229: With my soul, I will refine my immortal body.

"Reincarnation?"

Myriad Corpse True Person's laughter echoed in the deathly silence, starting low like an owl's sob, gradually rising, and finally turning into a frenzied, mad laugh.

He bent over laughing, tears mixing with foul blood as they flowed from his single eye.

"Su Lin, you are too arrogant."

Myriad Corpse True Person slowly straightened his back. In that cloudy eye, where was there any sign of the defeat and despair from just a moment ago?

"A favored child of heaven like you, possessing enviable talent, a group of disciples who would die for you, even the Heavenly Dao cannot kill you..."

His voice became hoarse and low, carrying a deep-seated malice and envy.

"You don't understand at all what people like us with mediocre Aptitude have paid to climb to this step today."

"Reincarnation?"

He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his gaze contemptuous.

"After drinking Meng Po's Soup and crossing the Bridge of Helplessness, all past lives and memories are severed.

Would that still be me? That would just be a stranger with my True Spirit Mark!"

"I, Myriad Corpse, have cultivated the Dao for thirty thousand years, not to become another person and start over!"

"I did it for longevity! For eternity!"

He spread his arms, and his originally shriveled body suddenly began to burn.

That wasn't spiritual fire, but Soul Fire.

He was burning all the remaining Lifespan and vitality he had left.

"Not good!"

Su Lin's eyes narrowed, instantly sensing something was wrong.

"Stop him! He's going to discard his Physical Body!"

"Too late!!"

Myriad Corpse True Person shouted sharply.

*Puff!*

With a muffled sound, his Physical Body actually exploded.

The moment it exploded, it turned into bone ash filling the sky and dense Corpse Qi.

And within that grey mist was a small figure with an extremely cold aura.

The Nascent Soul's face was exactly the same as Myriad Corpse True Person's, only more hideous and more frenzied.

It didn't flee into the distance, but instead turned into a streak of black lightning, rushing straight towards the headless immortal corpse that had just fallen nearby!

"With my soul, I refine the Immortal body!"

"Divine Soul... Parasitism!!"

"Don't even think about it!"

Su Hongling, who was closest, reacted the fastest. Without thinking, the great sword [no edge] flew from her hand, turning into a black light in an attempt to cut off the Nascent Soul's path.

At the same time, Luo Ximei's Soul-Seizing Hook-Lock, Chu Weiwei's Bone-Corroding Poison Needle, and Mu Qingxue's Ice Sword Qi all struck at the same time.

Four Divine Abilities powerful enough to insta-kill those at the Body Integration Stage sealed off all angles for the Nascent Soul.

However.

Facing this certain-kill siege, the Nascent Soul didn't have the slightest intention of dodging.

A strange smile appeared on its face.

"Explode!"

Following its shrill cry.

The bloody sludge left behind by the thousands of exploded Corpse Cultivator Disciples scattered around the altar suddenly boiled again.

Countless blood-red vengeful souls crawled out of the sludge, instantly condensing in mid-air into a massive blood-colored shield composed of countless pained human faces, blocking behind the Nascent Soul.

The four attacks slammed heavily into the blood shield.

But this brief moment of obstruction was enough.

Myriad Corpse True Person's Nascent Soul had already rushed to the chest of the headless immortal corpse.

That was exactly the wound Su Lin had blasted open earlier; though it had mostly healed, it was still a weak point.

"He's in!!"

Chu Weiwei let out a startled cry.

The black Nascent Soul didn't hesitate for a second and dove directly into the immortal corpse's chest.

*Thump.*

The massive body of the headless immortal corpse, which had been as dead as an object, suddenly gave an extremely slight tremor.

Then.

*THUMP!*

The second heartbeat was even more powerful and duller than the first.

Like the beating of a war drum, it made the surrounding air hum.

A brand new, terrifying fluctuation—a mix of immortal spiritual qi and extreme Yin Corpse Qi—began to spread wildly outward with the immortal corpse as the center.

"Retreat!"

Su Lin's expression changed drastically. He flickered and appeared in front of his four disciples. With a wave of his sleeve, he activated the Space Law, instantly taking everyone back a thousand feet.

Just as they left their original spot.

A greyish-white shockwave erupted from within the immortal corpse, sweeping across the field.

The incredibly hard bone altar collapsed instantly like a sand pile under this shockwave.

"This... what kind of power is this?"

Su Hongling shouldered her great sword as it flew back, her throat feeling a bit dry as she watched the terrifying scene before her.

"It's not spiritual power, nor is it Devilish Qi..."

Luo Ximei's heterochromatic eye stared fixedly at the center of the dust, her expression grave to the extreme.

"It's Law... distorted Law."

The dust slowly cleared.

The tall figure reappeared in everyone's vision.

The headless immortal corpse had stood up.

It was ten zhang tall, its entire skin a strange greenish-grey. The immortal corpse, which had been as lustrous as jade, was now covered in black corpse spots.

And at its chest, the original wound had healed, and a massive, hideous human face had grown out.

It was the face of Myriad Corpse True Person.

This face occupied the entire chest, eyes tightly closed, expression distorted as if enduring great pain, yet also as if enjoying extreme pleasure.

"Is this... an Immortal's body?"

The human face on the chest slowly opened its mouth.

The voice was no longer Myriad Corpse True Person's original hoarseness, but had become grand and ethereal, yet with a piercing quality like metal scraping.

"So strong..."

"So perfect..."

"Even without a head, even with an incomplete Divine Soul, this power..."

It slowly raised its right hand—it was its original hand, not the one Su Lin had taken.

It merely gave a light squeeze of its fist.

*Crack!*

The space in its palm was actually squeezed into a pitch-black crack by its pure physical strength!

"This is... the power of a half-step True Immortal!!"

The human face on the chest suddenly snapped its eyes open.

It looked at Su Lin and the others, its mouth splitting into an exaggerated arc that reached the edges of its ribs.

"Su Lin."

"Thank you for bringing that hand."

"Although it couldn't be reattached, the lingering Immortal Qi within that hand became the final trigger to activate this body."

"As thanks..."

It slowly took a step forward.

The ground cracked, and the entire Dead Spirit Abyss shook violently under this one footstep.

"This old man has decided to crush you one by one, and then slowly... knead you into my body!"

"Let you also have the honor of becoming a part of this perfect immortal corpse!"

"What a big talker!"

Su Hongling's fiery temper flared up instantly.

She didn't care about any half-step True Immortal; in her eyes, this was just a slightly ugly big guy.

"A headless fly dares to buzz around? I'll fix your face right now!"

She gave a delicate shout and shot out like a cannonball.

Red light flashed intensely on the great sword [no edge], carrying a terrifying gravity capable of crushing mountain ranges, as she slammed it hard toward the large face on the immortal corpse's chest.

"Hong Ling! Don't be impulsive!"

"Ant."

The human face on the immortal corpse's chest showed a mocking expression.

It didn't dodge, nor did it even raise a hand to block.

It simply puffed out its chest slightly.

*CLANG!!!*

A world-shaking boom.

Su Hongling's heavy strike landed solidly on the immortal corpse's chest.

That sword strike didn't even leave a mark on the immortal corpse's skin!

Instead, Su Hongling felt an indescribable counter-shock force travel up the sword hilt.

She was a Mahayana Stage Body Cultivator! Her Physical Body had reached saint-hood!

Yet she couldn't even break its defense?!

"Too weak."

The immortal corpse let out a cold laugh.

It raised its hand, the movement seemingly slow but actually fast as lightning, swatting her away like a fly.

*Bang!*

Su Hongling and her sword were sent flying by this single slap.

She tumbled a dozen times in the air, smashing through several rock walls.

"Second Senior Sister!"

Chu Weiwei cried out in alarm.

"Attack together!"

Luo Ximei made a split-second decision.

At this time, they could no longer hold anything back.

The Thousand-Handed Demon God appeared behind her once more, but this time, the weapons in its hands were no longer illusory, but substantial killing moves burning with black and white Demonic Fire.

Mu Qingxue pressed both hands to the ground, her Ice Origin outputting frantically.

Countless Ice Dragons burst from the ground, roaring as they charged at the immortal corpse, attempting to freeze its movements.

"Myriad Poison Immortal-Devouring Array!"

Although Chu Weiwei was worried about Su Hongling, she knew she couldn't be distracted now.

She sacrificed all her poison pills, turning them into a multi-colored poison cloud that enveloped the immortal corpse.

Facing the combined attack of three Mahayana-level combatants.

The human face on the immortal corpse's chest only showed a contemptuous smile.

"Law?"

"In the face of absolute physical strength, Law is nothing but a joke."

It took a deep breath.

A roar.

The sound waves turned into a physical shockwave, spreading outward in a ring.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Mu Qingxue's Ice Dragons shattered inch by inch under this sound wave.

Chu Weiwei's poison cloud was blown away directly.

Luo Ximei's Demon God Manifestation was shaken into an unstable, illusory state, nearly collapsing.

The three of them groaned in unison, forced back dozens of feet, their faces pale.

"Is this... the Distinction between Immortal and Mortal?"

Luo Ximei wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her eyes showing gravity for the first time.

Although this immortal corpse had no head and no Immortal Qi, based solely on the strength of this Physical Body, it had already reached the level of being immune to all techniques.

Their attacks hitting it were like scratching an itch.

"Su Lin, it's your turn."

The immortal corpse stepped forward, ignoring the three women around it and heading straight for Su Lin.

"Hand over that heart."

"It belongs to me."

Su Lin stood his ground, watching the monster approach like a demon god.

There was no fear on his face, only calm contemplation.

"Physical Body reaching saint-hood, immune to all techniques..."

Su Lin muttered to himself.

"It seems conventional means really cannot harm you."

"However..."

He slowly raised his hand, and within his palm, the Myriad Heavens Star Chart appeared once more.

But this time, the star chart did not launch an attack.

Instead, it turned into a streak of light and entered Su Lin's brow.

*Buzz!*

A faint starlight suddenly lit up on Su Lin's body.

His aura didn't surge; instead, it became more restrained and profound.

Like the vast starry sky, embracing all and swallowing all.

"Myriad Corpse."

Su Lin looked at the approaching monster and spoke indifferently.

"Did you think I'd be helpless against you just because you're hiding in this turtle shell?"

"Your biggest mistake was... using Divine Soul parasitism on this body that doesn't belong to you."

"An Immortal's body, is it really that easy to occupy?"

"What do you mean?"

Myriad Corpse True Person controlled the immortal corpse to stop, an ominous feeling suddenly rising in his heart.

Su Lin didn't answer.

He simply pointed a finger at the empty neck of the immortal corpse.

Where the head should have been.

"You have no head."

"Therefore, you have no Sea of Consciousness."

"Your Divine Soul can only parasitize its chest cavity, which is the position of its heart."

A cold smile curled on Su Lin's lips.

"And in that position, what should have been placed there was a true Immortal Heart."

"Your current state is like a Mortal trying to squeeze themselves into a giant's heart."

"Do you think... you'll be comfortable?"

As soon as he finished speaking.

The originally arrogant human face on the chest suddenly contorted, showing an expression of agony.

"Ugh... what's happening?!"

Myriad Corpse True Person discovered in horror that the surrounding immortal corpse flesh, which had been submissive, suddenly became scalding hot and heavy.

They seemed to be rejecting him, the outsider.

Not only that.

A desolate and supremely majestic will was awakening from the depths of every cell in this body.

It was the residual will of the original owner of this body!

Immortals cannot be insulted!

Even if they have died for ten thousand years, even if only a remnant corpse remains, the dignity of an Immortal does not allow a lowly Evil Cultivator to defile it!

"No... impossible! This body has clearly been dead for tens of thousands of years! How can there still be a residual will?!"

Myriad Corpse True Person panicked.

He felt as if he were trapped in a shrinking iron cage, with pressure from all sides frantically squeezing his Divine Soul.

"Dead through and through?"

Su Lin shook his head.

"An Immortal is an Immortal because every one of their cells is branded with Law."

"The Physical Body does not perish, and the will does not end."

"Using that filthy flesh and blood to repair it didn't help you control it; instead... it enraged it."

Su Lin took a sudden step forward.

"Now, it's time for me to give you a hand."

"Star... Resonance!"

Boom!

The starlight on Su Lin's body suddenly flared intensely.

He didn't attack the immortal corpse's Physical Body, but instead channeled his Divine Soul power, amplified by the Myriad Heavens Star Chart, into an invisible wave that struck directly at the ancient will awakening inside the immortal corpse.

This wasn't an attack.

This was... an awakening!

"Wake up!!"

Su Lin shouted.

"See who is defiling your body!!"

*Buzz!!!*

The immortal corpse's body vibrated violently.

A golden light erupted from every inch of its bone and every one of its Meridians.

That light was holy and grand, carrying a majesty that made heaven and earth submit.

Under the illumination of this light, the Corpse Qi and vengeful energy that Myriad Corpse True Person had forcibly injected melted away instantly, like snow meeting a blazing sun.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

The human face on the chest let out an extremely shrill scream.

It was burning.

Golden Immortal Light was scorching Myriad Corpse True Person's Divine Soul from the inside.

That pain was ten thousand times more intense than the damage Su Hongling and the others had caused earlier.

"GET OUT!!!"

Although it had no head and no mouth.

This will vibrated space itself, letting out a roar.

*Puff!*

The human face on the chest, as if struck hard by a nail, bulged directly out of the immortal corpse's chest, becoming extremely distorted.

"No!! This is my body!! I am the master!!"