Chapter 162: Immortal and Indestructible

But at this moment, everything was already too late. Even if Lin Fan wanted to resist with all his might, his body deeply betrayed him. That familiar movement, that faint aura of calm, seemed as if forged through countless trials.

Lin Fan spread his arms, took a deep breath, and let the whip in his hand fall vertically to the ground. His sidelong gaze seemed to see through everything, piercing through layers of void, grasping the essence of the ultimate truth, comprehending the core of that essence.

"Ultimate Truth—Aerial Flourish Lashing."

Lin Fan's lips parted slightly as he softly uttered these words, a glint of sharp light flashing in his eyes.

Dragons and serpents coiled in practice, heaven and earth transformed, and the air was filled with countless lashes.

That Mie Qiongqi seemed frozen in the void by an invisible force, limbs spread wide, clothes flying off in an instant, leaving him completely naked.

The wildly dancing whip, its form unseen, tore through the void with a series of thunderous cracks.

Mie Qiongqi watched everything before him; his arrogant and ferocious expression vanished, replaced by sheer terror.

"I was wrong, please stop..."

"Bang..."

Lin Fan closed his eyes slightly, unable to bear the sight, but he had to comprehend the ultimate truth. No matter how harsh the scene before him, for the sake of art, for the future, to save the world, Lin Fan was willing.

If I do not enter hell, who will?

At this moment, the room was filled only with the cracking sound of the whip and the screams of Mie Qiongqi. The two rhythms intertwined, forming a unique celestial melody.

The whip in Lin Fan's hand traced one after another unfathomable rift, but now Lin Fan understood.

The ultimate truth of discipline was not to humiliate others, but to lead all beings toward the bright path of life.

Only by tasting one's own suffering can one see the truth.

Lin Fan had an epiphany, but after a moment, he sighed helplessly. He really couldn't keep making this up.

This ultimate truth of discipline was nothing but pure torture.

...

After a while, the truth ended. Lin Fan snapped out of his teaching trance and looked at Mie Qiongqi, who was covered in wounds. A trace of guilt flickered in Lin Fan's eyes.

His entire body was marked with long red whip welts, each one a disgrace.

For any upright man, this act was as severe as murder.

"I was wrong, I really was wrong. I'll be obedient from now on," Mie Qiongqi said at that moment, crawling over on all fours, his bare bottom exposed.

Tears and snot streamed down his face, making even the onlooker feel a pang of pity.

"Wait..." Lin Fan stopped him.

Are you kidding? Running over with your bare ass—what do you think you're doing?

Mie Qiongqi was truly terrified of Lin Fan now. When Lin Fan told him to stop, he dared not disobey.

"Put your clothes on," Lin Fan said.

"Yes." The once arrogant Mie Qiongqi now seemed to have undergone a major transformation, becoming much more docile.

This change filled Lin Fan with relief; at least his efforts hadn't been in vain.

Then Lin Fan found a stool and sat down, looking at the now obedient Mie Qiongqi. "Tell me everything you wanted to say, honestly."

"Yes." Mie Qiongqi nodded without hesitation, not daring to show any falsehood. This man had planted deep fear in his heart. Whenever he saw him, Mie Qiongqi felt completely defenseless, as if everything about him had been breached.

"I am a proud disciple of the Holy Sect. Because a treasure was very important to me, I killed my junior brother for it. That treasure could elevate my cultivation technique to the next level, allowing me to reach the realm of Rebirth and Immortality," Mie Qiongqi said.

Lin Fan nodded slightly as he listened, but when he heard about the technique, he immediately didn't believe it. How could such a technique exist?

Rebirth and Immortality? That meant dying and being reborn anew? But could such a technique really exist?

At this moment, Lin Fan grew angry. Had Mie Qiongqi not been successfully disciplined? Was he daring to spin tales in front of him?

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the secret room became oppressive. Mie Qiongqi noticed Lin Fan's anger and quickly said, "I'm telling the truth, not a single lie. I found the technique in a relic. The sect has records of that relic—it was left by an ancient great power."

"What is the technique called?" Lin Fan asked.

"Immortal and Indestructible," Mie Qiongqi said tremblingly.

"Recite it. Let me see if it's real or fake," Lin Fan said with a straight face, but inside he was overjoyed. Such an awesome technique—if he could cultivate it, he'd soar to the heavens.

"Immortal and Indestructible"—just the name sounded incredibly powerful. With his system's boosts, he could level up endlessly.

"I don't know," Mie Qiongqi said after thinking for a long time, finally uttering these words, his eyes fearful as he looked at Lin Fan. "I really don't know."

Lin Fan squinted and smiled at Mie Qiongqi, but inside he was starting to break down. Was this guy playing dumb with him? He had been so sincere and caring, and this was how he repaid him? Unforgivable.

Lin Fan gripped the whip tightly. Perhaps the discipline just now wasn't thorough enough; maybe it was time for a harsher round.

At that moment, Mie Qiongqi saw Lin Fan stand up and looked fearfully at the whip that terrified him, trembling all over.

"I really don't know. At the time, a will entered my consciousness. Every time I tried to see the technique clearly, it became blurry and I couldn't make it out," Mie Qiongqi said hurriedly, afraid that if he delayed, he'd suffer another round of whipping.

Lin Fan looked at Mie Qiongqi's terrified expression and relaxed his brow slightly. What was going on? Mie Qiongqi didn't seem to be playing tricks. Could it be that "Immortal and Indestructible" had some unspeakable secret that made it impossible to replicate?

"Sometimes I dream of a very strange place. There are many bizarre creatures and many martial artists. Those people could split heaven and earth, pluck stars and moons, and do anything. But suddenly, everyone died. The sky turned blood-red, and bodies fell one after another..."

As he spoke, Mie Qiongqi's expression grew somewhat manic, his hands trembling as he gestured, as if describing something horrifying.

"Enough, shut up." Lin Fan's head was pounding. Such a good thing was right in front of him, but he couldn't obtain it. How frustrating.

Just as Lin Fan was about to press further, voices came from outside.

"Elder, Uncle Lin is inside disciplining Mie Qiongqi," a disciple outside said.

"Mm, let's go in and take a look. This Mie Qiongqi is extremely vicious; we can't let Junior Brother Lin get hurt."

Lin Fan shot a glare at Mie Qiongqi, signaling him to behave, then tossed the whip aside. His expression shifted, adopting a gentle, instructive look.

As if everything were perfectly fine.

"Do you realize your mistake?"

...