Chapter 242: Chapter 240: The Mystery of Immortality
"It’s me," Bai Zhou said painfully, cupping the Chali’s face.
"Apprentice, do you remember what I told you? An apprentice must always trust his master, must never go against his master’s commands, never doubt his master’s actions, and wholeheartedly support everything his master does..."
"Do you remember all that?"
Trembling, Bai Zhou recited these words, one by one.
His voice echoed through the school of fish. All the Fishmen stopped what they were doing and looked toward the master and his apprentice.
"I remember."
"Good. Now, tell me the method for immortality."
...
The kneeling apprentice stared at Bai Zhou for a long time, his eyes filled with terror and a sense of estrangement.
His gaze swept over the Fishman Armor Bai Zhou wore, over the levitating mechanical parts, and then to Jeff, who stood like a reaper among the school of fish...
Finally, his gaze returned to Bai Zhou’s face.
Bai Zhou’s pitch-black eyes were fixed on him.
His own face was reflected in those pupils.
The tree roots contracted slightly, and the tendrils wrapped around Bai Zhou’s neck dug into his skin.
Bright red beads of blood oozed from the indentations.
The component on the back of Bai Zhou’s neck glowed faintly, but Bai Zhou made no move, instead continuing to stare at his apprentice.
The tendrils froze.
The apprentice went completely limp, and even the central part of the tree roots flopped softly to the ground with him.
His voice suddenly became lifeless, like a machine, and began to echo.
"Immortality... Immortality..."
"Master, I will tell you everything..."
His voice suddenly sped up, as if chanting some kind of spell:
"So-called immortality is eternal death. The end of death is life, the end of life is death. Infinite life represents infinite death."
"To achieve immortality, you must pay the price of eternal death."
"The moment you pay with eternal death, immortality will come to you on its own..."
This was all said very quickly. After hearing it, Bai Zhou could only stare blankly at his apprentice, not understanding at all.
But the apprentice seemed to know as well that these spell-like principles had no practical use. After a sigh, his voice began to echo again.
"Master, I will demonstrate."
"I can only demonstrate once."
He stood up and looked to the sky.
"Master, you told me the story of ’Free and Easy Wandering.’ I liked it very much, but I didn’t really understand its philosophy..."
As he muttered, his body began to slowly twist. His feet turned into tree roots and dug into the ground, while his head and arms transformed into gnarled, elongated branches, stretching toward the heavens.
"In high antiquity there was a great Chun, for whom eight thousand years was but a single spring, and eight thousand years a single autumn. I like that very much."
As soon as the words fell, the tree his body had become grew rapidly. Countless branches spread out, but they were all bare, without a single leaf.
The massive canopy spread out above Bai Zhou, shielding him like a great umbrella and instantly pushing away the dense fog. The branches swayed slightly, as if greeting him.
"Is this what the great Chun looks like?"
"But even after many eight-thousand-year ages, this tree will never rot. Because this is eternal death, forever dying..."
"Master, do you understand? If you understand, I’ll begin the next step."
The great tree’s growth slowed, but by now it blotted out the sky. Countless aerial roots extended down from it, plunging into the soil and spreading outwards.
"Death will continue to spread."
"Life constantly expands, and so does death. This tree is slowly dying. When it has completely died, it will be completely alive."
"I feel that calling it ’Great Chun’ isn’t quite fitting. Master, why don’t you give it a name?"
Bai Zhou raised his head, gazing up at the towering, leafless tree, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
"How about ’the Undying Wood’?"
"Good."
After this single word of reply, the voice from within the roots went silent for a long time.
Bai Zhou’s expression slowly filled with panic.
Just as he was about to pry the branches from his neck and rush forward, the voice began to sound again.
Only, this time, it was accompanied by a faint dripping sound.
Like a water droplet hitting a still surface.
DRIP... DROP...
An ethereal, illusory voice slowly emerged from the roots, as if someone had softly called out in a cavern.
"Master."
"I don’t actually like the Kunpeng that much. It’s too big, and it needs to ride the wind to travel. I don’t think that’s true freedom."
"It’s nice to be a carefree little fish, going wherever you want. Swimming from the sea to the sky, and then from the sky back to the sea."
"Who says a fish can’t swim in the sky?"
The voice echoed, as if creating waves of echoes in a cavern, making it sound even more ethereal.
"Master, let me continue..."
"Immortality is abandoning half of your existence. Let that half die forever, and the other half can live completely."
"That is the price."
"I abandoned my body and kept my soul. From now on, the two have become completely separate things."
The branches swayed slightly again, as if reminding Bai Zhou of something.
"Also, there’s one more important thing I forgot to say. You remember how I said there’s a price for knowing the method of immortality, right?"
"The price for learning of immortality is that everything around you will be stained by death. Death will even envelop you like a thick fog, accelerating the demise of everything nearby. Even if you achieve immortality, this mist will cling to you forever."
"Just like this island..."
Following these words, the fog that had just dissipated surged back, surrounding the entire great tree.
"It’s almost time. When the soul separates from the body, it enters a muddled state, left with only instinct. But I’ve taught you everything I needed to teach."
"Master, you always say you know everything, but now you’ve come to ask me..."
The voice began to ramble, speaking nonsensical things to Bai Zhou without pause.
"In the Northern Gloom there is a fish, and its name is Fish... It transforms into a fish, and its name is Fish..."
"I don’t think I’m reciting that right, Master..."
The voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost inaudible, becoming nothing but a rambling whisper.
It seemed as if he were reciting some chaotic text, jumbled together with his own understanding, the word order a mess, the vocabulary bizarre and completely incomprehensible.
Bai Zhou leaned his head against a branch and closed his eyes, as if listening intently.
"Keep reciting, apprentice..."
"Continue."
But Bai Zhou’s calls received no response.
The roots drooped limply.
The tree was still there, but it was completely motionless...
Bai Zhou looked up. The branches no longer swayed, having fallen into silence.
He anxiously circled the great tree, examining it, but still found no sign of life.
Until, on the deathly still bark, a transparent silhouette suddenly bulged outwards.
A slender little eel, like a long strip of jelly, passed through the bark and swam out dazedly. It was soft and beautiful.
After a single glance at Bai Zhou, the little eel swam toward the sky without looking back.
Soaring straight up...
