Flashback begins
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The chamber was carved into the heart of a mountain, its walls veined with ancient runes that pulsed like sleeping hearts. Incense smoke drifted through the golden light, scenting the air with sandalwood and lotus.
At the center, the master sat cross-legged upon a blooming lotus platform, hovering just above the stone floor. His indigo robes shimmered with silver constellations; his long white beard brushed the air as he breathed.
Before him, rows of disciples sat in reverent silence. The sound of quills on parchment, the faint rustle of sleeves which were the only echoes of life. Outside, waterfalls pulsed like the rhythm of the Dao itself.
"Master," said Yun Qian, standing with a bow. "If one succumbs to his inner demons and strays from the Zen Dao… can he still seek immortality?"
Silence stretched, as timeless as the mountain.
"The Tao is infinite," the master said at last. "It is the essence of all. None can be without it. I can only guide you for a breath's worth of eternity but," he paused. "The path of the wanderer aligned with the Tao will never truly stray."
"Disciple is enlightened," Yun Qian whispered, bowing again.
---
Flashback ends
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"Young Master, what's wrong?" Li Ping's voice was a frantic squeak.
"He's in a trance," the Oracle responded, her tone dry. "There's always a backlash when one steals a body."
"The original soul's memories are flooding in. Unless this host finds a reason to live, the original will devour him. The Oracle leaned forward, a curious smirk touching her lips. "Quite interesting," she murmured.
The words sank in, his eyes regaining their sea-green color. He had to find a will to live? A reason to live?How ironic. His gaze drifted to the bubbling cauldron, his expression unreadable. Did he want to?
As someone who had already witnessed the cruelties of the world, what else was there to say? Even if this was a whole new world, it wouldn't differ much from the other. Although his assumptions felt right, his curiosity was getting the better of him.
On the three-headed king cobra, which coiled around its owner's staff slithered down. On its back rested a tray.
Barat, the three-headed cobra, slid forward with a rattle, presenting a tray.
"Take this elixir," the Oracle commanded.
Barat slid the tray onto the table with a rattle, the cobra instantly drawing back to its previous position.
"It was refined from white devil mist from the Xuchong Realm and blue Zen roots from the Yancui Realm." Hissed the middle head.
"It's where we come from." The leftmost part continued.
"Master, can we go back home on the lunar year please?" The rightmost head whined.
"Silence." She hissed, the snake quickly retreating.
"The Xuchong Realm??" Li Ping gasped, shuddering violently. "That is the most dangerous among the Twelve! No, Young Master. You can't take this pill! The cultivators there practice the Art of Insanity, a heinous form of cultivation!"
"The Art of Insanity?" Johan repeated, a cold, fascinated smile touching his lips. "Interesting."
He reached out, plucked the jade bottle, and without another word, swallowed the entire elixir in one smooth gulp. He then adjusted his sitting position into a perfect meditative pose, preparing for the pill to take effect.
Li Ping wrung her hands, pacing a shallow groove into the dirt floor. "What if the Young Master dies? What if... I return alone? I'd be executed on the spot!"
"That's if we don't kill you first," the leftmost head of the cobra, its scales the color of old blood, hissed, its tongue flicking out towards Li Ping.
Johan's sea of consciousness opened, revealing a lush garden full of spiritual Qi. There was a greenish fog swirling between the branches.
"That must be the green devil mist," he thought, observing it with detached curiosity. Wherever he stepped, flowers bloomed. He finally arrived at the heart of the garden.
In its center held a man chained to the ground, surrounded by the green devil mist. His golden hair covered his face, the mist fueling the already unstable Qi. There was no doubt about it. He was the original owner of the body.