Chapter 184: Rebuilding the Body

Chapter 184: Rebuilding the Body

Shen Lian smiled faintly, "If I die, you will be annihilated on the spot."

Hearing this, Fei Yun's expression turned grim. "Don't go too far."

"I'm not the one who's been burned before," Shen Lian activated the chains again. "Pick one of two options: either go in, or swear an oath. Once I find Yan Huaixuan, I'll let you leave."

Fei Yun had no choice but to grit his teeth and write his name with his own vital blood.

As Fei Yun's name fell, the heavenly oath was sealed into both Shen Lian and Fei Yun.

Shen Lian handed Fei Yun some pills and a few magical treasures, then turned and headed into the cave entrance.

Fei Yun called out anxiously, "Remember, don't let the Myriad Dharma Lotus Platform bewitch you!"

Shen Lian replied coldly, "Understood."

Shen Lian had no idea how long he had walked in the cave.

All around was darkness, and each breath reeked of decay.

Shen Lian didn't know how much longer he walked, until he sensed something was off in a particular area.

Shen Lian made a hand seal, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

A spectral blue flame rose in his palm. Shen Lian casually tossed it out, and Chen Xue saw the space around them warp slightly.

Then, Chen Xue saw that the pitch-black cave now revealed other scenes.

Shen Lian also looked at the massive cavern ahead. Above, countless luminous pearls were embedded in the ceiling.

Below, there was a heavenly pool veiled in mist.

Chen Xue and Xiaoman immediately became wary.

Shen Lian's heart thumped as he stepped forward.

The pool was filled with countless lotuses in bloom.

When Chen Xue looked down into the lotus pool, she let out a sharp gasp.

"Yan Huaixuan!"

Shen Lian also saw Yan Huaixuan lying at the bottom of the pool.

His features were cold and refined, silver hair spread out, swaying with the water's motion. His eyes were closed, hands crossed over his chest.

For a moment, Shen Lian's heart truly believed it was Yan Huaixuan.

He even lifted his foot to step in.

But soon, he came to his senses.

His expression turned ice-cold in an instant. He raised his palm, summoning the Nine Abyss Fire, and flung it at the lotus pool.

In an instant, every lotus was burned to ash.

The whole space warped.

The once-peaceful lotus pool suddenly churned violently, and torrents of blood surged up from below.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed from a celestial pool into a bloody purgatory.

Chen Xue suddenly called out, "Watch your back!"

Shen Lian whirled around and saw a figure slowly crawling out from the bloody water.

Its black hair, wet and dragging on the ground. Its body was stiff, as if it had long been abandoned.

It raised its head, but its face had no features—just a blank void.

Chen Xue's expression changed. "Is this the ancient corpse?"

Shen Lian's eyes locked onto the corpse's heart, where the unmistakable aura of Yan Huaixuan radiated from.

Without hesitation, Shen Lian struck.

But the corpse easily caught Shen Lian's sword.

After just one exchange, Shen Lian realized this corpse's cultivation was extraordinary—above his own level of Immortal Lord Realm.

Shen Lian fought the corpse for at least half an hour, and the opponent showed no signs of tiring.

A dark light flickered in Shen Lian's eyes. He had no choice but to coat Chen Xue's blade with the Nine Abyss Fire.

The corpse, which had been flinging Shen Lian's sword away, seemed a bit smug. But when it saw the Nine Abyss Fire, it seemed to hesitate for a moment.

Before the Nine Abyss Fire reached it, the corpse instinctively recoiled.

So it fears the Nine Abyss Fire?

Seeing this, Shen Lian poured more power into the Nine Abyss Fire.

Before long, he actually cut off one of the corpse's arms.

The corpse tilted its head back and let out a guttural roar. Then it lowered its head, and on that blank face, a vertical eye slowly forced its way out.

That pure white eye stared directly at Shen Lian.

One turned into two, two into three.

The whole cavern was filled with cold, eerie white eyes.

When he met those eyes, the sword in his hand froze for an instant. In that moment, he seemed to catch a glimpse of the legendary ancient battlefield.

That battlefield was unlike any he had ever seen.

Countless figures hovered in the air, all expressionless and cold, their auras vast and immeasurable, like mountains and rivers.

Were those—the legendary gods?

Even one glance at the gods' battle could shatter a person's mind and soul.

One of them raised a long sword, its momentum like a rainbow. When the blade fell, the earth trembled and mountains shook.

Shen Lian barely caught a glimpse before he felt his internal organs start to shatter. He spat out a mouthful of blood, forced himself to look away, and withdrew from the ancient battlefield.

A battle at this level wasn't something he was meant to witness.

The moment Shen Lian emerged, he discovered that the all-white eyes had multiplied into tens of thousands, all their gazes fixed on Shen Lian's face.

In an instant, countless voices flooded through Shen Lian's mind.

"A bastard like you deserves to die."

"Shen Lian, if it weren't for me, do you think you'd even be alive?"

"You're not our brother. We don't have a brother who sells his ass."

"You can only ever be a lover, never marriage material."

"What's the use of acting skill? Beauty is all you need."

And finally—Yan Huaixuan.

Shen Lian watched as Yan Huaixuan raised his hand and severed the red thread of fate.

Then, piercing his heart with a single sword strike, he said, "Shen Lian, you're unworthy."

Shen Lian's pupils shrank. His hand, which had been gripping his sword tightly, slowly loosened, one finger at a time.

Yes, what was the point of his life? He deserved to die.

No matter how Chen Xue trembled, Shen Lian seemed to feel nothing.

His hair rapidly turned white, and despair crept into his eyes. Shen Lian's Dao heart began to crumble, until it shattered entirely.

Shen Lian slowly raised his sword and pressed it to his own throat.

Shen Lian never noticed that the corpse was already behind him. Just as the eye in the center of the corpse's face slowly widened, ready to swallow Shen Lian's head whole—

The next moment, its chin was pierced clean through.

The corpse froze. Shen Lian turned around, his features striking, yet a smile lingered at the corners of his lips.

The corpse stared at Shen Lian with difficulty. "Aren't you... already shattered in your Dao heart?"

Shen Lian smiled faintly. "Shattered, yes. But I never said I only had one path."

He paused, the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile.

"I am the Dao."

The moment the words fell, Shen Lian lopped off its head.

Then he reached out, grabbing toward the heart where Yan Huaixuan's core was.

But the headless corpse grabbed Shen Lian's hand.

The corpse's voice was hoarse. "We will soon... take back what's ours."

With those words, the corpse's body began to dissipate.

And Shen Lian seized Yan Huaixuan's soul. Strangely, he discovered that Yan Huaixuan's soul had not been absorbed—instead, it had grown even stronger, as if it had been nurtured.

Before he could dwell on it, Shen Lian found the ancient battlefield flashing before his eyes again!

Shen Lian immediately tried to pull back.

But then he caught sight of a familiar figure in midair.

That person stood at the very center of a group of gods, standing out even among them.

With long silver hair, noble and cold features, he hovered high in the air, sword in hand.

Shen Lian froze instantly. The person before him had Yan Huaixuan's face, yet was nothing like him.

Who was that?