Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body

Chapter 17: Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body

"Ahem... everyone!"

After a few breaths, a Branch Master in the back finally couldn't help but clear his throat, speaking first: "This little fellow was brought by a disciple of my 'Nether Spring' branch. It is only right that he be taken in as a disciple by my branch to be cultivated..."

Before he could finish, a cackle interrupted the Nether Spring Branch Master.

"Heh, Old Monster Xu, while the rules are set that way, one must look at the situation. This little fellow's performance just now was so astonishing; his aptitude must be extraordinary. Your Nether Spring branch has been in decline for hundreds of years—what resources do you have to cultivate such a genius? Wouldn't putting him under your banner be casting pearls before swine? In this old woman's view, my Yuanwa branch is the most qualified to cultivate this child."

The speaker was a woman with a sinister, vicious expression. She was ugly, wrapped in hempen robes, and wreathed in black mist, clearly a practitioner of evil arts. Her words were sharp and biting, showing no mercy.

"You..."

The Nether Spring Branch Master was a middle-aged scholar. Clad in green robes with a refined, elegant air, he carried a faint, ethereal aura that made him seem less like a demon and more like an immortal. Yet, at this moment, he was choked by the woman's words, his face turning dark and unsightly. He found it difficult to lash out, however, as the woman spoke the truth; his branch had indeed been in decline for too long.

But if Chen Lin's aptitude was truly exceptional, he decided that even if it meant offending these Branch Masters, he would snatch the boy away to cultivate him. After all, his branch had been dormant for too long; if they didn't gain an excellent disciple soon, they would likely be struck from the Seventy-Two Branches of Myriad Demon before long.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, no need to be anxious. Why don't we let everyone see this child's aptitude first before we decide? How about that?"

Li Juekong gave a soft laugh. He reached out toward the blood pool, and the massive stele suppressing it suddenly shook violently. With a flash of black light, it detached from the pool, rapidly shrinking to the size of a yard in mid-air before landing with a "whoosh" in front of Li Juekong.

"This treasure is the 'Pool-Suppressing Stele,' one of the Myriad Demon Sect's foundational treasures. It is a sentient magical artifact, born when a spiritual mountain gained consciousness and cultivated into a demon. Our sect's ancestors placed restrictions upon it and forged it using the essence blood of many Heavenly Demons and various heaven-defying materials. As long as you drip a drop of blood onto the stele's surface, it will reveal your bloodline rank."

Li Juekong clearly knew that these fierce beasts had gained intelligence and could understand him.

"Bloodline aptitude is divided into Mortal, Earth, Heaven, and Immortal tiers, corresponding to milky white, pale gold, golden, and glazed seven-colored light, respectively."

"Little fellow, you go first."

Following this, Li Juekong pointed casually at Chen Lin. His tone was flat, yet carried an unquestionable authority.

Chen Lin exhaled a long, turbid breath. Though hesitant, he dared not defy Li Juekong's command. He could only step forward and walk to the Pool-Suppressing Stele.

Under the expectant gazes of all the Branch Masters, Chen Lin extended his sickle, carved a small wound on the tip of his right limb, squeezed out a drop of fresh blood, and let it fall onto the surface of the stele.

"Drip..."

The dark red blood hit the surface and strangely rippled, being slowly absorbed into the stone until it vanished. The next moment, the stele trembled slightly, and its surface flashed with a faint golden light.

"Only an Earth-tier bloodline? This... while not bad, it is still far from being a heaven-sent talent."

Immediately, many of the Branch Masters who had held expectations shook their heads. The atmosphere cooled, losing its earlier enthusiasm. Clearly, while Chen Lin wasn't poor, his aptitude was merely average.

Chen Lin, however, breathed a secret sigh of relief. What he wanted most was to keep a low profile and avoid attention. He was truly worried that these powerful beings would take an interest in him, investigate him closely, and discover the secret of the Main God Coffin within his body—that would be disastrous for him.

"His performance in the blood pool was astonishing; perhaps it was due to a special innate ability, but his aptitude is limited. He will struggle to achieve greatness."

"Indeed, this child is—wait? Hold on, the Pool-Suppressing Stele is reacting again?"

Before the crowd could finish their discussion, a second layer of pale golden light suddenly surged across the surface of the stele. The two layers of faint golden light overlapped in a strange and eerie fashion.

"Eh? His constitution is actually a Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body?!"

"What? A Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body?! This..."

In an instant, several powerful beings seemed to understand something. Their gazes toward Chen Lin turned peculiar. Even Li Juekong looked at Chen Lin with surprise, then shook his head with a look of regret, his expression returning to calm. Several other powerful beings, however, remained confused.

A sense of foreboding washed over Chen Lin. It seemed this Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body was not a good constitution... otherwise, why would so many powerful beings look at him with such strange, indifferent expressions?

"Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body? What kind of constitution is that?"

A powerful being who had clearly never heard of it asked.

"Heh, speaking of the Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body, it hasn't been seen often in the past."

A Demon Race powerhouse with strange green scales on his face chuckled, saying with interest: "Before some fierce beasts gain intelligence, they eat raw meat and drink blood. There is a very small chance they will become infected by a peculiar parasitic beast. These parasites are very weak at first; they hatch into larvae within the host, and then, through a dormant state, they continuously assimilate the host, merging their essence, energy, spirit, soul, flesh, bones, and meridians into one!"

"Indeed, although the parasitic beast has no consciousness, its soul still exists. This creates the strange phenomenon where there are two fierce beast souls within the child, intermingling yet existing separately. That is why it is called a Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body."

Another person chimed in.

Chen Lin's heart sank.

"On the path of cultivation, one must break through the Innate stage and open the Sea of Consciousness to fully transform into human form and comprehend divine abilities. The Sea of Consciousness, also known as the Soul Sea, is the most fragile part. This child actually has two souls, meaning two Seas of Consciousness. It is difficult enough for an ordinary fierce beast to open one, let alone two. This constitution has appeared before, but without exception, when they reached the Sea-Opening realm, their bodies could not bear the power of the souls, and they perished."

"Oh? Can't the souls be separated?"

"Separated? Heh, the two souls have already merged; it is difficult to separate them. Even if you did, it would only result in an empty shell without consciousness."

"That is not entirely true. Have you forgotten Gu Yuetian from seven hundred years ago? It is rumored that he also possessed the Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body."

"How can Gu Yuetian be compared to an ordinary person? His bloodline aptitude was a Saint-tier existence, surpassing the Immortal tier, and he cultivated the supreme immortal art, the Nirvana Demon Body. He has carved out a fearsome reputation in the Central Plains, with few rivals in the world. How can this child be mentioned in the same breath?"

"That is true..."

"Tsk tsk, however... when this Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body breaks through to the Sea-Opening realm, one could put him into a pill furnace, add some medicinal herbs, and refine him into a Great Medicine! Because the dual souls coexist, the soul power is immense. One might even be able to refine some medicinal pills that increase soul strength!"

At this, a hunchbacked elder spoke with a sinister tone, his gaze toward Chen Lin filled with cruelty and malice. Upon hearing this, several other ill-intentioned gazes turned toward him.

Chen Lin felt a chill run through his heart.

"Heh, heh, you can keep this disciple for your Nether Spring branch; I don't want him."

The sinister woman who had previously wanted to fight for Chen Lin now let out a strange laugh. With a tone of schadenfreude, she spoke to the Nether Spring Branch Master in a mocking, sarcastic manner.

The Nether Spring Branch Master's expression was now uncertain. His gaze toward Chen Lin held both regret and hesitation, but he said nothing more.