Chapter 525 (1/2)

Chapter 525: Haotian's Shadow

Long Qing awoke and was greeted by a thick fog, rotten leaves carpeting the ground and endless pain in his entire body .

He could not find any reasonable answer for surviving a fall from the cliffs . Perhaps the trees above the mist had cus.h.i.+oned his fall, or maybe the thick yet soft carpet of rotten leaves and mud beneath him .

Long Qing felt that his survival was because of the will of Haotian, just like what he had said in his conversation with the uncle in the Zhishou Abbey . If he was really the legendary person in the prophecy who carried the will of Haotian, Haotian would not allow him to die so easily .

He had not died, and this fact gave him confidence, but at the same time it brought loss and fear . He did not know what to do with his life now .

Long Qing had broken many bones despite the softness of the mud and rotten leaves . However, what truly pained him was not his physical injuries, but the two powerful auras in his body that were in constant conflict .

The Halfman Taoist's aura in the Tianqi state was set free from its mental restraint when he fell unconscious . It roared and burst out from the senses in various parts of his body . It took the form of several sharp, steel knives and sc.r.a.ped on his flesh and bones, attempting to shake his Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi into rubble .

The aura from the Heavenly Power Pill was constantly repairing the cracks in his bones and tears in his muscles . They invigorated his vitality and repaired his Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi from the rubble according to the last remaining shadow .

This process of continuous destruction and restoration was extremely painful .

It didn't hurt when he was in a coma, but after he regained consciousness, he felt the pain everywhere . Long Qing's face paled and a miserable groan emerged from his blood-soaked teeth, echoing into the quiet valley .

Long Qing almost fainted again shortly afterwards due to the immense pain . However, he knew how important it was to stay awake right now . If he remained unconscious in the poisonous and dangerous forest, he would not stay alive for too long . He would be abandoned at that time, no matter how benevolent Haotian was .

With a howl of pain again, he slammed into a rock beside him, breaking a rib . The fresh pain overwhelmed the other pain he felt . Just before he fell into unconsciousness, he fought for a moment of clarity . He regained his wits, sat in a lotus position and began to meditate and heal himself .

Time pa.s.sed slowly .

Long Qing's face was pale . The blood on his taoist robe had long congealed . He sat in the rotten leaves and did not move . His chest did not rise or fall, as if he were not breathing . He looked like a corpse that had been dead for quite some time . Meanwhile, the two auras within his body were still fighting .

The power of the Heavenly Power Pill and the Tianqi state aura of the Halfman Taoist cleared out the original aura in his body . He became an empty bucket for the poisonous air around him to enter, changing every particle of his body .

Even after what felt like a long time, the light in the dense forest beneath the valley was still as dim as it would be at twilight . Long Qing's body trembled slightly and he spat out a mouthful of blood .

What was incredulous was that the blood was black!

It might be due to the poisonous mist in the area, or some other reason . The black blood looked like ink or dirty water in the mud .

Several days earlier, a black peach blossom had grown on the boat on the southern sea . Long Qing had plucked the black peach blossom and put it on his chest . He had not taken it off after that .

The black peach blossom on his chest was tinged with blood as he fled the cliff and Zhishou Abbey . It was tinged black and red, making it look horrifyingly gorgeous . It was painted over with black blood again and now it glistened . Then, the light faded as quickly as it came, leaving behind a pure black, the color of cold darkness .

Sitting amongst the rotten leaves, Long Qing seemed to have become a black peach blossom himself . His body temperature was frigid and the cold spread to the air surrounding him . He seemed to become a part of the mist and the rotten leaves .

A spotted, poisonous snake wandered amongst the leaves . It circled Long Qing, but did not seem to sense anything strange before leaving .

A mountain monkey with a ghostly face also appeared . It chattered in the forest as it dangled back and forth . It squatted beside Long Qing and scratched its head, behaving cheekily . It called for its mates and then left, bored .

Withered leaves fell .

With a gust of wind, the withered leaves flew again .

Long Qing remained seated, not knowing anything, not sensing anything . He had blended into the surroundings .

Not even the sharp perceptive senses of a cultivator would be able to separate him from the nature around him .

This was the most obvious sign that Long Qing had entered the Knowing destiny State .

He remained like this for quite some time .

Eventually, Long Qing opened his eyes and regained consciousness .

His eyes no longer held gratefulness for having survived, and there was no sense of uncertainty about the future, no pain, but calm and indifference . He felt at peace with himself and the world .

He stood up .

The black peach blossom on his chest grew darker, as if it was about to drip with darkness .

Then, a peach blossom formed by pure aura bloomed behind Long Qing .

It was his peach blossoms in the year of his birth .

It was also black .

Just in the moment of the blooming of this black peach blossom, the mist in the dense forest was shrouded in an atmosphere of silence .