The Quest for Immortality

But no matter what, with the Corpse King dead, the troubles with the corpses had truly come to an end.

This matter could finally be considered closed.

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

Through twists and turns over these days, continuous life-and-death battles, and multiple unexpected changes, they had hovered on the brink of death and witnessed scenes both bone-chilling and inconceivable. Now, they could finally ease their burdens and relax.

Mo Hua also breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned and left with light steps.

But, just as he turned around, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Within the darkness, he had a premonition.

It seemed as though something fierce had taken residence within him.

This thing was malformed and cruel, like the Taoist Meaning, but extremely twisted, akin to the Corpse King’s vile thoughts, brimming with loathing and glaring at him menacingly.

Yet, as soon as he attempted to perceive it, it would, as though startled, vanish without a trace, its hiding place unknown…

This sensation was exactly the same as the mutated Taoist Meaning on the Corpse King.

"But hasn’t it dissipated already?"

Mo Hua wondered, baffled.

Concerned about the Taoist Demon, Mo Hua had to be more cautious.

Upon returning, he sought the advice of Mr. Zhuang.

"Master, the Taoist Demon that died seems to have latched onto me…"

Mr. Zhuang was somewhat surprised, yet not taken aback; reclining in his bamboo chair, he said leisurely,

"You ruined its chance of becoming a Taoist Demon, so of course it hates you, and thus its Taoist Meaning has fused into your cause and effect."

"Fused into cause and effect?"

Mo Hua didn’t understand.

Mr. Zhuang then explained,

"Everything in the world has its cause and effect, from the grass and the trees to every drink and peck, none can escape the realm of causality."

Mo Hua felt like he understood Mr. Zhuang’s explanation, but upon closer thought, he was still confused.

Mr. Zhuang sighed, "Don’t think too hard; cause and effect is just a form of the Great Dao’s rule. Everything operates according to its own rules; this is causality."

"It’s the same with people."

"A person’s past actions, thoughts, and desires are all formed by the cycles of causality."

"And all of a person’s past forms the cause, and everything that happens later forms the effect based on those past causes."

"Therefore, cause and effect also make up a person’s fate."

"The fate of the past is set, unchangeable, but the fate of the future, based on your previous life, is subject to myriad changes…"

Mo Hua seemed to have an epiphany and nodded.

Mr. Zhuang looked at Mo Hua, hope shining in his eyes, "As for matters of causality, it’s good that you understand them now; thinking too much is pointless…"

"When your Divine Sense grows stronger, your experiences more diverse, and your understanding of the Great Dao, Formation, and all things more profound, then you can study further…"

Mo Hua couldn’t help asking, "Master, is this ’cause and effect’ thing really useful?"

Mr. Zhuang said, "It might be useless, but it could also be extremely useful; it all depends on how deeply you understand it."

Mo Hua’s eyes flickered as he asked,

"Master, so the Taoist Demon infusing into my cause and effect, is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It’s not a good thing," Mr. Zhuang said.

Mo Hua felt a chill in his heart.

"But it’s also not necessarily a bad thing," Mr. Zhuang added.

Mo Hua, with his mouth agape, couldn’t help but mutter,

"Master, what you’ve said is... as good as saying nothing..."

Mr. Zhuang gently tapped Mo Hua’s head and chuckled,

"In this world, everything has its pros and cons, misfortune and fortune go hand in hand; there’s no such thing as absolute good or bad."

"So what should I do?" Mo Hua asked.

Mr. Zhuang said indifferently, "Just keep a normal heart, uphold your Taoist Heart, and there’s no need to worry or fear. Don’t even think about it; once your Divine Sense is powerful, everything will be easily solved..."

Mo Hua’s eyes brightened, recalling Mr. Zhuang’s previous words,

"If the Taoist Heart is clear and the Divine Thought is strong, then all evil will not invade... Is that right, Master?" Explore more stories at empire

Mr. Zhuang nodded with approval.

Mo Hua thus let go of his concerns.

However, he didn’t notice the solemn weight in Mr. Zhuang’s lowered gaze.

As Mo Hua stood to take his leave, Mr. Zhuang suddenly said,

"Mo Hua."

Mo Hua looked at Mr. Zhuang with some confusion.

Mr. Zhuang paused for a moment before asking,

"How did this mutated Taoist Meaning fuse into your causality?"

Mo Hua thought for a moment and then replied truthfully,

"It seems that... I ordered it to die, and it tried to, but didn’t fully succeed, and then it hated me..."

Mr. Zhuang’s gaze froze, his fingers hidden in his sleeves quivering, and his heart couldn’t help but flutter.

"You... ordered it to die?"

"Yes," Mo Hua nodded and asked worriedly, "Master, is there any trouble?"

Mr. Zhuang’s eyes became inscrutable as he smiled faintly,

"It doesn’t matter, just remember what I’ve just told you."

"Alright, Master!"

If the Master said it didn’t matter, then there probably wasn’t anything wrong.

Mo Hua left cheerfully and at ease.

After Mo Hua left, Mr. Zhuang sighed deeply and frowned.

Old Kui’s figure appeared, and he said in a soft sigh,

"Too bold..."

Uncharacteristically, Mr. Zhuang didn’t retort but instead nodded in agreement,

"Yes, too bold..."

To actually order a Taoist Demon to die...

Fearless due to ignorance.

And the troubling part is that the Taoist Demon really followed his command to die...

Mr. Zhuang said helplessly,

"The Corpse King wasn’t quite a Taoist Demon. Making the Corpse King kneel was just touching upon a great causality, but now that he directly ordered a Taoist Demon to die, it’s like he swallowed this great causality whole. Truly... recklessly audacious..."

Old Kui glanced at Mr. Zhuang contemptuously, "Weren’t you quite proud before? Feeling remorse now? What do we do?"