A master of comedy!

crunch~
Zhou Sheng slowly pushed open the mysterious red door, and immediately smelled a rich musky scent, like the legendary and extremely precious ambergris.

The aroma is rich and intense, invigorating the spirit and making one feel lighter.

Ambergris, also known as dragon's belly incense, is a rare and precious fragrance. It is said to come from sperm whales in the deep sea and is extremely rare.

This incense, when lit, has the effects of promoting blood circulation, calming the mind, and aiding sleep.

However, it also has another name among the people: "Dead Man's Incense".

Wherever this incense is present, there is bound to be a decaying whale. This incense is the manifestation of the whale's soul; when burned, it gathers yin energy and is favored by ghosts and spirits.

Some Taoist alchemists also called it "the remains of the immortal stone," believing it could communicate with the underworld.

But amidst the strange and intense aroma of ambergris, Zhou Sheng detected a subtle, almost imperceptible odor of decay.

The first thing you see is a simple counter, behind which sits an elderly man with white hair all over his body.

The word "paved" is the most direct impression Zhou Sheng got at first glance.

The old man's beard and hair were as white as frost and snow, without a trace of black, and had not been groomed for a long time, hanging down to the ground.

From a distance, it looks like it's covered with a layer of snow-white wool blanket.

The old man seemed to be asleep, gently snoring, every wrinkle on his face bearing the marks of time.

Zhou Sheng looked at the old man and found that he could not see anything unusual about him, as if the other party was just an ordinary old man who was sleeping.

He had only ever experienced this almost back-to-basics feeling with Zhang Sanfeng.

The faint smell, like that of a decaying corpse, was emanating from the old man. If it weren't for his snoring, Zhou Sheng would have even suspected that the old man was already dead.

He didn't disturb the other person, but instead looked at the cabinet behind the old man, which contained all sorts of strange items.

There were snails shimmering with the light of flowing water, and one of them cautiously poked its head out. It was a small, beautiful woman in white, about the size of a palm, with delicate features and a timid demeanor. When she noticed Zhou Sheng's gaze, she immediately shrank back.

The Snail Maiden?

Zhou Sheng was taken aback, but the Chiwen inside his body stirred slightly, opened its eyes, and confirmed that the "Snail Girl" was indeed a rare water spirit.

He also saw a transparent wine jar containing a long, snow-white snake. Most astonishingly, the snake's head was already showing prominent features, as if dragon horns were about to grow.

There was also an adorable doll wearing a bib, its mouth gagged, its braids tied with a red string, and attached to a cabinet, its big eyes staring out with a pleading look.

"Oh, is someone here?"

As they were looking around, an aged voice rang out, and the sleeping old man slowly opened his eyes, his cloudy pupils gradually reflecting Zhou Sheng's face.

When the old man saw the Ksitigarbha mask clearly, his spirits lifted slightly.

"The arrival of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is truly an honored guest, and this old man must rise to greet him."

As he spoke, he struggled to get up. Through his thick beard and hair, Zhou Sheng was surprised to find that the other person was not sitting in a chair, but in a... coffin made of Phoebe zhennan wood.

His lower limbs seemed to be connected to the coffin by flesh and blood, and there were bloodstains when he got up.

"It's been... two hundred or three hundred years since I last got up?"

"I can't remember, I can't remember."

The old man shook his head and sighed, "The older I get, the more blurred my memory becomes. I'm afraid this business won't be able to continue for long."

Zhou Sheng's eyes flickered, and he said, "I've heard that you are incredibly powerful and can grant people any wish?"

Hearing this, the old ghost shook his head and chuckled, "To say that I can grant any wish is a bit of an exaggeration, but..."

There was a hint of emotion in his voice.

"This old ghost's monastery has been open for nearly a thousand years, and countless guests have come. Those who haven't satisfied them are few and far between." "Oh? Even if I wanted to ascend to immortality, you could make it happen?"

Zhou Sheng's heart stirred. Not believing the other party's boast, he deliberately spoke up a wish that was difficult to fulfill.

If the other party could truly make people ascend to immortality so easily, it would be as if the Three Pure Ones had descended to earth and the Jade Emperor were on the throne.

With such supernatural powers, why hide in the heart of this ghost market where the sun never shines?
“It’s possible, but Xu Er should have already told you that the bigger the wish, the more expensive it is. Ksitigarbha, are you really sure... you want to have this wish granted?”

Stared at by those murky eyes, Zhou Sheng tensed up instantly. The Yazi and Chiwen within his body stirred, and the pure Yang sword light in his dantian rang out with a sword cry.

"Shhh."

Old Ghost let out a soft shush, and as if his words were law, the wrath and sword light within Zhou Sheng's body instantly subsided.

"Your Two Dragons and One Sword are indeed rare treasures. If you are willing to use them as payment, this old man can help you become a carefree immortal. What do you say?"

At that moment, Zhou Sheng felt a chill that penetrated to his very bones.

In the other party's eyes, he was completely exposed, with all his secrets, except for the Luo Shu, being laid bare.

Cross the robbery!

Moreover, the number of times one must undergo tribulations is likely to be extremely high.

"If it means taking my soul and placing it in a painting, that is, a false world constructed with magic, to become a so-called true immortal, then such an immortal is better left undone."

Zhou Sheng's voice remained calm, unmoved by his words.

"If I'm not mistaken, some of the paintings in that corridor were probably once your guests."

Old Ghost slightly raised his eyes, looked Zhou Sheng up and down, and couldn't help but smile.

"What if it's true? What if it's false?"

"As long as your feelings are real, then they are real. In the world of the painting, you can have invincible power like an immortal, be worshipped by all living beings, and live forever. Isn't that better than the reality where there are troubles everywhere?"

"Of course, the world in the painting will eventually collapse, but time there moves incredibly slowly. One day in reality might be ten or a hundred years in that world. In the end, what's the difference between that and immortality?"

Zhou Sheng shook his head and said, "This is nothing but self-deception."

The old ghost stopped arguing and simply laughed, "If you don't want to become an immortal this way, then there's only one way left: to be resurrected through another's body."

Zhou Sheng felt a slight tremor in his heart, wondering if the other party had seen through his past possession of another body.

"Reincarnation only allows one to live another life; how can it lead to immortality?"

"This isn't an ordinary corpse, but... a celestial corpse."

After saying that, the old ghost patted the coffin he had just been sitting on with trembling hands and laughed, "What's inside here is the corpse of an immortal, the real deal, no doubt about it."

The corpse of an immortal?
Zhou Sheng's pupils narrowed as he stared intently at the coffin, where he could see at least sixteen layers of restrictions, densely packed and completely concealing any trace of energy.

But even this seemingly impenetrable seal began to stir within moments after the old ghost got up.

It was as if something inside the coffin was slowly awakening.

Everything returned to calm once the old ghost sat down again.

He patted the coffin and smiled slightly.

"This immortal corpse will satisfy you, but your Two Dragons and One Sword won't be enough."

...(End of this chapter)