Encountering Heavenly Lord

There was no greenery around. Bones of different shapes were laying around. What looked like a meadow turned into a wasteland.

Hundreds if not thousands of different carcasses were laying on the ground. They didn't have an ounce of vitality left. They were all fully drained.

However, it wasn't the most horrifying thing. What scared Ouyang Li the most was the floating Nascent Soul. It was suspended right in front of him!

The spirit looked similar to the ones Ouyang Li saw in the pictures of old books. However, it was incredibly small and dim. Moreover, many dark spots were constantly corroding its semi-transparent surface. It was actually leaking its essence!

However, all this leaking energy seemed to be captured by the formation array. It formed a vicious cycle where part of the energy was used to feed and sustain the array while the rest was being re-refined along with the vitality extracted from various carcasses.

This Nascent Soul was actually like a leaking bucket! The Heavenly Lord was wounded, and he was forcefully trying to keep his soul from dissipating!

Heavens above! What could hurt an apex existence to such an extent? After all, Nascent Soul powerhouses were said to be at the peak of this world! There was no one stronger than them.

Fortunately for Ouyang Li, it seemed that this ethereal being was crippled. The boy thought it was a good thing. It helped him build up some false confidence and convince himself that there is still a slight chance of escaping.

It was this lie that helped him to gather his thoughts.

Of course, the state of this Nascent Soul could be but an appearance. However, Ouyang Li thought it unlikely. After all, he didn't think that a noble Heavenly Lord would lower himself just to trick an insignificant ant such as himself.

Ouyang Li had no control over his body. He could only look around, shriveling.

All the animals were in various stages of decay. They had their vital essence being removed by the formation. The smell it secreted while being channeled into the man was indescribable.

There were also nine small hills made up of incredibly pure Spirit Stones that were powering the damn array. Some of the stones have long turned to ashes, but many of them were glistening, still emitting rich spiritual lights.

However, Ouyang Li didn't have time to marvel at this sight. It was because this Nascent Soul was actually targeting him!

It was terrible! After all, this was a remnant of a Heavenly Lord. No matter how weak it was, no matter whether it lost its body or not, it was still an existence that was three great realms above him!

Before he had time to find a solution, the Nascent Soul reached out, entering into his glabella. Almost immediately, the darkness started to quickly erode his conscious mind. The pain it caused was simply unbelievable!

"I'm finished!" The boy thought despondently. "Who would have thought that I would die so soon after crossing over? This world still has so much to offer. Mysterious Bead, please, don't abandon me now. At the very least, let me reincarnate once again!"

He prayed in his mind. "I promise to be more careful next time!"

Suddenly, Ouyang Li's perspective changed. His eyeballs overturned and he fainted. His whole body literally shut down.

However, his semi-conscious, semi-instinctual awareness appeared in his upper dantian. It seemed that he assumed some form of a spirit.

And right in front of him floated the gigantic Nascent Soul! Even in this space, it had many strange spots wriggling. It looked like a curse that was slowly eating it up.

Ouyang Li was shocked! It was because the Heavenly Lord has already started to refine and appropriate his body! He could clearly feel himself losing control.

The Heavenly Lord was in a process of possessing his body, and he only directed a small part of his attention to devouring the boy's Shen energy. The rest was focused on studying the muscles, bones, and meridians. It seemed that the injured Grand Cultivator was looking for something!

It's so crazy! The boy's mind was spinning. Ouyang Li literally had no way of fighting him! None whatsoever!

After all, could an ant trample an elephant? It was impossible, not even if the elephant was already half dead.

Heavenly Lord was also shocked when he studied his newly obtained vessel. It was because all of its Three Treasures were perfectly balanced. It was even possible to immediately merge them into spiritual essence, building a strong and lasting foundation! It was such a pleasant surprise! This body turned out to be much better than expected!

"What cultivation method are you using?" The man asked while looking at the boy's still struggling consciousness. "Such pure inner energy… it's almost as if it was based on high-grade Spirit Stones! Unbelievable!"

"My body… it only has a low-grade Spiritual Roots" Ouyang Li murmured in response to the lord. "I was just lucky and had some... fortuitous encounters. Still… my potential is too weak. Senior, why don't you choose one of the others?"

"Impossible! Your body is the most suitable for me. It must be because of your bloodline. Your true potential is most probably dormant. It won't pose a problem for me, though. Worry not, I will resolve all the grudges you held while alive. All this karma will be written off." He laughed out, pleasantly surprised by the quality of the vessel.

Ouyang Li felt cold. There was absolutely nothing he could do at the moment. In front of him was the Heavenly Lord that stood at the peak of the cultivation world! The boy stood no chance of facing him, not even his shadow!

"The bead!" Ouyang Li thought, desperately trying to mobilize his treasure. "This old monster still hasn't discovered it! I must find a way to fight him! I must survive!"

However, his thoughts in this space were ringing out loud now, and there was nothing he could do about it. Although it was his mind's resting place, he has long lost any control over it!

"What bead?" The man's voice suddenly turned sharp. "As expected, you are not as simple as you look."

Suddenly, the old monster paid the struggling boy his full attention. Weaves upon weaves of incomparably strong divine senses were gathered, filling up the boy's already crumbling sea of consciousness.

However, the Nascent Soul still found nothing. After a short hesitation, the man scanned the boy's middle and lower dantian once again. However, the results were exactly the same.

Ouyang Li could literally sense his anger.

"Don't try to fool me, boy. It's of no use!" The Heavenly Lord frowned, seemingly making up his mind. "It's time to end this useless struggle. I have to deal with you right now. After all, there are still many things waiting for me outside."

Suddenly, a huge force accosted the boy. Almost instantly, it cut off Ouyang Li's connection to his body. He was now but a soul separated from its vessel. It all happened in an instant.

At this moment, he was once again but a small spark flying in the infinite darkness. It was almost the same as when he died on Earth.

However, he could still sense that his body remained alive. It was the sole reason why he wasn't dissipating now.

Ouyang Li couldn't move. He stayed suspended in the void. Only a small thread was still connecting him to his body. However, with each passing second, it grew thinner and thinner.

Then, after an unspecified period of time, it finally broke.

"Could it be… that I died?"

He thought-voiced incredulously. The boy really didn't want to die.

Ouyang Li felt like the time stopped. Then, he slowly started to lose consciousness. Weaves of unbeatable blackness kept on hitting him, trying to erode his consciousness.

He could feel that the blackness was ready to devour him! Any second now and he would be lost forever!