Life and Death Beyond Control
The Northern Kun is a legendary creature, mentioned only in a handful of ancient texts.
Logically speaking, given the obscure nature of this creature and the scarcity of records, few people should know about it.
But the opposite is true, because these creatures have bizarrely large bodies, with some ancient texts mentioning them to be thousands of feet long. This bizarre and exaggerated size is hard for even top-level cultivators to believe.
If the scriptures were not also derived from the observations of top-tier cultivators, everyone would have considered this merely a delusion.
Many people seek out these creatures, but only a few actually manage to see the Kun in the ocean.
Even the dragons, the rulers of the ocean, are very secretive about this and have almost never mentioned it.
It's not unusual for the School of Mohists to build a mechanical workshop on an island; remnants of Mohists mechanisms can still be found in many places within the Great Han Dynasty.
However, since this mechanism is built on Kun's body, even the slowest-witted people know that there is likely some mystery involved.
Perhaps it was the storm that capsized the ship, or some other reason, but the direction in which everyone was swept away was similar to that of the Kun.
Zhang Xuezhou and Gongsun Hong were skilled swimmers, while Li Shaojun decided to risk his life to see if the location of the Kun was related to the Mechanical City.
Of course, the group had no other choice but to choose Kun, since the dilapidated boat they were riding on had disappeared as Kun flipped over and slapped its tail, and the group didn't dare to jump out to meet a possible tail strike from Kun.
Even the tail of an ordinary carp can sting your face if it lashes out, but the Kun is as large as a small island. When its huge tail fin lashes the surface of the sea, it's like an explosion, creating waves tens of meters high. One wrong move and you could easily lose your life.
"Mmm!"
As he glided across the shimmering blue water, watching Gongsun Hong barely manage to catch his breath and cling tightly to the iron bar, Li Shaojun let out a strange laugh.
The Mohists's secret chambers were unknowingly destroyed, leaving everyone unable to breathe and struggling against the immense water pressure and rapid currents. A slight misstep could result in being thrown off by the unfathomably sized Kun, swept into the unknown depths of the ocean by the currents it created, and ultimately losing their way and dying.
Li Shaojun wasn't good at swimming, but he was good at dying.
He can wait until everything calms down and there is no danger before he comes back to life.
As for Gongsun Hong and Zhang Xuezhou, those were beyond the reach of the deceased Li Shaojun.
Thinking of the possible Mohists Mechanical City, Li Shaojun couldn't help but feel a little smug, which made his death less painful.
"Ugh!"
Li Shaojun mocked the panicked Gongsun Hong, then closed his eyes and quietly awaited death.
But a short while later, he felt a breath pass through his mouth, which immediately relieved his suffocation.
Li Shaojun opened his eyes and saw that Gongsun Hong had also grabbed the iron rod, and when their heads were close, they were already breathing into each other's mouths.
This made Li Shaojun almost want to untie the Law Treasure rope.
He never imagined that after decades of living a carefree life as a Daoist priest, he would be so passive as to be kissed on the lips.
This made him somewhat depressed.
Most importantly, Li Shaojun now possesses Gongsun Hongdu's spirit, so he's unlikely to die anytime soon.
This left Li Shaojun in a state of utter despair.
He didn't need Gongsun Hong's help, and he never expected that Gongsun Hong, who seemed unreliable, would be so diligent in helping when trouble came his way.
Li Shaojun gestured for help to Zhang Xuezhou, who was bracing himself against the copper wall and gripping the door bolt. If possible, he hoped that Zhang Xuezhou could tell Gongsun Hong that he was just waiting to die and didn't need to be saved at all.
"I'm a strong swimmer. I can not only hold my breath underwater, but I can also breathe underwater. You don't need to be polite with me. Don't worry, I won't die!"
Hearing Gongsun Technique Method, Li Shaojun's despair deepened.
Feeling the air enter his mouth again, he felt utterly humiliated.
This caused him to slam his head against the iron rod, but the powerful impact of the water flow prevented Li Shaojun from succeeding in his suicide attempt.
After being bumped and knocked several times, Li Shaojun was dizzy and then given a breath of fresh air. This made him give up the idea of dying, and he could only accept the torment of wanting to die but not being able to, wanting to live but not being able to live well.
"Water magic has a relatively small scope of application, but when it's used, it involves life and death. You're quite an extraordinary person, so learn a little bit when you have time in the future, lest you needlessly throw your life away. Look at Dongfang Shuo..."
Gongsun Hong kindly advised Li Shaojun via telepathy from the water, and Li Shaojun listened to the admonition with a pale face.
Unless he can find something in the Mohists's Mechanized City, he will never be able to calm his mind, and he never wants to go to sea again in his next life.
He closed his eyes, passively enduring the breaths that Gongsun Hong would occasionally pour in, feeling his muscles and bones being compressed to the point of creaking, sinking into endless torment.
Perhaps it was 567, or perhaps 568. When Li Shaojun counted to this number in his mind, he felt a huge yet gentle wave of water rolling over him.
He opened his eyes and saw a new world bathed in purple light.
His body was being propelled upwards by a gentle wave of water.
Seeing that Zhang Xuezhou and Gongsun Hong had given up their grip, and with the rising wave, Li Shaojun's belt binding the iron rod quickly loosened, and he was swept up by the wave as well.
"This big guy was taught a lesson and driven away by me a few months ago, and he actually dares to bring reinforcements to seek revenge?"
A strange tone entered his ears, and Li Shaojun saw Zhang Xuezhou and Gongsun Hong running around in a panic.
Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his throat.
When Li Shaojun opened his eyes wide, he realized that he had been shot in the throat.
Then came another ugly monster, ten feet tall with horns, wielding a sword and a spear. It wore armor, but moved with the speed of the wind.
In the blink of an eye, Li Shaojun, unable to dodge in time, was stabbed in the throat and fell to the ground.
"Turns out he's a cripple!"
The monster let out a cold chuckle, which made Li Shaojun's fingers tremble involuntarily several times.
He endured Gongsun Hong's hundreds of kisses and breath transfers along the way, never expecting that he would be stabbed to death by the demon after finally escaping danger.
This left Li Shaojun extremely resentful, and he could not die as peacefully as he had in the past.
"He seemed to have a little resentment before he died. I hate eating this kind of food!"
The demon muttered something that nearly scared Li Shaojun out of his wits.
Besides suppressing Li Shaojun's continuous deaths and breaking of the law, his body being burned, eaten by demons, or incinerated would all lead to Li Shaojun's incomplete resurrection, or even only being able to be resurrected as a kind of ghost.
He stared wide-eyed, trying to make himself look like he had died a miserable death, still seething with hatred, and also trying to make the demons uninterested in his body.
"Forget it, let's go catch those two and eat them. This disgusting one will be our reserve food!"
With a single thrust, the demon pierced Li Shaojun's neck and hung him on the spear.
Like a hunter carrying a shot wild duck, Li Shaojun's corpse was hung on the back of the demon.
He seemed extremely familiar with this area. The demon killed him in one blow, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry when chasing Gongsun Hong and Zhang Xuezhou. Instead, he treated the intruders like a seasoned hunter, as if they were already his.