Longevity Begins With Gu Refining

Chapter 196: Observing the Death of All Living Things

Rain fell in the mountains, iron horses and icy rivers.

Zuo Chuan walked through the rain, letting the rain fall on his body. "Lord Wei, there is a mortal kingdom fighting ahead, should we go around it?"

Chen Qing stretched out his head and looked at the sky, "They are still fighting in this weather?"

"Go around it, don't interfere, I will go take a look."

Chen Qing turned into mist and flew out, arriving at the edge of the battlefield in just a moment.

On the battlefield, both sides were already in formation. Thousands of cavalry stepped through the rain, their spears shining with cold light.

Chen Qing used Mist Gu and concealed his aura, standing at the edge of the battlefield, quietly observing the changes in the battlefield.

His gaze was fixed on those dead people.

Compared to these mortals, his vision could see much more.

A mortal died, Chen Qing was about to observe his soul, but he found a streak of spirit energy flying past, capturing that mortal's soul.

Chen Qing glanced sideways, it was a red robed Daoist, harvesting souls on the battlefield.

He was probably the one who started this war.

Evil cultivator?

It was just that his cultivation was a little too weak.

Chen Qing took a step and instantly arrived beside this red robed Daoist.

His gaze landed on the red robed Daoist, scrutinizing him.

The red robed Daoist was clearly shocked, "Where did you come from?"

Chen Qing did not answer, only asking: "What was this mortal's last thought before he died?"

The red robed Daoist took two steps back, clearly wary of the sudden appearance of Chen Qing.

Chen Qing was slightly impatient, turning his head and continuing to observe the battlefield.

Countless people died on the battlefield, without the red robed Daoist collecting souls, his observation was much easier.

Along the way from Wu Country, he had seen countless deaths, even if there were not ten thousand, there were at least eight thousand.

If insects, beasts, trees, flowers, and plants were included, then there were countless.

If it was just observing the death of all living things, he should have achieved it long ago.

Could it be that he was studying the path of life and death?

Regarding the view of life and death, asking these people who had just died would naturally give him the greatest benefit.

Because they had just experienced death in an incomparably real way.

A soul flew up, looking at the battlefield in a daze, before pouncing towards the enemy.

His body passed through the enemy, and was burned by the blood energy.

At this time, he discovered that he was already dead.

"I'm dead?"

What greeted him was doubt.

Then, he shouted at his comrades on the battlefield, "Get out of the way!"

"Yes, stab him!"

After shouting for more than an hour, he finally came to a realization and said, "I'm already dead, so what's the point of doing all this?"

"I'm going back home to see my wife and son. I wonder what will happen to them after I die."

The Flying Soul floated in the direction of his home. Chen Qing reached out and grabbed the red-robed Daoist.

The red-robed Daoist wanted to resist, but he realized that his spirit energy was unable to move at all under Chen Qing's pressure.

At this time, how could he not know that he'd run into a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

"Senior, can you spare my life?"

"I'm already seventy years old, but I'm still in the ninth layer of the Qi Refining realm. I just want to build my foundation!"

Chen Qing glanced sideways. "I'm more curious about what happens when a mortal dies. Come with me."

After chasing for half a day, Chen Qing landed in a secluded village with the red-clothed Daoist priest.

The mortal soul first went to a private school and watched his son study there for an entire afternoon. Then, he followed his son home in a daze.

Chen Qing pointed at the mortal soul and asked, "Are there many mortals who go home after dying like this?"

The red-robed Daoist priest said, "Most of those who die in the war are like this."

"There are also a small number of them who hold grudges and stay near their enemies."

"Some will turn into ghosts when they get close to places where Yin energy gathers."

Chen Qing looked at the mortal soul touching here and there in his courtyard and asked, "What do mortals like this think the most after death?"

The red-robed Daoist knew that he could not resist, so he could only obey. "What other thoughts can they have? They want to live."

"Other than those whose hearts are dead, almost everyone's thoughts after death are unwillingness."

"They want to live."

"They don't want to die."

Chen Qing brought the red-robed Daoist to this secluded mountain village for seven days, witnessing the mortal's soul go from yearning for his family to unwillingness.

In the end, he helplessly dissipated in his home.

His resentment was not strong enough to turn into a ghost.

Chen Qing brought the red-robed Daoist and walked through the streets. They met another beggar.

This beggar had been begging for a living since he was young. Although he was not forty years old, he looked like an old man.

He staggered as he walked. He seemed to know that he could not make it, so he calmly found a dilapidated temple to wait for death.

Being alive was a burden to him. Perhaps it was better for him to die.

The red-robed Daoist said, "These beggars have nothing. They have the least lingering thoughts after death. Their souls dissipate the fastest."

Chen Qing asked, "These mortal souls are not strong enough. What methods do you usually use to keep them in the mortal world?"

The red-robed Daoist said shyly, "Uh, it's a family heirloom."

"For such souls, we capture them and burn them with flames that can torture the soul, making them suffer."

"We can refine them into resentful souls and let them stay in the mortal world."

Chen Qing pointed at the beggar's soul. "Show me."

The red-robed Daoist was stunned for a moment. "That's not good, right?"

Chen Qing said indifferently, "Don't worry. I'm not a good person. I just want to see it."

The red-robed Daoist shook his head. "No, it's not good to use such spells. It's against the harmony of the world."

Chen Qing reached out and grabbed the red-robed Daoist's left hand, crushing the bones in his left hand.

The red-robed Daoist cried out in pain.

"I told you, I'm not a good person."

"So since I said so, you better do as I say."

The red-clothed Daoist nodded repeatedly. "Understood, understood. I'll do it now!"

The red-clothed Daoist priest captured the soul of the beggar and kept it in his gourd.

Black flames rose from within, making the beggar, who had thought that he was free, feel great pain.

The flames burned his soul like a blunt knife scraping his flesh, but the pain was incomparably clear.

"I'm already dead, why am I still in so much pain? I shouldn't be thinking about dying!"

"He shouldn't have died!"

"If only he wasn't dead."

The beggar had no idea that it was Chen Qing and the red-clothed Daoist priest who were doing the deed.

"Senior, you see, as long as I do this, I can make his resentment grow. Then, I can refine him into a resentful spirit and subdue him with my Ghost Gu."

"Merely, this sort of resentful spirit is truly not very powerful. It's a bit lacking."

Chen Qing nodded. "What else do you want to say?"

The red-clothed Daoist said, "I'm not an evil spirit. It's just that I'm nearing the end of my life and I'm worried that I'm about to die."

"That's why I had no choice but to do this!"

"I'm really not an evil cultivator, Senior."

Chen Qing asked, "Why are you afraid of death?"

The red-clothed Daoist said, "Because death is unknown. No one knows what will happen after death."

"But as long as you're alive, there's still a chance!"

Chen Qing vaguely understood something, but he couldn't grasp it.

Therefore, he looked sideways at the red-clothed Daoist. "In the past few days, I've seen how many mortals look after they die."

"Now, I'm more curious about how cultivators look after death."

The red-clothed Daoist's face turned pale.

(End of Chapter)