After the Immortal Venerable Failed to Attain Dao - Chapter 6

Once out of the cave, Shi Che took in the surrounding scenery, and the mystery of the corpses’ strange disappearance inside the cave was instantly explained.

In the distance, mountains were piled with rocks, and the scattered buildings around were shrouded in a dark, heavy gloom.

This was the Bone-Dissolving Mountain, ten miles outside the Guiming Sect Tianji’s territory.

Here, anything that had lost its life and was incomplete, whether human or beast, would dissolve into nothingness, merging into the mountains and forests to serve as nourishment for the Guiming Sect’s corpse puppets.

As for intact corpses, they were all refined into laborers. The surrounding buildings were factories.

The workers were all corpse puppets they didn’t need rest and could toil away tirelessly.

The Star Realm was vast, filled with countless wonders, secret realms, and perilous peaks. There was never a shortage of people who had died from various accidents.

The Guiming Sect had a dedicated team of corpse puppets that went out daily to search for unclaimed fresh corpses.

Newly refined corpse puppets were then sent in batches to various factory areas, where they began working the same day.

Corpses nourished corpses, corpses refined corpses an endless cycle.

With this comprehensive corpse-refining process, the Guiming Sect had amassed a large number of high-intensity, free laborers, reaping immense profits.

They had now reached the area closest to the factories.

The air was thick with the smell of medicine, the sounds of machinery and boiling water intertwining. In the distance, black smoke billowed from the rooftops of the buildings, indicating that the corpse puppets were hard at work.

Neither of them had any intention of taking a shortcut. They swaggered past the factories and headed straight down the mountain.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the sky was half-dark. A clear stream flowed at the base, and Xue Zhun, panting heavily, released his sword and pointed to a rock. “Let’s rest for a bit… I can’t go on. Brother Che, are you hungry? I’ll go find something to eat.”

The babbling stream brought a chill even to those standing by the lake. Shi Che glanced at the water and said, “I’m hungry. You go ahead. I’m going into the water.”

“Aren’t you carrying electricity anymore?”

Shi Che propped himself up with his sword. “If I discharge the electricity into the water, I won’t have to keep it in my body.”

“Will that work?” Xue Zhun looked at him curiously. “Then you discharge it. I’ll go find food after you’re done.”

“You should go first,” Shi Che said. “With a girl watching, I’m shy.”

“What’s there to be shy about?” Xue Zhun urged him. “It’s just discharging electricity. Hurry up, I’m starving.”

“I have to take off my clothes to get into the water, little sister. I’m thin-skinned. With you here, I can’t relax.”

Electricity crackled joyfully all over his body. Shi Che’s breathing grew heavier as he forced himself to endure. “If you don’t leave now, you’ll starve to death, and I’ll die from the pain. Can you bear the responsibility of losing two promising talents from the Xuanqing Sect who could save the world?”

“…”

Xue Zhun turned and left.

Shi Che sank to the bottom of the stream. The night water was cold, its bone-chilling chill briefly numbing his senses.

He drew his broken sword and pressed it against the lightning scar on his back, slowly guiding the remaining electricity into the cold water.

Before entering the water, he had torn off his dirty clothes. The clear, cold stream quickly cleansed his body.

Once the electricity was discharged, he sheathed the broken sword. The worst of the pain had passed, so he didn’t linger. Placing his hands on the edge of the stream, he prepared to climb out, only to find a pair of cold, pale silver boots in front of him.

He looked up and met a pair of eyes gazing down at him.

Shi Li stood on the bank, his ink-black hair tied high with a silver jade crown. Under the moonlight, his face was fully revealed.

He stared at Shi Che, watching water droplets slowly roll down the mask, and asked curiously, “Which little sister made you shy?”

Shi Che withdrew his gaze without responding, placed his hands on the riverbank for leverage, and emerged from the water.

Unexpectedly, Shi Li struck the moment he stepped ashore, seizing both of his wrists, twisting them behind his back, and pressing him against a nearby tree.

At this moment, his upper body was bare, his black hair damp and clinging to his skin, dripping water downward.

As a sword cultivator who practiced thousands of sword swings daily, emphasizing posture and strength, he had developed the most aesthetically pleasing and powerful muscles on his shoulders and back over time.

Yet now, on his back, a charred lightning scar slanted diagonally from his shoulder blade down his spine. Upon closer inspection, faint golden electric sparks could still be seen, making the robust muscles of his back appear even more menacing. At first glance, it was a shocking sight.

“When did you undergo the tribulation?”

The voice rang out abruptly, and Shi Che instantly straightened his back.

Shi Li had, at some point, unsheathed Huajing. The cool hilt of the sword pressed against the lightning scar on his back, tracing the wound inch by inch, unhurriedly.

“Let’s not talk about it,” Shi Che frowned slightly, trying to ignore the tingling numbness caused by the pressure on the scar as he struggled against Shi Li’s grip. “It might upset you. Let me go.”

“So considerate?” The scabbard slid down to the base of his spine, where the lightning scar faded away, and struck heavily. Shi Che shuddered, instinctively leaning forward, only to be blocked by the rough bark of the tree.

“Let go,” he repeated, but was met with nothing but a mocking sneer from behind.

Being restrained in such a manner was truly uncomfortable. Shi Che struggled to suppress his irritation and spoke, “Let’s talk. Just let me put on some clothes first.”

“No. We’ll talk like this.” Shi Li held Huajing in his hand, whether intentionally or not, pressing it against his wound, jabbing it with every slight movement.

Shi Che had reached his limit, his desire to punch Shi Li peaking.

Earlier, with outsiders present in the cave, Shi Li had shown him some courtesy and refrained from acting out. Now, however, he had no such reservations, revealing his true nature right in front of him.

“Does your illusion demon,” Shi Che glanced back at him, “know you’re treating me like this?”

Shi Li glared coldly. “You still remember he’s mine?”

“Of course I do,” Shi Che suddenly leaned in close, ignoring his still-twisted wrists, his gaze falling on those thin lips. “Not only do I remember, but I also tasted him for you first, trained him properly. How did he learn? Did he come to you.”

As he spoke, he drew even closer, their lips almost touching, as if tasting the illusion demon wasn’t enough he now dared to try the master’s flavor.

Shi Li’s expression turned cold as he twisted Shi Che’s wrist harshly, pulling away from him.

Shi Che turned back nonchalantly, rubbing his sore wrist, and rummaged through his Qiankun bag for a plain robe without any sect insignia to put on.

The plain white outer robe lacked the exquisite embroidery and jingling accessories of his private attire, not even matching the standard uniform of an ordinary Xuanyuan Sect disciple.

Utterly unremarkable.

He pulled out a hairband and tied up his black hair casually, piling his discarded clothes and headpiece by the riverbank. Gathering spiritual energy at his fingertips, he attempted to summon spiritual fire, but nothing emerged.

He paused, gathered spiritual energy again, and still nothing happened.

So, he dug out a fire starter from the depths of his Qiankun bag, blew on it, and tossed it onto the pile of clothes.

It was something he played with as a child, untouched for centuries.

Unexpectedly, it refused to ignite.

He picked it up, preparing to blow on it again, when Shi Li, who had somehow appeared beside him, flicked a spark of spiritual light from his fingertip, effortlessly setting the pile of clothes ablaze.

Shi Chen stood up expressionlessly, casually tossing the unlit fire starter into the flames.

The fire flared violently. Shi Li was startled and grabbed him, pulling him back swiftly. In the next moment, a loud bang echoed as it exploded.

Shi Li: “You.”

Shi Chen slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch me randomly. That’s rude.”

Shi Li had been about to let go, but upon hearing this, his grip on Shi Chen’s arm tightened, the force nearly tearing the fabric.

Shi Chen gave him a strange look. “What do you mean? First, you wouldn’t let me put on clothes, and now you tell me not to touch but insist on touching. You’re so mean.”

Shi Li wasn’t falling for the same trick twice. He curled his lip slightly. “While you’re completely defenseless, I could be even meaner. Want to try?”

Shi Chen replied immediately, “No.” After a moment of thought, he added, “But do whatever you want. You’re still young and inexperienced anyway. Maybe I’ll even have to teach you…”

As expected, Shi Li shoved him away.

“That person earlier,” Shi Li said slowly, drawing his sword, “I thought you would have killed her.”

“Why kill such a kind-hearted girl?” Shi Chen smoothed the sleeve that had been crumpled by Shi Li’s grip and rested his hand on the broken sword at his waist. The silver surface reflected the firelight, casting a shadowy, ambiguous glow. “I’m still more interested in killing you.”

Their blades clashed, their faces inches apart as sparks flew from the friction of the steel.

Shi Li mocked his broken sword, deliberately meeting his eyes. “I never knew such a short blade could still execute the Heartless Sword technique.”

Shi Chen smiled faintly, warning him, “Be careful with my sword. I just cleaned the Phantom Demon. If you dirty it, I’ll have to go find your little radish again.”

Shi Li’s expression darkened, and the silver-white blade of his sword gleamed even brighter. “You’ve even lost the Hua Jing. It seems you’re not just having a rough time you’re downright miserable.”

“That’s true,” Shi Chen admitted without hesitation. “Incompetent in youth, wretched in old age. It’s all retribution.”

Shi Li sneered. “Glorious in youth, destitute in old age. You know who’s to blame.”

Shi Chen gave up on reasoning with him. With a sudden flick of his broken sword toward Shi Li’s face a feint he created distance, sheathed his weapon, and commented, “Immature and impulsive.”

Shi Li scoffed coldly. “Muddled and incompetent. How old are you, anyway?”

“My age doesn’t change the fact that you’re still alive,” Shi Chen said, glancing at the nearly extinguished fire and adding a few more branches. “If you have nothing else to do, leave. The sect recruitment is in a couple of days. You’ll be busy.”

“Not going to kill me?” Shi Li didn’t sheathe his sword, deliberately flashing the light of Hua Jing into Shi Chen’s eyes.

“I’ll spare you for a few days,” Shi Chen waved dismissively. “Once I recover, I’ll take your life.”

“Can you even make it up the mountain in this state?” Shi Li eyed him skeptically, unimpressed. “What’s your current cultivation level? How much spiritual power do you have? And that lightning strike on you does it affect you?”

“Why are you so talkative?” Shi Chen snapped impatiently, picking up a burning branch and tossing it at him. “If I can’t make it up, I’ll find a way. You…”

Something flew toward him. Shi Chen instinctively caught it and paused when he saw the Life-Borrowing Jade Token in his hand, raising an eyebrow. “Giving me this do you want me to kill you now?”

This was a treasure from a high-level secret realm. The recipient could share the fate of the token’s owner, borrowing as much spiritual power or luck as they wished.

It was a one-sided offering something Shi Li would never give to anyone else.

“You can’t kill me,” he said nonchalantly, sheathing his sword. “It’s useless just sitting around, so I’ll lend it to you for protection. Don’t embarrass yourself out there these next few days. Where’s yours? Give it to me.”

Shi Che put away the jade token. “I don’t have it.”

“Used it up?”

Shi Che remained silent.

Shi Li gritted his teeth. “How could you give something like that to someone else? What a fool no wonder you ended up like this.”

The insult was too harsh, and Shi Che felt uncomfortable, but having just received a favor, he couldn’t lash out.

He could only say, “You’re making me very awkward.”

Shi Li glared at him and changed the subject. “Is she one of He Qianqiu’s people?”

“Whether she is or not, the sect recruitment is about to begin. You’ll have plenty to keep you busy. You should head back now.”

“Is she or not?”

Shi Che shook his head, feigning mystery. “Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed.”

“I really should kill you both.”

“Then you’d be condemned to a miserable and uncertain old age.” Shi Che picked up a few more branches and tossed them into the fire. “If you want to use me, you’ll have to win me over first. For now, listen to me go back and attend to your duties. In two days, I’ll come to you as promised.”

The response was a cold snort.

When he turned around again, the person was gone.

By the time Xue Zhun returned, Shi Che had already added firewood three times. Seeing the pheasant and wild rabbit in her hands, he finally didn’t feel disappointed.

The two sat together, skinning the game while chatting idly. Shi Che remarked, “Thankfully, the Kui Ming Sect doesn’t use animals to refine corpse puppets. There’s plenty of wild game in the mountains otherwise, we’d be eating corpse meat tonight.”

“Corpse meat is still better than nothing,” Xue Zhun said, setting up the fire to roast the meat. “Brother Che, I see you also came from one of the villages down there. Have you seen it?”

Shi Che nodded, his gaze fixed on the meat roasting over the flames, his voice low. “Evil spirits run rampant, jackals and wolves wear official caps. Have you noticed anything different since coming to the main city?”

“Too much!” Xue Zhun slapped her thigh. “I may not understand what you mean by wolves and caps, but those beasts in the villages their main families are in the main city, all big clans, great philanthropists, putting on airs like decent people. If you didn’t know better, you’d think their hearts were as clean as their clothes!”

Shi Che tore off a chicken leg. “That’s what ‘jackals and wolves wear official caps’ means.”

The Star Realm was divided into seven major sects by the Seven Stars, each with a main city beneath it, and below that, various villages.

All kinds of minor sects were scattered among the villages.

Shi Li had lived for five hundred years, and for the first three hundred, he had never set foot in a village. Even during his most destitute youth, he struggled in the main city.

The main city represented the face of the major sects in this realm, always exuding an air of prosperity divine beasts soaring, immortal spirits everywhere, towering, vast, and resplendent in gold and jade.

The grandeur was overwhelming, the people lived too well, and the immortal-filled city stretched as far as the eye could see, as if the entire world were like this.

“Resources are limited, but there are many people. Maintaining the dignity of a main city is already difficult enough those above don’t need so many people to survive.”

Shi Che tossed aside the bones, washed his hands in a nearby mountain stream, and sat back down, no longer eating.

Xue Zhun had already lowered her head, her black hair falling to obscure her face, making it impossible to see her expression. But the hand gripping her sword creaked loudly, as if she might crush the fragile scabbard at any moment.

Shi Che pushed the meat toward her. “Eat. After we finish, we’ll head straight to Tian Shu and find a place to stay.”

Xue Zhun gave him a strange look. “We don’t have passes we can’t get through the teleportation gates. I’ve calculated it after this meal, we’ll have to set off immediately, traveling day and night just to barely make it to Xuan Qing Mountain. How will we have time to find a place to stay?”

“Besides, staying overnight in the Celestial Pivot Main City, how many Star Stones would that cost? Wouldn’t it be better to save that money for food?”

Shi Chen pondered, “You’re right.”

His money pouch had been emptied during the thunder tribulation.

Every Star Stone was unique. In the same world, he and Shi Li could not possess the same Star Stone, so his money had vanished.

Shi Li was a native, while he was an outsider. Whether it was fate or Star Stones products of heaven and earth whatever belonged to Shi Li, he could not claim as his own.

Unless…

Shi Li returned to the Xuanqing Sect and was reorganizing his sword techniques when his brush suddenly paused.

He opened his spiritual communication talisman. The list, which originally had only one name, now clearly showed an additional glowing entry.

Shi Chen: “So convenient? I didn’t even need to exchange spiritual talismans with you.”

Shi Li ignored him.

Shi Chen: “Check your money pouch. Did your Star Stones increase? All my money flowed into your pocket.”

Shi Li didn’t check and replied, “Too many to count.”

Shi Chen: “Wow.”

Shi Chen: “You’re so rich.”

Shi Li continued copying sword techniques, circling the parts he found unreasonable with a vermilion brush to discuss with his master later.

Shi Chen: “You’re so rich.”

Shi Li tidied up the mess of discarded drafts scattered all over the room, picked up Hua Jing, and set off for the Ask Heaven Island to practice swordsmanship.

Seeing that Shi Chen had been quiet for so long, he asked: Why aren’t you saying I’m rich anymore?

Shi Chen ignored him.

He transferred ten thousand Star Stones over, but Shi Chen still ignored him.

He took back the ten thousand Star Stones.

Shi Chen: “?”

Shi Chen: “Am I someone with no principles? Do you think I’d shamelessly flatter you for just ten thousand?”

Shi Li transferred a hundred thousand Star Stones over.

Shi Chen: “You’re so rich “