This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 205 In This World
Inside the isolation shed by the river, all the malfunctioning instruments and lights had been removed, and even the cables had been temporarily taken off. Only the workbench left by the two masters, Ban and Gong, remained untouched.

The military then continued to cordon off the area.

At JZ Central Hospital, the two doctors, Ban and Gong, were admitted to a special ward.

The two were actually awake when they arrived at the hospital, but they were too weak to wake up, so they pretended to be unconscious and allowed the hospital to give them injections and IV drips.

The two lay on the bed with their eyes closed, resting, while communicating with each other through telepathy.

"Teacher, something's wrong with this diagram. Why is it consuming so much energy? I've used up most of my spiritual power!"

"Me too! Maybe this counts as revealing a secret. When I get back to work, I'll have to take a few of Doctor Mu's pills, or I won't be able to handle it!"

"That's natural, but we also need to appear weak. We can't immediately be full of energy. We need to suppress our internal energy!"

"I know, yes, someone's here."

After the two finished their conversation, footsteps could be heard outside the ward, and an astronomer guarding the ward turned to look at the door.

Outside the ward, two soldiers saluted the visitors and then opened the door for them. When they went in, the staff members who were accompanying them stood up.

"Dean, you've arrived!"

Besides Duan Kang, the only other person who came was the middle-aged military officer who had always been by Duan Kang's side; no one else came.

"Hmm, how are Master Ban and Master Gong doing?"

As they spoke, everyone looked toward the hospital bed. The two elderly men were lying on the bed, not yet dressed in hospital gowns, but they were already on IV drips and were still unconscious.

"The doctor said it was probably due to excessive energy expenditure and low blood sugar, coupled with mental exertion, that caused him to fall into a coma. He's currently receiving glucose, but it's unclear when he'll wake up. Optimistically, he should wake up in half a day!"

"Okay, I'm glad you're okay!"

"Don't worry, Dean. These two experienced masters may look old, but they're as strong as oxen. You wouldn't believe it, their arms and bodies are all muscle."

"Sigh, physical strength alone isn't enough; there's something wrong with that tortoise shell diagram."

The plainclothes officer beside Duan Kang glanced at the former, then looked at the two old craftsmen who were unconscious on the bed.

"Although these two are old men, they possess something that ordinary people do not have. Why are they the only ones who were able to draw that tortoise shell painting completely?"

Duan Kang glanced at the officer beside him.

"Where is the drawing complete? If it's only half-finished, isn't it destined for the hospital?"

"But my soldiers were already exhausted after just touching the blueprints with a pen, while two elderly men in their sixties and seventies were able to hold on for so long. There must be a reason!"

"I think I roughly understand why."

Duan Kang already had some ideas of his own, which drew surprised looks from the officers.

"First of all, that blueprint was what they started piecing together and drawing. In the process of creating something from scratch, it must have been very easy at first, but then the energy consumption gradually increased. The two master craftsmen were so immersed in their own world that they didn't realize it, until they collapsed from exhaustion."

"If it were you, you could probably start drawing from scratch, or you wouldn't have any problems even if you finished drawing it."

"Why? Because I'm a soldier and have better physical fitness?"

Duan Kang glanced at the officer beside him with annoyance. Over this period of time, he had become quite familiar with the man and knew that although he looked serious, he was actually quite good at joking.

"Because you simply can't draw it like that, or rather, you can't capture that spirit at all. Among so many of us, only Masters Ban and Master Gong can capture that spirit. They are veteran artists who have inherited exquisite skills. Over the years, they seem to have developed an intuition that only old craftsmen possess, able to sense a spirit and bring it to life."

"So they can, but we can't."

"That's amazing! Let's find a few more experienced masters like that; they'll be very useful in the future!"

These words left not only Duan Kang speechless, but also the staff of the Imperial Observatory who had been guarding the ward since the beginning.

"Find a few more? Do you think there are many veteran artists like this in the world? Do you know anyone who's willing to pay a seven or eight-figure sum to have Master Gong replicate antiques? Find me someone like that."

The officer's expression also became more serious; it now seemed that these two really were the most special experts!

The two people in the hospital beds were listening, and they were secretly pleased. It seemed that their importance was secure and they no longer had to worry about being kicked out.

"Alright, let's not disturb the two experienced workers' rest. You continue to keep watch here. If anything happens, just call us!"

"Yes!"

Duan Kang left after speaking with the officer, but the two had only reached the hospital entrance when Duan Kang's phone rang, saying that the two veterans had woken up.

The two quickly returned to the ward. When they got back, Ban and Gong had already sat up in bed. The doctor and nurses were there, trying to persuade them to lie back down.

When the door opened, everyone instinctively looked towards the entrance. Upon seeing Duan Kang, Ban Gong and the other person immediately exclaimed.

"Hey, Dean Duan, you've come at the perfect time! We need to go back now!"

"Yes, that drawing needs to be finished. It's almost done, and I'm really anxious about not finishing it!"

"We're free now, but we have to finish this before we can lie down. I really don't believe we can't finish drawing!"

The two men launched into a tirade, seemingly very eager, and even Duan Kang's attempts to dissuade them were futile. Ultimately, when Duan Kang and the officer left the hospital, they took the two masters, Ban and Gong, with them and returned once more to the riverside quarantine shed.

There were fewer people present this time, and no equipment or instruments. The only things used for lighting were flashlights and a few candles.

Strangely enough, on the drawing paper that everyone else struggled to draw on, Master Ban and Master Gong were able to continue drawing when they got back. Although everyone could see that the two of them were working very hard, at least they were able to keep going.

However, what everyone is most worried about now is the health of the two veteran drivers.

Beside the giant tortoise shell, a group of people surrounded the workbench, while in front of and behind the workbench, two experienced craftsmen, who had taken off their winter clothes, were slowly drawing pictures and text.

The two experienced workers were covered in sweat, their muscles bulging beneath their thin shirts.

As the images and text became more and more complete, people around even felt a kind of static electricity around them, as if there was a faint magnetic field.
Gradually, the sweat of Master Ban and Master Gong dripped down and turned into mist, while the candlelight around them seemed to drift towards the painting.

Upon seeing this, some people were immediately startled.

"Quickly blow out the candles!"

"No! Don't blow!"

Blowing out the candles was out of concern that they might burn the painting and ruin all the hard work; not blowing them out was because everyone would soon realize that the flames wouldn't reach the painting.

Sweat and moisture from the nearby Yangtze River converged, and together with the candlelight, they subtly formed a tai chi symbol around the scroll, causing everyone to instinctively step back.

Masters Ban and Gong seemed to be immersed in that feeling, completely unaware of the situation around them, and even less aware that they had become the Yin and Yang poles of Tai Chi.

The two used a brush to apply the ink, which was the best way to reproduce the spirit of the ink. At this moment, even the ink in the ink bowl on the side began to float.

The painting is almost finished!
Everyone feels this way, and it's getting stronger and stronger!

The people responsible for recording outside tried turning on the camera and recording for a bit. Suddenly they found that it seemed to be stable now and the camera was able to record the footage normally. Overjoyed, they didn't dare to make a sound and just signaled to the camera positions to start working immediately.

A few minutes later, the two masters, Ban and Gong, looked at each other at their workbench, one in front of the other. Then they tried to dip their brushes in ink, only to find that all the ink in the ink bowl had disappeared.

Both experienced masters were shocked, and Duan Kang and the others on the periphery were also taken aback.

Oh no! Master Ban and Master Gong are holding on by sheer willpower right now. If this gets interrupted, things will go terribly wrong!
For some reason, this was the thought in the minds of most people present, and even the military personnel could sense it.

Sure enough, Ban and Gong began to lose their balance, and blood even started to seep from their noses and mouths.

Those around were both worried and anxious, worried about the painting and the two master craftsmen, yet they dared not approach them, and it seemed impossible for them to get close. An invisible force made everyone move slowly.

Ban and Gong had clearly seen each other's situation and also felt their own.

Almost simultaneously, both men spat out a mouthful of blood onto the pen, and then, with all their might, they pointed at the very center of the drawing, which was also the final Tai Chi position.

The strokes of the blood-red brush, though slightly crooked, were full of spirit. With each stroke, the crimson ink attracted the floating ink above, instantly merging into it.

With another stroke, the surrounding white mist swirled, and in an instant, the crimson color vanished into nothingness.
All the strange phenomena disappeared at that moment, and the pressure on everyone was gone. The two old masters, Ban and Gong, who were holding pens, also fell backward. Although there was an element of acting involved, they were genuinely exhausted.

"Master Ban!" "Master Gong!"

Amidst the screams of onlookers, two officers were the fastest and caught the fallen old man in their arms.

"Stretcher—stretcher—"

Medical personnel and ambulances were already on standby outside and rescued the person immediately.

Although the others were also worried about the two master craftsmen, Ban Gong, they were inevitably drawn to the completed painting on the workbench. In just one glance, everyone entered another world in an instant!
The scroll seemed to possess magical power, with black and white energies rotating from above, instantly changing the color of the world!

The isolation shed and everyone else seemed to be gone, leaving only each person who saw the picture to witness the evolution of heaven and earth alone.
Outside the isolation tent, the officer arranged for guards to follow the ambulance, then lifted the curtain again to enter the interior. However, it was unusually quiet inside, and even Duan Kang was standing in front of the workbench, staring at the painting without moving.

To be honest, the officer was a little angry. In the military, camaraderie is the most important bond, and soldiers are truly willing to entrust their lives to each other.

And what about the Imperial Observatory? The two master craftsmen just now, although they didn't understand exactly what was going on with this painting, it was clear to anyone with eyes that they had risked their lives.

But all these people care about is this lousy painting? Even if it's really important, are you too lazy to even care about the safety of your own colleagues?

"Dean Duan, Dean Duan! Dean Duan Kang?"

The officer was taken aback and didn't react. He immediately looked at the soldiers in the surrounding sheds and found that they were also looking at the painting, standing there motionless.

Moreover, at this moment, there seemed to be a faint glow shining on the turtle's shell and the workbench.

Hmm? Is there something wrong with this painting and the tortoise shell?
The officer had already realized something was wrong with the painting, but his body reacted even faster, instinctively glancing at it before another "sculpture" appeared.
Between the vast heavens and earth, there are towering mountains, countless exotic flowers and beasts, and all things evolve amidst the vibrant life. From demons and monsters to evil spirits, from the cultivation of immortals and Buddhas to the flourishing of all things, to the prosperity of humanity, it is like a giant revolving lantern from ancient times to the present, presented in the eyes of everyone who enters the artistic conception of the picture.

It's as if you can see from the era of the desolate valley, where the great road was fraught with conflict, all the way to today's modern world. But the size of the world seems to be getting narrower and narrower, and all the "spirituality" that can be seen with the naked eye is gradually disappearing. The sense of oppression is getting stronger and stronger, as if it is suffocating.
In the midst of confusion, a voice resounded in the sky.

"The vast mountains and seas are bound to be filled with turbulent energy, and the spiritual energy between the isolated land and the heavens is exhausted, bringing about the annihilation of all things in heaven and earth. However, the Great Dao is divided into fifty heavens and forty-nine, and there is always a glimmer of hope for everything. We cultivators are unwilling to perish, nor are all living beings. Heaven and earth will not be willing to perish either. In the future Dharma-ending Age, although all spirits will be extinct, the power that separates the outer heavens from this world will be weak."

"We will use the Heaven-Slaying Technique to seize a sliver of life for our descendants, and with the power to break through the heavens, we will ascend to immortality in this very life!"

If none of us can survive to the next generation, then our descendants should also strive to be strong and wait for the opportune moment, when the mysterious tortoise carrying the map will appear and reveal the profound mysteries to future generations.”

Amidst the resounding sounds, on the distant banks of the mighty river, a colossal black tortoise broke through the surface of the water, while streaks of light flew in from the horizon, revealing numerous immortals, both male and female.
(End of this chapter)