The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 471: Evil Spirit of the Corpse_1
Seeing everyone’s questioning gazes, the Giant Corpse Master from the Ghost Corpse School showed a contemplative expression.
Then, he said, somewhat uncertainly, "I also don’t know what this change in the painting signifies!"
"However, deducing from common sense, perhaps it means this Heavenly Monarch failed his ascension to immortality and continues to linger in the mortal realm."
Immediately, Shen Mo took over the conversation, "The previous scrolls all depicted the Heavenly Monarch’s personal experiences during his lifetime. If this final painting is the same, does it imply he foresaw this very scene and considered it one of the most critical experiences of his life?"
Hearing this, individuals like Chou Jiuyian, Deputy Sect Master of the Seven Stars Altar, and Elder Chu Zhen from the Profound Moon School, all showed thoughtful expressions.
The Giant Corpse Master, on the verge of obtaining the Heavenly Monarch’s Remains, sounded somewhat impatient.
"This tomb has existed for at least several thousand years."
"Even if a Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch possesses a lifespan of three thousand years, he cannot transcend the great limit of life and death. It’s impossible for him to still be alive!"
"In that case, we need not fear the corpse of a powerful expert. Let’s just open the golden coffin and find out."
Seeing no objections from the others, the Giant Corpse Master slapped the iron coffin on his back. Instantly, a hulking Ghoul stepped out. The oppressive aura it exuded made Shen Mo and the others involuntarily turn to look!
Clearly, this was a powerful Ghoul whose strength had reached the expectant Class IV.
The cultivators of the Ghost Corpse School derived most of their abilities from their Ghouls. Possessing such a Ghoul, the Giant Corpse Master’s combat strength had naturally reached the half-step Golden Core realm!
Apart from him, all the cultivators present were top figures from their respective immortal sects, second only to the Mountain Guarding Patriarchs of the Golden Core Realm. Naturally, they would not be frightened into inaction by a mere strange coffin painting!
Immediately, the burly Ghoul strode towards the golden coffin, spread its arms wide, and gripped the lid.
With a grating CREAK, the coffin lid was lifted, revealing the scene within to everyone...
"Why is it an empty coffin?"
The Giant Corpse Master stepped forward and, after careful observation, his expression changed dramatically. "The calculations of my sect’s patriarchs shouldn’t be wrong!"
"There is definitely a Heavenly Monarch’s Remain in this tomb, and he even has an unfallen cave paradise on him... How could this be? How?"
Without absolute certainty, the Ghost Corpse School would not have spent two hundred years tirelessly excavating this tomb.
However, the golden coffin was indeed empty. Forget the Heavenly Monarch’s Remains; not even a single piece of his funerary attire was present.
Just as Shen Mo and the others were looking at each other in dismay, wondering where the Heavenly Monarch’s Remains could have gone, a series of horrified screams suddenly echoed from outside the golden coffin chamber!
In an instant, spiritual light flared around everyone in the hall. They transformed into streaks of light and rushed out of the chamber one after another.
The cultivators who had remained in the Heavenly Monarch’s mansion were all on high alert, their expressions grim, as if facing a great enemy. They had all drawn their magic artifacts, talismans, and other items, standing ready and facing the Star Observation Deck.
「On the Star Observation Deck.」
A figure, strikingly familiar to Shen Mo, stood proudly upon it.
This person wore a loose, plain-colored Daoist robe. His features were ordinary, but his demeanor was extraordinary. Just standing there, he exuded an imposing aura, like a mountain standing firm and a still abyss, creating an immense sense of pressure.
What was even more startling was that his appearance was almost identical to the Heavenly Monarch’s residual image from the trial!
The only difference was that the Heavenly Monarch’s residual image Shen Mo had seen in the strange space of the Sword Washing Pool had been vibrant and his eyes full of spirit...
But the face of the man before them had an ashen, lifeless hue, devoid of any sign of life. His eyes were also hollow and unfocused, appearing utterly inanimate!
By now, Shen Mo and the others had all guessed his identity: he was the missing Heavenly Monarch’s Remain from the golden coffin.
And beneath his feet lay the corpses of several cultivators from the immortal sects.
Without exception, each person’s skull had been completely torn open, their brain matter and spinal fluid sucked dry by this Heavenly Monarch’s Remain!
One of the corpses was none other than Xuanzhu Zi from the Seven Stars Altar.
This cultivator, known for his exceptional divination skills, had been resting nearby to recover after clearing the Star Observation Deck trial.
Several other cultivators from various immortal sects had been accompanying him!
Consequently, when the Heavenly Monarch’s Remain suddenly appeared, it easily captured them. Then, as if slurping jelly, it cracked open their skulls and devoured their brains and souls, leaving nothing behind.
It had to be said, Xuanzhu Zi was truly plagued by misfortune and bad luck.
Logically, even if the Heavenly Monarch’s Remain had somehow emerged from the golden coffin, its place of appearance should have been unpredictable.
As it turned out... this very Remain appeared on the Star Observation Deck, incidentally victimizing Xuanzhu Zi and the others!
At this moment, it still gripped a female cultivator from the Profound Moon School. With a swipe of its finger, the top of the female cultivator’s skull flew off.
Then, the Heavenly Monarch’s Remain leaned in, took a sharp inhale, and the female cultivator’s brain and soul were helplessly sucked into its mouth!
The female cultivator’s wretched screams and the slurping sounds made by the Heavenly Monarch’s Remain sent shivers down the spines of all cultivators present.
"Fiend, die!"
The first to act was Yuxin Sword Master from the Heaven Sword Sect. Sword Cultivators were known for their unyielding and forthright nature; witnessing such a scene, he naturally could not restrain himself any longer.
Those who had died at the hands of this Heavenly Monarch’s Remain included not only Xuanzhu Zi of the Seven Stars Altar and the female cultivator from the Profound Moon School, but also disciples from the Heaven Sword Sect, Riverside Sect, and Ghost Corpse School.
Seeing Yuxin Sword Master charge towards the Heavenly Monarch’s Remain, Shen Mo did not immediately follow.
Instead, he sacrificed ten middle-grade Spirit Stones to his special Destiny, [Examine]. Powder drifted from his fingertips.
The next moment, feedback appeared on his panel.
[Spirit: Heavenly Monarch Corpse Spirit]
[Realm: Early-stage Class IV]
[Description: This spirit was born from the remain of a Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch; it is the Corpse Spirit of a powerful expert.
Originating from the same source, this spirit inherited part of the Heavenly Monarch’s origin power and memories. It can autonomously control his remain and unleash magic and Skills!
This spirit inherited the Heavenly Monarch’s lifelong Snatch Soul Skill. By devouring the brains and souls of others, it can seize parts of their comprehension in cultivation and techniques.
It commands dozens of cultivation methods and magic, all of which have reached the Senior level or higher. It possesses considerable attainments in the Sword Path, Array Path, Alchemy Path, and Talisman Path.]
[Weakness: ???]
Although the panel’s feedback indicated the Corpse Spirit was formidable and its weaknesses unknown, Shen Mo felt a sense of relief.
Fortunately, as he had guessed, it was not the Divine Bridge Realm Heavenly Monarch himself!
The original, unnamed Heavenly Monarch, a genuine Class V powerhouse, had truly perished.
This Corpse Spirit, though born from the Heavenly Monarch’s remain and having inherited some of his legacy, power, and memories, was ultimately a completely different creature from the Heavenly Monarch himself!
This peculiar type of being, known as a Spirit, was essentially no different from an Artifact Spirit found within spiritual-level magic artifacts.
The Demon Slaying Sword Spirit, for instance, was one such being, also classified as a Spirit by [Examine]!
The difference was, the Heavenly Monarch Corpse Spirit... it was an evil spirit of the corpse. It had formed from the remain of the unnamed Heavenly Monarch—either naturally or through human intervention—after a long period of gestation.
