Nan Zhi’s words, or perhaps he was confident she couldn't escape the Demon Suppression Monastery, but Qinglong actually let her leave.
Nan Zhi returned to the small courtyard, which still bore traces of the Nan family’s life.
Nan Yi leaned against the window, his lower body covered by a heavy quilt. When he saw her appear, he hid his worry and resumed his gentle and harmless expression.
“‘Mayflies shake the heavens, born at dawn and dying at dusk.’ No wonder you know these things, and no wonder Zhang Long took such care of you.”
Nan Zhi stood at the door but did not approach. She only sneered:
“Should I call you Nan Yi, or should I address you as the son of the monastery master, Daoist Qinglong?”
“You know everything?”
A flash of gloom passed through Nan Yi’s eyes, followed by a bitter smile:
“Big Sister, things are not as you think.”
“Is it not good to jump out of the Six Paths of Reincarnation and be reborn with your memories?”
Nan Zhi crossed her arms and sneered:
“No wonder you refused to speak plainly. You’ve known about Qinglong’s dirty dealings all along.”
“I wish he would die immediately. I wish I could dig out his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys every day to soak them in brine. I wish his soul would fall into the boundless hell to suffer through oil and fire every night...”
Nan Yi was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he threw back the quilt covering his legs, revealing a truly tragic smile:
“In my first life, people called me ‘Danxia’.”
Beneath the soft quilt, there were no human legs. Instead, there was a fat, soil-yellow, constantly writhing worm body, with countless roots attached to the skin of the worm, burrowing deep into the ground through the bedboard.
Nan Yi was the Immortal Danxia who had reincarnated for ten lifetimes?
The wife of Daoist Qinglong?!
What a shocking reversal.
Nan Zhi couldn't help but feel her pupils dilate in shock.
Rate on N.U.
