Chapter 345: Devouring the Heavenly Corpse
Through her fingers, Qing Lin's jade green pupils widened as she struggled to suppress her shyness, observing a scene she had never imagined. Her cheeks burned red, but her heart was racing with excitement and curiosity. The thrilling and unfamiliar sight left her both embarrassed and intrigued.
So, this is how Master and Medusa Sister interact in private? It… it seems fun somehow…
On the other hand, Medusa, whose face was still flushed from the earlier interruption, quickly recovered from her shock. Her slightly parted lips pursed into a firm line as she took a deep breath, forcing herself to regain her composure.
"Ahem… Qing Lin, is there something you needed?" Medusa's tone turned calm and commanding, her alluring and bewitching face hardening as she resumed her usual cold, dignified demeanor as the Medusa Queen.
"Uh…" Qing Lin's flustered feelings immediately settled. Medusa's authoritative aura had always been deeply ingrained in her impression, and the sudden shift in demeanor reminded her of the Queen's dominance. Qing Lin instinctively became more serious.
"Well, I… I came to find Master…"
"Mhm…" Medusa suddenly trembled slightly, a soft gasp escaping her lips. Her cheeks, which had only just regained their color, once again flushed deep red.
Her gaze immediately snapped to Lu Bu, who was looking quite smug. This bastard! What do you think you're doing!?
"Qing Lin, you've come at just the right time," Lu Bu turned to her with a mischievous grin. "I was just about to "
Smack!
Before he could finish, Medusa grabbed Lu Bu's face and turned it toward her, forcing him to look directly at her.
Slowly lowering his head and then raising it again, Lu Bu was met with Medusa's crimson face and the intense glare of her gritted teeth expression.
"…"
As the saying went: When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.
"Ahem… Qing Lin, Lu Bu and I need to discuss something. If it's not urgent, can you come back later?" Medusa said, her voice trembling slightly as she struggled to suppress the mischievous hand currently tormenting her.
"O Oh…" Qing Lin, her own face flushed, quickly nodded and retreated. She wasn't a child; how could she not tell what Medusa and Lu Bu were doing?
Bang!
The door closed and locked, cutting off all outside noise.
"Master is just too bad…" Qing Lin muttered, biting her lower lip. Her soft, charming face was full of shyness, yet her thoughts raced between anticipation and worry. She was both eager for Lu Bu to come to her… and afraid he might come too soon.
Inside the room, Medusa pinched Lu Bu's face and yelled, "You're a dead man!"
She had worked so hard to build her image of authority in front of the others, only for it to nearly collapse just now!
"Hehe…" Lu Bu chuckled, completely unrepentant, and even seemed quite pleased with himself.
Seeing this, Medusa's anger flared even more. Her beautiful eyes glared at him as she pushed him down onto the bed.
"Hmph… From now on, you're not allowed to move. I'll handle this myself!" Medusa declared with a cold snort, her frustration evident.
"Are you sure… Ah!" Lu Bu began to retort, but before he could finish, a smooth, cool, and slightly moist seven colored snake tail wrapped around his waist. The sensation made him suck in a sharp breath.
That night, silence enveloped the world.
In her cultivation chamber, Xiao Yi Xian sat cross legged with her hands forming seals. Around her floated several poisonous flowers and herbs, their toxic energy swirling gently as it merged with her breathing and flowed into her dantian.
Though the full release of her Woeful Poison Body earlier had drained her significantly, it also provided valuable insights.
Perhaps… I can take this chance to break through, Xiao Yi Xian thought.
Suddenly, her ears twitched. A faint blush crept onto her pale cheeks as she realized something.
"Damned man… He didn't even seal the space properly," she muttered angrily, her silver teeth grinding in frustration. She quickly covered her ears with Dou Qi, blocking out all external noise and refocusing on her cultivation.
Just wait… Once I'm done here, I'll make sure to reclaim every bit of dual cultivation I've missed these past few days, she thought to herself, determination flashing in her eyes.
Rainy Mountain Range, Cloud Rain Sect
Heaven Scorpion stepped out of his cultivation chamber and began handling the sect's affairs.
However, there wasn't much to deal with. The Cloud Rain Sect had always primarily existed as a place for him and his brothers to raise cauldrons young, talented women to serve as tools for their energy absorbing cultivation method. Over the years, they had established an efficient system.
Servants under their control would scour the continent for beautiful, gifted young women to bring back to the sect. These girls would then be taught cultivation techniques and provided with pills to accelerate their progress.
Anyone who dared slack off would be punished with lashes. If they remained stubborn, they were executed there was never a shortage of promising young women on the Dou Qi Continent, after all. If one died, another could be found.
Within the sect, the Scorpion Brothers made no effort to hide their intentions. Their strength left no room for rebellion, and they even offered a glimmer of false hope: the strongest women among the group could rise to positions of management within the sect.
This illusion of hope made even the most despairing girls willing to push themselves, believing that hard work might save them from being reduced to lifeless husks after having their energy drained.
It was akin to gambling. Everyone knew the odds were against them, but gamblers always believed they could be the exception.
"Big Brother!"
A low, urgent voice interrupted Heaven Scorpion's thoughts. Earth Scorpion entered with a dark expression.
"Second Brother, why the commotion?" Heaven Scorpion frowned, displeased by his brother's outburst.
"I have a bad feeling," Earth Scorpion said grimly. "It's as if something terrible is about to happen."
"Oh?" Heaven Scorpion's brows furrowed. At their level, baseless paranoia was unlikely. If Earth Scorpion was this unsettled, something might indeed be wrong.
"Let's check on Third Brother!" Heaven Scorpion decided, his expression darkening as he thought of Human Scorpion's reckless nature.
"Understood!" Earth Scorpion nodded, and the two of them immediately headed for Human Scorpion's chamber.
Bang!
The door was kicked open, but the room was empty.
On the table was a note:
"Dear brothers, I've been feeling frustrated and stuck in my cultivation. I've gone out to seek opportunities. I'll return in one or two years. Don't worry about me!"
"That idiot!" Heaven Scorpion slammed the note down in anger. "With Soul Hall looming over us, ready to strike at any moment, that fool still dares to run off?"
"Is he trying to get himself killed?!" Earth Scorpion's face darkened as well. If Human Scorpion dared return, he swore to break both his legs.
"Sect Masters, there's a message for you!"
At that moment, an older woman with crow's feet hurried in, holding a scroll in her hands.
"What is it?" The Scorpion Brothers frowned, suspicion brewing in their hearts. Could it be news of their third brother?
Both Heaven Scorpion and Earth Scorpion's expressions darkened simultaneously upon hearing the news.
"It's Starfallen Pavilion!" the older woman said gravely. "The long missing Yao Zun zhe, Yao Chen, has reappeared, and his cultivation has advanced even further he's stepped into the Half Saint realm."
"Now, calling him 'Yao Sheng zhe' might be more fitting."
"What?" Heaven Scorpion and Earth Scorpion were visibly shocked. Their already dark expressions grew even more ominous.
Yao Chen… the Scorpion brothers had no shortage of grudges against this man.
"Damn it… Big Brother, what do we do?" Earth Scorpion's face twitched with unease, unable to come up with a solution for the predicament they faced.
Half Saint… Even with all three of them working together, they could only barely manage to withstand him. Now, with Human Scorpion off gallivanting somewhere, they didn't even have the means to put up a fight against Yao Chen.
"Wait," Heaven Scorpion said with a deep voice. "Use all our connections. Track down that idiot and get him back here as soon as possible!"
"Yes!" the older woman responded quickly.
"And for now, locate the Demon Flower Evil Lord of the Heaven Nether Sect," Heaven Scorpion ordered. "That fool probably went chasing after the Woeful Poison Body. If we find the Evil Lord, we might find a clue about where he went."
"As for us… we'll focus on cultivating!" Heaven Scorpion's voice grew heavier. For now, they could only act with caution and pray that Yao Chen wouldn't come after them first.
Holy Pill City, Holy Pill Mountains
Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian were deep in cultivation. Yun Yun was still recovering from her condition. As for Medusa… she was preoccupied, digesting a rather generous serving of "protein."
Lu Bu, left alone, felt somewhat disappointed. His morale was high, and he had been looking forward to some victories of his own if not a pentakill, then at least a double kill.
But alas… he had nothing.
With a sigh, Lu Bu waved his sleeve, summoning a few corpses and scrolls into the room: the Heavenly Demon Puppet, the ancient human puppet retrieved from the Dou Saint Ruins, and the corpses of the Soul Hall's Seventh and Eighth Heavenly Sovereigns.
Among the materials were also the crafting methods for ancient human puppets and the Heavenly Demon Puppet.
Rubbing his chin, Lu Bu looked up as a dark light began to swirl above his head. A deep, pitch black rune appeared, flickering between its form as a rune and transforming into an eerie black hole.
He was about to attempt the creation of a Devouring Heavenly Corpse.
In the past, the Devouring Lord had crafted three such corpses, each boasting strength comparable to a Samsara Stage expert. What made the Devouring Heavenly Corpses particularly terrifying was the devouring power imbued within them.
This devouring power granted them unparalleled defensive capabilities. Combined with the indestructible bodies crafted by the Devouring Lord, these corpses could withstand a strike from the Demon Emperor a blow that even many triple Samsara powerhouses would struggle to endure.
And yet, the Devouring Heavenly Corpses had not only survived but remained powerful enough to be utilized by Lin Dong against Life Profound Realm experts even thousands of years later.
Such incredible puppets… how could Lu Bu not covet them?
But the moment he began, things quickly spiraled out of control.
The devouring power he imbued into the corpse, once it escaped his control, became violently unstable. It began recklessly absorbing the residual Dou Qi within the body while simultaneously destroying the corpse's structure.
Within seconds, the once pristine corpse turned into a mangled heap of unrecognizable flesh.
Forced to rely on array formations to contain the devouring power, Lu Bu encountered the same problem again and again: the devouring power, once unleashed, became uncontrollable. It would recklessly consume everything around it until it dissipated into nothingness, unable to be sealed or stored like Dou Qi.
"Damn it…" Lu Bu rubbed his temples in frustration. How did the Devouring Lord manage this back then?
Several days passed.
Apart from cultivating, Lu Bu spent most of his time studying the Devouring Heavenly Corpse but still found no breakthroughs.
The frustration was starting to mount. He had thought his understanding and control over the Devouring Ancestral Symbol were fairly advanced, but compared to the Devouring Lord…
Clack, clack, clack.
"Master, are you there?" Qing Lin's soft voice called from outside the door.
"What is it?" Lu Bu opened the door, rubbing his temples. His face was etched with weariness, the failure to make progress on the Devouring Heavenly Corpse gnawing at him.
At what level of cultivation had the Devouring Lord been when he created them? How had he dealt with the unruly devouring power that acted like a disobedient dog?
"Elder Sister Yao Zi told me that there's a Half Saint at Starfallen Pavilion now," Qing Lin said. "It's probably that Xiao Yan's teacher. Apparently, he broke through recently."
"Hmm?" Lu Bu's eyes narrowed as his brows furrowed.
So, Yao Chen did step into the Half Saint realm after all. Though the materials he used to restore his body were somewhat inferior to what Lu Bu had prepared for Tianhuo Zun zhe, Yao Chen's foundation was far stronger. At the peak of Nine Star Dou Zun, he had been just a step away from Half Saint even without a body.
With his physical form restored, Yao Chen's breakthrough, though annoying to Lu Bu, was unsurprising.
"A Half Saint… never mind. It has nothing to do with us," Lu Bu shrugged. "Though with Yao Chen's help, Xiao Yan's cultivation is bound to accelerate."
"But…" Qing Lin continued hesitantly, "did you forget? Yao Chen still has that Scorpion Demon Ghost's corpse. The only reason that Human Scorpion managed to find Xiao Yi Xian Sister in the first place was that someone passed along the information. That person isn't dead yet. What if the other two ghosts…"
"Hmm?" Lu Bu's eyes gleamed with a sharp light as killing intent began to ripple through the air.
She's right. He had nearly forgotten. The Demon Flower Evil Lord and the father son duo from the Nether Heaven Sect were still alive. Without their involvement, Human Scorpion would never have tracked him down.
Murderous determination filled Lu Bu's gaze. It's time to eliminate the roots of this problem. These Heaven Nether Sect trash must be eradicated.
"I need to head out," Lu Bu declared.
"Master, take me with you!" Qing Lin quickly grabbed his arm, her lips curling into a sweet, mischievous smile. "I know where the Demon Flower Evil Lord is!"
Lu Bu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you know that?"
"Hehe… Elder Sister Yao Zi told me!" Qing Lin replied proudly, placing her hands on her hips. The Nine Nether Earth Python sisters had not only provided her with a massive amount of refined Dou Qi but also plenty of useful information.
"Master, let me come with you! I haven't been out in so long. It's fun being with the sisters, but constant cultivation gets boring. Besides, even though I'm just a Dou Zong, I can still be helpful!"
"…Fine," Lu Bu said with a resigned smile, rubbing her head affectionately. This girl had grown much more lively compared to before or even compared to her original depiction. But he didn't mind; it was a good thing.
"Yay! Master, you're the best!" Qing Lin cheered, leaping into his arms and snuggling against him joyfully.
Holding her soft, slender waist, Lu Bu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This girl… she's really grown up. So much that even I can barely handle her anymore…
(Chapter End)
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