CHAPTER 110: CHAPTER 110: 1000 YEARS

Lu Ren couldn’t help but ask, "Do you know how long you’ve been asleep?"

The Golden Skeleton replied, "The heavens change, the earth rotates, the sun rises, and the moon sets. I have my own records, and now it must have been a thousand years."

A thousand years?!

Lu Ren was shaken in his heart, finding it hard to believe the words of this skeleton, especially since the way it spoke was quite fantastical.

It directly vibrated the air, mimicking the sound of speech.

Could it be that there really were such things as the so-called Primordial Spirit True Qi in the ancient times, as in the Xianxia novels?

"There is no need to be surprised. No one in this world is immortal. Even a True Buddha would eventually fade due to various reasons. I merely found a trick to extend my existence. For the most part of it, I was in a muddled state, rarely waking. If not for your Qi awakening me, I would have vanished into the mists of confusion, leaving no trace between heaven and earth."

At this point, the Golden Skeleton chuckled, "My friend, it’s truly fate that we meet at this final moment!"

Lu Ren: "Can’t you move?"

"I can move," answered the Golden Skeleton, "but there’s no need. Moving would accelerate my demise."

Lu Ren couldn’t resist teasing, "Aren’t you Buddhist monks supposed to cultivate the Rebirth Method? Why are you so afraid of death?"

"Even ants cling to life, let alone humans," the Golden Skeleton stated confidently. "The so-called Rebirth Methods are scriptures borne out of the need to prove the path of teachings. Whether there truly is a rebirth, even if the Tathagata truly came back to life, we would only believe something borrowed the body for reincarnation."

"Isn’t your Buddha, overseeing the Great Realm and overlooking all beings, also going to die?"

"All humans die, except the Buddha, who indeed possesses Divine Power."

"So the Buddha is still around?"

"Still around?" the skeleton gave a rare cold laugh, "How dare thieves suggest so? Dead, hm, should be dead."

Indeed, the contradictions ran deep!

Lu Ren noticed that the other showed no respect or reverence towards the Buddha and only displayed indifference, with a hint of eagerness to eradicate.

Lu Ren also asked, "Can the Qi you mentioned be utilized?"

"Of course, it can be utilized, but your spirit cannot yet harness Qi," the Golden Skeleton explained in plain language. "Humans naturally have Qi. Once it’s gone, you’re truly dead. Qi is naturally formed, born and nurtured by nature, a gift from nature."

Lu Ren furrowed his brows deeply. The information he had obtained from the Security Department had been affirmed through countless studies, that the human body couldn’t retain energy.

Even biological energy couldn’t construct energy channels within the body and could only dissipate naturally?

Yet, this conclusion had been questioned by researchers, supposedly with support from Bright Awakening Realm Extraordinary Martial Taoists experimenting on how to retain it, but the answer was still unknown.

The so-called breathing techniques that harness the Qi of heaven and earth were, in essence, about regulating breath and strengthening the lungs.

So, what this Golden Skeleton said might not be the True Qi or Inner Strength from martial arts novels.

For a moment, Lu Ren was puzzled. The Security Department had not elaborated much about the path beyond the Great Perfection of Fist Technique, only saying that he hadn’t reached that stage, and knowing it would hinder his martial progress.

Without dwelling on it any longer, Lu Ren straightforwardly said, "I can take you out. What needs to be done to open the passage?"

"It’s simple, just three steps: find the exit point of the Treasure Light Buddha Realm, then use Qi to activate the passage to leave!"

Sounds somewhat like how to put an elephant in a refrigerator.

Lu Ren: "...What is Qi?"

The Golden Skeleton sighed abruptly. Lu Ren had already asked several times.

"So, the difficulty lies here. You still can’t harness Qi, so I need to think of a way. I remember there were several methods that can make someone at your level passively erupt with Qi."

An oppressive silence fell as the Golden Skeleton fell into contemplation, pondering solutions, trying to recall past events.

Lu Ren pondered for a moment. While the Golden Skeleton was engrossed in thought, he stepped out of the ruined temple and surveyed the area.

This place was quite flat, of limited size, only about three miles in diameter. The boundary of the Secret Realm was like a thick transparent glass panel, impossible to break through despite efforts.

Glancing up at the sky, from the boundary’s angle, he could vaguely discern a large irregular circle of black mouth, almost encompassing the entire Treasure Light Secret Realm.

It gave Lu Ren the impression of a giant beast opening its mouth wide, about to swallow the territory of approximately three miles alive.

Aside from this, there were many collapsed architectural remnants, overgrown and unrecognizable, except for the lonely ruined temple sitting in the center.

Huh?!!

Focusing intently, Lu Ren saw that Tie Feng, whom he had knocked to the ground, had disappeared without a trace!

What the hell?

Was it due to not finishing the job?!

Suddenly tense, he hesitated no longer, quickly turning back and taking big strides into the dilapidated temple, back to the Golden Skeleton’s side.

"Have you figured it out?"

"There’s a bit of a clue, what happened? I sense your heartbeat is a bit fast."

The Golden Skeleton was sharp, seeming to detect many subtleties within three meters.

"The person who came in with me, his body is gone?"

"What?!!"

Click!

With a crisp sound of bones cracking, the Golden Skeleton’s previously drooped skull suddenly lifted, its hollow eyes fixated on Lu Ren.

Seeing this scene, straight out of a horror movie, Lu Ren clenched his fist tighter and tighter, eventually restraining the impulse to hammer it down, and remarked in a deep voice, "You really can move?"

As if lit on fire, the Golden Skeleton’s entire skeleton snapped and cracked noisily.

"How can you still care about moving at this point, it’s bad, bad, bad!!"

While he couldn’t see the skeleton’s expression, Lu Ren somehow read the emotions being conveyed.

Panic, beyond expectation, uncontrollable, and despair.

This scene made Lu Ren’s heart tense too, but he maintained a composed facade.

"You seem quite flustered? I heard that a Golden Body in life was a high monk."

"Oh, go to hell with that! Who told you high monks are devoid of emotions?"

The skeleton jumped, and with each collision of bones, the sounds of ’ping ping pang pang’ resounded.

He urgently shouted, "We need to find that guy fast and tear him into pieces!"

It sounded like this supposedly compassionate Buddhist monk was more violent than me!

Internally mocking, Lu Ren was equally serious: "I just went out for a round, and Tie Feng’s body is no longer where it was."

"It’s over!"

The skeleton mournfully collapsed to the ground, his jaw moving up and down ceaselessly.

"Before the Secret Realm shatters, we’re likely to be killed by that guy."

Lu Ren frowned slightly, "What exactly is going on? You need to explain it to me."

Being vague, not knowing how one might die later.

"There is a Great Demon sealed below the Secret Realm. If it escapes, you and I will die. It seems it has already used a corpse to reincarnate and has escaped!"