Asked About The World Of Mortals

Chapter 51: When Your Hair Turns White

To Qin Yi's surprise, there were no extraordinary tricks ahead.

The underground palace was quite large, but apart from the unusual demon-refining formation in front, the rest were just places where Donghua Zi's trusted disciples and demons secretly cultivated. In other words, they were their daily living quarters, not filled with traps everywhere.

Instead, there were quite a few formations for Spirit Gathering and cultivation assistance along the way.

As they moved forward, they could see many Taoists running in panic, only to be caught up and killed by Li Qinglin's team.

Many of the rooms were empty, and some demons lay inside, nursing their injuries, all of which were swiftly dealt with by the soldiers.

The small demons killed by Ming He's Seven-Star Formation did not emit black energy like Ye Ling did, simply because they were all underground. In reality, they had already caused a great loss, leaving most of the rooms empty. The cause of everything was in line with this logic.

There was nothing unusual.

Li Qinglin personally caught a high-level Taoist and smiled, "Qingfeng Daoist, long time no see."

The Taoist's face turned pale, trembling like a sieve. As one of Donghua Zi's trusted disciples, he was used to opposing Li Qinglin on a daily basis, and he didn't know how he would deal with himself this time.

"No need to be so nervous," Li Qinglin laughed. "This place is too big, and we're getting tired of searching. Please lead the way, Daoist, so that we can meet the National Teacher earlier."

The Taoist was obviously not someone who was willing to die. He nervously led the way forward, and before long, they arrived at another hall. The doors of the hall were made entirely of metal, thick and tightly closed. On them were carved huge and ferocious ghost faces, surrounded by dancing little people, as if it were some ancient ritual.

The Taoist trembled and said, "The National Teacher is inside, I... I don't know how to open the door."

Qin Yi stepped forward to inspect it and Liu Su said, "This is not some witchcraft or Taoist method, just a mechanism. If you understand the mechanism, it will open with a single move. If you don't, smashing into it won't be a problem. It seems that Donghua Zi's knowledge is indeed shallow, and we have overestimated him."

They heard a "swoosh" sound from inside the hall, as if an arrow had been shot, and it "pfft" into something. With the sound, Li Qinglin outside once again covered his head.

At this moment, everyone felt that something was wrong. Could it be that there was some kind of witchcraft going on inside, using this method to harm Li Qinglin?

Qin Yi couldn't hold back any longer and struck the door heavily.

Everyone joined forces to break the door, and the heavy metal door couldn't withstand the impact of so many martial artists. Before long, the mechanism was broken, and the door swung open.

The first thing they saw was a puppet that looked exactly like Li Qinglin, with a lifelike face, body, and clothing identical to Li Qinglin's. Arrows had pierced its forehead, throat, heart, and dantian.

Donghua Zi was sitting cross-legged in front of it, chanting something.

Everyone became furious, and Li Qinglin rushed forward, piercing Donghua Zi with a single spear, nailing him fiercely to the wall. "You demon, dare to use witchcraft to harm me!"

Donghua Zi spat out a mouthful of blood, but instead of looking weak, he laughed heartily.

Qin Yi had a foreboding feeling.

This witchcraft was obviously not complete, otherwise Li Qinglin wouldn't be so energetic. In theory, whether it's witchcraft or Taoist arts, they cannot withstand such a fatal interruption. As long as the practitioner is killed and this puppet is burned, the witchcraft will be useless.

Why was he still laughing?

Li Qinglin was obviously also puzzled. This spear didn't directly hit Donghua Zi's vital points; it just nailed him to the wall, intending to ask him questions.

Donghua Zi's blood continued to flow, and he seemed to have little time left, but he looked somewhat spirited, with a smile as refreshing as a spring breeze, accompanied by bloodstains all over his mouth, giving him a strange and unparalleled appearance.

He took a few breaths and slowly spoke, "In fact, this Soul-Stealing Technique requires all 365 major acupoints to be nailed, and it is far from complete. Originally, it would take another five days to complete it, but the Crown Prince is indeed formidable. This army is swift and unexpected, and this method has no time to be completed."

This is Donghua Zi's original plan. The king has about five to seven days left to live. If Li Qinglin were to die suddenly at that time... the fate of Nanli is unpredictable.

Li Qinglin coldly said, "If that's the case, are you hiding here tirelessly practicing, struggling in your final moments?"

Donghua Zi didn't answer. Suddenly, he spoke about something else, "Prince, although it is true that I was sent by the Western Wilderness to cause trouble, over the years, the king has trusted me and the people love me... My heart is also flesh, and I have never betrayed the interests of Nanli. On the contrary, I have been sincerely devoted to Nanli."

Li Qinglin laughed, "Are you trying to say that you are a loyal subject, but I forced you to betray?"

"Whether I am loyal or not, I dare not say. I come from a wild and uncultivated background and have not learned much. I do not know much about the Great Dao. Perhaps in the eyes of the prince, I am causing chaos in Nanli and my death is not regrettable. But in the eyes of the king and myself, everything I have done is for the sake of immortality. Under the pursuit of immortality, everything else is illusory. The king himself thinks this way, so why blame me alone?"

Qin Yi pursed his lips. He knew that this concept was actually very similar to Liu Su's. Maybe Ming He also thought the same way.

In the world, especially in the affairs of a small country, they simply don't care. Who is loyal and who is treacherous, who benefits this small country, does it really matter?

Li Qinglin smiled, "Are you saying that you are really helping the king to achieve immortality? With your pills that can devour people?"

"The Dao scriptures do indeed record the movement of lead and mercury, representing yin and yang. I have also asked many Fellow Daoists, and we all refine pills this way. I believe that if this method does not lead to immortality, it must be because of the lack of important medicinal ingredients. That's why I collected Beast Cores for this purpose. Does the prince really think that the king doesn't know that I refine pills by capturing and refining monsters? He knows, but he himself is also consuming them."

Li Qinglin angrily said, "He is almost dying from consuming your pills, yet you are still spreading these deceitful words!"

Donghua Zi slowly said, "The prince thinks that the king is dying... How do you know it's not the liberation of the yang spirit, attaining great freedom?"

Everyone looked at him speechlessly. These words were so absurd, but from Donghua Zi's expression, it seemed like he truly believed them.

Li Qinglin was also tired of listening to his nonsense and said, "Then go and attain great freedom."

As he spoke, his wrist trembled, ready to shatter Donghua Zi's meridians.

However, Donghua Zi said, "Prince, do you know why I am still practicing this witchcraft even though I know it's too late?"

Li Qinglin's hand paused.

Donghua Zi grinned, "Because the prince will undoubtedly be furious when he sees this scene and will personally come to kill me. My true witchcraft is used on myself. Whoever kills me will be cursed by my life. The puppet is an illusion, I myself am the real killer move."

Li Qinglin's expression slowly changed.

"The prince is excellent in every way, courageous and resourceful, a talented person in the mortal world. But everyone has flaws, such as the Martial Artist's temperament of personally taking action in everything, which may be a heroic spirit, but sometimes it can be fatal, like now."

Li Qinglin listened quietly and said calmly, "Thank you for your teachings, National Teacher."

Qin Yi also listened silently. Not to mention that they didn't understand witchcraft, even if they did, they couldn't have anticipated it in advance. When Li Qinglin pierced Donghua Zi with his spear, the plan had already been set in motion.

He asked Liu Su in a low voice, "Is there a way?"

Liu Su sighed, "It doesn't seem fatal, but..."

Donghua Zi coughed up blood, his smile growing even happier, "The prince doesn't believe in immortality... or even if there is immortality, he despises it. He is full of ambition and only wants to achieve great things for his family and country. That's because the prime of his life is still flourishing, and it's not yet time... I really want to know if on the day when the prince's youth fades away and his hair turns white, will he still be the same Li Qinglin who doesn't believe in immortality. Ha... hahaha..."

With his laughter, he closed his eyes with a smile and fell silent.

Li Qinglin still maintained his posture with the spear, but everyone could see that his body was trembling slightly. Qin Yi stood behind Li Qinglin, watching his jet-black hair slowly turn gray, gradually becoming completely white.

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PS: This is an additional explanation added when re-reading the chapter after its completion: When the spear pierced Donghua Zi, he was already beyond saving, and the curse had already taken effect. So it would be meaningless to find a subordinate to finish him off. Also, this plot twist of Donghua Zi being cunning has no significance. I hope that future readers will be patient and continue reading.

(End of this chapter)