Chapter 231

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Chapter 231: The Eternal Goal of Immortality

Qiao Canxue felt something, she quietly opened her eyes which had been closed all this time.

In her eyes.

The veteran soldiers forming a battle formation around her were lean but tough middle-aged soldiers.

The steward, Luohan, who was as sturdy as a tower with muscles bulging, almost bursting out of his uniform, was actually a thin old man.

And the one whose whole body was boiling with blood and surrounded by a fierce aura, was not an old man so aged that his age couldn’t be distinguished, but clearly a young man with sharp eyes and high spirits.

"This person…" Qiao Canxue furrowed her delicate brows slightly.

She felt like she had seen him somewhere before?

There was always a faint sense of familiarity.

Before he could think carefully, a figure that turned into a lightning-like red shadow had already pressed its palm onto Luohan’s chest from a distance.

"First Wave."

The intense force crashed against Luohan’s chest like fierce waves hitting rocks. Ripples were visible spreading from his chest, and with a dull sound like hitting metal, Luohan’s ill-fitting servant clothes were easily torn apart, revealing pale golden skin with a metallic shine under the sunlight.

"Well done!" Luohan’s mouth curved into a smile, and the tremendous impact made him stagger, almost falling over, but he managed to stand firm.

He was now literally like a man of metal and flesh. But the human body has its limits – how could ordinary martial artists, with their flesh and blood, compete with him?

Is he really human?

The veteran soldiers’ expressions changed slightly, and a certain thought crossed their minds.

Looking at him now, his body didn’t seem like a typical human body at all. Rather than an extremely strong and burly man made of flesh and blood, it was more like a lump of metal covered in human skin.

"Double Wave."

Layers of red energy piled up one after another, the second palm reached Luohan’s chest, a huge amount of energy pressed down Luohan’s chest, causing it to collapse several inches directly downwards.

The cold smile at the corner of Luohan’s mouth froze slightly.

"Triple Wave."

The skin around Luohan’s collapsed chest suddenly cracked, with cracks spreading rapidly like a spider web from the chest, covering his whole body.

Only now did Luohan barely react from the attack. The arrogance that was on his face just now froze, looking at his proud "bronze skin and iron bones," he temporarily froze.

"In the past, in Heyang City’s Qiao Family, only the chief with the highest martial arts skill mastered the Long Life Fist-Stacking Wave Strength up to the Triple Wave level… And why is this person?" Qiao Canxue opened her eyes, feeling surprised.

Although she had heard of the Qiao family members’ reputation, she had only heard rumors and had never met any of them in person… right?

The raging red energy, like real sea waves, showed no signs of stopping, endlessly surging, wave after wave higher than the previous one.

But with a loud bang, Qiao Mu’s palm directly pierced through Luohan’s chest from his abdomen.

In his pierced chest and belly, there were hardly any organs exposed, not much blood either.

"Phew…." The blood-red energy dissipating from his body quickly receded, leaving only his skin still oozing blood, sending sharp pains throughout his limbs and body.

Oh, the familiar pain….

But…

"When thoughts clear, all is well." Qiao Mu relaxed his clenched fist and exhaled deeply.

"Elder Lao…" Hai Siyuan watched the scene unfold, sighing softly.

Could he not be familiar with such a scene?

Yet, the Qiao family member could not be saved in the end… How did this Qiao family member end up in trouble again?

"Don’t get too emotional just yet." Blood-soaked Qiao Mu calmly raised his hand to stop them.

"I’m not dead yet."

He actually doesn’t look as disheveled as he seems.

The previous retreat was just a tactical move, no need to fight to the death with this fool.

After battling Luohan for a long time, he wasn’t really injured, just trying to provoke Luohan into saying something.

However, this Taoist soldier, Copper Body Arhat, is quite strange. He is beyond the realm of martial arts, almost like a human-shaped iron block.

This guy is like an iron turtle. If you can’t break through his copper skin and iron bones, it’s like a tiger trying to eat the sky, unable to take any action.

But if you can break through this "flesh body" of his, Luohan’s weaknesses will be exposed.

After all, his martial arts cultivation only reached the 3rd rank of Spiritual Refining Period, with no internal strength and mediocre speed.

In front of the explosive Qiao Mu, he’s like a sitting duck that can’t even evade.

So Qiao Mu’s outburst this time only lasted for a moment, even though his blood vessels were damaged, it was not fatal yet.

Qiao Mu took a deep breath and looked down at his hands, now covered in blood.

Focused entirely, his arms’ skin seemed to move and breathe like independent creatures, and the overflowing blood instantly stopped.

With his mastered Shape Changing Skill, making the wound move to stop the bleeding was incredibly easy.

Qiao Mu wasn’t just trying to stop the bleeding and heal the minor injuries.

Through the Shape Changing Skill, he was attempting to repair the damaged internal blood vessels caused by the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method.

Although he couldn’t resist using the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method in the end, it didn’t mean Qiao Mu wanted to die.

Not wanting to seek death, nor to use death to refresh his body’s injuries, naturally, he had to try Wu Qizheng’s Shape Changing Skill.

"Back then, Wu Qizheng healed my Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method injuries with a piece of his own flesh… Looking at it now, Wu Qizheng was quite extraordinary."

"My skill at changing shapes is not as good as his, but it’s worth a try."

Qiao Mu stood still, trying to heal his wounds while looking down at Luohan, whose upper body he had almost beaten to a pulp, and lifted him up with one hand.

He stopped at the final Fourfold Wave, realizing Luohan’s pitiful state, not wanting to finish him off completely, and spared his life.

Qiao Mu was also very curious about this so-called martial artist who follows the path of martial arts.

He leaped up, carrying the half-broken body of Luohan towards his own residence.

"General Hai, this is not the place to talk, follow me."

…………

Qiao Mu’s residence was in shambles, with rubble everywhere, the front yard completely collapsed, but the backyard still intact.

Qiao Mu cleared a small area, looking at the old soldiers in front of him, and… a blind woman with her eyes tightly shut?

Huh?

Qiao Mu suddenly realized she was there.

Isn’t this Qiao Canxue? His attention was on Hai Siyuan and the other soldiers and he didn’t notice her at first, thinking she was just a passerby?

Hai Siyuan noticed Qiao Mu looking and coughed lightly to explain:

"Elder Lao, I brought this young lady to visit you and the senior Qiao Xiaoming… Where is Qiao Xiaoming?" Could it be that he…

"Qiao Xiaoming? Oh, he’s also doing well."

It’s well known that people named Xiaoming don’t really stand out.

It took Qiao Mu a moment to remember this was actually his flesh clone.

Maintaining the flesh clone required him to focus some of his energy. Although it wasn’t much, Qiao Mu had been drinking and slacking off lately, even neglecting his flesh clone.

Flesh clone Qiao Xiaoming was placed in a coffin in the guest room by Qiao Mu and went into a standby mode, but with a single thought, he could wake Qiao Xiaoming up.

The Copper Body Arhat seemed to have not looked closely, thinking Qiao Xiaoming was just a normal corpse. Otherwise, if they disturbed the sleeping Qiao Xiaoming, Qiao Mu would have sensed it in time.

"How is Elder Lao’s injury? Do we need to find a doctor?"

Qiao Mu said, "It’s nothing serious, just need some time to recover." It’s just a minor injury to the meridians, can be healed easily.

"Compared to my insignificant injury, this person…" Qiao Mu’s gaze fell on Qiao Canxue’s face.

After a long time, the two met again, but Qiao Mu was no longer Qiao Mu, he was now Qiao Shui, 210 years old.

He was unsure how to face Qiao Canxue, his old friend, in this new identity.

Looking back, the Long Life Fist, her entry into martial arts, and the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method that the Qiao family member relied on, were all taught by her. It was fitting to say she was a mentor in martial arts.

The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

Hai Siyuan immediately felt confused. He had never thought before that Qiao Canxue’s identity might be fake, but now seeing how they interacted, it didn’t seem like a typical reunion between grandparents and grandchildren. He furrowed his brow.

"General Hai, please don’t blame Qiao Canxue," said Qiao Canxue with her eyes closed as she explained.

"My real surname is Qiao, from the Qiao Family in Heyang City, Nan Province. Just like you, I was once helped by a member of the Qiao family. The young man from the Qiao family who I met back then was named Qiao Mu."

"Qiao Mu… he has passed away. I just wanted to find his family to show my gratitude."

Qiao Mu looked deep in thought, feeling a mix of emotions.

It had been a long time since anyone had mentioned the name Qiao Mu to him.

There were so many names in his memory that Qiao Mu’s had become lost in the forest.

"I see," Hai Siyuan’s tightly furrowed brow relaxed slightly, as he accepted the explanation.

Qiao Canxue quietly opened her eyes a little, observing the sharp young man named Qiao Shui in front of her:

"Has Qiao Shui ever been to Nan Province?" Qiao Canxue asked cautiously.

When Qiao Canxue was in Yan City, she was already blind, she had never seen Qiao Mu’s true face, only remembered his voice.

People’s looks, voices, and smells are not always the same.

The current Qiao Mu is already 210 years old, with the added refinement of the Shape Changing Skill, making him unrecognizable.

Although she didn’t recognize Qiao Mu, she vaguely remembered a glimpse of a well-dressed young man on a horse as she left Nan Province with her master Lingling Taoist Priest.

So she asked this question.

"Never been." Qiao Mu firmly denied and quickly changed the subject, raising the beaten Copper Body Arhat:

"Copper Skin, do you want to live?"

Luohan reluctantly opened his eyes and angrily said:

"You think I’m a child and can be easily fooled? Do as you wish!"

Before, this Luohan was quite arrogant, but he was a skilled martial artist at the third level, with a strong mind.

He already suspected that Qiao Mu spared his life to force him to reveal his martial arts secrets, showing a tough attitude.

Qiao Mu tested him and found the man was tough both on the outside and inside, stubborn and unyielding. Threats didn’t work.

Just as Qiao Mu was unsure how to proceed, a calm female voice sounded nearby.

"Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper, right?"

Qiao Canxue crouched beside Luohan, focused on his torn chest. His newly opened eyes were filled with mist.

Luohan, who had just been defiant, shivered.

"His body is no longer flesh and blood," Qiao Canxue explained.

"This is a special Taoist soldier made mainly of Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper through the use of Taoist techniques. It looks like a person, but it’s more like Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper disguised as a person."

Speaking of this, Qiao Canxue couldn’t help but glance at Qiao Mu, her emotions fluctuating.

"Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper is a pricey Taoist material known for its hardness. It is usually used to create treasures like protective copper bells for Taoist cultivators in the Foundation Building period or Golden Core period."

Qiao Shui being able to shatter this Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper Taoist soldier implies that this old martial artist from the Qiao family can break the protective treasures of Taoist cultivators with just one strike?

Luohan’s eyes twitched, wanting to argue but ultimately staying silent.

Qiao Canxue describing him as Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper disguised as a person truly made him, who held himself in high regard, feel humiliated.

But this was just the beginning.

"This is the first time I’ve heard of a Taoist soldier made from a living person, but I imagine that this method is not easy."

Qiao Canxue began to explain:

"This Taoist soldier is very brave, not afraid of the threat of death. He believes that even if his body is destroyed, as long as the immortal cultivator behind him comes, he can exchange for another copper body."

"So tricky? Can they still live even if they are smashed?" Hai Siyuan frowned.

In the desert, facing the bean soldier and bean general was already very difficult for him. Who would have thought there were also Copper Skin Soldiers with metal bodies?

"It’s not that simple," Qiao Canxue shook her head.

"The eternal goal of immortal cultivation is to live forever, but it’s hard to achieve," said Qiao Mu.

Qiao Mu, "Oh."

Qiao Canxue continued. Even the senior cultivators of the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates cannot bring people back to life, they can only manipulate souls.

"By continuously changing to new copper bodies after each death, it’s a kind of alternative immortality. If attaining immortality is that easy, the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates would be filled with Taoist soldiers like this."

She looked down, her gaze fixed on the Copper Body Arhat, and said slowly:

"Giving up the achievements of a martial artist to become a Taoist soldier is not the right path. Without a physical body, one is like a rootless floating duckweed, how can they easily attach themselves to the people at Cloud Patterns Mountain Copper?"

"The soul of a 3rd rank Spirit Refining martial artist is naturally incomparable to ordinary people, although it can be restrained by immortal techniques on a copper body, it cannot last forever."

"Not only can you not achieve longevity, but from the moment you abandon your physical body, your life is like a flickering candle in the wind, with little time left."

The eyes of Copper Body Arhat widened slightly, and his breath almost stopped.

Copper Body Arhat didn’t take Qiao Mu’s threat seriously, because even if he lost in battle, he still believed he was superior to ordinary martial artists and had immortal techniques to resurrect himself.

However, Qiao Canxue was clearly an immortal cultivator he needed to look up to, and with a single sentence, she saw through the vague unease in his heart.

Luohan wanted to retort but the growing unease in his heart almost consumed him, making him unable to speak.

After transforming into Copper Body Arhat, he somewhat noticed the peculiarity of this body, having some suspicions in his mind.