For ten years I practiced Gu poison in Southeast Asia; all living beings revered me as a deity.

The Iron Ship King's sword did not fall!

The moment the Flower Demoness's blood lotus flew out, the black sword seemed to be stopped by some force, hanging in mid-air, as if there was an invisible barrier blocking the black sword.

"This...this is...a celestial treasure, the 'Double-Petaled Blood Lotus,' formed using the power of the Flower Demon Goddess?"

A look of shock flickered across the old man's face—

The blood-red lotus flower spun around and flew out. This lotus flower had a single blood-red eye, from which gushing blood flowed and dripped down from mid-air.

The naked eye of an ordinary person cannot see the true nature of this blood lotus at this moment, but Mao Geng, as the "Iron Ship Master" of the Three Ships Sect, can naturally see it very clearly.

This blood lotus is a flower of flesh and blood formed when a person's facial features and skull are compressed and burst open.

The woman in red was the "Flower Demoness," and her features "bloomed," like an orange peel being peeled open to form the outermost petals of a lotus.

The lotus's many petals are composed of fragmented flesh and brain tissue. This flower of flesh and blood bursts apart and takes shape, with a single eye growing from the very center.

It was a blood-red eyeball, as clear as glass.

"Master Iron Ship" Mao was able to clearly observe the blood lotus flower through the senses within the "realm".

A figure was also reflected in the blood-red single eye.

The old man had lost his right eye in the past, and his only remaining left eye suddenly widened. He stared blankly at the single eye in the blood lotus, and the figure reflected in it was clearly his own—a disheveled old man was reflected in that single eye.

It was a gaunt old man, so thin he was skin and bones, with a sunken left eye socket from which a pale green will-o'-the-wisp appeared.

The man with the bloodshot eyes grinned at him.

—But there was something unsettling about that smile.

"not good!"

Mao suddenly realized that he had been tricked.

At the same time, the gaunt old man with bloodshot eyes grabbed a bone chopstick and stabbed it into his own throat.

Pfft!

A stream of blood gushed from Mao Geng's throat.

Damn!

His right hand was still striking the copper bowl, but because he used too much force, the bone chopstick broke with a crack.

The bronze bowl shattered with a loud crack, breaking into four pieces.

"There's another trick..."

Mao opened his single eye wide, a dark gray color began to seep from his face, and his eyes were filled with deathly stillness.

He clearly understood that he had lost.

They lost terribly!

The domain of "King Huiwei's Ghostly Iron Ship" has been breached...

A deafening roar!

explosion.

The bonfire behind the boat-shaped altar suddenly exploded, as if it had been filled with gunpowder. With crackling sparks, many half-burnt pieces of wood and sawdust flew out.

Some of the Mifune sect members enshrined nearby were also affected, letting out a series of screams.

Several believers got too close and either had their clothes and hair burned by the flames, rolled around on the ground in a sorry state, were hit by flying wood, or had their faces covered in blood from splinters.

Mao Geng's neck was still bleeding. A normal person would have fainted and gone into shock long ago from bleeding this much, but the old man gritted his teeth.

Ignoring the wound in his throat, he forcefully wiped his face.

In a daze, the face of this "Iron Ship Master" seemed to transform into dozens of different faces, each with a different expression.

His face quickly turned bluish, his skin seemed to be eroded by some invisible force, turning pale white, and then developing dark purple lividity, showing signs of decay.

"One face for every year of life, ten faces for ten years of life... For every face you take away, you lose ten more years of life!"

Mao let out a hoarse sound, and with his five fingers he gripped his face tightly, tearing off his own skin with a ripping sound.

It was a bloody human face. Mao Geng let out a scream and peeled off his own face—beneath his face, as if by metamorphosis, a middle-aged man's face grew back.

"Ahem... You win this time."

Mao coughed several times and then chuckled sinisterly.

"But, you old devil... will you have another chance?"

……

……

On one side of the boundary, the celestial treasure "Double-Petaled Blood Lotus" successfully completed its mission, destroying the altar of "Iron Ship Master" Mao Geng, who was also seriously injured.

Before Luo Feng, the towering figure of the "Iron Ship King" flickered in and out of existence, then burst silently like a bubble, leaving no trace.

"What... what is this?"

Luo Feng frowned.

In the time it takes to breathe, the realm shattered amidst the tremors, with thin, long black cracks appearing across an area spanning dozens of miles.

Click.

Just like shattered glass, the entire realm space suddenly cracked open, and in the next breath, countless fragmented scenes appeared—numerous streams of light, black rivers, and the huge black iron ship all turned into nothingness.

Then, just as the tide receded, the material, real world returned to his sight.

Luo Feng let out a deep breath. He felt that his trip had been worthwhile, as he had finally witnessed the most treasured inheritance of the Datuk Temple lineage: "Immortal Arts".

The true nature of the Yin Master's immortal techniques was also fully revealed to him.

"Disciple, please help me up!"

Diao Wudou's voice was very deep.

"it is good."

Luo Feng turned his head and was surprised to find that Diao Wudou had aged dramatically in that instant, his hair had turned completely white, and his wrinkles had become even deeper.

"Master, what's wrong?"

"The Sanfu sect's Mao Geng had Ya Bo lie in wait at the Datuk Temple for over ten years... Ya Bo originally planned to assassinate me, but I saw through his plan."

Diao Wudou coughed weakly a few times.

"We fought, and the mute man was no match for me. I chased him away. But he had poisoned me beforehand."

Of course, this poison won't kill me, but it's causing my condition to deteriorate continuously. The mental strain from my fight with Mao Geng just now far exceeded my expectations.

He sighed softly.

"The essence of the two fives is the vitality and life force of a person, as well as their lifespan... I have surpassed Mao Geng, but I cannot overcome fate and destiny. I am afraid I will not live much longer."

"Is there no remedy?"

Luo Feng quickly pressed for more information.

Diao Wudou shook his head.

"I am already seventy-two years old this year, and I didn't have many years left to live... First I was poisoned, and then I used the sect's 'immortal technique,' which caused even greater damage. It's like a broken jar; my lifespan will only continue to slip away. I doubt there's any way to remedy this."

He paused, then said slowly, "Unless one can complete the 'Spiritual Map of the Eight Immortals and Five Saints Making Havoc in the Sea,' and comprehend the complete spiritual map, then one can reverse the fate of heaven and find the opportunity to become an immortal or saint and achieve immortality."

To become an immortal or a saint, to live forever?

Luo Feng was completely confused.

"Miao Sheng, come in."

Diao Wudou said in a deep voice, "There are some things I must make clear to you, the real secrets of our Datuk Temple lineage."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the temple.

Luo Feng followed him inside, his intuition telling him that Diao Wudou hadn't lied to him.

This old man probably has something to tell his "little disciple" before he dies.

"Sit down."

Diao Wudou sat in a rattan chair, holding a bowl of tea in his right hand.

"Do you know why that 'Iron Ship Master' Mao Geng is causing me trouble?"

"Wasn't it for revenge?"

Luo Feng asked, "He wasn't originally a disciple of the Datuk Temple. He was expelled after making a mistake and harbored resentment, which is why he came back specifically to take revenge."

That's just an illusion.

Diao Wudou shook his head.

"Mao Geng is a man with a very deep obsession. He is exceptionally talented and a formidable figure. Although he joined the lowly San Chuan Sect, he has also mastered a great deal of skill. If he hadn't made things difficult for me, he could have been the Iron Ship Master and roamed freely without any scruples."

Although I despise his character, this old devil must have lived quite well all these years thanks to his evil magic and sorcery. His insistence on causing me trouble is actually because he's after the "Eight Immortals and Five Saints' Manifestations in the Sea"—he wants immortality and to become an immortal!

"Does our Datuk temple lineage truly possess the means to achieve immortality?"

Luo Feng was somewhat puzzled.

"How difficult it is for a human to become an immortal..."

Diao Wudou shook his head again.

"But even if you don't become a true immortal, becoming a 'false immortal' is fine too. Don't you think those evil spirits can also live forever and have all sorts of strange powers? Wouldn't you consider them a kind of 'immortal'?"

Luo Feng's expression was somewhat strange.

He finally remembered something: the wooden statue of the Nine Incomplete Ancestor.

"Do you know?"

Diao Wudou looked at Luo Feng seriously.

"The Nine Incomplete Ancestor of the Datuk Temple transformed himself into a 'ghost,' and he wanted to use the 'ghost' body to become a true immortal... After he became a ghost, he was neither alive nor dead, and was in a state that was neither alive nor dead."

Of course, the ultimate goal of the Nine Incomplete Ancestor was not to actually become a ghost, but to use the "ghost body" to complete a transformation, to be reborn from death, to become a true immortal from a false immortal. He wanted to be reborn after becoming a ghost and turn back into a human.

Once the Nine-Incomplete Ancestor is able to transform from a ghost into a human, he will be able to reverse life and death, seize the immortal secrets of heaven and earth, and truly become an immortal or a saint!