chsdbacks Chapter 40: Resurrection, the Immortal Power of the Mountains and Swamps
Chapter 40: Resurrection, the Immortal Power of the Mountains and Swamps
The next day, at dusk.
On the banks of the Lanjiang River outside the city.
At the large dock, there were hundreds of ships with sails standing tall.
Countless boatmen shuttled back and forth, unloading cargo from the ship's hold.
The group from Sitong Martial Arts School finished packing and prepared to board the ship. Zhang Ping suddenly heard someone calling from behind and turned around.
"Brother Zhang!" Lu Wanrou walked over quickly with her maid and guards.
A flicker of surprise and delight crossed his eyes. "Sister Rou!"
I thought that after the Demon Exorcism Bureau intervened, I would hardly have a chance to see Lu Wanrou again, but I didn't expect that she would be able to move around freely here after only one day.
Lu Wanrou handed him the wooden box and smiled sweetly, "Captain Xu is a gentleman and did not make things difficult for me."
"These are the materials you requested; they're all inside." She winked at the last part, the meaning of which was self-evident.
"Sister Rou is a woman of her word! I will definitely pay her a visit next time I come to the city!"
He had thought the search for the power of the water god would be delayed, but unexpectedly, he obtained it before setting off. Zhang Ping suppressed his excitement and took the wooden box.
Lu Wanrou glanced at the fleet of ships about to set sail at the dock, then her gaze returned to Zhang Ping's face, gentle as water.
We were able to overcome this difficulty entirely thanks to him.
As for the rumors circulating that the creature that appeared that night was a demon... she might believe it, but she would never utter a word about it.
In Lishan Town and Fucheng, Zhang Ping saved her life twice. Lu Wanrou was by no means someone who would repay kindness with enmity.
"Brother Zhang! We're boarding!"
In the distance, Qin Hu waved his arm and shouted. Many martial arts school disciples looked over curiously, their expressions a mixture of inquiry and suspicion.
How could a widow be so close to this top courtesan from a humble background? Could it be...?
Zhang Ping never cared about what others thought. He raised his hand to Qin Hu, then turned to Lu Wanrou and said, "Sister Rou, until we meet again!"
Having said that, he turned around and strode onto the gangway.
Lu Wanrou stared at his back, remaining motionless for a long time.
As the sails began to rise, the fleet departed from the shore. The sterns of the ships could be faintly seen receding into the distance, and Zhang Ping was waving to her.
"Madam, it's time to go back," the maid Xiaoqing reminded her softly. Although she disliked Zhang Ping, she knew that he had saved her mistress's life.
"Hmm." Lu Wanrou withdrew her gaze and turned to leave.
……
The Lanjiang River stretches for thousands of miles, vast and mighty.
Winter has been here for a while, and the river wind carries a chill that hits you in the face. For those who practice martial arts, it is still bearable.
The martial arts students gathered in twos and threes at the bow of the boat, using their superhuman eyesight to gaze at the night view on the river.
Inside the cabin, Zhang Ping locked the door behind him and took out the materials needed for the Water God's Beast Pattern.
"This water spirit root... is it really a tree root?" He almost laughed as he picked up the tree root-like thing.
This is a precious medicinal material, taken from the heartwood of an ancient tree that grows underwater and has been around for thousands of years; it is extremely rare.
Shaking his head to suppress his distracting thoughts, he bent down and pulled a box out from under the bed. This was something he had bought in the prefectural city, containing what he had obtained from Ghost Cloud Mountain, including the longsword and the Heart of the Mountain and Marsh.
As his fingers probed into the box, touching his heart, Zhang Ping's movements suddenly froze.
"This... looks like it's jumping?"
To verify, he carefully cradled the heart in his palm and examined it intently. A faint yet clear beat came from his hand!
"Hiss—" He gasped.
A heart, pinned to the mountain by a long sword for who knows how many years, still retains its vitality!
This is absolutely unbelievable!
He was absolutely certain that when he had taken it back from the mountain, his heart was as still as a dead thing.
In other words, it was only after it was freed from the longsword's seal that the Heart of the Mountain and Marsh regained its vitality!
"Could it be that it possesses the ability to be immortal?" The words "beast pattern" suddenly flashed through Zhang Ping's mind, and his heart pounded violently.
"Panel, branded with animal patterns, vitality."
[Demons - Mountains and Marshes] [Resurrection]
[Resurrection: After death and disintegration, the body can draw power from its remains and reassemble.]
"A resurgence?!"
Zhang Ping's eyes suddenly lit up!
His excitement was short-lived, and his brows furrowed again.
Rebirth through dissection... It sounds mysterious, but how long does rebirth take?
If the remaining body is completely destroyed, wouldn't it be utter annihilation? After rebirth, will the memories remain?
A series of questions surged within him, causing him to doubt the power of revival. For him at the moment, this ability was utterly useless.
Moreover, there is only one heart in the mountain and marshland. If the mark were to reappear, he would have to give up the power of the water god, which is absolutely not what he wants.
"What a pity..." he sighed helplessly.
"We can only hope that we'll run into Shanze again someday."
Immediately, a more practical question came to mind:
If Shanze truly recovers and returns, will he know that he used up his heart?
If they knew, wouldn't they have incurred an irreconcilable grudge?
Being constantly targeted and hunted down by a powerful demon... Zhang Ping felt a chill run down his spine, and he abruptly shook his head to suppress the thought.
"Branding with animal patterns is crucial!"
He calmed himself and placed the heart with the other materials.
"The Mark, the Power of Water!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the materials, including his heart, suddenly melted away, turning into a clear stream of water that poured down from above Zhang Ping's head and silently entered his skull.
In that instant, when he opened his eyes again, a glimmer of deep blue light vanished from the depths of his eyes.
[Demons - Mountains and Swamps] [Water God's Power]
[Water God's Power: Lord of the Abyss, wielding water like a god]
"The power of water!"
With a slight thought, the stopper of the water bag on the table popped open, and the water inside rose up, circulating endlessly in the room as if controlled by an arm.
Water can condense into swords, transform into needles, gather into beasts, and mold into people... Water flows and changes its form at will, sometimes becoming sharp blades, sometimes becoming tough shields.
Silent and effortless, yet under your complete control!
"Good! Good! Good!"
A surge of exhilarating pleasure coursed through Zhang Ping's chest. He exclaimed three times, but still felt it wasn't enough!
The power of water ultimately became his strongest trump card!
Footsteps sounded outside the cabin, and Zhang Ping's mind raced.
The suspended water flowed like a snake returning to its nest, instantly retracting into the water sac, and the stopper closed automatically.
"Brother Zhang, come out and grill some fish!"
……
Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Dozens of sailboats sped downstream.
Standing at the bow of the boat, Zhang Ping gazed at the boundless Lanjiang River, his heart surging with pride like the surging tide.
"Such vastness and magnificence can only be seen in this place."
"Haha, Brother Zhang, you're making a fuss over nothing! The largest river in our Wei Kingdom is still the Tongtian River in the north!"
Qin Hu strolled over, his belly protruding, picking his teeth with a toothpick. Since it was impossible to practice martial arts on the boat, the group spent their time eating, drinking, sleeping, chatting, and occasionally dealing with a few foolish water monsters.
He didn't like to boast, so he naturally ate the most, and as a result, his teeth got stuck in the gaps.
"Huh?" He took a few steps closer, then suddenly stopped, looking Zhang Ping up and down.
"Your blood and energy... seem much purer now?"
As Zhang Ping was reflecting, a trace of his recently tempered blood and qi inadvertently leaked out, which Qin Hu keenly noticed.
"Oh? Perhaps you've been in a good mood lately," Zhang Ping said casually.
Upon hearing this, Qin Hu rolled his eyes. If a state of mental well-being could be cultivated, he would have already reached the Refining Realm.
Zhang Ping smiled slightly and said no more.
His true strength and power had long been concealed by the spirit fox's hidden beast pattern, but the subtle changes in the purity of his blood essence were difficult to completely hide.
The Ghost Blade talent provides a remarkable acceleration effect on cultivation. Without the need for strenuous physical training, one can achieve steady progress simply by sitting quietly and circulating one's Qi and blood, which is quite different from the norm.
Over the past ten days or so, he has been traveling downstream, and his cultivation has quietly broken through to the late stage of the Skin Tempering Realm!
To avoid attracting attention for his rapid progress, he always concealed his true qi and blood through the use of the spirit fox. To outsiders, he was still Zhang Ping, the mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.