Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 339 Life Will Find Its Own Way

As expected.

Zhang Chengdao carefully investigated the situation of the entire Liao region from south to north and indeed discovered several places that could perfectly surround the Liao region and nurture spiritual energy.

Not only are there four directions—east, south, west, and north—but there are also five scattered locations. Upon closer inspection, these five locations are not due south, north, east, or west; they seem to have been randomly designated according to the mountain ranges and geography, without any particular reason.

Like the valleys of Yiwulü Mountain and Kuandian Mountain, the remaining three places were also very rough and had very little spiritual energy. If Zhang Chengdao hadn't made a special effort to distinguish them, he probably would have just skipped them over, because these places were almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

After careful consideration, Zhang Chengdao decided to return to Kuandian Mountain. He found that, among the five locations, Kuandian Mountain possessed the most abundant spiritual energy and offered the least obstruction to its environment.

If an ordinary person could reach that lake, they would immediately notice something was wrong. However, that place is a steep valley, and normal people cannot or would not go there.

Since there's no cover-up, we might discover some clues.

Looking at the steaming, sulfurous lake water, Zhang Chengdao made a tough decision. After testing the water temperature, he cast a water-avoidance spell and entered the lake.

The water level in most parts of the lake was very shallow, just reaching Zhang Chengdao's chest, but there was an unfathomable hole in the middle. The water gushing out of the hole was warmer than the lake water, which meant there must be a hidden world beneath the hole.

Without hesitation, Zhang Chengdao immediately continued to explore downwards along the cave.

The cave was extremely dark, almost pitch black. Even though cultivators could use their "divine sense" to "observe" their surroundings, the physical feeling of not being able to see anything with their eyes was quite uncomfortable. Zhang Chengdao had no choice but to take out a glass lamp from his backpack and barely illuminate the surroundings.

The first thing you see is an uneven stone wall that forms a long passageway. The stone wall is a dark reddish color—perhaps it should be called a deep black.

Under the light of the glass lamps, the water in the lake looked very clear, but there were no aquatic creatures in sight, not even the common fish, shrimp, or crabs.

Zhang Chengdao didn't know how long he had been diving. Anyway, he could only see a dot of the round light above his head, and the heat was so intense that his exposed skin turned red before he finally reached the "bottom".

The moment he broke through the water's surface, a feeling of weightlessness washed over him, and Zhang Chengdao quickly rode the wind to hover in the air.

He subconsciously looked down, but because the light was too dim, he could only make out that it was a very large stone hall.

So he looked up again, and there was the "lake" he had come from.

Indeed, the lake water is poured into the sky, and there is a "barrier" in the entire stone hall that blocks the lake water from above, which looks very fantastic.

As Zhang Chengdao surveyed his surroundings, he slowly descended into the stone hall, beads of sweat trickling down his face and into his collar.

The temperature here is extremely high. Although the lake water above is blocked from flowing back in, the "water molecules" are probably still moving. It's stuffy and hot all around, like being in a sauna, probably reaching fifty or sixty degrees Celsius!

What he found even more unbearable was that, in addition to the humid heat, the air was also very murky, with an unknown sour smell, like the stench of rotting protein, mixed with a fermented sour smell, which was simply nauseating!
He even felt like a piece of seafood being cooked!
When he landed on the ground, the light from the glass lamp shone down, and the scene before him stunned Zhang Chengdao.

The ground was covered with countless white bones.

Some of these skeletons looked very old, while others looked like their flesh had only recently rotted away. The newest one, resembling a gray fox, was curled up in the middle of the pile of bones and seemed not to be dead yet, at least its chest appeared to be rising and falling.

Upon seeing the gray fox, Zhang Chengdao realized with a start that all the skeletons belonged to animals.

Which monk is performing some kind of secret ritual that cannot be seen by others?

Zhang Chengdao subconsciously began to guess.

Logically speaking, sacrificing animals seems reasonable, given the food chain; if you don't kill people, you must kill animals.

Could it really be another mischievous cultivator causing trouble?
They attempted to enhance their cultivation through sacrifices or other bloody means in order to break through the world barrier and leave.

Just as he was lost in thought, the gray fox seemed to sense something. It slowly opened its eyes, looked at Zhang Chengdao, and then suddenly froze.

This fox seemed to be quite old. Zhang Chengdao couldn't actually tell the age of an animal, but from its cloudy eyes and slow movements, he could barely tell that it was at least not a young fox.

No, the point isn't whether it's a young fox or not, but that this fox has developed intelligence!
"Who are you……"

The faintest sound, like that of a mosquito, reached Zhang Chengdao's ears and startled him!
A talking fox!

No, it's a fox demon that has refined the horizontal bone!

Zhang Chengdao was so shocked he almost lost his voice.

"How...did...you...get...in...this...?"

Speaking seemed extremely difficult for this fox; with each word it uttered, a clear look of pain appeared on its pointed face.

However, Zhang Chengdao could tell the fox's "age" from its voice.

It was so old, like a centenarian woman, each word uttered haltingly, like a sound pulled from a broken bellows, hoarse and indistinct.

Perhaps it is here, waiting for its own death, waiting to die of old age.

In an instant, Zhang Chengdao finally understood why there were so many animal carcasses here, and why this fox was lying here.

He hurriedly rummaged through his backpack, pulled out a handful of [Fairy Dew], and then deliberately avoided scaring the other party by going forward. Instead, he used his spiritual power to control the Fairy Dew Grass and brought it to the gray fox's mouth.

"Eat up, this is 'Fairy Dew Grass', which contains spiritual energy and should be very beneficial to you. Eat it first to recover your condition, and we can talk about it later."

Since it is a fox spirit, its pure "death from old age" is not entirely without a solution, just like Tang Xiaoyu's situation back then.

Tang Xiaoyu aged three hundred years overnight, which led to the critical situation, but this gray fox in front of her is different.

Zhang Chengdao didn't know how old it was, but it looked like it would only live for another month or so. However, if it ate the Immortal Dew Grass and was nourished by the Immortal Dew, it would definitely live for another three to five years without any problem.

Besides, once he actually eats the fairy dew grass he gave him, the gray fox will probably be too embarrassed to lie to him when he inquires about the affairs of Yiwulü Mountain and Kuandian Mountain.
He was genuinely curious as to why such a place existed in Liaodong, and why it had nurtured such a place with abundant spiritual energy.

It can't compare to a true world of cultivation civilization, but it's much better than other places in this martial arts cultivation world.

Upon hearing this, the gray fox gave Zhang Chengdao a deep look, then stared at the fairy dew grass near its mouth. Without questioning or asking, it stretched out its mouth slightly and bit all the fairy dew grass into its mouth.

As soon as the fairy dew grass entered its stomach, the gray fox looked much more energetic.

After a while, it closed its eyes and seemed to be circulating its demonic power. Its originally messy and dull fur gradually became shiny, and at least it no longer looked gloomy.

“My name is Hu Yun, and I’m the former ‘Third Grandma Hu’. I don’t think you’re from outside the Great Wall!”

Perhaps due to the nourishment from the fairy dew grass, Hu Yun's voice became more vigorous. As it spoke, it even leisurely swayed its large, fluffy tail.

“I am the sect leader of the White Stone Immortal Sect,” Zhang Chengdao said, glancing at the other party’s unchanging expression. He paused for a moment before adding, “White Stone Mountain is located in the Daxing Mountain area.”

This time, Hu Yun nodded the fox's head in realization: "Oh, Daxing Mountain, I know, it's so far away. Why did you come all the way here? Hey, you're here, but you're being too polite, bringing so many grass leaves!"

Zhang Chengdao was a little embarrassed by this overly friendly fox. He smiled, but before he could say anything more, he heard a clear, echoing "gurgle" sound.

He looked in the direction of the sound, and it seemed...

It's Hu Yun's stomach growling...

Hu Yun showed no embarrassment. She impatiently slapped the ground with her tail and said, "Hey, stop looking. I'm starving. I haven't eaten for two months, and my stomach is burning. Why don't you wait until I go out hunting before you come back?"

“I brought some food. If you don’t mind, we can have a simple meal together,” Zhang Chengdao said, taking out some more food from his backpack.

Considering the fox's form, he offered things that were easy for animals to eat, such as meat buns, three-treasure porridge, and mushroom chicken soup. Of course, the mushroom chicken soup was offered because foxes seem to like eating chicken.

"Mom! Chicken stew with mushrooms! How did you know I like this!"

The moment Hu Yun saw the mushroom chicken soup, her eyes lit up, and she drooled.

"Hehehe, I'm glad you like it, I'm glad you like it."

How did he know that the fox demon in front of him liked to eat "chicken stew with mushrooms"? It was purely a coincidence, and this was not "chicken stew with mushrooms" at all, but clearly "mushroom chicken soup".

However, arguing about the name of a dish is meaningless, especially since his purpose is to feed the fox demon so he can gather information.

"Oh my, oh my, your chicken stew with mushrooms is really good! But it's a pity you used shiitake mushrooms instead. Chicken stew with mushrooms should be made with hazel mushrooms! What's with shiitake mushrooms? But it's really delicious, the best chicken stew with mushrooms I've ever had!"

Hu Yun ate so much that her face was almost buried in the bowl, her eyes squinting from the delicious aroma, but she kept making comments, seemingly quite upset that the dish "Mushroom Chicken Soup" contained shiitake mushrooms instead of hazel mushrooms.

In a flurry of activity, Zhang Chengdao only had time to eat one steamed bun before Hu Yun devoured a whole bowl of mushroom chicken soup. She then let out a loud burp, sat up, and, while picking her teeth with the tip of her toes, asked:
"Hey, you people always say something like 'If someone is being overly helpful, they're either up to no good'! I see you've been giving me 'fairy dew grass' and chicken stew with mushrooms, what are you up to? Just say it!"

Zhang Chengdao asked frankly, "I just want to find out what's going on here, and why there are so many bones?"

Hu Yun waved her paws and said nonchalantly, "Hey, these are just the bones of the five immortals from each generation after they died!"

Then it countered with a question: "You asked me a question, now it's my turn to ask you! How did you just conjure up chicken stew with mushrooms out of thin air? That was an illusion! I heard that our first great-grandmother Hu San was incredibly skilled in illusions, she could even conjure up the imperial palace! But illusions are just illusions, even if they conjure up food, it won't fill you up. How did you manage to conjure up real food?"

“Oh, this is something I brought with me. I keep it in my Qiankun bag and take it out when I need it, so it’s not something that changes,” Zhang Chengdao explained. “As for this Qiankun bag, it’s just this. It’s like a bundle that can be used to hold things.”

As he spoke, he handed Hu Yun an empty Qiankun bag.

"A Qiankun bag? What's that?!"

Hu Yun curiously took the simple little purse and examined it from all angles, her face full of curiosity: "This little thing, can it hold such a big bowl of chicken stew with mushrooms?"

Zhang Chengdao instructed, "Pour spiritual power into it, and demonic power should also work, that should do it."

Following Zhang Chengdao's instructions, Hu Yun carefully channeled some demonic power into the small pouch in her paw. Sure enough, it suddenly "sensed" a small space, just like a "big pocket" that belonged to it alone.

Hu Yun looked on with envy: "This thing is really useful! Where did you get it?"

Zhang Chengdao humbly replied, "I refined it myself; it's nothing precious, just convenient."

The more Hu Yun looked at it, the more she wanted it. Finally, she couldn't resist any longer. Her eyes darted around, and she tentatively asked, "How about this, you give me one, and I'll answer any questions you have. How about that?"

"Okay, you can have this."

For Zhang Chengdao, exchanging a worthless Qiankun bag for intelligence was a very worthwhile deal. Moreover, as a fox demon born naturally in this martial arts and cultivation world, and one that could refine horizontal bones and speak human language (unlike Xiao Li, that lazy good-for-nothing), Hu Yun herself was a valuable "illustrator". By establishing a relationship first, he could be considered to have gotten on the good side of the "Five Great Immortals" in Liaodi in the future!

Hu Yun happily stuffed the Qiankun Bag into her tail. No one knew how she managed to stuff it in, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye, as if there was another "alternate dimension" inside her tail.

It said, "That's great! Go ahead and ask! I can tell you have a lot of questions!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengdao took a deep breath, unsure of where to begin his question.

Well, at first, he thought that the "Five Great Immortals" were just a false belief circulating among the people, a false belief based on shamanistic culture and a reverence for nature. In other words, the "Five Great Immortals" did not exist.

But the gray fox he encountered today completely shattered his preconceived notions.

So these "Five Immortals" really are real!
Zhang Chengdao thought for a while and decided to start from the beginning: "Do you... do you five immortals know how you were originally born?"

"Oh, that's a long story."

Hu Yun tilted her head and pondered, "I heard my great-grandmother say that in ancient times, a piece of the moon fell from the sky and crashed into the White Wolf River. The first person to attain immortality was my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother."

As Hu Yun spoke, she counted the fingers on several of her paws.

"Back then, the ancestors of the Five Immortals cultivated around that moon. It is said that the most powerful one, Grandma Black, was my great-great ...

"But once everyone has absorbed all the spiritual energy from the moon, the moon will die, and everyone will be unable to cultivate anymore, and will gradually grow old and die..."

"Yes, and the next generation of children won't be able to cultivate either..."

"Later, Grandma Hei and the sisters Liu Jinhua and Liu Yinhua went south together, supposedly to find a way. But they didn't expect that after going around in circles, they came back and found that apart from the Liaodong region outside the Great Wall, there was no place where immortals were born!"
"Later, everyone got together and came up with a plan to fence off the entire White Wolf River area, and then..."

At this point, Hu Yun suddenly paused, her expression turning somewhat sorrowful.

However, it only paused for a few moments before continuing, "Then they found this place. Every generation of five immortals who cultivate intelligence must come here to await their death. In this way, the fire can burn away the 'immortal energy' that we release after death, which then flows into the lake and gathers in the White Wolf River to nourish the earth..."

"They said they had tried dying outside before, but it didn't work. Apparently, there would be some bad consequences. I don't know the specifics, but that's what my great-grandmother taught me."

"If you ask the other five immortals, they might not know. You've come to the right person, because the first one to die was Grandma Black, my dear, great-great ...

"After she died, everyone discovered that the children were indeed able to cultivate again. Although it was very difficult, at least some of them were still able to cultivate, so this method has been preserved ever since."

After Hu Yun finished speaking, she sighed softly: "Actually, you could tell as well. I was just lying here waiting to die!"

There are many misunderstandings in Hu Yun's statement.

For example, the so-called "fiery energy" is actually fire-related spiritual energy. This place was probably formed naturally, but it shouldn't have been this exaggerated before. It was only after being nourished by the corpses of the five immortals generation after generation that it became like this.

For example, the "celestial energy" it talks about is probably demonic energy. This kind of energy cannot directly nourish the earth, but after being "filtered" by fire-attribute spiritual energy, it becomes the five elements spiritual energy, which is why it can work.

Zhang Chengdao even speculated that the so-called "piece of moon" might actually be the bone that He Yubing had removed—

His flesh and blood directly nourished the earth, while his bones did not decompose. Moreover, the bones of a cultivator at that level looked and had a completely different texture from normal bones, so it was not impossible for him to be mistaken for "a piece of the moon".

In short, this natural "demon energy-spirit energy cycle" is a method that these little demons stumbled upon by accident. It's crude, but effective, only with some sacrifices.

After listening to Hu Yun's story, Zhang Chengdao sighed softly.

"Cultivating immortality" is actually a path taken by intelligent life forms that naturally emerge when the concentration of spiritual energy is high enough, attempting to control power.

Once animals develop intelligence and wisdom, they will naturally follow this inevitable path.

The difference is that in a martial arts cultivation world where the concentration of spiritual energy is almost non-existent, the temporary prosperity brought about by a sudden burst of spiritual power will disappear. Just like the original Five Great Immortals, some of whom could even transform into human form, without enough spiritual energy, it would eventually be difficult to maintain, and no new "Five Great Immortals" would appear afterward.

However, it was clear that they were unwilling to disappear, and they came up with this desperate solution on their own and with the help of their tribe.

Zhang Chengdao couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Life always finds a way out.

(End of this chapter)