FVN Chapter 18: Taiyin Lianxing
Chapter 18: Taiyin Lianxing
Zou Yun calmly knelt down.
He took a deep breath, his expression solemn, as if he were about to reveal some secret.
"Not to mention that practicing such techniques of self-disintegration requires a great deal of time and energy. Even if Your Majesty is exceptionally gifted, it would still take you more than ten years!"
He raised his eyes and looked at Ying Zheng. "Your Majesty is now busy with countless affairs of state and governs all under heaven. Tell me, how can Your Majesty have such leisure time?"
At this point, Zou Yun paused slightly, his tone becoming increasingly earnest and sincere.
"Your Majesty established unparalleled achievements, and in life was the supreme ruler, whose power extended throughout the land! Even in death, you will be reborn as a lord in the underworld!"
"Those who rule the underworld, though unable to interfere with the mortal realm, can still enjoy inexhaustible food, wage war against the demons of all directions, and roam freely between heaven and earth."
"Such honor and glory are certainly not ordinary."
Zou Yun's tone was filled with emotion and awe.
Then, his tone abruptly changed, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, consider this: how could such a trivial technique possibly prolong the life of a supreme being on earth, a lord of the underworld?"
Zou Yun's words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence.
The text portrays Ying Zheng's achievements during his lifetime and his posthumous honors as incredibly grand, while denigrating the art of dismemberment as a trivial and insignificant practice.
The murderous intent surging in Ying Zheng's eyes did indeed dissipate considerably as a result.
However, the obsession with immortality is deeply ingrained and cannot be completely replaced by posthumous honors.
After a moment of contemplation, Ying Zheng's brows furrowed even deeper, and his body involuntarily leaned forward slightly.
The yearning for immortality in his eyes could no longer be concealed, and he pressed for answers.
"So... is there really no method suitable for me to prolong my life and achieve immortality?"
Ying Zheng practically spat these words out through gritted teeth.
Although Zou Yun described the afterlife in great detail, for the supreme ruler of the world, being alive to enjoy this magnificent legacy was far more important.
Clearly, this was more important to Ying Zheng.
And this was precisely the opportunity that Zou Yun had been waiting for.
After all, if Ying Zheng really didn't want to live forever, the first person he would kill would be himself. Although Zou Yun had supernatural powers to protect him, he didn't want to die so soon.
So when pressed for answers, Zou Yun looked troubled, feigning a conflicted expression, his lips trembling as if he were engaged in some intense internal struggle.
Seeing this, Ying Zheng stopped pressing him.
Inside the main hall, only Zou Yun was moving.
He would sometimes lower his head in deep thought, sometimes calculate with his fingers, and sometimes look up at Ying Zheng.
Seeing Zou Yun's appearance, Ying Zheng, despite being extremely nervous, forced himself to suppress his inner desire and anxiety, and stared intently at Zou Yun.
Only the clenched fist on his sleeve betrayed the turmoil within him.
Suddenly, Zou Yun's fingers, which were calculating, stopped abruptly. He was as if struck by an invisible lightning bolt, and his face froze.
"well......"
He seemed to have thought of something and let out a long sigh.
Zou Yun raised his head, meeting Ying Zheng's almost burning gaze, before slowly speaking.
"It's fate! It's destiny!!"
His gaze met Ying Zheng's directly, and he said helplessly, "I was able to overcome this calamity through Your Majesty's good fortune, and our destinies became intertwined!"
"That's enough...that's enough...!!"
Zou Yun lowered his head slightly, then raised it again to meet the scrutinizing gaze, and continued.
"Your Majesty, if you so wish to swear to Heaven that after this matter, we will no longer be entangled in karma, then I have one more method!"
His voice wasn't loud, but every syllable seemed to carry immense force, striking Ying Zheng's taut heartstrings.
Ying Zheng reacted with astonishing speed; almost the instant Zou Yun finished speaking, he had already stood up abruptly. His face was solemn, he cupped his hands to his forehead, and looked up to swear an oath to the heavens.
"I swear, after this matter, our karmic ties will be severed!!"
The resounding vows echoed throughout the hall.
Having said that, he impatiently urged Zou Yun, "Master Zou, please speak plainly!"
"Hey, it worked!" Zou Yun thought to himself with secret joy.
He slowly opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and under Ying Zheng's expectant gaze, he was about to reveal that earth-shattering secret.
However, he paused abruptly before speaking, and suddenly shut his mouth.
His gaze suddenly sharpened, sweeping back and forth between the attendants standing on either side and the armored soldiers with halberds at the corners of the hall.
Ying Zheng was a man of great stature, and he instantly understood him.
He frowned and immediately gave a stern order, "All of you, stand back! Wait a hundred paces outside the hall. No one is to approach without my decree!"
Ying Zheng's voice remained majestic, carrying an irresistible force.
Even a great ruler like him could not escape the shackles of life and death!
The attendants and soldiers bowed silently and retreated from the hall like a tide.
The candlelight cast huge, flickering shadows on the wall, adding to the mystery and oppression of the moment.
As the last 'audience member' left, the imperial mask on Ying Zheng's face instantly melted away, and the longing and anxiety in his eyes were revealed without any attempt to conceal them.
Even in those deep eyes, Zou Yun could see a barely perceptible hint of flattery.
Ying Zheng leaned forward, all his composure and dignity vanishing before the allure of immortality.
Even the scene before us is entirely orchestrated by Zou Yun.
But seeing this emperor, who swept across the eight wastelands and whose spirit swallowed the universe, reveal such a state of mind, Zou Yun couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow deep in his heart.
Of course, these fleeting emotions did not shake his resolve in the slightest.
It won't affect his ability to continue offering this emperor, who thirsts for immortality, an irresistible promise of eternal life!
Zou Yun quickly collected his thoughts, his expression turned solemn, and he slowly spoke, "If Your Majesty wishes to achieve immortality, you must move from death to life!!"
His words struck Ying Zheng's heart like a heavy hammer.
Ying Zheng was struck dumb, and subconsciously murmured, repeating, "From death to life?"
"That's right!" Zou Yun's voice was resolute. "Those who perform the evening ritual all leave behind an object, whether it's a knife, a sword, a bamboo stick, a staff, or a weapon made of water or fire."
He paused slightly, his gaze sharp as he stared directly at Ying Zheng, "This is the path to immortality through corpse liberation!"
Then, Zou Yun changed the subject, "But Your Majesty is the supreme ruler on land and the lord of the underworld. Such petty tricks are useless against you."
"Only the supreme and unparalleled method—the Taiyin Refinement Method—can help you shed your mortal form and ascend to immortality!"
Zou Yun's narration seemed to possess a strange magic, swirling in the empty hall, each word stirring up a tidal wave in Ying Zheng's heart.
"Tai...Taiyin Chain Formation...?"
At this moment, Ying Zheng felt that the heavy veil that had shrouded the mystery of immortality for thousands of years was being lifted by the incredible wisdom of the person before him.
Little by little... little by little... the truth is revealed.
That mysterious, magnificent, and otherworldly realm of immortals seemed within reach under the dim candlelight.
His breathing became heavy and rapid involuntarily, his eyes were glazed and unfocused, and he seemed to be deeply immersed in the blueprint for immortality that Zou Yun had carefully woven, unable to extricate himself.
And Zou Yun's voice continued to ring out.
"Taiyi guards the corpse, the three souls nourish the bones, the seven spirits protect the flesh, and the fetal spirit records the qi; this is what is called Taiyin refining the form."
He slowly uttered the ancient and profound incantation, each syllable so simple and obscure, as if traversing through time and space.
Each word seems to contain the ultimate truth of heaven and earth, and the ineffable rhythm of the great Dao.
Ying Zheng was completely captivated. The path to immortality that had haunted his dreams and which he had relentlessly pursued day and night seemed to be stretching out right beneath his feet.
However, his innate imperial instincts, ingrained in his bones, instantly brought him back to reality after a brief moment of intoxication.
Ying Zheng jolted suddenly, his body almost leaving the throne as he lunged at Zou Yun, and said urgently.
"How should this method be implemented?"
Seeing his anxious expression, Zou Yun stopped pretending to be profound and responded accordingly.
"Your Majesty, this Taiyin Refinement Method requires three steps! Each step is crucial, interconnected, and none can be omitted!"
"Once a place for ascension to immortality is found, the body will be buried there, nourished by the dragon's energy from the earth's veins—this is the first step!"
"Gather the world's most skilled craftsmen, collect the finest jade from Kunlun Mountain, and weave a jade burial suit to cover the body, warding off disasters and calamities, and preserving life—this is the second step!"
"As for the third step..."
Zou Yun's voice suddenly lowered, his brows furrowed, as if he was hesitating.