Chapter Twenty-Four: The Slave of Eternal Life (Please Cast a Monthly Vote)

"Lord Huyan, what have you come for?"

"I have come for immortality."

Lu Chun had heard this answer too many times. The Emperor of Douling had said it, as had those whose lifespans were exhausted, and now, Huyan Chen before him said the same.

"Short-lived" was a terrifying prospect, an inescapable tribulation for all life. The instinct of survival drove them to flee at any cost, seeking only to exist a little longer.

The world knew that the Emperor of Douling had spent his later years frantically pursuing the secret of immortality, squandering countless resources and manpower, leaving the entire Douling Empire in a state of turmoil. Yet, suddenly, he had returned to power, appointed an unknown outsider as his State Preceptor, and promoted a deity named Abundance to replace the Sea God.

Such abnormal behavior could not escape the prying eyes of others; they would naturally investigate the reasons behind these actions. Soon, the fact that the Emperor of Douling had recently become radiant and increasingly youthful was discovered by those with ulterior motives. This news leaked, drawing a large number of half-buried, ancient beings to gather in Douling City.

And who was this "careless" individual?

Glancing at the bloodstains remaining on the ground, Lu Chun sighed inwardly. *Respected Your Majesty, are you truly so impatient?*

The appetite of the Ginseng Fruit Tree far exceeded Lu Chun's predictions. As it grew, it required more and more blood sacrifices. Initially, helping it sprout required only a hundred commoners and a few low-level Spirit Masters, but by the third feeding, it already required Spirit Ancestors.

One must understand that while a Spirit Ancestor is only a four-ringed master, it represents a watershed moment; eighty percent of Spirit Masters never break through to this level in their entire lives. They are the backbone and the future of any faction. Even as an empire, the Douling Empire only possessed a few thousand Spirit Ancestors. Even if all of them were fed to the tree, it would not be enough for the Ginseng Fruit Tree to complete its metamorphosis.

To collect the blood sacrifices needed for the subsequent stages, the Emperor of Douling had secretly manipulated the frontline borders to trigger conflict with the Star Luo Empire and was covertly purging nobles and officials he had long wanted to remove. Lu Chun had thought that was the extent of his machinations, but he had not expected such arrangements to be made in the rear as well.

It made sense; transporting a large number of commoners and low-level Spirit Masters was not only difficult but prone to causing unnecessary trouble. In comparison, the benefits of this current method were obvious. Lu Chun did not know what the emperors of the other empires were like, but he felt that, throughout history, there were likely few who could compare to the Emperor of Douling.

Had he truly gone mad?

With this thought, Lu Chun looked back at Huyan Chen. Seeing those peculiar eyes, Huyan Chen, who possessed over a century of rich experience, felt a long-lost sense of anxiety. He felt like a prisoner on trial, awaiting a final verdict. In truth, given his status and strength, he need not have felt so subservient before Lu Chun, the State Preceptor. However, in his eyes, he was not facing the State Preceptor, but the Apothecary Lu Chun—two different identities that commanded vastly different attitudes.

He had lived too long, using all sorts of methods to extend his life. Nearly two hundred years—longer than many Titled Douluo—but he still could not die. If he died, what would become of the Elephant Armor Sect, which had spent thousands of years clawing its way back to power? He would have no face to meet the ancestors of the Elephant Armor Sect! Therefore, he had to obtain the method of immortality from Lu Chun.

"So, is it instinct, or is it obsession?" Lu Chun said something Huyan Chen could not understand, then added calmly, "You want immortality? Very well."

The offhand remark caused Huyan Chen's heart to skip a beat. All the prepared rhetoric became stuck in his throat. After a long silence, he stammered, "R-really?"

Lu Chun looked at him strangely. "Is there any reason for it to be false?"

Not long after, Huyan Chen's burly figure sprinted out of the alleyway, heading rapidly toward the city gates. Seeing this, many hidden eyes flickered with changing emotions. Some disappeared into the crowd, while others continued to watch Lu Chun as he stepped out of the alley a moment later.

Noticing these gazes, Lu Chun stood still and smiled at them. "What you seek—come to my mansion at midnight in three days, and I shall grant it to you."

With that, he had Herarl continue driving the carriage toward his mansion. The eyes did not follow; after exchanging glances, they all withdrew their gazes.

***

In a restaurant in the outer city, more than a dozen people who appeared young but could not hide their aura of decay gathered together. If any knowledgeable person were present, they would have been shocked. These were all powerhouses who had become famous within the last three hundred years. Many had not been seen for over a century and were suspected to have passed away long ago, yet this suspicion was now overturned. They were not dead; they had survived until now using various methods to extend their lives. Many of them had been mortal enemies in their youth, yet now they could sit together, drinking tea and talking peacefully.

"Was Huyan Chen pursued?" someone asked.

"No. In the end, they were just a group of low-level rats. The Diamond Mammoth is a top-tier martial soul, after all. Even if it has declined, it is not something a group of rats can handle. He broke through the encirclement of several Spirit Saints and disappeared somewhere."

"Heh, Old Ghost Zhuyun, why didn't you chase after him? I recall the feud between the Elephant Armor Sect and your Queyun Sect is the greatest, isn't it? Aren't you afraid that if he obtains immortality, he'll come back to trouble you?" someone asked with a chuckle, looking at an old man in a red robe embroidered with bird patterns.

Regarding this provocation, Zhuyun sipped his tea calmly. "At my age, why would I care about the trivial affairs of the sect? If it is destroyed, then let it be destroyed. Furthermore, it is not certain whether he truly obtained the method of immortality. I do not believe there is anyone in this world who would give away such a precious thing so easily."

"Ha, that is what I thought, too, before the Abundance Church arrived on my territory."

Hearing this, the hand holding Zhuyun's teacup froze. The surrounding people saw this and burst into laughter.

"So, are you really going to attend the invitation of that State Preceptor, or rather, the Apothecary?"

"Go! Why wouldn't we go! This is the closest opportunity to the path of immortality. How could we not? Even if we know it might be highly toxic, would you not eat it?"

"We are the first batch, not the last. There are more than just us old things nearing death. Like those rats, whether we are willing or not, we are being pushed out as testers!"

Everyone present was nearly buried; there was nothing they hadn't experienced. The news that the secret of immortality existed in Douling City had reached their ears directly. How could they not know there was a problem? But even knowing this, they had to come.

They were gambling—gambling that the method of immortality truly existed. If they didn't gamble now, there might not be another chance. Whether they won or lost, they were going to stake everything on this one gamble! Everyone here was a gambler, and a mad slave to immortality as well.