Chapter 443

Seizing the House!

Yunhe immediately felt a powerful soul enveloping him.

Speaking of which, this was actually not Yunhe's first attempt at being seized by someone.

Because he cultivated the "Thousand Insects Myriad Worms Art", his soul and spiritual sense far surpassed cultivators of the same realm, so Yunhe was actually not very fearful of body seizure.

The restrictions on body seizure are not minor.

Under normal circumstances, a cultivator only gets one chance to seize a body in their lifetime; if they have secret techniques, that's another matter.

Moreover, body seizure can only be performed by a cultivator of higher realm upon one of lower realm.

Because the seizing party's soul enters another's body—on someone else's "turf"—it is inevitably restrained and greatly affected; without strength and realm advantage, there is undoubtedly little chance of successful body seizure.

Originally, with Yunhe's current spiritual sense comparable to that of a late Nascent Soul cultivator, even a late Nascent Soul cultivator could not seize him.

And opposite him was naturally the master of this place, Yunhe.

At this moment.

Because even if you seize a young body, your soul remains the original one, and aging cannot be avoided.

The Heavenly Corpse Insect divided its soul, leaving a small fragment here, which is also why the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor has survived to this day.

He, too, had cultivated the fourth layer of the "Thousand Insects Myriad Worms Art", plus retained some Heavenly Corpse Insect soul power, and with a higher cultivation base, the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor patiently waited until everything ended and Yunhe's vigilance was most relaxed before acting.

The opponent sought to prolong his life via the Heavenly Corpse Insect; this is clearly not as simple as merely taking a flesh body, and his survival to now is the best proof.

Yunhe's body suddenly stiffened in place, eyes shut tight, body trembling slightly, fine sweat beading on his forehead and back.

Regarding this, the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor also did not resist or oppose; this is something every cultivator attempting body seizure must face, stemming from the original owner's suppression.

However, he seemed confident, looking at Yunhe and grinning ferociously: "Not bad, worthy of one who has cultivated the 'Thousand Insects Myriad Worms Art' to the fourth layer; such a sea of consciousness can bear my ancestor's soul."

This is all because he cultivated the "Thousand Insects Myriad Worms Art".

He was somewhat surprised, saying: "This is. insect?"

At this moment, what they experienced seemed slow, but in reality it was merely an instant; fluctuations of thought and soul often flash by in a blink, and even if he prolonged his standoff with the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor here, to the outside world it would likely be no more than a few breaths.

Therefore.

This is the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's basis for daring to seize Yunhe.

And the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's soul had already been near depletion thousands of years ago, with little lifespan left.

However, we must admit that the timing chosen by the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor was arguably the best.

A disheveled, filthy figure exuding a strong aura of decay, cloaked in black, eerie mist—the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor—hovered above his sea of consciousness.

Within his sea of consciousness.

As everyone knows, a cultivator's lifespan is not merely measured by flesh and body; more importantly, it is the cultivator's soul!

The aging of the soul is nearly irreversible.

This time, however, is not quite the same.

The Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's soul has not yet vanished to this day, precisely because a fragment of the Heavenly Corpse Insect's soul remains within his soul.

This is also why even many ancient monsters nearing the end of their lifespan cannot extend life by seizing a young cultivator.

"Huh?"

From the surroundings of his sea of consciousness, invisible threads slowly wound toward the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's soul, attaching and binding to it.

Setting aside the boost from the "Thousand Insects Myriad Worms Art", as a late Nascent Soul cultivator, the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor undoubtedly has an advantage in spiritual sense and soul over the mid Nascent Soul Yunhe.

More importantly.

However.

This is also one of the difficulties of body seizure.

Yunhe slightly furrowed his brows.

This is also why the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor chose to launch a surprise attack; thus Yunhe would not have time to deploy any secret technique, treasure, or ability, and could only rely purely on his soul to respond.

Because of the heart-demon oath, the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor indeed did not lie.

But as Yunhe, who cultivated from humble origins with constant caution, as if treading on thin ice, he always retained some vigilance; moreover, facing the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor—a several-thousand-year-old twisted old monster—made it even less likely for him to let his guard down completely.

Undoubtedly.

He believed this body seizure was nine out of ten certain.

Because as a former Supreme Elder of the Insect Sect, the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor likewise cultivated the "Thousand Insects Myriad Worms Art", though he only reached the fourth layer perfection and could not attain the fifth, Yunhe's greatest advantage in spiritual sense was thus leveled.

And after such a lengthy period of "coexistence", this original fragment of the Heavenly Corpse Insect's soul had long since merged with the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's soul.

When the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's soul enveloped him, Yunhe discovered that, atop the Ancestor's soul exuding a strong decay aura, there was also intertwined the familiar aura of the Heavenly Corpse Insect.

But the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor soon felt something amiss.

Because of his past complex relationship and experiences with the Heavenly Corpse Insect, the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's soul differs from that of ordinary cultivators.

The Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor's eyes, murky yet filled with a gloomy, sinister aura, continually surveyed this vast, boundless sea of consciousness, nodding repeatedly, seeming extremely satisfied with this impending "new home".

In fact, Yunhe had indeed relaxed part of his vigilance when leaving.

Corpse Soul Insect!

An insect specialized in restraining souls!

Although Yunhe had indeed relaxed part of his vigilance, he still made a certain response at the critical moment.

The Corpse Soul Insect is one of his means to counter body seizure.

Soon the Heavenly Insect Old Ancestor felt a pulling force from outside; he could tell it came from the insect's power, and also sensed that if he delayed further, his effort might come to naught.

However, the Corpse Soul Insect's ability also stirred his heart.

This is an insect he has never seen before, its ability somewhat resembling the legendary "Soul Insect".

"A fine insect, a pity—I shall gladly take it as well!"

A sudden assault!

Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor was speaking mid-sentence when its divine soul unhesitatingly surged toward Yunhe's divine soul.

In an instant.

A thick aura of decay and corpse-killing qi spread across the sea of consciousness; the suppression originating from the sea of consciousness was also minimized by its strange ability.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Corpse Gu is stronger than the Corpse Soul Gu in both ability and grade, and the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor, having fused with part of the Heavenly Corpse Gu's divine soul, can also suppress the Corpse Soul Gu's pull on the divine soul to a minimum.

In short.

Although Yunhe's Corpse Soul Gu is a Fourth Level gu worm, it can only be considered early Fourth Level, while the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor is late Nascent Soul, and with the Heavenly Corpse Gu's divine soul, it cannot directly devour it, giving the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor time to seize Yunhe's body.

Gazing at that terrifying figure, Yunhe took a deep breath.

"If it were an ordinary mid Nascent Soul cultivator, even if they had cultivated the 'Thousand Gu Myriad Insects Technique,' perhaps they would really have been ambushed by you." He looked at the incoming divine soul and spoke calmly.

"Huh?"

Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor seemed to feel something unusual again, and his figure stalled abruptly.

The next second.

He widened his eyes.

"How is that possible?!"

All that could be seen was

Above this sea of consciousness, aside from him and Yunhe, another figure unexpectedly appeared beside Yunhe.

That was not a human.

It was a huge demon beast turtle clad in dark scale armor, with jagged sharp horns on its head and a rugged turtle shell on its back!

Yunhe's Demon Beast Body!

He possesses two bodies but shares one divine soul, which naturally makes Yunhe's divine soul different from that of ordinary cultivators.

And his current divine sense strength does not rely solely on the 'Thousand Gu Myriad Insects Technique'.

Each breakthrough of the Demon Beast Body's realm likewise brings him a considerable increase in divine soul.

However, before the Fourth Level, both the beast soul and Demon Sense are absolute weaknesses; compared to Yunhe's overall divine sense strength, that increase is not significant.

Yet the growth accumulated from each breakthrough should not be underestimated.

Moreover, after the Demon Beast Body breaks through to the Fourth Level and successfully transforms, that weakness is gradually compensated, allowing Yunhe's divine soul to far surpass cultivators of the same realm.

"Roar!!!"

A clear, long cry rang out, shaking the entire sea of consciousness.

For a moment.

The sea of consciousness, which had appeared calm, instantly became tumultuous.

At the same time.

The Corpse Soul Gu, previously disregarded by the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor, now displayed its true efficacy at this moment.

Having once devoured many Heavenly Corpse Gu larvae, the Corpse Soul Gu was sufficient to restrain that portion of the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor's divine soul belonging to the Heavenly Corpse Gu.

Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor indeed did not underestimate the Corpse Soul Gu, even placing considerable importance on it, but there was something he could not have imagined, nor could he have foreseen: Yunhe's Corpse Soul Gu, having undergone mutation by fusing with a strand of his divine soul, could be considered an extension of Yunhe's divine soul—and that is not impossible!

Thus, the ability displayed by the Corpse Soul Gu is far greater than what the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor had anticipated.

In an instant.

The situation reversed.

"To be honest, senior, if you can't hold back, I'd be in a difficult position as well." Yunhe spoke lightly.

After all.

If the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor were slain by the Heavenly Corpse Gu, and the Heavenly Corpse Gu completed itself, not to mention its strength and ability would certainly increase again, perhaps the other party would then have a chance to advance further.

By then, the Eastern Border cultivation realm, already thrown into chaos by it, would surely be overturned, wouldn't it?

As Yunhe, who possesses a vast lifespan, he desires a relatively peaceful cultivation environment; the current turmoil is still within acceptable bounds, but if it were to increase severalfold, it would not be what he wishes to see.

Moreover, even if the Heavenly Corpse Gu and the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor end up mutually destroying each other, given Yunhe's understanding of the Heavenly Corpse Gu, he still lacks confidence that he could ultimately reap the benefits.

If we could eliminate the hidden danger brought by the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor here, that would naturally be best.

However, since the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor does not make a move, Yunhe also harbors some wariness toward this monster who has lived for thousands of years, not knowing how to deal with him, so he naturally does not wish to take the initiative.

But since the other party has actively 'come to the door,' he has nothing to hesitate about.

Within his sea of consciousness, the enormous dark tortoise had already pressed the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor beneath it.

"You need me; I can help you deal with the Heavenly Corpse Gu! Only I can help you deal with the Heavenly Corpse Gu."

Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor was still making his final struggle.

He could never have imagined that, with his divine sense strength, when attempting to seize a cultivator with a lower Cultivation Base, he would still fail.

He also could not understand.

Why Yunhe's divine soul could be so strong.

In his view, this dark tortoise suppressing him is merely a manifestation of part of Yunhe's divine soul.

After all, a divine soul possessing two bodies—one human body and one demon beast body from two separate worlds—is inherently absurd.

"No longer needed."

Yunhe came above him, looking down from a lofty height.

The loser in the body seizure will end up with nothing, while the victor will gain everything.

"You will regret it!!"

"Bang!!"

Amid the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor's long, unwilling howl, the dark tortoise crushed his head without mercy.

At that moment, the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor's divine soul shattered explosively.

Meanwhile, a portion of the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor's memories, like a soul search, silently appeared in Yunhe's mind.

As for how to deal with these memories that completely do not belong to him, Yunhe now already has his own way.

That is to isolate them, then gradually remove them, finally keeping only those memories useful to oneself.

Otherwise, such a vast amount of memory rushing in all at once would very likely cause oneself to be affected by the memories, ultimately turning into another person.

As for saying.

The shattered soul of the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor, filled with a decaying aura, is of little use to Yunhe; he does not want to be affected and have his own soul gradually decay, so handing it over to the Heavenly Corpse Gu to devour is the best choice.

At least it is the soul of a Late Nascent Soul cultivator, and moreover it is a soul that has cultivated the Thousand Gu Myriad Insects Technique; even though it has greatly declined after the baptism of time, its benefits to the Corpse Soul Gu are also obvious.

However.

Just when Yunhe thought everything had settled, an unexpected change suddenly occurred!

In the sea of consciousness.

The Black Tortoise Divine Soul shattered with a boom, Yunhe tensed his body, his eyes sharp as a hawk's, swiftly scanning the sea of consciousness, and he said coldly: "Come out now!"

Hehe—

After a long silence, seeing Yunhe so resolute, that voice eventually sounded.

Without even needing to see the person, Yunhe knew who it was!

Junior Brother, I didn't expect you to still be quite true to your promise.

It is the soul of a part of the Heavenly Corpse Gu remaining within the soul of the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor!

The Heavenly Corpse Gu actually still has some control over this part of the soul?!

Although it is only an extremely weak part of the Heavenly Corpse Gu's soul, Yunhe's wariness of it far exceeds his wariness of the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor's soul.

Tsk tsk, truly worthy of being my junior brother, your sea of consciousness and soul are actually this strong!

At this moment, Yunhe thought of many things.

For example,

The Corpse Soul Gu has been guiding me into this place, just to wait for this moment?

The 'regret' mentioned by the Heavenly Gu Old Ancestor refers to this matter?

(End of chapter)