Chapter 168: Reuniting with Old Friends, the Bittersweet Hundred Flower Brew
The Ascension Road is very long.
Chen Changsheng had walked for a full fifty realms.
During these fifty realms, Chen Changsheng had buried five thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight corpses.
These corpses were all unfamiliar to him.
It looked like they were new disciples of the Purple House Sacred Ground from these past few thousand realms.
On a certain day in the fiftieth realm, a change occurred on the long Ascension Road.
A gigantic “sphere” blocked the road.
This “sphere” was larger than a mountain; standing before it, Chen Changsheng looked like an ant.
“What a sight!”
“To tear apart space and create a Small Realm, this is quite the undertaking.”
Faced with the sphere before him, Bai Ze couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
However, Chen Changsheng did not feel the need to utilize his spatial abilities, for he sensed the aura of an old friend here.
After lingering outside the Small Realm for a long time, Chen Changsheng eventually decided to step inside.
……
The flat and desolate land seemed endless.
Amidst this desolate expanse, a towering Mountain of Corpses was particularly conspicuous.
As he looked at the bl**d-drenched Mountain of Corpses, Chen Changsheng’s steps came to a halt once more.
Before the Mountain of Corpses stood a stone tablet.
“The Invincible Daoist slew one hundred and thirty-five thousand enemies, battling for a hundred realms without retreating a single step!”
The inscription on the tablet was brief, and Chen Changsheng read it all in just a breath.
Yet, it was this brief content that caused Chen Changsheng to stand there for a full hour.
After an hour, he started walking up the Mountain of Corpses.
Seeing Chen Changsheng’s silhouette, Bai Ze inexplicably felt a pang of sadness.
Even though he had tried his best to slow down, he would always end up walking in front of everyone.
Because his path had no end and would not stop.
……
Atop the Mountain of Corpses.
A young man in a Daoist robe sat cross-legged.
“You finally came, I knew you would.”
Upon seeing Chen Changsheng’s face, the Daoist man smiled slightly.
In response, Chen Changsheng shot him an irritated glance and said, “Sneaking off without telling me, you all are starting to disregard me more and more.”
“Hahaha!”
“Not telling you was a unanimous decision among all of us.”
“You are carefree by nature, and the situation is special.”
“If we let you get involved in this matter, it would mean forever trapping you in a cage.”
“I’m at least your senior brother; how could I let you be trapped?”
“Bullshit!”
Chen Changsheng interrupted Song Yuanshan’s words.
“The head of Shangqing View should have been me; if it weren’t for me stepping back, would you even have a chance?”
“So by right, I should be your senior brother.”
Seeing Chen Changsheng’s agitated expression, Song Yuanshan’s eyes were filled with amusement.
“There are no ‘ifs’ in this realm. The head of Shangqing View is me, and my rank is above yours.”
“So you will always be my junior brother!”
“I’ll give you ten breaths to reconsider your words. If you still insist on this, then my Hundred Flower Brew won’t be for you.”
Hearing “Hundred Flower Brew,” Song Yuanshan’s eyes lit up, and he said, “Is it the one that was brewed back then?”
“Exactly, it’s from that batch when you and I first went to the Limitless Secret Realm to brew.”
“So many years have passed. I can’t believe you still have some; hurry up and let me taste it.”
“I’ve brewed some Hundred Flower Brew over the years, but it never had the same taste.”
Faced with Song Yuanshan’s urging, Chen Changsheng took out a jar of alcohol and handed it to him.
After a breath, Song Yuanshan happily said, “Good wine!”
“This is the taste from the past!”
Although Song Yuanshan’s tone was cheerful, his body did not move a single bit; not even his mouth opened at all.
Song Yuanshan was dead!
He had exhausted himself and died hundreds of years ago!
The one speaking with Chen Changsheng now was merely a remnant of his spiritual sense.
The fact that he could still convey emotions through his gaze was already his limit.
“To be able to taste a sip of Hundred Flower Brew in the end, I have no regrets in d*ath.”
That remnant of spiritual sense continued to convey information to Chen Changsheng, but Song Yuanshan’s eyes were already beginning to lose their brilliance.
Upon seeing this, Chen Changsheng raised his head and took a sip of the Hundred Flower Brew, saying lightly, “This wine has gone bad; after a sip, it’s bitter and hard to swallow. I’ll brew a new batch another day.”
“Don’t speak nonsense if you don’t understand; this is the best wine I’ve ever had in my life.”
“By the way, when we buried Third Senior Brother, did he get to taste it?”
“No, I forgot about it in the heat of the moment.”
“I only remembered after we buried him, so I had to pour it out in front of his grave.”
“And I only shared a jar with the other senior brothers and Master; after they drank it all, I had none left.”
“Hahaha!”
“Third Senior Brother loved wine; if he knew about this, he would crawl out in anger to hit you, and even Big Senior Brother wouldn’t be able to stop him.”
“I’m luckier than they are; I personally tasted this jar of wine.”
“Once I get down there, I’ll definitely boast about it.”
With that, the last remnant of Song Yuanshan’s spiritual sense dissipated completely, and his corpse turned to dust.
Looking at the scene before him, Chen Changsheng poured the Hundred Flower Brew onto the Mountain of Corpses.
“Brothers, I’m just a coffin seller, so logically, I should likely bury you.”
“But you are the final witnesses to my senior brother; your existence will prove the glory of the ‘Invincible Daoist.'”
“So I won’t be collecting your bodies; a cup of thin wine is my sincerity.”
“May you stay here for eternity. I will take my senior brother home.”
After speaking, Chen Changsheng squatted down, using both hands to carefully place Song Yuanshan’s ashes into the jar.
The entire process was meticulous, careful not to leave even a speck behind.
Since he loved the Hundred Flower Brew so much, he would store him in the jar meant for it.
After all, this jar was handmade by him years ago.
……
Half an hour later.
Chen Changsheng had finished collecting all the ashes. To prevent any omissions, he even searched with his spiritual sense three times.
Confirming that there were no leftovers, he then placed Song Yuanshan’s Daoist robe into the jar and took out a carefully prepared coffin.
This coffin was not particularly luxurious, and even the craftsmanship was a bit rough around the edges.
“Senior Brother, I prepared coffins for all of you back then, and now the last one is for you as well.”
“Shangqing View is finally reunited.”
After saying this, Chen Changsheng put away the coffin and turned to leave in another direction.
Song Yuanshan had come to a stop; this was his end.
However, Chen Changsheng had not yet reached the end of the Ascension Road, nor had he reached the end of his life.
So he had to continue down the path, no matter how many old friends he encountered along the way. He could only move forward.
