Lingbao Tianzun's Backhand

"Heh heh..." Faced with Teng Snake's temptation, Li Ming sneered without replying.

"Hmph!" Teng Snake snorted disdainfully.

"You're actually a Chaotic Body?"

"To attain the Dao and become a Supreme in this world without being devoured by those Dark Supremes, you've been fairly fortunate."

"You even obtained the Bronze Immortal Hall."

"Unfortunately, the Bronze Immortal Hall is suppressed so severely in this world that it cannot display its true power at all."

Li Ming had originally planned to refine the Bronze Immortal Hall into the Heavenly Demonic Saber once his cultivation became profound enough. From Teng Snake's words, though, it seemed that the Bronze Immortal Hall had quite an impressive origin.

Could it have some wondrous use he did not know about?

"Heh heh, you old ghost really are unlucky. You actually fell from the Immortal Domain into this world."

"And then someone killed you and bound you here. How pitiful!"

"Though the Bronze Immortal Hall no longer has its weapon spirit, it is more than enough to beat you to death."

Li Ming had already roughly assessed Teng Snake's strength. He had the soul of a Supreme coupled with the body of a True Immortal.

He was roughly equivalent to a Dark Supreme wielding an Immortal Weapon. His strength was probably nothing special.

However, this soul had been born from his corpse, so perhaps it could make use of some of the Teng Snake corpse's abilities.

With the Bronze Immortal Hall in hand, Li Ming was confident he could deal with this Teng Snake, so he also regarded him with some disdain.

Teng Snake was now bound by countless chains of Grand Dao order and unable to break free from the formation here. Clearly, he was not as powerful as imagined.

Li Ming faintly sensed the aura of Nine Secrets: Zu and Lingbao Tianzun here.

He looked down at Teng Snake. "Where is Lingbao Tianzun? Did he kill you and suppress you here?"

Upon hearing Lingbao Tianzun's name, Teng Snake seemed utterly confused.

But soon, mysterious light flashed through his eyes. Scenes from the past rapidly flickered within them, and in the blink of an eye, he understood what had happened and grasped the entire cause and effect.

"Lingbao Tianzun!" Teng Snake said through gritted teeth.

His eyes brimmed with venom as ripples of the Grand Dao radiated from his body, madly battering the divine chains of Grand Dao order around him.

"Once I escape, I'll devour Lingbao Tianzun."

"He wants to refine me and live another lifetime. I'll devour him instead and completely sever his path of the Grand Dao!"

Li Ming was rather surprised by Teng Snake's words. "Could Lingbao Tianzun not be completely dead yet?"

"Did he truly intend to refine this True Immortal corpse and live another lifetime?"

"But it seems something has gone terribly wrong. Lingbao Tianzun appears to have failed!"

Teng Snake's face was full of contempt. "That trash dares covet my body?"

Teng Snake apparently did not wish to say much more about that. He quickly changed the subject.

His burning gaze fixed upon Li Ming's Bronze Immortal Hall, and he did not conceal his greed in the slightest.

"Only in the hands of a True Immortal can the Bronze Immortal Hall unleash its true strength."

"If it were in my hands, perhaps I could use it to smash open the Road to Immortality!"

"Will you really not consider it?"

"Heh, consider my ass. Do you really think I don't know that the Immortal Domain is already in ruins?"

"The Road to Immortality was severed long ago. It only opens once every countless thousands of years."

"Even then, only two or three people can become immortals."

"Opening the Road to Immortality at the wrong time and in the wrong place? Who are you trying to fool, children?"

Teng Snake was deeply shocked by Li Ming's words.

The Immortal Domain had suffered a major problem and had long since become shattered beyond repair. This was still a secret.

Yet Li Ming spoke with such certainty. Where had he learned this secret?

Seeing Teng Snake's confusion, Li Ming stepped forward. The Bronze Immortal Hall buzzed, then crashed onto Teng Snake's head with a thunderous boom.

With a puff, Teng Snake spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying. His body was not shattered, but the Supreme-level primordial spirit inside it was nearly smashed apart, leaving him in an extremely sorry state.

"Damn it! Do you really think there's nothing I can do to you?"

Teng Snake's face twisted hideously. There was not a trace of fear on it; instead, a strange smile appeared.

"That bastard Lingbao Tianzun took advantage of my previous body being severely injured and killed my former primordial spirit."

"After all these years, my corpse underwent Corpse Spirit Awakening and gave birth to me."

"Now I have become a Supreme again, a True Immortal again. My future is limitless..."

"You dare humiliate me like this? You are destined to seek your own death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Teng Snake coiled his body and uttered incomprehensible sounds. Grand Dao Heavenly Sound boomed, and his entire body shone with brilliant immortal light.

Countless incomparably mysterious Immortal Dao Runes appeared, densely imprinting themselves throughout the surrounding void.

Teng Snake's primordial spirit seemed to vanish, leaving behind only the shell of a True Immortal.

Li Ming watched silently, his eyes blazing as he carefully studied those Immortal Dao Runes.

Before long, Teng Snake's body suddenly emitted an earth-shaking roar.

With a thunderous boom, mysterious power spread in every direction through the boundless black ocean.

The essence blood of countless living beings dwelling in this ocean and upon its islands instantly vanished, rushing madly toward Teng Snake.

The thirty-six divine mountains surrounding the island that sealed Teng Snake erupted with chaos, making the entire place hazy and indistinct.

Clatter, clatter.

The sound of chains rang out.

Teng Snake's body slowly rose into the air and opened his eyes again.

Black mist surged around his body, while green light flickered in his eyes.

With another thunderous boom, the entire island shook violently as incomparably dense black mist billowed forth.

The chains clattered and scraped continuously, producing ear-piercing cracking sounds as though they might snap at any moment.

Li Ming peered through the black mist at those chains and was startled as well.

He saw four chains firmly locking Teng Snake's body in place.

These four chains had actually been forged from Immortal Gold, their materials corresponding to the Four Swords of Zhu Xian.

Crimson radiance flickered. That chain had been forged from Phoenix Blood Crimson Gold and was covered in endless Grand Dao runes. It could extend without limit, tightly binding Teng Snake's body.

Black as ink, with black dragon patterns flowing over it—that was a chain forged from Dragon-Patterned Black Gold.

Purple light gleamed as violet mist rose into the air. That was a chain forged from Divine Marked Purple Gold.

Green light flickered, and green immortal radiance flowed like an immortal's tears. That was a chain forged from Immortal Tear Green Gold.

Even Li Ming was dumbfounded by this sight.

In the original story, aside from the Ruthless Empress, who had been extravagant enough to use Immortal Gold to forge chains and bind herself, he had never heard of anyone obtaining so much Immortal Gold.

Yet the scene before him deeply shocked Li Ming.

He had never expected Lingbao Tianzun to possess so many precious materials.

Not only had he used them to forge Lingbao Tianzun's Formation Diagram and the Four Swords of Zhu Xian, but he had also used the remaining supreme Immortal Gold to forge four chains, all to bind Teng Snake's body so he could refine and devour it, living another lifetime.

Lingbao Tianzun was actually this terrifying?

He far surpassed the description in the original story!

What realm had Lingbao Tianzun reached? How many lifetimes had he lived?

He had actually slain a Crippled Immortal and imprisoned his body here.

Lingbao Tianzun's understanding of Nine Secrets: Zu and formations had already reached an unimaginable level.

Rumble, rumble.

The thirty-six divine mountains trembled violently as Teng Snake struggled without cease.

Countless Immortal Dao Runes burst forth, madly clashing against the Grand Dao runes on the chains.

The Grand Dao runes on those chains actually seemed as though they were about to collapse, as if Teng Snake could break free at any moment.

Black mist churned as mysterious luster shone from the four chains, along with endless flashing runes.

Li Ming observed in silence, watching everything unfold without making a move.

He carefully studied the evolution of the runes here.

He wanted to see just how elaborate Lingbao Tianzun's arrangements were, for Lingbao Tianzun to be so confident that he could devour this True Immortal corpse and live another lifetime.

A thunderous boom resounded, as if heaven and earth were being created.

Within the boundless ocean, all the living beings who had not yet died fell to their knees, trembling as death threatened to descend at any moment.

Teng Snake's body now stood in the void, tightly bound by four thick chains as he struggled with all his strength.

The thirty-six divine mountains actually appeared to be on the verge of being forcibly uprooted and pulled away from the island.

This scene was truly astonishing.

The aura of a True Immortal erupted, and endless Immortal Dao Runes cut across past, present, and future.

At that moment, a shrill roar rang out, shattering the void inch by inch and collapsing the starry sky into chaos, as though everything had ceased to exist.

All four Immortal Gold chains actually snapped.

Teng Snake's figure soared into the sky. With a long howl, he shook the ages, as though disrupting the flow of time.

The four chains still bound his limbs, gleaming with crimson, purple, green, and black radiance...

No one knew how many tens of thousands of years he had been imprisoned here.

A True Immortal-level corpse had never aged.

Time seemed to have left no mark upon him.

His aura remained powerful, with countless Immortal Dao Runes flowing through him.

At the Immortal Platform between Teng Snake's brows, Primordial Spirit Fire faintly appeared once more.

The Primordial Spirit Fire had been rekindled.

The Supreme primordial spirit born from the corpse's Corpse Spirit Awakening seemed to have awakened.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Body and primordial spirit merged. The Supreme primordial spirit born from that union returned to its former state, and the supreme Immortal Dao aura instantly crushed everything, sweeping across this black ocean.

Countless living beings trembled all over. They wanted to flee the black ocean, yet they could not escape.

This place was actually a prison, trapping everything within it. No one could leave.

Immortal Dao Runes bloomed continuously around Teng Snake, and endless runes shot in every direction like divine swords.

Watching the Immortal Dao Runes flying toward him, Li Ming casually blocked them with the Bronze Immortal Hall. He then copied an identical Immortal Dao Rune and flicked it out. It actually annihilated the incoming rune.

A moment later, Teng Snake suddenly opened his eyes wide, green light gleaming within them.

He looked at Li Ming and let out a sinister cackle.

"Hahaha, I'm finally free!"

"Your time to die has come!"

Having regained his freedom, Teng Snake felt stronger than ever before.

He believed that with his True Immortal-level body, he could sweep through this world and become its true ruler.

That enormous head gently exhaled. Countless Immortal Dao Laws blossomed, and Immortal Dao Runes became a storm that instantly destroyed vast stretches of the surrounding black ocean.

As the power of the Immortal Dao returned to his body, Teng Snake looked at Li Ming as a cat would look at a mouse.

"Well?"

"This Immortal Dao power far surpasses that of a Humanity Supreme!"

"How can you fight me?"

"If you are willing to become my servant, perhaps I can spare your life." He looked down on Li Ming.

Li Ming looked at Teng Snake as though he were an idiot.

Teng Snake could not help frowning, unable to understand why Li Ming remained so confident.

Just as he was about to swallow Li Ming whole, he suddenly sensed a terrifying sound of chanting coming from the Immortal Platform between his brows.

"Accumulated yin becomes a god; within the god there is form..."

The ancient Du Ren Scripture rang out, and mysterious power flowed through Teng Snake's body.

Li Ming was astonished to discover that the scripture of Lingbao Tianzun's Salvation Scripture possessed such a miraculous effect.

Terror appeared on Teng Snake's enormous face.

"Lingbao Tianzun!"

"That lingering ghost still refuses to die!"

"He actually imprinted the Salvation Scripture into my body!"

"Ah..."

Mysterious power enveloped the Supreme primordial spirit, and Teng Snake let out an incomparably shrill scream.

Teng Snake's entire body seemed to ignite with mysterious flames.

A mysterious Bronze Lamp appeared, empowered by mysterious force.

Endless mysterious power poured from the Bronze Lamp like a galactic waterfall, cascading downward and washing over Teng Snake's body.

Lingbao Tianzun had directly treated the soul born from that True Immortal corpse's Corpse Spirit Awakening as a Corpse Calamity, as an evil ghost born from a corpse.

So the Du Ren Scripture had such a miraculous effect against souls born from Corpse Spirit Awakening.

Li Ming was surprised to discover that this mysterious power actually contained the Faith Power of the mortal world.

So these evil ghosts feared the Faith Power of the mortal world the most.

It turned out that Divine Thought was not the only thing afraid of Faith Power. Souls born from corpses feared it as well.

Perhaps all such things could collectively be called the power of the living world.

No wonder Netherworld Emperor Duan De in the original story feared heavenly tribulation most after undergoing Corpse Spirit Awakening time and time again.

In a sense, Netherworld Emperor Duan De after Corpse Spirit Awakening was also an old ghost.

With the Bronze Immortal Hall and Bronze Mirror inside, Li Ming naturally felt no panic, which was why he could quietly watch Teng Snake struggle desperately.

He had originally intended to strike suddenly and give Teng Snake a fatal blow.

But while Teng Snake struggled, Li Ming was surprised to discover that Lingbao Tianzun had made even more arrangements.

So he continued watching in silence.

Just as he had guessed, Lingbao Tianzun's contingency plan was truly astonishing.

The only thing that exceeded Li Ming's expectations was that the Salvation Scripture's effect was so incredible.

Even Supreme-level primordial spirits born from True Immortal corpses were restrained by it.

Li Ming silently memorized this mysterious Salvation Scripture.

He looked at Teng Snake, who was still struggling and resisting.

Especially the Supreme primordial spirit at his brow's Immortal Platform, which was nearly being torn apart.

"Why haven't you been affected by this scripture at all?"

"Why does this Salvation Scripture hurt me so terribly?"

"A mere secret artifact, not even a Heavenly Venerable Weapon, can actually suppress a True Immortal's corpse..."

Teng Snake was also at a loss for words. He had never expected such a secret artifact to possess such mysterious power.

Standing atop the Bronze Immortal Hall, Li Ming carefully observed the glowing runes.

He meticulously deduced their workings.

Using the power of the human path to restrain these Immortal Dao Runes—Lingbao Tianzun truly had some skill.

"Your Immortal Domain's True Immortals aren't much, are they?"

"Why do they all look like cheap knockoffs?"

"Even an injured True Immortal is still a True Immortal!"

"And yet you were killed by Lingbao Tianzun!"

"You piece of trash have truly disgraced True Immortals!"

"No wonder Lingbao Tianzun could kill your previous lifetime. It isn't surprising that he can kill you now!"

Li Ming spoke with a cheerful smile as he continued his research.

Hearing Li Ming's words, the old ghost Teng Snake nearly spat out blood in fury.

He had thought he could turn the tables and devour Lingbao Tianzun in reverse. Who would have thought he would end up in such a state?

"What a pity. After all these years, you finally grew to the level of a Supreme, yet now everything is about to come to nothing!"

Those words cut deeply.

"Do you have any last words to leave behind?"

"Or perhaps some cultivation arts, secret techniques, cultivation experience, and the like? Teach them to me, and if I'm happy, I might even help you."

Li Ming stared intently at Teng Snake's corpse, greatly interested.

"Dream on!"

"Even if I self-destruct, don't even think about getting any benefit from me!"

Teng Snake roared furiously, his surging bellow seemingly enough to evaporate the endless black ocean.

Li Ming controlled the Bronze Immortal Hall and smashed it brutally into Teng Snake's head like a brick.

Boom!

After crashing onto the island, Teng Snake became obedient again.

"I heard long ago that Lingbao Tianzun forged the Four Swords of Zhu Xian and an array diagram. Do you know where the Four Swords of Zhu Xian and that array diagram are?"

"Why aren't you speaking? Why won't you answer my question?"

"You worthless trash, the Four Swords of Zhu Xian were named that because they killed a useless True Immortal like you, weren't they?"

"Roar..."

Li Ming's taunts nearly made Teng Snake explode.

Endless Immortal Dao Runes shone from his body, rushing madly toward the Immortal Platform as though they wanted to erase the mysterious power of the Du Ren Scripture.

Unfortunately, Lingbao Tianzun had meticulously arranged this power of the Great Dao specifically to deal with Corpse Spirit Awakening. How could it be so easily erased?

As the mysterious power flowing from the Bronze Lamp washed over him madly, and the mysterious flames frenziedly purified him, the aura around Teng Snake's primordial spirit continuously weakened.

In the end, it actually fell below the Supreme realm.

"I hate this..."

"Damned Lingbao Tianzun..."

"I curse you to never live out a new lifetime..."

Before dying, the old ghost Teng Snake's primordial spirit glared venomously at Li Ming, as though blaming him for not saving him, yet also resentful that Li Ming still possessed a long lifespan—as though he were cursing Li Ming.

"If I hadn't already been severely wounded in the Immortal Domain back then, how could I have possibly been slain by that brat Lingbao Tianzun!"

"Lingbao Tianzun actually bears the title of Immortal Slayer! In an age without heroes, a brat became famous!"

Teng Snake's face was full of unwillingness.

"Looks like you're about to die for real. I'll send you on your way!" Li Ming thought of the Bronze Mirror within his body and felt that it was time to harvest Teng Snake.