From Mortal Body to Immortality

“Void Insect Clan?”

“So, these disgusting things are called the Void Insect Clan?”

Lu Sheng's words gradually brought Kong Xiaotian back to his senses. Although his emotions were still somewhat unstable, he could at least listen to Lu Sheng and respond.

Kong Xiaotian took a deep breath and looked at Lu Sheng before him, a hint of caution still lingering in the depths of his eyes. “How can you prove your identity as an Outer Realm Demon?”

Kong Xiaotian had been hunted by the major forces of this world for thirty years, and it was precisely these thirty years that had made him incomparably cautious.

Even if Lu Sheng claimed to be an Outer Realm Demon, Kong Xiaotian was unlikely to believe him without confirmation.

“How to prove it?”

Lu Sheng pondered for a moment, and a surge of majestic Qi and blood power instantly roared out from his body, directly shaking the internal space of the entire valley.

“Can this prove it now!”

Lu Sheng looked at Kong Xiaotian calmly.

The best way to prove he was an Outer Realm Demon was to display a cultivation method that had never existed in this world, and… a cultivation technique that was not tainted by the aura of the Void Insect Clan.

Lu Sheng could easily do this.

Kong Xiaotian looked at Lu Sheng, and a complex expression gradually emerged in his eyes.

He first bowed to Lu Sheng, then sat on the ground looking slightly dejected, and gave a miserable laugh.

“Senior… would you be willing to listen to a story?”

Lu Sheng smiled slightly: “I would be glad to hear the details!”

When Kong Xiaotian was sixteen years old, he successfully entered the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect.

On that day, Kong Xiaotian was high-spirited and had great fantasies about the path of immortality.

“I will definitely stand at the peak of the immortal path!”

Kong Xiaotian stood in front of the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect's mountain gate, looking at the cloud-shrouded mountain gate, and made a bold statement from the bottom of his heart.

It was precisely because of the bold words in his heart that Kong Xiaotian cultivated diligently after entering the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect. In just thirty-six years, he successfully cultivated from an ordinary person to the Foundation Establishment Realm.

This speed also made Kong Xiaotian successfully appreciated by a Golden Core Elder of the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect.

The Golden Core Elder bestowed Kong Xiaotian a Golden Core.

After obtaining the Golden Core, Kong Xiaotian was overjoyed.

“Golden Core! I, Kong Xiaotian, am also going to become a powerful Golden Core expert!”

Kong Xiaotian was extremely excited. With a fiery heart, he swallowed this Golden Core one night!

From that moment on, Kong Xiaotian successfully entered the Golden Core Realm!

Enjoying the various treatments and benefits brought about by the improvement of his strength, Kong Xiaotian felt as if he was the son of fortune in this world.

However, this process did not last too long before Kong Xiaotian suddenly discovered something.

“I… seem to have become a little indifferent recently.”

“Perhaps this is the price of standing at the peak of the immortal path!”

Kong Xiaotian looked at his expressionless self and comforted himself in this way.

However, this self-comfort did not last too long.

After cultivating for a few more years, Kong Xiaotian passed by his hometown while performing a sect mission.

Stopping on the road leading to his hometown, Kong Xiaotian hesitated.

He clearly had all kinds of thoughts about his hometown and his parents in his heart, but…

But Kong Xiaotian hesitated.

But after hesitating for a moment, Kong Xiaotian's reason ultimately replaced it, and Kong Xiaotian returned to his hometown.

Originally, he thought that after not seeing his parents for decades, Kong Xiaotian would have many emotions surging into his heart.

However…

When Kong Xiaotian really stood at the door of his home, looking at the small courtyard where he had lived for sixteen years,

Kong Xiaotian suddenly realized…

The emotions he imagined did not appear in his heart.

Instead…

He was still extremely indifferent.

Even when the two elders came out to greet him, looking at their child who had grown into a middle-aged man with joy on their faces,

Kong Xiaotian's heart still did not ripple in the slightest.

“Son, you're finally back!”

The thick wrinkles on his parents' faces told of the passage of time.

However, their love for him had not diminished in the slightest, and had even become more intense.

However…

His mood was extremely calm, and he didn't seem to be affected in any way.

Kong Xiaotian realized at this moment that his emotions seemed to be flowing away little by little.

The loss of emotions made him coldly no longer like a living person, but instead like a machine.

Everything around him gradually became unfamiliar.

His parents' enthusiasm instead made Kong Xiaotian gradually feel uncomfortable.

In this strange and uncomfortable environment, Kong Xiaotian felt that he wanted to escape this place more and more.

In the end, he chose to leave his hometown and continue to return to the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect.

And after Kong Xiaotian made this choice, his parents were silent for a long time, only saying that they wanted to ask for a peace talisman for him.

Kong Xiaotian didn't take it seriously. The next day, when the sky was still gloomy, he was already preparing to leave.

Only before leaving, he saw his father, who had just returned from outside, shivering from the cold weather, holding a peace talisman he had just asked for from a nearby temple.

Seeing that Kong Xiaotian was about to leave, his father also showed a smile: “I finally made it. Son, this is a peace talisman from the temple next door. I heard people say it's very effective. Take it with you.”

Kong Xiaotian was silent. He wanted to reach out and put the peace talisman on his body, but for some reason, it seemed that some kind of will was constantly occupying Kong Xiaotian's will, causing Kong Xiaotian's palms to tremble for a long time, but he still didn't take the peace talisman.

“Temples… are just tricks to deceive people.”

Kong Xiaotian said lightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure had already disappeared in the small courtyard.

Only the old man was left, looking blankly at the peace talisman in his hand, standing in the small courtyard for a long time…

A long time…

After returning to the sect, Kong Xiaotian felt that his emotions seemed to be gradually becoming a little complicated.

“What exactly is going on?”

“Am I still the same as before?”

Kong Xiaotian stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself in front of him. Although his appearance had not changed, Kong Xiaotian felt that the self in the mirror seemed to be becoming more and more unfamiliar.

Even he… was about to not recognize himself.

Not long after, several Golden Core Elders of the sect found Kong Xiaotian.

They stared at Kong Xiaotian with cold expressions, and one of the elders said lightly: “Xiaotian, we cultivators must not be attached to the mortal world. This time… you have crossed the line!”

As soon as these words came out, Kong Xiaotian's body trembled slightly, but there was still a question in his heart that he wanted to answer.

He looked at the Golden Core Elders in front of him with some confusion and asked: “Elder… why, why do I feel that I am starting to become indifferent? I feel that my emotions… are dissipating little by little.”

Faced with Kong Xiaotian's question, one of the Golden Core Elders said lightly: “Cultivators sever ties with the mortal world,

Cutting off emotions is a necessary path for cultivating immortality.”

“Cultivators sever ties with the mundane world and must not be obscured by the aura of the mortal world.”

“Remember, you must not return to your hometown unless necessary, especially not to contact your relatives, as this will affect your cultivation path!”

“We… are all for your own good!”

One Golden Core Elder after another looked at Kong Xiaotian expressionlessly. The hideous arms behind them kept waving, and their voices were like demonic sounds, surrounding Kong Xiaotian's ears.

They were clearly saying that it was for Kong Xiaotian's own good, but… it gave Kong Xiaotian an extremely strange feeling. From that moment on, Kong Xiaotian began to feel a trace of something wrong.

However, after being warned by the Golden Core Elders, Kong Xiaotian also began to cultivate honestly. As the cultivation within his body gradually improved, the trace of something wrong in Kong Xiaotian's heart also began to dissipate little by little.

The will of the Void Insect Clan within the Golden Core insect egg began to gradually gain the upper hand.

And it was at that moment that Kong Xiaotian suddenly felt as if he had fallen into a deep sleep.

When Kong Xiaotian woke up again, he was covered in blood. Before him, a Foundation Establishment disciple lay on the main hall, his abdomen ripped open, a gruesome sight to behold.

“I—killed someone?”

Kong Xiaotian trembled as he looked at his hands, stained with the Foundation Establishment disciple's blood. At that moment, Kong Xiaotian felt as if a string in his mind had snapped completely.

Kong Xiaotian was extremely familiar with this Foundation Establishment disciple; he was the one Kong Xiaotian had personally recruited from his hometown. Now... he had been killed by his own hand.

Soon, the Enforcement Department of the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect discovered this scene. The Enforcement Elder looked down at Kong Xiaotian from a high position.

“Kong Xiaotian, you have cultivated excessively and suffered a Qi deviation. You are hereby sentenced to three years of closed-door reflection!”

Clearly, harming a fellow disciple was an extremely serious matter, yet the Enforcement Elder only gave him a light punishment of three years of closed-door reflection.

At that time, Kong Xiaotian actually felt that this matter was nothing out of the ordinary.

After all, within the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect, such things had happened many times before.

It wasn't until later, when Kong Xiaotian regained his senses, that he realized there was a hint of a smile in the Enforcement Elder's eyes when he looked at him.

It was as if... a creature was looking at its own kind.

During his three years of closed-door reflection, Kong Xiaotian focused on cultivation, trying to sever his inner demons, but a voice kept ringing in his mind.

“You should send the disciple's remains back to his hometown.”

“He was brought here by you, but he died by your hand. You should let him return to his roots!”

“And... take one last look at your hometown!”

At first, Kong Xiaotian ignored it, treating it as his inner demons not yet severed. However, as time passed, that voice kept echoing in Kong Xiaotian's mind.

It even... grew louder and louder.

It was as if there was thunder, constantly surrounding his ears.

Constantly affecting Kong Xiaotian.

Finally, after three years of closed-door reflection, Kong Xiaotian emerged, but his mind had been completely affected by the voices surrounding him.

He made a decision.

To bring the Foundation Establishment disciple's remains back to his hometown, and to take one last look at his hometown himself.

“One last look, to completely sever my mortal ties and break through—to the Nascent Soul stage!”

Kong Xiaotian said to himself.

That day, he left the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect, sneaking away while the Nascent Soul ancestor was in seclusion.

He didn't alert anyone, because he knew that if the people of the Qingzhuo Wuxiang Sect knew his thoughts, they would definitely try to stop him.

Returning to his hometown again, Kong Xiaotian suddenly realized that the voice surrounding his mind was starting to weaken.

Especially when he was about to reach his hometown, the voice in his mind completely disappeared.

Without the surrounding voice, Kong Xiaotian suddenly felt a burst of relaxation.

However, the moment Kong Xiaotian arrived at his hometown, his figure froze.

Kong Xiaotian's hometown was just a small village.

But now, before his eyes was a scene of broken walls and ruins. The former small village had been completely reduced to rubble, and with the passage of time, small grasses had even begun to sprout from the broken houses.

Kong Xiaotian's entire brain went blank at that moment.

He placed the ashes of the Foundation Establishment disciple at the entrance of the village and quickly walked to the location of his home. The former small courtyard had now also been reduced to ruins.

A sad emotion quietly surrounded him, but he didn't know why. Although he wanted to cry out loud, he couldn't shed tears no matter what.

It was as if... he had lost that function. “Mom, Dad.”

Kong Xiaotian's lips kept蠕动, and although his face didn't have any expression, he seemed to have gone crazy as he kept digging in the ruins.

Finally, under the endless ruins, he saw two corpses, tightly embracing each other.

Although the passage of time had left only bones, and the flesh and blood had completely disappeared, Kong Xiaotian still recognized the aura of his parents from these corpses at a glance.

At this time, Kong Xiaotian discovered that the two corpses were tightly holding a red amulet.

The instant he saw the amulet, Kong Xiaotian's entire mind exploded.

It was as if a cannonball had fallen into a pond, setting off waves of turbulence.

However...

No matter how complex the emotions in his mind were, Kong Xiaotian's expression remained indifferent.

He stood beside his parents' corpses, forming hand seals and began to deduce the reason for the village's destruction.

Finally, after exhausting most of his cultivation, a sharp look flashed in Kong Xiaotian's eyes.

“The village—was destroyed after my last return.”

“Someone—specifically took action to destroy my hometown and kill—my parents!”

Kong Xiaotian muttered to himself, and a rare emotional fluctuation appeared in his calm voice.

At this moment, Kong Xiaotian's emotions, which had been suppressed for who knows how long, completely broke through the obstacles along with the destroyed village and the dead parents.

Kong Xiaotian's own will, at this moment, broke free from the control of the insect egg and regained control of his body. “This—”

When Kong Xiaotian regained these emotions, he finally discovered something was wrong.

“Something—is suppressing my emotions!”

Kong Xiaotian said softly. He sat cross-legged in the ruins, looked at the sky, and asked a question.

“What—is it?”

Kong Xiaotian began to constantly explore himself, and finally discovered the source of the suppression of his emotions.

The Golden Core!

And at this moment, the clues in his mind gathered together.

“That's right, even when I was at the Foundation Establishment stage, I could maintain human emotions, but ever since I swallowed the Golden Core given to me by the elder... I gradually began to suppress my emotions.”

“Clearly, I didn't do this myself, but there was a force disturbing my mind, forcibly making me suppress my own emotions!”

“The source of everything—is this Golden Core!”

“Heh heh... So—that's how it is!”

Kong Xiaotian sat on the ruins, raised his head, and looked at the bright moonlight in the night sky. The cool light shone on his body, causing goosebumps to appear all over Kong Xiaotian's body.

“Everything—is a conspiracy!”

“Golden Core.”

A fierce look suddenly appeared on Kong Xiaotian's face. In one of his hands, spiritual energy emerged, turning into sharp blades, and he began to cut open his stomach.

Blood kept pouring out of the wound.

He reached out and groped towards his abdomen, finally grabbing the Golden Core.

Jijijiji!

The moment Kong Xiaotian grabbed the Golden Core, the Golden Core began to tremble frantically, and an ear-piercing sound of insect beasts rang out from the Golden Core, seemingly trying to stop Kong Xiaotian.

However, Kong Xiaotian had already made up his mind.

He began to tighten his grip on the Golden Core, wanting to pull it out of his body, but after so many years of cultivation, the Golden Core had long been connected to his body.

Wanting to skin the Golden Core alive was destined to bring great pain.

However, looking at the surrounding broken walls and ruins, and looking at the corpses of his parents, under all sorts of circumstances, Kong Xiaotian's nerves had already been麻痹.

It was as if he couldn't feel that kind of pain, although his face had already become incomparably pale.

Finally...

The Golden Core was forcibly skinned out of Kong Xiaotian's body.

Blood stained Kong Xiaotian's palms, and Kong Xiaotian also looked at the Golden Core insect egg, panting.

At this moment, he finally saw the appearance inside the Golden Core.

In that Golden Core insect egg, there was an extremely twisted and bizarre insect, constantly struggling, wanting to break out of the insect egg.

Even... the gaze it cast at Kong Xiaotian was full of violence and greed.

“So the source of everything is this kind of insect?”

Kong Xiaotian laughed and cried, his emotions completely mixed together at this moment, becoming incomparably complex.