The Price of a Cure

Chapter 119: Agony

Because of his initial assumptions, Li Huowang had always believed that the followers of the Ao-Jing Sect worshipped Bashe.

But now he realized that wasn't the case at all. He had guessed wrong. Horrifically wrong.

After a few moments of deliberation, unable to fully grasp the implications of Shou San's words, Li Huowang spoke again. "What makes you think you can steal Bashe's power? Don't you understand how strong it is? You're less than ants before it!"

Even though he could no longer recall Bashe's form, he still understood its sheer magnitude. This was not something a few mortals could accomplish.

Shou San's gaze was firm as he looked at Li Huowang. "Why not? If the Gu-Spirit could do it, so can we."

Li Huowang recalled the statue he had seen at the Cross Temple—the deity engulfed in flames. "That god was once a mortal, too?"

Ignoring Li Huowang's thoughts, Shou San continued, speaking as if to himself. "The bald monks are always saying, 'The Buddha was once a man, and man can become a Buddha.' Setting aside everything else, I agree with that part. Bashe is what it is now, but that doesn't mean it will always be what it is!"

Li Huowang processed this unexpected revelation, then took a deep breath. "Alright. What happens between your sect and Bashe is none of my business. Let's get back to the real issue. Do you actually have a way to get rid of Danyangzi?"

Shou San nodded. "So? What do you say? If you perform the Dung-Beetle Ascension again, we'll take care of your half-immortal master."

Hearing this, Li Huowang recalled the moment he had used the Thousand Greats Record to summon Bashe. His face twisted. That had been an agonizing experience.

The dual torment of body and mind was not easy to bear. Every time he thought of that moment, the urge to kill himself surged within him.

Steadying himself, he spoke slowly. "I'd like to, but it's easier said than done. I can't do it right now."

Summoning Bashe was incredibly difficult. It required a resonance of extreme pain—both physical and mental. This was an extremely rare emotional state, not something one could simply conjure up on demand.

"Heh heh." Shou San laughed, his tone almost enthusiastic. "No matter. For the sake of Abbess Jingxin, we can help you with this."

Looking at the man's blackened, charred smile, Li Huowang felt a chill run down his spine. Behind that lighthearted sentence lay a great deal of meaning.

He stared at the man he had only met once before, pondering for a long time before hesitantly speaking. "Senior Shou San, let's put that aside for now. Can I ask first—how exactly do you plan to deal with Danyangzi?"

"I also have a copy of your sect's Thousand Greats Record. As far as I know, there's nothing in it that can help others, let alone expel a half-immortal."

To be honest, Li Huowang didn't trust the Ao-Jing Sect. Especially after Jingxin had specifically warned him.

"Heh heh, young man, you're being a bit too presumptuous. The Thousand Greats Record is meant to be used in conjunction with other things. If you want to get as close to the Sea of Suffering as possible, you have to try many different approaches. Like what you're doing now. We've tried it too."

"The saying goes, 'Long illness makes the patient a doctor.' When it comes to curing people, there probably aren't many in all the world who are better than us."

Li Huowang flinched at the word "illness." "Illness? I'm not sick. This isn't an illness. Part of Danyangzi is in my stomach, and the rest actually ascended to immortality."

Shou San watched Li Huowang's frantic explanations with amusement in his eyes. "That is an illness. All these Daoists have gone mad chasing immortality. You're all lunatics."

Coming from a man trying to steal the power of Bashe, this statement carried very little weight.

Despite his lingering doubts, Li Huowang didn't voice them. He didn't want to argue. He had come to these people to get rid of Danyangzi, not to debate theology.

As long as the method worked, they could call Danyangzi a dog for all he cared.

"Has there been many others like me before? Have you treated anyone else?" Li Huowang asked cautiously.

"Of course. All branches of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice emphasize the severing of the Three Worms. The upper worm: Peng Ju. The middle worm: Peng Zhi. The lower worm: Peng Jiao."

"'Those who seek immortality must first sever the Three Worms. Be tranquil and desireless, still in spirit and clear in nature. Accumulate all good deeds, and thus achieve immortality.'"

After reciting this with a slow, exaggerated shake of his head, Shou San turned his gaze back to Li Huowang.

"Of course, I don't believe that bullshit. In all my years, I've seen plenty of half-immortals, dissolution immortals, and other vile things—but I've yet to see a single true Golden Immortal."

He raised a finger—blackened, bloody, with the flesh turned inside out—and pointed it at Li Huowang. "All you Daoist ox-noses have gone mad with the dream of immortality. You've trained yourselves into something neither human nor ghost. You only care about surface-level tricks, without understanding the true nature of power at all."

Li Huowang showed no reaction to this tirade. Instead, he spoke directly to Shou San.

He patted the torture instruments hanging from his sash. "Senior, I can handle the physical pain myself. But the extreme mental anguish—how are you going to help me with that?"

Hearing this, a flicker of glee passed through Shou San's eyes. The young man's words meant he had agreed.

With a slight lift of his chin, one of the gray-robed cultists walked toward a tunnel in the cave.

A moment later, he returned with a girl who looked haggard.

She was dressed like the other Ao-Jing cultists—a wide robe and a tall cap. The only difference was that her cap didn't cover her eyes.

"A woman? What does that have to do with extreme mental anguish?"

But it was clear that the young woman was even more surprised than Li Huowang. She stared at him without blinking.

With a shove, the pigtailed girl was pushed in front of Li Huowang.

She quickly lowered her head, clutching at the hem of her robe with trembling hands, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Li Huowang looked past her thin shoulders at Shou San. "Senior, what does this mean?"

"Take this girl. The two of you get along as closely as possible, like honey mixed with oil. Then, make her pregnant with your child."

"Once she's heavy with child, and your son is almost fully formed, you cut open her belly, dig your son out, and then—"

"Stop! Don't say another word!" Li Huowang's voice trembled as he cut him off.

Just hearing it made his temples throb with pain.

He had been speaking calmly with this man for so long that he had almost forgotten what kind of creature he was dealing with.

He finally understood how Shou San intended to achieve the ultimate pain of body and mind. These people from the Ao-Jing Sect were no better than Danyangzi!

But Shou San clearly misinterpreted Li Huowang's interruption.

"Right? Do you think it's a bit too mild as well? No matter. First, you've already been seen by Bashe. And second, I have some miraculous elixirs here that can help you reach the next level!"