I Am Overlord c1-962
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"O great lord, why are you even wasting your time on a tiny thing like me?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"Hehe, now you know to beg?" said the human face with a creepy smile.
"What do you need to consider sparing me, great lord?" Xiang Shaoyun asked, having a feeling that this fellow was not going to kill him after all.
Chapter 287: A Terrifying Man
Before absolute strength, Xiang Shaoyun was left with no choice but to be subservient. He was still young and had a long road ahead of him. He also still had a mission to accomplish, and he had no intention of dying prematurely here. A real man would know when to bow and when to stand tall. There was no shame in that.
"Come down here," said the human face.
"Down? Where?" Xiang Shaoyun asked, confused.
"Just come to the bottom of the pool. I will be waiting," said the human face before the soul power forming the face dispersed.
The rather wondrous scene shook Xiang Shaoyun. His belief that an absolute expert had been here was reaffirmed. He dared not dally about and quickly jumped into the pool. The instant his body touched the soul spring water, he was flooded by a wondrous sensation, feeling as if his soul was about to ascend to the heavens. Strands of energy started flowing into him, pulled in by the Nether Soul Domain. His soul felt like it was being baptized, and it flooded his entire body with a comfortable sensation akin to soaking in a hot spring during a cold winter.
Xiang Shaoyun was fully intoxicated in the sense of comfort when the voice rang out again, "Enough. Get down here. You will have plenty of time to enjoy it later."
Xiang Shaoyun shivered when he heard the voice. He did not dare to waste any time and directly dove down into the pool. When he arrived at the bottom, a certain force surrounded him and pushed away the soul spring water around him. An opening appeared before him, and he was pulled into it.
After Xiang Shaoyun entered, the opening closed up again, with him continuing to fall downward. He had a feeling this was the inside of the Soul Stone Mountain, but he also had a feeling that this was a space created by a unique formation.
After a while, he finally landed on the ground. It was a pitch-black enclosed room, and an ordinary person would be as good as blind here. But Xiang Shaoyun was able to see clearly. The space was about 300 square meters in size. Apart from the glossy and clean stone walls, there was nothing special about the space.
"Lord, where are you?" Xiang Shaoyun asked when he found nobody around.
"Here," the voice rang out again.
At the same time, sounds could be heard from the wall behind Xiang Shaoyun. He turned around and found a dry figure imprinted on the wall, as if that figure had become one with it. If one did not pay great attention to the wall, one could easily miss this detail.
Xiang Shaoyun had a far better eyesight than many people and was thus able to get a clear look at the figure on the wall. And that gave him yet another fright.
The figure on the wall was a wizened person who looked more like a corpse, a bag of bones. It was as if the person's vitality had completely dried up. His messy hair drooped down his head to completely cover his face, his person constantly emanating an intensely creepy sensation. Even in such a condition, he had still been able to display such mighty soul power. It was obvious how terrifying an existence he was.
"Lord, you..." Xiang Shaoyun was completely speechless.
"Are you scared?" asked the person slowly.
Although his voice could be heard, his mouth wasn't moving. He did not resemble a living being at all. But Xiang Shaoyun was sure that the voice had come from this person. He was merely using a soul transmission method to directly send the words to him. Physically uttering those words were not required in such a situation.
"N-no, of course not. I was merely curious," answered Xiang Shaoyun after a slight hesitation. He mustered some courage before stepping forth and asking, "Lord, do you have an errand for me?"
While Xiang Shaoyun was approaching, the person's hair suddenly flared, revealing a pair of ghostly eyes. The eyes glowed with a green radiance, looking more like two clumps of ghostfire. They were capable of causing one's hair to stand on end, and Xiang Shaoyun was so frightened he came to a halt.
Fortunately, he wasn't exactly a coward. He was able to quickly compose himself and stabilize his footing before looking straight into that person's eyes, waiting to see what the person wanted of him.
"Resemblance...the resemblance...," the person muttered. Emotions flared in the green eyes, but the withered body still remained completely still.
"Lord, do you have an errand for me?" Xiang Shaoyun repeated his question.
"What is your family name?"
Xiang Shaoyun blanked out slightly before answering, "This kid's family name is Xiang, with the given name Shaoyun."
"Xiang...and the resemblance...is he really the descendant of master?" The person suddenly grew excited.
As his emotions stirred, his messy hair whipped about, revealing the terrifying face once again. The face was exactly the same as the face Xiang Shaoyun had seen earlier, with the exact same scar on it.
Xiang Shaoyun did not understand what the person was getting at, but he had an inkling that things might turn for the better for him.
"Lord, who is your master, if I may ask?" Xiang Shaoyun probed.
"Haha, my master is the undefeated being across the nine heavens and the ten lands," he proclaimed, howling with laughter.
When Xiang Shaoyun heard that, he thought with derision, Sure, why are you trapped here if so?
Of course, he would not dare vocalize that thought. Rather, he replied respectfully, "Lord, you are already such a mighty and unrivaled existence. Just what kind of amazingly brilliant individual is your master?"
"Kid, don't bother flattering me. Tell me. Do you come from the super clan, Xiang Clan? Is your ancestor Xiang Dingtian?" he asked impatiently.
Xiang Shaoyun replied, "Yes, I come from the Xiang Clan, but I am not sure if it is the same Xiang Clan. After all, the Xiang Clan is a big clan with many branches, and I don't know who my ancestor is."
In truth, Xiang Shaoyun knew his origin very well, and he was also aware that his father had bad opinions of the Xiang Clan. As for who his ancestor was, he was truly clueless. Oddly, the Overlord Skyslaying Saber within him suddenly stirred, seemingly trying to rush out of his body.
"You don't even know your ancestor's name? Are you still worthy of being a descendant of the Xiang Clan?" questioned that person resentfully.
Xiang Shaoyun asked curiously, "Lord, do you happen to be surnamed Xiang as well? Are we actually family?"
"You don't need to know that. Now, remove your soul defense. I need to find out if you are actually the descendant of the Xiang Clan," said that person coldly.
Xiang Shaoyun replied with some hesitation, "No, I don't think that is required. I have my own way of proving my identity."
He then activated the lightning bone within him. The innate purple lightning flared up around his body while the apparition of a purple dragon appeared behind him. The dragon roared, appearing incredibly valiant.
The person grew excited again. "It's the Xiang Clan's lightning bone. Haha, yes, there is no mistaking it."
It was at this moment that the Overlord Skyslaying Saber within Xiang Shaoyun finally went mad and charged out of his body by itself.
Chapter 288: New Secret Information
Swish!
The moment the Overlord Skyslaying Saber charged out of Xiang Shaoyun's body, the presence of dragon and tiger appeared as well, dazzling the entire room. Although the saber had yet to return to its perfect form, part of the might it once possessed was starting to show.
And as the Overlord Skyslaying Saber flew out, an object flew out of the person's body as well. It was a crude-looking medal that emanated the same aura as the Overlord Skyslaying Saber.
"Master's Overlord Skyslaying Saber!" he cried out in alarm, emotions flaring in his pair of green eyes.
Inwardly, he felt relief as he thought, Looks like this person is related to the original owner of the Overlord Skyslaying Saber. Surely, he won't make trouble for me anymore.
Staring at the saber and the medal in the air, he asked in confusion, "Lord, what is going on here?"
"Do you really not know anything at all?" asked the person after taking some time to calm himself.
Xiang Shaoyun nodded solemnly and said, "This is a saber I had acquired by fluke. I do not know its origin."
"This is a saber that only my master can own. He is also the only person who can activate it. Thus, it is certain that you have the blood of my master coursing in you, allowing you to form a resonance with the saber. Looks like you really are a descendant of my master. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to make use of this saber even with the saber in hand," he said with an utmost certainty.
Xiang Shaoyun was out of words, so he circulated the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual before waving his hand at the Overlord Skyslaying Saber. The saber flew back to him, but surprisingly, the medal came along as well.
He hesitated slightly before wrapping his hand around the medal.
The moment he had the medal in his grip, a sense of intimacy rose within him, as if he had known the medal for a long time. The blood within him started stirring while his lightning bone started crackling with lightning energy as well. The presence of dragon and tiger around him grew even more solid while a seemingly matchless aura started appearing around him.
With his eyes fixed on the character carved into the medal, Xiang Shaoyun bellowed, "Overlord!"
His shout was filled with ample aggression that shook the tiny space he was in. The look of someone viewing the entire world with contempt appeared in his eyes. That look had come so naturally to him, as if he was truly unrivalled and that the medal was merely a fuse that had sparked this true side of his.
"M-master!" the person on the wall cried out emotionally, more and more emotions filling his pair of eyes.
Xiang Shaoyun could sense a vague and indescribable emotion covering his mind, yet he couldn't figure out what the emotion was for some reason.
Shortly after, he recovered from deep thought and looked at the person before asking, "Please tell me the history of the Overlord Skyslaying Saber and this medal."
Xiang Shaoyun was now much calmer when facing this person; much of the fear he had earlier was nowhere to be seen.
"Yes. The Overlord Skyslaying Saber is a weapon my master had personally forged. My master was once the strongest existence in the Nine Gods Dominion.[1] His name is Xiang Dingtian, known as the Overlord, one who had founded the super clan, Xiang Clan. He ruled over the Western Desert and had nearly conquered the other eight regions as well. Alas...my master fell victim to the tricks of some villain, causing him to be surrounded by the strongest experts of the other eight regions. He alone fought the various heroes, and they battled until the sky itself dimmed. Finally, after slaying most of them, he helped his followers escape while he himself perished from pure exhaustion," said the person.
In Xiang Shaoyun's head, the image of a lone imposing hero appeared in his mind. Alone, the hero battled the strongest the eight regions had to offer. How overbearing was such a person? It was no wonder that he dared proclaim himself the Overlord.
"How did you end up trapped here?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"Back then after my master perished, we fought the eight regions to the death in order to protect the Xiang Clan from being wiped out. The eight regions were unwilling to force our hand too much. Thus, we parleyed. The eight regions agreed to withdraw from the Western Desert and no longer make trouble for the Xiang Clan. But the Xiang Clan was also required to live in seclusion. They were no longer allowed to claim hegemony over the Western Desert or to extend their influence to the other eight regions. Apart from that, we, the main generals of my master, were all imprisoned at different locations. The imprisonment was to last 5,000 years!" said the person with intense indignation. He continued furiously, "But the period of 5,000 years has long passed. In fact, I reckon it has been more than 10,000 years! Those damnable bastards still have me trapped here!"
Xiang Shaoyun was completely dumbfounded.
In the Nine God Provinces, cultivators generally had longer lifespans than regular humans. A Transformation Realm cultivator would have no problem living for about 200 or 300 years, and those in the Skysoar Realm could live for 500 years. As for those in the Emperor Realm, they could live for 1,000 years.
Of course, Xiang Shaoyun was not a person with only such shallow knowledge. He was well aware of the higher realms above the Emperor Realm. Those capable of living beyond 10,000 years were most certainly the top existences of the Nine Gods Dominion.
Xiang Shaoyun calmed himself down before asking, "Do you want me to release you?"
"If you are that strong, you wouldn't have been afraid of my threats," said the person. "Tell me about yourself. I can sense that not only are you the descendant of my master, but you are also his chosen heir."
Xiang Shaoyun gripped the medal in his hand. His intuition was telling him that this person would most likely be related to the so-called inheritance he was supposed to obtain. He then told him the story of how he had entered a strange land out of nowhere to obtain the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual while he was still a child.
"Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual! It really is the Heaven Conquering Overlord Manual! I thought this inheritance had been severed with my master's death, but it had actually survived! Haha! What great news! Looks like the inheritor for my master's legacy has appeared!" said the person in excitement. But then he suddenly sighed, "I wanted to borrow your body to escape, but looks like I can't do that anymore."
Xiang Shaoyun shivered when he heard that as he thought, Turns out this fellow did harbor ill intentions toward me.
He couldn't help but to feel grateful that he was in some way related to this person. Otherwise, the consequences of coming down here would have been grave.
"How should I help you escape then?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"Find me a body that can store my soul. That will be enough to free me."
"That's easy enough. I'll just kidnap someone. You'll be free then?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
The Lightning Alliance people were most certainly hunting for him. He only needed to grab one of them.
"Haha, that sounds simple, but it's not all that simple." The person laughed before he continued with a grave tone, "After 10,000 years of imprisonment, my body has completely dried up. My vitality has been severed, and in truth, I am already dead. But they had never expected that my soul foundation is capable of self restoration. That is how I have survived until now. But they had still left a backup plan behind in the form of formations. Only weaklings below the Skysoar Realm will be able to come here. Because of that, I haven't been able to find a body capable of storing my soul even after so many years. How vile of them!"
1. Nine God Provinces will be changed to Nine Gods Dominion from this chapter onwards to avoid confusion with the smaller provinces in this book, e.g. Soaring Dragon Province, etc.
Chapter 289: Devouring Ghost of the Five Skyslaying Generals
Others might not know what the term soul foundation referred to, but Xiang Shaoyun knew exactly what it was. There were no limits to cultivation, and at certain points in one's cultivation, one would have to take a step forward to continue to grow.
One would start at the Basic Realm and advance to the Astral Realm, then to the Transformation Realm before eventually reaching the Skysoar Realm, also known as the King Realm. Beyond that realm was the Emperor Realm, whose official name was the Dragon Ascension Realm, as it was during this realm that one would be akin to a dragon among humans, known as Emperors. Those in th
e next realm were known as Sovereigns, with the official name of the realm being Soul Foundation Realm.
Since this person had mentioned soul foundation, it could only mean that he had a terrifying cultivation level, high enough to have a soul foundation. Xiang Shaoyun came from a tier-7 sect. Thus, he was clear that even those at the Sovereign Realm would have a hard time living for 10,000 years. This person was most likely above that realm.
Of course, his physical flesh was already dead and only his soul survived. But his soul alone was so powerful few people could contend against him. Because of that, when that person noticed that Xiang Shaoyun had talent in soul cultivation as well, he lured him down here so as to snatch a new body for himself. But since Xiang Shaoyun was the heir of his master, he gave up on that plan.
"You are saying I need to find a body capable of storing your soul foundation? That is the only way you can leave?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"That's right. There is a formation in place preventing my soul from leaving. Thus, I am forced to remain in this body. Otherwise, I would have been free long ago," he said with a sigh.
"What cultivation level does a person need to be at to be able to store your soul foundation?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.
This person would be a great help to him if released. The thought of that tempted him more to help this person.
"I need the body of at least a late-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator," he said.
Dragon Ascension Realm, commonly known as the Emperor Realm, and the cultivator even had to be in the late stage. That was quite a high requirement. One ought to remember that it was basically impossible for Emperors to enter this place. They would be killed by the formations here.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to get that done," said Xiang Shaoyun helplessly. "Are there no alternatives?"
"Yes, you have to find me some treasure capable of storing souls," he said. "But forget it. With your strength, it will be impossible for you to get one. Just go look for the experts of the Xiang Clan to come rescue me. Tell them I am the Devouring Ghost of the Five Great Skyslaying Generals serving under the Overlord. They will know to come for me after hearing that."