Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Tower

That night!

Ling City, the City Lord’s Mansion.

Night had fallen. Candlelight flickered, and two blurred shadows danced uncertainly across the walls.

“Father, why didn’t you kill that white-haired boy to avenge Uncle Mu?” Ling Xiao gazed in confusion at his father, Lord Ling Feng, as the latter sat quietly flipping through a bamboo scroll.

Behind Ling Feng was a row of bookshelves, each lined with books crafted from bamboo slips, exuding a subtle fragrance. Seemingly absorbed by what he was reading, Ling Feng didn’t even look up as he replied, “This matter does not concern us.”

“Why not?” Ling Xiao pressed, still puzzled. “Father, weren’t you always close with Uncle Mu Qing?”

“We will not avenge your Uncle Mu. Let it go,” Lord Ling Feng said flatly.

“Why? Father, at least tell me the reason! Uncle Mu was so good to me,” Ling Xiao pleaded.

“You want to know?” Ling Feng asked.

“Yes. By rights, you’re a whole realm above that white-haired boy. Even if he became demonic to gain strength equal to yours, it was only temporary. I know your abilities are far beyond just the Wind Blade technique,” Ling Xiao reasoned.

“You’re right. That was just a brute who’d lost his mind—crushing him would have been as easy as stepping on an ant,” Ling Feng replied carelessly.

“Then why, Father?”

“Take a look at this!” With that, Lord Ling Feng finally lifted his head from the bamboo scroll, revealing his neck.

A thin wound marked his throat. If it had been just a little deeper…

“Father, this... what happened?” Ling Xiao was at a loss. He couldn’t recall when his father had received such an injury. Apart from the fight with the white-haired youth at the Ye family a week ago, his father hadn’t been in any recent fights.

“Do you know why I made my Wind Blade miss and strike behind that boy?” Lord Ling Feng asked, gazing at his stunned son. “Because, before my blade could kill him, my own head would have been left behind in the Ye family’s hall.”

Ling Xiao snapped back to himself, cold sweat streaming down his back. He had been there at the time and had seen no one make a move against his father.

He asked, bewildered, “Father, are you saying someone could kill you silently in front of everyone? Who in Ling City could defeat you?”

Ling Feng gave a soft chuckle. “Xiao’er, do you remember the legend that’s been passed down for thousands of years? The madman from five thousand years ago who claimed he would break the heavens.” As he spoke, he walked to the window and gazed meaningfully at a tower that pierced the clouds.

“Father, are you saying someone from inside that tower acted?” Ling Xiao stared at the building, fear rising in his voice.

“Who else could it be? That tower is the world’s nightmare. In its shadow, we are but ants. It is as immovable as Mount Tai,” Ling Feng declared.

“Father, are they truly that powerful?”

“Haha, Xiao’er, the Yan Kingdom is vast, but compared to the world, it is a mere drop in the ocean. The Yan Kingdom is like a star in the night sky, so faint it cannot even shed light. You’ll understand once you venture out someday…”

Ye Family.

This courtyard was the residence of two women, set at the foot of the rear mountain—a secluded place within the Ye estate. As night fell, the small courtyard was wrapped in dusk.

“Don’t worry. As long as I am here, nothing will happen to the Ye family,” Ye Wuyá said to the two women.

The women nodded in response.

As if recalling something, Ruyue spoke up, “Husband, after you lost your senses and turned corpse-like, I sent people to Immortal Moon Pavilion to find Sister Qing.”

“They went to find Qing’er? Did they succeed?” Ye Wuyá asked urgently.

“No. The people I sent were turned away and came back with nothing,” Ruyue shook her head.

“Turned away?” Ye Wuyá frowned, pondering. “Qing’er may have already left Immortal Moon Pavilion. But if her origin was wounded, where could she go?” he wondered.

Seeing Ye Wuyá deep in thought, Ruyue went to his side and gently massaged his temples, her voice soft and comforting. “Don’t worry too much, Husband. With Sister Qing’s cultivation, even if her origin is injured, I doubt anyone in the entire Yan Kingdom could harm her.”

Ye Wuyá nodded slightly, casting aside his worries. The more he dwelled on them, the more he would lose himself.

Night shrouded the world. Under the pure white moonlight, the three of them cast long shadows on the rooftop.

The young man sat with two beauties nestled against his shoulders, all three gazing up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky.

Holding both women in his arms, Ye Wuyá sat on the rooftop, looking at the vast, star-studded heavens, their silhouettes merging under the moon.

“Husband,” Ruxue called softly, her expression distant, as if something was weighing on her heart.

“Yes? What is it?” Ye Wuyá stroked her hair gently.

“I was just thinking, what if we…” Ruxue hesitated, wanting to speak but unable to voice her thoughts.

“What if what?” Ye Wuyá was puzzled. He’d noticed both women seemed to be hiding something from him. Lively Ruxue had been uncharacteristically quiet lately, and even Ruyue, too. The two were always whispering together, but he had no idea what they were plotting.

“It’s nothing. Husband, look—the moon is beautiful tonight!” Ruyue interjected, changing the subject and pointing up at the sky.

“Yes, it is. I’ll watch it with you always,” Ye Wuyá tightened his embrace and said in a deep voice, “I don’t know what you’re hiding from me, and I won’t ask. But I swore to protect you both—anyone who wishes you harm must step over my corpse first!”

Ruyue breathed a silent sigh of relief when Ye Wuyá didn’t press Ruxue further, and quietly shook her head at her.

“If one day, someone tries to hurt you, just call my name. Wherever I am, I will come to protect you.”

He gently kissed Ruyue’s hair and recited, “A new moon hangs like a hook on the horizon, and beauties are by my side. Ask me what I seek in this life—only to roam the world with you, Ruyue and Ruxue, at my side…”

…

Ye Wuyá quietly watched as the two women leaned against him, their breathing soft and even—they had already fallen deeply asleep.

Left alone, he gazed at the stars above, lost in thought. If every star in the sky represented a world, which one would be Earth? Now that he was in this world, could he ever return to Earth?

But what use were such thoughts? Since he was here, he would accept his fate. Demons, monsters, humans—a brilliant, tumultuous world—here I come!

If one day I can traverse the stars, I’ll take my wives and travel across the endless heavens…

Holding the two women close, Ye Wuyá’s heart once more surged with excitement. Five thousand years ago, the Corpse Demon shook the world—now, in this life, so shall I! Lu and Mu families, you will be the stepping stones toward my conquest of this world.

Battle-lust burned in Ye Wuyá’s eyes, a flame that defied the very heavens. Now that I am here, bow before me!

In the chill of midnight, Ye Wuyá gently carried the sleeping women back inside.

He went out into the courtyard, sat down, and began to draw the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body. Others could only absorb spiritual energy matching their own attributes, but with his invincible “Universal Absorption” technique—his own name for the Mad Corpse Secret Art—he could absorb all kinds of spiritual energy, even the cultivation of his enemies, and even a portion of their martial skills.

But there was a flaw—it was uncontrollable. In battle, the technique would activate, and the longer the fight, the more chaotic energies would be drawn in, affecting his mind. If it got too severe, he would lose control entirely—a constant headache for Ye Wuyá.

With a thought, he released his cultivation. A protective aura shimmered over his body—a first layer, then a second, then a third!

The Body Tempering Realm was about absorbing spiritual energy to cleanse and strengthen the body, making it more suitable for cultivation. The Spirit Gathering Realm came next, compressing all spiritual energy into the dantian. Without an advanced technique, an ordinary person could spend their whole life stuck at Body Tempering, with no hope of advancing. But his path was peculiar: awaken a corpse spirit, feed it rare treasures, and his cultivation would skyrocket!

This troubled Ye Wuyá somewhat. He realized he couldn’t actually cultivate in the traditional sense. The Universal Absorption technique simply converted everything it drew in into nourishment for his body, making him tougher.

The cultivation itself belonged to the corpse spirit—he could only use it directly. And its advancement was just as odd: as long as it was fed enough rare treasures, it would keep ascending. In short, as long as he had enough money and resources, his cultivation could rise without limit.

As his cultivation surged, three layers of icy protective aura surrounded his body, with a hidden ripple beneath—ice poison! Ever since the ice poison fused with his dantian, he could merge it with his ice-attribute spiritual energy, a deadly trump card.

Imagine, in a clash with an enemy, letting a little poison slip out—your opponent suddenly realizes they’ve been poisoned mid-fight…

Just the thought thrilled him.

“Ice Spirit, Ice Spirit, are you still alive?” After the massive outburst from the fusion of ice poison and ice spiritual energy, most of the rampaging power had been absorbed by the Ice Spirit.

Of course, this probably meant little Bai had been tricked by Ye Wuyá yet again. He vaguely remembered the little fellow being so bloated it was the size of a small car, on the verge of exploding at any moment.

The eruption of ice poison had caused Ye Wuyá to lose all reason and fall again into a corpse-like state.

It was then he discovered the corpse spirit acted like a filter—the wild energies were absorbed and refined by the Ice Spirit, then transformed into pure energy his body could assimilate, while the Ice Spirit itself fell into slumber.

This made him all the more intrigued by his own body—many of his guesses would have to wait for the awakening of a second corpse spirit.

In the tranquil night, moonlight spilled across the small lake, the water shimmering with pale halos. A figure flashed past, stirring the grass on the ground.