Eternal Life: I Have the Favor System

In the end, fueled by his Spiritual Power, the Wolf Demon was reduced to a mummified corpse, its body entwined with shriveled, withered vines.

"I know you’re trying to cover for Chu Lingguang."

Zhang Xuan said, facing Yun Hong.

Yun Hong was inwardly alarmed.

"Chu Lingguang is indeed a promising talent. The strength of his Sea of Consciousness Power is so great that even Yang was amazed. Relay a message to him: as long as he can find Guo Wei, dead or alive, I will allow him to enter Yuanchu Mountain to practice. Everything from the past, right or wrong, will be forgiven."

Zhang Xuan added.

"Yes!"

Yun Hong breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Both Yan Zhen and Qin Yu frowned.

「West Warehouse.」

Day after day, Chu Lingguang kept watch over the snowy mountain, practicing the Spear Technique with Zhaxi and the others.

He taught his sect’s Martial Arts to Zhaxi and his men.

He taught them many Basic Techniques, including the Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques, the Iron Mountain Saber Technique, the Tidal Breathing Technique, and the Heavenward Force. He even passed on his sect’s Body Refining Technique for Zhaxi to practice.

In his spare time, he practiced the Qi Refining Art, a cultivation Skill he had already mastered to the point of Perfection. Whenever Chu Lingguang activated it, the Spiritual Qi from the snowy mountain would flow into his body of its own accord.

The Spiritual Power within the Star System was constantly growing stronger.

「Three days later.」

Yun Hong returned.

This time, he brought two people with him: Yan Zhen and Qin Yu. The three of them were sworn allies, their bond deeply rooted. Yun Hong used this as an excuse, telling Zhang Xuan that he hoped Yan Zhen and Qin Yu could influence Chu Lingguang, urging him to find Guo Wei as soon as possible so he could serve Yuanchu Mountain.

Zhang Xuan had heard about what happened at the Imperial City Hunting Ground, so he didn’t stop them.

Although he was still displeased with Chu Lingguang, his investigation had confirmed that Chu Lingguang truly didn’t know the Wolf Demon’s identity. With the mission being a success, most of his resentment had dissipated.

"A Wolf Demon?"

"Where did Yun Hong find one?"

Chu Lingguang was puzzled.

The four of them sat on the snowy mountain, drinking potent liquor sheathed in Spiritual Power.

"If you could help me merge with an Anomalous Entity, why couldn’t I do the same for a Wolf Demon?"

Yun Hong said with a smile.

Chu Lingguang was taken aback for a moment, then raised his cup to Yun Hong. "Brilliant. Even with a substitute, it can’t have been easy to hide a Wolf Demon newly merged with an Anomalous Entity from Zhang Xuan. For you to have deceived him, you must have pulled quite a few strings."

"Of course."

Yun Hong nodded.

’Without the support of the royal family, I never could have pulled it off alone.’

"Yan, thank you for saving my master."

Chu Lingguang raised his cup to Yan Zhen.

When he learned that Guo Wei was not only alive but had also achieved a breakthrough and entered the Qi Refining realm with Yan Zhen’s help, Chu Lingguang’s eyes welled with tears. He had been constantly worried about his master’s situation since his sudden disappearance and never imagined Guo Wei would have such a fortuitous opportunity.

"It was all fated. The three of us must enter Yuanchu Mountain together!"

Yan Zhen declared, his voice firm and resolute.

"That’s right!"

Qin Yu nodded emphatically.

"But you two..."

Chu Lingguang knew that merging with an Anomalous Entity meant one could never enter Yuanchu Mountain. Worse, Yuanchu Mountain would brand them as demons and hunt them down.

Now, in the eyes of Yuanchu Mountain, Qin Yu and Yan Zhen were both demons.

Yan Zhen and Qin Yu both looked at Yun Hong with a smile.

"I’ve been at Yuanchu Mountain for many years. I not only know how powerful it is, but I also know which methods to use to evade its detection."

"As long as the three of us can conceal the anomalous aura about us, Yuanchu Mountain won’t easily discover that we’ve merged with Anomalous Entities. Historically, quite a few Practitioners who merged with Anomalous Entities have infiltrated Yuanchu Mountain. They were only rooted out after they accidentally exposed themselves."

Yun Hong said.

"So that means you’ll always be in danger at Yuanchu Mountain."

Chu Lingguang knew it wouldn’t be as easy as Yun Hong made it sound.

"The reincarnation happens once every three hundred years, Chu Lingguang. Some people have been preparing for this for three hundred years."

Yun Hong reminded him.

"Then here’s to us all entering Yuanchu Mountain to practice together soon."

Chu Lingguang said, raising his cup.

"Alright! Let’s learn every cultivation Skill Yuanchu Mountain has!"

"The Qi Refining realm is just our starting point!"

"May fortune favor the dedicated, and may we all break through to new heights!"

The four of them drank together heartily.

"Zhang Xuan made his condition clear. He wants you to find your master, dead or alive. As long as you find him, you’ll be allowed to enter Yuanchu Mountain to practice."

Yun Hong said, his tongue loosened by the liquor.

He knew that Guo Wei was Chu Lingguang’s greatest weakness.

Chu Lingguang’s expression froze. When the three of them had arrived, they’d told him Zhang Xuan was willing to forgive his past actions, but they hadn’t mentioned any conditions. He now realized they wanted him to hand over Guo Wei.

Guo Wei had now merged with an Anomalous Entity.

If he fell into Zhang Xuan’s hands, Guo Wei would surely die. Trying to muddle through by using some trick to conceal the anomalous aura on Guo Wei would be impossible; he would never pass Zhang Xuan’s repeated inspections.

Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and Yun Hong were able to appear before Zhang Xuan despite their anomalous nature primarily because he wasn’t suspicious of them.

But Guo Wei was different.

Three leaders of the Demon Suppression Bureau had disappeared along with him. If Guo Wei turned up alive, it would be the same as admitting he was a demon.

How could Chu Lingguang possibly hand over Guo Wei just to enter Yuanchu Mountain?

"This is just one option for now, and we still have time. The reincarnation comes every three hundred years, and Yuanchu Mountain needs a massive amount of manpower to ensure people can’t merge with Anomalous Entities. Perhaps after a while, Zhang Xuan will change his mind and give you the opportunity to enter Yuanchu Mountain."

Yan Zhen said comfortingly.

"Yun Hong, you’ve been at Yuanchu Mountain for so long. Do you know anyone more powerful than Zhang Xuan who might be able to help Chu Lingguang get in?"

Qin Yu also knew that Chu Lingguang would never betray Guo Wei; if he were that kind of person, he would have died at Zhang Xuan’s hands long ago.

"Li is a reasonable person. Perhaps we could try asking him."

Yun Hong thought of Li Mao.

’As an Outer Disciple of Yuanchu Mountain, my ability to even speak with someone like Zhang Xuan is mainly due to my royal status.’

"Thank you, Yun Hong!"

Chu Lingguang was filled with gratitude.

The next morning, Chu Lingguang saw off his three friends.

’Sigh... to think that in the few short months since the siege of Yunchuan City was lifted, so much has happened.’

’Now Yan and Qin have both merged with Anomalous Entities. Even Master and Yun Hong have become demons in the eyes of Yuanchu Mountain. I’m the only one who reached the Qi Refining realm through the Qi Refining Art.’

’Should I even go to Yuanchu Mountain anymore?’

Chu Lingguang lamented.

"Go!"

"Of course you must go!"

A deep voice drifted down from the snowy mountain above.

"Master!"

A tremor shot through Chu Lingguang. The voice had come from the snowy mountain, yet it felt as if it had resounded from deep within his heart.

He raced toward the peak of the snowy mountain.

He expected to see Guo Wei, but the summit was empty. There were no other figures in the vast, endless snowfield behind the mountain.

’Was that a hallucination?’

’Impossible. I’ve already entered the Qi Refining realm. How could I be hallucinating?’

’But...’

’Whether that was real or not, Master, I swear I will go to Yuanchu Mountain!’

...

Chu Lingguang had to go.

To bring down Yuanchu Mountain, it wasn’t enough to just help people successfully enter the Qi Refining realm. They also needed Cultivation Techniques for the realms beyond it.

Yuanchu Mountain had held dominion for many years.

Dynasties had risen and fallen, yet it had always stood tall. The only way to know just how many experts were on the mountain was to go there and see.

Besides, even Yan Zhen and Qin Yu, who had risked their lives by merging with Anomalous Entities, were determined to ascend Yuanchu Mountain and investigate. Chu Lingguang had no reason not to go and see for himself.

Of course, he would never hand over Guo Wei.

He would find his own way to enter Yuanchu Mountain, honorably and with his head held high.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, another three months had passed.

Patches of green began to appear in the rarely thawed land of West Warehouse. The mountain range, stretching five thousand li, remained blanketed in snow. For three months, Chu Lingguang hadn’t taken a single step outside West Warehouse. Yun Hong and the others never came to see him, and he received no news of Guo Wei.

KRAK!

Suddenly, a crisp sound of resurgence echoed within Chu Lingguang’s range of perception.

In a sparse patch of green, Chu Lingguang found a vine tendril emerging from the ground.

The three-hundred-year reincarnation. It seemed the time was at hand.