"Ahhhh——!"
A wretched scream, so piercing it nearly ruptured eardrums.
Chang Jiyou's entire body trembled in agony, his muscles bulging, six monstrous arms flailing wildly behind him and stirring up winds that howled like thunder.
But Fang Yuan needed only one hand to hold him firmly in midair.
At this moment, his gaze crackled like lightning as he manipulated the Gu Insects, his voice dropping to a stern command: "My son, endure! Everything hinges on this moment!"
Chang Jiyou was in so much pain he nearly lost his reason. This was inhuman agony.
Even after transforming into a Sky Corpse — which had virtually no sense of pain — he could feel every inch of skin, every fiber of muscle being ruthlessly torn apart and ripped asunder.
But Fang Yuan's words were like a stream of fresh spring water, pouring into the deepest recesses of Chang Jiyou's heart.
Chang Jiyou clenched with all his might, and just before he was about to faint, the excruciating pain receded like an ebb tide.
"I—it worked?!" Chang Jiyou gasped for breath, his head splitting, forcing his eyes open — only to see that the skin on his arms had already returned to living, warm flesh.
Even the six monstrous limbs that had sprouted from his back showed signs of retracting and shrinking.
Nothing in the world appealed to Chang Jiyou more than becoming human again.
In that instant, he nearly wept with joy.
"Not good!" Suddenly, Fang Yuan spoke, his tone low and grim.
The arms that Chang Jiyou had just recovered transformed almost instantly back into the Sky Corpse state, becoming withered and lifeless as dead wood.
The six arms behind him re-grew as well, stubbornly resolute.
"No, no! How did it revert?! Father..." Chang Jiyou cried out in panic, instinctively pleading for Fang Yuan's help.
But when he caught sight of the exhaustion on Fang Yuan's face — carefully feigned — Chang Jiyou's voice died in his throat.
"Father is tired! Yes, all these days, Father has been helping me. He thought of nearly a hundred methods, without sleep or rest. Worn out who knows how many Gu Insects — of the Fifth Transformation Gu I saw alone, there were at least seventy or eighty! What right do I have to blame Father? This is all my own carelessness and recklessness that led to such a terrible mistake! Father... your child has failed to live up to your cultivation..."
Chang Jiyou's heart ached with both grief and shame, yet he also felt a warmth — the happiness of being a child looked after by a wolf king, like a blade of grass sheltered beneath a towering tree.
"Damn it, this Sky Corpse form truly is tenacious. Even that method didn't work!" Fang Yuan gritted his teeth in secret and asked within his mind: "Mo Yao, do you have any other ideas? Speak quickly!"
Fang Yuan had devised over a dozen methods himself, all of which had been dismissed one by one earlier.
The methods currently being tested were all conceived by Mo Yao.
This was part of Fang Yuan's calculation as well.
On one hand, he continuously experimented on Chang Jiyou, attempting to find a way to restore human form. On the other, he was deliberately provoking Mo Yao's will into constant thought, draining her strength.
Mo Yao pondered for a moment before finally speaking: "There is one more method, but it is quite dangerous. The pain the test subject endures will be three times worse than before! There is a very high chance it could kill him from the pain alone!"
"He is a Sky Corpse — he's already dead. How could pain kill him?" Fang Yuan asked, puzzled.
"He can only be called half-dead. His body is dead, but his soul still lingers within. Unless his soul is drawn into the Gate of Life and Death, only then can he be considered truly dead," Mo Yao explained.
The Gate of Life and Death was one of the great secret realms of heaven and earth, extremely famous, and had been recorded in the *Tales of the Human Ancestor* long ago.
The current era was nothing like the primordial age.
The Gate of Life and Death had long since vanished, passing through many owners, and its control over the dead had diminished greatly. That was why monsters like zombies could exist. In the time of the Human Ancestor, there were no zombies between heaven and earth.
Mo Yao's method carried extreme risk — the pain could shatter a soul, causing it to disintegrate entirely.
If Chang Jiyou's soul shattered, he would die a complete and irreversible death.
Mo Yao urged further: "Kid, everything has its cost. Ultimate techniques possess devastating power, but their flaws are correspondingly difficult to remedy. Over these past days, you've tested so many times, exhausted your family's wealth, even repeatedly buying on credit from the Black family and others — you should already understand how difficult this is."
"This is my final method, and I cannot guarantee it will work. Moreover, this method is extraordinarily dangerous — nine deaths and one life! Whether to use it is your choice. This 'son' of yours has completely transformed into a Sky Corpse, with exceptional combat power — a fine asset. He obeys your every word. Sacrificing him like this would truly be a waste. I advise you to keep him by your side and command him."
Fang Yuan fell silent in thought.
"Father, please rest well. Your child is not in a hurry..." On the other side, Chang Jiyou spoke as well.
Fang Yuan fixed his gaze upon Chang Jiyou. Though the man had transformed into a Sky Corpse with a hideous visage, his eyes remained clear, brimming with the adoring devotion a son holds for his father.
A smile spread across Fang Yuan's face: "Child, your father has already thought of an excellent method. This method is very dangerous — you may lose your life. But the chances of success are quite high. Your father is still deliberating..."
A soft, melancholic sigh echoed in his mind — Mo Yao's.
Though Fang Yuan said this, Chang Jiyou, who loathed his own condition and was desperate to restore himself, would only have one response.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Chang Jiyou hesitated for only a moment before his eyes blazed with extraordinary light: "Father! Please use this method! Living like this is worse than death!"
Fang Yuan stared deep into Chang Jiyou's eyes: "But you are my only child..."
"Father!" Chang Jiyou broke down in tears, prostrating himself on the ground, wrapping his arms around Fang Yuan's calf. "Your child cannot bear to leave you either. But truly, I cannot bear to live on with this face. Even if there is but a sliver of hope, I will struggle with everything I have!"
Fang Yuan was silent for a long time before letting out a deep, drawn-out sigh: "Very well. A person must ultimately live according to their own will. Your father cannot bear to see you suffer like this either! Rest for a few days and let your father make preparations. In a few days, we shall make the final attempt!"
A few days later.
"Ahhhhh……"