Longevity Strange Immortal
Chapter 138 - 139: The Ancestral Master Descends?!!

Chapter 138: Chapter 139: The Ancestral Master Descends?!!

In the game of black-and-white chess, there is no shortage of final positions that have confounded players for millennia.

Those life-and-death endgames are collectively referred to by chess players as "life-or-death."

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Heavy breaths echoed in the darkness where one could not see their own hand.

Tian Changwen lay flat on his back, his abdomen bloated over ten meters wide, and his skin appeared thin as a cicada’s wing, revealing blackened veins.

Meanwhile, parasitic tentacles clung to his spine, continually drawing nutrients from within, rendering him increasingly frail.

"Damn it, even Core Formation Stage cultivation can’t last five days."

Tian Changwen opened his mouth and spat out fresh blood, mixed with a Magic Artifact orb.

The Magic Artifact orb formed a mirrored surface.

Through the mirror, one could see the external scene where disciples of the Sub-Device Sect, led by Qingjingzi, had reached the center of the Inner City District while Tian Changwen remained within Tian Chenzi’s remains.

To Tian Changwen, the remains, though resembling Ancestor Tian Chenzi, functioned more like a "Beast Embryo" nurturing a baby.

Through the Beast Skin People, he had discovered the Inner City District’s secret—the Beast Embryo swallowed a Beast Skin Person every fifteen years to nurture the Hundred Beasts Blood Body.

If the time limit was not met, it would require significant amounts of flesh to replenish the Beast Embryo’s nutrients.

Tian Changwen hoped to discern the Hundred Beasts Blood Body’s growth patterns, enabling him to cultivate the Acquired Dao Body without transplantation, but alas, the Core Formation Stage Artifact Cultivator had no intention of allowing the Hundred Beasts Blood Body to take form.

He gazed at Qingjingzi, who showed no intention of approaching the Beast Embryo.

A beastly roar emanated from Tian Changwen’s belly.

The Hundred Beasts Blood Body within him was already restless; as long as he summoned the Heart Ape, he could trigger the Beast Embryo’s chain reaction.

The Core Formation Stage Artifact Cultivator would never expect anyone to plan to use themselves to nourish the Beast Embryo.

According to Tian Changwen’s plan, the Beast Embryo would at most severely damage the Artifact Cultivator, yet wouldn’t provoke the immeasurably deep Sub-Device Sect to wrath.

"If Rong Town is to grow to the level of the Sub-Device Sect—or even to return to the flourishing days of the Heart Beast Sect—it would take millennia..."

Tian Changwen had already learned from the Inner City District that Rong Town was originally the Heart Beast Sect, though he had not disclosed this to others.

In his view, Rong Town’s strength barely clung to survival, and rashly inheriting the name of the Heart Beast Sect would only invite unnecessary trouble.

Only when a Beast Cultivator advances to the Uncertainty Nascent Soul could the plaque of the Heart Beast Sect be erected.

But Tian Changwen knew that the person in question would never be himself.

A fleeting image of Li Mo flashed in his mind, though he quickly shook his head in denial. "Unfortunately, with Rong Town’s soil, no matter how talented, it’s hard to achieve a Nascent Soul."

Qingjingzi began laying out measures around the Beast Embryo, primarily to prevent others from approaching, likely having contacted the Sub-Device Sect.

Tian Changwen suppressed his chaotic thoughts; his immediate priority was to successfully nurture the Hundred Beasts Blood Body.

"If worst comes to worst, I could simply use my own flesh to feed the Beast Embryo and see if it can completely form before the Artifact Cultivator reacts."

But the odds were down to merely thirty percent.

Crack... Crack... Crack...

As Tian Changwen hesitated, faint rustling sounds emerged, and two human-faced spiders crawled out from his mouth, bearing the facial features of Han Cai and Shi Ji.

Tian Changwen chuckled helplessly and said, "How are the two Fellow Daoists holding up?"

Han Cai gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence, "Tian Changwen, where do you find the heart to joke? Hurry up and stimulate the Beast Embryo to nurture the Hundred Beasts Blood Body."

He glanced at Shi Ji, whose consciousness was blurry, even unable to control the human-faced spider.

"I can’t, there’s no guarantee."

Tian Changwen moved his limbs in pain, his abdominal flesh surging noisily—the state of his own body was hardly better than that of Han Cai and Shi Ji.

"Why?!!"

Han Cai’s true form hung behind Qingjingzi’s back, and he could clearly see that the latter had already noticed something strange about the Beast Embryo.

Although Qingjingzi remained at the edge of delirium, after realizing the Beast Embryo was entirely unrelated to his desired object, his Spiritual Wisdom stabilized significantly.

Han Cai froze in terror at the thoughtful gaze Qingjingzi directed at the Beast Embryo.

Qingjingzi did not speak, and the other disciples of the Sub-Device Sect dared not approach Tian Chenzi’s remains, leaving the situation in a deadlock.

Tian Changwen took a deep breath, his flesh writhing as he spoke in a low voice, "They’re too far from the Beast Embryo; my influence is limited..."

Han Cai’s expression grew resolute, realizing that the plan lay inches away from success, but the Artifact Cultivators hadn’t moved forward to investigate the Beast Embryo.

"I’ll do it."

Shi Ji regained some semblance of consciousness and weakly said, "If I suddenly strike, few of the Artifact Cultivators would have time to react..."

"No."

Tian Changwen outright refused, knowing Shi Ji’s actions would trigger a chain reaction, possibly involving harm to Han Cai.

"Let me take the lead. I’ll use Heart Monkey Intent Horse to influence the Core Formation Stage Artifact Cultivators, and if we fail, the three of you can feign death and escape."

Tian Changwen turned to Shi Ji and asked, "How much longer can Qingfang hold out?"

"Not... optimistic."

Shi Ji’s facial features twisted as he spoke, his true form inexplicably mutating—his arms began tearing each other apart.

"There’s no time to wait."

Tian Changwen gritted his teeth, and from his abdomen, the Heart Ape extended arms marked with corrosion, eliciting infant cries from the Beast Embryo.

"Wait a moment..."

Han Cai’s face turned uncertain, his human-faced spider coughing violently before expelling a fist-sized egg from his belly.

The egg hatched in the blink of an eye.

Li Mo’s consciousness had fused into the human-faced spider, prompting Han Cai to chide him, "Didn’t I tell you to find a place to cultivate in seclusion? Why meddle in Rong Town’s affairs—are you courting death?"

Han Cai’s face brimmed with confusion; he hadn’t noticed Li Mo’s presence—how did the latter infiltrate the Inner City District?

"Master Han, there’s no time to explain."

"Manager Tian, if I know what specific item the Core Formation Stage Artifact Cultivator seeks, can you amplify their inner thoughts?"

Tian Changwen’s brows furrowed, while his teeth began falling out as the signs of corpseification spread—the precursor to his body’s collapse.

"It’s worth trying."

"Alright."

Han Cai extended his limbs and directly pierced Shi Ji’s human-faced spider, killing it.

No matter what channels Li Mo used to discover the secrets, Han Cai had to prevent information from spreading, to avoid unnecessary trouble for Li Mo.

Tian Changwen emitted a grotesque laugh as Li Mo’s face emerged on his right arm, which then turned into a pile of flesh along with blood and bones.

"A Heart Demon Oath offered through sacrificial flesh—even in death and with the Dao disappearing, Li Mo’s information cannot be revealed—it’s the most foolproof method I’ve seen."

Seeing this, Han Cai no longer hesitated, employing the Spider Heart Human Face Technique, sacrificing his own human-faced spider, leaving only Li Mo and Tian Changwen.

Li Mo never thought Han Cai, to keep him from trouble, would force Tian Changwen to make a Heart Demon Oath. Tian Changwen, too, was ruthless, not sparing even his foundational vitality.

Actually, Li Mo wasn’t particularly concerned.

If the mastermind truly obtained a metallic top-grade Spirit Stone, they wouldn’t have sent Qingjingzi.

For quite some time, Li Mo would need to abandon his identity as a disciple of the Heart Beast Sect. Once he reached the Sub-Device Sect, it would be impossible to trace back to him.

"Spirit Marrow, Metallic Spirit Marrow, though I can’t be fully certain."

"Spirit Marrow? Got it."

Tian Changwen had no time to contemplate the depth of Li Mo’s information. If Heart Monkey Intent Horse failed, he would have to force Qingjingzi to act, entirely disregarding his life—a mere Heart Demon Oath was nothing.

Li Mo’s consciousness withdrew from the human-faced spider to avoid detection by Qingjingzi.

"To fight against men—isn’t that endless joy?"

Tian Changwen’s abdomen split open, leaving his body skeletal and gaunt, as the Heart Ape, parasitized by the Hundred Beasts Blood Body, emerged.

The Heart Ape’s grotesque appearance was a fusion of a heart-like deer-shaped tumor, vastly increasing Tian Changwen’s burden.

"Ancestor Tian Chenzi, bless the Heart Beast Sect’s Taoist inheritance."

Tian Changwen’s forehead opened an animal eye, and as he employed Heart Monkey Intent Horse, Qingjingzi’s body began mutating uncontrollably once again.

The Beast Skin People were ready, channeling directly into the Beast Embryo.

Qingjingzi grunted.

Already afflicted by the looming threat of Uncertainty Period Death Disease, Qingjingzi’s mind was flooded with distracting thoughts, and his desires were abruptly reignited.

Driven by impulse, Qingjingzi moved several meters forward, his consciousness clearing only moments after.

"You scoundrels!!"

Qingjingzi instantly realized someone was clandestinely manipulating him.

His expression darkened, his thoughts turning to Sub-Device Sect conspirators seeking his demise rather than suspecting beast cultivators from Rong Town.

"I should’ve known; Spirit Marrow was a trap."

Qingjingzi grunted and temporarily suppressed the onset of Death Disease by transferring the mutations into two Medicine Men.

But unexpected incidents kept occurring—Shi Ji’s body seemed to have reached its limit.

Bang!

Half of Shi Ji’s body exploded—though a Core Formation Stage cultivator, the aftermath engulfed several Sub-Device Sect disciples, painting the area with flesh and blood.

The infant cries grew louder and louder, as bloodied tentacles sprouted from the surface of the Beast Embryo.

When the tentacles of the Beast Embryo wrapped around Qingjingzi, it took merely moments for an abnormal embryo to gradually form between the Beast Embryo’s brows.

The remaining disciples of the Sub-Device Sect quickly retreated from the Inner City District.

Li Mo also slipped away quietly, wearing a Human Skin disguise with the aura of a Mixed Element Dao Body fully suppressed, revealing only the pure essence of Mist Fog Spiritual Power.

Caught off guard, Qingjingzi’s parasites broke apart, allowing Han Cai to fall to the side, seemingly on the brink of death.

A small fox crawled from Shi Ji’s mouth, its scattered pupils regaining a faint focus. Even with only a third of its upper body remaining, its surviving Five Internal Organs barely sustained its life.

The fox was Qingfang Taoist transformed, its fur covered with rot.

He had cultivated the "Qingqiu Nine Lives Nine Mountains Heart Sutra," temporarily transferring mutations to allow Han Cai and the others to shed their metaphorical skins and escape.

Qingfang Taoist took only a few steps before corpsefication once again spread through him, dissolving his form into reeking pus, the stench filling the air.

Before his death, he gazed at the Beast Embryo, where translucent veins had formed within the embryo.

Han Cai dared not blink, terrified of missing the details of the Hundred Beasts Blood Body, unaware of the incredulous expressions on the faces of the other cultivators.

Qingjingzi had barely freed himself from the tentacles and was just reacting when he froze.

Tian Chenzi’s remains opened its eyes, and under the disbelieving gazes of all the cultivators, an unfamiliar consciousness descended, exuding an air of unyielding authority.

"Through my True Void, perceive the wondrous existence."

Tian Chenzi’s remains spoke.

All cultivators simultaneously fell into a daze, their perceptions of Tian Chenzi’s remains warped into another form.

Its exterior transformed, composed of a chaotic blend of bird and beast organs, its grotesque limbs gathering and dispersing in turn, with a face barely recognizable as a countenance on its surface.

In the blink of an eye, Tian Chenzi’s remains returned to its original state, as if the scene seconds ago was an illusion.

Li Mo muttered to himself, "That Sacrificial Festival—could it really have led to ascension?"