Since the Demon Subduing Prison lay beneath the earth and saw no sunlight year-round, those who stayed there for long all shared one conspicuous feature.
Their skin was deathly pale, with every blood vessel and blue vein visible at a glance.
When Ning Xiu found the Prison Warden in the main hall, he saw that the man had grown especially haggard since they last met.
With those dark purple eye bags and his deathly pale complexion, he truly looked the part of a certain saying.
Like a ghost.
"Uncle, how did you end up looking like this? If you really can't withstand Evil Qi entering your body, you should ask your superiors to transfer you out of the Demon Subduing Prison instead of toughing it out here," Ning Xiu said in surprise.
"Cut the crap. I'm Medical Path Sixth Rank, and you're telling me I can't withstand demonic Qi entering my body?" the Prison Warden shot back at once.
But just then, he noticed Ning Xiu's cultivation level, and his expression instantly turned to shock and astonishment.
"You—you've reached Martial Dao Seventh Rank?"
Ning Xiu smiled. "That's right."
"How long has it even been? Less than half a month, right? Did someone give you an Anointing?"
Anointing did exist in the martial arts, but its requirements were extremely strict, and it offered poor value for the effort, so it was rarely used.
The person who gave the Anointing would lose all the Internal Energy in their body, and when it was infused into someone else, only one or two tenths would remain.
So it was generally only when a martial arts elder was nearing death that they would pass it on without hesitation to their most beloved junior in the family.
Under other circumstances, most martial artists would never be willing to do such a thing.
"Uncle, you're joking. I'm not blessed with that kind of fortune. I got here entirely through hard training," Ning Xiu replied.
"Though I've heard that some exceptionally gifted people can make rapid progress if they choose the right path, far surpassing ordinary people. Could it be that you..."
The Prison Warden shook his head. "Forget it. Let's not talk about that. What brings you to the Demon Subduing Prison this time? Are you here to execute Evil Spirits again?"
"Uncle, you know me well. Please make the arrangements. I'm Martial Dao Seventh Rank now, so you know what to do. Don't lower the standard just because I'm young."
"The last time you came, I thought you wanted to help ease the pressure on the prison. But now I see you must have some kind of peculiar hobby.
"Never mind. I happen to have a tough nut on my hands right now. You came at just the right time. Take care of this one for me first, and I'll arrange a proper challenge for you today."
Ning Xiu asked curiously, "What kind of Evil Spirit is it? It must be a real tough nut if you're calling it that."
"It's not an Evil Spirit. It's Fang Tianhu, a martial arts Demon Person who fell halfway along the path. He's Martial Dao Sixth Rank, and his Hardening Skill is truly exceptional.
"I've had three or four veteran executioners try, but none could execute him. Go give it a try. Cell 380 in the Di Area. Whether you can do it or not, come back and tell me. Then I'll arrange something else for you."
"Sure, I'll give it a try." Ning Xiu nodded and accepted.
The Demon Subduing Prison was divided into the Heaven, Earth, Xuan, and Huang areas. The Huang and Xuan areas mostly held Lower Three Ranks Demon Persons or Evil Spirits.
The Di Area was specifically for dangerous targets of the Middle Three Ranks.
This was Ning Xiu's first time in the Di Area, and he couldn't help but show great appreciation for its surroundings and smell.
Compared to the bloodstained, grime-caked floors of the Xuan and Huang areas, the Di Area was far better. He easily found cell 380 and pushed open the door.
A massive figure immediately filled his view.
His head was as big as a cartwheel, his shoulders broad and imposing.
Each of his shoulders could easily seat two women at once.
The man was sitting cross-legged on the ground, yet he still stood an astonishing seven feet tall.
Ning Xiu was quite certain that even in his Heavenly King State, he wouldn't be as tall standing as this man was sitting.
He was like a giant, with every part of his body astonishingly huge.
His hair, unwashed and unkempt for who knew how long, hung down to his knees, tangled into ropes and matted into clumps.
His fingernails and toenails were long as beast claws, a truly chilling sight.
Had they dug this prehistoric wild man out of some ravine?
The thought couldn't help but surface in Ning Xiu's mind.
What drew his attention even more was the hundreds of specially made black iron chains pierced through the man's body, inside and out.
The chains passed through all the acupoints on Fang Tianhu's body. From Ning Xiu's perspective as a martial artist, they would effectively suppress the power throughout Fang Tianhu's body. His Internal Energy had likely been crippled.
Coupled with the chains' suppression of his physical strength, that was why Fang Tianhu couldn't make a scene even while locked up here.
"Hm... They've changed the executioner again. How laughable. Is there really no one in this enormous Demon Subduing Prison who can cut off this old man's head?" the man said with a grin.
His voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the cell and making Ning Xiu's ears ring.
Ning Xiu went to the table where the execution tools were laid out and began selecting a suitable weapon.
"You were a fine Martial Dao Sixth Rank martial artist. You spent decades cultivating your Hardening Skill. Why throw it all away and fall halfway along the path?" Ning Xiu asked, picking up a bone cleaver with a serrated blade.
Before coming, Ning Xiu had read Fang Tianhu's personal file from the Prison Warden.
Male, sixty-nine years old, trained in martial arts since childhood. He wasn't a member of the Demon Subduing Bureau. In Baisha Prefecture, he had established the Iron Tiger Sect, gathering many disciples, who in turn took on disciples of their own. Fang Tianhu, as their grandmaster, had amassed a vast number of disciples and grand-disciples.
For twenty years, the Iron Tiger Sect had been unrivaled in Baisha Prefecture, a famous martial arts sect in the region.
At some point, Fang Tianhu's body had begun to grow inexplicably larger. In just a few years, he had shot up from his original five-foot height until his house could no longer accommodate him.
His wives and concubines were terrified by the sight.
His children were utterly baffled.
The disciples of the Iron Tiger Sect had then hired carpenters to expand Fang Tianhu's residence, making it as grand and imposing as a palace.
At the time, this had become a famous tale within the Iron Tiger Sect.
As his body grew larger, Fang Tianhu's behavior also grew strange. He began practicing his martial arts in an uninhabited spot in the back mountain behind the sect.
No one was allowed to approach that place while he trained. Anyone who violated the ban would be killed without mercy.
The Iron Tiger Sect's disciples were puzzled, but because of Fang Tianhu's reputation, no one gave it much thought.
This went on for a long time, until one day, several of Fang Tianhu's enemies from the martial world secretly slipped into the back mountain, intending to surround and kill him. That was when they stumbled upon Fang Tianhu's secret.
Fang Tianhu was practicing alone in the back mountain, wearing no clothes. On his back was a hideous, savage ghost face.
The ghost face could speak, conversing with Fang Tianhu. It was clearly teaching him some kind of cultivation technique, and Fang Tianhu had chosen to accept its guidance.
Scattered across the ground were the stone heads of countless commoners, including women and children. Every corpse bore signs of abuse. It was obvious Fang Tianhu had done this, using innocent people to aid his cultivation.
Cultivating a technique taught by an Evil Spirit was an open-and-shut case of falling halfway along the path in Great Shang.
So those enemies abandoned their plan to ambush him and went straight to the local authorities to report him, prompting the Demon Subduing Bureau to capture Fang Tianhu on the spot.
No matter how powerful Fang Tianhu was at Martial Dao Sixth Rank, or how formidable his Hardening Skill was, he was no match for a Bronze Leopard Demon Subduing Captain leading the team. He was captured and transported straight to the Demon Subduing Prison.
Hearing Ning Xiu's question, Fang Tianhu snorted. "How could someone like you, only Martial Dao Seventh Rank, understand the allure of the Path of Longevity? My only regret is that I discovered it too late. I was already nearing seventy before I learned that such a path existed in this world. All those decades on the martial path were wasted."
"The Path of Longevity?" Ning Xiu asked in confusion. "Is that one of the Three Thousand Great Paths?"
"People only know that following the Three Thousand Great Paths lets you slay demons, put an end to chaos, and save all living beings. But they don't realize that it's only when you reach old age that you understand what you want most."
Fang Tianhu looked at Ning Xiu. "The Three Saints of the Demon Subduing Bureau were all supreme beings of First Rank or higher. The Buddha Saint, the Great Arhat, passed away at the age of three hundred and twenty. The Immortal Saint, the Heavenly Monarch, ascended at three hundred and sixty-six. The Martial Saint Ancestor died at four hundred and eleven. Not one of them reached the age of five hundred.
"If even figures like them, earthly immortals in all but name, couldn't do it, then the Three Thousand Great Paths clearly have limited potential. They're no match for my Path of Longevity."
He sounded quite convincing. Ning Xiu had only just learned that the Three Saints who founded the Demon Subduing Bureau had lived so long. If he'd transmigrated a hundred years earlier, he might even have lived in the time of the Martial Saint.
Ning Xiu said, "Living three or four hundred years is already a long time. How much longer do you want to live?"
Fang Tianhu stroked his beard, his expression proud. "Compared to the Path of Longevity, the Three Saints are like mayflies beside a great tree. Those in the Lower Three Ranks of the Path of Longevity can live five hundred years; the Middle Three Ranks can extend their lives by a thousand years; and the Upper Three Ranks can enjoy ten thousand years."
Ning Xiu swung the cleaver. "So the limit is ten thousand years. You'd still die in the end."
Fang Tianhu immediately explained solemnly, "You need to understand: what I cultivate is the Path of Longevity, not the Path of Eternal Life.
"And who can say what the world will be like ten thousand years from now? Perhaps new methods of extending one's life will appear. Then, with the wealth and power I've accumulated over ten thousand years, I could keep living."
Ning Xiu shook his head. "I suppose all that was told to you by the Evil Spirit that lured you into falling halfway along the path.
"You've really grown muddleheaded in your old age. Everyone in Great Shang, even children whose teeth haven't all come in, knows that longevity, wealth, and strength are the three hooks Evil Spirits use to lure people in.
"Fallen leaves return to their roots, spring gives way to winter, and all living things are born, age, fall ill, and die. These are the laws of nature. If you greedily try to defy fate and change your lot, you'll end up neither human nor ghost."
"How could a sparrow know the height of the firmament? You've been indoctrinated with the Demon Subduing Bureau's teachings, so of course you can't understand the mysteries of the Path of Longevity. What a pity. If you had some aptitude and knew how to tell black from white, I'd planned to pass on this Path of Longevity cultivation method I learned, so you could grasp the true principles of the Great Path."
As Fang Tianhu spoke, his whole face twisted with agitation. Ning Xiu quietly used the Spiritual Eye Qi Observation Technique to examine him.
He saw Evil Qi coiling around the man, invading his body and attacking his heart. Three black lines stretched from his left chest all the way to the crown of his head, a sure sign of impending death.
Forget living five hundred years after reaching the Lower Three Ranks—he might not even live to see next year.
Fang Tianhu was sixty-nine, with his seventieth birthday fast approaching. He had no idea how many years he had left, and his regrets and longing for life and longevity had taken root in his heart.
So, under the Evil Spirit's temptation, he had chosen to fall halfway along the path and devote himself to cultivating his so-called Path of Longevity. It really was a helpless choice.
Ning Xiu channeled his Internal Energy into his palm. The execution cleaver in his hand quickly turned bright red, and wisps of white smoke slowly rose from it, showing that the blade's temperature was steadily increasing.
The Prison Warden had already sent several executioners to execute Fang Tianhu, but all had failed because of the Hardening Skill he'd cultivated for decades.
Ning Xiu decided to try a different approach.
"Choosing to cultivate an Evil Spirit's technique was your own business. That crime alone doesn't warrant death. You could have been sent to work in the mines for thirty years as penance.
"But you also slaughtered seventy-two people while cultivating. You killed your own kind and harmed both others and yourself. You're worse than a beast."
Ning Xiu glanced at Fang Tianhu, then brought the cleaver down on his ankle.
Hiss!!!
The scorching blade touched flesh, and the two reacted instantly.
But after several breaths, all Fang Tianhu had to show for it was a charred gash on his leg. Not a drop of blood had even flowed.
A disdainful smile spread across Fang Tianhu's face. "Those veteran executioners before you couldn't kill this old man. What do you think you can do? I didn't spend decades cultivating my Hardening Skill for nothing. Unless you bring a Demon Subduing Captain of Sixth Rank or higher, you'll never kill me."
Ning Xiu frowned. This didn't make sense. With the Internal Energy of the Great Sun Profound Scripture behind it, his cleaver could cut through even bronze and iron.
Even if Fang Tianhu had mastered his Martial Dao Sixth Rank Hardening Skill, the blow shouldn't have had so little effect. Ning Xiu didn't believe even a monk with a minor accomplishment in the golden body of Buddhist Sixth Rank could ignore his strike like that.
There had to be some reason Fang Tianhu was so impervious to blades and spears.
If he could just uncover that reason and break it, he could execute the man.
Right then, a sudden flash of inspiration came to Ning Xiu.
He remembered a detail recorded in Fang Tianhu's file.
The enemies who had gone to report him had clearly stated that they'd seen a ghost face on Fang Tianhu's back.
That ghost face could speak and converse with Fang Tianhu. Perhaps it was the reason he was impervious to blades and spears, not merely the Hardening Skill he'd cultivated for decades.
Thinking of this, Ning Xiu immediately circled around to Fang Tianhu's back to investigate.
"What are you doing?" The moment he saw Ning Xiu's move, Fang Tianhu grew wary.
"Why the fuss? I heard you had a Ghost Back. Let me have a look." Ning Xiu walked behind Fang Tianhu, who immediately tried to dodge.
But the area in which he could move had long since been restricted. He couldn't manage it now.
Ning Xiu easily got a look at Fang Tianhu's back.
It really was an extremely savage and ferocious ghost face. In its overall appearance, it even looked about seventy percent like a rakshasa.
Everywhere around the ghost face were Immortal Path Suppressing Talismans.
People with a Ghost Back weren't common in the Demon Subduing Prison.
But people whose bodies had fused with Evil Spirits generally had special abilities no one knew about.
Ning Xiu once again used the Internal Energy of the Great Sun Profound Scripture to heat the execution cleaver, then hurled it at Fang Tianhu's Ghost Back with all his strength.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
To everyone's surprise, this time the cleaver slid easily into Fang Tianhu's body. It only went in a few inches, but that was enough to confirm Ning Xiu's earlier guess.
The reason Fang Tianhu's body was so impervious to blades and spears was the Ghost Back.
"Ah!"
As Ning Xiu watched, the ghost face slowly opened its eyes and began to speak.
"Do not harm this Seat. This Seat can teach you the Great Path of Longevity. Empires may fall, seas may dry up and stones may crumble, but this Seat can make you a witness to their demise."
Ning Xiu was surprised. "It can still speak even with the Demon Subduing Bureau's talismans stuck to it. This Evil Spirit must have quite a background."
Hearing it call itself "this Seat," Ning Xiu immediately thought of a few things.
Beyond the borders of the prefectures ruled by the Great Shang Dynasty, the great demons and heretics who lived in seclusion in some mountain or cave often referred to themselves as "this Seat" or "this Venerable One."
Fang Tianhu's Ghost Back, and the Path of Longevity he spoke of, were likely far from simple.
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