【The Morgue】.
In the dim world, a simple, high platform stood. On the platform rested an open, towering book, engraved with ancient and majestic seal characters.
Wang Ping opened his eyes.
After staring blankly for a long time, he finally woke from the aftereffects of resurrection, and a rather tempting thought arose: Should I resurrect and go back right now?
In the battle just now, he had slaughtered a third of the yamen’s constables, and all four veteran constables at external perfection had died in combat. Frankly speaking, the Imperial Court’s foundation of rule in Longxing County was mostly destroyed. If he resurrected and charged back now, there was a high probability he could kill Xu Bingzheng!
Thinking of this, Wang Ping’s hands suddenly itched to act.
However, upon seeing his bare hands and empty self, he quickly calmed down. “No, all my weapons were destroyed in that battle.”
The Black Hornless Dragon Bow, the ox-tail saber, the heart-protecting mirror, the exquisite belt, the soft armor… all the weapons suited to his martial arts were ruined.
These external items wouldn’t return just because he resurrected. Therefore, even if he resurrected on the spot, his combat power would plummet without them.
“Besides, the 【Otherworldly Heavenly Demon】 still needs to cool down.”
“Xu Bingzheng’s cultivation is already higher than mine, and I have no margin for error. If I don’t return in my peak state, I might accidentally mess up…”
After thinking it over, Wang Ping decided to play it safe.
After all, he wasn’t the stubborn type. Being a brute was just a disguise; his recklessness often followed a strict logic. Brainless rushing was just courting death.
“It is never too late for a gentleman to take his revenge.”
“I should go to the Immortal Sect world first. Once I cultivate immortality and learn a few spiritual arts, returning to strike down these vulgar martial artists from a higher dimension is the best plan.”
But before that…
Wang Ping shifted his gaze and looked at the towering book before him with some anticipation. Right before he died, he used his own corpse for the settlement.
【The Taiping Classic】 happened to have one empty slot for a scripture scroll.
What would he draw this time?
As if responding to his thoughts, the massive book soon lit up with a faint glow that spread across the pages at a visible speed.
On the blank page, Wang Ping quickly saw scenes from his recent life. To his surprise, Madam Su appeared most frequently in the images. The visions spanned from his conversations with her, to his suicidal charge into the city, and finally to Madam Su’s conversation with a tall woman in the peach grove…
“A conversation struck, life and death shared, a promise worth a thousand gold.”
For a moment, watching this made Wang Ping feel slightly embarrassed. After all, the root reason he could disregard life and death was that he could resurrect and start over.
Without that ability, he admitted he lacked the resolve to sacrifice his life for righteousness.
“I didn’t expect 【The Taiping Classic】 to show scenes after my death. Looking at her situation, someone from the Su family in the capital must have come to receive her.”
Wang Ping shifted his gaze to the tall woman behind Madam Su. Just one glance made his spiritual sense ache slightly.
Clearly, this tall woman’s strength was exceptional. The last person to trigger such a reaction in his spiritual sense was Xu Bingzheng at his peak.
This put his mind at ease; his death wasn’t in vain this time.
The next second, the images shattered. Wang Ping’s consciousness returned to reality, and the text on the third page of the towering book finally settled.
【Scroll Three: A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold】
【For a promise made in life, you marched forth generously even at the cost of your life. Your actions left an indelible impression in someone’s heart.】
Wang Ping carefully read the scroll’s contents.
After a long while, he gently rubbed his temples, a hint of joy in his eyes. “The effect of this scroll… is completely different from what I imagined.”
In short, it was a loan.
“Once 【A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold】 is activated, I can write down a 【Promise】 on the scroll, and then draw the results of fulfilling that 【Promise】 in advance.”
“As long as I fulfill the 【Promise】 within the time limit, I permanently keep the pre-drawn results. Conversely, if I fail, the scroll will cause a backlash. Not only will the pre-drawn results vanish, but the scroll itself will be destroyed and rendered unusable.”
“Of course, there is an exception.”
“That is if I suddenly die after making a 【Promise】. Once a person dies, the pre-drawn results disappear, and the 【Promise】 naturally resets.”
When a person dies, their debts vanish. It was as simple as that.
Looking at the scroll, Wang Ping fell into deep thought.
“This scroll… can’t be used to kill people. After all, a person can’t die twice. Using that as a 【Promise】 almost guarantees I’ll break my word.”
Furthermore, using it to directly boost combat power is difficult. If I use this scroll to break through to a Titled Martial Master directly, how do I break through again afterward? The price of crippling my cultivation to restart is too high.
Thinking it over, only one application offered the best value.
“Cultivation.”
Whether martial arts or immortal spiritual arts, as long as I use this scroll, I can draw the results in advance. Then, when I turn back to actually cultivate it, the efficiency will yield twice the result with half the effort.
Just like when he cultivated 【Qi Ward】. With the experience infused from his time as a Lishi, he cultivated the spiritual art to the bone-connecting and sinew-linking level in a very short time.
He was just one step away from covering his body in true qi to become invulnerable to swords and spears. This was the boost to cultivation speed by “boarding the train first and buying the ticket later.”
“…It’s a good item indeed.”
Wang Ping rubbed his chin. If he had this scroll earlier and took a loan to draw out the perfection stage of the 【Heaven-Shaking Cloud-Piercing Bow】 in advance… he might have really stormed the county yamen!
At this thought, Wang Ping remembered the 【Heaven’s Will Soul-Returning Pill】 he willingly handed to Xu Bingzheng before dying. A smile surfaced in his eyes.
“Calculating the time, that dog official should have started testing it by now, right?”
“With his abilities, he’ll easily spot the Intestine-Severing Pill powder I planted in the outer shell. It doesn’t matter, though. That was just a decoy.”
The 【Heaven’s Will Soul-Returning Pill】 he gave Xu Bingzheng was a version Wang Ping meticulously reforged. The outermost shell used the original pill’s skin. The middle layer was swapped out for the Intestine-Severing Pill. The innermost core reverted to the original pill, but he uniformly mixed the Intestine-Severing Pill powder into its shell.
The two pills were perfectly blended together like this, simultaneously possessing both restorative and highly toxic properties.
This was no longer a mundane method.
“Only I, possessing spiritual sense, could so precisely slice open two pills, seamlessly piece them together, paste them back, and blend them into one.”
According to Wang Ping’s estimation, no matter how cautious Xu Bingzheng was, he was ultimately just a mortal without spiritual sense. No testing method could detect the trap within the pill.
“If he chooses to eat it himself, I might not even need to lift a finger. Once I return from the Immortal Sect, I’ll probably hear news of the Magistrate’s sudden death…”
Returning from cultivating immortality to find the Magistrate dead—that sounds like music to my ears~!
“Unfortunately, the Immortal Sect world is different from the Great Shun Dynasty. I can’t consume destiny to select an identity. I can only let 【The Taiping Classic】 choose randomly…”
He just hoped he would randomly roll a disciple identity this time and avoid being a Lishi again.
Having thought this far, Wang Ping didn’t linger. He stood up, patted his sleeves, and strode toward the portal of the 【Otherworldly Heavenly Demon】.
Clang!
A golden brilliance accompanied the sound of the portal opening. Wang Ping’s vision was quickly flooded, and his consciousness grew heavy, as if sinking to the bottom of the sea.
After an unknown amount of time, a strange “floating sensation” swept across his body. The golden light gradually faded and scattered. His five senses resumed operation. Brand new sights, sounds, and smells swarmed him, accompanied by a massive influx of memories.
“Senior Sister, just relax.”
“This one was originally going to be made into a Lishi. I pulled some strings with the guarding Senior Brother to get him out.”
“The records say he is not only a natural 【Desire Realm Deva】, but has also practiced many mortal martial arts. His blood and qi are vigorous. You could say he is one in ten thousand.”
“His value as a human sacrifice is very high!”
The voices rang in his ears as Wang Ping quickly integrated his surging memories. Soon, however, he was surprised to hear a familiar voice.
“Naturally, I trust you two junior brothers.”
The voice was soft and gentle. Just hearing it conjured the image of a graceful, noble woman in one’s mind, yet it carried an inexplicable charm.
That Daoist Nun You again?
Wang Ping’s heart jolted, but he dared not show the slightest reaction.
“You are too polite, Senior Sister.”
The earlier voice continued, carrying obvious flattery. “After all, it was the Heaven and Earth Pavilion’s poor-quality control previously that allowed a Lishi to retain fragments of his pre-death memories.”
“Too bad that out-of-control Lishi died suddenly. Without evidence, neither the Protectorate Court nor the Heaven and Earth Pavilion will admit fault. Otherwise, we definitely could have extorted a hefty sum from them. Also… I heard your attendant boy caused a huge disaster earlier, leading a villain to sweep away all your spiritual coins for the season?”
“If that weren’t the case, why would I trouble you two junior brothers?”
Daoist Nun You sighed faintly, lamenting, “My purse is truly empty. I can’t afford a new Lishi, so I could only buy raw human material to cultivate myself.”
“It just so happens I’ve already refined that attendant boy, leaving a vacancy before my seat. I’ll let him fill the spot, lest it become difficult to complete the sect’s heavy responsibilities.”
“I see…”
After that, the three exchanged a few more casual words. Finally, the two disciples—who were clearly in charge of delivery—took their leave, leaving only Daoist Nun You’s breathing echoing in the room.
At the same time, Wang Ping finally sorted out the memories of his current life.
In this life, my predecessor was a mortal martial artist who volunteered to become a Lishi to join the Immortal Sect. He merely sought to be granted a spirit root and given the chance to cultivate immortality…
The deeper Wang Ping delved into the memories, the more shocked he became.
My predecessor came from a massive prairie nation called Northern Liao, also known as the Golden Horde. The people there worshipped the Immortal Sect, calling it 【The Eternal Heaven】.
The Eternal Heaven’s status in Northern Liao went beyond religious supremacy; it even possessed the most important secular power—the right to collect taxes.
However, they didn’t collect ordinary monetary taxes.
They collected a “corpse tax.”
Under Northern Liao’s rule, corpses weren’t buried or cremated. Instead, they were treated as taxes and uniformly handed over to 【The Eternal Heaven’s】 jurisdiction.
The more people died in a family, the more taxes they paid. This was called a 【Sky Burial】. The Royal Court even provided subsidies for this. Consequently, not only did the commoners save on funeral expenses, but they also earned an unexpected windfall. Therefore, it was considered a benevolent policy that benefited the nation and the people, loved by everyone on the prairie…
Wang Ping was dumbfounded.
They say only death and taxes are inevitable. Now, even death couldn’t avoid taxes. This Immortal Sect was definitely a demonic sect!
The corpses collected as taxes were probably the materials for the Immortal Sect’s Lishi.
My predecessor was different, though. He actively joined the sect while alive, just asking for a second spirit root test to embark on the path of immortality.
He seemed to have been tested once already. The result was only the 【Desire Realm Deva】, but no spirit root, so he couldn’t join. Unwilling to accept this, he felt the test was wrong and wanted a retest. Surprisingly, the Immortal Sect showed great mercy and allowed him in for a second test?
Wang Ping was somewhat surprised, but he quickly realized the truth:
Right. Corpses have a quality grade too, largely depending on how heavy the resentment is before death. A corpse that died normally of old age can’t compare to one that died violently.
My predecessor was already indignant. If he tested again and got the same result, his despair would cause his resentment to skyrocket.
From this perspective, rather than showing mercy by giving a second test, the Immortal Sect was just finding ways to improve the corpse’s quality.
No wonder they just said his predecessor’s value as a human sacrifice was very high.
It all made sense!
Even my predecessor probably understood this logic, but he held onto a fluke mentality and couldn’t let go of his obsession… Sigh, cultivating immortality is hard, harder than ascending the heavens.
Seeing this, Wang Ping’s heart tightened.
Because in his predecessor’s memories, a term he couldn’t ignore was mentioned—Spirit Root. A mortal body must possess a spirit root to cultivate immortality.
Is that true?
The 【Scripture of Paranirmitavaśavartin Governing the Desire Realm】 never mentioned this at all. Is it because the manual is incomplete, automatically assuming the practitioner has a spirit root?
Thinking of this, Wang Ping’s scalp tingled.
There was one fact he couldn’t ignore—every time he was reborn, the “predecessor” actually shared all of his exact conditions.
In other words:
If my predecessor doesn’t have a spirit root, it’s highly likely I don’t either!?
Just then, a pleasant fragrance drifted over. He felt his restraints loosen, and a charming voice echoed by his ear:
“Wake up.”
Hearing this, Wang Ping quickly discarded his distracting thoughts and slowly opened his eyes.
Following that, Daoist Nun You’s familiar face entered his vision. Compared to the last time, however, she looked considerably haggard.
“Where am I…”
Wang Ping feigned bewilderment. After staring blankly for a moment, he immediately said, “My second test! The Immortals promised to let me test one more time!”
He acted perfectly deranged.
Seeing him like this, Daoist Nun You didn’t mind. She smiled. “Rest assured. Since I brought you here, I will naturally give you the chance to test again.”
Saying this, she pointed around the room.
Only then did Wang Ping notice he was in a grand hall. At the head of the hall stood a shrine, and inside sat a divine statue.
The statue’s appearance was highly unusual. It lacked the solemn grandeur of secular temple statues, and didn’t even have a clear face. What he saw was a Daoist figure standing sideways with fluttering robes.
The face tilted slightly, obscuring its features, shrouded in a wisp of blue smoke drifting from the censer in the shrine.
It seemed to be constantly changing, yet simultaneously felt like something eternally immutable. It looked down upon everyone equally. Even more bizarrely, no matter from which angle one looked, they could only see this sideways profile.
It was deeply profound and mysterious, defying all logic.
“This is the Heavenly Venerable Hall,” Daoist Nun You explained unprompted. “The Immortal Sect was established by the Heavenly Venerable. Without exception, all disciples of our sect, regardless of cultivation level, are inheritors of the Heavenly Venerable.”
“Therefore, under the Heavenly Venerable statue’s gaze, no spirit root can hide. The accuracy of this test is far higher than external methods… After all, it is undeniable that besides 【Flawed Spirit Roots】 and 【True Spirit Roots】, there are indeed some 【Mutated Spirit Roots】 in the world that are harder to detect.”
At these words, Wang Ping’s heart stirred.
His predecessor understood Flawed Spirit Roots and True Spirit Roots. A Flawed Spirit Root was incomplete; while it allowed one to cultivate, there was no hope for the Great Dao.
A True Spirit Root was what truly allowed someone to cultivate immortality and achieve longevity.
Now, however, Daoist Nun You presented a third type—Mutated Spirit Root. As the name suggested, it differed wildly from other roots, making it difficult to detect normally.
This rekindled the fire of hope in Wang Ping’s heart.
After all, who the hell wouldn’t want to cultivate immortality if they could? Compared to vulgar martial artists, immortal cultivators who could live forever were undoubtedly an overwhelming, higher-dimensional strike!
“Don’t get your hopes up, though.”
The next second, Daoist Nun You’s faint voice drifted over. “Although a Mutated Spirit Root is hard to detect, the mortals who possess one are one in ten thousand.”
Maybe I am that kind of person?
Wang Ping took a deep breath. Filled with anticipation, he sat before the shrine, roused his qi, and whispered, “Thank you for your guidance, Immortal. Please test me.”
Daoist Nun You nodded. “Very well.”
With those words, she formed a hand seal. The shrine in the hall immediately glowed with halos of light, and the statue inside slightly rotated, as if casting a sideways glance.
Seeing this, Wang Ping unconsciously held his breath.
However, nothing happened.
Watching the statue’s light dim again, losing its previous miraculous aura, Wang Ping’s mood plummeted to rock bottom, until Daoist Nun You’s voice rang out again:
“It seems you aren’t.”
She tossed a jade slip into Wang Ping’s lap, speaking flatly, “This is the cultivation method practiced by chore disciples. Take it back and practice.”
“My attendant boy used to practice this method too. There are still some cultivation resources he left behind in the Daoist temple that can help you improve quickly. If you’re lucky and manage to push this method to its peak, you might just forge a 【Flawed Spirit Root】. While you’ll have no hope for the Great Dao, it’s more than enough to prolong your life.”
With that said, Daoist Nun You turned and walked away.
Wang Ping: “……..”
Thinking carefully about it, cultivating immortality wasn’t actually all that great. Sure, you could live forever, but you spent half your life in secluded meditation. It was nothing more than being dry bones in a tomb.
How could it compare to the carefree and dashing thrill of martial arts?
I don’t give a damn!