133 Integration

The Black Emperor received the body of the Corpse Demon. Under the moonlight, he pressed it into his own shadow. The Corpse Demon let out a furious roar, struggling violently; one could even see the creature thrashing and contorting within the shadow.

"Still trying to get out?"

A mass of black energy appeared in the Black Emperor’s palm, which he slammed into the shadow. Instantly, the shadow grew quiet and detached itself from the Black Emperor.

"Good. A Demon Avatar. Ha, ha..."

Seeing how easily he had refined the Corpse Demon into his shadow, the Black Emperor could not help but laugh.

"Woof!"

The black dog wagged its tail, also baring its teeth in a grin.

"Hmm? This is bad. Li Xintian has learned the Immortal-Slaughtering Great Dao! That damned mortal, he actually dared to help Li Xintian!"

The Black Emperor’s expression shifted. Suddenly, he opened his eyes in shock; his eyes were like those of a newborn baby—bright and pitch-black—as if he had witnessed the most terrifying event imaginable. His face turned a livid, furious shade of green, for he now knew it was Zhou You who had interfered.

Even the black dog collapsed onto the ground, its body trembling uncontrollably, unable to withstand the pressure of the Black Emperor’s rage as the very air seemed to crush it into the earth.

At the Chen Family Village mortuary:

"Senior Brother, Li Xintian, he has learned it... the Immortal-Slaughtering Great Dao."

Zhou You, having sent Li Xintian there, knew full well that he had learned it. His eyes and face were filled with shock as he spoke.

"What?"

Zhao Longjie was struck with immense shock upon hearing Zhou You’s words.

"We are doomed, Senior Brother. I fear our Junior Brother will not be able to survive this."

Zhou You realized that while he had helped Li Xintian, he had now placed himself in grave danger.

"Junior Brother, I will help you survive this, no matter the danger."

Zhao Longjie knew that this matter was no longer simple.

"Senior Brother, it is useless. You have already met that person; he cannot save me. I plan to leave. I cannot implicate any of you. Please, do not reveal my whereabouts."

Zhou You shook his head. Knowing the terror of the Black Emperor, he knew they could not withstand him together. "Senior Brother, take care. I leave this to Li Xintian. Please pass it on to him, but do so in your own name."

Zhou You left behind the technique for Soul Projection. To avoid implicating everyone at the mortuary, he immediately concealed his presence and fled.

"Junior Brother..."

Zhao Longjie clenched his fists in anger, knowing this was not the time to act on impulse, especially since the Xuanxu Temple still relied on him.

Not long after Zhou You left, the Black Emperor’s Demon Avatar caught up to him.

"Where do you think you are going? Since you decided to help Li Xintian, you must naturally bear the weight of my wrath."

The Demon Avatar blocked Zhou You’s path.

"Although I helped Li Xintian, I have no regrets. He learned the Immortal-Slaughtering Great Dao specifically to deal with you. If I can assist him, then death is a price I am willing to pay."

Zhou You looked at the black, shadow-like figure—the Black Emperor’s Demon Avatar, which had no facial features save for eyes burning with black flames—and felt no fear.

"Ha, ha! Whatever he learns, I, the Black Emperor, do not fear. But you, you are about to die."

The Demon Avatar laughed. In the dark night, the shadow lacked a shadow of its own, but Zhou You, standing in the moonlight, cast one. The Avatar seized Zhou You’s shadow, rendering him immobile.

The Demon Avatar approached, looking like liquid black ink, and engulfed Zhou You’s entire body. Zhou You vanished without a sound. A new shadow appeared on the Demon Avatar—one that was identical to Zhou You. Having merged with the Avatar, it departed, leaving no trace as if nothing had ever happened.

Li Xintian, sitting in his bronze carriage, left the immortal mountain paradise with a sense of doubt and confusion, but his resolve was set. He flew back to the Chen Family Village mortuary.

The bronze carriage carried Li Xintian’s soul into the sky above the mortuary, but it did not stop, flying directly into the building. Contrary to his expectations, the carriage did not crash into the roof; it passed through it along with his soul, heading straight for his physical body inside.

"Hum~!"

Li Xintian’s soul and the carriage collided with his body at the same time. His world spun, leaving him dizzy and disoriented, as if he had been struck by a vehicle.

This was a normal occurrence after a soul returned, requiring time to adapt, though it felt different from his previous projections.

During his coma, Li Xintian felt as if something had been added to his body. The bronze carriage had merged with the small sword inside him, and the Clear Spirit Pearl had also entered, integrating into the carriage. The carriage remained, but the sword and the pearl had vanished.

Because of this, Li Xintian remained unconscious for several days before recovering his senses. His eyelids flickered, and he finally awoke.

"Finally back to reality."

Li Xintian’s eyes darted around, and his vision cleared. He saw people around him, looking at him with great concern.

"Xintian, my grandson, you’ve finally woken up! You’re back! You worried your grandmother so much."

Huo Wanping saw Li Xintian awake and hugged him.

"What happened? Didn’t I only go out for a moment?"

Li Xintian was baffled. It felt like he had only been gone for a blink.

"A moment? Have you lost your mind? It’s been three days and three nights! If you weren’t breathing, we would have thought you were... You are your mother’s precious son; if anything happened to you, how would I face her?"

Chen Zishan, feeling anxious, gave the back of Li Xintian’s head a sharp pat.

Li Xintian realized that soul projection shouldn’t have taken long, but because of the objects merging within him, he had fallen into a deep slumber. He had been out for three days. No wonder he felt so weak—he was starving. Had he slept any longer, he might have perished from hunger, as this era lacked intravenous nutrition.

"Waking up is what matters. Waking up is what matters."

Chen Linqing wiped tears from the corner of her eyes.

"I’m sorry. It was my fault this time. Qiuyan, I’m hungry. Please get me something to eat—some light congee will do."

Li Xintian apologized, understanding the situation. He didn’t blame Chen Zishan for hitting him; a starving person could only handle light food.

"Alright, I’ll prepare it."

Hu Qiuyan nodded and left.

"These past few days, I’ve worried both Grandma and Grandpa. But I am fine now; everyone should go and rest."

Soon, Hu Qiuyan returned with side dishes and congee. Li Xintian ate without ceremony.

"Right, Daoist Zhao, I have a question for you."

As the others left to rest, Li Xintian called out to Zhao Longjie.

"Young Master Li, what would you like to ask me?"

Zhao Longjie performed a salute.

"Why haven’t I seen Daoist Zhou? Where has he gone? I still need to thank him for his help."

Li Xintian had looked around earlier and hadn’t seen Zhou You.

"The Xuanxu Temple had urgent business and recalled him. I, too, must leave. Before I go, please accept this gift—I hope it helps you, Young Master Li."

Zhao Longjie took out the Soul Projection technique left by Zhou You and placed it before Li Xintian, his expression calm.

"Thank you. Please convey my regards to him. This is my 'Uprightness Pen,' which I have used since childhood. I hope it helps the Xuanxu Temple."

Li Xintian handed the pen over, not suspecting why Zhou You had left, assuming the temple faced some calamity.

"Very well. I thank you, Young Master Li."

Zhao Longjie sensed the righteous aura from the pen—a tool the temple desperately needed. Feeling he no longer had the face to stay, he accepted the pen and turned to leave.

"Qiuyan, you don't need to stay here. You haven't rested in three days. Go and get some sleep."

Li Xintian noticed Hu Qiuyan still lingering.

"Xintian, aren't you going to rest too?"

Hu Qiuyan’s face turned as red as an apple.

"I’ve slept for three days; how could I sleep anymore? Besides, I have things to do. Go back to your room."

Li Xintian, a dense man, thought to himself: *She’s just after my body; I won’t give in.*

"Fine then."

Hu Qiuyan left the room in a huff.

Filled with questions, Li Xintian went to his desk. He had been pondering the words of the old Daoist from the immortal paradise. He felt they contained something vital, but he had been too weak and hungry to think clearly. Now, fed and rested, he needed clarity.

After sitting and contemplating for a while, he thought of the bronze carriage and the old man’s final words. His eyes narrowed. The secret lay in the carriage.

He stood up, ground the ink, picked up his brush, and wrote a line on the rice paper: *How much does this carriage weigh?*

The old man had answered: *The carriage is one jin.*

"The carriage is one jin?"

Li Xintian set down his brush, frowning at the three characters.

*BOOM!*

A crack of thunder echoed outside, and a flash of lightning illuminated the study through the window.

On the rice paper, the character for "one" (一) had been written with such heavy ink that it had slightly indented the paper. In the flash of lightning, only the characters for "carriage" (车) and "jin" (斤) were clearly visible. They stood side-by-side, and as the lightning faded and shadows overlapped, they seemed to merge.

"Carriage, jin... Carriage, jin."

A brilliant light flashed in Li Xintian’s eyes as he stood up abruptly. "It is the character 'Slash' (斩)! The old man taught me the Immortal-Slaughtering Great Dao!"

The ancient character for "slash" is composed of "jin" (斤) and "carriage" (车). Its original meaning is to kill, to sever, or to execute.

"So that’s it. No wonder the old man told me to return; he had already taught me what I sought. I was simply too dull at the time to realize it."

Everything clicked into place.

Clenching his fists, Li Xintian looked up at the dark, oppressive sky and muttered, "The Immortal-Slaughtering Great Dao is here. Is this the path I must walk? The Immortal-Slaughtering Great Dao."

"Once this carriage is picked up, it cannot be put down."

Li Xintian felt a shiver down his spine, wondering if the Immortal-Slaughtering Great Dao could truly handle the Black Emperor.

*Rumble, rumble!*

As he murmured, thunder raged in the dark clouds. Lightning and deafening claps of thunder echoed one after another, as if the very sky were about to shatter. Such celestial power was enough to make the faint-hearted tremble in terror.