Chapter 51: Recreating the True Self

Few people can withstand the pain of being struck by heavenly lightning.

Chi Yuan was knocked unconscious by the pain three times before he gradually adapted to the sensation and managed to recover his spirit.

His memory stopped at being elbowed in the throat and then struck by the heavenly lightning he had summoned himself.

If nothing went wrong, he should be dead.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Wu Chang, who looked just as disheveled as he was, sitting not far away roasting meat.

This guy, with his enviable sense of relaxation—is he not going to be a starving ghost even in death?

"Heh, did we end up dying together in the end?"

Hearing Chi Yuan's voice, Wu Chang turned his head and rolled his eyes at him.

"I'm still living quite well, but you won't be living much longer."

Chi Yuan endured the pain and squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying, "If I haven't died, it's only because the pain kept me alive. If you aren't killing me, is it just to let me experience this?"

Wu Chang said with dissatisfaction, "I was struck three times and didn't say anything to you; you've only taken one hit, what is there to complain about?"

"The meat is roasted, want a piece?"

"I do. I can't be a starving ghost, can I?"

It went without saying that the source of the meat on the grill was still the three sacrificial animals from the Year-End Festival.

They were sacrificing to and appeasing evil spirits, and since Wu Chang had done a favor for the evil spirits, eating a bit of their offerings was not excessive.

While the two were eating, Wu Chang said, "I have a few questions I can't figure out."

Chi Yuan was very accommodating, "Ask."

"Since you are a survivor of Huaigu Village and support the evil spirits in taking revenge on the Black Mountain bandits, why did you lend me the Soul-Cleansing Command Flag to suppress the demons?"

The Soul-Cleansing Command Flag could be called the nemesis of vengeful ghosts and evil spirits.

If not for the Soul-Cleansing Command Flag, even if Wu Chang could find a way to clear the level, it would not have been so easy.

Chi Yuan was silent for a moment and said, "Perhaps it was just a whim."

"Four years ago, I discovered that Huaigu Village had been occupied by the Black Mountain bandits, and my friends and neighbors had been slaughtered and turned into evil spirits under evil arts. At that time, it was only one year until the reappearance of spiritual energy. My cultivation was low, and I was powerless to resist the bandits. To gain power quickly, I had no choice but to walk the evil path."

Wu Chang asked, "Turning into a demon?"

Chi Yuan nodded, "Turning into a demon."

"At first, I wanted to turn myself into a demon and take revenge with demonic power. I laid low in the mountains and observed the demonic creatures there, but I discovered that hidden cultivators were appearing like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and their target was also Huaigu Village."

"These cultivators had uneven strength, but they were all dim-witted and knew less about demonic creatures than I did, so they would easily die in the mountains. So I changed my target, lured and ambushed these cultivators, and turned them into demons."

Wu Chang: "..."

Looking down on players, are we? Today I'll let you see what a 'black hand' really is.

Chi Yuan seemed to sense something; a nosebleed flowed out. He wiped it away and asked, "What technique was that elbow strike of yours? It was truly unavoidable."

Wu Chang shrugged, "Want to learn? I'll teach you."

Chi Yuan shook his head and said, "It's a pity I don't have the time."

"The evil path is a road of no return. Even if I numb myself in the name of having no other choice, my heart remains uneasy."

"That meeting that day was an accident. The Mountain-Blocking Ghosts were demonic creatures I controlled, not yet refined into tools. They were hunting freely and happened to run into you. Seeing your extraordinary bearing, I wanted to use them to test your quality. If you passed, I would have refined you into a Yin-Yang jade pendant."

"You killed a Mountain-Blocking Ghost so easily that it made me change my plan; I wanted to refine you into an even stronger magical artifact."

Wu Chang shrugged, "To be so highly regarded by you, I am truly flattered."

"Your state at that time reminded me of myself before I stepped onto the evil path. If the incident at Huaigu Village had never happened, I could have been like you, openly declaring my sect and taking pride in it. At that time, I was thinking that perhaps letting the evil spirits take revenge wasn't giving them liberation, but rather making their souls, like mine, become heavy and twisted in the process of revenge."

"So I chose you, wanting you to help them find liberation for me."

Wu Chang nodded noncommittally. Chi Yuan asking him to perform the deliverance, besides being a whim, likely also had to do with the effect of his title.

"Second question: since you wanted the evil spirits to take revenge, why did you help the villagers complete the Year-End Formation and place the Four Directions Year-Fire Lamps?"

Chi Yuan's answer was somewhat beyond his expectations.

"That palace lantern wasn't placed by me. It was an outside cultivator who set these up while I was out looking for materials for refining tools." An outside cultivator?

Was it a native of the dungeon plane, or another player?

As a C-rank dungeon, if one didn't explore the plot as thoroughly as he did and just cleared it normally, the value of the reward might not be higher than the Four Directions Year-Fire Lamps.

But if the other party was a plane native, then if they could produce the Four Directions Year-Fire Lamps, why couldn't they completely suppress the evil spirits?

Can't figure it out.

Chi Yuan coughed twice, interrupting Wu Chang's thoughts.

"Young Master Wu, I don't have much time left. While I can still move, give me the two halves of the mask you got from the Ghost-Crying Forest."

Chi Yuan's request made Wu Chang hesitate.

The Chi Yuan before him had his essence, energy, spirit, and spiritual power leaking out like a broken dam, unable to stop.

When his essence, energy, spirit, and spiritual power were exhausted, he would meet his death.

It is said that the words of a dying man are good, but Wu Chang didn't quite dare to gamble.

!

After all, the Shadow-Reflecting Mask was once Chi Yuan's item. If this guy got the Shadow-Reflecting Mask and used some unknown means to kill him in return, that would be a huge joke.

If he met other players later, when Chi Yuan talked about how dim-witted outside cultivators were, he would probably make a point of mentioning him.

"There was an idiot who had clearly already beaten me, but he stupidly handed the artifact to me and stretched out his neck for me to chop. It was so stupid I felt embarrassed for him."

If the player at that time added, "He was already an idiot, and you still f***ing scammed him!" that would be a fatal blow.

But what if Chi Yuan had no malicious intent and he missed out on some opportunity? What then?

"Daoist Priest Chi Yuan, please wait a moment."

"Please do, but be quick. I can't hold on much longer."

Chi Yuan yawned. His gradually cooling body and the numbness in his perception from the pain made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain consciousness.

Wu Chang moved a bit further away, took out the Favor of the Goddess of Luck, and activated the Loaded Dice.

After rolling three 1s to activate Great Luck, he took out a copper coin and flipped it upward.

"Heads I give it, tails I don't."

The coin landed on his hand, showing the side with the inscription.

Phew!

Trust the guidance of the Goddess of Luck.

He took out the two halves of the mask and handed them to Chi Yuan, "Is the Daoist Priest going to give me some pointers on tool-refining techniques?"

Chi Yuan took a curved gold thread from his bosom. The gold thread was embedded into the two halves of the mask, actually causing the two halves of the Shadow-Reflecting Mask to merge into one.

The black and white areas began to rotate, turning into a flowing Taiji.

"Young Master Wu, the path you took to re-refine it hits exactly on my original conception. Did you guess my layout in the forest?"

Wu Chang shook his head, "It was just a coincidence; I didn't think too much about it."

Chi Yuan smiled, not bothering to distinguish truth from falsehood, and spoke to himself.

"My root bone talent is very poor, far inferior to you cultivators from hidden great sects; my body is weak and cannot even withstand the lightning I cultivate myself; I fell into the evil path, my Dao heart is damaged, and the deeper I cultivate, the heavier my inner demons become. In this life, I have no connection to the Great Dao."

"If I want to defy the heavens and change my fate, Young Master Wu, how should I go about it?"

Wu Chang said, "Add points to 'Deep Blue'."

Chi Yuan: "?"

Wu Chang coughed dryly and changed his phrasing: "I mean, prove the Dao with force; all fear stems from insufficient spiritual power."

Chi Yuan smiled and shook his head, saying, "That is the way of thinking of you disciples of famous sects. How would we loose cultivators dare to struggle against heaven and earth?"

"Having the good fortune to obtain the Demon-Turning Art, I thought of a way. Use the Demon-Turning Art as a guide to shed humanity and become a demon, cultivating freely; use the Black Mountain bandits who can 'forget themselves' as souls to forget inner demons and repair the Dao heart; use the vengeful ghosts of outside cultivators as bones, flesh, skin, and blood to reshape my physical body, root bones, and physique."

"Since I am already beyond saving, then I will plunder the common people and recreate a true self."

"Young Master Wu, this opportunity, this poor Daoist will gift to you."

Having said that, Chi Yuan waved his hand and tossed the merged mask to Wu Chang.

(End of chapter)