Chapter 41

Huang Longzi's lifespan was nearly at its end. Before he died, encountering Wei Shizhi was also a matter of fate. He did not hesitate to reveal that he was a disciple of the Xuantong Sect, and that he had failed to form a Dao embryo, so he came to the Ghost Gate Abyss to seek a chance for a breakthrough. Three years ago, he had practiced carelessly and suffered a severe backlash, suddenly losing sensation below his neck, becoming like a withered tree. To have endured until now was a testament to the heavens' mercy.

Huang Longzi was closely aligned with water among the five elements. He practiced the Ice Heart Decree, which was quite obscure in the Xuantong Sect. Every few months, he had to swallow the fresh blood from the hearts of demons to suppress the backlash of the technique. The Ghost Gate Abyss was a place of intense fire, which effectively countered the backlash of the Ice Heart Decree. Moreover, there were many demons, making it easier to obtain the fresh blood from their hearts. However, human plans could not match the will of heaven. Since he suffered the backlash and was trapped in the snow cave, the cold inside his body never dissipated, causing his meridians to become blocked and his organs to become congested, worsening day by day until his life force was exhausted and there was no way to reverse it.

This was fate, unrelated to human affairs.

As he spoke, the backlash of the Ice Heart Decree began. Huang Longzi grunted, his hair and beard turned white, and frost flowers of various sizes appeared all over his body, quickly merging and thickening, making it impossible to see his face. The temperature in the cave plummeted, and the cold raged. Wei Shizhi retreated, moving all the way to the cave entrance, where he felt the heat from the Ghost Gate Abyss below, which eliminated the bone-chilling cold.

Sitting down to think, Wei Shizhi felt something was amiss. Huang Longzi called him "little boy" naturally, and the cold from the backlash of his technique was so intense—was he really here because he failed to form a Dao embryo and was seeking a chance for a breakthrough?

The backlash of the Ice Heart Decree lasted for more than half an hour. Wei Shizhi heard Huang Longzi's weak voice: "Little boy, come in..."

Wei Shizhi returned to the stone room and stopped far away. He saw Huang Longzi, who looked as if he had just emerged from water, drenched from head to toe, his spirit withered, his chin drooping to his chest, and he seemed to be dozing off. He mustered his strength and said, "Old Daoist is done for. The next time, I won't be able to survive. Little boy, go get some fresh blood from the hearts of demons to make my death more comfortable. I won't let you down!"

Wei Shizhi's heart stirred. He mentioned the demons he had encountered, and Huang Longzi indeed recognized them, giving a few pointers to resolve his doubts. The human-faced dove was the most common demon in the Ghost Gate Abyss, nesting on cliffs and taking turns to hunt for food, being cruel and bloodthirsty. The snake with a head like a basin, named Chitu, was incredibly strong, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, and it loved to eat human-faced doves.

However, the human-faced dove and the Chitu snake were not the most powerful demons in the Ghost Gate Abyss. The Ghost Gate Abyss was bottomless, and the Kunlun Sect and its seven branches had sent experts to explore it, reaching at most a hundred feet deep. The deeper one went, the more powerful the demons became. Compared to them, the human-faced dove and the Chitu snake were like well-behaved pets raised by children.

Huang Longzi did not expect Wei Shizhi to find any powerful demons for him. Even the Chitu snake was far beyond his current abilities. He did not have high hopes; getting some fresh blood from the hearts of human-faced doves would be enough to slightly alleviate the cold inside his body.

Wei Shizhi thought for a moment and readily agreed.

He took the iron rod to the cave entrance and cautiously looked outside. The Ghost Gate Abyss was shrouded in thick mist, and nothing could be seen beyond ten steps. He tore a strip of cloth from his clothes and wrapped it around the iron rod, extending it out of the cave and gently shaking it. A sharp screech sounded, and a human-faced dove swooped down from above, flapping its wings and, with one claw, tore away the cloth. Wei Shizhi saw clearly that it was the human-faced dove he had blinded in the left eye, which had been lingering out of hatred.

Wei Shizhi quickly retracted the iron rod, and the human-faced dove indeed did not let him go, extending its sharp claws into the cave, causing dust and rocks to fly, and leaving deep claw marks on the cave walls. Wei Shizhi's eyes lit up, and the earth qi from his acupoint flowed continuously into the iron rod. He used a move from the Frenzied Staff Technique called "Poison Dragon Drill," gripping the end of the iron rod with his thumb, index, and middle fingers, and rapidly twisting his wrist to rotate and pierce the human-faced dove's claw.

This thrust was powerful, and the blunt iron rod pierced the claw, embedding itself into the stone wall by half a foot. The human-faced dove screeched in pain, struggling fiercely, but it was stuck at the cave entrance, unable to advance or retreat.

Wei Shizhi waved his right hand, his three fingers nearly numb, and it took a long time to regain sensation. He saw the human-faced dove's cries growing weaker, and as he approached, it suddenly opened its mouth, tilting its head back, and with a "pu" sound, spat out a red demon core, which shot out like a meteor. Wei Shizhi could not dodge in time and was hit on the left shoulder. The demon core spun around in his flesh for over ten circles before piercing through his shoulder and embedding itself in the rock, leaving a dark red hole.

Wei Shizhi did not have time to examine the wound, rolling and crawling away from the cave entrance, slowly sitting on the ground, truly shocked. He had already achieved some success in practicing the Moon Howling Technique and was confident in his physical strength, but he did not expect to be unable to withstand the demon core's light strike. Fortunately, it hit his shoulder; if it had hit a vital point, he would have no chance of survival!

The fire qi released by the demon core raged inside his body, the wound expanding, the flesh turning black and emitting a burnt smell. He felt dizzy and his vision blurred. Wei Shizhi trembled, reaching into his chest and taking out the last Tranquility Pill, crushing it and swallowing it.

The world turned dark, and his consciousness faded. Wei Shizhi, in a daze, thought, "Is this death...?"

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