Undying Life

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: Shadow Doppelgangers

At the Nianwu Tomb of the Kaiyang Sect, amidst the mourning of the sect, Tianxingzi and Niewuyou were laid to rest together.

Before the tomb, Zhongshan knelt with a mournful expression, while the disciples of the Kaiyang Sect came forward to pay their respects, bidding farewell to Tianxingzi.

Tianxingzi was gone, and so was the Sect Master of Kaiyang. The disciples within the sect could feel the solemnity of the moment.

Tian Sha knelt beside Zhongshan, gazing at the grave with a hint of confusion and sorrow in his eyes.

After the mourning, the disciples of the Kaiyang Sect gradually departed, and Xuanxinzi went to attend to other matters.

However, two figures remained kneeling before Tianxingzi's grave: Zhongshan and Tiansha.

On the third day of mourning, Tiansha rose quietly, cast a cold glance at Zhongshan, then turned and walked away. He had observed the three days of mourning, but Zhongshan continued to kneel.

On the fourth day, after Xuanxinzi had finished handling the affairs of the Kaiyang Sect, he flew with Guwenzi to Tianxingzi's grave. Seeing Zhongshan still kneeling there, the two exchanged a glance, each sighing softly.

"Zhongshan, the three days of mourning have passed, and the departed have gone. Grieve no more," Xuanxinzi said gently.

"I am mourning for Dailing'er," Zhongshan replied.

Looking at Zhongshan, Xuanxinzi sighed lightly. "Zhongshan, Senior Brother once mentioned to me about accepting you as a disciple. What do you think?"

Raising his head to look at Xuanxinzi, Zhongshan said, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Uncle, but it is said that once a master, forever a father. Since I have already worshipped Senior Master, I naturally won't worship Senior Uncle."

Seeing Zhongshan's response, Xuanxinzi nodded. "Not worshiping is fine too. If you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation, you can come to me at any time."

"Thank you, Senior Uncle," Zhongshan said expressionlessly.

In the northern lands of the Divine Departure Dynasty, within a lavishly decorated palace, Tianlinger was now fully restored, with no traces of injury visible on her body.

In front of a small table, a red sparrow was pecking at a bowl of fiery red grains.

"Xiaohong, why do I feel so uneasy these days? Why do I suddenly miss my father?" Tianlinger patted the red sparrow's head, looking bewildered.

The sparrow, upon being patted, glanced at Tianlinger, tilted its head, then resumed eating the fiery red grains.

"All you know is eating, eating, eating! In the entire Phoenix Palace, there are only phoenixes—Ice Phoenix, Fire Phoenix, Green Luan... all phoenixes, how come there's a little sparrow like you? Other birds aren't allowed inside! How did you manage to come and go freely? Really, all you do is eat all day long, and you can't talk like the other phoenixes," Tianlinger pouted.

But the red sparrow seemed oblivious to Ling'er's frustration, continuing to peck at the grains as if it hadn't heard her words.

"Really infuriating! You little rascal, never listening to me. All you know is eating. Hmph, if you don't listen to me anymore, I won't feed you," Tianlinger scolded as she patted the red sparrow.

On Tianlang Island, within the Taishan Sect.

Bao'er stood at the entrance of a grand hall with three elders. Outside the hall lay fifty-three bodies, while more than ten disciples of the Taishan Sect stood nearby, their faces filled with grief.

"What's going on?" Elder Yaoyu asked in a deep voice. "We found them like this when we returned. Everyone's dead. All the senior brothers and uncles in the sect are dead," a Taidan Sect disciple replied sorrowfully. "No one dares to bully our Taidan Sect, no one dares to kill so many of us and then leave so brazenly. Sect Master..." An elder clenched his fist and looked at Gan Bao'er. Clearly furious, the Taidan Sect might not be strong in combat, but it didn't mean they could be bullied easily. If they issued a wide call for help, eight out of ten sects on Tianlang Island would rush to aid them, and even those from the Divine Departure Dynasty would come to assist, despite not knowing the Taidan Sect. Bao'er narrowed her eyes, looking at the fifty-three bodies in front of her. She then spoke calmly, "Elder Yaoyu." "Yes," Elder Yaoyu responded. "The grand formation of the sect was not breached. It is very likely that this was an internal massacre, and the Heaven and Earth Cauldron has been stolen. Do you have a way to find it?" Bao'er asked in a stern tone. "The three of us have all benefited from the Heaven and Earth Cauldron in our cultivation, each possessing a trace of its aura. As long as the cauldron is still on Tianlang Island, we will surely find it," Elder Yaoyu replied immediately. "Good, focus all your efforts on sensing the Heaven and Earth Cauldron. Notify me as soon as you sense it," Bao'er instructed. "Understood," the three elders responded promptly. "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Bury them first. As for their vengeance, it will be exacted," Bao'er said coldly. "Yes, Sect Master," the dozen or so Taidan Sect disciples bowed in unison.

It had been seven days since Tianxingzi's death in the Kaiyang Sect. Zhongshan had returned to the Waterside Pavilion. The sorrow of his master's death filled Zhongshan's heart. Tianxingzi, though ruthless to his enemies, was extremely kind to his own people. Among all the disciples, Tianxingzi had taken special care of Zhongshan, perhaps due to Ling'er, but it mattered not to Zhongshan. Tianxingzi had shown him great concern, and now he was gone. With a light sigh, Zhongshan took out a small mirror. The mirror was octagonal, smooth on both sides. One side faintly revealed numerous tiny characters, numbering in the tens of thousands, but incredibly small. The Myriad Shadow Scripture? The title was at the beginning, followed by the content of the technique. As Zhongshan read through it, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. Twelve levels, similar to the Red Luan Scripture, also had twelve levels. The magic of this technique lay in its ability to create a doppelganger, a shadow clone with half the strength of the practitioner. Like a shadow, the doppelganger would appear but could only last for a day before dissipating into a puff of smoke. The first level allowed for up to two doppelgangers, the second level four, doubling with each level. Thinking about this technique filled Zhongshan with shock. Could such a technique really exist? A doppelganger? But there was a drawback: as one practiced the Myriad Shadow Scripture, one's body would gradually become thinner and thinner like a shadow, until eventually turning into a complete shadow. A shadow? Zhongshan's eyes showed a trace of surprise. He already possessed the Hidden Body technique, which also made him like a shadow. Would this make him unique? The Myriad Shadow Scripture was described as extremely difficult to practice, but Zhongshan decided to give it a try. His Hidden Body in the Divine Departure Dynasty quickly sat cross-legged, following the descriptions in the Myriad Shadow Scripture, and began to practice swiftly. By the time the next day dawned, both his true body and Hidden Body were wide-eyed with astonishment.

In the Great Ying Dynasty, within a grand hall, Zhongshan's hidden body flickered, and two identical copies of himself appeared beside him. These copies were devoid of consciousness, mere replicas of his hidden body, entirely under Zhongshan's control, moving as extensions of his own body. Whatever the doppelgangers saw, Zhongshan could see as well.

Under the control of his hidden body, one of the shadow doppelgangers picked up a brush and began transcribing the Myriad Shadow Scripture from the small mirror.

As he watched the doppelganger transcribe the scripture, Zhongshan was astonished. With merely one-tenth of his true essence, he had created two identical puppet-like doppelgangers. These shadow clones could disperse on their own or merge back into his body, restoring the expended true essence.

The two shadow doppelgangers quickly merged back into his hidden body, vanishing in an instant.

"Huh? Is this technique really that difficult?" Zhongshan mused aloud, puzzled.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the small courtyard of the Waterside Pavilion.

Zhongshan put away the small mirror and walked to the door, opening it gently.

It was the Clay Bodhisattva, wrapped in a black robe, completely covering himself. Even his face, full of pustules, was hidden. If Zhongshan hadn't recognized his figure, he wouldn't have identified him.

"Senior," Zhongshan said, frowning as he remembered his master's dying words.

"Zhongshan, may we talk?" the Clay Bodhisattva asked calmly.

"Please, Senior, have a seat by the stone table near the pond. I'll brew some tea," Zhongshan said, pointing to the stone table.

"Hmm," the Clay Bodhisattva nodded, slowly walking to the stone table and sitting down. Zhongshan went inside to fetch a pot of tea.

After both were seated, Zhongshan poured a cup of tea for the Clay Bodhisattva.

Taking a light sip, the Clay Bodhisattva set the cup down and said, "Tianxingzi should have told you the reason for my visit before he died."

"Master mentioned it briefly, but didn't go into detail. Please, feel free to speak, Senior," Zhongshan replied.