Undying Life

Chapter 795: The Beginning of Corpse Transformation

In Lingxiao Heavenly Court!

The shadow body of Zhong Shan flickered and disappeared from everyone's sight. Although the ministers were puzzled, no one investigated. Soon, Di Xuanhua descended onto the square.

"You're back?" Yi Yan greeted.

"Yes!" Di Xuanhua nodded.

Then, Di Xuanhua's eyes narrowed as he stared at the ten-zhang-long purple coffin in the center of the square and the floating Zhuxian Sword above it.

"Sister, where did Zhong Shan go?" Ling'er asked Bao'er.

"The Emperor is dealing with the captured frog toad, he'll be back soon!" Di Xuanhua replied.

As Di Xuanhua finished speaking, Zhong Shan reappeared in the square, his shadow body and main body merging once again.

"Strange, so strange!" Huan Ji circled Zhong Shan, inspecting him.

Zhong Shan smiled at her. Typically, Zhong Shan wouldn't show both bodies in front of others.

"Zhong Shan, you've changed your clothes!" Tian Ling'er observed.

The women looked at Zhong Shan with tender eyes. Zhong Shan nodded to them.

"Alright, let's take a look at this giant coffin. Who do you think is inside? Any guesses?" Zhong Shan asked.

"The Zhuxian Swords originally belonged to the Sage Tongtian. It's likely he's inside," Mr. Corpse said gravely.

"Are you sure?"

"Not entirely!" Mr. Corpse shook his head.

"Oh?"

"It's very likely that it's the Sage Tongtian, but nothing is absolute. However, one thing is certain: it's the corpse of a Sage!" Mr. Corpse said solemnly.

"Yes!" Wang Ku nodded in agreement.

"Zhong Shan, do you know why the coffin has been absorbing so much black energy these past few days?" Huan Ji suddenly asked.

Huan Ji's words were only heard by Zhong Shan.

"Black energy?" Zhong Shan raised an eyebrow. Where was this black energy coming from?

"Sire, what black energy?" the Clay Bodhisattva asked in confusion.

"It's that black energy, I can't really explain it, but it's definitely black energy. Every day, a lot of it rushes to the coffin and is absorbed!" Huan Ji explained.

Seeing Huan Ji's certainty, Zhong Shan's expression changed.

"Husband, what black energy?" Bao'er also looked puzzled.

"I don't know, but I'm certain that some kind of unseen energy is constantly being absorbed by the giant coffin, non-stop, day and night," Zhong Shan said, frowning.

"Not good!" Mr. Corpse suddenly exclaimed.

"What's wrong?"

"Sire, quickly, clear the Zhuxian Sword, we must nail the coffin shut immediately, or there will be dire consequences!" Mr. Corpse shouted urgently.

Dire consequences?

Without questioning Mr. Corpse further, Zhong Shan immediately acted. The Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Di Xuanhua, Wang Ku, let's go!" Zhong Shan commanded.

The Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail, Di Xuanhua, and Wang Ku rushed forward.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the Zhuxian Sword emitted a blinding purple light. An endless amount of ferocious energy burst forth, filling the sky with purple sword qi. The violent sword qi surged towards Di Xuanhua, Wang Ku, and the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail.

Zhong Shan quickly retreated, shielding everyone.

"Boom!"

Di Xuanhua's Severing World Golden Wheel struck fiercely against the Zhuxian Sword. The Golden Wheel was sent flying, while the Zhuxian Sword merely trembled.

"Clang!"

Wang Ku's bronze throne collided powerfully with the Zhuxian Sword, but neither side gained an advantage.

"The Zhuxian Sword has become stronger?" Mr. Corpse exclaimed in surprise.

At that moment, the Severing World Golden Wheel and the bronze throne struck again simultaneously.

"Boom!"

With a deafening explosion, the Zhuxian Sword staggered backward over ten zhang.

"Ahwoo!"

The Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail swallowed the Zhuxian Sword in one bite.

"Boom!"

The Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail crashed uncontrollably into the ground, causing a thunderous rumble.

The Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail trembled violently, indicating that the Zhuxian Sword was fiercely struggling inside.

Zhong Shan pointed with his hand, and the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail soared into the sky, bursting out of the formation and thrashing wildly in midair. Though it didn't grow larger, the battle with the Zhuxian Sword was intense. A massive black hole appeared in the sky as the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail fought ferociously within it.

The Zhuxian Sword, the leader of the four swords, was not easy to digest.

With the Zhuxian Sword swallowed and its purple glow gone, the black mist around the giant coffin became visible.

Large amounts of black mist gathered and dispersed around the coffin.

At the very top of the purple coffin, directly above the sage's head, the black mist formed a character.

A pitch-black 'ئ' character floated above the coffin, faint and eerie. Looking at it gave a sense of death.

Mr. Corpse's face changed dramatically as he rushed towards the purple coffin.

"Boom!"

Mr. Corpse was repelled by the black mist, unable to touch the coffin again. The black mist blocked his way.

"Wang Ku, it's corpse energy blocking me. You're the most resistant to it. Quickly, nail the coffin shut!" Mr. Corpse shouted, throwing ten coffin nails to Wang Ku.

Wang Ku caught the nails and rushed towards the coffin without hesitation. The holes for the nails were still there, so he only needed to hammer them back in.

The black mist quickly wrapped around Wang Ku, but he withstood it better than Mr. Corpse. Despite the resistance, he managed to place the coffin nails in the holes.

"Boom!" The bronze throne shrank and hammered the nails into the coffin.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"...

After ten strikes, the coffin was finally nailed shut.

Mr. Corpse let out a long sigh of relief.

"So the Zhuxian Sword was not only guarding the coffin but also obscuring the black mist?" Yi Yan frowned in realization.

"Mr. Corpse, what happened just now? What was that black mist?" Zhong Shan asked.

"The black mist is corpse energy, a remnant of the sage's immense power and essence. Over time, it has accumulated and begun to transform the sage's corpse. If left unchecked, it could have led to a corpse transformation, turning the sage's body into a powerful undead creature. That's why it was crucial to seal the coffin quickly. The Zhuxian Sword was both a guardian and a distraction, hiding the true danger within," Mr. Corpse explained.

"The sage's corpse transforming... That would have been catastrophic," Zhong Shan mused.

"Indeed. Even in death, a sage's power is formidable. If the transformation had completed, it would have unleashed a disaster," Mr. Corpse agreed.

"We were fortunate to act in time. Thank you, Mr. Corpse, and everyone else who helped," Zhong Shan said, nodding appreciatively to the group.

Everyone looked at Mr. Corpse.

"What appeared was corpse energy, but there's also something we can't see. The Emperor mentioned a kind of residual energy, which I believe is 'habit energy'," Mr. Corpse explained.

"Habit energy?"

"Yes, I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it's said that only Sages understand how to use it. That was a close call," Mr. Corpse said, still shaken.

"A close call?"

"Yes, nailing the coffin not only secures it but also suppresses the corpse inside to prevent it from transforming," Mr. Corpse explained.

"Corpse transformation?" Tian Ling'er's eyes showed a hint of fear.

"Yes, even an ordinary corpse transforming would be disastrous for mortals, let alone a Sage's corpse. If a Sage's corpse transforms, the consequences would be unimaginable. At the very least, Lingxiao Heavenly Court would be destroyed instantly," Mr. Corpse said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Corpse transformation? And the character 'ئ'?

"What does this 'ئ' mean?" Zhong Shan asked Mr. Corpse.

"I don't know. It might be related to the corpse inside," Mr. Corpse shook his head.

Everyone was puzzled but deeply concerned.

"What should we do with this coffin?" Yi Yan frowned.

"A Sage's corpse?" Zhong Shan's eyes narrowed.

"Your Majesty, if word gets out, this coffin will cause a sensation far greater than any other treasure. Countless powerful beings from the Great Thousand World will flock here. A Sage's corpse is a hot potato," Wang Ku said worriedly.

"Why don't we hide it and feed it to Little Cutie later?" Tian Ling'er suddenly suggested.

Little Cutie? Everyone looked strangely at the black hole in the sky. Was the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail called Little Cutie?

Zhong Shan shook his head. A Sage's corpse couldn't be eaten, even after thousands of years. Opening the coffin alone would cause the heavens to mourn. Desecrating the corpse would bring divine retribution. Moreover, consuming it would cause the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail to explode from the sheer energy.

More importantly, it couldn't be hidden. The coffin's whereabouts would soon be known to Kong Xuan, the people of the Longevity World, and eventually everyone in the Great Thousand World.

After some thought, Zhong Shan called out, "Liu Wushuang, bring the captured toad over!"

"Yes!" came the voice of Liu Wushuang, commander of the Jinyi Guards, from outside the square.

Soon, the unconscious toad was brought over.

"Wake him up!" Zhong Shan ordered.

"Boom!"

A large amount of water splashed onto the toad, startling him awake.

As soon as he woke up, the toad saw Zhong Shan, Di Xuanhua, and Wang Ku.

Surrounded by a group of Great Zhen people, the toad shivered.

During his previous unconsciousness, the toad realized he had fallen into the hands of 'villains'. Shen Ya Daojun and Kong Lietian were gone. Was he going to die here?

"I surrender! I defect to the righteous side, I...!" the toad stammered, pleading incoherently.

Everyone looked at the toad with disdain.

"I don't need your surrender!" Zhong Shan shook his head.

"I really want to surrender, Your Majesty. Please believe me. I no longer wish to associate with those villains. Please give me a chance to live honorably. I sincerely defect...!" the toad pleaded tearfully.

Desperate to survive, the toad abandoned all dignity. His words made everyone's skin crawl and filled their eyes with disgust. Not only was the toad a coward, but he was also despicable.

"Shut up!" Zhong Shan shouted.

The toad shivered.

"Do you see this coffin?" Zhong Shan pointed to the coffin.

Was it prepared for me? The toad's face turned pale, and he started pleading tearfully again, "I truly defected...!"

"Silence!"

Everyone looked at the toad with disgust.

"Return to the Longevity World and deliver a message to Shen Ya Daojun. If he wants this coffin, he must trade all the Immortal Steles he possesses for it," Zhong Shan said sternly.

"Huh? You're letting me go?" The toad was stunned. He couldn't believe Zhong Shan had captured him just to deliver a message.

A coffin? Was Zhong Shan trying to humiliate Shen Ya Daojun?

"Did you hear me?" Zhong Shan asked coldly.

"I heard, I heard!"

"Then go!" Zhong Shan ordered.

"You're really letting me go?"

"Go!"