Chapter 802: The Divine Medicine That Brings the Dead Back to Life
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Mu Lingxi, only to see her standing woodenly to the side, looking dazed and pitiful, completely devoid of her usual cheerful and playful demeanor.
Zhang Ruochen said coldly, "Send her back immediately."
"I won't send her. If you want to send her, do it yourself. This emperor came to the Underworld to find the Female Emperor." Xiao Hei raised his round cat face and completely ignored Zhang Ruochen.
"Have you grown bold?"
Zhang Ruochen clenched his fist, walked over, and with a *bang*, knocked it on Xiao Hei's head, like tapping a wooden fish, the sound very loud.
"Will you send her or not? Do you believe I'll take you back into the Scroll World right now and seal you up again?" Zhang Ruochen was very annoyed. Xiao Hei was too reckless. How could he bring Mu Lingxi into such a dangerous place?
"Zhang Ruochen, don't blame Xiao Hei. It's not his fault. I forced him to bring me here." Tears kept streaming from Mu Lingxi's eyes.
Xiao Hei quickly said, "That's right. She threatened to kill herself at the time. This emperor was quite helpless."
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, stared at Mu Lingxi, and said, "The Underworld is too dangerous. One wrong move, and even a Saint could fall into eternal damnation..."
Before Zhang Ruochen could finish, Mu Lingxi said, "I'm not afraid of danger. I'm only afraid that you might be in danger. I'm not afraid of eternal damnation. I'm only worried that you might face it. Do you understand?"
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, then grabbed Mu Lingxi's wrist and said, "Come with me. I'll send you out first. The Fallen God Tomb Forest is not a place you should be."
"Zhang Ruochen, let go. You're not my master. What I do is none of your business."
Mu Lingxi mobilized her Saint Qi, quickly retracted her arm like a flash of white light, pulling it free from Zhang Ruochen's grasp and retreating into the distance.
However, as soon as she steadied herself, she coughed violently and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You're injured? How badly?"
Zhang Ruochen immediately walked over, helped Mu Lingxi up, and despite her struggles, grabbed her wrist again, sending a stream of Saint Qi into her meridians to check her injuries.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his Saint Qi, gave her a deep look, and said, "You're too badly hurt. You need to rest immediately. Go into the Cosmic Divine Wood Map to recover."
This time, Mu Lingxi did not refuse, because she knew that even if she did, Zhang Ruochen would still send her into the Scroll World.
Still, Mu Lingxi was already content, at least knowing that Zhang Ruochen still cared about her safety.
After Zhang Ruochen sent Mu Lingxi into the Cosmic Divine Wood Map, he felt both touched and deeply troubled for some reason.
Shi Ren carried the Wuchang, who had been immobilized by a talisman, and walked over unhurriedly, tossing the Wuchang to the ground. His eyes fixed on Zhang Ruochen as he said, "So, you are the legendary Heir of Time and Space."
Earlier, when Zhang Ruochen used Space Displacement, Shi Ren had already begun to suspect his identity.
By the time Zhang Ruochen used the Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Vase to trap a Wuchang inside, Shi Ren was certain that he was undoubtedly the Heir of Time and Space.
"Zhang Ruochen, who is this man? Since he knows your identity, we must silence him."
Xiao Hei gave an order to Shoushu, and instantly, a cat and a mouse turned into two shadows, charging out and appearing on Shi Ren's left and right sides.
Shi Ren remained quite calm, but when he saw Shoushu, a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes, clearly recognizing the mouse's identity. He smiled and said, "Brother Zhang, is this how you treat your guests?"
"Xiao Hei, no rudeness."
Zhang Ruochen admitted openly, "Yes, I am indeed the one everyone calls the Heir of Time and Space, Zhang Ruochen."
Once you enter the Underworld, it's a path with nine deaths and one life. Whether you can get out alive is still unknown. So, there was no need to hide the identity of the Heir of Time and Space.
"But I heard that you died long ago under the sword of the Jiuyou Sword Saint." Shi Ren said solemnly.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "Can't a dead man come back to life?"
A flicker of intense light passed through Shi Ren's calm eyes. "Did you take a medicine that brings the dead back to life?"
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. "There is no such thing as a medicine that brings the dead back to life in this world. It's just a fantasy born from people's fear of death."
Shi Ren clenched his fists, a pained expression on his face.
In truth, he didn't believe such a medicine existed either. But even if there was only a sliver of hope, he could not give up. He had to seek it out, even at the cost of his life.
After all, who among those who ventured into the Underworld hadn't resolved themselves to die?
"No, Zhang Ruochen, you're wrong this time. The medicine that brings the dead back to life does exist. At least, during the Middle Ages, this emperor saw one." Xiao Hei said.
Zhang Ruochen squinted his eyes and looked at Xiao Hei. "What did you say? You've seen a medicine that brings the dead back to life?"
Shi Ren also showed a hint of joy. "Have you really seen such a medicine?"
Xiao Hei nodded. "That medicine grew in a god's medicinal garden. The god watered it with his own divine blood, transforming it into a divine medicine. After the god fell, his descendants fed that divine medicine to him, and the god awakened again, living a second life."
Although Xiao Hei spoke with conviction, Zhang Ruochen still didn't quite believe him. After all, this fat cat was very unreliable and often liked to boast.
Shi Ren said, "Some time ago, a rumor spread, claiming that the corpse of a god slain by the Qiangu Nüdi had fallen deep within the Fallen God Tomb Forest. The divine blood from the corpse had gathered together, and after ten thousand years of gestation, it had turned into a divine medicine that could bring the dead back to life."
"The potency of this medicine is enough to revive the dead and restore flesh to bones. Even someone who has been dead for ten thousand years could be brought back to life by taking it."
"I heard this news and came to explore the Fallen God Tomb Forest, hoping to find this medicine and take it back to save my beloved wife."
Zhang Ruochen remained skeptical. "Life and death are natural laws. No one can reverse them."
Xiao Hei shook his head. "If life and death are natural laws, then why do cultivators live far longer than ordinary people? Zhang Ruochen, you need to understand that cultivating the Sacred Path is about seeking immortality, about breaking natural laws. While cultivators comprehend the Sacred Path, they are also unraveling the mysteries of life and death."
"Gods are called gods because they have fully comprehended the Sacred Path and reached a realm we cannot imagine. What we cannot do, gods might be able to."
Zhang Ruochen said, "But gods also die."
"At least I've seen with my own eyes a god who lived a second life." Xiao Hei argued.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze sharpened. "Is there really a divine medicine that can bring the dead back to life? Can it revive someone whose soul has been scattered?"
Xiao Hei rolled his eyes at Zhang Ruochen. "If it's a normal death, as long as the person has been dead for only a few days and the body isn't too damaged, the top alchemists in the Kunlun Realm can revive them. Why would you need a medicine that brings the dead back to life?"
"Moreover, legend has it that if someone cultivates to become a Spiritual Power Great Saint, they can communicate with heaven and earth and summon souls. Even if a cultivator's soul has been scattered, they can use their powerful spiritual power to call back the fragments of their soul."
"What this emperor just said are all methods of the Sacred Path."
"As for the medicine that brings the dead back to life, it has already reached the level of the Divine Path. Not just a dead person, but even a skeleton can grow flesh and blood and live another life."
Zhang Ruochen thought of Xuanji Sword Saint. If there really was a medicine that could bring the dead back to life deep in the Fallen God Tomb Forest, he would risk everything to obtain it.
Zhang Ruochen looked at Shi Ren. "Brother Shi, do you know who spread the news about the medicine that brings the dead back to life?"
Shi Ren shook his head. "Not exactly. I only know that after the Realm Son Banquet, news started to trickle out. No one knew if it was true or false, so no one dared to rashly enter the Underworld, fearing they might meet with misfortune."
"It wasn't until the undead army of the Underworld attacked the Liangyi Sect that some people finally made up their minds to venture into the Underworld to investigate. Some were running out of lifespan and had to find the medicine to extend their lives. Others were ambitious, planning to seize the medicine to revive the Great Saint-level ancestors of their clans."
Zhang Ruochen did not lose his reason over the medicine. Instead, he fell into thought. "I feel like this might be a trap. If such a medicine really existed, why would anyone spread the news so loudly?"
"Moreover, the Underworld is a place from which there is no return. So, who knows that such a medicine exists here? Unless someone has actually walked out of the Underworld before."
Shi Ren also nodded. "I know this might very well be a conspiracy. But even if there's only a sliver of hope, I have to try."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fell on the Wuchang on the ground. "Perhaps we can get some information out of him."
Shi Ren nodded, raised his index finger, and pointed it at the talisman on the Wuchang's chest, retracting some of the patterns on it.
After a moment, the Wuchang woke up, opening a pair of ghostly eyes burning with flames.
"Tell me, where did the god from the Middle Ages fall? If you don't answer, I can make you vanish into thin air right now." Shi Ren said.
The Wuchang let out a roar and struggled violently.
But as soon as he moved, dozens of lightning bolts surged from the talisman on his chest, striking his ghostly body and causing black smoke to rise.
Finally, the Wuchang calmed down, his chest heaving as he let out a sinister laugh. "You want to find the god's corpse? Haha! I advise you to give up that idea."
Xiao Hei said, "Why waste so many words with him? Demon God Rat, eat his left leg first."
Shoushu let out a *hehe* laugh, immediately stepped forward, bared his sharp teeth, licked the Wuchang's left leg, and was about to bite down.
The Wuchang's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said, "Alright, I'll tell you. But I only know the general direction, not the exact location. If you really want to find the god's corpse, you can go to the territory of Ghost King Shenchu. It is said that the corpse fell there."
Whether or not the Wuchang was telling the truth, at least it confirmed one thing: a god had indeed fallen in the Underworld, and there might be a skeleton left behind.
Then, Zhang Ruochen and the others continued their interrogation, learning a lot of useful information.
According to the Wuchang, the Underworld was vast, giving birth to countless ghost kings.
Each ghost king had his own territory. Just the ghost kings whose names he had heard of numbered in the hundreds. As for the depths of the Underworld, he had never been there and had no idea how vast it truly was, or whether it had an end.
This time, the gate to the Yang Realm had opened, but only a small number of ghost kings had led their undead armies out. Those ghost kings who were too far away didn't even know that the gate to the Yang Realm had opened.
(First, I wish everyone a happy Valentine's Day, and may all lovers be together. Although Little Fish can't add an extra chapter, I still stayed up until two in the morning to finish writing and update it early for everyone. Happy holiday.)