Chapter 148: Flesh and Soul

Gazing in the direction where the old man had departed, Liu Pan's expression shifted, and his heart wavered with uncertainty.

Although the old man had not exposed his presence, Liu Pan could not be certain whether he truly had gone unnoticed or if it was merely a facade.

To put it another way, at this moment he could not be sure whether he, like the protagonist Liu Kuang, was also trapped inside a meticulously arranged scheme.

Liu Pan had examined that fragment of garment frozen within the ice and torn away; it was not a black fabric at all, but rather a grey garment thoroughly soaked in blood.

Whose blood was it? Liu Pan could not be certain, but connecting it to reality, he deduced a possibility that came closest to the truth.

The realm of a Martial Saint—such a mighty powerhouse—whose blood could possibly splash onto his entire body, and even cover him completely?

An enemy's? This possibility was far too low, unless the old man's foe was equal to him in strength. Only then, amidst the fierce combat, would the old man have been too preoccupied to prevent the enemy's blood from splattering over him. Yet, drenched all over? Such a possibility was absurdly slim!

Or perhaps it was the aftermath of a massacre? Was the old man psychologically twisted, taking pleasure in slaughter and reveling in the thrill of blood splattering across his body? How deeply perverted would that be! Furthermore, given Liu Pan's current sensory perception, he could ascertain with certainty that the blood on the garment belonged to a single individual, making this scenario the least likely of all.

Setting aside these two possibilities and taking into account the circumstances the old man had displayed, Liu Pan felt that the blood on the garment likely belonged to the old man himself!

The primary reason for this deduction lay in the manner of the old man's departure.

Flying on a sword? When a Martial Saint realm powerhouse traveled, why would he choose to fly on a sword instead of utilizing spatial teleportation?

Had he not realized that the Ice Crown Lotus was a trap, had he not heard the old man's cough, and had he not seen that frozen, torn piece of garment on the ice, Liu Pan would never have given it a second thought.

Yet now, Liu Pan felt that the old man had chosen to depart via sword-flight perhaps because of the decay of his physical body.

In the Tianfeng Continent, although the pinnacle of martial cultivation was the Martial God realm, in this current era where resources were exhausted and the world was no longer suited for surviving heavenly tribulations, absolutely no one could attain the status of a Martial God.

"Martial Gods achieve eternal life, enduring undying through the ages." Today, this was merely a legend.

Without entering the realm of a Martial God, no matter how formidable one's strength, how high one's cultivation, or how long one's lifespan, the day of ultimate death would eventually arrive.

The physical body and the soul. Liu Pan could not pinpoint the exact relationship between the two. However, he remembered the distinction between Eastern and Western cultivation systems he had encountered back on Earth—namely, Eastern Immortality cultivation and Western magic.

Regarding immortality cultivation and magic, the exact relationship between the two was hard to define. Yet, the manifested effects of practitioners after training presented a sharp contrast.

In certain Eastern immortality traditions, the most common physical manifestation for practitioners was eternal youth; even with hair entirely white, their skin remained as rosy and elastic as an infant's.

Conversely, in the practice of Western magic, older mages typically possessed increasingly formidable mental power. In other words, their souls grew more powerful with age and cultivation time, yet their physical bodies generally withered to an astonishing degree.

Such Eastern and Western paths seemed mutually complementary.

Beyond immortality cultivation and magic, standing superior to them all should be the ascension to immortal divinity. True immortals and deities could achieve eternal life because their souls and physical bodies could coexist indefinitely.

Liu Pan was well aware of the internal settings of his own creation, and it was precisely for this reason that he concluded the Martial Saint elder's physical body had decayed, and to a severe degree at that.

Though his spiritual power was sufficient to perform teleportation, his physical body could no longer withstand the spatial pressure brought about by teleportation. This explained why the old man was stained all over with blood.

He had departed by sword-flight, but suddenly sensing that the Ice Crown Lotus had been stolen, in his urgency he had been forced to use spatial teleportation to return. Consequently, his decaying body simply could not endure the spatial pressure, causing it to hemorrhage.

The tragedy of a cultivator lies in spending a lifetime of training, only to forsake boundless splendor and realize at the very end that nothing at all remained grasped in their hands.

Should he follow? Despite having surmised the old man's condition, Liu Pan could not judge whether he himself was walking into a trap.

Was the old man's departure out of helplessness or was it a deliberate lure? Looking at the tattered piece of garment in his hand, Liu Pan truly could not be sure whether it had been left behind intentionally by the old man or merely by accident.

If it had been left intentionally, it was highly likely the old man had already detected his presence. Should he follow him, he would likely plunge straight into a scheme. Even if he could eventually leave the Northern Plains unscathed, he would undoubtedly be as deeply entrapped as Liu Kuang in the book, perhaps completely oblivious to the fact that he was walking into a snare.

Conversely, if it had been left by accident, it meant the old man had not noticed his presence. In that case, by quietly trailing behind him, he might uncover some of the hidden secrets lurking beneath the Tianfeng Continent, thereby gaining the initiative in many matters yet to come.

After wrestling with his thoughts for a moment, Liu Pan's gaze suddenly hardened. He clenched his fists, lifted his foot, and set off in the direction the old man had taken.

East of the frigid wasteland of the Northern Plains lay yet another completely uninhabited expanse, and Liu Pan believed the old man would never head in that direction without a reason.

Liu Pan had reasoned it through: regardless of whether the old man had detected his presence or not, following him should still grant him a degree of the initiative.

Setting aside his identity as the creator, if the old man had truly discovered him, there would be numerous implications. Liu Pan simply did not believe that the elder refrained from attacking him out of an inability to do so.

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse; a Martial Saint realm powerhouse, no matter how decayed his physical body, was certainly not someone an ordinary Martial King could contend with—unless the Martial Saint's soul had decayed to the point where he dared not use spatial power at all. Only then might Liu Pan have possessed a sliver of a chance.

Yet, despite being able to strike at him, the old man chose not to. At the very least, this meant his life would not be in immediate danger.

Of course, if the old man had remained oblivious to his presence, following him would undoubtedly yield massive rewards.

After traveling intermittently for days and nights, although Liu Pan neither caught sight of the old man nor found any traces left behind by him, he harbored an inexplicable feeling—the old man was directly ahead.

Seven days later, Liu Pan estimated he had covered a distance of nearly ten thousand miles, and right at that moment, a range of ice mountains loomed before him.

There was nothing particularly strange about ice mountains appearing in such a frigid, snow-covered wasteland. In fact, Liu Pan had already traversed two such mountain ranges prior to this.

Yet this time, upon drawing closer, a strange sensation suddenly welled up within Liu Pan's heart.

An illusion? Liu Pan raised his eyes and swept his gaze across the surroundings, his brows suddenly knitting together.

From a distance, he hadn't noticed anything amiss, but looking up now, Liu Pan abruptly discovered that the mountain ranges on either side seemed boundless. If he wished to avoid crossing this expanse directly, it would take him at least two days just to circle around it.

Something is amiss! Instantly, Liu Pan's spiritual power surged outward, probing toward the mountains before him.

A moment later, Liu Pan's expression froze slightly. He detected nothing unusual about the mountains themselves; however, he discovered a person...