The witch ignored him and instead looked around, walking over to the jars by the wall. After a slight hesitation, she reached out to lift the lid. Her doll-like face showed a look of distress as inside were pickled humans.
Not far behind, Gu Mo saw it clearly, and likewise felt a bit nauseated, unable to prevent a grimace. This level of blood and brutality had reached a curious extre. Had it been him from half a year ago, he might have already been vomiting bile.
"This Peach Fruit Man cannot stay."
Kikyo said coldly, believing that the Peach Fruit Man here could never be an immortal but a vicious cannibal demon.
"I completely agree with you, Kikyo." Gu Mo nodded repeatedly. Not particularly a tough boss, but the drop list is so tempting, of course, it can’t stay.
"Let’s go, continue ahead to have a look." The witch didn’t plan to deal with these jars for now but turned her gaze to the other side. In this chamber with immortal bonsai displayed, there’s another passageway carved from the rock wall, leading deeper inside.
Mysterious and dark, its destination unknown, seeming to hide more sins.
Yet the two showed no fear; after all, one was the strongest witch of this era and the other was well-versed in the plot and familiar with this place. Naturally, there’s nothing to be afraid of.
They spiraled down the stone steps, the space within the mountain’s belly intricate and vast, with many branching paths leading in different directions. It’s like navigating through obscure underground catacombs; ordinary people might not even tell directions, ending up circling around in the sa place.
But the witch could easily distinguish directions, apparently with a specific goal in mind. Gu Mo did not question and rely followed her leisurely.
Soon, they reached the end of the last passageway.
Another chamber built within the mountainside, yet outside were railings and carved windows allowing a view of the azure sky and distant mountains, seemingly near the surface of the rock hill. This space was even larger and more spacious, but surrounding were more jars and so baskets filled with skulls.
Kikyo took a glance around, her brow furrowing tighter, and soon her gaze locked onto the corner.
There was a basin planted with an unknown flower, its blossoms as large as a basin, and amidst the flower’s core was the head of a white-bearded elder, eyes tightly closed as if in a deep sleep.
"Immortal..."
Muttering softly, the witch’s eyes flickered with surprise, having discerned the head’s true nature.
"Who..."
Seeming to have awakened, the white-bearded elder’s head in the flowerpot opened its tightly shut eyes, looking over with fatigue and powerlessness, followed by a pause.
"Are you the immortal here? How did you end up like this?" The witch surveyed the elder’s head’s miserable state, asking calmly.
"Yes... And you, you are..."
"Who is this Peach Fruit Man? We heard from the human-faced tree’s fruit at the mountain’s base that the immortal here is called Peach Fruit Man, wanting to use humans to refine the elixir of immortality." Gu Mo continued to ask, pretending to know nothing, trying to gather information from the forlorn elder immortal.
"Peach Fruit Man, huh..." The white-bearded elder immortal’s head chuckled bitterly, "He was my disciple, rely a human initially."
"A human?" Kikyo raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, but he has now probably beco a demon. His evil intentions were strong... I initially thought he was just naturally indolent, but could be corrected with proper training. I entirely misjudged him, totally wrong." The elder immortal sighed deeply, feeling pained speaking of the matter.
"While I was out, he secretly studied my secret manual and, after years of practice, had so understanding of immortal techniques. Just in that period, he obtained a fragnt of the Four Souls Jade... When I returned, unguarded, I drank the brew he gave , made with human-faced fruit poison..."
"Afterwards, he devoured my master’s body, yet still coveted the secret of the elixir of immortality, aiming to extract it from , which is why he preserved my head in this manner, trying to extract this secret, keeping hanging by a thread until now..."
The elder immortal rambled on, recounting how he ended up this way, and how this immortal’s seclusion on Spirit Mountain beca a den for cannibal demons.
"I see." Kikyo nodded slightly, then turned back to look at the jars around, and those baskets piled with skulls, "Then these are——"
"Peach Fruit Man, unable to obtain the real secret of the elixir of immortality, attempted to duplicate it, wishfully using the effect of human-faced fruit to replicate the elixir... These, these are people who, unaware of the inside story, ca up the mountain and fell victim to him." The elder immortal sighed further.
Because of a montary oversight, misjudging, not clearing the sect in ti resulted in not just ruining all his life’s cultivation efforts but also endangering everyone in Peach Blossom Spring.
The originally accepted disciples also fell victim, and those who later continued to ascend the mountain wishing to learn were gradually devoured by Peach Fruit Man.
However, it was also due to the fragnt of the Four Souls Jade; had Peach Fruit Man not obtained that fragnt, no matter how wicked his intents, and no matter how negligent the elder immortal was, nothing could have arisen, as the gap between them was too vast.
"I understand now..."
The witch pondered, asking seriously, "Peach Fruit Man has beco a demon and possesses a fragnt of the Four Souls Jade, is that all?"
"You plan to deal with him?" The elder immortal hesitated slightly, "In his hands are my ancient vine staff and wine gourd, both treasures I crafted ticulously and not easy to contend with..."
"No need to worry, the stronger Peach Fruit Man’s treasures are, the more I wish to confront him." Gu Mo said sternly.
The witch gave him an odd glance back, what a peculiar statent, does he enjoy challenging strong foes to transcend himself?
"If that is the case, then please avenge and those devoured..."
The elder immortal spoke wearily; his endurance till now was not due to yielding to Peach Fruit Man nor fearing death, but awaiting the mont to correct his mistake.
"But I have nothing to repay you with; the secret of the elixir of immortality I cannot give you; it truly is not a good thing... but aside from that, everything else on this mountain you can take, as long as you eliminate the plague that is Peach Fruit Man."
"Senior, that’s not quite right... Our slaying demons, eliminating demons, doing righteousness is not for reward, but for the justice in our hearts!"
Gu Mo shook his head solemnly, speaking righteously.
"By the way, is that bonsai fixed? Can I take it?"
"..."
"..."
Kikyo, frowning, ca closer, discreetly elbowing him.
Facing such a turn, though the elder immortal smiled wryly, not much concerned, he seriously said, "That is certainly possible; I can now impart to you the immortal technique to control it... along with my other immortal techniques, recorded in the secret manual, after eliminating Peach Fruit Man, they are all yours."
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