183: Shen Lian's values

"Shaoqing, ahhh—"

This sudden scene immediately stunned everyone in the Realm Lords Mansion Great Hall.

Xu Tianao never expected that just a moment of slackening would result in such a shocking reversal of the situation.

After roaring madly, he immediately shouted angrily at Shen Lang: "Pay for my son's life!"

Just as his palm was about to strike and kill Shen Lian, he suddenly felt a sour, numb pain in his chest, forcing him to halt his attack.

"As expected, your Immortal Zombie Physique was obtained through Possession and fundamentally does not belong to you."

They saw a thumb-sized worm wriggling wildly, held between Shen Lian's fingers.

"You..."

Xu Tianao was immediately dumbfounded upon seeing this scene.

Shen Lian's mouth twitched: "If I hadn't previously consulted the Medicine King's Ancient Records and learned that the Medicine King tasted all poisonous herbs, accumulating toxins in his body, I wouldn't have associated this matter with you.

The so-called Medicine King imitating Shennong by tasting hundreds of herbs was merely a deceptive excuse. The poisons he tested were not poisonous herbs at all, but poisonous Gu. Am I wrong?"

Xu Tianao: "What does this have to do with me?"

Shen Lian: "If you didn't possess the Immortal Zombie Physique, I truly wouldn't have suspected you.

Cultivating the Immortal Zombie Physique requires tempering by countless Gu Worms, and astonishing willpower to refine it.

This pain is intolerable for ordinary people. Before the Immortal Zombie Physique is successfully Cultivated, one must endure the extreme agony of Immortal Gu gnawing at the Eight Extraordinary Meridians day and night.

The reason your body has become so hunched is entirely due to the backlash from the incomplete Immortal Zombie Physique, and never because of any Heavenly Dao Shackles."

Xu Tianao shouted sternly: "Who exactly are you, and why do you know all this?"

Yet, Shen Lian strolled leisurely, walking across the Great Hall.

"Back then, when the Medicine King's Immortal Zombie Physique reached Minor Achievement, he couldn't wait to share the news with his friend.

Little did he know that upon hearing this news, his friend had already developed greed,

wanting to find an opportunity to seize the Medicine King's Immortal Zombie Physique for himself, thus setting the stage for the Medicine King's death."

"Nonsense!"

Ye Xuan immediately spoke up, interrupting Shen Lian.

"How could the Medicine King be dead? Just over a hundred years ago, he appeared in Medicine King Valley and appointed Mu Yaoguang as the Valley Master. Everyone in the entire realm witnessed it."

Shen Lian gave a cold laugh and slowly replied: "I have a question: has anyone among you truly seen the Medicine King's real face?"

The hall fell silent.

Indeed, no one present had ever seen the Medicine King's true appearance. Every time the Medicine King appeared, he was shrouded in Holy Radiance, never showing his real face.

Shen Lian continued: "The Medicine King established Medicine King Valley, only to disappear after a mere hundred years. His next appearance was a thousand years later.

During this period, countless Cultivators in the Spirit Realm with shallow cultivation ultimately couldn't escape the constraints of Lifespan and died one after another. Among the newcomers who emerged later, how many have actually seen the Medicine King?"

Shen Lian's words plunged the Cultivators in the hall into silence.

Xu Tianao: "Then how do you know all this so clearly?"

Shen Lian: "Quite coincidentally, before coming to the Realm Lords Mansion, I happened to read the Ancient Records of the Medicine King's Life. Even if the recorded contents were tampered with by someone with ulterior motives,

I was still able to find some clues from them. For example, what was the purpose of nourishing the body with Heavenly Spring Spirit Water?

That was to prevent the Immortal Gu inside the body from backlashing. The conditions for Cultivating the Immortal Zombie Physique are extremely demanding, and the best method is to nourish it with fresh human blood.

However, the Medicine King was kind-hearted and couldn't bear to nourish it with human blood, so he painstakingly diverted a spring of Heavenly Spring to substitute it.

Another example: the friend who fabricated a Demon Race invasion, used the banner of Eliminating Demons and Defending the Dao, invited the Medicine King to leave the Spirit Realm, and secretly murdered him..."

Shen Lian suddenly pointed a finger back at Xu Tianao: "It was you, Xu Tianao, the Lord of the Spirit Realm."

This statement immediately shocked everyone present.

Ye Xuan couldn't believe it and immediately asked aloud: "Realm Lord, is this really true? Did you truly kill the Medicine King Old Ancestor?"

Xu Tianao clutched his chest, his eyes fixed on Shen Lian, filled with murderous intent.

After a long time, he made his final struggle: "What evidence do you have?"

Shen Lian raised the Gu Worm between his fingers: "Evidence. This is the most perfect evidence. You probably never calculated this—

the Medicine King's Immortal Zombie Physique was never fully Cultivated. After you painstakingly used Possession to seize his life's work, you only then realized that an Immortal Zombie Physique that hasn't reached Major Achievement,

requires bearing enormous pain daily. Even with your Heaven-Defying Cultivation, after absorbing this Physique, you also inherited the Heart-Gnawing Pain experienced by the Medicine King.

As time went on, your Physique began to age, and your vitality was far less than before. To avoid the torment of being refined by the Immortal Gu within your body,

you consulted countless books on Gu Worms and finally found the method for refining this concentric gu,

As long as you implant the concentric gu into the body of your Blood Relative, it can alleviate half of your pain."

Ye Xuan: "But I've never seen the Young Lord show any signs of discomfort."

"That's because that trash's cultivation isn't high enough. If his cultivation were the same as Xu Tianao's,

the concentric gu would fully erupt, and that trash would bear the Heart-Gnawing Pain in Xu Tianao's place.

However, once the concentric gu leaves the host's body, the backlash against the Gu Planter will double.

Moreover, if the concentric gu is deprived of blood nourishment for one hour, the Gu Planter will rapidly age and die."

Ye Xuan looked at Xu Tianao in disbelief.

The Realm Lord he respected the most was actually such a despicable and vicious villain, who wouldn't even spare his own son?

"Now, as long as I crush this concentric gu, Xu Tianao will also die. Choose a way to die."

"Hahahahaha..."

Xu Tianao suddenly let out bursts of miserable laughter.

"I never expected it. Man Proposes, God Disposes. I calculated everything, and after so much effort to reach this point,

I would actually have the most hidden secret in my heart exposed by you, an Outsider from Another Domain."

Xu Tianao took a deep breath: "That's right, I killed the Medicine King.

I also destroyed the Medicine King's Portrait in Medicine King Valley, the purpose being to prevent you from seeing the Medicine King's true face.

Over all these years, the Holy Radiance of the Medicine King that you saw was also me in disguise.

The real Medicine King was killed by me back when I invited him to stop the Demon Race invasion.

Ridiculously, he didn't believe I would harm him even unto death, because I was his only friend in the world. What laughable sentiment!

He didn't know the simple, eternal truth that 'Heaven and Earth Will Destroy Those Who Don't Act for Themselves.' How naive!"

Ye Xuan was agitated: "Realm Lord, why did you do all this?"

Xu Tianao: "Naturally, it is to unify the Primordial Continent and become the sole Dominator of this world.

Do you know how painful it is to possess absolute power yet be constrained everywhere?

A mere Spirit Realm could not suppress Xu Tianao's ambition to conquer the world.

I want this heaven and earth to revere me as a god, and I want the Heavenly Dao to choose me as the Mandate of Heaven! Hahaha..."

Shen Lian curled his lips: "I don't object to you conquering the world and making all things prostrate themselves beneath you in worship.

But relying on schemes and calculations, using Possession to seize the fruits of others' labor and reaping the benefits—that makes you an absolute trash!"

Xu Tianao's pupils contracted: "What did you say?"

"If you want to conquer the world, you should rely on your own ability, carving out a bloody path step by step. That is the spirit a King should possess.

As for you, Xu Tianao, you are nothing but a scoundrel who Deceives the World and Steals Fame. You are such trash that you don't even qualify for a second glance from me.

Your fate is only one: Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!"