Under the dim candlelight.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".

Li Shiwuwu's face was full of fear, shaking his head continuously.

"Master... Master, you've searched for the Seed Immortal Temple your whole life. Now that it's within reach, how can you give it to your disciple?"

"No... it's not possible."

Outside the temple gate, Qian Yuanzi's face was fierce: "Shiwuwu, I'm laying it out for you."

"Tonight, this human skin of yours, you will peel it off, whether you want to or not."

"Otherwise, you know what I'm capable of."

Having laid down his threat, Qian Yuanzi glanced around the temple interior a few more times.

Then he turned back, his pair of withered hands like eagle claws grabbed Hua Erling and Guan San, throwing them into the temple.

Afterward, he picked up a handful of gravel from the ground and scattered it across various spots inside the temple.

After confirming no traps were triggered, he still wasn't at ease. He removed Lord Guan from his earlobe, transforming it into a massive bronze toad, and sat cross-legged atop its head.

Only then did he leisurely enter the temple.

"Ha, this rundown temple in the wilderness, and you expect me to believe it's the Seed Immortal Temple? Ridiculous," Qian Yuanzi sneered with disdain.

Indeed, as he said, after pushing open the door of the temple, there was only this one room, extremely simple.

"Tsk tsk, that rebellious disciple really put in the effort, even found a pile of black soil to spread on the ground. It's a pity I told him about the Seed Immortal Temple alone before."

Qian Yuanzi rode Lord Guan around the temple, pinching his chin.

"Still, he really is ruthless to himself."

"To deceive me, he even dared to skin himself alive."

After speaking, Qian Yuanzi tapped Lord Guan's head with his finger, and a toad leg extended, kicking Shi Erba's broken corpse heavily against the wall, where it exploded.

In an instant, the viscous flesh mixed with the smell of blood splattered all over the room, making one nauseous.

Guan San quickly spoke up, still in his muffled voice.

"Master, you mustn't be fooled."

"Shi Erba and Shiwuwu are full of tricks, just trying to set you up."

His eyes shifted, and he added, "I remember now."

"Master, once when you were drunk, you mentioned that when you kidnapped Shi Erba as a baby, you slaughtered his entire village, over a hundred people."

"The fire burned for three days and nights without extinguishing, leaving only him alive."

"I think that's why he's willing to do anything to harm you."

Qian Yuanzi's mismatched eyes showed contemplation, his crooked mouth forming a sinister smile: "In that case, everything makes sense."

His gaze, like a hook, fell on Li Shiwuwu once more.

"Obedient disciple, be good, peel yourself and entertain your master."

"Don't force me to do it myself."

Inside the temple, the weak candlelight still flickered, casting shadows of the people, pulling and jumping continuously.

In Li Shiwuwu's eyes, there was an indescribable terror and unease.

Of course, all of this was a facade.

The real him, at this moment, was like a lone boat in a stormy sea, completely mad.

And the root of all his schemes was simply the belief that the Seed Immortal Temple was real!

"Master... Master, this immortal fate can only be enjoyed by one. After I 'seed immortal,' you won't be able to use it," Li Shiwuwu still spoke with a tone of unwillingness.

"Stubborn fool."

Qian Yuanzi's forehead veins bulged, his face twisted with rage, clearly running out of patience.

"Fine... fine, I'll peel... peel..."

Li Shiwuwu's steps trembled as he slowly walked to the corner, picking up Shi Erba's small knife.

Under Qian Yuanzi's watchful eyes, he removed his tattered robe, revealing a sturdy chest hardened by years of wandering.

"Shi... Shiwuwu, don't," Hua Erling covered his mouth tightly, signaling with his eyes.

But Li Shiwuwu only glanced at Qian Yuanzi, then took a deep breath.

Holding the knife in his right hand, the sharp blade seemed to have eyes, easily slicing a straight line across his chest.

Blood dripped from the knife tip, staining the ground a bright red.

Li Shiwuwu dropped the knife, spreading his arms...

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

In an instant, the sound of skin separating from flesh was clearly audible in the temple, echoing in everyone's ears.

Li Shiwuwu's body tensed, bending like a bow, his eyes bloodshot, and he let out a beast-like growl, as if the pain was unbearable.

"Shi... Shiwuwu!"

Hua Erling's eyes filled with tears, and when he looked at Qian Yuanzi, he could no longer suppress the hatred in his eyes, wishing to tear apart the one who brought them such misery.

As for Guan San, though he had thick eyebrows and a simple appearance, his lips curled with a face full of schadenfreude.

As for Qian Yuanzi.

Sitting atop Lord Guan, leisurely holding a wine jug, he seemed very pleased with the bloody scene Li Shiwuwu was enacting.

"Not bad, truly not bad, goes well with wine!"

He chuckled continuously, taking a sip now and then.

Only Li Shiwuwu kept his head down, moving very slowly, very slowly.

No one could see the flames burning fiercely in his eyes.

Time passed by the second.

And it was at this moment, silently, something strange happened.

Li Shiwuwu gradually realized that an invisible vitality was continuously flowing into his body from the black soil beneath his feet.

This vitality was peculiar.

It did nothing to alleviate the pain of peeling his skin, yet it kept him alive, preventing him from dying from excessive blood loss.

No wonder!

No wonder Shi Erba was willing to skin himself alive!

A realization dawned in Li Shiwuwu's heart.

If the Seed Immortal Temple was real, perhaps one truly needed to skin oneself alive to successfully 'seed immortal.'

And the peeling could be seen as a bizarre ritual before 'seeding immortal.'

Once the ritual began, it couldn't be stopped.

Stopping would halt the flow of that strange vitality into the body.

Clearly, Shi Erba couldn't endure the pain of peeling, causing the ritual to be interrupted, the vitality to cease flowing, and ultimately losing his life in vain.

So all Li Shiwuwu could do now was grit his teeth and endure.

"Obedient disciple, how does it feel?"

Qian Yuanzi squinted with a smile, thoroughly enjoying the bloody scene before him.

"Master... Master, I can't peel anymore."

"If I peel any more, I'll die. No, if I continue, this immortal fate will truly be mine."

Listening to Li Shiwuwu's weak voice, Qian Yuanzi shook his head with delight.

"That won't do."

"Everyone knows, I care for my disciples the most. This immortal fate, I'll let you have it."

Li Shiwuwu fell silent.

He only tried to adjust his breathing as much as possible, to avoid fainting from the pain.

For a moment.

The eerie red candlelight, the dripping blood, the vicious old Taoist...

Everything combined to form a bizarre and absurd picture, slowly unfolding within this temple.