But just as Ling Ziyue had made all her preparations and was quietly waiting for Di Tian to reincarnate and possess her body, Lin Ming's voice rang out again:
"Don't be so quick to pledge your loyalty."
Lin Ming glanced at her, then said calmly:
"Di Tian's body is settled, but now we need to discuss where your soul will go.
I'll match you with a Soul Beast to reincarnate into based on your value.
Whether you get the worst or the strongest depends entirely on what value you have."
At Lin Ming's words, Ling Ziyue abruptly raised her head and looked at him, a glimmer of hope appearing on her face.
She had thought she would only be able to inhabit the body of some utterly worthless Soul Beast, perhaps one of the pigs or monkeys before her.
Ling Ziyue had assumed that was what Lin Ming had arranged for her, but to her surprise, he said she had other choices.
If there was a better option, how could she possibly want to be a pig?
"Is that really true? Can I really choose a Soul Beast with a stronger bloodline?"
"Of course."
Earlier, after learning from the Myriad Demon King that a small reserve of Soul Beasts remained deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Ming had asked Bear Lord and the Scarlet King about it.
There were indeed more than a dozen pure-blooded Soul Beasts sealed away in the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, all direct descendants of the clans of these Ferocious Beasts and Beast Kings.
That made sense.
If these Ferocious Beasts could not even protect a few of their own clansmen, they would truly be far too useless.
These Soul Beasts' vitality had been sealed away, preserving the last bloodlines of their clans. Mostly, these Ferocious Beasts had wanted to leave themselves something to hold on to, and now they would come in handy.
"Myriad Demon King, I remember that a descendant of Demon Spirit was sealed within the core space of this Lake of Life.
Her soul was annihilated long ago, and her body is enveloped in Demon Spirit's Spiritual Power, sustaining her life and keeping her fully viable, correct?"
The Myriad Demon King answered solemnly:
"Yes, My Lord, that is correct.
Demon Spirit has already followed the Silver Dragon King, My Lord, to the human world, leaving his descendant in our protection."
"Then bring her out. She's just sitting there anyway, and this Demon Spirit's body should be the most compatible vessel for her.
Since she has value, I'll naturally give Ling Ziyue the best."
Upon hearing Lin Ming's instructions, the Myriad Demon King dared not delay and immediately flashed into the depths.
He was there and back in an instant.
The next moment, a body slowly floated before them.
It was the body of a girl who looked no more than twelve or thirteen, with a slender, graceful figure, wearing a skirt woven from exquisite vines.
Were it not for her blue skin, the pair of transparent butterfly wings as thin as cicada wings on her back, and her long pale-blue hair, Lin Ming really would have thought she was human.
"So this is what Demon Spirits look like?" Lin Ming was rather curious, seeing a creature like this for the first time.
"Yes, Demon Spirits actually aren't very different from humans. Sometimes, they don't even need to transform in human society. They only need to conceal their Soul Beast features!"
"Interesting."
"My Lord, this is a hundred-year female Demon Spirit, the last remaining bloodline of the Demon Spirit Clan."
"There aren't any males?"
"No, My Lord. Old Spirit is the only mutated male Demon Spirit in the entire clan. All the others are female.
As their Clan Chief, he's actually quite troubled by it."
"What a pity. This body is female." Lin Ming looked at Ling Ziyue and asked:
"This is a top-tier Demon Spirit Soul Beast, hardly any different from a human Soul Master's body. It specializes in the Mental Attribute, perfectly matching your intelligence and Spiritual Power. It should fuse perfectly with your soul, and may even be better than your body was in life.
The only drawback is that this body is female, while you're a boy.
Making you become a Soul Beast is already a bit much, and making you female as well sounds a little excessive even to me.
If you don't think it's suitable, I'll find you another one."
"I don't mind! I don't mind!" Ling Ziyue blurted out almost immediately, unconcealable delight blooming on her face.
She was wild with joy inside. She had truly stumbled into heaven-sent luck.
Not only would she obtain such a perfect body, she would even get to retain the sex she had been in life.
Although she had spent over a year pretending to be a tomboy, she was a girl.
Who would want to reincarnate as a boy?
A female Demon Spirit's body was just right, and this Demon Spirit looked beautiful too. Reincarnating as a Soul Beast no longer felt quite so awful.
No, this was simply an extraordinary stroke of luck. Now she had everything.
"All right!"
Since the person involved did not mind, why should Lin Ming worry needlessly?
"Since you've made up your mind, let's begin the reincarnation."
Lin Ming said no more. With a thought, he instantly summoned the Reincarnation Tower, which blazed with boundless radiance. The power of reincarnation slowly flowed around him and soon enveloped Di Tian and Ling Ziyue.
Hum.
Under Lin Ming's control, the first layer of the Reincarnation Tower began spinning rapidly.
Of the Energy Crystals stored within the Reincarnation Tower's space, five had already been absorbed by its core. Tremendous energy poured into the Reincarnation Tower, officially activating the reincarnation ritual.
Locked onto by the tower, Di Tian and Ling Ziyue instantly felt a terrifying force envelop their souls, beyond description.
Ling Ziyue's soul was steadily drawn out of her body. Before leaving, she could still see her own body, a truly wondrous sensation.
With a casual wave, Lin Ming sealed her soul within the Reincarnation Tower's space, setting her aside for the moment.
Di Tian came first. He had no time to concern himself with Ling Ziyue.
And from beginning to end, he had never carefully checked what sex Ling Ziyue actually was, because the thought had never even occurred to him.
In his view, the Myriad Demon King could not possibly choose a female body for Di Tian, unless he was interested in Di Tian.
That could not have been an accident, unless it was deliberate.
What else was there to say? Di Tian could just give in to him.
"Di Tian, enter the body."
Lin Ming spoke calmly. The instant his words fell, Di Tian's soul, which had long been waiting, was guided by the Reincarnation Tower and rapidly entered Ling Ziyue's body as energy poured madly into it.
He entered the soul, then fused completely with her body, taking control of her Spiritual Sea of Consciousness as well as her Martial Soul Space.
This was no ordinary reincarnation through possession, but a complete transformation into another person while retaining every soul ability and memory of his own. That was what made the Reincarnation Tower so terrifying; otherwise, it would not have required so much energy.
Rumble!
The instant Di Tian's soul entered the body, winds rose and clouds surged above him over the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Beast God's reincarnation had stirred heaven and earth into resonance.
And this was only the beginning. The entire Star Dou Great Forest seemed to be answering Di Tian, as though respectfully seeing the Beast God off.
Countless mysterious specks of light appeared around him, slowly pouring toward his body and flowing into his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness, helping illuminate it and stabilize his soul.
Meanwhile, Lin Ming continued sustaining the Reincarnation Tower, constantly channeling mysterious energy into Di Tian.
Reincarnation did not simply mean transferring a soul. The soul also had to fuse completely with the body, leaving nothing amiss. Only then would it be true reincarnation, rather than mere possession by a soul.
Time passed, minute by minute and second by second. For six full hours, Lin Ming did not slacken for even a moment.
Only when Lin Ming's face had begun to turn deathly pale and his body could barely hold out did Di Tian slowly open his eyes, awakening within Ling Ziyue's body.
Those eyes, weathered by ten thousand years of vicissitudes, could not possibly belong to Ling Ziyue.
Di Tian had successfully reincarnated. At this moment, he had truly become human, yet at his core, he remained the Beast God.
"It worked. A perfect reincarnation."
Lin Ming breathed a sigh of relief, hurriedly withdrew the Reincarnation Tower, and collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, looking at Di Tian with joy on his face.
Yet Di Tian, who had only just taken control of his new body, immediately looked stunned.
Seeing his expression, Lin Ming could not help feeling displeased:
"What's wrong? Not satisfied with the results of my reincarnation?"
Before you continue