Chapter 318: Life Reversal
Xu Qing didn’t want to wait. In response to his words, the disciples immediately led the way forward. Before long, Xu Qing was right in the middle of the fourteen zombie ancestor statues.
There were numerous layers of defenses that kept the entire area completely under control. Plus, the powerful divine will fluctuations from the taboo treasure swept out, ensuring that anything suspicious would be quickly noticed. There were also spell formations set up everywhere, as well as innumerable magical devices. As a result, everything was completely locked down. After coming to realize all of that, Xu Qing was shaken.
In the very middle of all the statues, and right beneath the enormous mirror, Xu Qing saw a huge eight-sided altar.
A cultivator sat on each of the eight sides, and based on what Xu Qing sensed, they all had at least two heavenly palaces. As he neared, they opened their eyes. Their eyes shone brightly, and instead of arrogantly remaining seated because they were dharma protectors, they instead stood and bowed politely to Xu Qing. They knew full well who he was, and were aware that once he stepped into the Gold Core level, which could be at any moment, he would definitely surpass the two-palace level like them. As a result, there was no way they would fail to treat him with respect.
Xu Qing courteously returned their greeting, then stepped onto the altar.
Along the way, he had taken time to study the jade slip Master Seventh gave him, which explained how to use the taboo treasure. Xu Qing could do everything himself. However, that was only as it related to his own purpose for the treasure. In order to fully activate it would require assistance.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Qing walked to the very center of the altar and sat down cross-legged. After looking up briefly at the majestic mirror, he performed a double-handed incantation gesture and then pushed his hands down onto the altar on either side of him.
The surrounding Gold Core dharma protectors knew what was required of them, and did the same thing.
The altar trembled as a beam of light rose from Xu Qing, so bright that it made him blur indistinctly within it. As the dharma protectors went through their incantation gestures, light rose up from the eight sides of the altar. That light was crimson, and it merged with Xu Qing’s light, creating a blood-colored beam that entered the mirror above. The mirror vibrated, stopped rotating, and then slowly turned on its side so it was facing down toward Xu Qing. [1]
As the crimson light entered the mirror, it was reflected back out, shining down on the lands below and superimposing over the light that still shot upward. When it hit Xu Qing, he trembled as a shocking power weighed down on him. He turned almost completely transparent as a result, causing all of his 120 shining dharma apertures to be visible.
That made it much easier for him to search for the 121st aperture. Focusing his divine will inward, he began looking.
He did not meet with immediate success. After twenty breaths of time passed, the light faded away. Xu Qing opened his eyes and they shone with regret. He had not succeeded.
Remaining very courteous, Xu Qing said, “If it’s not too much trouble, dharma protectors, let’s try again.”
The eight dharma protectors smiled and nodded, then went into more incantation gestures. More light shot up, reflected back from the mirror, and shone down on Xu Qing, who again began looking for the new dharma aperture.
He failed again.
A frown appeared on his face as the light faded. Then he thought back to what his Master had previously said about the 121st dharma aperture opening in a spot between life and death.
I suppose that’s what I’m missing.
He thought back to the plan he had come up with. It was an absolutely crazy plan that would put him in a very deadly crisis. But it was without hesitation that he stood, clasped hands, and bowed.
“Master Third, I hereby request... to experience the death-to-life Seazombie zombification process!”
Upon hearing his words, the eight dharma protectors reacted with visible shock.
The Seazombie zombification process could bring a dead person back to life. However, that resurrected person would no longer be the same species. Their memories would be hazy, and they would become incomparably ruthless. Their cultivation base would become unbalanced, and they would have to exercise immense willpower and work hard at cultivation to achieve balance.
However, that was only the normal zombification process. There was another, even more heaven-defying process that was usually reserved for the Seazombie royal clan, or people with immense potential.
And that was called... life reversal!
It was very painful, but it preserved the memories perfectly, and also didn’t come with a dramatic loss in cultivation base. However, it did require a willing participant, and what was more, the rate of failure was high. There were extreme pros and cons, and as a result, not every member of the royal clan attempted it.
Xu Qing had studied a lot about Seazombies in the sect files. And considering Seven Blood Eyes had long been a mortal enemy of the Seazombies, it made sense that they had done thorough research into them.
This was the plan that Xu Qing had come up with. He wanted to fabricate a moment that he could control, but would still put him in a spot between life and death. He would allow himself to be zombified, and use that moment to tap into the taboo treasure to search for his final dharma aperture. The plan was extremely dangerous. If he failed, then he would either become an actual Seazombie, or simply die.
“Have you thought this through, Xu Qing?” replied the calm voice of the scholarly looking Master Third. He looked down from above, his expression serious.
“I have,” Xu Qing replied, keeping his head bowed.
Master Third looked down at him for a moment, then sighed. He could see some of the injuries in Xu Qing that had still not healed, and knew about his close ties to Master Sixth. He shook his head.
“I can’t approve this without contacting your Master first.” Master Third took out a violet jade slip and sent a message to Master Seventh back in the coalition.
The reply came back very quickly. Master Seventh’s gruff voice echoed out, saying, “Are you sure, Xu Qing?”
“I’m sure!” Xu Qing replied with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron.
The violet jade slip was silent for a moment, and then Master Seventh sighed. “Help out my apprentice, Ol’ Third.”
“Orders received, Sect Leader,” Master Third said respectfully. Putting the jade slip away, he looked deeply at Xu Qing. “What exactly do you want me to do?”
“Peaklord,” Xu Qing said calmly, “please clear and seal the area, then converge the Seazombies’ zombification power on me.”
Master Third nodded. Shortly thereafter, the eight dharma protectors were gone, and the area was completely empty. Spell formations glittered as a sealing barrier went up. Then Xu Qing took out a black piece of wood and put it onto the altar in front of him.
Master Third waved his hand, and seven figures descended from above, all of them pulsing with strong mutagen. They were all Seazombie cultivators.
Each had a Nascent Soul cultivation base, and all of them inclined their heads to Master Third.
“Tap into the zombification power of one of the statues,” Master Third said. “Send it to the altar and zombify this person.”
Seazombie zombification required the use of special powers that only Seazombies had. It was an innate ability that other species couldn’t replicate. The seven Seazombie cultivators were shocked, and all looked down at the altar. However, none of them asked any questions, and they immediately went into incantation gestures. Master Third watched as, only a moment later, one of the fourteen zombie ancestor statues began thrumming loudly.
It was the seventh statue, the largest of them all, and as it vibrated, blue light spilled out. It started with the statue’s legs, then went to its torso, its arms, and finally its head, until the entire thing was bright blue. Then that blue light shot toward Xu Qing.
The light spread out over both Xu Qing and the altar, causing a tremor to pass through him. It was painful, but compared to things he had experienced in the past, it wasn’t anything he couldn’t deal with.
Whether it was the time he got the life lamp from the Merfolk, or the destined opportunity from the dragon chariot and the giant, he had experienced pain that far surpassed this. Ignoring the pain, he kept a tranquil expression on his face. Slowly but surely, his skin started turning blue. The same thing happened with his muscles, bones, and veins. Even his dharma apertures began to transform.
His life lamp couldn’t do anything. As for the violet crystal, it trembled as if it wanted to reverse the process, but Xu Qing kept complete control over it to prevent that from happening.
Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior trembled, and the shadow felt overwhelmed with terror.
Xu Qing’s aura was rapidly vanishing, and he was rapidly approaching the point of passing from life to death.
On an instinctual level, Xu Qing didn’t want to die. And the violet crystal, despite how he was suppressing it, did its best to fight back against the zombification. His body was almost like a battle ground.
Xu Qing’s eyes glowed blue, and when he spoke, his voice seemed more sinister. “Master Third, add in another zombie ancestor statue!”
The seven Seazombie cultivators reacted with shock to his words, and peered more closely at Xu Qing. It was very rare for anything like this to happen, to the point where only their original king had experienced something similar.
After a moment of grim silence, Master Third nodded. “Add another!”
The seven Seazombie cultivators immediately complied. The second zombie ancestor statue thrummed and emanated blue light that descended onto Xu Qing.
Time passed. Before long, three days had gone by.
Now, blue light glittered, not from two statues, but from five!
And yet, Xu Qing had not yet reached the point of passing from life to death. That said, he was getting closer and closer to that point. Just looking at Xu Qing, he seemed to abound with death energy, to the point where he looked no different from any other Seazombie. The only thing about him that wasn’t blue was the flame of his life force.
The seven Seazombie cultivators were visibly surprised. None of them had ever seen a zombification take so long, not even for their former king. And he hadn’t needed the power of five statues. Such a long process, and so many statues, indicated that if the process succeeded, this person would be the most outstanding Seazombie to have come along in many years.
“What is Seven Blood Eyes planning to do with a chosen disciple like this?”
“Are they creating a new king for us Seazombies?”
1. Since it’s been a while, here is another link to the photo gallery of what ancient Chinese bronze/copper mirrors looked like. ☜