Talks

The night flowed by slowly.

The wispy clouds in the sky seemed to have settled among the mountains, turning into a morning mist.

Mist drifted through the forest and across the clear, blue river.

The abundance of minerals, combined with the characteristics of the high-altitude waters, makes the river water here so blue that it seems to illuminate one's face.

A bald, brown-skinned old man walked slowly along the riverbank.

He was thin and frail, and the fur-trimmed coat he wore looked ill-fitting. He also had a blanket draped over his shoulders, making him look like a lonely old man left behind in a village, or a scavenger from somewhere.

But if you're not careful, his seemingly slow figure has already walked quite far.

When you reach the boundary between the forest and the grassland, the trees become sparse and the grass becomes even greener.

Dozens, even hundreds, of wooden houses are nestled on this hillside.

This is a guesthouse that the county planned and built specifically for tourists a few years ago when it was vigorously promoting the development of tourism.

The log cabins are of good quality, but the county's overall tourism operation has failed to properly promote and utilize this place.

Not many tourists actually end up staying here.

The old man with the fur collar walked along the path and noticed many wooden houses, all with their doors and windows tightly closed, and a quiet and secluded atmosphere inside.

But after he took a few more steps, the door of the wooden house in front of him, which also seemed to be silent, opened at just the right moment.

"Welcome, Brother Belial, you're a bit late."

The elderly man who opened the door had short, silver-white hair and a refined demeanor. He was wearing a shirt and trousers and looked much like a local, except that his eye sockets were slightly deep and his eyes were a lake blue.

He had a gold fountain pen clipped to his breast pocket; someone with excellent eyesight could see the tiny rose pattern engraved on it.

The Rose Esoteric Society is an organization located on the Atlantic Ocean coast, somewhat similar in nature to the Metaphysics Research Association of the Mystic Kingdom in the past.

Belial could also be considered a member of this society, but the brown-skinned old man had his own school of thought to manage and was not usually interested in running the society's affairs, so he rarely showed his face.

Unlike the "Joe" in front of me, who is already a scholar who has received a lifetime honor from the Rose Society.

"You should understand the hardships that someone my age endures, trekking through mountains and rivers, crossing the Tianshan."

Belial stepped into the house with a curt tone.

There were quite a few people inside, and they had already taken their seats, almost filling a large round table.

"Most of them are acquaintances!"

Belial naturally sat down in an empty seat.

It was only five o'clock in the morning, the sun had not yet risen, and the light inside the room was dim.

But for those present, the dim light was enough for them to see every detail of the room clearly.

Joe left the door open, seemingly observing something outside, when suddenly he reached out.

A wild rabbit in the meadow was lifted into the air by an invisible force and flew to his side.

"Everyone here has a certain level of trust with me, which is why I thought of seeking and sharing the benefits of the elixir of immortality with you all."

Joe carried the rabbit to the table and got straight to the point, starting their business.

"Let me state upfront that once we obtain the elixir of immortality, we will conduct joint research on it."

"Before that, you must never turn against your companions to monopolize the benefits; that will only ruin things and could even cost you your life."

"Later, we will sign a mithril pact together, cooperating seamlessly without any disagreements."

A man sitting Belial chuckled as he fiddled with his harmonica.

This person's demeanor and appearance were those of a thoroughly East Asia: black hair, brown eyes, slightly yellow skin, looking to be in his forties, with thin cheeks and a bit of stubble on his chin.

What is particularly noteworthy are his hands.

The skin on the back of his hands was so white that the veins were faintly visible, contrasting sharply with the yellowish skin of his face and head. His fingers were slender, his nails were rosy, and the lunulae at the base of his nails had a strange pale gold color.

"In this great era that is now unfolding, individual immortality can by no means represent the greatest benefit."

"We need to cultivate a more robust force and more key personnel in order to seize countless benefits in the future and solidify our position."

The person holding the harmonica smiled and looked around at everyone.

"The research value of the elixir of immortality far outweighs the hasty act of monopolizing it. More importantly, it can serve as a link to connect us."

There's a saying in our country, "Heroes cherish heroes, and good men help good men."

"A loosely organized group can only be considered a band of outlaws. Only when a real opportunity arises and they unite closely can they have a chance to contend for the world in the future."

Everyone looked thoughtful upon hearing this.

Originally, Joe had gathered them together simply to entice them with benefits, and in their minds, it was just like the several joint operations that had taken place over the past few decades.

After this battle, everyone goes their separate ways. The real benefits will ultimately be determined by force.

But after hearing this, they recalled that in recent years, the resources of the Spirit Realm had become increasingly abundant, the threshold for cultivation had gradually decreased, and the number of their kind had increased.

It seems the time has truly come for a united front.

Moreover, the person who made this suggestion was named Xu Ziqian.

He remains on the Mystic Kingdom's most wanted criminal list, ranking at the top with an astronomical bounty on his head.

For no other reason than that he was the leader of an evil cult.

In the last century, Xu Ziqian personally founded a sect that did not worship Ghost God, but relied solely on his own magical powers to amass wealth, gather followers, and spread his teachings far and wide.

Both the legitimate and criminal worlds have shown signs of being secretly infiltrated by him. He eliminates dissidents, and those who follow him prosper while those who oppose him perish, creating quite a stir.

Although his forces were later besieged and wiped out, he himself escaped unscathed and fled abroad.

None of the people present dared to underestimate such a person.

Even Belial felt that this man's words carried the weight of Joe's and were worth considering.

"But..."

Belial spoke up, "The premise for all of this is, does the elixir of immortality really exist here?"

Joe chuckled softly and placed the rabbit he was holding on the table.

Come and see for yourselves.

He raised his right hand again, and a suitcase in the corner of the cabin opened and closed rapidly, like the mouth of a monster.

No one had time to see what was inside the box.

Only a sliver of golden light flew out and hovered above the table.

It was a right hand that looked as if it were made of gold, and from the fingertips to the wrist, its size was exactly the same as Joe's right hand.

However, the gold surface is engraved with all kinds of vine and flower patterns, and tiny rubies are inlaid at the knuckles.

Joe's right hand pressed down lightly, his five fingers slightly bent and then spread open.

A golden palm responded to his movement, and a blood-red beam of light emanated from its palm, enveloping the hare.

The hare blinked uneasily, its fur shortened, and its long ears became soft.

The rabbit's body size shrank at a visible rate; it wasn't getting thinner, but rather its bones shortened as well.

It's as if time has turned back, taking this rabbit back to its childhood.

In the end, even the fur disappeared, leaving only a pink-skinned cub on the table.

Belial's eyes turned vertical again, revealing an expression of excitement.

Everyone present could sense that it was a kind of manipulation of life force.

They had never seen such exquisite life magic that could reverse the age of mammals.

"It's actually true?"

"An elixir of immortality! Is this magic derived from an elixir of immortality?!"

As people began to express their shock, the cub became restless, struggling frantically on the table, its four legs flailing wildly.

The sturdy hardwood tabletop was dented and uneven from the cub's play.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!

In the blink of an eye, the paint on the desktop was damaged, and several cracks spread outwards.

Joe let out a sigh, and the red light on his golden palm receded.

The baby hare immediately seemed to be drained of moisture, rapidly shriveling and dying, eventually losing even its shape.

With a snap, it shattered into a pile of dry powder.

Belial jumped to his feet. "What's going on?!"

"Don't worry, this part of my power does indeed come from the elixir of immortality, but it's not complete."

Joe explained the whole story.

"I'm sure you've all heard through your own channels that someone in the Mystic Kingdom has broken Taboo and survived."

"If he succeeds, his experience can be passed on to others in the Mystic Kingdom. Those who are also stuck at the threshold of the Taboo path may all break through. One step ahead leads to another, and the future situation may be unimaginable."

"To prevent the first Taboo from occurring in the Mystic Kingdom, we previously conducted an operation."

Joe's expression turned solemn, and he couldn't help but touch his ribs.

"Our preparations were thorough, but that Mr. Lin was indeed tenacious."

"During his counterattack, everyone accidentally entered a strange space and saw many jade statues. Among them, there was a seated figure that was the most special. Only later did I realize that it was the vessel for the elixir of immortality."

"During the fierce battle, Mr. Lin inadvertently absorbed a portion of the elixir of immortality, and my palm technique also managed to acquire a portion of it."

"We paid a heavy price to severely injure him."

"Unfortunately, the exit from the secret realm is not fixed, and the two sides were separated when they came out."

"Only afterwards did I discover that Mr. Lin had actually turned into a child."

Xu Ziqian hit the nail on the head. "With this part of your power, creatures that are rejuvenated will go berserk and die, but Lin Chucheng didn't die?"

"Yes."

Qiao sighed, "I recall all the knowledge I have gained in my life, and I think of that great goddess Queen Mother of the West, who simultaneously governs immortality and violence, and possesses both longevity and bestiality."

"What Mr. Lin received was likely the one that simply symbolized longevity."

"However, focusing on immortality will lead to the loss of mature memories, and focusing on animalistic instincts obviously has its drawbacks as well."

Qiao said decisively, "To obtain the complete elixir of immortality, we need this Mr. Lin, and even more so, we need to return to that secret realm!"

(End of this chapter)