The explosion in the laboratory was more violent than ever before. Metal fragments mixed with deathly smoke and dust shot out from the ventilation ducts, landing on the cherry blossom trees in the courtyard of the Immortal Venerable Hall, instantly dulling the pink petals. Tsubasa and Princess Kaguya had just rushed to the main gate when they saw Tian Yu crouching in a corner, his head in his hands, his face covered in soot, muttering, "It's over, it's over, Orochimaru is going to blow me to smithereens."
"How's it going inside?" Tsubasa helped Tian Yu up and brushed the dust off her. Just as he finished asking, he heard Orochimaru's intermittent groans coming from the laboratory. They weren't screams of pain, but rather a strange kind of excitement.
Princess Kaguya Gate of Opening, and an overwhelming aura of death rushed out, even stronger than the Ōtsutsuki Isshiki earlier. Several cracks appeared in the ground, and the glass chamber that had imprisoned the Flying Zombie was shattered into pieces. The Flying Zombie, covered in black markings, lay on the ground, its body visibly shriveling up as if all its death energy had been drained away. Orochimaru lay sprawled on the nearby lab table, his black robe corroded with holes, his exposed skin bluish-black, and his veins seemed to crawl with worms, constantly bulging and then collapsing.
"Oh... Lady Princess Kaguya, Immortal Venerable Tsubasa..." Orochimaru raised his head with difficulty, his face showing no fear, but instead a smile revealing his sharp teeth, "This is death aura... and the taste of corpse poison... more wonderful than I imagined..."
Tenpi rushed over and gasped at the sight. "He actually actively contacted and absorbed the death energy of the Flying Zombie! The Flying Zombie's corpse poison can directly corrode the soul; even Golden Core Level ninja would have their cultivation immediately destroyed if they came into contact with it. How dare he..."
Before she could finish speaking, Tsubasa strode to the experimental table, his fingertips gathering pale golden Immortal Power —a power fused with the natural forces of the Shinobi World, capable of purifying most evil forces. Just as he was about to press the Chakra into Orochimaru's back, the other suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Orochimaru's hands were icy cold, the bluish-black lines spreading to his forearms. His pupils had turned vertical, gleaming with an eerie purple light, yet he stared intently at Tsubasa: "No... don't purify..." His voice was hoarse, yet filled with unwavering resolve, "This is... a rare opportunity... to use my body... as an experiment... to see if death energy and corpse poison... can be tamed..."
"Are you insane?" Tsubasa frowned, trying to pull his hand back, but found Orochimaru's strength to be astonishing. "The corpse poison has already invaded your internal organs. If this drags on any longer, your soul will be corroded into pieces!"
"Fragments?" Orochimaru chuckled, his shoulders trembling. "I've spent my whole life researching immortality... I'm no longer afraid of soul fragmentation... Immortal Venerable Tsubasa, you only need to... help me stabilize the spread of the corpse poison... the rest... leave it to me..."
Princess Kaguya stood to the side, watching the black markings spreading across Orochimaru's body, and suddenly spoke, "His soul is special, imbued with a strong obsession; perhaps he really can pull through." She walked to Tsubasa's side, red Chakra flickering at her fingertips, and gently touched Orochimaru's temple. "I'll use the Power of All Creation to protect his sea of consciousness, and you'll use your Immortal Power to stabilize his meridians. The rest is up to his own fate."
Tsubasa hesitated for a moment, but finally let go. Pale golden Chakra flowed into Orochimaru's body through his wrist. He could clearly feel that the bluish-black corpse poison was like a living thing, rampaging through Orochimaru's meridians. Orochimaru's soul was like a net, tightly binding the corpse poison and guiding it little by little towards his dantian—he actually wanted to use death energy and corpse poison as nourishment for cultivation.
Tian Yu leaned close to Tenpi and whispered, "Tenshou-nii, Orochimaru isn't really dead, is he? He's annoying, but if no one continues his research on Flying Zombie, we'll lose a helper in the fight against the Ōtsutsuki Clan."
Tenpi stared at Orochimaru on the lab table, her notebook flying as she jotted down notes. "Hard to say. He's walking a tightrope, using his own soul as a vessel. One wrong move and he'll become a mindless zombie. But..." She paused, looking at the black markings on Orochimaru's body gradually stabilizing, "His body has been modified by him over the years, making it able to withstand far more extreme power than ordinary people. Perhaps he really can succeed."
For the next three hours, the laboratory was deathly silent, save for the occasional muffled groans of Orochimaru and the subtle sounds of Chakra flowing. Tsubasa and Princess Kaguya maintained their Chakra output, their foreheads covered in sweat. Tian Yu and Tenpi watched nervously from the side, not daring to make a sound.
As the sun set and golden sunlight streamed through the laboratory window, falling on Orochimaru, the bluish-black markings on his body suddenly stopped spreading and began to shrink, gradually merging into his skin. Orochimaru abruptly opened his eyes; the purple light in his pupils dissipated, leaving faint purple markings. He stood up, stretched his limbs, and his bones cracked. His previously withered skin became firm again, even more lustrous than before.
"Success..." Orochimaru stretched out his hand, looking at his pale purple fingertips. He gently clenched his fist, and a surge of Chakra imbued with death energy erupted, landing on the ground and instantly forming a layer of black frost. "Now... I can clearly feel the flow of death energy... I can even control it..."
Tenpi quickly stepped forward, took out a testing device, and handed it over. "Quickly check your physical data! Your meridians, soul strength, and the degree of integration with death energy..."
Orochimaru took the testing device and pressed it onto his wrist without hesitation. The data on the screen jumped rapidly—" Purple Zombie Form, Soul Integrity 90%, Death Aura Fusion 85%, Possesses Autonomous Consciousness and Cultivation Ability."
" Purple Zombie..." Tsubasa looked at the data, his eyes filled with complex emotions, "You really have become the first zombie with sentience."
Orochimaru laughed, but this time the laughter lacked its previous eeriness and instead carried a hint of relief. "I said I would dedicate myself to scientific research. Now, not only can I study death energy, but I can also personally experience its changes... Oh, right," he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the withered Flying Zombie on the ground, "I've absorbed all of the Flying Zombie's death energy, but I still have its corpse poison sample. Next, I can study how to mass-produce low-level zombies to fight against the Ōtsutsuki Clan's soldiers."
Just then, the laboratory door was pushed open, and Tsunade and Jiraiya walked in. Jiraiya immediately smelled the strong stench of death upon entering, and seeing Orochimaru's bluish-purple skin, he frowned. "What are you doing? Why have you made yourself look like this, neither human nor ghost?"
Tsunade stepped forward, looking Orochimaru up and down, her voice filled with worry. " Orochimaru, are you crazy? You dare to touch something like corpse poison? Even if you want to research it, you don't have to use yourself as a guinea pig!"
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, walked up to Tsunade, and extended his hand. " Tsunade, feel this. My body is stronger than before, my Chakra has mutated into death energy, and the amount has doubled. Moreover, death energy can suppress the Chakra of the Ōtsutsuki Clan, which may be the key to fighting them. The most amazing thing is that I may really be immortal."
Tsunade hesitated for a moment, then reached out and touched his arm. It was cold to the touch, but lacked the chilling aura of death; instead, it carried a strange fluctuation of power. She frowned and withdrew her hand. "Even so, you can't risk your life! What if you hadn't made it?"
"If you didn't make it, it means my experiment failed. There's nothing to regret." Orochimaru said it casually, but it only made Tsunade angrier.
Jiraiya sighed, patted Tsunade on the shoulder, and turned to Orochimaru: "Your temper is still the same as ever. But..." He paused, his tone becoming serious, "Now that you're in this state, just ask if you need any help. Whether it's medicinal herbs or experimental equipment, Tsunade and I will get it for you."
Tsunade glared at Jiraiya but didn't argue. She just snorted, "I'm unlucky to have a crazy friend like you. If you have any health problems, I won't treat you. At most, I'll record your medical history."
Orochimaru smiled, said nothing, turned around and went back to the lab table to start sorting through the Flying Zombie's corpse poison samples. Tsubasa looked at Tsunade and Jiraiya, and understood that although they didn't understand Orochimaru's madness, they always regarded him as a partner and were willing to support all his decisions.