The 'Corpse-Hidden' punch compressed space to its extreme without creating a sound. Xiao Wuchen parried with his sword; the purple-blue longsword that had helped him to slay countless powerful enemies groaned in agony the moment it touched the edge of the fist, instantly cracking across its blade like a spider's web.
The immense force of the impact sent Xiao Wuchen flying backwards like a kite with a broken string. He crashed heavily into a basalt pillar in the centre of the quarry.
'Pfft—' A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed onto the broken sword. Xiao Wuchen felt his chest cavity collapse completely; his already damaged meridians shattered under the force of the blow.
[System Highest Level Red Warning: Vitality dropped to 12%! Organ function halted!] [Vajra Realm "Venomous Qi" detected entering the body; the host is about to experience physical disintegration.]
Holding a black umbrella, the Left Commander walked slowly forward. His boots made a nauseating sound as they sank into the mixture of mud and blood. Looking down at Xiao Wuchen, who lay motionless like a dead dog, he felt a cruel satisfaction at his triumph.
'Xiao Wuchen, look. This is the limit of mortals. You boast of unparalleled political acumen and awe-inspiring swordsmanship, yet before absolute power, you are nothing but a grovelling eunuch."
He stretched out his foot and ground it firmly into Xiao Wuchen's sword-wielding fingers. His voice was chilling. 'This body of yours is unworthy to bear such power. Since it is incomplete, it should be utterly shattered and become nourishment for this mud!"
This double assault on his body and dignity pushed Xiao Wuchen to the darkest depths of despair. In his pain, he even felt a sense of relief — if this was the end, was this incomplete life truly just a joke?
Just as his consciousness was about to sink into eternal darkness, the voice of the system in Xiao Wuchen's mind suddenly changed. Rather than a mechanical broadcast, it was now a rhythmic emanation seemingly from the depths of the void.
[Ding — Desperate conditions met. Host's physical body destroyed, but obsession remains.' 'Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha' activated: Celestial Transformation!" Logical correction: The so-called 'incompleteness' is 'emptiness'. Only by lacking the physical characteristics of mortals can one bear the two energies of 'birth' and 'death' unhindered.']
Xiao Wuchen suddenly saw a gigantic lotus flower blooming in the stillness of his sea of consciousness. He finally understood. While mortals pursue the perfection of the physical body, he was to walk the forbidden path of abandoning his mortal form and transforming into a celestial being.
The internal energy within him, which had been collapsing, underwent a sudden qualitative change. 'Life' and 'death' no longer repelled each other, but instead began to rotate wildly around his sea of qi, forming a self-sufficient black-and-white vortex.
Sensing the threat, 'Corpse-Hidden' roared and unleashed another devastating punch, intending to turn Xiao Wuchen to dust.
However, a terrifying scene unfolded.
Xiao Wuchen slowly raised his head, his pupils now pure gold and ink-black. He extended a hand and seemingly lightly placed it on the opponent's fist — a touch powerful enough to shatter mountains.
'Buzz—' A vibration like a resounding bell reverberated through the air.
Instead of shattering, Xiao Wuchen's hand remained intact while "Corpse-Hidden's" dark golden flesh began to crumble inch by inch! [System report: Host has comprehended the secrets of 'Heavenly Man Transformation', physical body reconstruction in progress! Inner strength is entering a 'solidification' state: half-step Meridian Building perfection!
'Commander Zuo, you're right.' Xiao Wuchen's voice was devoid of any warmth, yet it plunged everyone present into an icy abyss. 'This physical form is indeed unworthy of such power, so... I refined it.'
Much to everyone's horror, the rainwater around Xiao Wuchen started flowing backwards and transformed into countless tiny ice swords floating in the air.
Grasping the broken longsword, he infused it with the "Sword Intent of Life and Death", causing the remaining blade to sprout a dark purple aura several inches long.
'The Corpse' let out a terrified wail. It sensed that the person standing before it was not a eunuch but a demon god who had returned from the Nine Netherworlds — a master of life and death.
'The next sword will send you into reincarnation.'
Xiao Wuchen took a step forward and the blue bricks beneath his feet instantly turned to dust.
At the centre of the quarry, the aftershocks of Xiao Wuchen's punch had not yet dissipated when a semi-transparent, massive cocoon of interwoven black and white light formed around him.
This was no longer just an ordinary burst of internal energy; it was a physical transformation occurring within the Heavenly Manifestation Realm.
[System warning: physical reconstruction entering the 'deep fusion period'.] [Pain assessment: Level SSS. The host is undergoing 'thousand cuts'-level meridian widening and bone reforging. [Evolution status: Mortal bone loss: 80%. True Essence Solidification Progress: 60%.]
Within the cocoon of light, Xiao Wuchen's skin cracked and healed rapidly under the influence of the "Vitality" sword intent. This cyclical destruction and rebirth was accompanied by a tremor deep within his soul.
The pain was both physical and spiritual. In his mind's eye, he saw the boy who had once yearned for an ordinary life, and now he saw the powerful, crippled and cold-hearted demon. 'If you want to live forever, you must first abandon your mortal heart.' Xiao Wuchen roared silently in his heart. He took the initiative to confront the forces tearing him apart, crushing his pride and humility.
Beyond the cocoon of light, the confident smile on Zuo Dudu's face froze.
The 'Corpse Hidden' behind him — that Vajra Realm killing machine — was now whimpering like a puppy, its body retreating involuntarily.
'Is he actually using the power of the "Corpse Hidden" fist to break through?' The black umbrella frame in Zuo Dudu's hands creaked under the strain and his fingertips trembled.
As a master of political manoeuvring, he felt a fear that transcended power and pierced his very soul for the first time. He realised that his carefully orchestrated scheme had not only failed to bury Xiao Wuchen, but had instead acted like a giant hammer, shattering the last constraints binding Xiao Wuchen.
As the light-filled cocoon expanded and contracted, the rain within a hundred-foot radius froze instantly, solidifying into tiny purple crystals.
[System report: The host's internal energy has completed the initial transformation from 'liquid' to 'solid'. [Hint: True essence purity has reached the peak of mortals. 'Life and Death Sword Intent' has evolved into the 'Primary Domain State'.
Xiao Wuchen suddenly opened his eyes. A golden lotus phantom flashed in the depths of his pupils. Not only had his chest, which had collapsed due to his injuries, fully recovered, but his skin also faintly radiated a lustrous yet indestructible sheen like white jade.
He slowly extended his right hand and clenched it in the air. The fragments of the broken purple-blue longsword were drawn back to his hand and melted by dark red solidified true essence, transforming into the "Life and Death Demon Blade" that emitted black sword light.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Garden of the Great Yu Palace...
The Emperor was engrossed in a game of chess when he suddenly flicked his wrist, sending a black piece crashing to the ground and shattering the mirror-like surface of the lake.
Slowly turning his head, he gazed at the purple-blue aura rising into the sky from the west of the city. His eyes were filled with complex emotions. 'Bixie, is that a celestial being incarnate?'
Hidden in the shadows, the chief eunuch Bixie lowered his head deeply, his breathing becoming more rapid than ever before. 'Your Majesty, it's not just a celestial being incarnate. This child has already glimpsed the threshold of 'Core Formation'. In the two hundred years since the founding of Great Yu, a second person who can accompany this old servant to the end has finally emerged."
The emperor remained silent for a long time before finally speaking in a cold, unyielding tone: 'If he returns alive, he will be given the position of Director of Ceremonial Affairs. But if he loses control..."
'This old servant understands,' Bixie replied softly.
Xiao Wuchen stepped out of the cocoon of light inside the quarry. With each step he took, the mud beneath his feet instantly dried and carbonised.
The 'Corpse' let out its final roar, its dark gold patterns gleaming at their brightest as it charged forward, ready to deliver a devastating blow capable of shattering city walls.
Xiao Wuchen remained expressionless, calmly swinging his demonic blade.
'This sword strike is called "Zeroing Out".'