I am Master Maoshan

Chapter 2349 Destiny (Part )

At this moment, the fat man had already flown nearly a hundred meters away from where he had been standing.

He lay there silently, his body twisted beyond recognition, his head shriveled, as if all life had been drained from him, his once rosy face now deathly pale. Beneath him, a large pool of blood gushed out, spreading rapidly across the dry ground, creating a gruesome scene.

Chaos erupted instantly. People recovered from their initial shock and began to move about in a frantic manner.

Some people were shouting at the top of their lungs, "Call an ambulance! Call the police!" Others were taking out their phones and snapping photos of the horrific scene. However, not a single person dared to step forward.

Because the fat man died such a gruesome death—his twisted body, his shriveled head, and the constantly flowing blood—were like sharp knives, piercing everyone's nerves.

More and more people gathered around, but they only dared to watch from a distance, and no one dared to approach.

"Fatty!" Liu Jun shouted hoarsely, his body trembling uncontrollably.

He wanted to rush forward to see if his good brother still had any hope of survival, but his body seemed to be bound by an invisible force, and he couldn't move an inch.

"It's no use, he's dead." An old man slowly walked over, shook his head, his face calm, as if he had expected this scene.

Just then, a chilling scene unfolded. Beside the fat man's corpse, two semi-transparent figures suddenly appeared.

The two translucent figures seemed to be ghosts drifting from another world, appearing and disappearing in the sunlight. One of the figures waved to the fat man's corpse in a strange gesture.

Immediately afterwards, another transparent figure slowly stood up from the fat man's corpse. It looked around in confusion, as if it didn't know where it was.

"The Soul-Hooking Impermanence!" Liu Jun's eyes widened as he stared intently at the two transparent figures.

Even under the blazing sun, it exudes a chilling aura, clearly a soul-reaping messenger from the underworld.

"Hmm, they look familiar, don't they? You dealt with them frequently in your previous life," the old man's aged voice rang out again.

Liu Jun frowned, his heart filled with doubt and unease, and hurriedly asked, "Where are they taking Fatty?"

At this moment, the fat man was still standing there, dazed and confused. Liu Jun, seeing his good brother's state, was extremely anxious and wished he could rush up and stop the two soul-reaping messengers immediately.

"The soul-reaping messenger comes to collect souls. Where do you think he'll take them? To the underworld, of course. As for your good brother, I reckon he'll be in the animal realm." The old man said slowly, as if he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.

"Why?" Liu Jun's eyes widened, his voice filled with anger and incomprehension.

Although the fat man is a bit sleazy, he is definitely not a bad person, much less an evil person. Why did he fall into the animal realm?
He couldn't accept that his good brother would suffer such a fate, and he didn't understand why such an arrangement had been made.

"Because of the deep karmic ties they had with you in their past lives, they will suffer for the next nine lifetimes because of you." The old man narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Liu Jun with a hint of pity in his eyes, but his voice remained cold.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jun was struck dumb, his body jolted violently, and his mind went blank.

"What karma do I have? And why should my karma affect them?" Liu Jun roared, his voice echoing in the air, filled with despair and resentment.

He recalled the happy times he had spent with Fatty, eating and drinking together, joking around, and going on adventures together. Now, however, he had to face this separation, and such a cruel twist of fate at that.

"Don't vent your powerless anger. It's useless. You can't change anything now. You're just an ordinary person arranged by fate," the old man sneered, speaking disdainfully.

His tone was full of contempt, as if he were mocking Liu Jun's inability to do anything.

Clearly, the old man didn't care much about Liu Jun's feelings, and even wanted to give Liu Jun another blow.

In his view, Liu Jun was now like an ant, powerless to resist the wheel of fate.

Liu Jun clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, the pain bringing him slightly to his senses. He looked at the two soul-reaping messengers, a strong desire to rebel rising within him.

But what could he do? Faced with these two soul-reaping messengers, he had no spiritual power, no talismans, what could an ordinary person do?
Liu Jun felt an unprecedented sense of confusion and helplessness. He stood there, staring blankly ahead, as if he had lost all hope.

Just then, the two soul-reapers suddenly moved. They slowly approached the fat man, holding a chain that emitted a ghostly light in their hands.

Seeing this, Liu Jun rushed forward without thinking, trying to stop them. However, his body was blocked by an invisible force, and he could not move forward even an inch.

"No!" Liu Jun shouted hoarsely, but all he could do now was shout twice.

He could only watch as the soul-reaper placed the chains on the fat man's body, then gently pulled, causing the fat man's soul to stumble and be forced to passively follow the chains forward.

"Fatty!" Liu Jun struggled desperately, trying to break free from the invisible restraints.

But it was all in vain. He could only watch helplessly as the fat man's soul was carried away by the Soul Reaper and slowly disappeared into the darkness. Liu Jun's eyes were glazed, his lips trembled uncontrollably, and his body shook incessantly.

"Do you know what's so terrible about fate?" The old man's voice was deep, as if it came from the abyss.

Liu Jun remained silent, unsure how to answer. He was completely out of his mind, his thoughts a jumbled mess.

"There are many outcomes you want to change, but you can't change a single thing. It's like you're desperately trying to grab a lifeline, but fate cruelly snatches it away from your grasp. It's miserable enough, but under the arrangement of fate, you can only accept it, as if fate has your throat choked, leaving you with no strength to even struggle." The old man looked at Liu Jun's distraught appearance and spoke slowly, each word like a heavy hammer, striking Liu Jun's heart hard.

Liu Jun's head felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, leaving him in a state of confusion. He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with pain and bewilderment. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw the old man wave his hand gently again.

In an instant, the surrounding scenery seemed to be kneaded and transformed rapidly by an invisible hand.

This time, the scene before him changed to a deep mountain forest in the dead of night. It was pitch black all around, and a howling wind rustled the branches, as if countless ghosts were crying.

The surrounding area was desolate and deserted, without a single light or sound, only endless darkness and deathly silence, which sent chills down one's spine.

"Don't worry, there are no living people here, you won't see that scene again." After a while, the old man's voice rang out again.

Liu Jun breathed a slight sigh of relief, and his body stopped trembling so violently. However, the blow from the incident with the fat man remained a deep wound in his heart, one that could never be healed. The fat man's horrific image kept flashing through his mind, causing him immense pain.

Lost in his pain, Liu Jun failed to notice the glint of amusement in the old man's eyes. Clearly, this matter was still far from simple.

Just then, a grave mound not far away suddenly moved, the sound particularly abrupt in the quiet of the night.

Liu Jun's heart suddenly raced, as if it would burst out of his chest. He stared wide-eyed at the grave mound, his body involuntarily taking a few steps back.

As his strength disappeared, Liu Jun found that he was no longer as brave as before. He seemed to have completely become an ordinary person, and he was also afraid of death.

As the noise from the grave mound grew louder, Liu Jun finally saw clearly that there was an old grave not far away.

Although this old tomb has weathered the vicissitudes of time, it still appears quite imposing. The stone tablet in front of the tomb is tall and majestic, with some blurred characters engraved on it, as if telling the story of the glorious life of the tomb's occupant.

Moreover, judging from the bricks and stones of the tomb, the structure is regular and the black carvings are exquisite. In ancient times, it would have been a tomb of at least the standard of a prince.

Liu Jun's breathing became rapid. He instinctively wanted to turn and run away, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move. He could only stare helplessly at the old grave, his heart filled with fear and confusion.

Why did this old grave suddenly move? What is hidden inside? Is it the work of a ghost, or something else?
Just as Liu Jun was filled with doubt and a hint of fear, a crack suddenly appeared in the burial mound, and a sinister aura slowly seeped out from the crack.

Immediately afterwards, a pale hand emerged from the gap, its nails long and sharp, gleaming eerily in the darkness.

Liu Jun's eyes were wide open, almost bulging out, and his throat felt like it was blocked by something, unable to make a sound.

The hand slowly gripped the edge of the grave, gently pulling the entire body out. Before Liu Jun appeared a person dressed in ancient clothing, his face as pale as paper, devoid of any color, his eyes empty and lifeless, like two bottomless black holes. His hair was disheveled and draped over his shoulders, and he exuded a pungent, putrid stench.

"Zombies?" Liu Jun asked in a trembling voice.

The old man didn't say a word, he just quietly watched the scene unfold.

The zombie didn't hop and skip like in the movies; instead, it slowly, step by step, walked towards him.

With each step, the ground creaked and groaned, like the footsteps of death.

Liu Jun wanted to back away, but it was as if there was an invisible wall behind him, blocking him completely.

As the zombie drew closer, Liu Jun felt his breathing becoming increasingly difficult, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his neck.

Just as the zombie was about to reach him, suddenly, a dazzling light shone from afar, illuminating the entire dark forest. The zombie, struck by the light, let out a shrill scream, and its body emitted wisps of blue smoke.

This sudden turn of events startled Liu Jun. His body trembled instinctively, and he quickly widened his eyes, eagerly looking towards the direction from which the light was shining.

Upon closer inspection, he noticed several people dressed as Taoist priests in the distance.

They were dressed in simple Taoist robes, wore Taoist crowns, and carried various ritual implements in their hands, their steps steady.

Liu Jun examined the insignia on the Taoist robe closely and was startled. The familiar pattern seemed to be the symbol of the Maoshan Taoists, and Maoshan was his sect in his previous life.

"Hmph, evil spirit, we've finally found you!" The leading Taoist priest had a cold expression, his eyes revealing deep disgust and vigilance.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and unleashed another talisman that struck the zombie like lightning. The talisman shimmered with golden light, drawing a graceful arc in the air, carrying powerful spiritual energy straight towards its target.