Drip…
Drip…
Lin Jing's consciousness slowly surfaced. When he opened his eyes, a damp, icy chill rushed straight at his face.
Where… is this?
The air was thick with an indescribable moldy stench, mixed with the smell of wet earth. The surrounding walls were covered in moss and dark mildew. Somewhere nearby, water dripped steadily, making the place feel even colder and more unsettling.
A prison cell?
After observing the dim surroundings, Lin Jing came to that conclusion—and found it absurd.
He had just passed an immortal's examination and was about to follow an immortal to cultivate, to pursue longevity. How could he end up in a place like this?
"You're awake?"
A sharp pain stabbed into his head. Before he could think further, a weak voice sounded nearby. Only then did Lin Jing realize he wasn't alone—he seemed to have a neighbor.
He tried to struggle, but found he couldn't move at all. His body was stiff, completely unresponsive.
"Don't waste your strength," the voice said again. "We've both been hit with a Body-Binding Spell."
"Who are you?" Lin Jing asked.
"Same as you," the man replied. "Kidnapped by immortal traffickers."
"…."
Immortal traffickers?
What kind of nonsense is that?
Lin Jing's mind raced as he searched his memories.
He was a transmigrator—from a blue planet.
After arriving in this world, he discovered that immortals and gods truly existed.
Since he was already here, Lin Jing quickly found new motivation.
He wanted to cultivate.
His memories stopped at the point where, after great effort searching for immortals, he finally passed the entry examination of a cultivation faction called Qingniu Daoist Temple, relying on his astonishing talent and heaven-defying physique.
Then everything went black.
When he came to, he was locked up here.
"Immortal traffickers…?" Lin Jing didn't know what to say.
Don't tell him the cultivation sect he worked so hard to find was actually a human trafficking den…
Damn it to immortal hell.
The weak voice spoke again.
"By the way… brother, what kind of physique do you have?"
"To be targeted by the Yin Corpse Sect means you must be a cultivation genius, same as me."
"Me? A genius?" Lin Jing didn't know whether to feel happy or miserable.
Thinking about it, that might actually be true. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be worth selling.
But the only advantage he gained after transmigrating now seemed to be a death sentence.
"Brother, don't panic," the man said. "Being kidnapped here doesn't mean we're completely done for."
"I'm not panicking. What happens next?" Lin Jing took a deep breath.
He was an optimist.
During his long illness in his previous life, encouragement from friends and family had shaped him into someone with a positive mindset.
With a good mindset, luck usually wasn't too bad.
Look at him—he didn't die, he transmigrated instead.
A free extra life.
"…The Yin Corpse Sect is one of the three great demonic sects of the cultivation world. They specialize in illegal human trafficking."
"They capture low-level cultivators or mortals with rare physiques and sell them to high-level cultivators—either for body possession or as resources to cultivate demonic techniques."
"Normally, our ending is obvious. Either we become someone's body for possession, or we're refined into human pills."
"But, brother…" the man continued, "we're not completely without hope. That's why I asked about your physique. Some special physiques don't meet such miserable ends."
The weak voice went on, "For example, I possess the Primordial Yang Physique. I'm a top-tier dual-cultivation furnace. Even if I die, it'll just be from essence depletion—pleasure to death. If I'm lucky and my buyer is a kind female cultivator, I might not even die… That's the sliver of hope I was talking about."
Lin Jing fell silent.
No wonder you're not panicking.
You sound like you're kind of looking forward to it.
"So what about you, brother? Let me help you analyze."
"Me…"
What exactly was his cultivation physique?
From what he knew, over ninety-nine percent of cultivators started with ordinary bodies. Only a rare few were born with elemental spirit bodies or special physiques, allowing them to go further on the cultivation path.
When he joined Qingniu Daoist Temple, Daoist Qingniu had said he possessed a one-in-a-billion physique—
The Longevity Physique.
A short-lived man with a Longevity Physique—Lin Jing himself found that ironic.
The Daoist claimed that once he stepped onto the immortal path, his lifespan would be at least ten times that of cultivators at the same realm.
The effect sounded plain, but it was still better than an ordinary body. Lin Jing had already decided to lie low in the Daoist temple for a few thousand years, cultivate until invincible, and only then emerge.
But who would've thought—
So… was this Longevity Physique actually real?
"If I really am a Longevity Physique," Lin Jing asked, "what would my ending be?"
"Huh? Longevity Physique?!" The Primordial Yang Physique man froze, then exclaimed in shock. His voice instantly grew stronger.
"You're actually a Longevity Physique?!"
"Then you're done for."
Lin Jing: ?
"It's said that although Longevity Physique cultivators live long lives, their flesh and blood grant 'eternal youth' when consumed," the man said solemnly. "I've heard that their flesh is a supreme tonic for demons—irresistible to demonic beasts."
"You'll probably… be sold by the Yin Corpse Sect to some Demon King and reduced to blood food."
Lin Jing: ?
So I'm Tang Monk now?
"That's… not so bad," Lin Jing said, relaxing instead.
"I still have a way out."
"What do you mean?" the Primordial Yang Physique man was stunned.
"I don't know much about the Longevity Physique," Lin Jing said calmly, "but logically, the higher a Longevity Physique cultivator's realm, the better the effect after eating."
"Which means I probably won't be eaten immediately after being sold."
"The Demon King might even forcibly raise my cultivation first before consuming me."
"And eating me all at once would be wasteful. If I were the Demon King, I'd slowly increase my quality—take blood, cut flesh, recycle and consume over time. Maximum value."
"I could even suggest that approach to him. Maybe we'd form a long-term partnership."
"…Better than being possessed outright, right?"
"Ah?" The Primordial Yang Physique man gasped in shock.
He desperately wanted to ask: Are you a normal human being? What the hell have you been through?
But in the end, he didn't ask.
The two fell silent.
Lin Jing stared upward, silent once more.
…
After an unknown amount of time—
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the prison.
Lin Jing and the Primordial Yang Physique man both opened their eyes.
Chaos erupted outside. It sounded like a battle.
Hearing this, Lin Jing suddenly thought of something and said, "Brother Furnace, didn't you say the Yin Corpse Sect only does illegal stuff? That it's a demonic sect?"
"That means the cultivation world should have righteous enforcement forces, right?"
"If that's the case, then isn't there another path for us—being rescued by righteous cultivators before we're sold?"
The Primordial Yang Physique leaned forward, surprised by how fast this mortal reacted. More importantly, his emotional stability was terrifying.
Also… he didn't have the surname Furnace.
"Right?!" Lin Jing remained calm. He knew it—heaven always leaves a way out.
This commotion… maybe some righteous fairy had come to save people!
As soon as his words fell, the stone wall shattered. The massive prison collapsed amid flying debris. From the ruins emerged a towering black bear demon, over two men tall, stepping forward.
Its muscles bulged grotesquely, its eyes burned crimson, and drool poured from its fang-filled mouth as it stared at Lin Jing. It spoke in human language:
"I smelled something fragrant from far away…"
"Damn, what luck—to find a Longevity Physique in a place like this, guarded by nothing but weak Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"Looks like I get a big feast today…"
The black bear finished speaking.
Lin Jing's smile slowly disappeared.
Wait—where the hell did this monster come from?