QT- I’m Almost Died
Chapter 276. Only I Can Deal With It
Chief Yan stood at the edge of the forest, gazing at the unseen, endless thick fog.
He didn’t know what was happening inside, but he could hear the sounds of the soil being stirred and the branches swaying, and these sounds were getting closer and closer, as if they were right next to him.
Chief Yan wasn’t a particularly imaginative person, yet he could still sense that the stirring of the soil was due to the expansion of the roots, and the swaying of the branches was due to the growth of the canopy. Undoubtedly, that Bodhi tree, drawing upon the life force provided by countless people, was continuously extending outwards. It was bringing hell, truly and vividly, to the human world.
A cloud of black mist surged toward Chief Yan, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier of energy. This barrier was created by disciples of the Tianshui Sect using talismans arranged in a pattern, and its effectiveness lasted only two hours.
Now, these talismans inserted into the soil have been corroded by the black mist into gray triangular pieces. If they are not replaced soon, they will probably not be able to hold on any longer.
Chief Yan quickly stepped back, about to call for help, when he saw Chang Zhen and Chang Sheng running over with a bucket full of talismans, replacing the broken talismans one by one in a specific order.
“Have all the people from your Taoist sect arrived?” Chief Yan asked, coughing as he spoke. His once robust body had become much thinner. In just half a day, he had already fallen ill and was on the verge of collapse.
“Almost. There are still two Qianbei on their way.” As soon as Chang Sheng finished speaking, two dark figures darted down from the national highway, revealing two faces that were both extremely familiar and completely unfamiliar. They were the very two sect leaders who had been absent from this Taoist world salvation conference, but they were no longer the same as before. Instead, their eyes were bloodshot, their faces were ashen, and they had lost their souls.
Because of their effective cultivation methods, members of the Taoist sects lose their life force much more slowly than ordinary people, even if they become tainted by the karma of that Bodhi tree. However, these two were anomalies within the Taoist sects, they had already lost their souls and become walking corpses after only a few hours.
There is only one possibility for this situation, they have secretly consumed too many Bodhi fruits, accumulating extremely heavy karmic burdens that they can no longer bear.
Chang Sheng immediately understood everything and said with great distress, “No wonder the two Qianbei have made rapid progress in their strength in recent years. It turns out that it is because they absorb the karma that helped their cultivation.”
Chief Yan was not surprised at all. The higher one climbs, the more temptations and desires one encounters. Whether they can resist depends entirely on their own character. But how many people in the world have hearts of iron?
The first wave of people to come and fertilize the Bodhi tree were mostly like this. They were politicians, tycoons, and celebrities, but now they had all become soulless shells, bound to the military camp and unable to move. They needed meticulous care for their three meals a day, otherwise they wouldn’t know how to eat, drink, or use the toilet. You could shout their names in their ears, but they wouldn’t hear you, their ashen faces were filled with numbness.
Such people will only increase in number until the human race disappears from the earth.
Chief Yan dared not think any further. He walked heavily into the conference area and waved his hand, saying, “There’s no need to wait any longer. Those two sect leaders have already lost their souls and are now at the edge of the forest.”
Xuan Chengzi lifted the tent flap, looked outside, and then walked back with a somber expression.
Seeing his suppressed anger, the sect leaders knew without asking that Chief Yan was telling the truth. Since the blue fruit was so popular among the elite, how could the Taoist sects not have noticed it? They were people even the powerful and wealthy had to curry favor with.
Aside from the two sect leaders, there were many other Taoist practitioners who cultivated with those blue fruits. As a result, the already not very lively control center was now as quiet as a tomb.
“You all need to think of something. We can’t just sit here and wait to die.” Chief Yan covered his mouth with a handkerchief, coughing frequently. His condition was gradually worsening, and he was probably not far from death.
“There are two ways—— first is to destroy that tree, second is to sever the karma.” Xuan Chengzi said first.
“No one can destroy that tree.” A sect leader immediately retorted.
Someone else said, “There are two ways to sever cause and effect, one is for one of the parties who formed the cause and effect to die. The other is to pay off the karmic debt. Among you all, who can do either of these two things? My sect has a secret technique that can temporarily open a person’s third eye and allow them to see the connection between cause and effect. To be honest, I have already seen this world before, and now I want to show it to you as well.”
The man passed a black porcelain bottle down, “Each of you take a drop of the spiritual liquid, apply it to the center of your forehead, and then come with me.”
Everyone did as instructed, leaving the control center and standing on higher ground to survey their surroundings. Then, they froze in place. From the center of the thick fog, countless thin lines were projected out. These lines were bright white and glowed with fluorescence, extending outwards and connecting to the tops of everyone’s heads.
The nearby campsite, the distant city, and the even more distant mountains were all covered by countless fine lines, and each fine line represented a life.
Xuan Chengzi also saw a thin thread above his head and tried to snap it with his hand, but he couldn’t touch anything. However, he could clearly feel that this thin thread was continuously transferring his life force to the other side of the thick fog.
Meaning that humans are currently nothing more than spools of thread, and that tree is grasping the loose ends, slowly pulling them back into its grasp. As the yarn gets smaller and smaller until it disappears, human life will also come to an end.
“Do you see that? That’s the thread of cause and effect. Unbeknownst to us, that tree has already established a causal relationship with everyone. This relationship cannot be severed. We ate its fruit and used its power, so we must repay it with something of equal value. This is a rule established at the beginning of heaven and earth, which even gods cannot violate. So, everyone, you should give up.”
The sect leader wiped the spiritual liquid from his brow, closed his third eye, and could no longer bear to look at this hopeless world.
Chief Yan dared not blink. Honestly, it was a magnificent sight—— a sky woven with white threads, all being drawn back to a single destination, like bursts of fireworks or a beam of light, dreamlike and dazzling. If he didn’t know that each line represented a person’s life, he would surely be amazed by this magnificent sight.
But now, he only feels extreme fear and deep chill.
In a daze, he seemed to hear Teacher Fan’s prophecy again——I see multitudes of people making their way toward a place utterly devoid of light……. their bodies dissolving into the void, turning to dust and mist. I also see the mad grow madder, the vile grow viler, and the dark grow darker…… Everything is spiraling toward the worst possible outcome…….
Looking back now, every word of this prophecy fits the current scene perfectly. It turns out that humanity’s fate is to walk together into the thick fog and vanish into nothingness.
At that time, Chief Yan thought the biggest chaos would be the destruction of the national treasure, but now he realized that compared to this world-destroying tree, the destruction of the national treasure was just a small accident.
“Teacher Fan’s prophecy has come true. Teacher Fan’s words have never been wrong.” In extreme fear, Chief Yan blurted out.
One of the sect leaders immediately sneered, “Who the hell does Fan Jialuo think he is? He said before that he was the only one in the world who could deal with that tree, but as soon as he finished speaking, he was swallowed by that tree.”
“Did Teacher Fan really say that?” Chief Yan suddenly turned his head, staring intently at the man with his piercing eyes, and ordered, “Repeat his exact words!”
The sect leader scoffed and refused to speak again. The others also showed expressions of disdain, contempt, or indifference.
They had already scattered and fled, but Xuan Chengzi issued a Taoist decree that summoned them back to hold this salvation conference. If it weren’t for Xuan Chengzi’s sake, they wouldn’t have gotten involved in this mess. Ordinary people can’t save themselves, but they each possess supernatural abilities and will surely be able to survive the calamity.
So what if they lose life force? They can plunder enough life force from others to last a lifetime. With billions of people in the world, if they plunder just a little from each one, they can live in blissful ease for centuries or even a millennium. This is much more enjoyable than painstakingly cultivating in hopes of gaining longevity.
Since that sacred Bodhi tree has already done it, why can’t they? If the world becomes chaotic, it will actually be more beneficial for them.
Seemingly sensing their inner thoughts, Abbot Changjing felt a chill run down his spine. He lowered his eyes, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and slowly said, “This is what Benefactor Fan said at the time——If there is anyone in the world who can deal with it, it is only me.”
Chief Yan was stunned for a while before turning his head to look at the place covered with causal lines, and murmured, “Since Teacher Fan dares to say that, it means he must have a way. He never lies.”
“Then you can sit here and wait for a dead man to turn into a ghost and help you deal with that tree. We are too weak to keep you company.” The sect leader, who looked down on Fan Jialuo, was about to leave, and the people around him shook their heads and walked away.
Xuan Chengzi said coldly, “Everyone, don’t forget what the metaphysic society’s principles have been since ancient times. In the Dragon Protection War back then, the entire metaphysic society dared to fill the dragon’s lair with their blood. How can we back down today?”
“Xuan Chengzi Qianbei, it’s not that we dare not, but that we are powerless. Severing cause and effect and ending reincarnation are things that only immortals can do, we are all mortals. Even you, I’m afraid, don’t have that kind of power, do you?” The group turned and left without lingering.
Xuan Chengzi wanted to stop him again, but then he heard Chief Yan’s terrified voice, “What happened? Why did those white lines suddenly turn black?”
“Hmm?” The sect leader, who had already sealed his third eye, immediately took out the spiritual liquid from the bottle and applied it to his brow.
The others were already stunned, their mouths agape and their eyes wide open.
In an instant, the shimmering white lines turned black, looking extremely ominous. But when they touched each person, the feeling completely changed. They went from continuously drawing life force to continuously drawing death energy.
Why does a person die? Naturally, it’s because their vital energy is dissipating and their death energy is increasing. But what if the situation were reversed?
Leaving aside others, just looking at Chief Yan in front of them, the impact of this suddenly blackened causal line on him is now crystal clear.
He used to have sunken cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and a constant cough, as if he might fall to his death at any moment. But now he stood up straight, his eyes were bright, and he looked energetic. He took a few deep breaths, patted his chest with obvious relief, and exclaimed in surprise, “What’s wrong with me? I feel like I’ve suddenly become younger.”
“Your life force is no longer fading, instead, the death energy within you has been drawn away.” Xuan Chengzi stared at the depths of the thick fog entwined with black lines, his face full of astonishment and doubt.
“Amituofu! Excellent, excellent!” Abbot Changjing sensed it for a moment and immediately exclaimed with joy, “Cause and effect have been reversed!”
“How can cause and effect be reversed? It’s impossible!” Everyone retorted, yet they couldn’t explain what had happened to them.
Their wan and dejected appearance was visibly fading, replaced by a rosy glow. After the death energy was extracted, their bones felt as light as if they could leap into the sky with a mere tiptoe.
“It must have been Teacher Fan who did it! He’s not dead!” Chief Yan shouted, clapping his hands. Then he picked up his binoculars and stared intently at the center of the thick fog.
Meanwhile, the walkie-talkie clipped to his waist kept transmitting good news, “Chief, those who had lost their minds have now come to their senses.”
“Chief, the thick fog at the edge of the forest is dissipating!”
“Chief, those strange noises have stopped, and the tree doesn’t seem to be expanding any further!”
“Chief, the forest can now receive satellite signals after the fog dissipates, and this black hole-like extradimensional space is constantly shrinking!”
Chief Yan no longer needed to listen to the other words, because his eyes clearly told him that this originally unavoidable catastrophe was rapidly receding from humanity. The thin lines that turned from white to black were breaking one by one and then disappearing, which meant that lives were being saved and that deadly crises were being extinguished before they even began.
“This couldn’t possibly be from Fan Jialuo! Something must be wrong with that tree!” Someone said categorically, denying everything.
“Whether it’s thanks to Teacher Fan or not, we’ll find out once we go in and see for ourselves.” Chief Yan left these people behind and turned to leave.
Meng Zhong, who had been lying in a hospital bed, was now full of energy again. He was driving a military jeep onto the national highway, shouting, “Chief, we’re planning to organize another group of people to go into the forest to take a look. Are you coming?”
“Let’s go, hurry up!” Chief Yan climbed into the back seat without saying a word——
Meanwhile, Song Rui was sitting cross-legged under the Bodhi tree, admiring the fantastical sight of the blue fruits constantly falling and turning into points of light that then dissipated.
“How beautiful! Like countless shooting stars streaking across the sky. I never imagined that one day we would be sitting together watching the stars.” He turned to look at the tree trunk, his gentle tone as if he were whispering to his closest confidant.
“They say these are cause and effect.” Song Rui chuckled, “The kind of cause and effect that you can never shake off once you’re entangled in it, right? How interesting. So that’s how it preys on humans. Forcibly establishing cause and effect, and then starting to plunder. The path to godhood is indeed all the same.”
“I can’t shake the feeling that you’re in there. Tell me I’m right!?” Song Rui pointed to the only huge, trembling fruit that hadn’t fallen.
No one could answer him, yet he was captivated by the conjecture, staring intently upwards, afraid that a moment’s inattention would cause him to lose what was most important. Suddenly, he stood up, constantly turning his head to look around, his face full of vigilance. For a fleeting moment, he had an extremely strong feeling of being watched, but he should be the only living creature in this forest.
Could it be this fruit? He looked up at the sky again, pondering anxiously.
Then a strange thing happened. The deep blue fruit gradually turned black, and its plump, round skin quickly shriveled. The green leaves that had stretched endlessly along the tree canopy fell like raindrops and then melted into putrid liquid.
Instead of nourishing the tree’s roots, the putrid liquid, along with the thick black fog, was continuously absorbed by the shriveled fruit.
The fragile branches, dehydrated and unable to support the sunless dome, collapsed like a house, allowing the golden sunlight to stream in through the void.
Song Rui suppressed his heart palpitations and stared intently at the shriveled fruit, which was slender enough to reveal a long, slender human figure.
Suddenly, the fruit’s skin could no longer support the weight inside and slowly cracked open, allowing the humanoid object to fall through the crack. It then gracefully flipped in mid-air and landed steadily in a half-kneeling position.
He raised his head, facing the bright, warm sun, and looked at Song Rui standing under the tree trunk. A beautiful curve appeared on his thin, crimson lips, and his dark eyes seemed to be filled with stars. That handsome face, as if bestowed by the gods, could only belong to Fan Jialuo.
Song Rui was stunned.
Chief Yan’s army and the Taoist sects members arrived at this moment, and were astonished to see what was happening.
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