Undying Life

Chapter 883: Magu

At this moment, almost everyone was staring at the Eight Extremities Heavenly Tail perched on Zhong Shan's shoulder.

"It's so cute! Zhong Shan, give it to me!" Princess Jiuwei exclaimed.

"Yiya yiya!"

The Eight Extremities Heavenly Tail wagged its little tails, warning Princess Jiuwei to stay away, but its adorable appearance only made her eyes shine brighter with excitement.

"Yiya!"

The Eight Extremities Heavenly Tail cried out again, and in a flash, it disappeared.

"Where's the Eight Extremities Heavenly Tail? Zhong Shan, where did it go?" Princess Jiuwei asked urgently.

"You scared it away!" Zhong Shan replied, exasperated.

"I don't care, Zhong Shan. You have to find it for me. I haven't even hugged it yet!" Princess Jiuwei demanded.

Zhong Shan was speechless. Turning his attention, he looked at Mr. Li.

"Mr. Li, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?" Zhong Shan asked, frowning.

Everyone turned to look at Mr. Li, knowing he had come uninvited.

"By the order of the Holy King, the Taichu army is to withdraw. I am here to inform you that Nuwa's relic has been found, and you are to return to Qingqiu," Mr. Li said with a smile.

"Alright, we know. You can leave now," Princess Jiuwei said dismissively.

Mr. Li did not leave immediately but instead gave Zhong Shan a meaningful look before addressing Princess Jiuwei. "Princess, the Holy King favors you, but it is best to distinguish between inside and outside. You are the Princess of Taichu."

Zhong Shan gave a faint smile. Mr. Li was warning Princess Jiuwei not to get too close to him.

"My affairs are none of your concern!" Princess Jiuwei retorted with a stern expression.

"My words are done. Take care, Princess," Mr. Li said, then vanished.

"Zhong Shan, don't mind him. He's just meddlesome!" Princess Jiuwei comforted Zhong Shan.

"Princess, do you know the background of this Mr. Li?" Zhong Shan asked, puzzled.

"Him? I don't know. We couldn't find out his background, but the Holy King trusts him greatly," Princess Jiuwei replied, shaking her head.

"Alright," Zhong Shan nodded.

As everyone returned to the main hall, Zhong Shan's mood was not good. He had realized something very troubling.

The imitation Zhuxian Swords, when combined, formed an ancient immortal artifact. After the Eight Extremities Heavenly Tail had eaten and digested them, the energy released had only elevated Zhong Shan from the peak of the seventh celestial level to the initial eighth celestial level.

Although he had advanced a level, it meant that in the future, even grand immortal artifacts would have no effect. Unless he spent a great deal of time cultivating, he would need ancient immortal artifacts to level up.

Ancient immortal artifacts? Zhong Shan was speechless.

Thinking back to the early days when many great immortals fought for a single grand immortal artifact, it now seemed he needed ancient immortal artifacts to progress. Future advancements would become increasingly difficult.

Hopefully, Nuwa's relic would contain something valuable.

On the sixth day of the sixth month, a day ahead of schedule, Zhong Shan and his group arrived at the sea where the Supreme Sage had fallen.

As expected, many smart people had arrived before them. By the time Zhong Shan and his group arrived, more than ten factions were already present.

Although the number was not as overwhelming as the scramble for the Five-Colored Divine Stone on Ghost Island, the quality of those gathered was significantly higher.

These ten or so factions brought about fifty thousand people, with Zhong Shan, Su Afo, Princess Jiuwei, and Hong Xiao alone bringing five thousand.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the patch of sea surrounded by the islands. People landed on different islands, all gazing at the central point. Although the time hadn't come yet, it seemed everyone was impatient.

Nuwa's relic? That was an incredible find.

Zhong Shan stood on the northern island of this sea area, surveying the surroundings. Among the gathered forces, he spotted a few familiar faces.

To the east, there was Cheng Baiyi from the Zixiao Daoist Temple along with a group of his followers. How did he know about this place? Did he figure it out himself, or was he informed by someone else? It didn't matter; what mattered was that he was half an enemy to Zhong Shan.

To the south, Zhong Shan saw an ally.

A figure wrapped in a black robe, emanating a faint aura of death. It was none other than Mr. Corpse, the commander of the fourth legion of the Dahe Sacred Court. Noticing Zhong Shan's gaze, Mr. Corpse nodded slightly but didn't acknowledge him openly.

To the west, there was Mr. Li from Taichu.

Seeing Mr. Li, Zhong Shan's eyes filled with curiosity. Mr. Li? If he was here, where was the Holy King of Taichu? Mr. Li was known for his loyalty to Taichu. Discovering Nuwa's relic and not reporting it to the Holy King seemed unlikely, especially since he had brought dozens of subordinates.

These were the three forces Zhong Shan recognized. As for the other ten or so factions, Zhong Shan couldn't identify them all.

At this moment, none of the groups were engaging in conversation. Instead, everyone was focused on the center of the sea area surrounded by the islands.

In the center, an eerie figure sat cross-legged on the water.

A figure wrapped in a hemp robe. From her silhouette, Zhong Shan could tell it was a woman, and a woman with an extremely alluring figure at that.

A woman in a hemp robe sitting cross-legged in the sea? What was she doing?

Not just Zhong Shan, but almost everyone was puzzled by this hemp-robed woman. Her location was too peculiar; she was sitting at the very spot where the Supreme Sage had fallen.

"What is she doing? Why is she sitting on the sea? With so many islands, why sit there?" Princess Jiuwei asked, frowning.

"Not sure. Maybe she wants to get a head start," Su Afo shook his head.

Zhong Shan's eyes flashed as he looked at the hemp-robed woman. With his Red Luan Eye, he was taken aback by what he saw.

Through the hood of the hemp robe, Zhong Shan saw her face, a face marred beyond recognition.

Judging by the contours, she must have been very beautiful once. But now her face was covered in scars, resembling centipedes, making her look terrifying.

Cultivators who reach a certain level can heal some of their wounds. So, what happened to her face? Why didn't she fix it? What woman doesn't care about her appearance, especially when she had the natural beauty to begin with?

As Zhong Shan pondered, the hemp-robed woman seemed to sense something. Her eerie eyes opened, revealing a look of puzzlement.

She had a pair of purple pupils, incredibly beautiful. They weren't some kind of magical technique but naturally purple eyes.

Zhong Shan had never seen such pupils before. They were very beautiful.

On her disfigured face, they stood out even more strikingly.

"Who are you? Why are you sitting where the Supreme Sage fell? Move away!" a man on a nearby island shouted.

The hemp-robed woman glanced at the man briefly before closing her eyes again, ignoring his command.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you deaf? Move away!" the man shouted again, frustration creeping into his voice.

The woman remained unmoved, continuing to sit calmly at the center of the sea.

Seeing this, the man grew more enraged. He prepared to leap into the sea to confront her, but just as he was about to move, a powerful pressure emanated from the woman's body, stopping him in his tracks.

"What's going on?" someone in the crowd murmured, feeling the immense pressure.

"This woman... she's not ordinary," another person whispered, eyes wide with astonishment.

Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed. This pressure was not something a regular cultivator could emit. The woman was clearly someone extraordinary. What was her purpose here? And why did she choose such a conspicuous spot?

As these thoughts raced through Zhong Shan's mind, the woman suddenly spoke, her voice cold and ethereal, cutting through the tension in the air.

"Those who seek Nuwa's relic, heed my words. Only those worthy shall proceed. The rest shall meet their end."

The woman in the hemp robe spoke softly, "Leave now. This is not something you can lay your hands on."

Her voice sounded old, as if she deliberately made it that way to prevent others from recognizing her true voice.

"Not something we can lay our hands on? Tsk, tsk, even wrapped in that hemp robe, you have such a great figure. How about becoming my Dao partner?" the man from earlier sneered.

It was a form of provocation, trying to gauge the hemp-robed woman's background through taunts. The others around remained silent, watching intently.

"I already have a Dao partner. Don't bother," the hemp-robed woman replied calmly.

"You already have one? No problem. I love a challenge. Who is your Dao partner? I'll show you that I'm a hundred times stronger than him!" the man continued to sneer.

"You're not worthy. No one in this world or the next can compare to him. Comparing yourself to him is an insult. I'll spare you this once, but I don't want to hear you slander him again, or you'll be bringing misfortune upon yourself," the woman said.

Throughout the exchange, the hemp-robed woman remained indifferent, a demeanor that made Zhong Shan frown slightly.

"Slander him? What if I do? Is he a coward? Or a—" the man's words grew increasingly offensive.

"I've already warned you," the hemp-robed woman said coldly.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Suddenly, the man let out a horrific scream. Everyone turned to look, and almost all frowned deeply.

The man's hair was rapidly turning white, his once handsome face now covered in wrinkles, his body quickly withering. An awful stench emanated from him.

He was undergoing the Five Decays of Heaven and Man?

The term sprang to everyone's mind. The Five Decays of Heaven and Man? How was that possible? Was his lifespan being consumed rapidly?

Did the hemp-robed woman do this? How did she do it?

In the blink of an eye, the man had aged into decrepitude.

This shocking transformation sent chills through everyone. The now decrepit man fell to his knees, pleading with the woman.

"Please spare me, senior! Please spare me!" he begged in terror.

"You can slander anyone, even me, but you shouldn't have slandered him. No one who slanders him ever survives. I haven't taken action for tens of thousands of years, but you brought this upon yourself," the hemp-robed woman said coldly.

"Thud!"

The man collapsed and truly died of old age.

This terrifying scene was something Zhong Shan had seen before. The Clay Bodhisattva had done something similar in the Land of Five Impurities in the East of the Palace of Yama, where exposure to the Impurity of Life would cause such aging. But the hemp-robed woman hadn't used the Impurity of Life. So how had she caused the man to die of old age?

Who was this woman? People looked at her with a mix of fear and suspicion, especially since none had seen her take any action.

"May I ask the senior's name?" Mr. Li asked solemnly.

"Magu," the woman replied calmly.

"What was that power just now? Feng Shui technique?" Su Afo asked, his brow twitching.

"No, she is a Fate Manipulator," Princess Jiuwei said, somewhat unsure.

"A Fate Manipulator? A practitioner of fate?" Su Afo was surprised.

"Strictly speaking, it's not exactly fate. It's a practice of luck, but it is the closest to 'fate' among the practices of luck," Princess Jiuwei explained, frowning.

"Then how did that man die of old age? We didn't see her do anything," Su Afo asked, puzzled.

"This is a 'Fate Formation' that she set up. We all entered the range of the Fate Formation. That's how she could manipulate the man's life," Princess Jiuwei explained, taking a deep breath.

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Retreat!" Hong Xiao ordered.

The army, along with Zhong Shan and the others, quickly retreated to the outskirts.

A Fate Manipulator?