Wangxian Turtle smiled. "There are two reasons my body ended up like this. First, before my lifespan ran out, I cast my innate magic and used up a great deal of Immortal Spirit Power. Second, I deliberately drew out the Immortal Spirit Power that remained inside me!"
"You drew out your Immortal Spirit Power?"
Fang Chen froze. He did not understand why Wangxian Turtle would do that.
Wangxian Turtle continued, "Yes. A Half-Immortal Body contains immense Spiritual Power. Like fertile soil, it can absorb energy from the void on its own. I feared that after my lifespan ran out, my corpse might undergo Corpse Transformation and develop new Sentience. So I drew out the Immortal Spirit Power within me to prevent that from happening!"
"I see!"
Fang Chen nodded, then asked, "Senior, would it be so bad if your body developed new Sentience?"
As Fang Chen saw it, Wangxian Turtle's body was a Half-Immortal Body. If it developed Sentience, it would surely be immensely powerful.
Wangxian Turtle shook his head. "It would. Sentience born from a corpse lies outside the bounds of ordinary life. Such beings become Heavenly Slaves—hounds of the World Will!"
"A Heavenly Slave? A hound of the World Will?"
Surprise crossed Fang Chen's face. This was the first time he had heard of Heavenly Slaves.
Wangxian Turtle nodded. "Yes. Almost every being that gains Sentience through Corpse Transformation does so under the influence of the World Will. They are its hounds. The Heavenly Dao is unjust; it treats all living things like straw dogs. We Cultivators defy heaven simply by walking our path, and that goes against the World Will. Take Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment: when a Cultivator attempts it, the Heavenly Dao Will senses them and sends down Heavenly Thunder to destroy them. Fewer than one