Chapter 18: The Quest for Immortality

The most irreplaceable temptation in the path of cultivation lies in immortality.

This single phrase awakened Qin Jiajia from her reverie. She suddenly felt enlightened: “Just like those emperors in history who were obsessed with seeking immortality...”

“Immortality isn’t a desire exclusive to emperors,” Zhou Qing explained. “Throughout history, countless people have gone mad in pursuit of the immortal path. It’s just that the deeds of emperors were the ones most often recorded.”

“The world is a chaotic place where everyone chases after their own interests. For many, the allure of ‘immortality’ is strong enough to make them abandon everything else in pursuit of it. The benefits hidden within are so vast that they could shatter the entire social order.”

“If this secret were laid bare, and everyone knew immortality truly existed, countless people would stop at nothing to gain the chance to cultivate. All thoughts and ethics would be rewritten, all moral restraints would become mere empty words. At that point, humans would be no different from beasts.”

His tone remained calm, but Qin Jiajia felt cold sweat break out and took a long moment before she spoke again.

“But... I heard at the bureau that only those born with spiritual roots can cultivate, and these roots appear randomly. Those without them from birth can never acquire them later.”

“That much is true,” Zhou Qing shook his head. “But often, people only want to know what they wish to know, not the truth.”

He did not consider the pursuit of immortality a mistake. After all, he himself had once been a seeker, enjoying the blessings of longevity. From a purely selfish perspective, he even hoped everyone could achieve immortality, to spare many from the suffering of separation caused by limited lifespans.

Yet, the desire for the Dao is not only a driving force forward but can also become a disaster that wreaks havoc among humanity.

“About a thousand years ago... during the time when the Central Plains were divided between north and south, a group of cultivators practiced some dark and twisted path. They required large amounts of living flesh and blood imbued with the metal and stone elements for their rituals.”

“To obtain enough material, they concocted a pill called ‘Five Stone Powder.’ Mortals who took it regularly would gradually undergo physical transformation, eventually turning into their ideal ‘medicinal humans.’ The side effect was hallucinations and extreme agitation, which worsened with more consumption.”

“At first, these cultivators disguised the powder as a cheap medicine and distributed it among the common folk. Once the people had consumed enough, they were taken away to be refined.”

“It didn’t take long before the literati among the commoners noticed. To them, a medicine that induced a floating, transcendent feeling, and after a period, cultivators would come down and take them away...”

He sneered: “...In their eyes, it was the genuine ‘immortal pill,’ a divine elixir that could grant mortals spiritual roots and eternal life.”

Qin Jiajia opened her mouth but no sound came out.

She had seen the name Five Stone Powder in historical records before; it was a favorite among the Wei and Jin literati, even the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were said to be fans. Little did she expect such an absurd truth lurking behind it.

“After that, Five Stone Powder became wildly popular among the people. The literati scrambled to buy it, driving the price so high that ordinary folks couldn’t afford it, eventually affecting the state’s finances.”

“Later, it became exclusive to nobles and aristocrats. At banquets and rituals, Five Stone Powder was always presented as a precious gift, a symbol of status they treasured. Of course, under its influence, many of them became insane, living in drunken delirium, yet they were still the rulers of the state.”

Having witnessed many such precedents, he harbored no excessive resentment towards the authorities or sanitation bureaus.

While no bureaucracy could be filled entirely with saints free of desire, maintaining basic restraints and balances on those cultivators through order, ensuring most people could live freely without falling victim to greed and longing, was proof of the strength of modern governance.

Without their covert support, could society today function normally? He himself would not be able to live peacefully in retirement as he did now.

The current era was imperfect. Age-old ills persisted in every corner, and hidden desires still grew unchecked, but he still liked this time.

Of course, there were eras he disliked.

“What happened after that?” Qin Jiajia asked eagerly. “What became of those cultivators who spread Five Stone Powder and the aristocrats who pursued the immortal medicine?”

Zhou Qing casually took a sip of lemon water beside him and replied offhandedly:

“They all died.”

...

In the winter of the third year of Tian Tong in Northern Qi (567 AD), heavy snow fell in the east.

Snowflakes drifted down, settling on a gaunt skeleton lying by the roadside. The corpse lay on its back, eyes protruding, pupils dilated and reflecting the bleak sky, where two figures passed swiftly through the clouds.

A few days earlier, the Jiuli Sect had received a report of a Peach Blossom Spring faction active in this region, whose patrol disciples were powerless against them. The sect requested guest cultivator Zhou Wuqing to infiltrate Northern Qi territory and eliminate the enemy, accompanied by the Sacred Maiden Ye Qiansheng.

“...These people died of starvation.”

Ye Qiansheng crouched low, scanning the surroundings. Amid the vast snowstorm, corpses lay cold and stiff everywhere. Beyond them, withered weeds rotted in the fields, a few marketplaces had withered away, and the entire land was shrouded in a gray, deathly aura.

It was the twelfth month of that year, when floods devastated Shandong, and countless perished from starvation.

The Northern Qi royal court issued an edict for relief, but the treasury was empty. Within days of the edict, the disaster relief efforts came to nothing.

“Good times are limited. When some live well, others cannot.”

The voice came from the side. Ye Qiansheng turned to see Zhou Wuqing in a red Daoist robe, bowing on the cloud. He pointed at the air, and the snow beneath them melted, revealing something buried beneath.

It was a human corpse—a young woman holding a newborn infant.

The baby was so emaciated it was skin and bones, yet it did not seek its mother’s breast but sucked on one of her fingers. It seemed the woman had starved so long she had no milk left and had bitten her finger to feed the child with blood instead.

Both mother and child were already frozen stiff, their last actions turned into solid ice sculptures.

They said little and flew forward side by side. Every now and then, they passed more snow-covered corpses. Some were intact, but most were reduced to fragments, flesh stripped from bones, leaving raw white skeletons exposed.

Ye Qiansheng spoke: “Brother Zhou, do you think this calamity was caused by Peach Blossom Spring?”

“Killing doesn’t need the help of natural disasters.”

Suddenly, Zhou Wuqing halted and looked up, his eyes reflecting a twinkling golden star.

Following his gaze, the surrounding villages lay dull and lifeless in shades of earth and ash. But at the end, between the green mountains, a dazzling glimmer of gold flickered.

A few dozen steps further, the golden light expanded until it revealed a radiant altar for heaven worship.

The altar looked newly built, with white jade pillars and golden tiles. Even without sunlight, its brilliance dazzled like a celestial jade capital.

Amid the snow and wind came the sound of joyful singing. A group gathered before the altar, playing flutes and reed instruments, composing poetry and couplets.

In the midst of the winter storm, they wore only thin, elegant robes, yet seemed unaffected by the cold, their faces filled with dreamy delight.

Attendants poured clear wine and brought out small cloth bags. Opening them revealed colorful powders emitting a faint metallic and stone aura.

This was the “immortal medicine,” the famed Five Stone Powder. At current prices, these few bags would buy about eight hundred shi of grain—enough to feed two hundred households for a month.

Yet here, servants scooped up handfuls and dropped them into wine cups, drained swiftly by the literati at the table.

Their cheeks flushed, followed by a euphoric joy, and they sang loudly. Against the snowy backdrop, these lavishly dressed scholars danced lightly, their sleeves flowing, poetry and music swirling—a scene of Wei-Jin elegance.

“Great Qi is mighty, gods arrayed on the path!”

“The emperor is benevolent, the heavenly officials bestow blessings!”

“Immortals arrive, guiding us to eternal life!”

The wind carried their prayers into the mountains; the clouds rippled like waves. Though deep winter, a faint floral fragrance arose, spreading through the air as mist parted.

Celestial immortals riding phoenixes and cranes descended on clouds, their backs illuminated by the glowing plaque of the Jade Gate.

“Immortals have manifested! Immortals have manifested!”

The crowd before the altar knelt, heads striking the ground repeatedly. Many bled from their foreheads but seemed oblivious to the pain.

The rumors were true—they had ingested the genuine immortal medicine, and many gambled everything to obtain it, now witnessing this divine spectacle.

“Please, immortals, guide us to ascend!”

The immortals above lowered their eyes kindly and joyfully, like ancient sage-kings watching over their people. They descended with the songs of a hundred birds beneath a glow of auspicious light, rushing toward the mortals below—

Suddenly, an explosion shattered the scene. A blinding burst of flame struck the clouds, roaring into a towering inferno. In an instant, the auspicious clouds withered, bird song silenced, and charred corpses fell from the sky, overturning the wine tables.

A brief silence was broken by screams. Cups shattered, instruments cracked, and chaotic footsteps stamped and scattered in panic.

Above the altar floated a man in a red robe, wielding a sword that flickered with fiery light.

Amidst the blaze came furious battle cries and the clash of steel. Countless cultivators appeared in the flames. Facing the oncoming killing intent, he raised his sword, which shone with spiritual light.

The rush of wind cut through the air, fire flickered, flesh tore, and agonized screams rose and fell until all fell silent.

The last sound faded as Zhou Wuqing descended onto the altar.

---

The altar was now a hellish sea of fire. The worshippers had fled, leaving only a few disheveled aristocrats slumped on the ground, their eyes vacant as they stared at the ruined cups, plates, heaps of corpses, and pools of blood. It all happened too fast—they had yet to fully comprehend.

Ye Qiansheng landed beside him. She had been sent by their sect to supervise guest cultivators and prevent rash actions but did not intervene as Zhou Wuqing struck. Now she stepped forward.

“The Peach Blossom Spring scoundrels are eliminated. You...”

Before she finished, the aristocrats suddenly widened their eyes, as if awakening from a deep sleep and noticing their presence.

Trembling, they rose shakily, dusted off their blood-stained robes and hats, and after readying themselves, knelt deeply before the two.

“Please, immortals... guide us to ascend.”

Ye Qiansheng was stunned.

After a moment, she heard a soft laugh.

It was Zhou Wuqing beside her.

“Why wait for guidance?” He looked down at the kneeling aristocrats, his sword slightly raised. “I will send you to ascend now.”

“Brother Zhou!”

A white figure stepped forward—it was Ye Qiansheng, who had been standing aside.

“Brother Zhou, these aren’t cultivators. They were deceived by Peach Blossom Spring into taking the Five Stone Powder, altering their bodies, but they’re still mortals. If you kill them like this...”

“Dogs like these deserve the name mortal?” Zhou Wuqing sneered. “What, Sacred Maiden, do you intend to stop me?”

“If you kill them so, the elders who dislike you will surely accuse you of killing mortals, causing unnecessary trouble.”

She lowered her eyes. “The war situation is urgent. A man of your caliber shouldn’t waste effort on petty matters. As the Jiuli Sacred Maiden, it is my duty to handle sect troubles. So this time... please allow me to act.”

The sword sang, a spiritual sword glowing with light appeared in her hand. She stepped forward, pity shining in her downcast eyes.

“If there is a next life, better to be a dog in peaceful times than a man in chaotic ones.”

The sword fell, blood splattering everywhere.

...

[At the end of 567 AD, guest cultivator Zhou Wuqing and Sacred Maiden Ye Qiansheng traveled to Shandong. By the third month, they eradicated dozens of Peach Blossom Spring factions there, severing their incense offerings and extinguishing their legacy. Their names spread throughout northern lands, and thieves trembled at the mention.]

[In 570 AD, the Celestial Realm Conference reconvened. The sects united once more, led by Jiuli, with over fifty thousand cultivators under their banner.]

[In 572 AD, internal turmoil erupted within Peach Blossom Spring. The Buddhist sect and barbarian tribes all retreated southward, leaving the northern remnants isolated.]

[In 575 AD, the sect leader instructed the Northern Zhou human emperor Yuwen Yong. The emperor led 60,000 troops eastward to attack, targeting Heyin; the following year, the army advanced again, capturing Jinzhou and Bingzhou.]

[In 576 AD, the Jiuli faction took control east of the Qinling Mountains, pacifying thirty thousand remnants, opening the Taishan cave heaven, acquiring the core spiritual veins of the Central Plains, and governing the territory north of the Yellow River.]

[In 577 AD, the Northern Qi dynasty fell.]

Note 1: From the Book of Northern Qi: “In the twelfth month of Tian Tong’s third year, floods in Shandong caused countless deaths from starvation. Relief edicts were issued, but the matters were never carried out.”

Note 2: Due to lack of authoritative records on Northern Qi grain production, data from the Northern Wei period is used here.

From the Book of Wei, Biography of Li Biao: “One-tenth of households in the prefectures were taken as military settlers, each man with fields taxed sixty hu annually.”

From the Book of Wei, Treatise on Food and Goods: “Men aged fifteen and above received 40 mu of land, women 20 mu. One man and one woman rented out two shi of grain.”