Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1287 - 697: Inhuman (Part 2)

A rhythmic "bang bang bang" echoed relentlessly at the base of the frozen summit. However, the dense, surrounding fog swallowed the majority of the noise, preventing the sound from traveling into the distance.

Before long, a tunnel stretching over a hundred zhang had been carved into the foundation of the ice peak.

Zhao Sheng stood behind a translucent pane of ice, his eyelids pressed shut as he used his senses to "observe" the macabre pool of blood just two zhang away. An intense agitation churned within him, accompanied by a primal, overwhelming thirst that rose from his very instincts.

Suppressing this visceral urge with sheer force of will, he settled into a cross-legged position. A faint, celestial radiance began to emanate from his form. A brilliant wave of willpower surged forth, piercing through the ice barrier to silently interact with the crimson light suspended in the empty space.

At first, the radiance of his will and the scarlet light remained indifferent to one another. However, as he meticulously tuned the "oscillation frequency" of his original spirit’s perception, the environment began to shift.

The blood pool reacted; the mist hovering above it condensed into droplets of blood essence. These droplets floated in mid-air, shimmering with the brilliance of high-quality rubies.

Below, the surface of the pool began to "gurgle," as the liquid churned and spat out bubbles the size of a man's fist.

Simultaneously, the tree of flesh and bone stirred as if coming to life. It rose slowly from the depths of the fluid, its myriad white bone branches extending outward. Layers of fresh muscle and skin rapidly wove themselves over the skeletal frame.

In the span of a dozen breaths, the white bone tree was shrouded in thick flesh. Countless fleshy "tentacles" dangled from its boughs, their tips dipping hungrily into the swirling, viscous gore.

Zhao Sheng had maintained a cautious guard against both the pool and the skeletal tree from the start. Seeing this transformation, he immediately pushed his vigilance to its peak.

His brow furrowed as a soft "huh" escaped his lips. He noticed intricate spiral designs appearing on the tree's fleshy appendages. To a casual observer, these might seem like mere decorative engravings.

Yet, as his "will" illuminated these spirals, he realized they were actually unique "runes." They seemed to stem from the primal depths of the ancestral bloodlines of all living things—a source closer to the fundamental "life" Dao than even primordial cells.

Among the Three Thousand Great Dao Laws of the cosmos, the "life" Dao stands apart. It is unique because it manifested only after the creation of the universe, whereas other Daos were established at the very dawn of existence.

The moment Zhao Sheng perceived those spiral runes, his internal primordial cells turned violent. The aura of "will" surrounding him began to "boil," and shimmering spiral patterns emerged within his own light.

Instantly, the blood in the pool reached a violent boil. The crimson light filling the chamber rushed toward the seated Zhao Sheng, soon cocooning him in a suffocating shroud of deep red.

A stifled groan escaped Zhao Sheng as a torrent of scarlet light forced its way into his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, invading every one of his trillions of primordial cells.

Then, a "boom" like the birth of a new world thundered through his original spirit. His body convulsed as his primordial cells began to "burn" like white-hot coals, initiating a forced evolution toward specific "bloodline origins."

Crack, crack...

A sharp series of snaps echoed as the thin ice barrier succumbed to the pressure, fracturing into a web of lines before shattering into dust.

In the following heartbeat, an unseen force hoisted Zhao Sheng into the air. He was hurled helplessly into the center of the pool, where the waiting tentacles instinctively latched onto him, burrowing into his flesh.

Ancient, alien blood surged through these conduits into his veins, violently accelerating his physical mutation.

Soon, horns tore through the skin on Zhao Sheng’s head. His eyes narrowed into predatory vertical slits, and white feathers sprouted along his jawline. His limbs warped into a mixture of beastly claws and insectoid carapaces, while his torso became encased in layers of heavy, obsidian scales.

He appeared to be a grotesque "failed experiment," a chaotic patchwork of dozens of different biological lineages appearing at once.

As time ticked by, the weaker bloodlines were purged, followed by the mid-tier ones, and eventually even the rare, high-grade lineages were filtered out.

The chaotic features vanished, leaving behind a "four-unlike" beast possessing a rhinoceros horn, dragon scales, a lion’s mane, and piercing vertical pupils.

This sinister pool held the power to shatter the limitations of human origin, forcing a pure-blooded individual to rapidly evolve into a "non-human" entity.

This metamorphosis appeared to be a one-way path.

"Roar..."

A deep bellow erupted from Zhao Sheng. The Kui Niu Treasure manifested of its own accord, casting a protective silvery-white glow.

This silver light carried the "power" of Lord Wanxing, a high-level manifestation of Taoist Law.

Though the silver brilliance fought to repel the "Blood Pool Transformation Power," the two forces were not far apart in terms of quality.

However, in terms of sheer volume, the blood pool was vast. Its transformative energy held a decisive advantage.

Consequently, the Kui Niu Treasure’s defense began to crumble. The silver light retreated until it only covered his neck and head, barely shielding his mind.

As Zhao Sheng’s humanity slipped away, Emperor Jiang, Wuzhiqi, Huo Dou, and the Soaring Snake—all located in different sectors of the Ice Sealed Demon Abyss—were struck by a sudden alarm.

Their respective Divine Beast Treasures emerged spontaneously, radiating a blinding silver light.

Through the mystical resonance between these artifacts, the four were suddenly able to perceive each other's locations.

This abrupt warning from the treasures left Emperor Jiang and the others in a state of agitation, their composure shattered.

In a spartan stone chamber beneath a precipice, Emperor Jiang stood up abruptly, his gaze fixed toward the east, in the direction of Zhao Sheng.

A realization struck him, and he whispered in shock, "The Immortal Monarch Power has been triggered. Is one of the other treasures on the verge of destruction?"

"Who is it? Soaring Snake... or perhaps Kui Niu?"

"Immortal Monarch Power?! This is bad..."

"Haha, I can finally feel where the others are."