The Secret Way of Immortality

Looking at the pitch-black surroundings, Ma Mang suppressed the fear in his heart and stood up.

“Immortal Master, since I was young, I have studied thirty-six volumes of Taoist scriptures, diligently reading them every day. My favorite is a chapter from the Tao Te Ching…”

Ren Qing’s head was throbbing. With a wave of his hand, peach wine was poured into Ma Mang’s mouth, and then he forcibly straightened his spine.

Ma Mang let out a miserable cry, followed by irrepressible ecstasy.

He was about to say something when he heard Ren Qing say, “Close your eyes, sit cross-legged, and immediately circulate the Qingfeng Qi Refining Method.”

Ma Mang thought Ren Qing was going to impart the Tao and hurriedly did as he was told.

Ren Qing said in a slightly warning tone, “After transcendence, no matter what you discover, do not panic. Just stand there and wait.”

“Remember.”

He controlled the ghost shadow to generate You Yuan, gradually pouring it into Ma Mang’s body.

After absorbing a portion of You Yuan, Ma Mang reached his limit. Immediately afterward, his body underwent a transformation, and his skin became increasingly like that of a Heavenly Dao Worm.

Wu Yong and the other man were not frightened at all, but instead revealed excited expressions.

“Taoist Ma, may this help you become an immortal…”

Before Wu Yong could finish speaking, Ma Mang suddenly disappeared without a trace, as if he had merged into the heavens and earth, leaving people completely clueless.

Ren Qing closed his eyes and, with the help of the ghost shadow attached to Ma Mang, barely perceived the situation.

In a daze, Ma Mang discovered that the vicinity had undergone a drastic change. When he opened his eyes, it was no longer the familiar Qingyan Town, but some strange and inexplicable place.

Before coming here, it was night, but now it had turned into day.

However, he still did not restrain himself, shouting like Fan Jin after passing the imperial examination.

“I have transcended and attained the Tao!!”

“I have transcended and attained the Tao!!”

Ma Mang rushed out of the deserted courtyard and onto a bustling street.

Perhaps because his emotions had been suppressed for more than a decade, he laughed like a madman.

The residents looked at him with strange gazes, as if they were looking at a corpse about to die, and then intentionally distanced themselves from him.

Soon, Ma Mang noticed something was wrong.

Why were everyone around him as terrifying as demons, and some were even upright-walking beasts, making his hair stand on end?

Ren Qing wanted to remind Ma Mang to calm down, but the latter was completely immersed in fear.

Ma Mang stumbled into a noodle stall and was doused with scalding soup. Immediately, he rolled around from the stimulation of the pain.

The stall owner was an old woman in her eighties. She couldn’t help but sigh.

“Keep it down.”

Ma Mang subconsciously raised his head and, after noticing the old woman’s appearance, his pupils dilated.

He saw that the old woman’s forehead actually had a second face. As she spoke, four eyes stared at him, giving him an indescribable sense of strangeness.

“Ah!!!!”

Ma Mang let out a shrill scream and retreated backward with both hands and feet.

Seeing this, the old woman ignored him and turned to tidy up the overturned tables and chairs. The other people hid in the distance, looking at Ma Mang gloomily.

Dozens of people had the same expression. Even Ren Qing couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive.

Ma Mang’s chest rose and fell, and tears mixed with sweat streamed down his face.

He put his hands together and said in an almost pleading tone, “Immortal Master, please take me back. I don’t want to transcend and attain the Tao anymore…”

Little did he know that once he came to the Remnant Moon Layer, leaving would be harder than ascending to heaven.

Just then, Ma Mang heard footsteps approaching from afar, as if gradually coming toward him, and couldn’t help but reveal a hopeful expression.

Ren Qing wanted to use the ghost shadow to check the source of the footsteps, but he couldn’t find any clues.

Just as he was about to use the ghost shadow to interfere with Ma Mang’s actions, the latter’s expression suddenly turned into a ferocious smile.

Ma Mang stood up stiffly, his bones colliding and constantly ringing.

He looked at the crowd and said in a low, hoarse voice, “Do you know…”

“Tsuan Rong?”

As Ma Mang spoke, his neck rotated three hundred and sixty degrees, blood gushing from his orifices, and his head was squeezed and deformed.

Bang!!!

His head exploded, turning into minced meat that splattered all over the ground.

The onlookers’ eyes revealed a long-suppressed delight. Some residents walked out of the crowd and used the knives they carried to cut up the corpse.

In just a moment, Ma Mang was left with only a dilapidated skeleton.

Finally, the skeleton was dragged into the depths of the alley by rats the size of arms, followed by a dense sound of gnawing, which soon returned to silence.

Ren Qing’s face was gloomy.

Because the Remnant Moon Layer was too far away, his control over the ghost shadow was really weak, so he dispersed it.

What exactly was the so-called Tsuan Rong? Why would making too much noise attract it? The Remnant Moon Layer was strange everywhere.

Ren Qing glanced at Wu Yong and the other man and said, “You guys go to the shop to stay for now. Come to the courtyard again tomorrow night.”

“You can leave at any time during this period.”

Then he ignored the two men, dispelled distractions, and focused on refining the Strange Fetus artifact.

Wu Yong did not dare to disturb Ren Qing. The two men tiptoed into the shop, and fear of the unknown could not help but arise in their hearts.

But after feeling that their lifespan was about to run out, the desire to seek the Tao once again overcame their fear.

The next day, Wu Yong and the other man came to the courtyard with dark circles under their eyes, and found that Ren Qing’s hands were playing with a jade-like gourd.

Tian A was chasing butterflies not far away. Under the effect of the Mirror Immortal’s ability, no one could detect his existence.

Ren Qing was still very satisfied with the newly refined magic tool. Although it had not yet turned into a Strange Fetus artifact, it could still hold at least a thousand pounds of wine.

He said in a flat tone, “I’ll repeat it again. No matter what happens after transcendence, don’t panic.”

Wu Yong couldn’t help but feel like retreating. He felt that Ma Mang had not come to a good end. Perhaps there would be danger after attaining the Tao and transcending?

However, the other Taoist, Zhang Yu, resolutely agreed.

Anyway, he had no love for life. The thought of hearing the Tao in the morning and dying in the evening arose in his heart.

Seeing that Zhang Yu’s mentality was relatively stable, Ren Qing felt that he should not be as rash as Ma Mang.

“After you are sure it is safe, you can leave the courtyard and go to the street to find an old woman with a stall, whose face has two faces.”

“And don’t make too much noise, just ask the old woman what Tsuan Rong is.”

After hearing this, it took Zhang Yu a long time to calm down. He knew that Ma Mang had probably died, and that attaining the Tao and transcending was probably extremely dangerous.

“Immortal Master, if this humble man is lucky enough not to die, I am willing to become a Taoist child under your seat.”

“I will guide you in your cultivation.”

Ren Qing agreed verbally, but in fact, he was considering whether to teach Zhang Yu the Gatekeeper Art if he was reliable, and then throw him into the prison in his belly.

The ecology of the prison in his belly was just beginning to take shape, and he needed manpower to help take care of the vegetation.

If he left Jingzhou in the future, he could give him a chance to join the Gatekeeper Hall.

“Thank you, Immortal Master.”

Zhang Yu nodded, silently sat on the ground and circulated the Qingfeng Qi Refining Method. Peach blossom wine poured into his mouth, and You Yuan gradually produced a transformation.

His originally almost blind eyes also regained their normal vision.

Before long, Zhang Yu was pulled into the Remnant Moon Layer.

Zhang Yu looked around.

He was obviously much more rational. First, he checked the decorations in the courtyard and found that the original owner was likely Taoist Fufeng.

However, the furniture was covered with a layer of dust, indicating that he had not returned for a long time.

After resting for a while, he left the courtyard. As soon as he reached the street, he couldn’t help but feel his legs weaken, but he still endured his fear and looked for the old woman.

Zhang Yu hurriedly walked on the street and soon noticed the noodle stall in the corner.

He took a deep breath and hurried closer, attracting the old woman’s wary gaze.

“I…you…that…”

The old woman took a few steps back, and the extra face on her forehead let out a strange laugh.

Zhang Yu stuttered and didn’t know what to say. Finally, he mustered some courage and asked, “I want to ask what Tsuan Rong is?”

The old woman narrowed her eyes and said softly, “You shouldn’t be from Morning Street. Go back to your own home quickly.”

Zhang Yu wanted to cry but had no tears. It was useless to regret it now, so he had to ask again.

The old woman looked at Zhang Yu for a long time before slowly answering, “That is a strange anomaly hidden in Morning Street. As long as you make too much noise, you will attract its attention.”

“Go away, go away, you probably won’t even know how you died.”

Zhang Yu fled in a panic, returned to the original courtyard, locked the doors and windows of the厢房, and hid under the bed.

Ren Qing opened his eyes and frowned as he pondered.

Strange anomalies should be unique to Jingzhou. Tsuan Rong could be attracted by sound, and its methods were not even noticed by the ghost shadow.

Even if it didn’t have the Yin Disaster Realm, it was probably not far off.

“Immortal Master, I don’t want to attain the Tao and transcend, I don’t want to, I don’t want to…”

Seeing this, Wu Yong became even more frightened. He had no courage in his heart, repeatedly kowtowed, and then limped out of the bookstore.

He could vaguely be heard letting out a bitter laugh of relief.

Ren Qing ignored Wu Yong, threw the gourd magic tool into the peach blossom spring, and then continued to refine the life-saving magic tool.

He also took Tian A into the prison in his belly and carefully sorted out his spells.

Tian A might be useful next, and staying in the New Moon Layer was just waiting to die.

However, just as Ren Qing was preparing to go to the Remnant Moon Layer, his face became extremely ugly. Zhang Yu had died for some unknown reason.

He checked the information transmitted before the ghost shadow dissipated. When the sky darkened, all the houses in Morning Street lit candles.

Zhang Yu did not try to light the lights and was still hiding under the bed.

At first, he only felt like he was being pressed by a ghost, but after a few breaths, he turned into minced meat, and his bones disappeared in the darkness.

Ren Qing waited until the sky in the Remnant Moon Layer was bright before running the faint You Yuan.

He could dispel the You Yuan at any time, so as to return from the Remnant Moon Layer to the New Moon Layer, which was a relatively critical life-saving method.

He also changed his close-fitting clothes into ordinary magic tools and armed himself to the teeth.

As for why he didn’t use the Strange Fetus artifact, it was mainly because the aura emitted by the Strange Fetus artifact was too obvious, and it was difficult not to be discovered in the Remnant Moon Layer.

The You Yuan flowed along the eight extraordinary meridians, and a blood-red crescent moon appeared in the sky.

Ren Qing took a deep breath and stared at the blood moon, but after half a breath, he moved his eyes away, and in the next moment, he had already arrived at the Remnant Moon Layer.

Not long after his figure disappeared.

Wu Yong secretly came to the bookstore again, but found that it was empty and the courtyard had re-grown dense weeds.

He collapsed weakly on the ground, hammering the ground with his right hand, and couldn’t help but cry out in pain, not knowing whether it was regret or self-blame.

Wu Yong knew that he had missed an opportunity and could not make up for it.

He kept chanting the contents of the Qingfeng Qi Refining Method, looked at the gradually rising sun, and soon lost his breath.

Hear the Tao in the morning, die in the evening.

Thanks to Heath Ice Tea, Boundless Little Sky, Root Sign Wu, Never Asking for Luxury, Book Friend 151110073253486, Tang Tonglin Yu, Book Friend 20220107172135405, 1643329568 for the rewards.