Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 357: The Unwilling Fisherman, Upon the High Tower

The most helpless feeling in the world is seeing the way out, yet being unable to open the door.

He was only a step away from leaving, yet it felt as though he were worlds apart.

Yang Chan walked along the high city wall and found three more gates, but all of them were shut tight. After several failed attempts, he ended up back at the very first gate he had discovered. ’How helpless,’ he thought.

The path he’d envisioned for his escape was hopeless. His Daily Potential Point Collection had already dropped to 3.5. If this kept up, it would be halved again once his supply of Elixirs ran out.

Left with no other choice, Yang Chan could only head in the direction indicated by the Incomplete Seal in his hand.

He had avoided this path until now, having had a feeling that it was not a good direction to take. For a Martial Arts Expert like him, such feelings were a form of warning.

But now, Yang Chan had no better options. If he continued to dawdle and was still inside Taiyin Heaven when it closed, he wouldn’t be able to leave for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. That was a fate Yang Chan could not accept.

The farther he walked in the direction of the Incomplete Seal’s guidance, the denser the forest became. Trees taller than five or six meters began to appear, and he spotted more and more Exotic Beasts. At the same time, the number of hidden Spirit Medicines also increased.

Yang Chan had already acquired several types of Superior Spirit Medicine, all of which he stored in his pack.

Simultaneously, Yang Chan could clearly sense that the closer he got to the center, the higher the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the air. For someone with his keen perception, this sensation was unmistakable.

He could even feel his physical body strengthening faintly with every breath. If the conditions in Taiyin Heaven were even half as good as those in the Cyan Yuan Sect—especially if there was Earth Fire for Refining Elixirs—he might have even considered staying.

Unfortunately, the deeper he went, the more dangers he faced. He had already come across more than five Exotic Beasts, but he never made a move, choosing instead to avoid them from a distance.

Though he spotted Top Level Spirit Medicine in their territories, Yang Chan chose to pass them by. For one, he had no use for Top Level Spirit Medicine at the moment. More importantly, fighting an Exotic Beast in the dense forest would create a huge commotion, likely attracting the attention—or even a sneak attack—from other beasts.

He could face danger even in victory, and defeat would be even more disastrous.

Therefore, regardless of the outcome, a fight was not a good option for him. Besides, he still didn’t know what dangers lay in the direction the Incomplete Seal was pointing. So, as he advanced, Yang Chan avoided conflict whenever possible. An unnecessary battle was a battle best avoided.

Fortunately, though the detours added some time to his journey, the path was smooth until he saw a tall tower standing in the middle of the woods.

It was pure white and uniformly smooth. The clearing around the tower was particularly strange, like a forbidden zone for all life.

Its appearance reminded Yang Chan of the high city walls. They too contained a special power that repelled life. This place and the area by the walls seemed to achieve the same effect through different means.

He hadn’t tested it, but he could tell a few things just by looking.

The trend of encountering more Exotic Beasts the deeper he went also vanished here.

Within a ten-li radius of the tower, despite the presence of some short grass and trees, there were no Exotic Beasts to be seen. This was strange, as Yang Chan could feel the Spiritual Qi was even denser near the tower. This was inconsistent with Chang Li.

The denser the Spiritual Qi, the more beneficial it was for these Exotic Beasts, so they were bound to fight over such territory.

On his way here, he had seen a lion-headed, bull-bodied Exotic Beast fighting with another that radiated Nether Qi, both vying for territory.

Although there was a chance to be the fisherman who profits while the snipe and the clam grapple, Yang Chan didn’t dare get close. The Combat Power of the two Exotic Beasts had reached the Peak Level of Internal Refining of the Five Viscera. They were both incredibly tough. Even if he wanted to play the fisherman, he would need absolute strength to back it up. Otherwise, he’d just be a slightly bigger fish, destined to be eaten himself.

The closer he got to the center, the stronger the Exotic Beasts became. The only good news was that he hadn’t yet encountered an Exotic Beast at the Bone Marrow Cleansing Grandmaster Level; otherwise, his situation would be even more dire.

The fact that no powerful Exotic Beasts were occupying the area around the tower was, for now, good news for Yang Chan.

Of course, this good news was likely temporary. The absence of Exotic Beasts could mean the tower possessed a special power, or it could mean something even more dangerous resided there.

It was only because he couldn’t find any other way out that Yang Chan had chosen to come to this place he’d never intended to visit.

The Incomplete Seal in his possession had been pointing to this tower all along. He had no idea what was inside, but now he had no choice but to risk it and press forward. Only by entering it could he possibly find an exit.

As for waiting for the others who had entered Taiyin Heaven to find him, Yang Chan had already given up on that idea.

He had been in this area for several days without seeing a single soul. He suspected the Incomplete Seal had brought him to an isolated Secret Realm within Taiyin Heaven. Who knew how long it would take for someone else to find this place.

Yang Chan couldn’t wait indefinitely. He didn’t know how much time was left before Taiyin Heaven closed, and missing that window would be an irreversible disaster for him.

’Rather than rely on others, I should rely on myself.’ Finding a way out, leaving Taiyin Heaven, and returning to the Cyan Yuan Sect was his best and only choice.

With this thought in mind, Yang Chan’s pace never faltered, his figure drawing ever closer to the tower.

The closer he got, the more clearly he could make out the tower’s appearance.

He estimated the tower was at least five hundred meters tall, much higher than the three-hundred-meter city walls. Layers of shimmering light wreathed it, making it look all the more extraordinary.

The smooth, white tower seemed utterly out of place in the dense forest, as if it were an object from another world that didn’t belong.

Yet, the two coexisted in the same area without interfering with one another.

A very clear dividing line ran between them, separating one from the other.

By now, Yang Chan had left the forest behind and was standing on the bare ground. He didn’t press on. Instead, he dug into the earth, and sure enough, it was just like the ground near the city wall.

The side closer to the forest was black soil, while the side closer to the tower was sand and gravel, as if all the topsoil had been stripped away. Trees could hardly survive in such ground. Furthermore, a special, isolating power was present. Though faint, it was surely the reason nothing could grow there.

This power was the same as the one Yang Chan had sensed by the city wall. In comparison, however, the power near the tower was much stronger. It even gave him the feeling that the tower was the source of the power, and the city walls were merely touched by a fraction of it.

This thought surfaced in Yang Chan’s mind and lingered, causing his expression to grow even more solemn.

’This tower... is far from simple.’