As the highest ranking prince in the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, it only made sense that the Vile-Prince's mansion was far more luxurious than mansions of lesser princes. Upon entering, it was possible to see countless astounding decorative rock formations, as well as numerous streams and ponds.
It felt like a place of spirits and immortals, and even a single intake of breath would stimulate the cultivation base to an astounding degree. Despite being a celestial, even Bai Xiaochun was impressed.
“You have a nice place here!” he said in all sincerity.
“You flatter me, Ambassador Bai,” the Vile-Prince replied, chuckling. Clearly, he was feeling very pleased with himself. Looking over at Bai Xiaochun, he continued, “I really do have to offer profound thanks to your Heavenspan Realm, Ambassador Bai. After all, it’s only because of the secrets of spirit enhancement that my mansion has been elevated to this state.”
He pointed at a decorative rock formation some distance away.
“See that ornamental hill over there? I built it with ordinary immortal stones that I crafted into a spell formation. Then I scoured the Vile-Emperor Dynasty for grandmaster spirit enhancers to work their magic on it.
“Although many of them failed at their task, the final result was worth it. In fact, all of the ornamental rocks here have threefold spirit enhancements!” The Vile-Prince seemed very interested in the subject of spirit enhancements, and as he led Bai Xiaochun toward the main hall of his mansion, he pointed out everything that had been enhanced.
He seemed to be quite knowledgeable regarding spirit enhancement theory, prompting Bai Xiaochun to listen to what he said with some curiosity. So far, he hadn’t met anyone in the Eternal Immortal Domains who knew as much about the subject as the Vile-Prince.
“According to my understanding, there are three main ways that you Heavenspan Realm cultivators perform spirit enhancements. The first has to do with confidence, which is connected to Will. The second is in accord with magical law, and by finding ingredients that can harness the energy of heaven and earth. The third, and supposedly the most orthodox of them all, is by relying on multi-colored flame!
“And of course, people who can use multi-colored flame are called necromancers! From what I hear, Ambassador Bai, in all of the Heavenspan Realm, going back to the most ancient times, there was only ever one… heavenly necromancer!” The Vile-Prince was gauging Bai Xiaochun’s reaction, and when he saw the surprise on his face, he chuckled. At that point, he suddenly looked somewhat wistful.
“Unfortunately, it’s a real pity that, despite all my research, I only ended up proving that spirit enhancements can only be performed by people with the blood of the Heavenspan Realm in them. Without the power of that blood, even someone who has mastered all of the relevant skills will still fail. And even transfusing the blood into oneself will only provide a very limited ability.
“It’s truly a blessing from the Eternal Mother to the descendants of the Arch-Sovereign….” He sighed. During his speech, Bai Xiaochun was convinced that he could detect the smell of blood coming from the man.
Frowning, he was about to say something when the Vile-Prince suddenly turned to face him, his eyes sparkling.
“Ambassador Bai, the truth is that I asked you here today to propose a trade that I think you might be interested in. You have something that I want….”
“Like what…?” Bai Xiaochun replied, forcing down his displeasure as he stood there, looking back at the Vile-Prince.
The Vile-Prince licked his lips and looked Bai Xiaochun up and down, in much the same way that a lecherous sex-addict of a man would stare at a beautiful woman. It instantly caused Bai Xiaochun’s eyelid to twitch a bit.
“Ambassador Bai, I want… your body!”
Bai Xiaochun’s face instantly turned very grim, and his hackles rose. Swishing his sleeve, he snorted coldly and said, “Please behave yourself, Vile-Prince!”
Clearly displeased, he turned to leave.
“Wait, Ambassador Bai, you misunderstand me. I have developed a bit of a hobby in collecting the fleshly bodies of cultivators. Calm down. Listen, if you agree, then I can arrange for another fleshly body to replace your current one. And I guarantee you’ll be happy with the results!
“Considering the level of your cultivation base, it shouldn’t be any problem for you to possess another body. And I have a huge collection, every one of them unique and perfect specimens!” Apparently worried that Bai Xiaochun would refuse because of a misunderstanding, the Vile-Prince waved his arms out, causing all of the ornamental rocks in the mansion to suddenly begin shining with bright light.
As the light shone, the rocks began to turn translucent, making them look almost like ice. As that happened… it became possible to see corpses sealed within all of the rocks!!
There were men and women, old and young, beautiful and ugly, strong and weak. And yet, all of them, without a single exception, glittered like treasures in a museum!
Bai Xiaochun had just been preparing to leave, but now he was rooted in place, his eyes wide as he looked around at all the corpses. His mind almost seemed incapable of catching up to how events were unfolding. Never could he have imagined that the Vile-Prince would have a hobby like this. On the one hand, it seemed completely outrageous, but at the same time, it made Bai Xiaochun feel like he had just attained a deeper understanding of the world.
“I can’t believe he actually likes collecting corpses… and setting them up in his courtyard….” The Vile-Prince was clearly very pleased with how stunned Bai Xiaochun looked. Looking around proudly at his collection, he began to introduce them as surely as if they were the most priceless of treasures.
“See that one? That is a one-of-a-kind Ten Yang Body. It’s a type of battle body that can allow a deva to fight a demigod! It's so strong that it's really difficult to put into words!
“Oh, and that one over there is even more amazing. It possesses the most spectacular powers of attraction you can imagine. Men with that type of body can capture the hearts of endless numbers of female cultivators. After some research, I found that such bodies emit shocking fluctuations that tug at the psyches of anyone of the opposite sex!
“Look at this old guy. Forget about how ancient he looks. Technically speaking, no one in the Eternal Immortal Domains ever lived longer than him. He clearly had a demigod cultivation base, but his longevity surpassed celestials to a ridiculous level. I wasn’t able to determine the reason, even after lots of research.”
As the Vile-Prince went about his introductions, Bai Xiaochun looked around at the reactions of the other cultivators present. Considering how no one seemed surprised, it was obvious that this hobby of the Vile-Prince’s was no secret in the Vile-Emperor Dynasty.
Bai Xiaochun looked back at all the corpses, and felt like his mind was spinning beyond control. Hair standing on end, he interrupted the Vile-Prince’s enthusiastic monologue to say, “Uh… I got this body from my parents, Vile-Prince. I'm afraid there’s no deal to be made. I just realized I have an important matter to attend to. I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, he began to back up.
The Vile-Prince immediately frowned in what appeared to be significant displeasure.
Snorting coldly, he said, “If you don’t want to make the trade, Ambassador Bai, that’s fine. But there’s no need to act so stuck-up!
“We cultivators are supposed to defy the heavens! Our goal in life should be to achieve the great Eternal Dao!
“The fleshly body is merely a vessel to carry the divine souls of cultivators through the River of Time! The journey along that river is a long and terrifying one, and fraught with peril. If a better vessel is suddenly presented, one should take it! That is the best way to improve one’s chances of achieving that great Dao!” The tenacity and focus in the Vile-Prince’s voice left Bai Xiaochun a bit stunned, and in fact, some of what he said actually made sense.
“Ambassador Bai, as a celestial, you have experienced many things. I refuse to believe that you don’t understand how sometimes, it’s necessary to replace the fleshly body that is our vessel in life. Only in that way can we save time and reach our ultimate goal, that great Dao!” The Vile-Prince was clearly pleased with how closely Bai Xiaochun was listening to him. After all, he was talking about his Dao, which he was completely confident would take him to that which was eternal.
“It’s true that your fleshly body came from your father and mother. But you should think of that body as merely the first of many! Bodies are like magical items. Ambassador Bai, I refuse to believe that you still use the same magical items that you did when you first stepped into the cultivation world!” Bai Xiaochun gasped slightly. Although he felt in his heart that the Vile-Prince was incorrect, he spoke in such a decisive fashion that it seemed hard to question him.
The Vile-Prince suddenly tore open his clothing, revealing a body… that appeared to have been stitched together from numerous other body parts!
“Ambassador Bai, look at this. See my left arm? It comes from the Vile-Glory Clan, and possess the power of sinister coldness. And my right arm is from the Clash-Heaven Horde, and can release profoundly shocking divine abilities!
“I got my left leg from the Fiendkillers, and my right leg from the Dragonherds!”
He was crisscrossed with scars, a sight that would be shocking to anyone who looked at him.
Bai Xiaochun was completely shaken by what he was hearing. Never could he have imagined that a freakish person like this could exist in the world.
“His father permits all of this?” he thought. Apparently, the Vile-Prince was used to people reacting in this way, and could tell exactly what Bai Xiaochun was thinking.
Smiling, he said, “His Majesty the Vile-Emperor initially opposed my Dao, but after enough time passed, he changed his mind. In fact, he approves of it now!”
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