Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi

"What on earth is Mani Temple doing?!"

Zhang Yao furrowed his brows slightly, feeling quite puzzled.

Mani Temple promotes the Merit System as the foundation of its kingdom, but captures the souls of good people to torture them. Wouldn’t this undermine the Merit System?

Even if torturing these souls brings some benefits, it couldn’t compare to the entire Merit System, could it?

"Or perhaps the merit accumulated by the Great Benefactor Li cannot offset his sins? Was he actually a sinner?"

With a change of thought, Zhang Yao found this possibility unlikely.

The family of the Great Benefactor Li were not good people, apart from him. Especially his sons, who cared little for brotherly ties, fighting fiercely over family fortune, secretly doing shady things regularly.

But when the Great Benefactor Li was alive, his sons dared not go too far and could not accumulate too many sins, which should not outweigh his years of good deeds.

"One piece of evidence is not enough; it’s better to find other examples for corroboration."

With this thought, Zhang Yao got up and quietly left, quickly flying away from Celestial Moisture City to continue searching for other Yin Soul clues.

Spending several months:

Zhang Yao secretly visited over a thousand cities in the Changle Mountain area, finding and understanding the lives of more than ten Yin Souls.

The Great Benefactor Li, Landlord Zhang, Divine Doctor Liu, City Lord Zhou... etc., these dozen people were all devout followers of the Buddha and highly charitable individuals.

Yet their fates were extremely tragic, trapped in the pitch-black nether world, enduring endless torment until their souls dissipated, leaving no chance for reincarnation.

"Indeed, good and evil are reversed, and basic principles are violated!"

In Changle Palace, Zhang Yao, who had retrieved his Incarnation Puppet, felt somewhat conflicted.

What he saw and heard through his incarnation in these months indeed overturned his previous good impression of Mani Temple.

Darkness is common, with powerful forces saying one thing upfront and doing another behind the scenes; he had seen this enough in the mortal world, but didn’t expect the Cultivation Realm was no exception.

The Earthly Buddha Kingdom was merely a beautifully framed facade;

The pitch-black hell hidden in the Demon Cave was the true reality of this kingdom.

"It’s such a pity for those who did good, accumulated virtue, and sincerely worshipped the Buddha..."

Zhang Yao sighed, feeling a bit regretful but had no further thoughts beyond that.

And in these months, his true self hadn’t been idle either, thoroughly inspecting the Demon Cave, Demon Suppression Well, Sealed Demon Hall, and the array of Changle Mountain inside and out.

With his array mastery approaching the Level Four, he indeed discovered many things; especially combining the black Spell Array he saw that day, he could infer many secrets, but further verification was lacking.

But from his understanding, Mani Temple’s scheme shouldn’t concern these outsider cultivators, rather it played around the souls of the good people and was closely related to the Muddy Qi.

Since it’s not his business, he wasn’t prepared to interfere, choosing instead to act as if nothing had happened, content to be a Guardian.

......

Time flies by in the blink of an eye.

After the Demon Cave incident, Zhang Yao became even more low-key, nearly invisible within Mani Kingdom.

Five years later on a certain day:

In Panlong Mountain, over ten Golden Core cultivators gathered, the table filled with exquisite Spirit Fruits, Jade Dew and Nectar, mingling amidst laughter and chatter.

The previous exchange meeting and small-scale auction had concluded successfully, this routine ceremony was nearing its end.

After the banquet was over, the myriad Golden Core cultivators gathered in their small circles, chatting and idling together.

In the corner of the hall, Zhang Yao, Ancestor Heze, and the tall Lady Baiyu sat together, exchanging cultivation experiences and discussing Divine Communication Skills and Daoist Skills.

Among the many outsider Golden Cores in Mani Kingdom, only the three of them possessed the independent ability to kill a Golden Core Yin Demon, naturally holding special and transcendent status, often gathering together over time.

"...Is it really true?"

Lady Baiyu gently covered her red lips, unable to hold her surprise:

"Fellow Daoist Heze must be joking, right? It’s been over ten thousand years since the Ancient Era, are there still those practicing ancient methods?"

"As they say, the world is full of wonders."

Ancestor Heze, holding his wine cup, shook his head as he spoke:

"I’m not exaggerating; the ’Huohu Island’ I mentioned, I’ve personally visited and seen."

"That was more than a hundred years ago, at the time I was handling matters in the East Sea..."

Zhang Yao also held his wine cup, quietly listening to Ancestor Heze discussing his travels and observations.

One advantage of having broad social connections is gaining knowledge and broadening horizons; now Zhang Yao could be considered well-versed.

"...Hmm?!"

Suddenly, Ancestor Heze’s conversation halted, Zhang Yao and Lady Baiyu both reacted, turning their heads toward the side of the sky.

After a few breaths:

"Boom!"

An Escape Light flew from the edge of the sky, landing in front of Panlong Palace.

The Divine Thoughts of many Golden Core cultivators scanned and immediately recognized the newcomer’s identity, greeting him:

"So it’s Fellow Daoist Tianshuang, you’re back?"

"Daoist Brother Tianshuang, you’ve been gone for dozens of years, we almost thought you wouldn’t return."

"Fellow Daoist Tianshuang, long time no see, come and sit quickly."

Zhang Yao’s face revealed a slight smile.

"Unexpectedly, he’s actually returned!"

Daoist Tianshuang, initially said he’d be gone for a few years, ended up absent for over ten years with no word.

Zhang Yao had already lost hope, but unexpectedly, after many years and a new twist, Daoist Tianshuang successfully returned to Mani Kingdom.

"Fellow Daoist Tianshuang!"

Zhang Yao apologized slightly, then left Ancestor Heze and Lady Baiyu, now proactively moving forward to greet.

"Daoist Brother Qingxu!!"

Daoist Tianshuang upon seeing Zhang Yao, came forward and grabbed his sleeve, saying repeatedly:

"Luckily, I didn’t let you down. I brought back the piece of Ten Thousand Years Ice Soul you wanted!"

"Excellent!"

Zhang Yao said three good words in succession, beaming with joy, and expressed his gratitude:

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist. This kindness, I will remember it in my heart!"

"Fellow Daoist, please have a seat. Let me extend a warm welcome by sharing some drinks with you, as a way to wash away the dust of your journey."

"Alright."

Daoist Tianshuang agreed readily, and the two sat down behind a nearby table, where a few drinks quickly warmed up the atmosphere.

Zhang Yao didn’t rush into discussing the matter of the Ten Thousand Years Ice Soul but asked about his journey:

"On this journey, what happened to delay you until now?"

"Ah, it’s a long story!"

When this was mentioned, Daoist Tianshuang sighed repeatedly. Only after another drink did he speak slowly:

"The journey was fraught with difficulties, especially when I returned to Tunan Prefecture, where I narrowly escaped death, almost not making it back."

"Oh?"

Zhang Yao’s expression shifted as he inquired:

"Did you encounter danger, Fellow Daoist? Do you have enemies in the Celestial Continent?"

"Not enemies, but competitors!"

Daoist Tianshuang set down his wine cup and conveyed through divine thought:

"You may not know that I’m a peripheral member of a certain hidden organization in the Celestial Continent. Through which, I can acquire various common spiritual objects at a relatively low price."

"Hidden organization..."

Zhang Yao raised an eyebrow, immediately associating it with the Zhiyao Celestial Palace.

The hidden organization Daoist Tianshuang joined was very similar to the Zhiyao Celestial Palace in purpose, but on a smaller scale, with resources in different areas.

"Is the Celestial Continent really that lively?"

His thoughts flashed wildly, but outwardly he remained calm, listening to Daoist Tianshuang’s continued narrative.

"About ten years ago, I contacted many buyers through various channels within the organization, enough to gather a whole piece of Ten Thousand Years Ice Soul."

"But unexpectedly, halfway through my delivery, an extremely powerful competitor suddenly emerged!"

"That fellow was wealthy, disrupting several of my deals. In anger, I was ready to set up a trap to teach him a lesson and snatch back those Ten Thousand Years Ice Souls..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yao immediately understood:

"So... you were counter-attacked and almost lost your life?"

His expression showed a trace of speechlessness, even doubting how Daoist Tianshuang reached the Golden Core Realm.

"Fellow Daoist Tianshuang, didn’t you inquire about the other party’s background before taking action?"

Daoist Tianshuang, upon hearing this, immediately gave a wry smile and said:

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, you may not know; it’s really not my fault!"

"At the time, I had already figured out his background. That guy was recently promoted to Golden Core, a very skilled Array Master with substantial fame in Tunan Prefecture and made a lot of money."

"Moreover, before taking action, to prevent a setback, I specially invited a comrade along. Who could have known that guy was so capable?"

"I see..."

Upon hearing the subtle elements in his tone, Zhang Yao thought about it and understood.

An accomplished Array Master, recently promoted to Golden Core, meant low strength.

Yet his prior extensive purchases had already exposed his wealthiness, making him a prime target.

"No wonder he had sly intentions. Snatching the Ten Thousand Years Ice Soul was just an excuse; robbery might have been his real goal."

"Moreover, that guy wasn’t brainless; he knew how to set a trap, invite the enemy into a ready-made trap, and avoid letting the opponent choose a battlefield to prevent being trapped by a pre-arranged array..."

As Zhang Yao mulled over these thoughts, his expression suddenly stiffened, as he seemed to remember something.

An accomplished Array Master, recently promoted to Golden Core, strong in capability, and with a great need for Ten Thousand Years Ice Soul...

"Could it really be him?"

Thinking of this, Zhang Yao immediately asked:

"Fellow Daoist Tianshuang, do you know the background of that Array Master?"

"Not quite familiar; the person is very mysterious. His true roots, perhaps only a few people in the whole Tunan Prefecture know."

Daoist Tianshuang shook his head and added:

"However, I know he’s surnamed Liu. Others respect him as Master Liu when asking him to set up arrays."

"Surnamed Liu?!"

Zhang Yao’s pupils shrank, thinking silently:

"It truly is him... Yu Wen Tai!"

How many coincidences can there be in this world?

Previously, he suspected heavily, and hearing that the surname is Liu now almost confirmed it.

"So he fled to the Celestial Continent; no wonder there has been no news for so many years..."

Zhang Yao took a deep breath, suppressing the restless killing intent in his heart.

Yu Wen Tai certainly needed killing, but not now.

This person is very slippery and extremely powerful. Going to the Celestial Continent now to pursue him might not succeed, but instead delay his own important matters.

Moreover, Yu Wen Tai is a being capable of ’rebirth’ through memory, and he currently lacks the means to kill him in one blow beyond recovery.

"He is in the Celestial Continent; I am in the Mani Kingdom. The two sides are engaged in a time competition."

"His channels are broad; my clues are numerous... Whoever first refines the Nine Colored Celestial Wheel can be the first to become the hunter!"