Chapter 555: New Shackle (I)
In this world dominated by black, a terrifying roar suddenly erupted. Thick, dark purplish-red magma burst forth and shot straight into the sky. Amid the howling black winds and bone-chilling cold, the violent eruption turned the entire world searingly hot.
The sound of beating wings echoed as a massive yao, its body covered in fleshy tumors yet oddly sleek in form, sped from the distance. In Lin Zheyu's hand was another enormous yao. Its head had been blown apart with a single punch, leaving behind only a headless corpse.
No, it could not even be called a corpse. The vitality of such yaos was astonishing. Even without a head, it still thrashed about vigorously. Its massive body writhed as streams of life-force energy and demonic qi surged toward where its head had been, trying to regrow it.
But no matter how it struggled, it was futile. Streams of powerful purplish-black energy surged from Lin Zheyu's hand, sealing the wound at its neck and preventing any regrowth. Though losing its head would not kill it, it greatly reduced its threat. What remained was only instinct, and its foremost instinct was to regenerate its head rather than attack, making it far less dangerous.
Lin Zheyu flew more than two thousand meters before entering a hidden cave he had carved out several days ago. Around the cave, he had set up formations and restrictions specially purchased for use in this world, and their effectiveness was indeed excellent.
Upon entering the cave, Lin Zheyu tossed the yao onto the ground and casually struck down with his palm. With a dull burst, the headless body was blasted apart by the terrifying force carried in his strike.
"What monstrous vitality," Lin Zheyu remarked, unable to hide his admiration as he looked at the body shattered into five pieces.
The stronger the yao, the more astonishing its vitality. Even the flesh scattered across the ground continued to absorb demonic qi from the air, slowly writhing as it began to piece itself back together. The process was not fast.
Lin Zheyu estimated that it would take about a day for it to fully recover. Even so, that was already extraordinary. After all, it had been split into five pieces and had lost its head. If it were a human cultivator, they would have died beyond any hope of recovery. This yao was only at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, yet it possessed such terrifying regenerative ability that it was practically immortal. Of course, killing it outright was still no difficulty for him.
When he attacked earlier, Lin Zheyu had relied solely on brute strength, without using the purplish-black energy within his body. As a result, the yao's vitality remained largely intact. If he had used that internal energy to erase the life force within its flesh, the yao would have truly died.
The essence origin divine repository represents a martial artist's vitality. I wonder, once I open it, will I possess such terrifying life force as well? Lin Zheyu thought to himself.
His eyes remained fixed on the gradually regenerating body as he pushed his perception to the limit, imprinting the flickering demonic patterns on its flesh into his mind. Over the past few days, he had discovered that when such yaos recovered from near death, the demonic patterns within their bodies would operate at a frenzied pace. This process was the most suitable for studying and comprehending those patterns.
Time passed slowly. The cave was filled with repeated booms and bursts. The unfortunate yao, each time it recovered, would be smashed apart again by a single strike from Lin Zheyu, forcing it to regenerate once more.
By the third day, he noticed that after being destroyed three times in succession, most of its vitality had been worn away, and its recovery had become pitifully slow.
"A false form of immortality at best," Lin Zheyu said, shaking his head slightly as he watched the writhing chunks of flesh on the ground.
But this was only a yao in the Foundation Establishment realm. The stronger such beings became, the more terrifying their vitality would be. Lin Zheyu could not help but wonder at what stage they would gain the legendary ability to regenerate from a single drop of blood. That would be true immortality.
"After tormenting you for so long, it's kind of pitiful. I'll give you a quick end," Lin Zheyu muttered as he brought his palm down, a terrifying purplish-black energy spreading across it.
The cave trembled slightly. The writhing flesh was instantly crushed into pulp, the powerful vitality within completely erased. With a thought, Lin Zheyu wrapped the lifeless remains in purplish-black energy and swept them out of the cave.
"My spirit has mostly recovered. It's time to begin the next round of cultivation," Lin Zheyu murmured after sensing his condition.
It had been nearly twenty days since he entered this space-time node. During this time, Lin Zheyu had immersed himself in strengthening his power and studying demonic patterns. Whenever he exhausted himself after using Origin Force to improve, he would enter the demon realm to hunt and capture powerful yaos for research.
He studied the demonic patterns on their bodies and their relationship with the scales covering them. Thanks to his earlier systematic study, his research had become much more efficient. However, the time had been too short for him to transform the dense clusters of fleshy growths on his own body into proper scales.
He would spend four to five days in this world, and once his spirit had recovered, he would return to that special space to continue improving. This upcoming session would be his fifth time entering that void-like dark space.
With a thought, he suppressed his aura. The wings on his back fluttered as he flew out of the cave. Even without the support of spatial laws, his speed remained astonishing. In this form, moving through the world felt as natural as a fish in water. With a few light flaps of his wings, he covered hundreds of meters and vanished into the boundless darkness within a few breaths.
Using this transformation made traversing the world far more convenient. As long as Lin Zheyu did not intrude into the territories of stronger yaos or recklessly release his aura, he would not attract attacks. Of course, that was under normal circumstances. There were always exceptions.
Before long, Lin Zheyu arrived unimpeded at a point about a kilometer from the node's rift. Even from this distance, the world-destroying aura emanating from the fissure sent chills down his spine. If he entered it in this state, he would be reduced to nothing.
Suddenly, Lin Zheyu pushed off the ground. His wings beat sharply, and his entire figure blurred into an afterimage before vanishing from sight.
Soon, the roar of a yao and the sound of flesh exploding echoed from nearby. The sounds came abruptly and ended just as quickly. Not long after, another roar rang out several hundred meters away, only to be cut short by a thunderous blast.
A few breaths later, Lin Zheyu reappeared where he had been, gripping a massive yao in each hand. Both were headless bodies. Though their vitality was monstrous, they were like mindless undead. The head was their weakness. Once it was destroyed, their bloodlust and violent aggression vanished.
Of course, that was easier said than done. To destroy a head so effortlessly required not only great strength but also keen perception. Their attacks were ferocious and fearless, and they protected this weakness well. Without sharp awareness, it was difficult to find the right moment in battle. Carrying the headless bodies, Lin Zheyu found a concealed spot. After confirming there were no other yaos nearby, he focused his thoughts.
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