Chapter 764 - 406: Entering Demonhood
The old man scratched the stubble on his jaw, pondered for a moment, then waved Huangfu Yi over and pointed to the candlestick beside him.
"Alright, alright, don’t panic. Once we know what we’re dealing with, it becomes simple. Besides, you found him after just two deaths. We’ve still got four more chances, isn’t that quite smooth?"
However, Huangfu Yi just stared at him, huddled in the corner, gripping the iron rod tightly. It was less like holding a sword and more like grasping some spiritual anchor, a lifeline, a spider’s thread, as if releasing it would cause his last bit of sanity to slip away into oblivion.
Looking at the boy in this state, the old man sighed, lay down sideways, leaning his head on his hand, watching him,
"Alright then, we can wait. Five years, ten years, a hundred years... well, maybe not a hundred, but eventually until you’re willing to die yourself.
So you should go out first, take a break, kill some monsters, level up, and when you’re ready, we’ll continue. How does that sound?"
However, Huangfu Yi remained silent, motionless, tense like a bowstring about to break, perfectly still in the darkness.
Yet, seeing his miserable state, the old man unexpectedly chuckled heartlessly,
"Heh, heh, speaking of which, when I first saw you, you looked just as ghostly.
You spoke so grandly about protecting the homeland, saving the world, rebuilding the nation, urging brothers to fight for a future!
But what was the result?
When the brothers were trampled into mud by horse-riding troops, and I dragged you out of the pile of dead bodies, you looked like you’d lost your parents. At night, you’d sneak off to cry all by yourself. Boo-hoo, I failed my brothers, boo-hoo, I failed my parents, boo-hoo, I’m so useless~ boo-hoo—"
"Haha! Haha! Just like a weakling, crying like a dog! Boo-hoo~ Haha!"
Huangfu Yi couldn’t bear it on his face,
"You’re the weakling! Laughing like a duck!"
The old man laughed and carelessly rubbed the dirt off his body,
"Haha, good, if you don’t want to be a weakling, there is hope! Crying gets you nowhere!
In life, sometimes things go amiss, and encountering some idiots blocking your way is normal, dammit!
Face difficulties head-on! Cut through disasters! When two tough paths meet, the brave win!
That’s what makes a man! A real man!"
"I don’t need your comfort!"
Huangfu Yi took a deep breath, forcing air into his lungs, recovering a bit of spirit, and sat down, breathing heavily.
"What’s going on, exactly."
"It’s not that complicated. It’s pretty much as you thought. It’s just possession by a demon."
The old man shrugged, pointing to the ground,
"His progress is too fast, and he’s gone astray, fallen into the Void Abyss, too deep to be reached. He can no longer hear our voices.
Only you can find him and wake him up face-to-face."
Huangfu Yi frowned, confused for a moment,
"Me?"
The old man nodded, seemingly counting on his fingers, or perhaps flicking dirt between them,
"You, only you. In the Mystic Sect, the bond between master and student is paramount. You two share that bond, so no one else will do. You were in the Void Abyss earlier, weren’t you? In such a place, no ability can help; without a causal link, you can’t even find him.
What’s more, in sixty years, there may still be time to save him, but if you can’t, we’ll have to wait another five hundred, a thousand, or even two thousand years for another chance.
But with that kid’s ability, and the destiny you’ve seen, tsk tsk, I fear if we miss this opportunity, it won’t come again.
Like you said, if we can’t bring him back now, here, at this moment, it won’t last another five hundred years. I’m afraid after another sixty years, he’ll Harmonize with Taiji."
Huangfu Yi blankly repeated after him,
"Harmonization... Taiji..."
The old man nodded,
"The Nine Qi Return to One, transforming back to Taiji.
Practicing Mystic Sect Qi Technique to the extreme has this possibility, but it’s just theoretical, beyond the reach of past or future. Not even I exaggerated like this..."
Huangfu Yi still didn’t understand,
"So... what happens if he transforms back to Taiji? Will it be more severe than the Insect Clan’s destruction of the world?"
The old man gave him a sidelong glance,
"If Taiji Heaven is refined, what do you expect? Everything would just go ’poof!’ and disappear, nothing left!
The entire Taiji World, all living beings, would be refined into Nine Qi and become one!
By then, he would become the Great Transformation Tai Chi Ancestor, having sealed the path for anyone else! Achieve First-grade! Reach the ultimate end!
You all! Demons, humans, Divine Ghosts, will all be his food and Qi! How could it be more severe than that?"
Huangfu Yi closed his eyes, feeling dizzy, supporting himself with the stick for a while before letting out a long sigh,
"What did Taiji Heaven ever do to deserve so much trouble..."
The old man scratched his chin,
"Well, this is how it is. Didn’t you always shout about saving the world? Well, here’s your path. Go save it.
Of course, if you really don’t want to, we don’t really care. If he does Harmonize, his combat power won’t be low, but no matter how you say it, changing one ancestor for another is hardly a bargain..."
Huangfu Yi looked at the four-candle candlestick, gulped,
"I understand. Since I’m the only one, I’ll go. But... how exactly? Is there a plan?"
"We’re at the final step, no time for elaborate schemes."