Chapter 496: Probing
At daybreak, Zhong Wuwang opened his eyes, lying flat on his back on the ground, completely motionless.
His eyes held no light. After a long while, his eyeballs finally stirred. He sat up woodenly, his expression dazed and muddled.
Zhong Wuwang sat there for a long time before staggering to his feet. He raised a hand to touch his head and found a trace of blood on his brow.
He stared at the bloodstain on his brow, repeatedly studying it, trying to recall, but only felt his head splitting with pain.
“I’m injured.”
He oriented himself, took a moment to remember the way, and headed toward Despair Slope.
Wen Wuyu followed her master, Qingheng Daoist, to the Welcome Immortal Building, preparing to return to Despair Slope.
The Celestial Way Divine Eye above scanned their bodies. Wen Wuyu asked, “Master, has Senior Brother truly become an immortal?”
Qingheng Daoist chuckled, “Naturally it’s true. Even the Celestial Venerable was alarmed. How could it be false? The Celestial Venerable said he is the first person on the immortal path under the new method, with limitless prospects ahead.”
Wen Wuyu said, “I’ve heard that several cultivators underwent tribulation crossing before Senior Brother. How is he the first on the immortal path?”
Qingheng Daoist replied, “Those few crossed tribulation, but they didn’t achieve Dao Unification. Wuwang is the first to unify Dao. Also, stop calling him Senior Brother. He’s already an immortal. You should call him Uncle-Master. No, call him Grand-Uncle-Master.”
Wen Wuyu pouted, feeling a little unwilling inside. She had entered Despair Slope at roughly the same time as Zhong Wuwang. She never expected that he was already a new-method immortal while she remained in the Spirit Refining realm.
At that moment, a figure came into view.
“Senior Brother Wuwang.”
Wen Wuyu was startled, quickly changing her address. “Grand-Uncle-Master Wuwang.”
Qingheng Daoist also saw Zhong Wuwang and smiled, “Daoist Brother Wuwang, Qingheng greets you. Congratulations, Brother, on achieving Dao Unification and cultivating the immortal realm!”
Zhong Wuwang walked past them woodenly and blankly, as if he hadn’t heard their words. Light from the Celestial Way Divine Eye in the Welcome Immortal Building streamed down, bathing his entire body. Yet Zhong Wuwang didn’t stop, passing straight through the curtain of light.
Fortunately, the Celestial Way Divine Eye had already verified his true identity and didn’t block him.
Wen Wuyu stood frozen. She saw that behind Zhong Wuwang’s head, it was hollow and empty — a hole the size of a fist had been smashed open.
Qingheng Daoist also saw the wound on the back of his head, her heart shaking violently. If it had been any of them, injured like this, they would probably be dead already. She never imagined Zhong Wuwang could still walk, could still go home!
“Who on earth injured him like this?”
Soon enough, the Celestial Way Walkers and Celestial Way Immortals of Despair Slope gathered around Zhong Wuwang, staring at the large hole in the back of his head, each furrowing their brows.
Just then, the Celestial Venerable arrived hurriedly. Seeing Zhong Wuwang, he was shocked. He quickly came behind Zhong Wuwang and looked into the hole. On its surface, many strange shamanic ritual markings were interwoven, slowly repairing his damaged brain.
Zhong Wuwang surviving was nothing short of a miracle!
Gong Wanqing said, “Celestial Venerable, Wuwang was severely injured by someone, but he cultivated an immortal art of immortality that saved his life. Most of his brain was destroyed, and he can only remember simple things. We just asked if he recognized us. Some people he could name, others he couldn’t.”
“Wuwang, do you know who I am?” the Celestial Venerable asked with a kind expression.
Zhong Wuwang looked at him woodenly, his lips moving: “Celestial Venerable.”
The Celestial Venerable asked, “Do you know who injured you like this?”
Zhong Wuwang tried hard to remember, then suddenly clutched his head and rasped, “I can’t remember! My head hurts so much!”
The Celestial Venerable frowned slightly and sighed, “Poor child.”
Gong Wanqing asked, “Celestial Venerable, can he ever recall the past?”
The Celestial Venerable shook his head. “His brain is destroyed. Even if this immortal art can repair his brain, his memories likely won’t come back. Who on earth harmed my genius of Despair Slope?”
He lamented endlessly, then suddenly recalled something and asked, “What about Immortal Kou? Wuwang, didn’t Immortal Kou go looking for you?”
Zhong Wuwang was dazed and stupid, unable to remember anything.
The Celestial Venerable’s expression changed, and he urgently barked, “Go check Daoist Friend Kou’s soul lamp immediately!”
Gong Wanqing flew off in a flash. After a moment, she flew back with a pale face, shaking her head. “Immortal Kou’s soul lamp… has gone out.”
The Celestial Venerable was overcome with grief.
Everyone was filled with grief and indignation. Someone asked with a trembling voice, “Who on earth killed Immortal Kou?”
“The person who attacked Daoist Friend Kou and the one who injured Wuwang must be the same person.”
The Celestial Venerable held back his sorrow with great effort. “He just didn’t expect that Wuwang had cultivated the Immortal Art of Immortality. In this world, only one person possesses such strength — the Demon Emperor of the Demon Capital.”
The people of Despair Slope were beside themselves with rage, ready to swarm out and search the Demon Capital to avenge Immortal Kou and Zhong Wuwang.
The Celestial Venerable called out loudly, “Everyone, let’s take the long view!”
The crowd gradually calmed down. Gong Wanqing said, “Now Immortal Ping and Immortal Xi have already led Despair Slope’s experts to support Daoist Friend Feng. Additionally, the Empress of Earth is stirring restlessly. Despair Slope absolutely cannot lose its composure.”
Qiu Ning the fairy maiden nodded. “That’s right! The enemy is hidden and we are exposed. If we lose our composure, the losses will only be greater! Everything follows the Celestial Venerable’s orders!”
Everyone’s eyes fell on the Celestial Venerable. He was Despair Slope’s backbone.
The Celestial Venerable said in a deep voice, “The urgent task is to activate the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace to manufacture heavenly soldiers. On the other front, we must monitor the world and search for the Demon Emperor’s whereabouts. And then there’s Wuwang — let him stay in my Tianyuan Palace and recuperate properly.”
Everyone’s hearts tightened. They immediately went to activate the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace.
The Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace was a heavy treasure carried on the back of the demonic beast from the Sea of Darkness when it attacked the Western Ox New Continent. While the beast fought desperately, the furnace spewed out terrifying monsters, surging like a tide in all directions to fight the human cultivators tooth and nail.
After this treasure fell into Despair Slope’s hands, the immortals there realized that this furnace was undoubtedly an extraordinary heavy immortal artifact!
Over the years, they had studied the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace and discovered various wondrous uses. Manufacturing Heaven’s Listeners was one such use.
Another use was that the furnace could create heavenly soldiers.
So-called heavenly soldiers were creations that mimicked the form of immortals. They had no human emotions, were specialized for combat, and possessed astonishing combat power!
Using the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace to create Heaven’s Listeners didn’t consume much, but creating heavenly soldiers required enormous expenditure. It demanded that Celestial Way Walkers and Celestial Way Immortals work day and night to power the treasure, spending over a hundred days to refine a single batch.
As Gong Wanqing and the others activated the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace, the Celestial Venerable brought Zhong Wuwang back to Tianyuan Palace.
Zhong Wuwang was dazed and stupid, drool trickling from the corner of his mouth. Whatever the Celestial Venerable told him to do, he did. When told to get on all fours and bark like a dog, he obeyed.
“Poor child.”
The Celestial Venerable came behind his head, extended a finger, and probed into the large hole in the back of his skull.
Zhong Wuwang still stood there foolishly, offering no resistance whatsoever.
The Celestial Venerable withdrew his finger, his eyes flickering. “Pitiful.”
He paid no more attention to Zhong Wuwang and continued sitting in meditation, cultivating his vertical brow-eye. He had already used the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth, Spring-Returning Art to grow his own eye, but the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth, Spring-Returning Art was a technique comprehended from the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth Furnace. Its restorative power was far inferior to the Immortal Art of Immortality.
The Immortal Art of Immortality could even allow regeneration after death — the Recreate Heaven-and-Earth, Spring-Returning Art could not.
Zhong Wuwang ate, drank, and slept in the palace. The back of his skull gradually healed, his brain matter regenerated, and his injuries grew lighter and lighter.
After over ten days, he finally recovered to normal. He no longer acted stupid in social interactions, but many of his memories were gone. When the Celestial Venerable carefully questioned him about his background, he could only recall some things from his childhood.
So the Celestial Venerable told him about his experiences over the years and laughed, “You are already an immortal who has unified Dao. Your status in Despair Slope is extraordinary.”
That day, Zhong Wuwang sat by the fish pond in a daze. Then a voice came from behind him: “Wuwang.”
Zhong Wuwang turned around and saw Immortal Kou standing behind him, his face covered in blood.
Zhong Wuwang was startled and quickly assumed a defensive posture, but his mind was a complete blank. The immortal techniques he had once learned were all forgotten. He cried out in alarm, “Who are you? Why are you covered in blood? Celestial Venerable! Celestial Venerable!”
He shouted in panic, but no one answered.
Immortal Kou carefully observed his every move, his every word and action. Suddenly, he laughed, “Wuwang, you recognize me, don’t you? You recognize me. You know who I am. Go on, say what you’re thinking. Let me see if you’re right.”
Zhong Wuwang fled outside in panic, shouting, “Who are you? What have you done to the Celestial Venerable?”
He was careless and nearly collided with the Celestial Venerable walking toward him. He quickly stopped and cried out, “Celestial Venerable! Just now there was a bloody strange man… Huh? Where did he go?”
He looked back but saw no trace of Immortal Kou.
The Celestial Venerable watched him with a smile, observing his words and actions. Suddenly, he laughed, “Wuwang, you must have had a heart demon while cultivating earlier. You had a hallucination. It’s nothing now.”
Zhong Wuwang gradually calmed down.
The Celestial Venerable smiled, “Since your injury has healed, there’s no need for you to stay in my Tianyuan Palace. Return to your Tiandao Peak. Your disciple Fang Xiu is still waiting for you on Tiandao Peak.”
Zhong Wuwang acknowledged the order and walked out.
The Celestial Venerable watched him walk away, his eyes flickering. After a moment, Zhong Wuwang came back, looking embarrassed. “Celestial Venerable, there are so many peaks out there. Which one is my Tiandao Peak?”
The Celestial Venerable laughed heartily. “It’s my old age getting the better of me. I forgot to tell you. Your Tiandao Peak is called Everlasting Light. It’s the seventh Tiandao Peak. At the summit, there’s a pearl the size of a fist, shining brightly.”
Zhong Wuwang went off happily.
Before long, he found Everlasting Light Peak and arrived at Everlasting Light Palace. A child of five or six came running out of the palace and, upon seeing him, immediately bowed. “Master, your disciple heard that something happened to you and was worried sick. These past few days, I haven’t had an appetite for tea or food. Are you alright, Master?”
Zhong Wuwang scratched his head and smiled, “So you’re my disciple Fang Xiu? I should be fine now.”
The child looked up in shock. “Master, I’m Fang Zhenxiu, not Fang Xiu.”
Zhong Wuwang scratched his head again and said, “The Celestial Venerable said you were Fang Xiu. Did I mishear? Forget it, forget it. You’re Fang Zhenxiu then. Do you know what cultivation technique I practiced before? Could you teach me?”
Fang Zhenxiu was stunned.
In the mountain hollow behind them, a gigantic ear slowly turned to mud.
Far away, the Celestial Venerable withdrew his gaze and muttered, “It seems the Immortal Art of Immortality cannot restore memories. I can rest easy.”
In Everlasting Light Palace, Fang Zhenxiu earnestly taught Zhong Wuwang how to cultivate. Zhong Wuwang treated him decently — even the techniques he taught him during Foundation Establishment were immortal techniques. But Fang Zhenxiu was still young, after all. His understanding of these techniques was extremely shallow, and he couldn’t teach Zhong Wuwang much.
“Master, let me take you to the Academy of Inquiry!” Remembering that the Academy had all kinds of techniques, he said urgently.
Master and disciple came to the Academy of Inquiry and perused various texts and records.
Fang Zhenxiu read and cultivated alongside him. After a few days, Zhong Wuwang had reviewed the techniques he had once read. “Zhenxiu, let’s go out and gain some experience.”
Fang Zhenxiu agreed and said, “Master, you’ve just learned all these techniques. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me. If I know, I’ll explain.”
The master and disciple left Despair Slope. Along the way, Zhong Wuwang studied techniques and divine abilities, chatting and laughing with Fang Zhenxiu. Gradually, his cultivation and strength surpassed Fang Zhenxiu’s.
Before they knew it, the master and disciple arrived at Tianyu County in Beimeng Province.
Suddenly, a schoolteacher blocked their path and laughed, “Zhong Wuwang, why have you come to my Tianyu County?”
Zhong Wuwang asked in confusion, “And you are?”
The schoolteacher was surprised. “I’m Yang Bi. You don’t remember me?”
Fang Zhenxiu said apologetically, “Uncle-Master Yang, my master had his brain damaged by someone. He doesn’t remember anything.”
“Damaged brain?”
Yang Bi circled around Zhong Wuwang twice and laughed, “Did he really damage his brain? It seems Brother Zhong’s Immortal Art of Immortality wasn’t thoroughly understood. Far inferior to mine.”
Zhong Wuwang smiled with a calm expression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know any Immortal Art of Immortality.”
Yang Bi laughed, “The Celestial Venerable discovered you, didn’t he? Let me guess. The Celestial Venerable must have killed you, and you used the Immortal Art of Immortality to revive. The injury was to your brain, wasn’t it? When you revived, you lost your memory and returned to Despair Slope by instinct. If you had your memory at that time, you would have run as far away as possible. So you must have been amnesiac. But once you used the Immortal Art of Immortality to restore your brain, your memories came back. The Celestial Venerable must have kept you by his side, observing you, testing you. You pretended you hadn’t recovered your memory and fooled him. Brother Zhong, am I right?”
Zhong Wuwang said in bewilderment, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but it sounds interesting. However, these are just your guesses, aren’t they? Whether the Immortal Art of Immortality can restore memories — you don’t know that either. After all, you’ve never died.”
Yang Bi stared into his eyes. “But I know that Wu Qi died.”
Zhong Wuwang raised an eyebrow.
Yang Bi said, “Wu Qi was reduced to nothing but bones. Yet when the flesh controlled by the Celestial Venerable on the moon attacked, he still managed to reach out and block that strike. That proves the Immortal Art of Immortality can restore memories!”
Zhong Wuwang was silent for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile. “My father was a gambling addict. Every time he lost all his money and came home looking for the wages my mother earned by working, he would always pressure me, force me to tell him where the money was hidden. From that time on, I learned how to lie.”
He rubbed Fang Zhenxiu’s little head and smiled. “I’m even better at lying than he was.”
Yang Bi drew in a sharp breath. “So the real culprit is the Celestial Venerable!”
Zhong Wuwang said, “Yang Bi, I need to see Chen Shi!”