"Al... Almighty demon?"
Seeing this harmless-looking child, Wu Yu felt like he must have heard wrongly as he tried to connect her with his mental image of an almighty demon.
"Why? You don't believe me? More than 120,000 years ago, this world was in a chaotic state. It was dubbed the ‘Chaos of Ming Long.’ The martial cultivators of the world united, countless dao practitioners hunting me down. In the end, Granny killed a majority of them. That was carnage, millions of corpses... You haven't heard of it?"
Wu Yu shook his head, amazed. He really had not.
But all that she spoke of seemed rather unbelievable. It had the flavor of bragging. Which was why he still had a disbelieving attitude.
Seeing Wu Yu shake his head, the little girl, Ming Long, was absolutely crushed with disappointment. "Truly a frog in the well. A banquet of frogs like you would not be yummy!"
Why was it about eating again?
Ever since Ming Long appeared, he had been a little confused. The apparition before him was quite hard to believe, and he could only venture a question. "Senior Ming Long, are you by any chance involved with the Ruyi Jingu Bang...."
If yes, then it was a good thing. After all, Wu Yu was currently in dire straits. All he had to do was lift his head to see the tied up Wu You hanging from the jaws of death.
Ming Long's eyes widened. She looked at Wu Yu with an expression of innocence. "So you aren't too stupid to live. That's right. I was the previous owner of the Ruyi Jingu Bang. But because of the Chaos of Ming Long, I was finished off good and proper. Only half my soul was left, or perhaps this bit of consciousness was swallowed up by the staff. It's neither life nor death. I'm doomed to endure for eternity.”
Towards the end, a tinge of loneliness could be heard in her voice.
"It's really been 120,000 years?"
If that was true, it was too horrible to contemplate. Being stuck in the Ruyi Jingu Bang for 120,000 years.
"In the world of nature's numbers, every 129,600 years is known as one yuan. It has been exactly one yuan since the Chaos of Ming Long. Otherwise, how could you awaken the Ruyi Jingu Bang and become his next owner candidate?" Ming Long rolled her eyes.
One yuan, two yuan... Wu Yu did not comprehend it. The history he knew of only spanned 10,000 years.
Just in the 10 millennia alone, countless generations had been cycled through in this region alone.
"What do you mean by 'owner candidate?’"
The Ruyi Jingu Bang was his greatest secret. He was especially attentive to anything concerning it.
Ming Long thumped her chest and said proudly, "Based on your puny strength, you only received a minute fraction of the Great Sage's secrets. You might be crushed by anyone at any time. If you're not a candidate, what are you? To think that back in the day, I almost became an immortal. Only then would I be considered the true owner."
"Ascended to become an immortal?"
This shook Wu Yu to the very core.
Had she truly been that strong? If that was the case, then wouldn't she have been much stronger than Master Feng Xueya?
At this time, Wu Yu already started to believe her words.
The only thing he did not believe was that Ming Long had described herself as an almighty demon. He felt that she did not resemble one.
"Alright, since Granny here absorbed your spiritual power and awakened, I'm not here for idle chit chat. I'm here to strike a deal."
No wonder his spiritual power had been depleting ever since he had stabilized his spiritual source. So she had been the one absorbing it.
If she could even absorb his spiritual power, then this Ming Long must be very powerful indeed.
"What deal?"
Ming Long's tone was lofty. "This is a very good deal for you. To think that Granny got this baby only when I was on the verge of becoming an immortal. I didn't have time to cultivate many immortality arts. Many immortality arts need to be cultivated in the Qi Condensation Realm and Jindan Dao Realm. I missed out on those too. Your cultivation journey is still in its baby steps, and you have already met me. What dogshit good luck. Speaking of dog shit, I once went to this 'little world,' where the local custom was to make cat shit into a sort of beverage. How disgusting!"
Wu Yu understood now. It seemed like when one conversed with Ming Long, one should simply ignore all the stuff related to food.
Ming Long expounded at length on the cat shit beverage, only realizing after some time that she was in the middle of a deal. She cleared her throat and gave two coughs. "Hem, hem. Let me ask you. Do you have Qi Condensation Spiritual Arts?"
"At present, no. But once I return to the Bipo Mountain Range, I can get it. My master is a Jindan Immortal."
"Oh!"
Ming Long laughed so hard she could not straighten up. She looked extremely gleeful.
"Only at the Jindan Dao Realm, and he calls him an immortal? Haha, you'll be the death of this old mother here!"
This little girl referred to herself as “Granny” and “old mother.” Really....
She did not seem like a Jindan Immortal, but Wu Yu could not be bothered to argue with her.
"Here's your choice. I have a Qi Condensation spiritual art that originated from the Ruyi Jingu Bang. It's the best way to start the first tier of the Qi Condensation Realm. I didn't manage to cultivate it back then. Its value surpasses even the Invincible Vajra Body. And one more that your master gave you. Which qi condensation art did you choose?"
Wu Yu pondered this.
"Back then, she did not even cultivate it. She must have obtained it after she successfully condensed her qi, and it had already taken shape. And an immortality art that can compare with the Invincible Vajra Body...."
"Kid, let me tell you that this is the most orthodox, badass Qi Condensation spiritual art in the whole wide world. No other like it. Back then, countless dao practitioners went mad chasing this almighty art. If you don't choose it, your liver will turn green with regret in the future."
Ming Long blinked in a way that was not completely out of good intent.
"And the conditions?"
Since she had said that it was a bargain, then she would probably not give it to him so easily.
Besides, at present, it was difficult for him to communicate with the Ruyi Jingu Bang. He had worried about this before. Could his transformation end upon entering the Qi Condensation Realm?
They had finally reached this point. Ming Long put her hands on her hips. She had a devilish expression. "Very simple. I want to live. I want to taste all the delicacies in the mortal realm. I want to eat, eat, eat! I, Ming Long, must live! That is why you must vow that you will help me live. Right now, I'm just about dead!"
"Live?"
This was the most curious deal ever. Wu Yu could only shake his head. "That's not possible. I don't have that ability...."
"Shut your trap. You think Granny doesn't know your inability? You don't have it now, but once you ascend to immortality, you might. After all, I can see that you're a gentleman. A gentleman's word is iron. If you agree today, then if you ever have the ability, you must bring Granny to life, or I will curse you to singlehood for life, no dao companion. And even if you do find one, your child will be born without an asshole."
Ming Long's eyebrows waggled, trying to scare Wu Yu.
"In truth, this so-called ascending to immortalhood, the chances are practically zero.... And also, this assumes I succeed. Do you have a concrete method?" Wu Yu did not want to deceive her. After all, he really did not have the ability.
"Old Mother here does not!"
Ming Long was huffy now. She had never seen someone as straightforward as Wu Yu. If it had been her, her first priority would have been to get the art into her hands. As for this coming back from the dead thing, that could wait....
However, it was precisely so that she would strike this bargain with Wu Yu. Because Wu Yu was a trustworthy person.
"Forget it for now. Regardless of whether you eventually succeed or not, you just have to promise me that if you have the ability, you will look for a way to reincarnate me. If you vow thus, that will be fine."
Wu Yu thought it over. After all, she had been the one to come knocking with this deal. Let the future take care of itself.
He was someone who paid his debts. Now that Ming Long was offering him a transformation, then even if the deal was not struck, he would do what he could to help her.
After thinking it over, Wu Yu made his decision. "Alright, I accept."
"Very good. I am pleased with you."
Ming Long breathed a sigh of relief after the deal was struck.
In truth, she thought Wu Yu's personality was a little too straightforward, but his honesty put her at ease.
"Listen up now."
Ming Long closed her eyes and began to recall, then started to recite, "This world-class Qi Condensation spiritual art is known as the Great Way of Immortality Art. It's the foundation of reaching Jindan. It focuses the energies and expels the mortal desires. After you finish cultivating it, you'll gain spiritual affinity, establish your roots, gain awareness of your spiritual body, and become an immortal. High moral character, the lifespan of heaven itself, the harmony of fire and water itself, and immunity to disease. Once this level is reached, immortality is attained. This chant is the essence of the dao. You will be shaped by the heavens themselves, and the profound theories will come to you night and day. After you achieve dan, ghosts will fall before you!"
Condense qi, achieve dan, attain dao, become immortal!
"This Great Way of Immortality Art can help me become an immortal?"
Hearing this introduction, Wu Yu felt awe and fear in equal parts. It was no less amazing than the unkillable powers of the Invincible Vajra Body!
"That's right. If you can cultivate it, you'll be an immortal! You can fly to the sky palace and be with the deities there. You can have the lifespan of the heavens and never grow old!"
Ming Long stated patiently.
This was not just a Qi Condensation spiritual art. It was an art to become an immortal!
This speech had stirred Wu Yu's blood. Today's conversation had planted a seed in his heart!
The seed of an idea of becoming immortal.
After killing Hao Tian, Wu Yu had been aimless.
But now, his mind was opened. With a flash, all seemed clear!
After all, wasn't the final goal of cultivating the dao to be with the immortals in the sky?
The Body Refining Realm, and even Spirit Ascension, would only give you 100 years of life.
The 10th tier of Qi Condensation, and laying down roots, would at most extend one's life to 200 years.
After 200 years, you would still die, your body returning to the earth!
The Chronicles of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent noted that even Jindan Immortals, as powerful as they were, only lived for 300 years. After this limit of life, their physical and mental states would begin to decay. They would become wizened, and then perish!
Only by becoming an immortal could one truly shrug off the wheel of life and live forever without growing old!
Wu Yu was afraid of death. And after he started cultivating dao, his fear of death had only grown.
If you cultivated dao but did not become immortal, then what damned use was the dao!?
When Heavenly Immortal Hao Tian was alive, Wu Yu's goal was to kill him.
After Hao Tian died, his world had been open before him. He saw a boundless future. His only goal now was to become an immortal!
"I, Wu Yu, will become an immortal that lives forever!"
In truth, the resolve that he had found today was the true immortal root. It was a genuine thing that he had laid down himself.