Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Rebirth of True Self
The pain from being struck by celestial thunder is something few can endure.
Chi Yuan fainted three times from the pain before he gradually adapted to the sensation and barely managed to regain his composure.
His memory lingered on being elbow-struck in the throat and then being hit by the celestial thunder he summoned himself.
Unexpectedly, he should have died.
As he opened his eyes, he saw Wu Chang, equally disheveled, sitting not far away roasting meat.
This guy, with an enviable sense of relaxation, doesn’t want to die hungry, even in death.
"Ha, did we die together in the end?"
Hearing Chi Yuan’s voice, Wu Chang turned around and shot him a glare.
"I’m still very much alive, but you won’t be for long."
Chi Yuan, enduring pain, forced a smile that was worse than crying, "If I’m not dead, I’m living in pain. Is that why you aren’t killing me, just to let me experience this?"
Wu Chang replied discontentedly, "I got hit three times and didn’t say anything to you. You just took one hit, what are you complaining about."
"The meat’s ready, want a piece?"
"Yes, can’t die hungry."
Needless to say, the source of the meat grilling, was still the three sacrificial animals from the Year-Crossing Ritual.
They were offering sacrifices to appease evil entities, and Wu Chang had done them a favor, so eating a bit of the offering wasn’t excessive.
While the two were eating, Wu Chang said, "There are a few things I can’t figure out."
Chi Yuan was very understanding, "Ask away."
"Since you’re a survivor of Huai Valley Village, and support evil entities in avenging the Black Mountain Bandits, why did you lend me the Soul Cleansing Banner to subdue the demons?"
The Soul Cleansing Banner is known as the nemesis of vengeful spirits and evil entities.
Without the Soul Cleansing Banner, even if Wu Chang figured out a way to pass the level, it wouldn’t have been so easy.
Chi Yuan was silent for a moment, then said, "Perhaps it was a moment of impulse."
"Four years ago, I discovered that Huai Valley Village was occupied by the Black Mountain Bandits, my relatives and neighbors massacred, and transformed into evil entities under an evil technique. At the time, there was only a year until the spiritual energy revival, my cultivation was weak, and I couldn’t resist the bandits, so to quickly gain power, I had to walk the evil path."
Wu Chang asked, "Demon transformation?"
Chi Yuan nodded, "Demon transformation."
"Initially, I intended to transform myself into a demon, using demonic power for revenge. I lay low in the mountains, observing the demons, only to find many hidden cultivators unexpectedly emerging, all targeting Huai Valley Village."
"These cultivators varied in strength but were all clueless, knowing less about demons than I did, and easily perished in the mountains. So, I changed my target, deceiving and ambushing these cultivators, turning them into demons."
Wu Chang: "..."
Look down on players, do you? I’ll show you what a dirty trickster is today.
Chi Yuan seemed to sense something, a nosebleed trickled down, and he wiped it away, asking, "What kind of cultivation technique was that elbow strike, that left no avenue for avoidance?"
Wu Chang shrugged, "Want to learn? I’ll teach you."
Chi Yuan shook his head, "Unfortunately, I don’t have the time."
"The evil path is a road of no return. Even if I justify it out of necessity to numb myself, my heart remains unsettled."
"Meeting you that day was an accident. The hill-blocking ghosts were the demons under my control, not yet refined into an artifact. They were freely feeding, and happened to encounter you. I found your demeanor extraordinary, so I wanted to use them to test your mettle. If you’d proved worthy, I planned to refine you into a Yin Yang Jade Pendant."
"You defeated a hill-blocking ghost so easily, prompting me to change my plans and intend to refine you into a stronger magical artifact."
Wu Chang shrugged, "To be so highly regarded by you, I’m truly flattered."
"At that time, your status reminded me of myself before treading the evil path. If the events at Huai Valley Village hadn’t happened, I might have been like you, proudly declaring my sect. Then I thought, perhaps letting the evil entities seek revenge wasn’t liberating them, but making their souls, like mine, become heavy and twisted in vengeance."
"So I chose you, hoping you’d free them for me."
Wu Chang noncommittally nodded, guessing Chi Yuan asked him to perform exorcisms not only on impulse but perhaps also because of his title’s effects.
"Second question, since you want the evil entities to avenge, why help the villagers complete the Year-Crossing formation, placing the Four-sided Age Fire Lamp?"
Chi Yuan’s answer surprised him a bit.
"That palace lamp wasn’t placed by me; it was an outside cultivator who set it up while I was out gathering refining materials."
Outside cultivator?
Were they a native of the alternate plane, or another player?
For a C-Level instance like "Yearly Peace," unless explored as thoroughly as he did, the ordinary rewards might not be more valuable than the Four-sided Age Fire Lamp.
But if they are native to the alternate plane, how could they provide the Four-sided Age Fire Lamp yet be unable to completely suppress the evil entities?
Can’t figure it out.
Chi Yuan coughed twice, interrupting Wu Chang’s thoughts.
"Young Hero Wu, my time is limited. While I still can, give me the two halves of the mask you obtained from Ghost Cry Forest."
Chi Yuan’s request made Wu Chang hesitate.
Right now, Chi Yuan’s essence, spirit, and spiritual power were leaking uncontrollably, slowly leading him to his end.
Once his essence, spirit, and spiritual power were depleted, death would ensue.
Normally, they say when a man is about to die, his words are kind, but Wu Chang didn’t dare to gamble on it.
After all, the Shadow Mask used to belong to Chi Yuan, and if this guy somehow used it to turn the tables and kill him instead, that would be a huge problem.
If he later encountered other players and Chi Yuan mentioned how clueless the foreign cultivators were, he’d be sure to emphasize it.
"There was a fool who, after already beating me, stupidly handed the magical artifact right into my hands, offering his neck for me to cut. I almost felt embarrassed at his foolishness."
If at that time another player retorted with, "That person was already a fool, and you still tricked him?" it would be a finishing blow.
But what if Chi Yuan had no ill intentions, and he missed some opportunity because of it?
"Daoist Master Chi Yuan, please wait a moment."
"Go ahead, but make it quick, I’m running out of time."
Chi Yuan yawned, his body growing colder, and the numbness from pain made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain consciousness.
Wu Chang moved some distance away, took out the Favor of the Goddess of Fortune, and activated the Lead-Filled Dice.
After rolling three ones for Strong Luck, he took out a copper coin and flicked it upwards.
"Heads give, tails don’t."
The coin landed in his hand, showing the heads side.
Whew!
Trust in the guidance of the Goddess of Fortune.
He handed the two mask halves to Chi Yuan, "Daoist Master, are you going to offer some guidance on the artifact refining technique?"
Chi Yuan pulled out a curved golden thread from his pocket, embedding it into the two halves of the mask, making the two halves of the Shadow Mask unite as one.
The black and white areas began to spin, forming a flowing Taiji symbol.
"Young Hero Wu, the way you reforged it hit right on my original intention, did you guess my setup in the forest?"
Wu Chang shook his head, "Just happened to match by chance, didn’t overthink it."
Chi Yuan smiled, uninterested in debating it, began to speak on his own accord.
"My inherent talent is poor, far inferior to you disciples from hidden sects; my body is so frail that I can’t even withstand the thunder from my own cultivation; having fallen into the evil path, my Dao heart is tarnished, and the deeper I cultivate, the heavier the heart demon grows, making me unfit for the Great Dao."
"If I wish to defy fate, Young Hero Wu, how should I proceed?"
Wu Chang replied, "Deep Blue Stat Points."
Chi Yuan: "?"
Wu Chang cleared his throat, rephrased, "I mean, validate the Dao through force, all fear stems from insufficient spiritual power."
Chi Yuan chuckled, shaking his head, "That’s the mindset of you famed sect disciples. We loose cultivators, how dare we defy heaven and earth?"
"Having learned the Demon Transformation Technique, I thought of a method. Using the Demon Transformation Technique as a lead, to transform and cultivate freely; to use the soul of the oblivious Black Mountain Bandits to forget the heart demon, cultivating a strong Dao heart; and to use the vengeful spirits of outside cultivators for flesh and blood, reshaping the body, bones, and physique."
"Since I am beyond saving, I’ll plunder from the world and recreate a true self."
"Young Hero Wu, I bestow this opportunity unto you."
With that, Chi Yuan waved his hand, tossing the now-unified mask to Wu Chang.