Chapter 243: Chapter 132: Unexpected Fusion
At the edge of the sky, an old man appeared, his entire body shimmering with a golden halo. His life force was rapidly draining away. Above him, a twisted soul drove the Gold Spirit Vein within his body, assimilating all the Spiritual Qi in the surrounding area and turning it into Gold Spirit Qi.
He was burning the last of his life, his goal likely to seize this unexpected object from beyond the heavens, hoping to merge with the consciousness within it to extend his life.
But Wang Ping couldn’t possibly let him have his way. If the man succeeded, then between the sensitive nature of the Outer Realm Demon, the manifested fire spirit, and the rampaging Gold Spirit Vein inside the Cultivator, this entire region would be reduced to scorched earth in an instant.
However, this Cultivator was incredibly determined. He recklessly drove the Spirit Vein in his body, shattering the water spirit construct Yu Lian had built and even affecting the Wood Spirit Sealing Array Wang Ping had cast.
However, that momentary disruption allowed the Outer Realm Demon to break free from the Wood Spirit’s lock. A crimson flame instantly shot across the sky, merging with the Energy Light Pillar from Zhao Yu’Er’s advancement.
CLANG!
A loud crash echoed.
It was Zuo Xuan who had taken action. A sky full of Embroidery Needles crushed the spreading Gold Spirit Qi. At the same time, Yu Lian let out a piercing shriek, sending a chilling water spirit streaking across the sky to engulf the Gold Cultivator.
Yu Cheng Taoist, meanwhile, appeared above the town, using Wood Spirit to block the battle’s aftershocks and calm the people of Yongshan County.
Wang Ping glanced at the Gold Cultivator entangled in Yu Lian’s "Summon Ocean." His figure vanished into the Wood Spirit Qi, and he rushed toward Zhao Yu’Er’s Dao Field in Yongshan County. In the blink of an eye, he appeared above the Dao Field.
At this moment, the energy radiating from the outer-realm object had merged with the energy from Zhao Yu’Er’s advancement. The shimmering object had attached itself to Zhao Yu’Er’s divine soul and was now battling it for control of her consciousness.
Wang Ping’s hesitation was fleeting. He immediately summoned seven ’Iron Bamboo Swords,’ formed a ’Killing Formation,’ and pierced through Zhao Yu’Er’s contaminated physical body.
"Grandmaster?"
The remnant of Zhao Yu’Er’s divine soul looked at Wang Ping in confusion, seemingly in disbelief.
Wang Ping frowned. With a flash of thought, twenty Golden Armor Soldiers appeared by his side. He then formed a spell seal, intending to suppress or seal Zhao Yu’Er for now.
"Wait!" Yu Lian shouted from the distant horizon.
The ’Iron Bamboo Swords’ stopped steadily before the wisp of Zhao Yu’Er’s remaining divine soul. The points of the blades then withdrew slightly, though they still kept her locked beneath them.
At that moment, driven by the Outer Realm Demon, fleshy tendrils sprouted from Zhao Yu’Er’s broken body. They coalesced at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in a flash, she was fully restored.
Then, on her newly restored body, something seemed to crawl under her skin like countless insects. Next, revolting, dark-green crystals began to push out from her pores.
This was her Wood Spirit Vein. She had been halfway through her advancement when she was invaded by the Outer Realm Demon, and then had her Qi Sea and Spirit Vein severed by Wang Ping. It was only natural that it would now spiral out of control.
But her situation seemed different. The rampaging Wood Spirit within her body seemed to be suppressed by something.
"She can still be saved! Her divine soul is in a very strange state of balance!"
Yu Lian landed beside Wang Ping, her form shrinking to a size that could just wrap around his body. She gazed at the divine soul above Zhao Yu’Er, which was now twisted into a horrifying monster.
Shortly after, Zuo Xuan and Yu Cheng Taoist arrived one after the other.
"The Outer Realm Demon is helping her suppress the rampaging Spirit Vein in her body. This is a major discovery! It’s even brought her Qi Sea into a state of balance."
Zuo Xuan took a small booklet and a pen from his storage pouch and quickly began scribbling in it.
At that moment, however, Wang Ping’s eyes flickered. His light screen panel had popped up:
[Blood Refining Technique: Find a spiritual life form to parasitize. After taking a host, you will share their body.]
[1. The method of fusion cannot be written down; you must read the memories yourself. Non-Spiritual Creatures should not attempt this lightly.]
[2. Do not attempt anything not found in the memories, or your host will go mad—and by extension, so will you.]
[Note 1: This technique is only suitable for Spirit Bodies.]
[Note 2: Do not fuse with the memories excessively, or you will suffer a backlash, causing both you and your host to go mad.]
[Note 3: You must endure the host’s desires. Do not be assimilated by them, or you will go mad.]
After reading this guide, Wang Ping felt his entire worldview shift. He couldn’t help but look up at the sky. Due to the recent battle, the flow of Spiritual Qi was erratic, and the clouds had all but vanished.
He was certain that beyond the atmosphere lay the Cosmos, but he couldn’t be sure what that Cosmos looked like. Perhaps it was a vaster world, or perhaps it was like what he had seen in the locust tree’s memories.
"What are you thinking?" Yu Lian’s consciousness appeared in his Spirit Sea.
"It’s nothing!"
Wang Ping refocused his wandering gaze on Zhao Yu’Er’s divine soul. Her current state was likely what the records in the Daoist Scripture Hall described as "half-mad."
"It must have been drawn here by the Outer Realm Demon we sealed beneath the Fire Institute."
"This was our own oversight. We should have put up protections against this long ago." Yu Cheng Taoist’s gaze was profound, his thoughts unreadable.
"This could be considered a blessing in disguise. But from now on, I fear she will never have the chance to leave this place."
As he spoke, Wang Ping grabbed a handful of seeds and scattered them on the ground. A dense Wood Spirit Qi immediately began to flow, forming an impenetrable forest around the lonely Dao Field.
The ground then began to tremble slightly. Pulled down by a dense network of subterranean vines, the small courtyard began to sink. When it had descended about a hundred feet, Yu Lian said, "Zhao Yu’Er is actually very obedient. This is enough. She won’t cause any trouble."
Sensing Yu Lian’s emotions, Wang Ping stopped forming the Spell.
Zuo Xuan then asked, "If an accident occurs during advancement, could one use a method like this to just cling to life?"
"Theoretically, yes," Wang Ping said. "But your divine soul would be contaminated. Your moments of self-aware lucidity would be limited, and even when you were lucid, you’d be plagued by superfluous memories. At that point, you wouldn’t really be yourself anymore."
"But at least you’d know you were still alive!" Zuo Xuan disagreed.
In this world, there was no concept of ordinary reincarnation. Rebirth and re-cultivation were only possible for certain life forms, such as the Dragon Race and the Demon Race.
Wang Ping turned to Zuo Xuan. "You shouldn’t be distracted during advancement. If you have that as a safety net, you won’t give it your all. How can you even speak of advancing then?"
Upon hearing this, Zuo Xuan lowered his head in thought for a moment. Then he turned to Wang Ping, cupped his fists, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist!"
「Ten days later.」
Zhao Yu’Er opened her eyes. Her gaze fell first on Wang Ping, then scanned the surroundings, searching for the person she had hoped to see.
"Grandmaster, where is my master?" Zhao Yu’Er asked softly. Her tone wasn’t cold; in fact, it was filled with more humanity than ever before.
