Chapter 102: Electric Light on a Crab Leg

The surroundings were deathly silent. Jia Youke felt a chill settle deep within his spirit. As he tried to drift out of the chaotic mist, the fog shifted, revealing a shattered skeleton.

He had never seen a skeleton like this; its colors were ever-changing, and upon its surface flickered occasional patterns, landscapes, and array inscriptions. A mere glance caused him agonizing pain, as if needles were piercing his eyes, forcing them shut.

"You dare to stare directly at an Emperor's Bone? Your knowledge and experience are pitifully shallow!"

A distant voice echoed. Jia Youke hurriedly knelt to kowtow. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Wu Yun shout, "Get up! You’re kneeling on my hand!"

"Your hand?" Jia Youke looked closely and saw a hand, translucent and layered like folded space, being crushed into a thin sheet by his own weight.

"Ah!" He jumped up, about to cry out in shock, but then remembered the earlier words. Stuttering, he mumbled, "Em-Em-Emperor's Bone..."

"You must be a descendant of those who guarded the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Array Chart. Your bloodline is relatively pure; otherwise, the chart would not have cast its final ounce of strength upon you."

Without waiting for the young man to recover, Wu Yun continued, "Do not harbor illusions. The greatest treasure of the Ethereal Immortal Sect has disintegrated, dissipating exactly where it was meant to."

After a long while, Jia Youke remained kneeling, not daring to rise. Finally, he spoke, "When my father was alive, he once took out the family genealogy and told me stories of our ancestors. He said they were once beings akin to Immortal Emperors, but they vanished without a trace during an expedition. He mentioned that if an Immortal Emperor were to return, our family would rise again!"

"Rise? That won't happen. Those who plotted against your Immortal Emperor are not all dead. Even if his true spirit remains and he attempts to start anew, he is still no match for them. As for why your family still exists, it is merely bait—tasteless bait left behind, waiting for a returning Immortal Emperor to take the hook. It is a pity, a great pity, that your immortal body is so inferior, despite your pure bloodline."

Wu Yun observed him again and again, sighing repeatedly. If the body were intact, it would be quite fun to nurture an Immortal Emperor, but time was short, and this was no place for a peaceful home.

Jia Youke knelt and begged for Wu Yun's help. Wu Yun sighed and said, "Look, the array chart that brought you here was a desperate, near-fatal gamble. The Immortal Emperor's bones had to shatter just to arrive here. Even now, I lack the strength to move a limb. Young man, it is not that I will not help you; it is that you must help me first!"

Coaxed by Wu Yun, Jia Youke sold even his soul to the entity, swearing various dire oaths to ensure the resurgence of the Ethereal Immortal Sect.

"Sigh, the only ones who can help you now are that black bear and the little brat. They possess Great Immortal cultivation, so they must not be exposed. Since your body is damaged, once your soul returns, follow my arrangements, and I will ensure you remain unharmed!"

"I am at your command, Senior, and shall never defy you!"

After Jia Youke's spirit drifted away, Tantuo revealed his presence. Before he could speak, Wu Yun cut him off: "Well, well, an Immortal Emperor reduced to tricking a child."

Tantuo was stunned. It was clearly Wu Yun who had done the tricking, yet he spoke as if it were him. However, since the Senior said it was him, it was him. Tantuo lowered his head and, imitating Wu Yun's sleeping posture, looked outward.

Inside the cave, Yue Qi had consumed the Soul-Shattering Ice Essence. As Bear Third set up a true fire to roast the various foods Jia Youke had brought, Yue Qi would occasionally freeze the cooked items with cold energy.

When Tantuo saw this, he praised the child for being sensible, knowing to save food for his elders instead of eating it all alone.

No sooner had he said this than the frozen, elephant-sized crab was licked all over by Yue Qi and presented to Wu Yun.

Licked by this child...

Wu Yun's expression turned unsightly. Fortunately, Bear Third knew how to handle things; every time he finished roasting something, he would present it to Wu Yun, and Tantuo would use the Emperor's Bone to feed him.

As Jia Youke returned to his body, Bear Third struck a bolt of thunderous light into him. Jia Youke began to twitch in a mechanical, electric dance. Before he could even offer thanks, Bear Third said, "Once we have eaten and drunk our fill, you must go and purchase these immortal medicines or pills!"

A long stream of imagery flew into Jia Youke’s eyes. He stared for a long time, his hands trembling as he stammered, "Senior, this will cost millions of immortal stones. Where, where am I to find that kind of wealth?"

"Your peak-grade immortal stones are gone, and your various treasures were ruined while protecting your life. How will you make money? Can't you steal or rob?"

The young man gave a bitter smile, mentioning the metal fragments he had previously given to the masked Taoist, saying, "If there were more of those fragments..."

Bear Third shook his head hurriedly. "Absolutely not. One piece might fetch a good price, but two would imply you are hoarding them. If discovered, we would be exposed. Don't worry, I will go and ask!"

Bear Third flickered and entered the only remaining eye of the array chart. He saw Wu Yun weeping while eating the crab leg fed to him by Tantuo. It looked bizarre, and he shouted in anger, "Is that broken pile of bones bullying the Senior? I, the Black Bear, will fight him!"

Just as Bear Third was about to snatch the Emperor's Bone, Wu Yun stopped him and sighed: "I've been in the Third Immortal Realm, the Zuoming Great Immortal Realm, for so long, and only now have I tasted seafood. It has been too long—so long! This delicious immortal crab... after all my hardships, this is the first time I've tasted it! Whenever I watched others eat, I was always disdainful, but today I realize that being human is better! I should thank Shengba!"

Wu Yun wept while eating the crab leg. The faint traces of lightning on the meat finally made Bear Third realize something, though he dared not point it out. He spoke grandly, discussing how to turn Jia Youke into a wealthy man quickly.

Simply taking a few shards of Emperor-grade artifacts from the array eye to sell would fetch a high price, but the problem was that Jia Youke's cultivation was too weak; he couldn't protect such wealth, and would have the life to sell them but not the life to spend the gains.

Even the dark gemstone hanging around Yue Qi's neck or the few remaining immortal artifacts, like the Dragon-Locking and Tendon-Extracting Whip, could fetch hundreds of thousands of immortal stones. But small people cannot handle big-person affairs.

After a moment of thought, Wu Yun turned to Tantuo and said, "You wanted to live a second life? The opportunity has arrived!"

Tantuo's hand trembled with excitement, only for his heart to plummet into an abyss!

"Since you have nothing, you must start from scratch. I believe in you. Now, we need to find a household so you can be reincarnated!"

After Wu Yun spoke, sweat began to pour from Tantuo. In the Immortal Realm, the concept of reincarnation was based on the shattering of the spirit. When heaven and earth perceive the union of an immortal couple, they might capture a trace of luck, producing an infant who retains fragmented memories of a previous life.

But if one were to forcibly seize a body with their spirit and be discovered, the immortal couple would shatter the intruder's spirit, truly scattering their soul into oblivion. This was reincarnation, not possession; this was the Immortal Realm, not the mortal world!

"To ensure your safety, once Rong Ya, that Immortal King expert, recovers his strength, he will guard you."

"Are you willing?"

"I am willing. I place myself entirely in your hands, Senior!"

After Tantuo agreed, Wu Yun smiled and began to chant. Even without hands or feet, he could still move his tongue, eyelids, and lips. After he drew a massive array, Tantuo's spirit leapt into it. Instantly, like the dream-demons of old, it shattered into a million pieces.

"Great Emperor Tantuo, rest assured. A newborn infant cannot withstand a spirit as powerful as yours. I will merge you with him gradually, like dripping water."

As Wu Yun spoke, he saw the spirit struggling within the array and said sternly, "Don't worry, I will find you a good family. However, let us be clear: until your spirit has completely merged with the host, you will be an absolute fool. If you are humiliated, you must endure it!"

Once Tantuo agreed, the entire array slowly shrank. Then, a dark gemstone drifted from Yue Qi's neck and was placed inside. Amidst Wu Yun's chanting for the departed, the gemstone, the array, and the spirit vanished.