Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 346 Returning to an Old haunt, Testing the waters

The thirteenth day of the first lunar month, the sixth nine.

The four mountains—Gezao Mountain, Juqu Mountain, Sanyuan Mountain, and Bingfeng Mountain—together represent the Wanfa Master of Sanqing Mountain, who is also known as Master Renhui Guangfa. When the news spread, the entire Eastern Taoist community was thrown into shock, and this shock continued to spread north and west.

A third-realm Feather Master has already earned a second honorary title!

An honorific title is not a Taoist name, nor a Buddhist name or a name for fasting; it is not something one can simply choose behind closed doors. An honorific title must be bestowed upon one by the state or nation! The state or nation must be a unified, centralized state; small states do not count.

In short, one can decide one's own Taoist title, but one's honorific title must be recognized by the world!

But by any standard, the Yellow Sea Dragon Kingdom and the Four Great Immortal Sects are fully qualified to bestow honorific titles upon the same person. In fact, it could be argued that if the world doesn't understand why these sects are bestowing honorific titles upon the same individual, then that's simply a problem with the world itself.

While the world was slowly accepting this news, the person who had received the honor had already quietly arrived on the vast and boundless East Sea.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Daduhai.

The waters around Huangliu Island.

The ocean is boundless, and as far as the eye can see, it's all the same blue sea and sky. On cloudy days or during the rainy season, it's truly a vast and monotonous expanse. Even when the sun shines or the stars and moon twinkle, you can roughly distinguish east from west and north from south, but the ocean is so vast and there are no reference points. If you're even slightly off-center, the destination will be completely different.

Therefore, people on land do not like to go to the sea, especially not too far from the shore, one of the reasons being that it is easy to get lost there.

But Cheng Xinzhan was not troubled by this. He entered the sea from the area of ​​Yandang Mountain in Kuaiji, and following the markings of the buoys in Daduhai, he easily arrived at the waters of Huangliu Island.

Thirty years later, upon returning to this familiar place, Cheng Xinzhan noticed that there were far fewer people, and the usual liveliness was gone. Moreover, he bumped into several groups of people, all of whom were injured.

He cast the [Hidden] spell, concealing himself in the void, and went straight to Huangliu Island in the center of the sea.

The island was deserted, and the guards seemed distracted. What surprised Cheng Xinzhan even more was that the island's restrictions remained unchanged, allowing him to enter with ease. But thinking about it, it made sense; the demons probably never imagined he would return.

So Cheng Xinzhan went deeper and deeper, arriving directly in front of the Tower of No Return.

He stopped and listened for a while, but there was no sound inside. The building door was tightly closed, so he lifted the veil of air, crossed the doorway and wall, and entered the building.

There were no clam spirits or snake women in the building, no light singing or dancing, only Old Immortal Huang.

Cheng Xinzhan breathed a sigh of relief. On the way here, he had been worried that his departure back then would cause Huangliu Island to be blamed. Now that he was still alive, it was good that he could say and do something much easier.

However, Wong Lao Xian doesn't look well. He's lost his former imposing presence and looks even more obese than he did thirty years ago.

In front of him was a huge table, covered with all kinds of fish and meat. Although they had been cooked, the whole building was still filled with a strong fishy smell.

However, the man ignored this and kept stuffing fish into his mouth. When he choked, he drank large gulps of alcohol, behaving very abnormally.

Old Immortal Huang showed no reaction to Cheng Xinzhan's arrival—more than thirty years had passed, and the demon's cultivation had not undergone any earth-shattering changes, but the difference between the current Renhui Guangfa and the junior cultivator who had just entered the second realm was enormous.

"Old Immortal, how have you been lately?"

A voice suddenly rang out in the empty building.

"who!"

"Snapped--"

Old Master Huang's expression changed drastically. He stood up abruptly, his face filled with panic. He looked around, and the wine cup in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

"It's me, Old Immortal, Feng Bielu."

Cheng Xinzhan, dressed in black, emerged from the void, revealing his figure.

Old Master Huang's eyes widened, his pupils turning red almost instantly, filled with disbelief. He clenched his teeth, his cheeks tense, breathing heavily through his nostrils, the fat on his chin trembling incessantly, and then he roared...
"You scoundrel! You dare come back!"

Old Immortal Huang shouted, spitting out fish meat from his mouth. Then he kicked off with his foot, and his whole body flew down like a mountain of flesh.

"Certainly!"

Cheng Xinzhan stood still, unmoved, and simply extended his finger and uttered a spell.

Huang Laoxian felt like a fish leaping in the water, but at that moment, the water was instantly frozen.

Old Master Huang's face changed color again in an instant. He looked at Cheng Xinzhan in horror, and sweat quickly poured out of his pale, fat face.

"Go!"

Cheng Xinzhan raised his hand again and unleashed a beam of azure light, which shot into the location of the old immortal's liver.

At this moment, the power of the 【定】 spell dissipated, and the old immortal fell to the ground with a thud, immediately writhing in pain and howling shrilly. However, the demon's cries were not from the pain of the fall, but from the "Withering and Flourishing Curse" eroding his liver.

Cheng Xinzhan walked up to him, letting him howl. The void inside the building had been locked by him and concealed with the "Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cloth". This demon was only at the third level of the Golden Core stage, so no matter what big or small movements he made, they could not be heard.

In fact, when the "Death Curse" was cast into the liver, it only caused the liver to ache for a short while, but this demon wailed for a long time. Cheng Xinzhan just watched with a smile and let him cry.

After a moment, the demon seemed to realize it was useless; his voice gradually subsided, but his face was covered in even more sweat, as if he had been drenched in water. He looked timidly at Cheng Xinzhan. Old Immortal Huang couldn't fathom how this little thief's strength had increased so dramatically in just half a century.

Seeing that the demon had become docile, Cheng Xinzhan squatted down and opened his mouth to speak.
"Old Immortal, they say sweat is the fluid of the heart. You've reached the third realm of cultivation, so why are you still sweating so much? I haven't seen you for decades, and you've become far too obese. This isn't good for your health. Besides, why are you drinking alone today without a beauty by your side?"

Old Immortal Huang lay on the ground like a mountain of flesh. Hearing Cheng Xinzhan's words, he wanted to cry, but dared not. He tried to force a smile, but couldn't. His fat face trembled, and he could only say...

"The immortal roams the East Sea freely, a sight to behold. But I am unable to escape, for I introduced the immortal into the Thunderstorm Sea, which angered the demon kings, and thus I have ended up in this predicament."

"Oh?"

Cheng Xinzhan helped Huang Laoxian up.
"Old Immortal, what exactly happened after I left back then?"

Old Immortal Huang was puzzled by Cheng Xinzhan's return, unsure of his intentions, and didn't know how to begin. However, he could sense that the man before him possessed an unfathomable aura, far beyond his capabilities. At the same time, upon introspection, he discovered that his liver had turned into a block of wood, and in his horror, he couldn't help but tremble.

"Before I left, I saw a large hand reach out to grab me. Who was that?" Seeing that Old Immortal Huang seemed terrified and unable to speak, Cheng Xinzhan prompted him with a question.

"It is the Alligator King."

Old Master Huang replied tremblingly.

"And then? Go on."

Old Immortal Huang's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, clutching his liver area, and kowtowed to Cheng Xinzhan.
"Immortal, spare me! Spare me! Please, for the sake of our past relationship, I have done nothing disrespectful to you!"

Cheng Xinzhan helped him up again.

"Old Immortal, do not panic. This is my unique secret technique, the 'Life-Destroying Curse.' The energy of life and death is now locked in your liver. As long as it doesn't dissipate, you'll be fine."

"What if it leaks out?"

"Old Immortal Huang asked, trembling."

"If it dissipates, it depends on what it is. If it's dryness, then the whole person, like the liver, will become a rotten tree stump."

Old Master Huang's legs went weak again.

Cheng Xinzhan helped him up and continued,

"I haven't finished yet. If what comes out is vital energy, then it can help you regulate your liver energy, remove accumulated toxins, nourish your liver, and prolong your life. Old Immortal, your body has long been weakened by wine and women, and now you're overeating like this. I think there are quite a few toxins in your body."

Huang Laoxian immediately understood this familiar tactic of coercion and enticement.
"I will answer whatever the immortal asks."

"Then let's continue. What happened after I left?"

Old Immortal Huang seemed momentarily dazed, then remembered and said,
Then the Alligator King missed its target, and the Thunder Reward Hall fell silent as many demon kings looked at the Alligator King. The Alligator King looked at me, while I looked at Cloud Eagle.

"Yun Ying recounted his encounter with the immortal, saying that the immortal was a disciple of the Blood God Sect on land, but he couldn't explain why the immortal could use Yang Fire."

"Then, the Cloud Eagle was devoured by the Alligator King..."

At this point, Old Master Huang's eyes reddened again, and tears rolled down his cheeks with a blink.

He knew, of course, that the Alligator King enjoyed eating people, but this time it was his adopted son! His heir! Right before his eyes, the Demon King had devoured his only disciple, who had followed him from land to sea!
For the past thirty years, he has heard Yunying's screams every time he closes his eyes.

Cheng Xinzhan fell silent upon hearing this. Huang Yunying was dead, so be it. Cheng Xinzhan had known him. On land, this man had captured mortals for sexual exploitation, and at sea he was even more unscrupulous, buying and selling human corpses, blood food, and clam spirits and snake women. His death was nothing to regret. However, the fact that someone was eaten on the spot in the Demon Palace was still unsettling.

"And then what? The Alligator King let you go? He let Huangliu Island go?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Upon hearing this, Old Immortal Huang laughed, but the laughter was utterly bitter.
"Yes, the Alligator King spared me, but he put a leech in my stomach and made me eat at least 500 catties of fish every day, or I would be bitten to death by the leech. Now I am busy eating meat and refining my essence every day, because if I stop, I will die. I have fattened myself up and now I am just waiting for the Alligator King to come and eat me."

"As for Huangliu Island, hehe, the Alligator King is tired of me. Most of the people here have long since gone to join the Black Boss, Red Second Aunt, and Green Fourth. Those who are still here are either those who had a blood feud with these three families before, and going there would be suicide; or they came from the mainland a long time ago and are used to following me. In any case, those who remain are like me, people with nowhere else to go."

Looking at Huang Laoxian's body covered in fat, and then at the piles of fish and meat on the table, Cheng Xin felt a wave of nausea. She hadn't expected Huang Laoxian to eat so ravenously, just to fatten himself up and wait for someone to come and eat him.

Not everyone possesses the supernatural powers of the Crocodile King. Even those practicing the Gluttonous Devouring Technique among demonic cultivators and the Hungry Ghost Path among ghosts have requirements regarding the food they consume. Someone like Huang Laoxian, who consumes 500 jin of fish daily without interruption—fish devoid of spiritual energy and unprocessed—would eventually die from overeating or poisoning if consumed in excess.

The Alligator King was torturing Huang Laoxian in this way.

Is the Alligator King still asleep?

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Old Master Huang shook his head.
"No, the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses in the north is not peaceful, and the Sand Sea and the South China Sea in the south are also at war. The Alligator King has not been asleep since he returned from the Thunderstorm Sea last time."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded, then asked,
"On the way here, I saw that many people were injured. What happened?"

Old Master Huang gave another bitter smile.

"When it rains, it pours. A few years ago, the Great Sage divided the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses into three and ordered the three corpses to separate. Among them, the Crimson Corpse occupied Stone Forest Island. This Stone Forest Island was originally the boundary island of the four seas of the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses, the Big Belly Sea, the Black Abyss Sea, and the Golden Soup Sea, and it is adjacent to my Yellow Sulfur Island sea area. Now the Crimson Corpse occupies this island, renamed it Fire Dragon Island, and has been expanding and encroaching on my territory."

"Doesn't the Alligator King care?"

Old Master Huang shook his head.
"The Alligator King fought the Crimson Corpse but didn't gain any advantage. In addition, Fire Dragon Island is far from the shore, and my Yellow Sulfur Island is also on the outer edge of the Great Belly Sea. Moreover, the Alligator King never intended to keep me alive, so he turned a blind eye."

"After the Three Corpses separated, the Crimson Corpse and the Lustrous Corpse were separated by the Great Sage to the border between the Sea of ​​Ten Thousand Corpses and the Golden Soup Sea, one in the south and the other in the north, very far apart. The Demon Corpse continued to guard the Three Corpses Island—though it is now called the Earth Yin Island. Although the Crimson Corpse and the Lustrous Corpse are still expanding their territory, the Demon Corpse has stopped and is now focusing on filling in the sea and expanding the island. That one is a Fifth Realm cultivator. With him stopping, the near-shore waters have not been further encroached upon, and the Alligator King is even less willing to wage a major war."

Cheng Xinzhan nodded. He had learned about these things through the Haoran Alliance and Juqu Mountain, but now, through Huang Laoxian's words, he could learn more details from another perspective.

As for the separation of the Three Corpses, it's not hard to guess based on what we learned about the maritime atmosphere in the East China Sea during our time in the Yellow Sea. Clearly, the Three Corpses sticking together would be too intimidating for the many demon kings of the Azure Sea. Furthermore, the Crimson Corpse also possesses a Dragon Corpse, which might have made even the Great Sage Overturning the Seas somewhat displeased; ordering their separation was only a matter of time.

The Red Corpse occupies Fire Dragon Island, which is adjacent to Yellow Sulfur Island in the Big Belly Sea. This is also the reason why he revisited this old place.

However, I never expected that Huangliu Island would be in such a bad state, and that Huang Laoxian would be so rejected by the Crocodile King. This actually makes my plans more advantageous.

"Since the Alligator King wants to abandon you and even execute you, why don't you just surrender to Fire Dragon Island?"

Cheng Xinzhan asked.

Old Immortal Huang sighed. He had considered this idea before; he had even thought of throwing himself into the Red Corpse, let alone the King of the Serpents in the Black Abyss Sea. However, he couldn't remove the shackles binding him. He said...

"The leeches that the Alligator King left in my body could kill me at any time."

Old Master Huang was on the verge of tears. The leeches hadn't been eliminated yet, and now there was this withering and flourishing curse that was killing him. Why was his life so miserable?

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xinzhan's gaze sharpened, and he spoke in a clear voice.

"I am willing to act as your messenger, Elder Immortal, to request an audience with the Crimson Corpse God Lord. I beg him to remove the leeches from your body and relieve your worries, so that my Yellow Sulfur Island can be merged into Fire Dragon Island and rid of the evil crocodile!"

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(End of this chapter)