Headless Immortal

Chapter 107 One catty, two ounces, and four mace

Mass graves.

Go further in.

Lu found a geomantically auspicious site with mountains behind it and a stream in front of it.

Collapse of mountains.

A single punch shattered the rocks and soil on the ground.

Playing in the water.

A shovel-like water shovel dug a deep pit, and Lu Xun placed the black robe inside. The soil flowed and buried it, forming a mound.

A rock was shaved flat with a water jet to be used as a tombstone.

Lu Xun, having expended too much magical power, sat aside to recover, while examining the several new heads he had obtained in the strange space.

Immersion in consciousness.

I saw a huge, dark face with its eyes closed and a bushy beard swaying at the corner of its mouth.

Lu Xun lifted the fat catfish head with an invisible spiritual hand. It felt somewhat slippery to the touch, as if covered with a layer of mucus. The facial features were all very large, far exceeding the size of an ordinary person's head.

The characters, like ink splashes, emerged from the mist and clouds.

The Skull of 'Ayu Hercules' from Taoyuan Township

Species: Scaled catfish (monster)

Quality: Normal

Spell: Vortex

Commentary: Mount Fantiao is barren of vegetation and mostly sand. The Jian River originates there, flows north into the sea, and is abundant with mandarin fish.

Become a Great Monster

"Crush."

[Received ashes: 1.5 taels]

Lu Xun then focused his gaze on the sturgeon's head. These two were 'strongmen', which were of no use to him, so he crushed them into bone coins.

"Crush."

[Received ashes: 1.6 taels]

The skull of the otter scout from Taoyuan Township

Type: Otter (or Strange Otter)

Quality: Normal

Spell: Dive

Commentary: Otters are waterfowl. Carp are caught and placed on the water's edge, arranged on all four sides; this is called a sacrifice.

[Follow the King]

"Crush."

[Received ashes: 1.5 taels]

The head of the 'Young Leader' of Taoyuan Township

Species: Snake (Strange-Frog)

Quality: Normal

Spell: Mirage

The commentary states: The Tuo River originates here and flows north into the Yellow River. It contains many Xiubi fish, which resemble dragons but have white beaks. Their cry is like that of an owl, and eating them cures white skin diseases.

[Following the King, there are plenty of human flesh to eat.]

"Crush."

[Received ashes: 1.7 taels]

The heads of the five shrimp soldiers and crab generals were also destroyed, completely crushed.

[Received ashes: 6.1 taels]

Lu Xun's gaze fell on the pile of bone coins on the other side.

Cremated remains: 1.24 jin (approximately 0.6 kg)

With so much bone money, he could have enhanced all five of the Five Gods' spells to perfection, but he wasn't that happy.

Looking at the newly formed grave mound and the remaining tombstone, Lu Xun clasped his hands in a salute, then turned into a black cat and ran towards the county town.

A few moments.

Return to the courtyard.

He skillfully found the key and opened the door. Since Zhao Jia's family left Meilan County, this place had become his territory. There were a few sets of clothes in a wooden box inside the house.

Wutong Lu Xun locked the door, slowed his breathing, and took out the head of the Peach Blossom Living Buddha. His gilded demonic eyes widened and he examined it carefully.

It resembles a human head or a turtle skull, with round eyes, a tapir-like nose, an elephant's mouth, and sharp teeth. Multiple eyelids droop down, covering its black and gold pupils. Its head is bald without hair, and there is a golden glass gem on its forehead and between its eyebrows.

Excited, trembling, Lu Xun laughed silently as he saw characters formed from condensed green smoke.

[The skull of the monk Hai Heshang, the "Living Buddha King of Taoyuan Township"]

Species: Kun (Demon - Turtle)

Quality: Rare (Green)
Spell: Turtle Treasure

Taoyuan
度化
炮拳
玄甲
硬质
六通

Commentary: It has the body of a turtle and the head of a human, with slightly longer legs. Its shell is like a water fortress, weaving mist and creating mirages, stirring up wind and waves. It has dark green armor, black and gold eyes, and a turtle treasure on its forehead, enabling it to recognize all the wonders of the world.

Lu Xun was overjoyed.

As expected of the Living Buddha of Peach Blossom Spring, he possesses seven basic spells, two more than the Five Tong Mountain Lord. Moreover, when he obtained the Five Tong Mountain Lord's head, there were still two tricks that had not yet been transformed into spells.

If it weren't for the two extraordinary magical arts, the intervention of Confucian, Buddhist, and Taoist masters, and the swordsman's willingness to sacrifice his life, he would never have been able to defeat the Living Buddha of Peach Blossom Village.

Lu Xun, sitting in the courtyard, took off the head of the Five Gods.

As the snow-white hair disappeared, the once robust muscles and flesh became weak again. The naked and headless Lu Xun saw only a blurry gray-black vision. He raised his hands and placed the sea monk's head on his neck.

The head and neck are joined together.

The feeling of weakness quickly subsided, replaced by a powerful and inexplicable surge, as if he had been a stream about to dry up, now being greeted by a torrential downpour and flash flood, and the stream had suddenly become a river.

His slightly pale skin turned bluish-green, and rough wrinkles appeared.

His elephant legs supported his massive body as he stood upright. His withered hands swelled into giant palms. Unlike the Wutong God's oval and rough nails, the Living Buddha's nails were sharper, like the claws of a beast, completely covering his fingertips. Terrifying power was contained in his palms, and black bumps like scales grew on the back of his hands.

All the skin that is not hidden inside the shell and is exposed is covered with these black, scale-like bumps, as if it is a layer of armor covering the body.

The huge oval-shaped turtle shell on its back was not bulky, nor did it feel hard to the touch. Instead, it had a certain elasticity. It was generally blue, but it would turn black when the 'Mysterious Armor Shield' spell was released. As for what it would look like after it died and completely turned into a gem, it was multicolored. Lu Xun did not take a close look at what it looked like.

He opened his folded eyelids, revealing black sclera and golden pupils. His gaze was much higher than that of the Five-Tong Mountain Lord. The difference between seven feet and nine feet was indeed very large. Standing in the courtyard at nearly three meters tall, he was about the same height as that locust tree.

The world seen by the Living Buddha of Taoyuan is similar to that of humans, but much more colorful. The main color is pale gold, which can also be called red. Everything is shimmering in a warm, pale gold. Green and blue are very clear, while the layers of red and yellow are extremely rich. Overall, it is somewhat blurry, like mild nearsightedness.

Living Buddha Lu Xun raised one hand, extended his fingernail to scratch open his arm with hard material, and the turtle-shaped mark on his forehead shone brightly, and the blood flowing from the wound rolled into pearls.

In just two breaths, Lu Xun had already produced a handful of pearls in his hand. He stopped the bleeding, rubbed his hands together, and picked up the pearls.

Compared to his giant hand, the pearls were not large, but they were about the size of a regular marble, roughly one to two centimeters in diameter. They came in all sorts of colors, including red, white, gold, and mixed colors. Their shapes could also be made to his liking, and most of them were round. The mana consumption was not much, but he was hungry.

Clutching a handful of pearls, Lu Xun covered his face and laughed wildly, but as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.

Murder and arson bring wealth and honor, while building bridges and repairing roads leaves no trace of the dead. Clean money is barely enough to make ends meet, and those who can make big money are the most wicked. The primitive accumulation of capital has always been bloody, and no one can avoid it.

Fortunately, we have money now.

Lu Xun picked up the pearl.

smile.

"I'm rich now."

laughing out loud.

"I'm rich!"

Laughing wildly!

A cripple, who finished his studies in an ordinary way, did odd jobs to earn a living and had to save money for medical expenses. He finally got a job that earned him two thousand a day, but lost his life because of it.

Two thousand yuan was a lot for him, but far from enough. Now, he finally had hope of raising that large sum of money. How could he not be overjoyed?

If you have money, you should go back to the modern world.

Lu Xun wiped away what he couldn't tell was snot or tears from his face, his pupils dilated slightly as he looked at the words formed by the dark blue ink.

Why bother going ashore?

"Get ashore?"

Lu Xun carefully pondered these two words. In his world, "going ashore" specifically refers to three categories: taking the postgraduate entrance exam, taking the civil service exam, or taking the civil service exam. Could it be that Hai Heshang also wants to take one of those exams?
He claims to be a living Buddha, so he must be studying Buddhism. It's not easy for a country bumpkin to pass the exam to become a member of the Buddhist order. Even if he tries his best, he won't be favored by the Bodhisattva.

He didn't know what the Eighth King was thinking, but he clearly didn't understand what Buddha was.

The Buddha is high above; he may be confused or deluded, but he must never descend to the mortal world and wallow in the mire.

Master Miaojiang was very clever; he never showed up from beginning to end.

The Eighth King was good because he was taught well. The Eighth King was wrong because he himself misunderstood and went astray.

In Lu Xun's view, his approach was more correct, and even if he was a monster, the county government had no choice but to admit it.

Lu Xun shook his head slightly. Why did the analysis start from the points of Taoyuan Living Buddha's failure?

"Why bother going ashore..."

"The phrase 'why bother' often reflects regret and resentment, but also carries a hint of detachment. Of course, it doesn't necessarily mean 'letting go'; it might just mean there's really no other way."

Lu Xun frowned, rested his chin on his hand, and muttered to himself, putting in all the effort he used to put into doing reading comprehension exercises.

Are they willing or unwilling to accept it?
Considering the Living Buddha's re-ascension to the lotus platform before his death, which brought him into the context of the Eight Great Kings, Lu Xun felt that he must have been unwilling to accept it. However, if there were still any attachments, they shouldn't be to erect statues and temples, refine plum blossoms and orchids, or other things like conversion or studying Buddhism. Therefore, he should still be more carefree.

If you don't go ashore, you're in the water.

Thinking of this, Lu Xun immediately changed to the black cat head.

"Meow!"

"Di."

Toothless folded its wings and landed, its iron-hook-like claws grabbing the black cat. Then it flapped its wings and soared, arriving at the sparsely populated Xunyang River in no time.

Lu Xun asked Wuya to lower him down, and with a splash, he fell into the river.

Head transplant.

The giant turtle, nine feet long, swept away the river water beside it.

Lu Xun discovered that he could see very far underwater, with the riverbed clearly reflected in his eyes. He became increasingly sensitive to colors, as if he were shimmering in a pale golden light. Living Buddha Lu Xun played around freely, swimming several laps before surfacing, catching a few fresh fish, chewing on them himself while tossing one to Toothless.

Sitting on the bank, gazing at the shimmering Xunyang River, Lu Xun sighed deeply. It was indeed not as simple as he had thought.

Generally speaking, monsters' wishes are indeed simpler and purer than humans', but if fulfilling the wishes of the Living Buddha of Peach Blossom Spring could be done by swimming a few laps in the water, that would be far too easy.

They switched back to Wutongshan Jun.

Looking at the strange head of Ni, which was bleeding from its seven orifices in the bizarre space, Lu Xun decided to repair it first.

He still needs a human body to walk when he returns to the modern world. Among the four oddballs, only Mr. Ni can 'humanize' himself. Unless he gets another human head, but ordinary human heads are not as powerful as Mr. Ni. It wouldn't be good for him to frequently change heads and transform in the modern world.

Let's see how much ashes have been consumed first. If it's too much, he'll go to the county government office and find a bandit's den.

"repair."

[Consuming cremated remains: 1.2 taels]

The cracks disappeared, the blemishes were wiped away, and even the remaining bloodstains turned into dust and ashes, leaving everything intact and looking brand new.

"Fortunately."

One tael and two mace far exceeded Lu Xun's budget.

The shattered Qinglin Ni Guai would certainly weigh more than one tael and two mace.

Cremated remains: 1.12 jin (approximately 0.5 kg)

A common head-enhancing spell requires two ounces of bone ash, while a rare head requires four ounces. According to Master Chen, there must be even more powerful monsters and cultivators.

So, above the green quality, there will be even higher quality. Let's not think about legends and myths for now. In short, the strongest thing he has are these two heads.

Since the Living Buddha of Peach Blossom Spring cannot be strengthened yet, let's strengthen the magic of the Five Gods first.

Monkey Fist, Ape Dance, and General's Call are all "entering the hall of mastery," and one pound, one ounce, and two qian are enough to make two spells reach a state of divine perfection.

[Should we enhance the skull of the Five Gods 'Mountain Lord'?]

"strengthen."

[Spell: Monkey Fist (Masterful)] → [Spell: Monkey Fist (Exquisite)]

[Gained supernatural power: Tongbi (通臂) due to mastering the Monkey Fist technique.]

[Through-arm]

Type: Supernatural Power

Effect: Slightly increases martial arts proficiency (+4%)

Commentary: My fists roam the swirling currents of the four great rivers, my martial prowess once shook even King Yu. I once relied on this skill to fight dragons on Turtle Mountain, strike phoenixes above, and subdue the Black Tortoise below; I am invincible among the water-controlling armies. —Wuzhiqi, Water God of the Huai River, Great Sage of the Water Ape.

Lu Xun bent down and jumped into the open space on the riverbank, opened his fists, and performed a round of Ape-style Fist.

The smooth, rounded movements of the past are gone; the punches and kicks are fast, exceptionally graceful, combining speed with stability, accuracy, and crispness.

If Sun Shen were standing here watching, he would surely be dumbfounded.

This was no longer a rudimentary mastery, but the work of a seasoned practitioner of the Ape Form Fist, whose spirit and energy were completely concentrated at one point, achieving perfect unity of inner and outer strength. His fists spun like a spinning wheel, revealing no flaws whatsoever.

Wutong Lu Xun was originally an ape, but now he took on the appearance of a mountain lord. He fought and battled, unleashing his magical power and urging his blood and qi to fly through the mountain streams and run through the jungle, integrating his kung fu into his body and making full use of his ape arms.

Gathering his strength, Lu Xun remained calm and composed, his breathing becoming instinctive.

If the Lord of Wutong Mountain is already so powerful, then what must the Great Sage of the Water Ape look like?
[Should we enhance the skull of the Five Gods 'Mountain Lord'?]

"strengthen!"

[Spell: Commanding Generals (Advanced)] → [Spell: Commanding Generals (Masterful)]

[Gained supernatural power: Bright Spirit due to mastering magical techniques]

【Mingling】

Type: Supernatural Power

Effect: Slightly increases the buff to spirits (+4%).

Commentary: An army's strength lies in its quality, not its quantity; a general's strength lies in his strategy, not his bravery. Among all living beings, the supreme are called saints, and monsters are called great saints; this is the great saint's selection of generals. — Yu Rong King

It's a bit of a shame that the Monkey Dance skill wasn't enhanced, but the general selection skill looks pretty good too.

Wutong Lu Xun immediately summoned Toothless, circulated his magic power, and a point of green light condensed in the center of his palm. He then pushed it out to envelop Toothless, who had folded his wings.

The toothless general, which was about four feet tall, inflated its body like a balloon. Then its legs became thick and resembled human legs, and its wings folded and twisted into arms, growing out palms.

The spindle-shaped haircut is still the same, only bigger, and the facial features are clearer, making him look more human.

General Toothless seemed to be taken aback by his own transformation.

All it knows is that it is becoming stronger.

In my childhood.

A humanoid eagle-like monster appeared.

The eagle-like monster knelt on the ground, its hoarse voice, which sounded like a bird's cry, rang out: "Toothless, greetings to the Great King!"

A look of astonishment flashed in Lu Xunyao's eyes; he hadn't expected the "divine skill" to be so powerful.

If the Toothless General was at most a little sprite with awakened intelligence before, now he is a proper monster, just like the talking monsters in Peach Blossom Village, and perhaps even more powerful.

"Can you change back?"

"can."

Toothless transformed back into his Nighthawk form, but compared to his original height of less than four feet, he now stands at five feet seven or eight inches tall in his Nighthawk form alone.

Lu Xun immediately changed into the cat head.

"Walk."

He couldn't wait to give Grey Baby a go.

(End of this chapter)