Lord Shenxiu

The will of the great beings knows no bounds.

Even though separated by a large crystal wall system, it's not easy to slip through unnoticed.

Zhong Shenxiu focused on order and supplemented with ideals, completely sealing his aura, destiny, and other traces related to mysticism, then thought of a way to hide himself.

"As long as I use the method of taking over a newly deceased body as a cover and no longer recklessly wield my own mana and authority, they won't see me..."

Even the local Time's Ouroboros might not notice the ripples of fate.

Crack!

At this moment, Zhong Shenxiu saw that a sea ship, amidst the waves, suddenly shattered... turning into countless fragments.

...

Time passed swiftly.

After the storm, a rainbow appeared on the horizon again.

In the nearby waters, one could still occasionally see fragments of sails and deck.

Among them were even a few floating corpses, slightly bloated from the immersion in seawater.

Splutter!

Suddenly, one of the 'floating corpses' reached out, grabbed a mast, then flipped over, lying face up on a piece of broken plank.

All the seawater slowly seeped out of his pores, mouth, and nose.

Gradually, the corpse's pallor faded, his face turned rosy, and he had a heartbeat and breathing.

"Hmm... originally called Fang Lang?"

Zhong Shenxiu gathered some information by reading the fragmented memories in the corpse.

"A person from Minhai County, a third-class sailor who followed the sea ship out and then encountered a shipwreck..."

"After all, it was already a dead body. To revive it still required my simplified 'Taiyin Refining Form Technique'..."

Now, Fang Lang's body, after a simple refinement, was neither alive nor dead, considered an anomaly.

But at least, he could begin to cultivate without relying on his original body's mana.

"For now, it's best to not use my original body's mana if I can avoid it... otherwise, it might attract some attention."

"For example, that [Heavenly Elder], I feel like yesterday's monster beneath the sea was her minion. Though no matter how many came, they'd be sent to their death. If I used my mana to kill one, it would expose me to her eyes, which is quite unworthy."

"Once this body has cultivated to success, I can use this body's mana and Divine Skills to kill the minion, then it's like an undetected crossing of the sea, fearless of being discovered..."

Zhong Shenxiu sealed his original body within Sumeru mustard seed, lying between reality and illusion, hiding within Fang Lang's body, slowly transforming himself with that slight undead power.

"Taiyi Guardian of the Corpse, Three Souls Constructing Bones, Seven Spirits Guarding the Flesh... Summoning Taiyin, refining form on earth, nails and hair growing stealthily, body appearing alive, eventually achieving the path..."

This Taiyin Refining chapter was initially the method of achieving a Corpse Dissolving Immortal of the Supreme Dragon and Tiger Sect.

But at this moment, it was directly simplified by Zhong Shenxiu, used to resurrect the body.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, with Taiyin in its rightful place.

The moonlight spilled down, illuminating the corpse, causing its hair and nails to grow rapidly...

Although the original Taiyin Refining chapter required refining on earth, Zhong Shenxiu directly refined it in water, using a simplified version, only seeking quick success.

By the time the sun rose the next day, he had already climbed up with a flip and casually waved his hand.

Swoosh!

His nails were incredibly sharp, like blades, cutting off the grown hair with a flick of his hand.

Thud thud!

The sharp nails, like small knives, detached the overly long portions, piercing into the wooden board.

"Indeed, I am just a Watered-Down Corpse Dissolving Immortal now..."

Zhong Shenxiu couldn't help but mock himself: "The simplified Taiyin Refining just resurrects the body, gaining a trace of undead power along with enormous strength and invulnerability... Is it akin to a zombie? If I let my true self out, this watered-down version could be wiped out a thousand times in a second, but since it can't come out, let's make do..."

He tested Fang Lang's body, noting there was no damage, and nodded in satisfaction, then gazed blankly at the sea.

This was not out of concern for food and water; after all, this body had turned into a zombie, food was merely a craving, not a necessity.

The challenge for Zhong Shenxiu was figuring out how to leave here.

Fang Lang's body was still too weak.

"How about... I continue practicing to grow a pair of wings on his back and become a Flying Night Demon?"

For others trying to cultivate the simplified Taiyin Refining, ninety-nine percent would render themselves dead in the process, and most of the remaining one percent would turn themselves into monstrous entities neither human nor ghost.

Determinate evolution without Zhong Shenxiu's personal intervention would still be impossible.

"It feels like I've warped the Taiyin Refining into something else entirely."

As Zhong Shenxiu silently complained, he suddenly looked afar, shading his eyes with a hand.

There, at the junction of sea and sky, a black dot slowly emerged. Upon closer inspection, it was found to be a massive sea ship.

Squinting his eyes slightly, he thought for a moment, then, with a sunny smile on his face, signaled for rescue, as Fang Lang's memories guided him to do.

...

The sea ship quickly noticed the rescue signal, turned the bow, and launched a small boat, sailing over.

On the Sea Mystic.

"Young man, did you encounter a shipwreck? I said the thunderstorm two days ago was peculiar!"

An old sailor pulled Zhong Shenxiu aboard the deck.

He wore a short, wide-sleeved shirt, a sea hat that shielded from sun and rain on his head, short pants extending to his ankles, and his face was full of the marks of time—clearly a seasoned Old Sea Dog.

"Thank you, Uncle, our whole crew was scattered by the waves, it was tragic..."

Zhong Shenxiu immersed himself in Fang Lang's persona, saying what Fang Lang would say, sweeping his eyes over the deck.

The Sea Mystic wasn't large, with sailors scattered in threes and fours on the deck, and even a few women among them.

They wore clothes with a blue base, covered their heads with dog tooth felt, with a protruding forehead showing half of their faces.

At this moment, they were observing Zhong Shenxiu with curious eyes.

"Dan Clan?"

A wave of Fang Lang's memory surged up, making Zhong Shenxiu speak it out loud.

Living in boats, treating water like land, those who drift on rivers and seas are known as the Dan!

The so-called 'Dan Clan' referred to people living on fishing boats. They were excellent swimmers, often able to navigate boats as children, and growing up to be as nimble as fish in the waves.

"Indeed, we are the Dan Clan. I am called 'Mai She', what about you, young one?"

Uncle Mai said with a cheerful smile.

"Fang Lang!" Zhong Shenxiu expressed gratitude numerous times, "I cannot repay the debt of life-saving grace..."

"If you wish to thank someone, thank Uncle Hai, the ship owner who decided to rescue you."

Uncle Mai laughed, "Young one, you must be hungry and thirsty. Let's have a meal first, a meal first!"

The food on the ship was plentiful and hearty.

They simply took the fish, shrimp, and enormous crabs caught from the sea and boiled them together, serving them with salt, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce—it was indeed extremely delicious.

Although Zhong Shenxiu did not need to eat, he still obliged, picking up a large crab claw to carefully peel the meat.

At that moment, a red shadow flickered across his vision.