Corpse Shadow Takes Form

In the Immortal World, the Mortal World, and countless other realms, the number of spiritual entities undergoing tribulation to take human form every day is beyond counting.

Even the Immortal World is but a single grain of sand among the heavens and myriad realms.

Yet, the Thunder Virtue Heavenly Book encompasses every living creature across these worlds; any being on the verge of undergoing tribulation will appear within its pages.

As for Chen Xiao's current cultivation level, he is only capable of seeing and controlling the first page of the Thunder Virtue Heavenly Book: the tribulation of those seeking to take human form.

Mortal World.

In the heart of an immense desert, a colossal sun hangs in the sky, scorching the earth. Rolling heat waves sweep across the sands, yet there is not a trace of life to be seen.

At the center of the desert, a corpse a hundred feet long lies silently upon the golden grains. The ancient armor it wears has already developed jagged cracks under the erosion of time.

Though the corpse is massive, it is clearly human, with long black hair and a handsome face as sharply defined as if carved by an axe. Despite having been dead for countless ages, the body shows no signs of decay. Were it not for the gaping hole in its chest where the heart had vanished, anyone seeing him would assume he was merely a powerful being in deep slumber.

Even in death, his body continues to radiate a terrifying aura.

Suddenly, in this desert that had not seen moisture in ten thousand years, a gale begins to howl. Patches of black clouds surge in from all directions, blotting out the sun and instantly turning the scorching desert into a world of night. The massive sun above vanishes from sight.

A pair of giant, crimson eyes slowly open behind the black clouds.

Eye of Heavenly Punishment.

The pressure from this corpse is even greater than that of the High Immortal who appeared in Moon-Gazing City that day. What level of powerhouse was he, to possess such overwhelming might even after ten thousand years of death?

Chen Xiao, incarnated as the Eye of Heavenly Punishment, gazes quietly at the hundred-foot ancient corpse below. A corpse in the Mortal World that is more terrifying than a High Immortal of the Immortal World—it is a common belief among immortals that the waters of the Mortal World run deep.

No immortal is willing to run off to the Mortal World without good reason.

This powerhouse must have surpassed the Supreme Immortal realm while he was alive, making him a hegemon in the Immortal World. To think he would fall in the Mortal World for no apparent reason.

Chen Xiao, high above, looks down at the giant corpse and sighs inwardly. A lifetime of cultivation lost in an instant—it is a pity for all living things.

Now that Chen Xiao has incarnated as the heavenly tribulation, he is the Heavenly Dao, representing the laws of all things. The Heavenly Dao is ruthless, yet this Heavenly Dao of Chen Xiao's has been imbued with human emotion.

High in the sky, streaks of crimson lightning roar within the churning black clouds, casting a glow upon the otherwise pitch-black desert.

Beneath the ancient corpse, a black shadow slowly crawls out and stands atop the remains. It is merely a shadow, a hundred feet tall, identical to the corpse beneath its feet. Its black body lacks any texture, appearing as a void darker than darkness itself.

The faceless head tilts upward, facing the Eye of Heavenly Punishment in the sky.

Indeed, the one about to undergo tribulation and take form is this shadow—the shadow of a powerhouse who has been dead for ten thousand years!

When Chen Xiao first discovered this, he was truly shaken. However, having already dealt with a magical treasure undergoing tribulation, he had some mental preparation for this shadow.

Chen Xiao could only marvel that the vast world is full of wonders.

Relying on the experiences of his past life, Chen Xiao had considered himself well-informed, but at this moment, he realized that the world he had known was merely a drop in the ocean of the heavens and myriad realms.

The giant shadow stands proudly in the air, roaring incessantly at the tribulation lightning above and brandishing a giant shadow-sword identical to its own body.

"A deceased powerhouse, and yet his shadow alone possesses the cultivation of the Mahayana stage. Not bad."

Chen Xiao nods to himself. The shadow is not yet undergoing the final transformation and cannot leave its host; it is currently just a mobile shadow. But once it successfully undergoes the tribulation and takes form, its future will be limitless.

BOOM!

Suddenly, at a thought from Chen Xiao, a streak of crimson lightning descends from the sky. This bolt, dozens of feet thick and a thousand feet long, strikes directly at the shadow below.

The shadow lets out a sharp, piercing cry, and the giant sword made of shadow rises to meet the crimson tribulation lightning.

But the next moment, a bizarre scene unfolds.

The crimson tribulation lightning shifts slightly, bypassing the giant sword and plunging directly into the shadow's body.

"In the name of Thunder Virtue, by the decree of the myriad tribulations, first Tribulation Disciple, take your place!"

Chen Xiao's voice resonates through the heavens and earth, a rumbling sound like a divine decree. As it rolls outward, the tiny creatures hidden in the desert tremble, crushed by the endless heavenly might.

The next moment, the phantom is enveloped in streaks of crimson lightning, its body twitching and shrinking continuously.

Finally, a black shadow the size of a normal human stands blankly atop the ancient corpse. Though the figure is pitch black and still resembles a shadow, it is fundamentally different from the towering figure it was moments ago.

Its body now has a three-dimensional quality, no longer a mere flat phantom. In the center of the shadow's forehead is a crimson lightning mark.

After a moment, the phantom seems to understand something. It kneels on one knee and speaks toward the sky: "First Tribulation Disciple, greets Master."

"Rise," Chen Xiao says indifferently. "Born of shadow, taking form through shadow—you shall be called Shadow."

"Thank you, Master, for the name!"

Shadow speaks, then stands up from the ancient corpse and jumps down.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Immediately following, three massive bolts of lightning descend from the sky, blasting a crater hundreds of feet deep into the ground. A gale then sweeps up, tossing the ancient corpse into the pit, before another gust of wind levels the earth once more.

"A powerhouse deserves the dignity of a powerhouse, even in death."

As Chen Xiao speaks, a crimson light shoots down, wrapping around the shadow on the ground, and the sky returns to clarity.

Chen Xiao has returned to his room.

"As expected, merging with the Heavenly Tribulation and gaining control over all things has altered even my temperament." Chen Xiao frowned. He couldn't help but recall the corpse in that desert; had it been his usual self, he certainly would have stripped every item from that body. After all, whether it was the shattered armor on the corpse or the great sword beside it, everything was an extraordinary treasure.

However, Chen Xiao, now merged with the Heavenly Tribulation, felt a persistent sense of being high above, looking down upon all things with a heart filled with pity. It made him unable to harbor such thoughts in the slightest, even leading him to bury that corpse in the earth.

"My cultivation is still too weak to hold onto my convictions, leaving me swayed by that grand will." Chen Xiao sighed. He understood that if his cultivation improved and his temperament were tempered to maintain his true self, such a situation would not occur.

The First Tribulation Disciple, Shadow, was merely a faint, ethereal figure floating silently beside Chen Xiao.

"Go and take shelter within my shadow. My cultivation is too weak; I still need some unknown trump cards."

Chen Xiao said to Shadow.

"As you command, Master."

Shadow's voice was ethereal and indistinct, as if it were right before him, yet simultaneously echoing from the horizon—a truly bizarre sensation.

The next moment, Shadow moved slightly and merged directly into the silhouette beneath Chen Xiao's feet.

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