Taoist priests in the supernatural world

Chapter 108 Ascending to the Immortal Ranks, the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West

Xu Fu died.

The stench of burning permeated the surrounding area.

Inside the Pill Hall, the surging Taiyin Sea Mirage Fire gradually died down, leaving only a few wisps of eerie blue flames drifting along the ground.

As Xu Fu's breath ceased, Ying Zheng's body gradually returned to normal.

Ying Zheng slowly got up, panting heavily.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his chest heaved violently.

Just a moment ago, he almost truly felt death.

This feeling is more terrifying than being stabbed with knives and axes.

Ying Zheng looked up at Huang Bai, gazing at this god who wielded thunder and stood high above.

"immortal……"

When these two words came from Ying Zheng's mouth, they were no longer just a term used by emperors seeking immortality.

After today's events, Ying Zheng finally understood that the fame, wealth, and imperial power he once took pride in meant little to those who were truly capable.

He claimed that his achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and his virtue exceeded that of the Five Emperors.

He ruled over the entire country, commanding all counties and prefectures to obey the orders of the Great Qin.

If the person before him wished, a single bolt of lightning could turn this First Emperor into charred remains.

Even the might of an emperor is nothing compared to the thunder magic of an immortal.

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng suppressed his surging emotions and reached out to pick up the jade box on the table.

Inside the jade box lay three elixirs of immortality.

Ying Zheng held up the jade box with both hands, his attitude much more polite than before.

"If it weren't for the Immortal Elder's help today, I'm afraid I would have been killed by Xu Fu."

"Please accept these three elixirs of immortality, sir."

This tactic is a strategic retreat.

Having risen from adversity to become the ruler of the world, Ying Zheng naturally understood when to be assertive and when to yield.

To act like an emperor of all ages when facing someone like Huang Bai who has truly mastered immortal arts and thunder magic is not a sign of authority, but rather foolishness.

Huang Bai accepted the jade box.

The jade box felt slightly cool to the touch, and its surface was engraved with cloud and star patterns.

Just as he was about to speak, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

"His Majesty!"

"Is His Majesty well?"

A squad of guards rushed outside the hall, the clanging of their armor particularly jarring.

Ying Zheng turned around, his voice regaining its imperial majesty.

Nothing happened.

"You may all leave."

The guards outside the palace hesitated for a moment, but dared not disobey.

"promise!"

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Huang Bai looked at Ying Zheng and said:

"There are two more people outside. Have someone bring them over."

Ying Zheng did not ask any further questions and immediately ordered his attendants to go.

Huang Bai's gaze then fell once again on the three elixirs of immortality in the jade box.

The surface of the elixir gleamed with a strange luster, resembling neither gold nor jade, and faintly carrying the aura of an extraterrestrial meteorite.

This thing looked warm and smooth, yet it made him feel a little awkward.

Soon, Song Wuji and Gao Yao were brought into the Pill Hall.

As soon as Gao Yao entered, he couldn't help but look around.

He stared wide-eyed at the immortal dew-collecting lamps on both sides, at the bronze artifacts in the Dan Hall, and then at Ying Zheng in the distance.

"Good heavens...this is the palace? This is the emperor?"

The subconscious egalitarian perspective that modern people possess made Ying Zheng frown slightly.

In the Qin Dynasty, no one had ever dared to stare at him so directly.

Not to mention looking at him with such a curious gaze.

However, since Gao Yao was brought by Huang Bai, Ying Zheng ultimately did not react.

Huang Bai looked at Song Wuji.

"Wuji, you and Gao Yao go and search to see what Xu Fu left behind."

Song Wuji immediately cupped his hands in greeting.

"clear."

He patted his chest and assured them:

"Rest assured, Immortal Elder, no one understands the customs of the Fangxian Daoist Canon better than me."

After saying this, Song Wuji took the talisman and magic sword handed to him by Huang Bai, and then, along with the Qin Emperor's guards, headed straight for the main hall where Xu Fu and the others lived.

Soon, only Huang Bai and Ying Zheng remained in the Pill Hall.

The flames in the alchemy furnace went out completely.

The candles and lamps held by immortals on both sides flickered, casting a dim and illuminating light throughout the hall.

The strange phenomena on Huang Bai's body have subsided.

He picked up an elixir of immortality, sensing the lingering medicinal power and celestial energy within it, and slowly said:

"You have almost exhausted the Qin state's resources for these three elixirs of immortality."

Ying Zheng fell silent.

He certainly understood what those words meant.

Over the years, the Qin Dynasty has indeed paid a huge price for the elixir of immortality.

Ying Zheng had always believed that any price was worth paying in order to achieve immortality.

Now that Xu Fu's true colors have been revealed, he realizes that he almost did someone else's favor.

After a long silence, Ying Zheng finally couldn't help but ask, "Immortal, is there any way to remedy this?"

Huang Bai put away a pill.

There is no remedy.

Huang Bai continued:

"Shang Yang's methods of governing the people, which lasted for more than a hundred years, had already accumulated countless grievances among the people."

"This system could support Qin's conquest of the six states, but it may not be able to support Qin's governance of the world."

Ying Zheng did not refute, for he could certainly tell that what Huang Bai said was not entirely unreasonable.

Huang Bai then said:

"Unifying the country does not mean that the people's hearts are with Qin. The people of the six states cannot become Qin people overnight."

"The Qin army swept across the land, but at the same time, it also accumulated resentment among the six states."

"If the Qin state were to perish in the future, it would surely be like a wildfire spreading across the plains."

A hint of resentment flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes.

He devoted all his efforts to unifying the world, not so that the Qin Dynasty would perish with the Second Emperor.

Huang Bai's words were like a knife, directly cutting open the deepest hidden dangers of the Qin Dynasty.

Huang Bai changed the subject, saying, "However, before you worry about the Qin state, you'd better worry about your own lifespan first."

"My lifespan?"

"The pills Xu Fu gave you were meant to possess your body. Although Xu Fu is dead, the poison he left in your body is still there."

"These erysipelas will continuously damage your body, and you will surely die within two or three years."

These words struck Ying Zheng like a bolt from the blue.

He sought immortality for many years, but unexpectedly, instead of achieving it, he died young.

This outcome would be unacceptable to anyone.

Moreover, he was the First Emperor, who had just unified the six kingdoms and believed he would establish an everlasting dynasty.

Ying Zheng asked in a deep voice:

"Is there any way to remedy this, Immortal?"

Huang Bai put the three immortality pills into the Muchen Pearl.

"There's no remedy, but I have a solution that satisfies both sides. Would you like to hear it?"

Ying Zheng's eyes flickered, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Please speak, Immortal Elder."

Huang Bai did not answer immediately.

He walked straight to the table next to him and poured himself a glass of wine.

The wine was poured into the cup, reflecting the dim light of the lamp.

Huang Bai picked up his wine cup and changed the subject.

Do you know how the Qin Dynasty fell? And what dynasty followed?

Ying Zheng remained silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile.

"The immortal knows five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future. How could I, a mere mortal, possibly know what will happen in the future?"

At this moment, he no longer even used the self-reference "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I, the Emperor").

With his wish for immortality shattered, Ying Zheng couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

It was through the centuries of struggle of the Qin rulers that the Qin state achieved its unification of the world.

If the Qin Dynasty were to deplete its resources and even perish because of his selfish desires, how would he face his predecessors?

How should we face the ancestral temples of the Qin state?

Ying Zheng took a deep breath, still with a sliver of stubbornness, and asked:

"However, the Qin Dynasty should have lasted at least five or six generations, right?"

Huang Bai glanced at him and laughed, "Wrong, it will perish after two generations."

"Afterwards, Liu Bang established the Tude Han Dynasty, replacing the Qin Dynasty."

"Died after only two generations..."

Disbelief appeared in Ying Zheng's eyes.

He could accept that the Qin state would one day decline, and that his descendants would be unworthy.

It is even acceptable that the Qin Dynasty was replaced by another dynasty a hundred years later.

But he could not accept dying after only two generations.

That would mean that his vast empire, which he had just established, would collapse in the next generation before it could truly be stabilized.

"Liu Bang..."

Ying Zheng frowned as he read the name.

"Who is this person? Why have I never heard of him before?"

Huang Bai said, "Just the head of the Sishui Pavilion."

Ying Zheng was stunned.

Then, he smiled with relief.

"The head of the Sishui Pavilion, a mere pavilion head, was able to seize the entire Qin Dynasty."

"It seems that Liu Bang truly had the mandate of heaven."

Huang Bai swirled his wine cup and suddenly said, "However, Liu Bang didn't necessarily have to be just one person."

Ying Zheng looked up, as if he had thought of something.

Huang Bai looked at him and said:

"Why can't it be you?"

Ying Zheng was stunned for a long time.

Inside the Dan Hall, the candlelight flickered silently.

After a long while, he understood what Huang Bai meant.

If Xu Fu's blue eyes and square pupils could possess my body, why can't I possess others?

Since the replacement of the water element with the earth element is ordained by Heaven, why can't I become the earth element?

The Qin state was burdened with deep-seated problems and widespread resentment, carrying too much historical baggage.

If he were to change his body and identity, and establish a new dynasty under the name of "Liu Bang," he could not only get rid of the old debts of the Qin Dynasty, but also extend his lifespan and keep the destiny of the world in his own hands.

As for the name of the country...

It's fine if it's changed.

For Ying Zheng, the word "Qin" was never truly important.

Rather, it's about whether the world is still in his hands.

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng stood up and bowed deeply to Huang Bai.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

"No need for formalities, consider this payment for your offering of the elixir."

Huang and Bai advocate equal transactions.

When Ying Zheng offered him the elixir of immortality, he pointed out a new path for him.

Whether Ying Zheng was a great emperor of all time or the First Emperor was not of great importance to him.

The plan has been provided.

Whether or not to use it was up to Ying Zheng himself.

……

At the foot of Mount Li.

Fangxian Daoist Temple.

As night fell, the earth returned to silence.

Inside the side hall study, dim yellow light shone through the paper windows.

The study was filled with bamboo slips, silk books, jade tablets, and bronze and stone artifacts.

Huang Bai sat at the desk, perusing the books left behind by Xu Fu.

Song Wuji was indeed familiar with Fang Xiandao's book collecting habits.

In just half a night, they found quite a few valuable items.

The scroll in Huang Bai's hand is titled "Taiyin Refining Form and Seizing Body Method".

This method was the foundation upon which Xu Fu extended his lifespan.

Xu Fu's predecessor was named Xu Shi.

Only after possessing a new body did he adopt the name Xu Fu.

This was originally his second possession.

If Huang Bai hadn't intervened, Ying Zheng's body, that of a water-virtue emperor, would have become Xu Fu's new shell.

Huang Bai turned to the last page, seemingly lost in thought.

"Each time a body is possessed, the soul is damaged."

"After a maximum of three possessions, the soul will be completely scattered."

"No wonder Xu Fu continued his search for the secret to immortality."

This spell may seem to prolong life, but it actually carries enormous hidden dangers.

Each time a body is possessed, the spirit is damaged.

The more bodies one possesses, the more chaotic one's consciousness becomes, and the more incomplete one's soul becomes.

Such a path to immortality is not advisable.

However, the Taiyin Sea Mirage Fire left behind by Xu Fu is quite valuable.

Although this fire is called fire, its nature is closer to that of water-based alchemy.

Huang Bai now possesses the Taiyi True Fire.

If it were further refined into the Taiyin Sea Mirage Fire, with one yang and one yin, one fire and one water, it would complement each other perfectly.

……

Penglai in Qi.

The sea was calm, and a misty haze hung in the air.

On the distant sea, the mist refracts the sunlight, creating a mirage that appears both real and illusory.

Wow!

A massive ship sailed against the wind and waves, and docked steadily at the shore.

The ship's hull is jet black, and its prow is carved in the shape of a dragon's head, with red gemstones embedded in its eyes.

From a distance, it looks like a black dragon returning from the sea.

After the ship came to a stop, groups of sorcerers dressed in black and red disembarked one after another.

They lined up in two rows on the shore, knelt on one knee, and shouted in unison:

"We respectfully invite the two Dao Masters!"

Twelve golden boys and jade girls supported two magnificent canopies.

Beneath the canopy, two sorcerers dressed in purple robes and wearing golden crowns slowly disembarked from the boat.

The leader was nine feet tall, with a dragon's head and a human body.

Its head and neck were covered in jet-black scales, which reflected a luster like black iron.

His vertical pupils were cold and deep, sending chills down one's spine at first glance.

The person behind him was also nine feet tall, but had a human head and a dragon's body, with black scales and red mane.

Its long tail drags on the ground, and when it sways gently, it sweeps a shallow mark across the rocky surface.

These two men were Zou Yan and Zou Shi.

Shuangzou.

Zou Yan looked up at the celestial phenomena.

After a moment, he slowly said:

"Xu Fu is dead. It seems there really is an extraordinary individual, and this extraordinary individual's abilities are quite considerable."

Zou Shi snorted coldly, and the dragon tail behind him swung, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"No matter what kind of anomaly it may be, it cannot stop us from joining the ranks of the immortals."

He looked toward the direction of China, his vertical pupils filled with coldness.

"Perfect, let's use this extraordinary number to open the bronze gate of the Queen Mother of the West."

……

Inside the alchemy room.

Huang Bai's face was solemn as he continued to peruse the ancient myths recorded by Xu Fu.

The characters on the silk scroll are ancient and worn, and many parts are damaged.

However, the remaining information still allowed Huang Bai to see a path different from that of ordinary alchemists.

"So there's another kind of alchemist."

The alchemists who practice qi cultivation, ingest elixirs, refine pills, seek medicine, and ascend to immortality are referred to as the lineage of immortals who ascend to heaven.

Therefore, the lineage recorded in the silk manuscript can be called immortality and ascension to heaven.

The practitioners of this path are different from those who ascend to immortality through ethereal grace.

These sorcerers often exhibit unusual physical characteristics, such as having the head of an animal and the body of a human, or the head of a human and the body of an animal.

Legend has it that this path was taught by the Queen Mother of the West, and can also be called the Queen Mother of the West's Immortal Path.

This Queen Mother of the West is not the dignified and elegant Queen Mother of the West from later mythology.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas states:

The Queen Mother of the West has the appearance of a human, with a leopard's tail and tiger's teeth, and is good at howling. She has disheveled hair and wears a headdress. She is in charge of the calamities of the heavens and the five punishments.

She resides high in Kunlun, holding the elixir of immortality.

The Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West is located deep in Kunlun, a place where countless alchemists dream of joining the ranks of immortals.

"The elixir of immortality..."

Huang Bai took out the three elixirs of immortality.

The elixir lay quietly in his palm.

Its medicinal properties are profound, containing the essence of a meteorite from outer space.

Judging solely from its medicinal properties, this elixir does indeed possess the ability to prolong life, preserve youth, and maintain physical vitality.

However, the problem is also obvious.

First, this medicine was made from meteorites from outer space.

If one leaves this world, will the so-called immortality still be effective?

Second, after taking this medicine, will one be branded with the mark of the Queen Mother of the West's Kingdom and become a so-called immortal among the ranks of immortals?

Third, does the so-called "ascending to the ranks of immortals" mean living a carefree and immortal life, or becoming a celestial official or sacrifice under the name of some being?

Huang Bai held the pills and gently shook his head.

"This situation is absolutely unacceptable. It's so much better to be carefree and independent; who would want to take a job?"

Moreover, Xu Fu's documents also vaguely revealed one thing.

To be ennobled as an immortal requires some kind of sacrifice.

The offerings were most likely not gold, jade, or livestock, but people.

For example, a person with a specific destiny, an extraordinary individual from outer space, the fate of a dynasty, or the lives of billions of living beings.

A faint golden light flickered in Huang Bai's eyes as he thought to himself:

"From this perspective, the Queen Mother of the West and her sorcerers are the real culprits who brought chaos to the world."