The Legendary Man

Chapter 819 Rent

Aetomoye didn't expect Jonathan would ask a profound question like that in a deadly situation.

Aside from shock, he felt puzzled. “You're asking that now?”

“That's right.” Jonathan nodded and answered matter-of-factly, “Since we're just staring at each other right now, I may as well utilize the time to learn more. How do you think I managed to raise my cultivation level this quickly? It's because I love learning. Whether through experience or understanding, the more information I absorb, the more I expand my knowledge. It also helps me solve any problem I encounter when cultivating in the future.”

The more he spoke, the gutsier he sounded. By the end, he was practically painting himself as a studious, inquisitive, and positive figure.

In response to Jonathan's fiery speech, Aetomoye waved his hand. “Please stop tooting your own horn, Mr. Goldstein.”

Jonathan rubbed his hands together and smiled obsequiously. “You're my senior in terms of cultivation, Aetomoye. Heck, I'm even willing to call you my mentor. Since we're in a stalemate and have nothing better to do, I thought I'd ask you that question. Of course, you're free to ignore me if you like. I'll just keep thinking about how to kill you.”

As he spoke, he started making himself somewhat transparent, as though he was going to disappear at any moment.

Just as Jonathan's figure was about to vanish, Aetomoye spoke. “Wait.”

While he had taken control of Jonathan's blood with the power of his Pryncyp, that was all he could do.

He had no access to other parts of Jonathan's body because he wasn't the owner of the body he was residing in. If I want to negotiate with Jonathan, I need to relent a little. After all, both of us are trying to stay alive.

When Jonathan rematerialized his figure, he gazed at Aetomoye with annoyance. “What's up?”

He was acting as though he wasn't the one who had just asked a question.

Upon sighing, Aetomoye answered, “Since you've asked, I suppose I can provide you with my insight.”

“Okay.” With a wave of his hand, Jonathan summoned a table and a chair on the empty stage.

After taking his seat, he materialized a blackboard next to Aetomoye.

Jonathan's act amused Aetomoye. “These are just illusions, Mr. Goldstein. There's no need to do this.”

A brief silence later, Aetomoye raised his head and lectured, “Different cultivators refer to what you call 'life force' with distinct terms, such as vital energy, life energy, etc. Some even call it a soul! In the end, these are just different names for the same thing, the purest energy in existence. You can think of this energy as consciousness, but it's not spiritual sense. A person's soul follows them from birth until death. Even though it can't be described, it is undeniably real.”

Suddenly, Jonathan raised his hand. “What does the soul rely on to exist? For example, when the body of a mortal dies, their life force disappears. However, a cultivator like you can abandon their body and continue to exist as long as there's blood around. In that case, the soul clearly doesn't need a body to keep existing.”

Aetomoye nodded.

As the number one Divine Realm cultivator, he would usually answer any questions the core cultivators in his religion had in Bazar Temple.

However, he rarely saw individuals like Jonathan, who was always eager to learn regardless of the circumstances.

Aetomoye clasped his hands. “That's a good question. I thought the same when my flesh was destroyed. According to my personal understanding, the soul is my consciousness, my thoughts. It has nothing to do with the body. For example, when a mortal dies, even though their consciousness wants to keep living, it can't because it has lost what's keeping it alive. And so, their soul vanishes. However, someone like me can stay alive without a body by relying on the power of a Pryncyp. That power provides me with the nutrients I require to sustain my thoughts. Therefore, my soul remains intact. Do you understand?”

Jonathan stood and bowed. “You really are a wise cultivator, Aetomoye. So you're saying that your life force relies on your Pryncyp's power to hold itself together from dissipating?”

“That's right.”

A grin formed on Jonathan's countenance. “I understand everything now. As long as you have a life force, I can pull this off. Just wait, Aetomoye. I'll find a way to kill you!”

Meanwhile, Aetomoye was slightly spacing out.

In the next moment, he sensed a strange movement.

When he returned to the bloodstream, he realized Jonathan's meridian was surging with spiritual energy.

Back in the real world, the religious cultivators attacking Hossom suddenly leaped backward as if they had just seen a ghost.

Hossom was shocked by their abrupt retreat. After turning his head back, he saw Jonathan sitting on Divine Chessboard with gritted teeth.

“As long as you have a life force, I can kill you!” Jonathan activated the Ancient Sacred Dragon Technique as he used the surging spiritual energy in his meridian to channel his vitality.

His meridians were starting to tear themselves apart due to overexertion.

“What are you doing, Jonathan?” roared Aetomoye.

“What do you think? I'm going to destroy myself and take your life!” As Jonathan howled in pain, he successfully forced his spiritual energy to flow backward.

An ordinary cultivator would be in debilitating pain if even a little bit of their spiritual energy were flowing in the opposite direction.

Yet, at that moment, Jonathan was forcing nearly a third of his spiritual energy to do just that.

He gritted his teeth and released a muffled grunt instead of vomiting blood.

“Die, you son of a b*tch!” As he yelled, his meridians were ripped apart. The root of his cultivation was instantly demolished and even rushed straight into his elixir and energy field. “If you want to live inside me, you have to pay rent!”