# Chapter 2031: Half-God Physical Body
As Zhang Ruochen and the other two examined the Blood Demon, the Blood Demon was likewise examining them. After all, they were following behind Xue Hou and had entered this place that Xue Hou regarded as a forbidden area, so they must have some special significance.
Suddenly, the Blood Demon fixed his gaze on Zhang Ruochen and chuckled, "Kid, I remember you. I should thank you. Back then, in the first gradient of the Endless Abyss, you killed that junior from the Undying Blood Clan, which allowed me to awaken."
"In just a few short years, you've gone from the Half-Saint realm to the Nine-Step Saint King realm. You're quite an impressive kid. Xue Hou, is he a disciple you trained?"
Seeing that the Blood Demon recognized him, Zhang Ruochen was not surprised. He smiled faintly and said, "I didn't expect that the skull head that flew out of that Xianlan King's body would actually be the infamous Blood Demon of the past."
"According to legend, the Blood Demon and Xue Hou should be mortal enemies, but now it seems that's not exactly the case."
The Blood Demon was indeed very powerful, but not enough to make Zhang Ruochen feel afraid. Of course, he also did not dare to underestimate the Blood Demon in the slightest.
Back then, Shengshu Cainü had mentioned to him that the Blood Demon was an extraordinary genius who simultaneously cultivated nine pieces of the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription" and, based on those nine stone inscriptions, created nine legendary sacred arts, causing panic among many who feared he would become a second Underworld King.
Over the years, Zhang Ruochen had encountered many cultivators who practiced the "Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription," but those who cultivated two pieces simultaneously were rare, let alone nine. He really didn't know how the Blood Demon managed it.
If no accident had occurred back then, the Blood Demon would have become extremely terrifying, perhaps even having become a god by now.
"Kid, many things are not as they seem when heard, nor are they necessarily true when seen. To be honest, I rather miss those days of struggle with Xue Hou. Without an opponent, it's a very lonely thing."
"Although Xue Hou later joined forces with the humans to defeat me, the victor is king and the loser is bandit. I have nothing to say about that. Spending eight hundred years in slumber wasn't so bad, actually."
The Blood Demon appeared very calm, as if he no longer cared about what had happened in the past.
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart stirred. He could vaguely sense that there seemed to be some hidden circumstances behind these events.
His mind turning, Zhang Ruochen asked casually, "How could humans get involved in the internal conflicts of the Undying Blood Clan? Even if they did, shouldn't they have eliminated both you and Xue Hou together?"
"Are you suggesting I'm lying? If not for that Ming Emperor and Yan Liren, Xue Hou wouldn't have had such an easy time defeating me." The Blood Demon snorted coldly.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruochen's heart shook violently. He believed that the Ming Emperor the Blood Demon spoke of was undoubtedly his father.
As far as Zhang Ruochen knew, Xue Hou should have only gotten close to the Ming Emperor after becoming Kong Shangling's daughter.
But from what the Blood Demon was saying now, Xue Hou and the Ming Emperor had already been in contact before that, and the Ming Emperor had even helped Xue Hou. Why would the Ming Emperor do such a thing?
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen also understood what Chi Linyuan meant when he said Xue Hou had a connection with Yan Liren.
Unable to help himself, Zhang Ruochen turned his gaze to Xue Hou, staring intently into her eyes, and said, "Is what the Blood Demon said true? What exactly is the relationship between you and my father?"
"That's right. Back then, it was indeed your father and Yan Liren who helped me. As for some matters between your father and me, the time is not yet right, so I cannot tell you for now." A trace of hesitation flickered in Xue Hou's eyes.
Then, Xue Hou looked at the Blood Demon and said coldly, "Blood Demon, shut your mouth. Do not mention anything related to me again."
The Blood Demon looked at Zhang Ruochen with some surprise, then shrugged and said, "Fine, I won't say anything. You're still as boring as ever."
Zhang Ruochen's fist clenched suddenly, then quickly relaxed. He wanted to press further, but after a moment's thought, he abandoned the idea. Xue Hou was deliberately hiding things, so asking would be useless.
Regardless, he had learned some things, and using this as a starting point, he might be able to find all the answers.
"Follow me." Xue Hou spoke and continued walking deeper into the cave.
Composing himself, Zhang Ruochen quickly followed. He had not forgotten the purpose of his visit.
Before long, the space ahead suddenly opened up and became brighter. Clusters of terrifying flames floated within this space, full of spiritual nature, like guards of this place.
As soon as he approached, Zhang Ruochen discovered that there was a powerful barrier ahead, not something one could easily break through.
And through the barrier, Zhang Ruochen could clearly see the situation inside the space ahead.
With this look, Zhang Ruochen's gaze froze, fixed on a mass of crimson blood suspended in midair.
This mass of blood was very large, oval-shaped, over a zhang in diameter. Flames burned on its surface, making it look like a huge fireball, or like a phoenix undergoing nirvana.
Burned by the flames, the surrounding space seemed to twist, as if about to melt.
Inside the blood lay a person, an extremely handsome young man with his eyes tightly closed, his chest rising and falling rhythmically, as if he were sleeping.
Vaguely, one could see strands of chaotic qi entwined around the young man's body, each strand extremely heavy. If not for the wrapping of this strange blood, they would be enough to collapse the space.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Even from a distance, one could clearly hear the powerful heartbeat coming from within the young man's body. Each beat was like a divine thunderclap, deafening.
Not only that, but the sound of blood flowing within the young man's body also clearly reached the ears of Zhang Ruochen and the others, like the surging Heavenly River, unstoppable.
Kong Lanyou showed a look of surprise and said, "Such a powerful undying sacred body, containing immense power, more than ten times stronger than the power I cultivated back when I was in the Great Saint realm."
Kong Lanyou calculated secretly that if that young man were to awaken, he could probably defeat her former Great Saint self with a single move, scattering her soul.
Zhang Ruochen stared fixedly at the young man lying in the blood. Even with his calm temperament, he couldn't help but feel somewhat unsettled.
"What have you done?" Zhang Ruochen turned to look at Xue Hou and asked in a deep voice.
Xue Hou, however, showed a smile and said, "Chen'er, the reason your mother asked you to come to the Endless Abyss was to give you this gift."
"Back then, when your mother discovered the mysteries of this place, she had Shangguan Que steal your previous life's corpse from the Zhu Huang Ancestral Hall and nurture it here."
"Eight hundred years have passed, and this physical body has become extremely powerful. Once you merge with it, you will possess the most powerful physical body, and in the near future, you can easily step into the Great Saint realm."
Hearing this, before Zhang Ruochen could react, the Blood Demon said with some surprise, "So this body is actually your son, Xue Hou. No wonder you treasure it so much and refuse to give it to me."
Then, the Blood Demon turned to Zhang Ruochen and said, "Kid, even I envy you a little, being able to possess such a perfect and powerful physical body. This is not just an undying sacred body; it's practically a half-god body. If you merge with it, you will soon gain terrifying power far beyond that of an ordinary Great Saint, almost worthy of being called a half-god."
Listening to the powerful heartbeat, Kong Lanyou couldn't help but ask, "Why is my cousin's body still in a living state? Has a new soul been born?"
"No, there is no soul in this body. I simply used the blood phoenix's origin essence blood, along with my own essence blood and a piece of innate chaotic stone, smelted together to wrap Chen'er's body. After eight hundred years of nurturing, it has become an undying sacred body with chaotic attributes. Chen'er has cultivated the innate Five Elements Chaos Body in this life, which perfectly matches with it." Xue Hou shook her head and explained.
To nurture Zhang Ruochen's previous life's body, Xue Hou had exhausted her heart's blood, investing many treasures that would make even top-tier Great Saints envious.
If it were any other cultivator, they would probably immediately agree to all of Xue Hou's conditions and accept this physical body without a second thought. After all, it could save countless years of arduous cultivation.
But Zhang Ruochen was very calm and said, "You want me to merge with this physical body so that I will also become an Undying Blood Clan member, right? I will walk my own path; I don't need your help."
"What's wrong with the Undying Blood Clan? The Undying Blood Clan is born with powerful vitality and a much longer lifespan than humans. In terms of physical body, you humans can't compare either. How many people want to become Undying Blood Clan members but never have the chance?" The Blood Demon showed displeasure.
Pausing, the Blood Demon continued, "Moreover, this physical body is not something an ordinary Undying Blood Clan member's body can compare to. It is perfect, and yet you don't want it."
From the moment he saw this physical body, the Blood Demon had been eager to obtain it, wanting to use it as his new body. Unfortunately, Xue Hou never gave him the chance to get close to it.
"So what? Wanting me to become an Undying Blood Clan member, a blood-sucking demon, is absolutely impossible." Zhang Ruochen said resolutely.
A pleading look appeared in Xue Hou's eyes, and she said, "Chen'er, listen to your mother. Your mother would never harm you. And you don't need to worry about developing a dependence on blood. Your mother has already solved that problem for you. Your mother has done all this just to make you stronger."
"I said, my affairs are none of your concern. The path I want to walk is even less something you need to arrange for me." Zhang Ruochen said coldly.
Whenever it involved the Undying Blood Clan, Zhang Ruochen's heart was filled with resistance.
Without waiting for Xue Hou to say anything more, Zhang Ruochen turned around and walked straight out.
"Chen'er... Sigh, it seems I was too impatient." Xue Hou shook her head and sighed, her eyes full of helplessness.
Mu Lingxi was still a bit slow to react, but after seeing Zhang Ruochen leave, she immediately followed.
Kong Lanyou took a deep look at the body wrapped by the divine blood, and many memories surged into her heart, causing her to let out a heavy sigh.
Then, Kong Lanyou also turned around and quickly followed Zhang Ruochen's steps.
Watching Zhang Ruochen's departing back, the Blood Demon muttered softly, "What a stubborn little fellow. Since he doesn't want it, Xue Hou, how about giving this body to me?"
A cold light suddenly flashed in Xue Hou's eyes as she coldly glanced at the Blood Demon.
"Uh, just kidding." The Blood Demon's expression immediately changed, and he quickly said with a flattering smile.
He was far from being a match for Xue Hou now, so it was better not to provoke her and avoid asking for trouble.
Xue Hou ultimately did not bother with the Blood Demon. Her figure moved and disappeared from the spot.
She had originally thought that by having Zhang Ruochen merge with his previous life's physical body, they would have a bloodline connection, and perhaps Zhang Ruochen would quickly accept her.
But what Xue Hou hadn't expected was that Zhang Ruochen's resistance to this was so strong.
Although she could forcefully accomplish this matter, what would happen afterward was unpredictable. The situation might even become worse, so she had to put this matter aside for now.
Seeing Xue Hou leave, the Blood Demon fell into thought and muttered to himself, "Xue Hou expended so much effort to comprehend the secret method to eliminate the Undying Blood Clan's dependence on blood. It can't be just for her son. What exactly is she planning?"
"However, Xue Hou is truly impressive to have comprehended such a secret method. Not having to constantly think about sucking blood has many benefits, which suits me perfectly."
He took one last look at the perfect physical body within the barrier space, shook his head, and then turned to leave.
Since he couldn't obtain this ready-made perfect physical body, he would have to refine one himself. He had always enjoyed doing challenging things like this.
Under Xue Hou's lead, Zhang Ruochen and the other two returned to the garden within the palace.
"There's something I need to clarify. Eight hundred years ago, my father's sudden disappearance—was it related to you?" Zhang Ruochen looked into Xue Hou's eyes and asked with utmost seriousness.
Xue Hou also looked into Zhang Ruochen's eyes and sighed, "Chen'er, your mother and your father are indeed irreconcilable enemies. But do you really think there is no affection between us? Your father's disappearance and your assassination—your mother only learned of them afterward. Otherwise, whoever dared to harm you, would your mother have stood by and done nothing? Whoever dared to touch even a single hair on your head, your mother would have made sure they died without a burial place. Unfortunately... due to some reasons, your mother cannot leave the Endless Abyss. Otherwise, Chi Yao and Qing Emperor would have already paid a heavy price."
Hearing this answer, Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled, and he asked, "Father is still alive, right?"
"Your father... should not be dead. I can still sense him. However, forget it. Once the time I promised him arrives, I will go find him myself." Xue Hou said.
Somehow, Zhang Ruochen did not feel the slightest doubt about Xue Hou's words.
For a moment, the heavy stone that had been hanging in his heart finally fell.
As long as the Ming Emperor was still alive, everything else seemed less important.
...()
Please remember the original domain name of this book: . Mobile version reading URL: