chsdbacks Chapter 158 Thieves
Chapter 158 Thieves
Chapter 158 Thirty-Six Thieves
Two years later, on the summit of a small mountain in a secluded, dense forest.
Li Muxuan sat cross-legged on a hot blue stone, holding a freshly picked wild fruit between his fingers.
Within the body, the method of reversing death is slowly circulating, with each cycle accompanied by a soft sound of muscles and bones stretching.
In his peripheral vision, Zuo Ruotong stood quietly on the edge of the cliff, motionless, as if in harmony with heaven and earth.
Li Muxuan's gaze was fixed on that figure's back, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.
For the past two years, he has been practicing with Zuo Ruotong on this desolate mountain peak, eating only dew and wild fruits and mountain spring water every day.
Although he cultivated the Triple Reversal of Life, a profound technique specifically designed to refine one's life and cultivation, Li Muxuan was still just like any ordinary person, eating, drinking, defecating, sleeping, and fulfilling all his physiological needs.
Ke Zuoruotong—
Li Muxuan had never seen Zuo Ruotong eat a single bite of food, let alone sweat or excrete—physiological reactions that only mortals have.
If Li Muxuan hadn't occasionally caught glimpses of his teacher's subtle breathing during meditation, he might have even suspected that Zuo Ruotong no longer needed to breathe.
"What state of being is my teacher in now? Has he transcended life and death, or has he already transcended the realm of 'human'?"
Thinking of this, Li Muxuan's thoughts involuntarily drifted back to two years ago, to that event that was enough to overturn his entire understanding of life.
Unlike his fellow disciples in the Sanyi Sect who only heard rumors, he truly witnessed that world-shaking event firsthand.
Because of that incident, even when a bald man later said he wouldn't pay compensation, the representative of Rising Sun was terrified and gritted his teeth to tighten his belt and pay all the compensation.
Having witnessed true terror, how could they dare to harbor any illusions?
Even if this would cause countless citizens of the Rising Sun Empire to starve to death, they had no choice but to do it in order to survive.
Two years have passed, and things change. Today, Aurora is no longer the domain of a certain bald man.
Li Muxuan still remembers every detail of that day, as clearly as if it happened just yesterday.
He remembered that after Zuo Ruotong led him out of the Sanyi Gate, she did not choose the usual path, but instead, with a light touch of her toes, her body transformed into a cloud of reverse-flowing energy, carrying the two of them towards the horizon.
Li Muxuan experienced firsthand the mythical journey of flying through the clouds, as described in traditional storytelling.
What made his scalp tingle even more was that from Zhen Dan to Rising Sun Capital, a distance of four or five thousand miles, one had to cross oceans and mountains. Even the strongest superhuman would have to rest countless times along the way, or they would be so exhausted that they would vomit blood and die before they could even complete half of the journey.
However, Zuo Ruotong, from beginning to end, was riding the clouds and flying across the ocean, without even meditating or breathing.
Upon landing, Zuo Ruotong destroyed the imperial palace and military headquarters of the Rising Sun Empire.
During this time, let alone recovering through meditation, Li Muxuan couldn't even remember if Zuo Ruotong had breathed.
He was nearby and saw the entire process of the palace's destruction clearly.
On that day, Li Muxuan's values and understanding, accumulated over the past twenty years, were utterly crushed into dust and forced to be rebuilt from scratch.
Li Muxuan still clearly remembers that first, the palace disappeared instantly, and then, in an instant, the earth trembled violently, like a tsunami, as if thousands of earth dragons were rolling wildly underground. At that time, although he was tens of thousands of meters away, the ground beneath his feet was like boiling water, trembling wildly, and cracks spread along the foot of the mountain, as if the entire earth would collapse in the next second.
At the same time as the earthquake came a deafening explosion, the sound like a million cannonballs detonating simultaneously, a thunderclap that shook the sky!
Immediately, a devastating shockwave swept outwards in full force!
The shockwave spread outwards in a circle from the center point. Wherever it passed, ancient trees snapped in half, boulders were torn apart and rolled down, and soldiers around them were thrown into the air screaming like kites with broken strings, before crashing down heavily. Even their screams were drowned out by the shockwave.
The wooden buildings around the Rising Sun Palace, which were designed to withstand earthquakes, collapsed layer by layer in the face of this force, like sandcastles being swept away by a raging torrent, and were instantly reduced to ruins!
The palace that symbolized imperial power and the rising sun was right in the center of Li Muxuan's line of sight when it suddenly exploded into a huge mushroom-shaped cloud of smoke, shooting straight into the sky and even dimming the blazing sun overhead.
A single blow destroyed the entire palace, and the aftershocks created this scene of utter devastation.
Not long after, another earth-shattering commotion occurred in the direction of the Rising Sun Army headquarters.
But when the second loud bang came, Li Muxuan had no memory of it at all.
He was completely unaware.
The distinction between immortals and mortals.
In that instant, only those four words remained in Li Muxuan's mind; his head was completely blank.
He had witnessed battles between extraordinary individuals and top masters, and once considered himself to be among the best of his generation. He even dared to say that he had a good chance of winning against the leaders of major sects.
But those so-called "experts" and "duels" were laughable, like children playing house, in the face of the power that Zuo Ruotong displayed.
Before this earth-shattering, overwhelming force, it is less than a speck of dust.
In that instant, he suddenly felt that his past rebelliousness was utterly ridiculous.
Li Muxuan still remembers standing there, stunned, his mind blank.
It wasn't until Zuo Ruotong walked up to him that he realized his legs had gone weak and he was kneeling on the ground.
It was from that day on that he truly understood how to write the words "mistake" and "regret".
He willingly knelt before Zuo Ruotong.
Two years have passed, and although Zuo Ruotong has not made a move, Li Muxuan has become increasingly humble.
This humility comes from the internal energy cultivation method flowing within him.
With a slight thought, Li Muxuan activated the Reverse Life Triple Cycle, and in the next moment, his skin and hair turned completely white, as if he were covered in frost and snow.
Sensing his movement, Zuo Ruotong turned around, her gaze falling on him, and said calmly, "Your talent is indeed quite good."
"Although he has a solid foundation built up over the years, being able to enter the second level within two years is still considered a genius in the thousand-year history of the Sanyi Sect."
Upon hearing this, a complex emotion flashed in Li Muxuan's eyes.
Called a "genius" by Zuo Ruotong, two years ago, before he ventured into the mountains, he would probably have been strutting around with his tail between his legs. He might have even thought that Zuo Ruotong was showing weakness, and that he had finally proven the other party wrong and himself right.
But at this moment, he felt no joy, no pride.
There was only one emotion—despair.
In the past two years, the method of reversing the three levels of life has circulated countless times in his body. Every inch of his bones and every meridian has been repeatedly polished. From the initial glimpse of the door to stepping into the second level, he believes that he has never slacked off in the slightest.
But the more proficient one becomes, the more that sense of powerlessness follows them like a shadow.
This technique wasn't too difficult for him, but with each step he climbed, he saw not a closer mountain peak, but a more expansive sky and an even more unreachable figure.
Zuo Ruotong stood atop the clouds, and he couldn't even see the other person's figure clearly. He could only vaguely sense that it was a realm that one might not be able to reach even if they spent their entire life trying.
The more one cultivates the Reverse Rebirth Triple Realm, the more one understands this despair.
Li Muxuan originally thought that by cultivating the Reverse Life Triple Realm, he would one day be able to catch up with Zuo Ruotong.
It's like someone telling you that if you follow this path, you'll eventually reach the summit of Mount Everest.
But as he gritted his teeth and climbed one steep slope after another, he found that he hadn't even covered one ten-thousandth of the distance, and the rest of the road was so long that it took his breath away.
He's a genius for being able to advance to the second level within two years.
The more he mastered this technique, the more he understood the gap between himself and Zuo Ruotong—a chasm, a chasm, the distance between mortals and immortals.
Thinking of this, Li Muxuan gave a wry smile, his voice slightly hoarse: "Teacher, I have a question. How long exactly do I need to cultivate?"
"How long would it take to reach your level? Ten lifetimes?"
He said this in a way that was self-deprecating.
Zuo Ruotong glanced at him, her gaze calm, and finally shook her head: "I said two years ago that the Reverse Life Triple Technique cannot lead to heaven, nor can it reverse one's innate nature. It's just that you didn't believe me and insisted on cultivating this technique."
The answer remains the same.
But Li Muxuan believed this answer.
He wasn't persuaded by Zuo Ruotong, but rather he no longer believed in the Triple Rebirth.
In the past two years, he has never stopped studying and developing this technique. Just like Zuo Ruotong back then, he has been constantly strategizing and even working on it while sleeping.
The more he cultivated, the more exhausted he became. This depletion of his energy and spirit caused Li Muxuan to feel as if he had aged ten years in just two years.
An urge to curse surged up during this cultivation session.
He even wanted to curse at Zuo Ruotong in front of her.
No way—this is the third level of reverse rebirth, how could anyone cultivate to that level?
Hey!
He finally understood why Zuo Ruotong had lied to Wugensheng by appearing in that skeletal state.
Although it was all an act, that was the consequence of defying the natural order!
Compared to that, this is nothing.
However, Li Muxuan couldn't understand how Zuo Ruotong reversed her innate abilities. Just then, Zuo Ruotong suddenly spoke, her voice clearly reaching Li Muxuan's ears.
"You should go down the mountain now."
Li Muxuan looked up abruptly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, followed by unease: "Teacher?"
He thought he had done something wrong, or that his inner thoughts had been seen through, which displeased the teacher.
Zuo Ruotong looked at him and said, "Go do something."
"Whatever your command."
Hearing this, Li Muxuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Zuo Ruotong said, "Go and tell the world that you, Li Muxuan, have withdrawn from Quanxing."
Upon hearing this, Li Muxuan's pupils contracted slightly, and he froze on the spot.
Quit Quanxing?
Yes, he has not yet withdrawn from Quanxing.
Although it's easy to join Quanxing, all you have to do is say you're from Quanxing, it couldn't be simpler.
But quitting is difficult.
Not to mention in recent years, there have been very few people who have retired like this throughout history.
The process involves first releasing the information to give everyone time to prepare, and then choosing a time and place with a respected notary in attendance.
Anyone can participate in this withdrawal ceremony within 7 days of the selected time, for any reason.
The key point of this ceremony is very simple.
Within 7 days, both the host and participants can do anything to the person who is leaving the ceremony, and the person leaving must fully accept the demands of the participants.
Therefore, this ritual is practically suicidal.
However, seeing Zuo Ruotong's gaze, Li Muxuan still agreed.
If you make a mistake, admit it.
After Li Muxuan descended the mountain, Zuo Ruotong looked into the distance.
In a few days, it will be the day when Wugensheng and the thirty-six Quanxing sworn brothers.
That was also the day they comprehended the Eight Extraordinary Techniques.
Ten days later, a figure appeared at the end of the mountain path. After reaching the top of the mountain, he finally couldn't hold on any longer, his knees buckled and he knelt heavily on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
It is Li Muxuan.
Where was even a trace of his former arrogance?
His clothes were already torn to shreds, covered with dark brown bloodstains and dirt. In some places, the blood had scabbed over and was soaked through with fresh blood, sticking to his skin. The sight of it made one's teeth ache.
Her hair, like a clump of withered grass, clung messily to her forehead, covering most of her face, revealing only a pale, chapped chin and slightly trembling lips.
He knelt there, his head pressed against the ground, breathing heavily. Each breath was a hoarse, broken bellows-like sound, and his chest heaved like a candle flickering in the wind, as if it would go out at any moment.
His exposed arms were covered with bruises and wounds of varying depths, old wounds piled on top of new ones.
It should be noted that Li Muxuan had already entered the second level of the Reverse Rebirth stage and was able to reconstruct his body, yet he still had such injuries. One can imagine how much torment he had suffered.
If it were an ordinary Quanxing, even if they reached the level of a sect leader, they would probably be dead without a complete corpse.
"Teacher..." He had just steadied himself when he heard Zuo Ruotong speak: "Recover for three days, then come with me to a place."
"I will take you to see your former sect leader, Wugensheng, the leader of the Quanxing Sect."
Upon hearing this, the exhausted Li Muxuan immediately opened his eyes wide.
What are they trying to do?
Then, Zuo Ruotong told the story of Wugensheng becoming sworn brothers with 35 other extraordinary people.
Upon hearing this, Li Muxuan suddenly looked up.
"Thirty-five people?"
"Where in the Quanxing sect can he find so many characters willing to condescend to become sworn brothers?"
Zuo Ruotong lightly touched the cliff face with her fingertips, and stone chips fell: "Not all of them are Quanxing people."
"Among them are elders from prestigious sects, reclusive loners, and even successors from major sects. Some of them are even people who hunt down the Quanxing Sect."
As Zuo Ruotong's fingers traced lines, the names of various factions appeared on the cliff face.
Li Muxuan stared at these forces, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Yanwu Hall, Huode Sect, Wuhou School, Miao People of Western Hunan, Jishi Hall, Tiangong Hall of Liangshan, Maoshan Shangqing, Tang Clan, Wudang, Tianshi Mansion."
"My God, who are these people? Are they crazy?!"
Li Muxuan lost his voice, and his internal energy became slightly disordered.
"How come there are even people from Wudang and the Celestial Master's Mansion here?"
The next moment, Zuo Ruotong waved his hand, and 35 names appeared on the cliff face.
Li Muxuan has died.
Because he even saw Zhang Huaiyi's name.
The surname is Zhang, and this disciple is capable of succeeding the position of Celestial Master!
This kind of person actually became sworn brothers with the leader of the Quanxing Sect?!
"They're asking for it, they've all gone mad."
Although Li Muxuan still had some goodwill towards Wugensheng, he couldn't help but lament that all these people had lost their minds.
He was almost beaten to death when he left Quanxing.
What's more, these people have even become sworn brothers with the leader of the Quanxing Sect?!
Who can tolerate them?!
No one can tolerate them.