nownovels Chapter 143 The Marquis of Shang
Chapter 143 The Marquis of Shang
Chapter 143 The Marquis of Shang
Under Chen Yuan's watchful gaze, the wisp of seven-colored mist slowly twisted and deformed. With a flash of dazzling seven-colored light, the mist condensed into a mysterious man dressed in a black robe.
"Has the secret arts of this era developed to such an extent? I've miscalculated."
The man in black robes shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with emotion.
"Who are you? Why are you invading my consciousness?" Chen Yuan asked in a deep voice, his eyes blazing.
"Me? You may call me by my name—Marquis Shang."
The man in black robes smiled. "And isn't my intention in appearing here quite obvious? Naturally, it's to seize your body."
"The Marquis of Shang, a name I've never heard of."
Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened: "Moreover, I was clearly comprehending the laws on Purple Radiance Peak, so how did you bypass the immortals outside and sneak in?"
"So this realm is called Immortality—that's quite fitting." The black-robed man, Shang Hou, nodded slightly, then a slight smile appeared on his lips. "However, if I were at my peak, an opponent of this strength wouldn't even be able to withstand a single move from me. How difficult would it be to deceive him?"
"Besides, I didn't sneak in from the outside." He looked at Chen Yuan meaningfully. "You're the one who showed up on my turf. How could I refuse prey delivered to my doorstep?"
"Your territory?" Chen Yuan's heart skipped a beat. A bold guess surfaced in his mind, and his pupils constricted sharply: "You are—the owner of this stone carving?!"
"That nameless realm lord who comprehended the eight fundamental laws!"
"You finally guessed it." Marquis Shang laughed loudly, his expression calm and composed, as if victory was in his grasp.
It was this absolute confidence that gave him the leisure to maneuver with Chen Yuan like a cat playing with a mouse.
"How is this possible?" Chen Yuan was still shocked by Shang Hou's existence and couldn't help but ask, "You are clearly just a Realm Lord, so how could your soul have survived for such a long time without decaying and dissipating?"
Upon hearing this question, Marquis Shang revealed a look of reminiscence: "To be honest, I also felt despair when I faced the end of my life back then."
His tone was unusually gentle, as if he were chatting with an old friend: "Because I am a life form with a hundred times the genetic diversity, my lifespan is also a hundred times that of an ordinary world lord."
"But the path I chose is too difficult. I must integrate the eight laws at the same time to achieve a divine body. Before I can solve the problem of law incompatibility, I will not be able to break through."
"For a full 100,000 epochs, his cultivation level remained unchanged."
At this point, he shook his head slightly: "In the end, before my time was up, I gave up on forcibly breaking through and instead began to look for ways to extend my lifespan."
"After many attempts, I found a cosmic stone."
"A wondrous stone that can hold all my understanding of the laws, an eternal and immortal one."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's expression changed, and he instinctively exclaimed, "The Purple Radiance Inscription!"
"That's right."
Marquis Shang nodded approvingly and smiled slightly: "At that time, I was already in despair. I had tried every possible method, but it was not that nothing worked, it was just that the treasures I needed were too precious."
"Even though I am comparable to the strongest among the immortals, I am far from qualified to obtain such a treasure."
"So, having exhausted all other options, I made a bold attempt."
At this point, Marquis Shang paused deliberately, looking at Chen Yuan with great interest: "Would you like to guess how I did it?"
Chen Yuan took a deep breath and slowly said, "You have entrusted your soul to this strange stone!"
"Very close, but not quite accurate." Marquis Shang smiled and shook his head. "It's not about entrusting, but about merging."
"At that moment, it suddenly occurred to me that since the laws are mutually exclusive, to the point that I am completely unable to integrate into the fundamental laws..."
"Why not try to merge with this strange stone and thereby gain immortality?"
"This strange stone carries all my insights and can completely accept my soul. Thus, we successfully became one. From then on, my soul obtained a trace of immortal essence from the strange stone."
At this point, Marquis Shang sighed with deep emotion: "This is why I have survived to this day."
"There must be more than that."
Chen Yuan had regained his composure and said calmly, "No matter how magical a strange stone is, it is still an inanimate object. Even if a soul is immortal, it still needs external energy to replenish it, otherwise it will eventually fall into annihilation."
"You're right, the soul does need external energy to sustain it."
Marquis Shang nodded, confirming the statement: "Fortunately, although my physical body has perished, my inner world still exists - and due to my special nature, my inner world will continue to operate even after it loses control, continuously providing me with cosmic energy."
"Unfortunately," he sighed softly, "there was so little energy available for me that I inevitably fell into a deep sleep."
"It wasn't until my world was on the verge of destruction that I was awakened."
"So that's how it is—" Chen Yuan finally understood why this person's soul had remained completely still for so long.
If the Purple Radiance Secret Realm hadn't entered a period of decline, this ancient being would probably have continued to slumber.
"So, after you woke up, you chose me as your target for possession?" Chen Yuan stared at Shang Hou, his tone calm and without a trace of emotion.
"Yes, my world is coming to an end. Soon I will lose my source of energy and my soul will eventually dissipate completely."
Marquis Shang sighed, "Originally, I planned to spend an entire era carefully selecting a body with the best talent. I never expected that in just a few years, I would encounter such a perfect vessel as you."
"Is it because of my talent for laws?" Chen Yuan asked, puzzled.
"Your talent in the laws is excellent, but it's not quite impressive enough to amaze me."
Marquis Shang shook his head: "The key is that I sensed the aura of the Nine Luminaries Body on you."
"You should know that the prerequisite for cultivating the Nine Luminaries Body is obtaining the recognition of the fundamental laws!"
"And a little guy who has only just begun to understand the laws has actually managed to successfully cultivate the Nine Luminaries Body."
"I've observed you for a long time, but I still can't figure out how you did it." Shanghou looked at Chen Yuan with burning eyes: "This mysterious talent that even I can't understand has such heaven-defying effects—that's the real reason I chose you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan finally realized what was going on.
It turned out that the other party had noticed the existence of the optimization system and recognized that this talent was extraordinary, which was why they had the idea of possessing his body. He originally thought that he was just unlucky to encounter such a rare possession event.
But since the problem is caused by the system, then everything makes sense.
"Alright, I've told you the whole story—little one, now you can set off in peace, right?"
Marquis Shang smiled gently: "Or, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Consider it as end-of-life care, and I will answer them for you."
"It seems you've got me figured out." Chen Yuan stared intently at the other person. "But I do have a question."
"Please speak freely," Shang Hou replied politely.
"If you successfully possess someone, are you still prepared to embark on the path of comprehending the Eight Great Laws?" Chen Yuan stared at the other person. "Or do you intend to take the conventional path?"
"When you chose this path, did you hear about it from somewhere else?"
"That's two questions, but I can answer you." Marquis Shang smiled: "Without a doubt, I will continue down this path."
"As for your guess that I might have discovered this path because I heard about it from someone else—quite the opposite, the secret of this path is what I discovered myself!"
At this point, Shang Hou's face lit up with fervor: "The fusion of the eight laws - it definitely involves the secrets of the universe's core, otherwise it wouldn't be cursed by the original universe's will."
"It is precisely because this path is so terrifying that even the primordial universe is afraid of it, and no one is willing to walk this path."
"Therefore, throughout countless ages, no one has ever succeeded."
Hearing this, Chen Yuan asked in confusion, "Since you know this path is difficult, why did you still choose to continue?"
"Of course it's because of you!" Marquis Shang's gaze suddenly fixed on Chen Yuan, his previously gentle and amiable expression vanishing.
Instead, fanaticism and greed took their place.
"Your mysterious talent—can lower the cultivation threshold of the Nine Luminaries Body."
"So, in the future, will it be possible to reduce the difficulty of fusing laws?"
Chen Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.