Immortal Cultivation: Starting from a Pharmacy Apprentice

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Encounter

The tunnel was quite smooth.

Bai Mo’s back was pressed against the ground, and all he felt was an icy chill.

The disciple from the Miaofa Sect was probably unable to control the power of his Talisman, making him incredibly clumsy.

Zhao Jingyu’s clothes were being tightly pulled by him. After several failed attempts to break free, he simply freed a hand, balled it into a fist, and brought it down on the man’s head.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew as his fist connected with the other man’s head.

Zhao Jingyu couldn’t help but be stunned.

They didn’t stop until they had tumbled to the bottom of the underground palace.

Bai Mo climbed to his feet and glanced over, seeing the Miaofa Sect disciple pushing himself up with both hands, trying to stand.

Unfortunately, the Talisman on his body was glowing brightly, creating a mountain-like pressure that prevented him from doing so.

Bai Mo looked away and began surveying the vast underground palace.

The air here was stagnant and stuffy, but cool and damp.

Beside him, Zhao Jingyu stood up, cracking his knuckles with a grim smile. CRACK! CRACK!

A few heavy thuds and a shower of sparks later, the Miaofa Sect disciple fell silent.

"Brother, come here."

Hearing Bai Mo’s voice, Zhao Jingyu quickly got up, wiping his blackened fists.

"What is it?"

Bai Mo picked up a white object. It was about the size of a palm and a finger’s width thick.

"Take a look, Brother."

Zhao Jingyu leaned in for a closer look and saw that the leathery object still had the texture of human skin.

After a moment’s silence, his eyelid began to twitch.

"Junior Brother, don’t touch things you don’t recognize!"

Bai Mo wasn’t concerned. As a Pill Master, he had handled all sorts of things, many of which were shocking to hear about.

"This is probably a piece of skin shed by the Emperor."

As he spoke, Bai Mo noticed the faint traces of blood on the shed skin.

"No, perhaps it wasn’t shed naturally. The Emperor might have torn it off by force..."

Even though he felt Bai Mo was most likely right, Zhao Jingyu still found it hard to believe.

He glanced around, seeing many more pieces of shed skin on the ground.

At the base of the four walls, almost no space was left uncovered. Everything was coated in the white, leathery material.

"This place isn’t great, but at least it’s quiet. I hope our junior brothers come down to keep us company."

Zhao Jingyu swallowed hard and said softly.

Bai Mo gave a noncommittal response.

If the Emperor was truly molting here, tearing off so much skin, the pain must have been unimaginable.

It was clear that after realizing something was wrong, he had tried to resist it.

That was why he willingly took the Pill from the old Duke, even knowing it was a test.

Even if it meant revealing his inhuman appearance, delaying the transformation was worth it.

With these thoughts in mind, Bai Mo crouched down, picked up two large pieces of the shed skin, and stored them away.

The shed skin of a person undergoing corpse transformation represented a transition from life to death. Although it wasn’t complete—not purely Yang or purely Yin—it still touched upon that level.

’Who knows, it might have some strange use.’

Zhao Jingyu watched from the side, a chill running down his spine.

...

TING!

Mo Tianshu held a beam of sword light and thrust it into the Emperor’s mouth.

The Emperor clamped his jaws, and the sword light could not advance another inch.

Mo Tianshu frowned instantly.

’This isn’t working either?’

A smile appeared on the Emperor’s face. Just as he was about to speak, he felt the sword light in his mouth tremble, split apart, and shoot into his belly.

Mo Tianshu pulled his hand back and saw the Emperor’s body trembling uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty’s outer shell is difficult to penetrate for anyone below the Golden Core realm. I could only attack from the inside. I hope it’s effective."

The Emperor took two steps back, his smile becoming forced and strained.

"Heh, We have paid such a great price. There had to be some gain. This inhuman physique has its uses."

"But after all Our calculations, Our flaw was still seen through by a junior like you."

"The younger generation is truly formidable."

At that moment, the only two surviving elders propped themselves up, looking at the Emperor with expressions of shock and uncertainty.

"Your Majesty..."

Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the Miaofa Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivator. His left arm was severed at the shoulder, the wound jagged, as if it had been torn off.

The four Cultivators from the Douchen Sect didn’t look well either.

Besides them, everyone else in the battle group was already dead at their feet.

Mo Tianshu frowned.

"To fight all of us on your own."

"With such talent, it would not have been difficult for the Sect to accept Your Majesty and teach you profound techniques."

"Why did it have to come to this?"

The Emperor held his breath and said with difficulty:

"It is already too late."

"I took a wrong step and fell under another’s control. I have struggled just to survive. There is no turning back."

"No matter what is said now, it is useless."

He circulated the energy in his abdomen, severing several of his own intestines before he finally suppressed the sword light.

But Mo Tianshu’s brows relaxed.

"I have broken through Your Majesty’s indestructible body. Please surrender."

"I will find a way to spare your life..."

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted. The Emperor paid it no mind, stamping his foot with such force that he shattered the bones within.

The earth and stone cracked. Before anyone could react, the Emperor’s figure had become a blur, dropping into the tunnel of the underground palace.

Qi Yang, who was peering into the tunnel entrance and about to shout, was caught by the gust of wind and almost fell in himself.

He was barely pulled back by Wan Shenxiu, who was standing behind him.

"We understand the good intentions of the young man, but alas... Haha!"

The Emperor braced himself with one hand, digging his five fingers into the ceiling of the tunnel as he let out a furious roar.

"AHHH!"

The walls cracked, and rocks and dirt rained down from the ceiling.

The commoners outside the royal palace sensed something and turned to look, only to see the Emperor’s court hall collapsing.

Terrified, the people ran to spread the news, all believing it to be an ominous sign.

"Brother Mo!"

"Junior Brother Bai and Brother Zhao are still inside!"

Qi Yang said frantically.

Mo Tianshu’s gaze turned cold as he slowly looked toward the Miaofa Sect’s Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"The Talisman faction Cultivators of the Miaofa Sect, who engage in such petty and furtive acts, seem to be quite skilled at this sort of thing, don’t they?"

’I wouldn’t stand a chance against Mo Tianshu, even at my peak.’

’Let alone now, with one arm gone?’

Cold sweat poured down the face of the Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the Miaofa Sect.

...

THUD! THUD! THUD!

A series of muffled thuds came from above.

Bai Mo suddenly straightened up and exchanged a look with Zhao Jingyu.

The latter hesitated for a moment before whispering:

"Could it be our junior brothers coming to rescue us?"

Bai Mo shook his head.

"The earth-shattering commotion from just now didn’t seem like..."

THUMP!

A bare-chested figure landed, lay still on the ground for a moment, then pushed himself up with one hand.

"Hm? There are outsiders in Our underground palace?"

’Lord of Heaven! How did *he* end up down here?!’

’Isn’t the Emperor supposed to be up there, showing off his divine might?!’

The veins on Bai Mo’s forehead throbbed, his breath caught in his throat, and he subconsciously took three steps back.

Zhao Jingyu followed his every move, the two of them huddling closely together.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?"

After a long while, seeing that the Emperor wasn’t speaking and was only panting like a bellows, Bai Mo managed to force the words out.

The Emperor was not in good shape.

His left leg was bent at a strange angle, and his right arm hung limply at his side. He looked utterly wretched.

"You..." The Emperor stared quietly at Bai Mo for a moment.

"We remember now. You’re the Cultivator from the Upper Sect who gave the Pill to the Duke?"

He had seen a portrait of Bai Mo and recognized him immediately in person.

"Do you have any more Pills on you? Hand them over!"

"That stunning junior outside has beaten Us into this pathetic state. It is utterly disgraceful. We must have some compensation."

"If you do, We might consider letting you serve as Our attendants in the future."

He struggled to stand up straight and exhaled.

"Of course, you could also choose a more dignified way to die..."