True Immortal Teng Snake

Li Ming transformed into a streak of chaotic immortal light, instantly tearing through the void as he flew toward the starry coordinates where the Crippled Immortal's remains lay.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands were incomparably vast, with countless stars glittering and life-bearing planets scattered throughout the starry sky.

Overall, the universe of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands was still defined by the dark, frigid cosmos.

Vast stretches contained nothing but darkness and cold void. Many regions were silent starfields where no life had set foot for countless millennia.

Although legend said that Saints could already wield the various energies of the universe and cross the starry sky, in truth, crossing the stars was still extremely dangerous for a mere Saint.

There were countless dangers in the cosmic starry sky, any one of which could cost a Saint their life.

To roam freely through the universe, one had to attain the Dao and become a Heavenly Venerable.

Li Ming crossed the starry sky, deliberately slowing down to take in the wondrous sights within it.

Countless stars swept past him in an instant, while scenes from innumerable life-bearing planets appeared as though viewed through mist. It was truly a unique experience.

Soon, he spotted a planet that had actually been abandoned.

It was the planet where, when he had embarked upon the Ancient Starry Sky Road, he had excavated several physical forms with special constitutions.

He had not expected that the planet's resources would now be exhausted, leaving it abandoned.

Looking at the ruins and broken walls everywhere, it was obvious that a great battle had once taken place here.

At the very least, a battle at the Quasi-Emperor level had destroyed this planet.

This had once been an ancient planet favored by the myriad Dao of heaven and earth, nurturing countless living beings.

He had not expected it to be destroyed just like that.

It truly gave him the feeling that all things had changed.

Even now, when Li Ming saw this ruined planet again, he could still recall many things that had happened here.

They had now all become memories.

Li Ming shook his head, then flashed away. The fate of this planet had nothing to do with him.

He continued deducing and traveling, quickly plunging deep into the chaos until he found a desolate starry sky.

There, a mysterious black hole had appeared, with endless purple qi boiling around it.

Matter swallowed into the black hole burst into blazing flames at its edge in the blink of an eye, appearing incomparably brilliant.

The entire black hole seemed plated with a gleaming golden halo.

Li Ming estimated that this black hole had to be at least a hundred thousand light-years in diameter. Ordinary suns, moons, and stars were nothing before it.

Ordinary people might find it difficult to imagine how vast a distance a hundred thousand light-years was.

But to Li Ming, it was nothing extraordinary.

He could now create heaven and earth within chaos itself. What was so strange about encountering such a black hole?

He flew straight inside!

After what felt like a long journey through space and time, he arrived at a black ocean with monstrous waves.

The black sea was boundless, its towering waves crashing high enough to shatter the stars in the sky.

When the terrifying spray fell, Li Ming's figure emerged.

Li Ming looked at the endless black ocean with a solemn expression.

Something was strange here!

Ever since Li Ming had attained the Dao and become a Heavenly Venerable, his divine sense could scan nearly the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Lands in a single thought.

Like divine sense penetrating the unseen, almost nothing in the world could escape his detection, except for those forbidden zones he deliberately ignored.

Yet after entering this black ocean, his divine sense was severely restricted. He could only explore an area within ten thousand li around him.

Farther away lay a hazy chaos, making it impossible to discern the specific scenes within.

This seemed different from the information he had searched from Longevity Heavenly Venerable's soul.

Could something have changed here recently? Li Ming thought.

Li Ming thought of the Bronze Immortal Hall in his hand, then of the mysterious Bronze Mirror, and immediately regained his confidence.

That True Immortal was dead anyway. Even if something had changed, he was confident he could handle it.

Li Ming flew at high speed above the ink-black seawater.

Soon, he discovered one enormous island after another, each as vast as a continent.

The cultivators on them were weak and failed to notice Li Ming's presence. There were also many ordinary living beings here, living peacefully upon the land.

As Li Ming continued deeper into the black ocean, he suddenly sensed something.

"Get out here!"

With an angry roar, Li Ming waved his hand and grabbed directly at a stretch of sea.

A gray shadow struggled desperately but could not escape.

If Li Ming wanted to kill it, it would take only a single thought.

It was actually an enormous octopus, its entire body covered in scales that flashed with a metallic sheen. It had clearly evolved to an extremely profound realm.

Judging from its aura, it was clearly a Quasi-Venerable.

After being caught by Li Ming, blood flowed all over its body. Its face was pale, its aura listless, and it was clearly terrified.

The octopus transformed, becoming a white-haired elderly man. He knelt before Li Ming and repeatedly begged for mercy.

"Heavenly Venerable, this humble Daoist failed to recognize your greatness. Please forgive me, Heavenly Venerable!"

This powerful Quasi-Venerable seemed to have no dignity at all, kneeling so readily to beg for mercy.

Li Ming snorted. "You have quite the nerve, spying on me in secret!"

"What are you trying to do?"

Li Ming's voice was like thunder, nearly shattering the Quasi-Venerable.

"Heavenly Venerable, please calm your anger. I have always lived in these waters and was originally cultivating and comprehending the Dao. By chance, I discovered that your aura was so terrifying, so I merely dared to take a glance. This humble Daoist harbors absolutely no ill intent!"

"So you're a native lifeform?"

Li Ming had not expected this sea to nurture a Quasi-Venerable-level expert.

"Get up. I have some questions about this world, and you must answer truthfully..."

"Heavenly Venerable, please command me as you wish. This humble Daoist will certainly answer every question seriously." The Quasi-Venerable agreed without hesitation.

Li Ming was very satisfied. He nodded. "Have you heard of the True Immortal's corpse in this world? Where is that corpse now?"

When Li Ming mentioned the True Immortal's corpse, fear immediately appeared on the Quasi-Venerable's face.

"Heavenly Venerable, you must never go there!"

"The place where that True Immortal's corpse lies seems to have undergone a bizarre change and has become a land of great calamity!"

"I saw a Quasi-Emperor die there with my own eyes!"

"Just tell me the true situation there. You don't need to worry about anything else," Li Ming said calmly.

Very quickly, the Quasi-Venerable revealed the secret of the place where the True Immortal's corpse rested.

Over a thousand years ago, they had discovered that the True Immortal's corpse had begun continuously emitting immortal light. The many experts of this world believed that a treasure had likely been conceived within it.

They joined forces to deduce its secrets and explore it, hoping to obtain the treasure within the True Immortal's corpse.

At first, everything went smoothly, and they entered the True Immortal's body without difficulty.

But they soon discovered that it was like a nightmare.

Several powerful Quasi-Venerables had been devoured.

They had been eaten right before everyone's eyes.

This octopus had been cautious and happened to escape with his life.

He had spent every day trembling in fear, wanting to flee this world lest the terrifying True Immortal corpse come looking for him.

"Did the True Immortal come back to life?"

"No, impossible. If it had truly revived, perhaps it would have eaten me long ago."

"It feels more like a lingering obsession remaining in its body, or perhaps Corpse Spirit Awakening," the Quasi-Venerable said after carefully considering his words.

After hearing the Quasi-Venerable's words, Li Ming also made a deduction.

He discovered that this place was indeed exceptionally strange. The heavenly secrets were obscured, making deduction difficult.

Only after a long while did Li Ming open his eyes.

"Heavenly Venerable, may I leave now?"

The Quasi-Venerable asked cautiously.

"Wait for now. Take me to find that True Immortal's corpse."

"Th-That... Heavenly Venerable, that place is simply too dangerous. We should not go there."

"This humble Daoist barely escaped with his life. I truly do not wish to go there again."

Li Ming said, "You are the strongest here, and you know the most. If you won't guide me, who will?"

"How about I search your soul directly instead?" Li Ming said with a smile.

"Heavenly Venerable..."

"Enough nonsense. Lead the way immediately!" Seeing that the Quasi-Venerable still wanted to argue, Li Ming shouted, "Say another word of nonsense, and I'll kill you with one palm strike."

Li Ming looked extremely impatient.

The Quasi-Venerable did not dare make another sound and obediently led Li Ming onward.

Along the way, the black ocean was so vast that they encountered numerous corpses.

There were corpses of Saints, corpses of low-level cultivators, and even corpses of ordinary mortals.

Some had been dead for a long time, while others were clearly relatively fresh.

Li Ming looked at these corpses that had lost their essential source energy, a playful expression appearing on his face.

It seemed that the True Immortal's corpse really did have a problem.

After roughly half a day of winding travel, Li Ming finally saw the scene ahead.

An incomparably enormous corpse stood there like a divine mountain.

Li Ming's gaze burned as he carefully examined the corpse ahead, as though he wished to see through everything.

Meanwhile, the Quasi-Venerable trembled beneath that terrifying pressure.

"Heavenly Venerable, may I leave now?"

"Go."

Li Ming waved his hand as though shooing away a fly.

The Quasi-Venerable had originally intended to leave, but after seeing Li Ming's incomparably powerful aura, he gritted his teeth and decided to remain.

Fortune was found in danger.

If this Heavenly Venerable happened to leave behind even a single treasure, it would be enough to benefit him for the rest of his life.

His cultivation had already reached this realm and had long been stuck, while his lifespan was also running short.

He might as well gamble here. Perhaps he could receive a reward from the Heavenly Venerable.

Li Ming saw the Quasi-Venerable hesitating nearby instead of leaving, but said nothing.

He flew directly forward.

This True Immortal corpse, like a divine mountain, looked like a True Dragon at first glance, but closer inspection revealed differences.

It was actually a Teng Snake!

It was not a true dragon species.

Although it had grown claws and possessed a True Dragon-like head, the differences in the rest of its body were obvious.

Its scales seemed forged from Immortal Gold, gleaming with a cold luster.

The Teng Snake's corpse was coiled there, still radiating an aura capable of suppressing the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands despite being dead.

The enormous black corpse continuously drew in the essence of sun and moon from the starry sky, gathering it into silver rivers that flowed into the body.

Though it had clearly died, the corpse showed no signs of decay. Instead, it was lifelike, as though it were asleep.

"Crippled Immortal remains?"

"This is clearly the complete corpse of a True Immortal!"

Li Ming considered it and decided that Longevity Heavenly Venerable had likely not deliberately misled him.

Longevity Heavenly Venerable should have come here before, only in a much earlier era.

Perhaps he had also wanted to steal this True Immortal's remains, but had failed.

Unexpectedly, after being nurtured here for countless years, this True Immortal's corpse had recovered its original complete form.

Suddenly, Li Ming discovered in surprise that the corpse had moved. It had twitched slightly.

He immediately retreated some distance in vigilance and silently observed.

The Teng Snake truly moved, even raising its head and releasing a dragon's roar.

Li Ming immediately felt his mind shake. In this world, the blood essence of countless living beings gathered together, dyeing the sky red.

All that blood essence flowed into the Teng Snake's body.

No wonder he had seen so many corpses along the way. They had truly all been devoured by the Teng Snake's corpse.

Li Ming discovered in astonishment that life fluctuations were coming from within the corpse.

As the blood essence flowed into it, those life fluctuations grew increasingly powerful.

Even the Teng Snake's corpse slowly floated into the void.

Li Ming watched countless strands of heaven and earth spiritual qi and the blood essence of all living beings flow into the corpse.

He felt as though the dead body had awakened.

Yes, it had truly awakened.

"Roar..."

A roar like a dragon's cry pierced through this world.

Endless Immortal Dao Runes, incomparably resplendent, emerged across Teng Snake's densely packed scales.

Endless Great Dao runes also appeared around it, like chains of the Great Dao that firmly bound the Teng Snake.

So this True Immortal's corpse had actually been trapped by a supreme formation.

After observing carefully, Li Ming finally confirmed that the endless formation seemed to have been arranged by Lingbao Tianzun.

"Could Lingbao Tianzun have wanted to refine this True Immortal's remains in order to live another Lifetime?"

"According to the original account, he should have failed."

"Could it have perished together with this Teng Snake that underwent Corpse Spirit Awakening?"

Li Ming could sense that this corpse was not merely an empty shell. Life fluctuations had indeed emerged within it—it had truly undergone Corpse Spirit Awakening.

If a True Immortal's corpse underwent Corpse Spirit Awakening and began cultivating, its talent for cultivation would undoubtedly be astonishing.

However, its original primordial spirit had long since been destroyed. Recovering its former strength would not be easy.

Especially since there were no True Immortals in this world.

Li Ming stared intently at the True Immortal's corpse. He knew Lingbao Tianzun had made arrangements here; it could not possibly be so simple.

Thinking of this, his admiration for Lingbao Tianzun grew even deeper.

He had never expected Nine Secrets: Zu to be so miraculous and powerful, capable of truly killing a Crippled Immortal.

It had even firmly bound the corpse here.

Yet even Lingbao Tianzun probably had not expected this True Immortal's corpse to undergo Corpse Spirit Awakening, had he?

The life fluctuations within the True Immortal's corpse rapidly intensified.

They swiftly broke past the limits of a Quasi-Emperor and actually reached the realm of the Ultimate Dao Supreme.

"This is equivalent to the divine sense of a Dark Supreme, housed in the body of a True Immortal?"

Li Ming was startled as well. He had not expected the True Immortal's corpse to have cultivated to such a level after undergoing Corpse Spirit Awakening.

If Li Ming had not arrived and awakened this new divine sense, it would likely have continued developing here.

An ancient chant arose, and the Teng Snake's body began to move.

Then he abruptly opened his eyes and fixed them tightly on Li Ming.

With an angry roar, the Teng Snake's body actually took flight, his tail lashing viciously toward Li Ming.

Even bound here by chains, the Teng Snake still unleashed a world-shaking attack.

Greed gleamed in the Teng Snake's eyes, as though he had already seen Li Ming being killed and then devoured by him.

That True Immortal-level tail tore through the void, radiating incomparably dazzling Immortal Dao Runes as it whipped savagely toward Li Ming.

With a deafening boom, the Teng Snake let out a miserable cry.

The scene of Li Ming being instantly killed did not occur. Instead, the Teng Snake's tail was jolted until it bled.

"What?"

"How is this possible?!"

The Teng Snake was greatly alarmed. He had actually been injured.

How had that Human Race expert blocked an immortal's attack?

With another deafening boom, immortal light erupted. The Teng Snake was struck heavily again and sent flying.

The Grand Dao Heavenly Sound rumbled, Immortal Dao Runes bloomed, and immortal light shone with incomparable brilliance.

The Immortal Dao Laws that had not manifested for countless years blazed fiercely.

Yet all of it came to an abrupt halt upon encountering Li Ming.

The Teng Snake's body was blasted sideways, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood.

"Why is this happening?"

The Teng Snake let out a shrill roar.

He could not understand it. He had already undergone Corpse Spirit Awakening, possessed such formidable strength, and even had the body of a True Immortal. How could he possibly lose to that Human Race expert?

Once the incomparably brilliant radiance faded and the Chaos Thunder vanished, an ancient, weathered bronze palace emerged.

It was the Bronze Immortal Hall.

The bronze rust it emitted had turned crystalline green, as though it had been carved from jade.

This was a genuine Immortal Weapon.

Though its weapon spirit was gone, the Immortal Dao Runes upon it were undeniably real.

It was more than enough to contend with the Teng Snake's True Immortal-level corpse.

"The Bronze Immortal Hall!"

The Teng Snake actually recognized this Immortal Weapon, and an expression of utter shock appeared on his face.

His body even trembled slightly, making the chains binding him clatter loudly.

He gazed at the Bronze Immortal Hall from afar, his expression extremely complicated.

"I never thought the Bronze Immortal Hall would actually end up in this world..."

"The Bronze Immortal Hall actually fell into your hands..."

"What a pity, what a pity. So its weapon spirit had already died..."

"You actually recognize this Immortal Weapon? Could it truly have fallen from the Immortal Domain into this world?" Li Ming frowned.

"Hmph! Of course this thing came from the Immortal Domain!"

"How could this world possibly forge an Immortal Weapon!"

"In this ruined Lower Realm, being able to cultivate to such a level truly makes you a genius of cultivation!"

"If you can save me, I can take you onto the Road to Immortality and into the Immortal Domain to become an immortal."

"Otherwise, you can only grow old and die in obscurity within this world!"

The Teng Snake was actually tempting Li Ming to destroy the formation here and set him free.