Chapter 135 A Bowl of Deadly Soup, and an "Old Monster" Who Lived for 5 Years

"Can't drink it?"

These three simple words, spoken in a low voice, even carried a hint of casual laziness.

But inside the Taiji Hall, which was caught between extreme fervor and deathly silence due to the astronomical price of one million taels of gold, it was as if a large ladle of melted ice water had been poured into a boiling oil pot!

"Sizzle—"

It was as if an invisible gasp of cold air was rubbing against the air.

In an instant, the atmosphere in the entire hall plummeted from the crater of an impending explosion to absolute zero.

Everyone froze in their tracks.

The wealthy merchants and martial arts heroes, who were clenching their fists or gaping in shock, all turned their gazes away from the bowl of "Nine-Turn Resurrection Soup" that emitted a strange fragrance and was worth a million taels of gold. Instead, they all turned their incredulous astonishment to the man in blue standing by the railing on the second floor.

As the focus of the entire event, Sikong Changfeng was shamelessly clutching the heavy, anonymous black gold dragon card, which represented the highest authority of the Tianxia Qianzhuang (a type of money exchange), tightly to his chest.

Upon hearing Su Changqing's blunt words, the dignified "Gun Immortal" was so frightened that his hand trembled violently, and he stumbled, almost rolling smoothly down the three-meter-high white jade platform along with his card and the sandalwood tray containing the soup.

"Sir...?!"

Sikong Changfeng swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing as he spoke for the first time in his life, his voice trembling noticeably without him even realizing it.

"The money... the money's already been received! I just checked it with my true energy; the texture, the subtle patterns—it's definitely a genuine anonymous black gold card from the World Bank! I can exchange it for one million taels of pure gold at the Tianqi City headquarters anytime! So... the deal's done, right?"

Sikong Changfeng was in a hurry! How could he not be? He didn't want the cooked duck to fly away like that!

One million taels of gold!

What does this mean?

Even according to the inhumane "temporary worker exploitation commission ratio" that Su Changqing had previously set, he could only get a very small amount of commission, but the base amount was too large!

That small commission was enough for him to rebuild ten Dengtian Pavilions exactly as they were when Lei Wujie blew them up, and even to inlay them with a layer of gold trim!

This isn't soup at all.

This is clearly a fiscal allocation for Snowmoon City for the next hundred years!

"trade?"

Su Changqing looked down at the people below and chuckled softly.

The laughter was crisp and melodious, but when it reached the ears of everyone in the hall, it felt cold and devoid of warmth. Instead, it was as if a cold blade was scraping through their very bones.

With his hands behind his back, he slowly descended the stairs paved with the finest Tian Shan jade.

"Da...da...da..."

With each step he took, the invisible high-dimensional pressure belonging to the master of the Myriad Gods Calamity intensified within the Taiji Hall, like the rising tide.

Although he did not deliberately release any killing intent or internal force, his absolute crushing power on the level of life was enough to make the wealthy merchants and noble young masters in the hall, whose martial arts were slightly weaker, feel as if an invisible mountain was pressing on their chests.

The atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating; even the frequency of his heartbeat involuntarily fluctuated with the sound of Su Changqing's footsteps, making breathing extremely difficult.

"Steward Sikong, what's the rush? I, Su, run a business, and naturally I believe in honesty and integrity. Since he paid one million taels, and it's a cash-on-delivery transaction, this soup is, in name, his."

Su Changqing stopped in front of the mysterious old man wearing a wide bamboo hat and a black veil covering his face.

The distance between the two was no more than three feet.

This three-foot distance seemed like an insurmountable chasm, completely separating life from death, gods from ants.

"But the efficacy of this 'Nine-Turn Resurrection Soup' and its target audience are clearly stated on the bold and large promotional flyer I posted at the entrance of Changqing Tower when you came in—"

Su Changqing leaned closer, his eyes becoming as sharp as a blade sculpted from ancient ice, staring intently at the old man's face, which was completely obscured by the heavy shadow of the edge of his bamboo hat.

"It can bring the dead back to life, cleanse the marrow and forcibly increase one's pure internal energy by sixty years. But the most important prerequisite is that it is for humans, or more precisely, for 'living people' to drink."

Su Changqing's lips curled into an undisguised sneer and contempt. His voice wasn't loud, but it exploded in everyone's ears like thunder:

"And you..."

"Who do you think you are? Don't you have any self-awareness after all these five hundred years?"

boom!!!

These words were like a thunderbolt from the heavens striking the very center of the Taiji Hall! The entire hall erupted in uproar!

Not human?!

What is that thing?!

Monsters? Ghosts? Zombies?

Or is it some kind of transformed, powerful demon from the deep mountains?!

And what did you just say, sir? Five hundred years?!

"Splash—"

A chaotic commotion erupted, with tables and chairs overturning and teacups shattering.

Those dignitaries who had been crowding close together in order to get a better look at the divine medicine were now like cats whose tails had been stepped on. They retreated in terror, scrambling backward as if they wished they had more legs to keep as far away from the mysterious old man as possible.

Duan Tianya, the young master of the Duan family in Jiangnan, who had been so aggressive and had almost fought the old man to the death over this bowl of soup, was now drenched in a cold sweat.

Even the silk folding fan in his hand, which was said to be invulnerable to swords and spears, fell to the ground with a "thud" due to its owner's violent trembling.

Duan Tianya stared intently at the old man, his back teeth chattering.

He just... damn it, he was actually competing with an old monster who had lived for five hundred years and wasn't even human?!

If they had been outside the main hall just now, or if they had truly angered the other party, even with four sword-wielding attendants protecting them, would the entire Duan family of eight hundred people have seen the sun rise tomorrow?!

"Hehehehe..."

A chilling, eerie laugh emanated from beneath the straw hat. The laugh sounded like two rusty iron pieces rubbing against each other, extremely grating.

"Mr. Su, you have a good eye. No wonder you are the one who could cleave the heavens with a single strike and destroy that Eye of Heaven."

The old man did not deny it; on the contrary, he readily admitted it.

He slowly removed the straw hat from his head, revealing his true face hidden in the shadows.

"hiss--!!!"

A collective gasp filled the hall. Several timid women even fainted from fright.

What a terrifying face it was!

Or rather, it can't even be called a face!

No skin, no flesh. Only a stark white skull! And in the skull's empty eye sockets, two eerie green will-o'-the-wisps flickered, radiating an extreme chill and deathly aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Bone... Bone Demon?!"

Lei Qianhu, a man of great experience and knowledge (the lord of Lei Family Fortress, who was invited to attend the ceremony), suddenly stood up, his voice trembling with shock.

"Legend has it... that five hundred years ago, there was an unparalleled evil cultivator who, in pursuit of immortality, refined all his flesh and blood, leaving only a skeleton, and cultivated the inhuman and ghostly 'White Bone Demon Body'! Back then, the entire Central Plains martial arts world joined forces to besiege him, paying an extremely heavy price to force him into the Death Desert in the far west... He... he's still alive?!"

He's lived for five hundred years!

This news was even more disheartening than the news about the one million taels of gold.

Five hundred years is enough time for even a pig to cultivate into a spirit, let alone a peerless demon who once struck fear into the hearts of the entire martial arts world!

"Good eye, young man."

The Bone Demon's jaws clicked and slammed, seemingly mocking Lei Qianhu's shock.

"I have slumbered underground in the Desert of Death for hundreds of years. Although I have escaped the erosion of time, this skeletal body has reached the point of exhaustion. I thought that I could only eke out an existence like this until I turned into a handful of dust."

The Bone Demon turned its gaze to the bowl of golden soup in its hand, the eerie green flames flickering violently, filled with undisguised greed.

"Until... I felt this incredibly rich life force!"

"The heart's blood of the Eastern Sea Demon Whale, the extreme cold of the thousand-year-old ice lotus, plus that wondrous flame that transcends the laws of this world... this soup is simply a supreme elixir tailor-made for me!"

"Once I drink it, I can bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded! I will be able to regenerate a flawless body, even surpassing my former one! At that time, who in this world will be able to stop me from achieving immortality?!"

The Bone Demon became more and more agitated as he spoke. His skin-and-bones (actually just bones) hands trembled as he picked up the jade bowl, about to pour it into his mouth which contained only teeth.

"I told you, you can't drink."

Su Changqing's voice remained calm, but he did not make a move to snatch it.

He simply looked at the old monster who was dreaming of immortality with an extremely pitying gaze.

"Do you think the vitality in my soup is so easily digestible?"

Su Changqing crossed his arms, like a teacher giving a lesson. "The Nine Revolutions of Resurrection emphasizes the balance of Yin and Yang, and the cycle of life and death. Your skeleton has long since lost all Yang energy, clinging to life only with an extremely Yin death energy. Although the life force in this soup is immense, for you, it's like pouring a bucket of boiling lava onto a pile of dry wood."

"There's only one outcome if you drink it."

Su Changqing's lips curled into a cruel smile, "If you're too weak to handle nourishment, you'll explode and die."

"You...you're talking nonsense!"

The Bone Demon froze.

Although he had lived for five hundred years and was very experienced, he was still unsure whether Su Changqing was telling the truth or not when faced with this unheard-of "miracle drug".

"nonsense?"

Su Changqing shrugged. "You're welcome to try if you don't believe me. Anyway, I've already taken the money and you've received the goods. I'm not responsible for after-sales service. If you drink yourself to death, everyone in this hall is watching, and it has nothing to do with my Changqing Tower."

"You dare to scam me?!"

The ghostly fire in the Bone Demon's eyes flickered wildly, and an extremely terrifying pressure from a half-step Divine Ascension cultivator (who had fallen in cultivation level due to his damaged body) instantly enveloped the entire Taiji Palace!

"I've lived for five hundred years, and I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice! A mere bowl of soup can't possibly burst me! Today, I'll show you!"

He was thoroughly enraged by Su Changqing's attitude, and also blinded by his desire for immortality.

He suddenly tilted his head back and poured the entire bowl of "Nine-Turn Resurrection Soup," worth a million taels of gold, into the empty skull's mouth!

Golden broth flowed down his pale white neck, radiating a dazzling light.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at this bizarre scene.

"boom!"

The moment the soup enters your stomach.

The Bone Demon's body jolted violently!

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable surge of vitality, like a volcanic eruption, burst forth from the depths of his bones, which had been barren for five hundred years!

"ah--!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream, so piercing it seemed to tear one's soul apart, erupted from the Bone Demon's mouth!

Su Changqing is right!

The immense vitality did not reshape his flesh and blood as the Bone Demon had imagined. On the contrary, the extremely yang and powerful phoenix fire contained within that vitality clashed violently and irreconcilably with the extremely yin death energy that had accumulated within his body for five hundred years!

Water and fire are incompatible! Yin and Yang are mutually destructive!

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

A sickening cracking sound echoed wildly within the Bone Demon's body.

His proud "White Bone Demon Body," which had once been so powerful that even the most powerful weapons could not harm it, was now crumbling from the inside out, like a piece of porcelain covered in cracks.

Golden light pierced through the cracks, making him look like a golden hedgehog about to explode!

"No...it's impossible...my immortality...my physical body..."

The Bone Demon writhed on the ground in agony, clutching its skull tightly with both hands. The eerie green ghost fire grew dimmer and dimmer under the corrosive golden light.

He regretted it!

He truly regretted it! He shouldn't have coveted this life that wasn't his, and he shouldn't have questioned that unfathomable man!

But there's no going back in this world.

"Bang!!!"

With a deafening roar.

That old monster who lived for five hundred years and once made the entire martial arts world tremble.

Right here on the white jade platform of the Taiji Hall.

In the presence of hundreds of powerful figures and江湖豪杰 (jianghu heroes).

I was so full from just one bowl of soup that I practically burst!

It turned into a sky full of golden and white powder, leaving not even a trace of its soul behind!

Quiet.

Inside the Taiji Hall, a deathly silence fell once again.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden yet extremely shocking ending.

The miraculous medicine bought for one million taels of gold turned into a bowl of deadly soup.

Moreover, Mr. Su had warned him beforehand! He insisted on drinking it himself! This is like paying for a funeral wreath and jumping into a fire pit!

"Alas, good advice is useless to a damn fool."

Su Changqing shook his head regretfully, then turned to look at Sikong Changfeng, who was standing to the side, completely petrified.

"Chief Steward Sikong."

"Yes...yes!" Sikong Changfeng shuddered and quickly stood at attention.

"Write it down." Su Changqing pointed to the pile of bone powder on the high platform. "The first 'Nine-Turn Resurrection Soup' was taken by the buyer on the spot. The effect was remarkable. It successfully helped him get rid of five hundred years of painful torment. Physical salvation, ascending to heaven in one step."

"Also, find a broom and clean this place up. By the way, prepare to auction off the second item."

Su Changqing's lips curled into a capitalist smile that sent chills down everyone's spine.

"As for the second one... the starting bid is 500,000 taels of gold."

"Everyone, you've all seen the effect just now. It's absolutely genuine, effective and immediate. Those who want to extend their lives should hurry."