177 Fighting the Primordial Beasts (1/2)
The light started dwindling in intensity and let Xue Wei return his eyes to it, but the figure that walked out of the light pillar made his face twitch with amusement
Bai Tianyi was in the body of a ten-year-old boy. His hair was long and white, his eyes blue and bright, but these striking features did not change the fact that he seemed to be only ten years old.
”Uh, Tianyi?” Xue Wei called out, mostly to confirm the boy's identity for his own sake. ”You seem a little... short.”
”Well, why don't you try creating a body from scratch?” Bai Tianyi snorted. His voice sounded immature, without any rust of age. And his overall appearance, including the vibe he gave off, was very feminine. In fact, it was rather difficult to determine his gender.
”I did not mean to insult you.” Xue Wei apologized, but it was hard for him to hide his amusement. ”You are able to create a body – this is a great benefit to us. But will you age as you get stronger?”
”I doubt it,” Tianyi muttered with slight annoyance in his voice. ”I spent all the soul energy I have absorbed up until now to create this body. If I want to create another body, it will require even more energy. But who cares. I may look like a kid for the rest of my life, but this life of mine is eternal, so I have nothing to regret!”
Xue Wei and Hei Gou exchanged glances. They knew Bai Tianyi very well, and understood how much immortality meant to him. It was something he had sought after for many years, even at the cost of his very humanity itself.
Now that he had achieved it, why should he care about the fact that he would look like a child in the future?
A maddened laugh erupted from Bai Tianyi when he examined his body anew for the umpteenth time. He had arms, he had legs, he had a head, and he had everything that made him human.
Except, he was completely naked right now. The realization hit him late, and an embarrassed glance around at the others told him that his audience was witnessing him in his stark naked glory.
”Ahem,” he coughed slightly, and then waved his hand. Sword energy sept out from it and suddenly expanded and wrapped itself around the frail, childish body.
When the sword energy settled, it had taken the shape of a white robe with golden embroideries. He also used the sword energy to create a golden crown that held his hair on top of his head in a ponytail, which draped down his back.
Although he looked like a ten-year-old boy, his blue eyes were deep and seemed as if they had experienced the vicissitudes of life. His lips were curled into an arrogant smirk, and his handsome appearance did not in any way resemble a naive and innocent young boy.
”Finally dressed?” Wang Xiaoyun asked as she stood with her back to the young boy. Although he had the body of a child, she was not about to mistakenly underestimate him. She knew that Bai Tianyi's true form was that of a sword, and she also knew who he was from the tales Xue Wei had shared with her.
”Little lass, you can turn around now,” Bai Tianyi said arrogantly, but the picture of a ten-year-old boy arrogantly calling Wang Xiaoyun a 'little lass' almost made Xue Wei burst into laughter.
While Xue Wei could hold his laughter, Hei Gou had a very difficult time doing so. He had turned his back to them, and his shoulders were shaking. He was bending forward, his one arm resting on his leg, the other covering his smirking mouth.
”Is it funny?” Bai Tianyi suddenly asked dangerously. Both Xue Wei and Hei Gou shook their heads like rattle drums, but it was impossible for them to completely conceal the traces of amusement.
”Well, laugh all you want,” he finally muttered. ”I am alive again, and it feels great even if I am stuck in the body of a child!”
”Anyway, we have something much more important at hand than my childish appearance,” Bai Tianyi suddenly said austerely. Xue Wei and Hei Gou quickly turned serious.
”Can you figure out what has been left behind by the supreme expert?” Xue Wei asked with bated breath. Bai Tianyi smirked, clearly enjoying the power that question gave him.
”My dear friends, I was an expert standing at the apex of this world. I was the one they all looked up to. Even if this is a 'supreme expert', it's impossible for him to have managed to surpass me from before my imprisonment.”
”Although my strength has greatly suffered after all these years in captivity and my soul is now a sword spirit that was once close to destruction, I still have all my knowledge from back when I was the expert standing above everyone else.”
”The expert who created this place was without a doubt a master at formations. I assume this is his final resting place and that he has been looking for his successor, but since his obsession is with formations, he will only let a formation master open his grave. Since he made an age-restricting formation, it is near impossible for a formation master of sufficient skill from the younger generation to enter and open his grave.”
”Fortunately, I have some experience with formations, and since I am theoretically no longer a living being, the age restricting formation has no way of limiting me.”
”So what you are trying to say is that no one has been able to enter the deceased senior's grave after all these years?” Xue Wei inquired, his eyes filled with excitement.
”That is exactly what I am saying,” Bai Tianyi snickered. He was also excited.
”Soul power usually dissipates when someone dies,” he continued, ”but there is a chance that this expert has locked his soul in a formation so that it stays with his remains. Let us all agree; if the soul is still there, then I get the soul energy.”
Xue Wei shrugged his shoulders. ”You are our ticket inside. Of course you get to pick first. If you want soul energy, then yours it is,” he said casually. Although the soul energy could help him with his spiritual energy, he was eager to see Bai Tianyi grow in strength and thus he did not hesitate to give it up.
Bai Tianyi beamed with excitement when he heard this, and he looked at the plain and simple mountain wall that Xue Wei and company could not figure out.
He then lifted his hand and placed it on the wall. A mixture of sword energy and spiritual energy scattered out through the wall from the contact point.