He took a deep breath. The Corpse Emperor spoke in a solemn voice, "The first thing I must warn you about is this: do not, just because your Realm Puppet managed to trap Dry Bone with that strange formation, think you have the power to oppose him. Dry Bone suffered a setback and lost a little face once; he absolutely will not make the same mistake next time. If you genuinely dare to offend him, a single sneeze from him ten thousand miles away could kill you!"

Gu Xiechen's heart sank. He bowed respectfully and said, "This disciple has learned his lesson. I humbly request further guidance from Master."

The Corpse Emperor nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The second point is this: your Realm Puppet's formation was actually capable of trapping the Dry Bone Divine Monarch, coupled with the performance of your Realm Puppet named Zhao Yi on Paradise Star, now all of us old undying ones are paying attention to you! If we didn't deeply understand the mystery of Realm Puppets, knowing that summoned puppets act entirely on instinct... hehe, you would have already been captured alive and taken away."

More cold sweat trickled down the back of Gu Xiechen's neck. He stared blankly at the Corpse Emperor and said with a dry throat, "Original accumulation..."

The Corpse Emperor sighed and shook his head, "Fortunately, there are also disciples within the Dao Alliance who have successfully merged with Crystallite Spheres. In the past, someone's Realm Puppet naturally possessed certain profound abilities; one female disciple from the Huangshan Feixia Sect even had a Realm Puppet that was naturally capable of refining the Beauty Elixir. Therefore, even though we noticed you, we merely praised your luck inwardly and did not harbor any ulterior motives towards you."

Gu Xiechen's heart loosened and then tightened, then loosened and tightened again. His heartbeat fluctuated rapidly, and cold sweat would dry up only to reappear. He felt so light, as if he were walking on the clouds. The Corpse Emperor's words had truly startled him; it turned out his Realm Puppets were already being watched by these old monsters. If they hadn't mistaken Xin Jia and the others for other people's puppets... would he have been sliced up and studied by these old monsters?

Low profile. He must act low-key from now on!

He glared fiercely at Gu Xiechen, and the Corpse Emperor said calmly, "The reason I've been so long-winded today is because I saw you acting ignorantly just now, actually intending to trouble Dry Bone. This is just a reminder: never get carried away by success. Don't think that merging with a black crystal sphere by luck gives you the power to dominate the world. You lack the aptitude for Dao cultivation; it's better for you to keep a low profile. Although I can protect you, I cannot allow things to go too far out of line."

"Yes, yes, Master. Your teachings are correct." Gu Xiechen raised his sleeve and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, resolving never again to let Xin Jia and the others display anything unusual. Having a Realm Puppet that once knew alchemy was no big deal; having one that could break formations was also minor. If the divine displays of Xin Jia and Zhao Yi had not been known to outsiders, he would have been in deep trouble!

But did he truly lack the talent for Dao cultivation? Knowing the power of Dao cultivators, knowing that the so-called Mercury-level fighters were just a pile of dross in the Corpse Emperor's eyes, how could Gu Xiechen not yearn to cultivate the Dao himself?

He looked at the Corpse Emperor with unwilling eyes and chuckled, "Master, you merely swept over me casually with your divine sense. Such a judgment cannot be reliable. Surely you..."

Glaring at Gu Xiechen, the Corpse Emperor shook his head. "Who am I? How could I possibly err? Although your physical body is strong and your meridians are unobstructed, your body's compatibility with the Five Elements' spiritual energy is almost zero. You cannot absorb the Five Elements' spiritual energy to condense a Dao foundation, nor can you ignite the Dao Fire. If you cannot condense the Dao foundation and cannot ignite the Dao Fire, you cannot form a Golden Core. If you cannot form a Golden Core, you cannot cultivate the Nascent Soul. If you cannot cultivate the Nascent Soul, you naturally cannot evolve the Primordial Spirit. Without even a Primordial Spirit, what Dao are you cultivating?"

"Uh!" Gu Xiechen looked at the Corpse Emperor pitifully.

Shaking his head, the Corpse Emperor sighed deeply, "If this were thousands of years ago, those predecessors had several miraculous methods to help people change their tendons and bones to transform their constitution into one suitable for cultivation. But now, the world of cultivation is withered and sparse; where are such profound methods? Even if you obtained several ancient texts on Paradise Star, they do not contain such heaven-defying techniques, so..."

"Master, could you perhaps look again to see if I truly cannot cultivate the Dao?" Gu Xiechen still hadn't given up. He grabbed the Corpse Emperor's sleeve.

"Hmph!" The Corpse Emperor hesitated for a moment, then looked at Gu Xiechen with a wry smile and shook his head, finally placing his hand on Gu Xiechen's crown of the head.

A chilling, sinister energy burst into his body and traveled through Gu Xiechen's meridians throughout his entire being.

The massive Tai Chi vortex in Gu Xiechen's Sea of Consciousness suddenly erupted with a dazzling, profound light. A mysterious and esoteric pure light shot out from the Sea of Consciousness, instantly enveloping Gu Xiechen's entire body.

The Corpse Emperor helplessly withdrew his hand and smiled bitterly at Gu Xiechen, "It's no use, it's truly impossible. Your constitution is the same as the billions of mortals in the Federation; it is not suited for Dao cultivation, but you are a good seedling for martial arts."

After hesitating for a moment, the Corpse Emperor looked at Gu Xiechen strangely and said with a hint of hesitation, "However, it's not entirely without a way. My Nine Nether Dao still has a method to let you cultivate the Dao."

A wave of ecstasy enveloped Gu Xiechen's entire body. He trembled with excitement and asked eagerly, "Master, what method is it?"

Blinking his eyes a few times, the Corpse Emperor chuckled dryly, "Didn't you absorb three drops of Primordial Essence Blood? Your current strength is completely unable to absorb the true essence of those three drops. The vast majority of the energy is still contained within every inch of your flesh and bone. Hehe, as your strength increases, the Primordial Essence Blood can slowly make your physical body incomparably strong. But just having that would be too wasteful."

Licking his nose with a scarlet tongue, the Corpse Emperor shook his head and spoke pompously, "The sacred ground of my Nine Nether Dao is the Hell Valley in Qilian Mountains, the most yin and evil (Juedi/Deadly Place) in the world. Even a common person's corpse buried there will turn into a black-furred Jiangshi after three to five years. Uh, if I were to kill you and then seal your soul within your body using the Forbidden Soul Imprisonment technique, bury your body in the Nine Nether Dead Place, and set up my sect's secret technique, the Nine Nether Corpse Nurturing Grand Formation, to stimulate the Primordial Essence Blood within you, I could transform your physical body into that of a Flying Yaksha in one fell swoop!"

Excitedly patting Gu Xiechen's shoulder, the Corpse Emperor laughed, "A Flying Yaksha! That is the most yin and evil supreme existence among all types of Jiangshi, even having transcended the category of ordinary zombies to become beings akin to gods and demons. With your own soul inside your body, you can freely control the Flying Yaksha body and then cultivate my Corpse God Profound Art using that body—it will certainly be twice as effective! Perhaps in just over a hundred years, you will have the hope of cultivating a Primordial Spirit!"

Becoming a zombie! And then cultivating? Gu Xiechen quickly shook his head, "Although this disciple is an Oversight Councillor of the Special Affairs Committee, this disciple still has psychological barriers to becoming a non-normal human."

Spreading his hands, the Corpse Emperor smiled bitterly, "Then there's nothing to be done... Unless I kill you right now and find a physical body suitable for Dao cultivation for your soul to possess! But a body acquired through possession is never as good to use as one's original body. You would probably have to spend at least double the effort of an ordinary Dao cultivator to achieve anything."

Possession and taking over a body? Instinctively touching his strong pectoral muscles, Gu Xiechen chuckled dryly, "Master, as a Federation Councillor, this disciple is very law-abiding..."

With a long sigh, the Corpse Emperor shook his head, "Indeed. Your position as a Federation Councillor was hard-won. I spent considerable effort manipulating the news media behind the scenes to build momentum for you; giving it up rashly is indeed a pity. Uh, lastly, there is one method. If all else fails, I'm out of ideas!!!!"

"Master, please tell me!" Gu Xiechen looked eagerly at the Corpse Emperor, hoping he would suggest a more normal method.

"Mmm, you will live a life of freedom and enjoy glory and wealth. When you are near the end of your natural life, I will kill you with one strike, take your soul, and send it into the womb of a pregnant woman to allow you to be reincarnated as a human. This way, you can also possess an excellent body for Dao cultivation. Moreover, since you and the physical body will be integrated from childhood, the future cultivation will be no different from using your own body!"

The Corpse Emperor pondered for a moment, finally offering another method. However, just like the possession option, it still required Gu Xiechen to take over another body.

With a long sigh, Gu Xiechen looked at the Corpse Emperor with a wry smile, "This disciple cannot bear to part with his current body. Master, is there no other way? What about the legendary Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Washing elixirs?"

With a bitter smile, the Corpse Emperor looked helplessly at Gu Xiechen, "Lao Jun Valley is the number one alchemy sect in the Asian Dao Alliance, but most of their formulas have been lost. There once existed a spiritual elixir that could transform a mortal into a Dao-suitable constitution, but sadly, it is lost... This time you also obtained several Dan Jue (Elixir Formulas) on Paradise Star, but there was nothing you wanted among them either."

Gu Xiechen was completely desperate.

Having witnessed the formidable power of the Dry Bone Divine Monarch, Gu Xiechen was filled with interest in Dao cultivation, but he never expected the Corpse Emperor to give such answers.

It was no wonder that despite the contributions Gu Xiechen had made, the Corpse Emperor merely gave him an Awareness Simplification Scroll for self-study and did not teach him the methods of cultivation. It seemed Siren and Aredia were the same—their constitutions were unsuitable for cultivation; otherwise, the Corpse Emperor would not have refrained from imparting anything to them.

Looking at the dejected Gu Xiechen, the Corpse Emperor comforted him, "Don't be sad. If you absolutely must cultivate the Dao, when your lifespan is nearing its end in this life, I will certainly guide you to become a member of the Nine Nether Dao. Hehe, my lifespan is extremely long; I can afford to wait."

His body shuddered violently. Gu Xiechen gave a forced laugh, "Master, you are joking again."

However, that joke brightened Gu Xiechen's mood. He looked up at the bright moon in the sky and laughed heartily, "Master, since I am not suited for Dao cultivation, then I am not suited. This disciple naturally has his own path and doesn't necessarily have to walk the road of Dao cultivation!"

The Corpse Emperor nodded in approval and also looked up at the bright moon.

For a moment, the moonlight was like water, pouring clearly into Gu Xiechen's eyes.

Gu Xiechen felt that inside and out, his body was utterly clear. The worries that had weighed heavily on his heart suddenly dissipated like smoke. All eighty-four thousand pores on his body seemed to have opened, allowing the cool breeze to flow freely in and out, making his body feel as if it were about to merge with the moonlight outside.

His heart beat steadily and powerfully. A large amount of pure energy spurted out from his heart, and the surging energy all poured into the bone marrow, which was as crystalline as jade. A large amount of blood, faintly whitish and viscous like porridge, generated from the bone marrow, quickly replacing all the old blood in Gu Xiechen's body.

The Corpse Emperor sighed softly, patted Gu Xiechen's shoulder, and said calmly, "Take care of yourself... Remember the agreement between me and Dry Bone: you and Gu Juechen can only contend using commercial means; never resort to force or mutual slaughter, otherwise, it will be difficult for me to cover for you." A faint breeze stirred, and the Corpse Emperor had vanished without a trace.

"Hiss." A large cloud of blood mist drifted out from Gu Xiechen's pores, gradually merging into the surrounding air. Gu Xiechen stared blankly at the moon, as if he hadn't heard the Corpse Emperor's final words at all. The moonlight was like water, yet it illuminated everything on Earth just the same. Countless sacred demons and monsters had bathed under the same moonlight; now that moonlight was spilling onto Gu Xiechen.

The incantations of the Primordial Essence True Canon flowed silently through his mind, like a clear stream winding through a dry riverbed, nourishing Gu Xiechen's spirit.

His mental power rapidly increased, and his heart beat faster and faster, outputting more and more energy, stimulating his mental power to continuously strengthen. Gradually, a ball of dark blue brilliant light enveloped Gu Xiechen's head. The explosive increase in mental power could not yet be properly contained within the Sea of Consciousness and was already spreading out as a visible flame!

In the bone marrow, bones, meridians, qi points, a warm and jade-like white light rippled simultaneously. The newly generated blood in Gu Xiechen's blood vessels flowed with a rushing sound. A massive amount of energy merged into the blood, nourishing every muscle, every tendon, and every internal organ of Gu Xiechen as it flowed.

The Blood Infusion Chapter of the Primordial Essence True Canon was completed, and Gu Xiechen entered the Solidification Chapter of the True Canon cultivation stage. The massive energy contained within the Primordial Essence Dao Fetus surged out wildly. Every red blood cell in the newly generated blood seemed like an energy warehouse capable of storing a huge amount of energy, gradually filling each red blood cell with pure energy and vitality. Wherever the blood flowed, that part of the body was rapidly strengthened in all aspects, which was hundreds of times more effective than simply stimulating the body with energy for reinforcement—this strengthening was comprehensive and meticulous.

No cultivator, not even specialized body cultivators, could deliver energy to every single cell in their body like Gu Xiechen could!

Meridians could not reach every corner of the body, but capillaries could! Just as a Qi Refiner could not deliver true energy to both eyes, the capillaries could carry a large amount of energy to continuously nourish and strengthen the most fragile eyes! Qi Refiners dared not rashly send true energy into the deep layers of the abdomen to strengthen the brain, but the blood, imbued with massive amounts of energy, could easily nourish and strengthen every cell of the brain like a gentle spring rain!

Standing quietly in the moonlight, after just one hour, Gu Xiechen's physical strength had more than doubled compared to before! A small portion of the essence from the Primordial Essence Blood he previously couldn't absorb was now perfectly integrated into Gu Xiechen's body.

Every tissue in his body felt hot, as if immersed in a hot spring, making him comfortable to the point of euphoria, completely ignoring the outside world.

Mastery of the Blood Infusion Chapter did not enhance Gu Xiechen's power level much, but it fundamentally improved his cultivation aptitude.

He didn't know how long he stood there, until his body was completely soaked in sweat and the eastern sky began to turn white. A sudden, harsh ringing from his communicator finally startled Gu Xiechen.

"What is it?"

"What? Siren's family..."

"Damn it! Get the brothers ready, I'll be right back!"

Gu Xiechen roared in fury, barely managing to conjure a cloud beneath him as he flew toward Manhattan Island.

Flying unsteadily for several hundred meters, nearly plunging into the sea several times, Gu Xiechen suddenly slapped himself. A purple light emerged beside him, and Xin Jia stepped out of the light. He grabbed Gu Xiechen, transforming into a raging gale that whistled high into the sky.

Hmm, the business concerning the little sea-sprite still looks quite interesting...