I Only Want to Lie Flat But Am Forced to Cultivate Immortality

Liao Gonggong infused all his energy into his legs, but found that only one leg could move, while the other seemed bound by ten-thousand-year frozen ice, unable to move even a bit.

The meridians in the entire leg had been severed.

Xu Qing's left hand was entwined with dead energy, while his right hand engaged in a back-and-forth kicking duel with Liao Gonggong.

As the two entangled, all the lightweight talismans on Xu Qing's body were removed, making Liao Gonggong feel as if there was an iron block beneath him, while he was as light as a feather bound to a lead weight, inevitably dragged into the water.

How could this be an immortal daoist skill? This was clearly a water demon!

Liao Gonggong felt deceived.

When the river water rose over his ears and nose, Liao Gonggong surged upwards, only to be slapped back down by a wave.

Unable to struggle free, Liao Gonggong shouted, "I don't care if you're human or ghost, even a ghost must aid my cultivation today!"

No sooner had he spoken, Xu Qing felt Liao Jinzhong push against him instead of retreating, dragging them both into the deep water.

At first, Xu Qing didn't understand this move until Liao Jinzhong, after withstanding a few claws from him, still clung to his arm without letting go. Xu Qing still didn't quite understand.

Looking at Liao Jinzhong again, with a horrified expression, within the protective gang qi enveloping a faint green hue, Liao Gonggong exclaimed in fear, "What kind of monstrosity are you, why don't you have the life energy of a living person?"

Xu Qing suddenly realized that this old eunuch wanted to use an evil technique to suck his essence blood.

But as a zombie, where would he have essence blood?

Liao Gonggong refused to believe this and reversed the evil technique to start seizing Xu Qing's cultivation and dao.

When the pure and turbulent dao transformed into a torrent and surged into his body, the visible delight on Liao Gonggong's face was short-lived and soon turned into fright.

"No, this true qi..."

"Ah! What are you really?!"

Human beings retreated but the pure yin energy, only possessed by zombies or evil beings, became the last straw crushing Liao Gonggong.

"Gonggong, your cultivation technique is inadequate, look at mine." Xu Qing reversed the true qi backlash controlling Liao Jinzhong, then activated the qigong returning technique. The master's power, like seawater released from a gate, transformed into pure dao, and in just a few breaths, was absorbed entirely into Xu Qing's body.

Previously, Liao Jinzhong had been full of youthful vigor, now instantly turned into an old woman with shriveled skin and even her figure significantly shrank.

She looked like she could collapse in a gust of wind.

"You're not someone from the mortal world, you're a monster who eats people from the Yin River."

Supporting his protective gang qi, Liao Jinzhong uttered an incomplete sentence before his gang qi disintegrated, and the pressure from the water over a hundred feet deep crushed him, bleeding from all his seven apertures, leaving him completely silent.

Xu Qing frowned, what did Liao Jinzhong's dying words mean?

Surfacing, Xu Qing collected Liao Gonggong's corpse, then headed back to the tower ship where Master Feng was located.

On the mast dozens of feet high from the tower ship, the Demon Hunting Captain stood at the top, constantly searching the water's surface.

The crane-robed daoist, He Yidao, stood at the edge of the deck, and before him were several banners forming a bizarre array. Not far from the array, a dozen or so whirlpools appeared on the river's surface, growing larger at a visible speed, occasionally merging into one when two whirlpools touched.

He Yidao was standing right in front of the nearest whirlpool, holding a ritual sword in one hand while utilizing the large purple-red seal of Liao Gonggong in the other, plotting something unknown.

The Demon Hunting Captain, occupying the highest point, kept searching for Xu Qing and his companion. Below him, a blue-leaning flag was planted at the top of the mast, fluttering in the wind.

The Demon Hunting Captain paid it no mind, as the flag seemed no different from the ones placed behind generals on an opera stage.

Evidently, the seven-foot brawny man was unaware of how much scar this small negligence would inflict upon his soul.

"Putch—" The piercing sound of a sharp object penetrating flesh echoed.

Immediately following, a demonic whisper sounded in the Demon Hunting Captain's ear —

"Are you looking for me?"

The life force in the Demon Hunting Captain's body was swiftly draining away. He glanced down at the claws tearing through his chest, and using his last bit of strength, turned his head only to see Xu Qing standing behind him, grinning sinisterly.

"How did you...?"

The claw, over a foot long, withdrew from his torso, with Xu Qing gesturing silence using his blood-stained claw.

The Demon Hunting Captain complied and breathed his last, making no further sound.

Xu Qing skillfully stowed the body into the Box Garden, then removed the flag from the mast, securing it back at his waist.

Using the flag was not very convenient; maybe someday he could have a seamstress work overtime to make a set of general opera costumes. This way, when the four-sided lean banners were used up, they could be stuck on his back conveniently, wouldn't that be handy?

While pondering these daily life hacks, Xu Qing gazed down at He Yidao, who was staring intently at the river.

What was this old fellow from the Celestial Master's Mansion up to?

Xu Qing found that opening his Yin Pupil failed to see through the mystery, so he pulled out the treasure mirror of the celestial rank, pointing it at He Yidao.

"Hmm?" Xu Qing blinked. He Yidao unexpectedly had two shadows!

Similarly, a disciple of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Ling Yangzi, who gambled away his parents, had three shadows. He Yidao was slightly lacking.

Xu Qing clicked his tongue and shifted the mirror to focus.

This time he targeted those bizarre whirlpools in the water.

Looking at the mirror, Xu Qing was momentarily stunned.

The scene unfolding in the mirror was surprisingly of the Ancient Yin River Dao.