Longevity Chronicles-Chapter 291 - 210 Western Tricks, the Three Corpses of Taiyin

Above the auspicious cloud, Tao Qian did not immediately set foot in Demon City.

Instead, with a touch of helplessness, he summoned a Spirit Mirror with a wave of his hand.

First, he examined his Buddha-like ears, then opened his mouth to check his remarkably unique, uneven teeth.

Originally, Tao Qian was not known for his appearance, his true body could only be described as delicate.

However, as his cultivation deepened, and he continuously acquired the Innate Dao Seed, No-leak Body, and Immortal Spiritual Qi among others, his demeanor and poise became incomparable to the Mortal Human Race.

If Tao Qian were to appear directly in the bustling streets of Demon City without any disguise, even if no one knew what the Spirit Treasure Sect was, they would instinctively know that he was no mortal, and must be a True Practitioner, someone among the immortals.

Now, however, he was spared the effort of using Divine Powers to conceal himself.

Because these two "Abnormalities", while making him appear bizarre and laughable, also inexplicably reduced his extraordinary poise by a great deal.

Now, Tao Qian looked like a slightly odd, mortal human youth.

"To cultivate the Third Method brings such abnormalities, my Master must have known it was impossible."

"Deliberately holding back and not stating it, could he be using the Returning Immortal Mirror right now to spy on his disciple’s embarrassing moment?"

Tao Qian deliberately spoke, his words were rhetorical.

But his tone was certain.

No matter if it was true or not that he had guessed his inexpensive Master’s intentions, he nonetheless silently noted it down in his heart.

"Just now, this Sublime Dharma automatically activated and induced two types of abnormalities in my body."

"Combined with the previous reminders from my inexpensive master’s calculation, it means, after setting foot in Demon City, there is both an opportunity and a troublesome tribulation waiting for me, likely intertwined."

"Fortune and misfortune go hand in hand, quite usual indeed."

With this thought settled, Tao Qian did not delay any further.

Waving his hand to disperse the light of the mirror, he then formally looked towards the famous and yet extremely complex Demon City.

A long time ago, the Three Immortal Treasures had guided him back to the sect, passing by this place, and many strange and rare scenes he saw then were still clear in his mind.

At that time, the aura of Demon City was enough mixed.

But compared to this moment, it was like a witch seeing a sorceress.

Although Tao Qian was not proficient in the Qi Observation Skill, his abnormal soul was extremely sensitive to Qi.

Thus, after glimpsing it now, his expression immediately froze, a very ominous feeling arising.

He saw before him a sight as if a hundred thousand dye vats had overturned, with numerous rich colors mixed together, layered and overlapping, dispersing and gathering, with Qi belonging to the Human Clan, and also to the Non-human Clan, with immortals, demons, devils, and Buddhas... The Qi entangled, their strengths unclear, but the sense of crisis was very real.

Having seen it once, Tao Qian made a vague judgment in his heart:

"In this territory, there are many who could harm me, and some who could kill me."

"Indeed, as my inexpensive Master said, the Mortal World today is far more dangerous than inside the Mountain Gate."

"Right now, I could fight a cultivator of the Cavernous Mystery Realm, yet in this Demon City, I’ve developed a premonition."

"One is my destined tribulation, and the other also signifies the peril of this place."

The subconscious thought made Tao Qian’s heart tremble, then he looked towards three small ones who were examining his earlobes with their gazes.

"It seems that this Sublime Dharma has reduced my poise and induced abnormalities, thereby serving as a disguise for me."

"But the three of you also need to change a bit."

Hearing Tao Qian’s words, Little Age, Lian Jing’er, and Shan Jiu began to show off.

The former two believed they had learned some Cultivation Techniques, while Shan Jiu had too many treasures.

However, it was quick for Tao Qian to see the three changes, and he couldn’t help but hold his forehead.

Little Age made a carefree call, rolled on the spot, and as spores and aura burst out, a chubby child clutching a longevity peach and wearing top-tied braids with cheeks covered in rouge emerged.

Lian Jing’er then produced mechanical clicks from his body, following by the sound of gold and iron mingling, he turned into a bronze tree man holding and thoughtfully lighting a candelabra.

Shan Jiu’s transformation was even more outrageous; he somehow obtained a thin veil, threw it over himself, his many treasure lights and auras magically concealed, appearing to be very effective.

Only that, this caused his original Qi to leak out, revealing surges of green light, vibrant vitality, and significantly glaring.

Tao Qian was dazzled by his green light, feeling panic and gloom.

Looking at the three who were showing off their merits, Tao Qian silently operated his Primordial Spirit, and in the vast Great Book within the depths of his crammed mind, started to browse.

Before long, he found a suitable Divine Spell from the "Earth Evil Chapter."

This skill was called the "Spirit Treasure Point Transformation Technique," a single touch could change everything.

Not only could it turn stone into gold, but it could also allow one to change appearance and face.

If cultivated deeply enough, it could even enlighten one’s mind and reveal the divine spirit.

Like when Tao Qian once casually used it on a being known as "Jiao’er" from the Alien Demon Race.

Had he known this Magic Technique then, a single touch, although it couldn’t have made Jiao’er’s cultivation soar, would have effortlessly allowed it to acquire a human form.

Having unearthed this spell, relying on his extraordinary talent, as well as the domineering nature of the Spirit Treasure Returning Immortal Technique.

Learn by doing!

He flicked three points in succession, landing on the chubby child, the bronze tree man, and the green leek, respectively.

...

Demon City, City God Temple.

On a bustling street, four country bumpkins who had come to the city to broaden their horizons appeared.

Led by a peculiar youth with unusually large and long earlobes, alongside two half-sized youngsters, one serious and the other simple-minded, and an incredibly cute small child.

The four of them blended into the crowded throng without any obstruction, no one finding them strange, as it was common in those days for young men from the countryside to come to the city to make a living.

Those long earlobes, accompanied by buck teeth, belonged to none other than Master Tao, who had just descended from an auspicious cloud. He sniffed the overwhelming mundane aura of the mortal world and still found it somewhat unfamiliar.

However, having lived a previous life, he looked at the mortals around him, listened to their shouts, observed the stalls selling dough sticks, rice balls, big pancakes, tofu brains, and an old man creating sugar figures...

Just a few glances made the already scarce "Immortal Qi" on Tao Qian’s body vanish completely, becoming imperceptible to others.

This initial exposure merely pulled Tao Qian back to the realm of mortals. He then closely inspected the neon signs, Western-style brass street lamps, and towering clock towers.

He observed gold and silver-lined billboards featuring beautiful and glamorous women, and buildings named Demon City Royal Bank, Hundred Beasts Restaurant, Ultimate Happiness Stage, and Great Bright Cinema...

Moments later, Tao Qian felt no discomfort whatsoever.

His aura completely blended with this territory, even adapting to this era.

Yet, it didn’t change the fact that he was still unsophisticated. He led Little Age, Lian Jing’er, and Shan Jiu, following the directions of the Cultivation Tribulation Technique, heading towards a particular area.

Along the way, what Tao Qian saw and heard was eye-opening.

In the City God Temple area, besides many commoners, there were performers from various places, including some from the West.

A dozen blond, blue-eyed Westerners occupied a large corner, performing two types of acts.

One was called "Soul Language," where they first used cameras to take pictures of passersby. In the blink of an eye, as the photos were developed and placed in exquisite frames, the people in the photos surprisingly began to talk.

Although the photos fell silent after a demonstration, it was still astonishing for the common folk.

The crowd immediately erupted into surprised and fearful discussions.

"It’s Devil Arts, these are soul-hooking Devil Techniques."

"These Western Barbarians are always adept at such bizarre tricks, too indecent to behold."

"Don’t go forward to try it; being ensnared by these deceitful objects will surely bring you severe illness upon returning."

"Humph, it’s only Lai Gouzi who’s gone crazy with poverty, acting as a stooge for these barbarians."

Although most people were too fearful to approach, many trendy folks stepped forward.

Even if not for the intriguing act itself, it was worth exchanging a few silver coins for a beautiful photograph.

Compared to this, another act called "Magic Secret Medicine" was immensely popular.

The medicines the Westerners offered weren’t Elixir and Powdered Medicine.

Instead, they contained magical medicines of various colors in crystal-clear glass bottles.

The marketer, a scantily clad red-haired Western beauty, described the medicines with a perfect Demon City dialect.

She claimed she was the sole successor of the Western Illusionary Dream Secret Medicine School. Her secret medicines had many uses: reviving the dead, regrowing limbs, alleviating sickness, and more—all effortlessly achieved.

To prove their effectiveness, several patients were also arranged.

Though suspicions of collusion remained, the open demonstration and the visible effects induced many to try them.

And indeed, they all worked.

Suddenly, various cries of overwhelming joy rang out:

"My leg, it’s healed."

"My eyes, I can see again, it’s a divine medicine."

"I can lift it again, lift it again, woohoo..."

Perhaps disliking how the Western Barbarians were stealing the show, soon, in the opposite area and accompanied by shouts, seven or eight individuals, who looked like Heterodox Practitioners both young and old, male and female, started demonstrating their own magical Spells.

Some had animals speaking human language, others summoned Heavenly Girls, and some performed tricks with so-called Sky-reaching Rope and Immortal Rope.

For a while, it was a tough competition that reached a stalemate.

Tao Qian, observing the bustling scene, activated his Dharma Eye and instantly understood the intricacies of both parties.

"Indeed, neither are mundane. Both sides possess some Extraordinary Power and could be considered lower-level heterodox practitioners and demons from both the Longevity Heavenly Dynasty locals and the West."

"Some of their techniques resemble those I witnessed in Seeking Immortal County from Ruan Du’er and Zheng Dabiao."

"The difference lies in their actions. Where Ruan Du’er engaged in criminal acts, letting their beastly nature override their humanity and commit acts of cannibalism."

"Whereas these individuals are merely making a living in the territory of Demon City, which is a far better cause."

As the thought passed, Tao Qian continued leading the three simpletons onward.

After walking a few more streets, Tao Qian gradually noticed many anomalies within Demon City and sensed an uneasy aura hovering over the city.

An unexpectedly high number of Cultivators!

Moreover, their numbers kept increasing, with Cultivators from the pathways of Dao, Buddha, Demon, and various side doors, all seemingly converging here.

Initially, Tao Qian mostly saw low-level Cultivators from the Energy Introduction and Qi Refining Realms.

However, he gradually began to spot Great Cultivators.

Even more so, when he passed through a civilian area called General’s City, he discovered it secretly housed hundreds of Cultivators.

Judging by their aura, all were Heterodox practitioners, or simply Evil Demons and Devils.

The leader was a burly, pale-faced middle-aged strongman.

Though he attempted to conceal it, he couldn’t fool Tao Qian’s Dharma Eye.

Just glimpsing the foul, icy viscous Corpse Qi surging skyward, its source being that strongman.

Under broad daylight, he was holding a large black umbrella, standing atop the city, gazing towards the center of Demon City.

Despite some distance, Tao Qian’s current Cultivation and Divine Skills were extraordinary, and his sight was exceptionally keen.

"A zombie that has attained Tao, practicing the ’Taiyin Three Corpses Scripture,’ and has reached the Cavernous Mystery Realm."

Realizing some details about the Corpse Cultivator, Tao Qian also grew curious.

Something significant seemed to be happening in Demon City?

PS: Second chapter up, seeking double monthly tickets.