Chapter 1073: Your Body, I Want It

Chapter 1078: Your Body Is Mine

Back in the memory realm concerning the Ancient Heavenly Clan, Xu Qing had once speculated that there might be something amiss.

He had probed multiple times, and although he ultimately absorbed the pool water, he concluded that the good fortune received then, if indeed part of a scheme, was most likely an inconsequential move.

Until this moment, his expression was extremely grim.

"That wasn't an inconsequential move; it was a scheme specifically targeting me!"

"The schemer's objective..."

Xu Qing didn't need to ponder further; he already understood. After all, from what he had seen earlier, Emperor Ming Yan's primary target was Mo Yu, and this secluded cultivation ground was actually designed to lure Mo Yu at a crucial moment.

Clearly, his own appearance had altered Ming Yan's plan.

"I just don't know if I've become his first choice or a backup."

"After all, my body, formed from Upper Desolation flesh, carries a profound karmic burden. Will he truly dare to seize it, disregarding future karma?"

As Xu Qing's mind raced, the cries of agony within the surrounding tumors grew more shrill.

Whether it was the palace-dressed woman or the youth, or the scholar and the old man, and the Fifth Dominator, who had transformed into Lin Kun—they were all trembling violently at this moment, their physical bodies rapidly shriveling.

Their life force, cultivation, and even all their origins were uncontrollably and rapidly drawn away, turning into liquid that flowed into the tumor containing Xu Qing.

It had risen past his ankles and now reached his knees.

Moreover, this liquid seemed to possess a will, frantically drilling into Xu Qing's body, coursing through his flesh. While nourishing his flesh and blood, it was also laying the groundwork for a certain transformation.

The intense pain it brought was soul-piercing.

Xu Qing instinctively resisted.

The will within the liquid, upon sensing Xu Qing's resistance, forcefully retaliated, attempting to erase Xu Qing's soul.

This caused Xu Qing's consciousness to feel dispersed, as the fusion of his soul and body was being torn apart.

All of this was irreversible.

Xu Qing could only use his Destiny Carving Knife to protect his soul, barely holding on like a lone boat in raging waves.

At the same time, he tried various methods, hoping to escape.

But all failed.

"Since that's the case..."

Xu Qing's expression was grim. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and determination rose in his heart. He actually sat down cross-legged directly, actively allowing his body to absorb and no longer resisting.

As a result, because he no longer resisted, the will within the liquid consequently reduced its power to erase Xu Qing's soul. His body instantly roared as a vast amount of essence poured in, nourishing his physical body and pushing it towards its peak.

Er Niu, standing nearby, also noticed something was wrong. He gasped, just about to offer help, but after realizing the liquid here possessed incredible power, he blinked.

And then he saw Xu Qing absorbing with all his might.

A strange glint appeared in his eyes, and he loudly declared, "Little Junior Brother, I'll help you!"

As he spoke, he actually sat down cross-legged too, assuming a posture to help Xu Qing absorb.

However, his action was clearly not permitted. So the moment he started absorbing, a huge repulsive force suddenly erupted from within the tumor.

With a roar from the tumor, Er Niu's body was actually expelled from the tumor by this repulsive force.

Xu Qing's eyes snapped open, and he tried to move as well.

But a suction force also erupted at this moment, instantly enveloping Xu Qing, pulling him fiercely and preventing him from leaving.

Just like that, Er Niu became the third person to escape from his respective tumor, after the Empress and Emperor Mo Yu.

After being expelled, killing intent followed.

This force roared loudly, sweeping across Er Niu's entire body. Amidst cracking sounds, Er Niu's wails echoed in all directions. His entire skeleton shattered, his flesh was crushed, constantly disintegrating into numerous fragments of flesh that fell into the transparent sea below.

They sank to the bottom.

Xu Qing heard Er Niu's pained screams and saw his disintegration, but at this moment, he couldn't afford to be distracted. Moreover, in Xu Qing's understanding, it was quite difficult to truly kill Er Niu.

Furthermore, he understood that he was now facing the greatest life-or-death crisis of his entire existence.

And it would be difficult to find other help in this matter.

Therefore, to escape, he could only rely on self-rescue.

Xu Qing gritted his teeth. With a cold glint flashing in his eyes, he continued to actively absorb the surrounding liquid. As it continuously merged, the liquid was still rapidly rising.

The liquid, formed from the life force of various Dominators, had risen past his chest, reached his neck, and was still ascending.

Soon, it submerged his head, completely enveloping Xu Qing.

It still didn't end. As the liquid continuously drained from the various Dominators, and their wails grew faint, the liquid within Xu Qing's tumor had reached about eighty percent capacity.

Such a dense and astonishing amount of life essence provided nourishment to Xu Qing's physical body, reaching an incredible extent.

His physical body was pieced together from fragmented flesh, seemingly complete, yet not entirely whole.

That's why Xu Qing had been working hard over the years to fully integrate it. And most importantly, to leave time for his soul to improve.

This required a balance; simultaneous advancement was the safest.

Whether it was the Immortal Silver at the beginning or the authority Dao marks, their purpose was all for this one outcome.

But this process was slow.

Until he entered Ming Yan's secluded cultivation ground this time, the Ancient Heavenly Clan's pool had nourished his flesh and blood. And now, this essence liquid, formed from absorbing the life force, cultivation, and even souls of multiple Dominators, finally allowed Xu Qing's incomplete physical body to truly become whole.

His physical aura also rapidly ascended, breaking through the shackles of the Soul Incarnation stage and advancing towards the Dominator level.

If Xu Qing's soul could also keep pace with this result, then it would naturally be beneficial.

But catalyzing the physical body before the soul had fully grown was like dressing a child in thousand-pound armor. The outcome would be that his soul would either be crushed or intensely repelled by the physical body.

If he resisted, the will within the liquid would unleash soul suppression. If he didn't resist, as his physical body grew stronger, his soul would be unable to remain within it.

It seemed there was no choice.

Yet, Xu Qing's choice was still to actively absorb!

Even though his soul felt like it was tearing apart at this moment, and the repulsion was strong, he still absorbed without hesitation, continuously. Meanwhile, a cold glint resided in his closed eyes.

He was waiting.

Waiting for his soul to be repelled by his physical body even more strongly, to its absolute limit.

Just like that, time passed little by little.

The wails from the various Dominators had become barely audible.

All of Er Niu's shattered flesh on the transparent sea had completely sunk, leaving no trace.

And then, a drastic change erupted.

An earth-shattering roar suddenly emanated from within the tumor where the Empress and Emperor Mo Yu had entered.

Immediately, this tumor rapidly swelled outwards, growing larger and larger, as if the conflict within had reached its peak. Ultimately, the tumor itself could not withstand it. Amidst continuous rumbling, it tore apart, collapsing and bursting open from within.

Large amounts of flesh and blood splattered, landing on the transparent sea, where they rapidly melted.

The figures of the Empress and Emperor Mo Yu shot out from within. Once in mid-air, both their expressions were grim. As they gazed at the shattered tumor, they also noticed the changes that had occurred outside during this time.

They saw the Dominators shriveling and also noticed Xu Qing's rapidly surging aura.

The Empress's brows furrowed.

Emperor Mo Yu, on his part, after his gaze swept over the tumor containing Xu Qing, narrowed his eyes, revealing a strange glint.

At the same time, as the tumor shattered, and after the Empress and Mo Yu flew out, Emperor Ming Yan's figure also clearly emerged from within.

A meaningful smile played on his lips as he looked towards the Empress.

"Your purpose in coming here isn't just for my soul. You must want this secluded cultivation realm of mine, right? Let me guess, you have someone you wish to revive?"

The Empress's expression remained unchanged, and she spoke coldly, "You are not the complete Ming Yan."

Ming Yan smiled but didn't reply. Instead, he turned around and looked down at the transparent sea.

The next instant, the entire transparent sea began to swirl. As rumbling sounds echoed, a terrifying aura spread out, blotting out the sky and sun, and stirring up winds and clouds.

A strange figure slowly rose from within the whirlpool.

The left side of this figure's body was human, clearly newly formed. However, the right side of its body was not yet fully regenerated, so it had no skin; instead, it was composed of interwoven threads of blood spreading out—a truly shocking sight.

A distinct sense of incompleteness was palpable.

Seeing the newcomer, Emperor Mo Yu's breathing quickened, and his pupils constricted.

As this strange figure appeared, countless bolts of lightning flickered around it, the sky trembled, and the sea churned. An aura infinitely close to that of a True Immortal was erupting.

"Indeed, an omniscient deity."

A low voice emanated from the figure. Then he raised his head, his gaze like law itself, falling upon the Empress.

"He is indeed not my complete self. To be precise, he is one of my two clones."

"He also has some karmic ties with those two human prodigies of yours, because before he changed his appearance, he had his own identity in Mo Yu Holy Land: Great Immortal Master of East Mo Yu."

"To welcome you, I not only prepared the Immortal Puppet from the underground palace earlier, but also had this clone 'die' in the outside world, using the pretext of inheriting the Six Desires of Delusion."

"Now, as a sign of respect, my true body has arrived."

Ming Yan, half-flesh and half-bloody threads, smiled slightly. "Then, this grand ceremony should conclude."

"Mo Yu, what I discussed with you, what have you decided?"

Ming Yan looked towards Mo Yu.

Mo Yu's expression was grim. He turned his head to glance at the tumor where Xu Qing was. Then, with determination in his eyes, his body suddenly moved, heading straight for the Empress.

At the same time, the Ming Yan clone that had previously fought them also surged with killing intent, instantly flying out and charging towards the Empress.

The three parties engaged in a fierce struggle.

In an instant, heaven and earth collapsed, the void shattered, and this world separated like fragments of a broken mirror.

Only Ming Yan's true body walked towards the tumor containing Xu Qing, which was now in the same fragmented piece of reality, while calmly speaking, "I swear on the Dao, Mo Yu, your soul will be returned to you unconditionally after this matter, and we shall never interfere with each other again."

"Clone, after this matter, I grant you the freedom you have yearned for."

"As for the Empress... after this, this grotto-heaven will be yours. You may revive whomever you wish to revive."

"All I require is that you do not disturb my rebirth."

Ming Yan's voice echoed, his gaze falling upon Xu Qing, revealing a mix of admiration and greed, as if he were looking at a supreme treasure.

His original plan was to seize Mo Yu's body, using the Emperor's body to complete the rebirth of his other half and thus ascend to True Immortal.

Although it had flaws, he was confident that after some time, he could infinitely repair these flaws.

Until he saw Xu Qing!

The shock within him was immense, turning his world upside down. So he changed his plan, not only abandoning the idea of seizing Mo Yu's body but also secretly communicating with him, allowing events to unfold to this perfect stage.

"Such a physical body is unbelievable. As for the karma within it, what if I simply devour it...?"

Ming Yan murmured, walking step by step towards the tumor where Xu Qing was. Staring at the closed-eyed Xu Qing inside, he licked his lips, his inner greed uncontrollable at this moment.

"Your body, I'll take it."

He raised his right hand, piercing through the tumor before him, and pressed it towards Xu Qing's glabella.