Come to think of it, it was rather laughable. An Ōtsutsuki, who had always invaded and plundered other worlds, had actually died after having his Spirit Body devoured. If the other Ōtsutsuki wandering the star-filled cosmos learned of it, they would probably ridicule and disdain Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, that useless fool, with all their might...
The devouring and replacement of the Spirit Body gave Bai Yang a body of his own. That was certainly good news, but the bad news was that Isshiki's body was already on the verge of breaking down. If it was not dealt with in time, Bai Yang might follow in Isshiki's footsteps!
Fortunately, Isshiki had already successfully parasitized this human's brain. He could use the nutrients within the host's body to stabilize his body's injuries, preventing them from worsening. But that was all; using this to recover from his injuries was nothing more than wishful thinking.
"I want to live... live..."
Even after devouring Isshiki's Spirit Body, Bai Yang's consciousness had not fully returned. A single obsessive desire to survive still dominated him. Thus, after sensing the weakness of this body, he instinctively and recklessly began drawing upon the host's life energy to heal his injuries. This naturally directly affected the host's condition...
"Am I sick? I suddenly feel so much weaker..."
The ascetic monk walking through the ancient forest was struck by a wave of dizziness. Staggering, he hurriedly braced himself against a nearby tree. In his panic, he sat down cross-legged and began cultivating, attempting to alleviate his weakness.
Natural Energy, invisible to the naked eye, gradually entered the ascetic monk's body with each breath, transforming into pure life energy that nourished him.
As Natural Energy entered his body, the ascetic monk immediately felt much more alert. Yet the weakness remained. Unable to determine its cause, he could only continue meditating and cultivating, accelerating his absorption of Natural Energy!
The ascetic monk was named Jigen. He was a preacher who traveled the world, and at the same time, a talented cultivator who had sensed Natural Energy.
Ever since he had comprehended Natural Energy, he had never fallen ill, and his body had always been healthy and strong.
Yet that sudden weakness cast a shadow over Jigen's heart. He seemed to sense that something bad would surely happen soon...
After cultivating for most of the day, Jigen finally shook off that feeling of weakness. However, an indescribably mysterious intuition told him that this would definitely happen again in the future!
Sure enough, not long after Jigen resumed his journey, that weakness returned...
"Feels so good..."
As Jigen cultivated and drew that Natural Energy into his body, Bai Yang immediately felt incredibly comfortable, like an exhausted person soaking in a hot spring.
Compared to Natural Energy, the meager life energy contained within Jigen's body was simply incomparable. Bai Yang therefore temporarily stopped devouring the host's life energy and instead began devouring the Natural Energy Jigen absorbed.
But after a short while, the Natural Energy within Jigen's body was completely absorbed by Bai Yang. Desperately wanting to recover from his injuries, Bai Yang could only begin absorbing the host's life energy once more...
And so, over the following period of time, a strange, unspoken understanding formed between Jigen, the host, and Bai Yang, the parasite.
Whenever Bai Yang absorbed Jigen's life energy, Jigen would feel weak and immediately sit down to cultivate, absorbing Natural Energy to dispel the weakness in his body...
And whenever Bai Yang absorbed the Natural Energy Jigen had taken into his body, the weakness in Jigen's body would disappear. Naturally, he would stop absorbing Natural Energy, but this would soon cause Bai Yang to absorb his life energy again...
Several days passed like this.
Jigen's condition worsened by the day. Though he was in the prime of his life, he looked emaciated and half-dead.
And Bai Yang was responsible for all of it.
The essence of the Ōtsutsuki was undoubtedly terrifying. Even with Natural Energy sustaining him, Jigen could not withstand Bai Yang's unchecked demands and devouring. Most of the life energy in his body had been converted into nutrients and absorbed by Bai Yang's body.
"I'm truly sorry, Jigen..."
Over the past few days, Bai Yang's consciousness had gradually returned in full. Once he understood the situation, he immediately felt a trace of guilt toward Jigen. If his consciousness had returned earlier, perhaps Jigen would not have needed to endure such inhuman torment.
After all, being parasitized could not possibly feel good, especially by something like him—a parasite called an Ōtsutsuki...
That was what Bai Yang thought.
Before death, everyone felt dread and fear. Neither Bai Yang, nor Jigen, nor even Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was an exception.
No one wanted to die. Everyone wanted to live.
And that was Bai Yang's thought now as well. If he wanted to keep living, the only way was to imprint Karma upon Jigen and use him as a vessel for reincarnation.
After all, his body was truly about to break down...
"Jigen, I'm sorry..."
After murmuring this inwardly, Bai Yang directly imprinted Karma upon Jigen from within his brain. He also forcibly injected his remaining energy into Jigen's body, making it seem as though withered wood had met spring. His body brimmed with vitality, healthy color returned to his face, and he became stronger than ever before!
After doing all this, Bai Yang's signs of life vanished from within Jigen's brain...
One year later.
"May the Buddha bless you!"
Jigen, who had stopped at a rural village, bowed and thanked the middle-aged man before him. The man was the only person in the entire village who had given him food.
Even though the man himself was starving.
Faced with Jigen's thanks, the middle-aged man said nothing. He merely gestured for him to follow, then walked woodenly into the house.
Seeing this, Jigen followed him inside.
The house had been built from thatch and tree trunks. The uneven gaps throughout it made it clear that it could not keep out either wind or rain!
Upon entering the house, Jigen was immediately struck by the stench of rot. Frowning, he looked toward its source. There, an elderly couple lay neatly on dry firewood. Their corpses had already visibly decayed, and white maggots wriggled through the bodies...
"Master, if you truly wish to thank me, then please perform rites for my father and mother..."
The middle-aged man broke the silence in the room first and spoke to Jigen.
"The Buddha is merciful!"
After reciting a Buddhist invocation, Jigen sat down cross-legged and began chanting funeral scriptures for the elderly couple, who had died who knew how long ago.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man silently knelt beside him.
After a long while, Jigen rose and said to the middle-aged man, "Benefactor, rest assured. Your parents have already gone to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss..."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man stood and walked toward Jigen. As he approached, he pressed his palms together and bowed ninety degrees in gratitude. Jigen hurriedly returned the gesture.
But the moment the middle-aged man straightened, a smile first appeared on his honest-looking face. The next second, it twisted into a savage expression. Then, before Jigen's stunned eyes, a dagger plunged directly into his heart...