Chapter 154: Embodying Tie Zhongxiao

Upon stepping into the netherworld, the escorted military leader unexpectedly sat up, slowly walking out of his own physical body. His soul had undergone a subtle transformation, and a suit of leather armor fashioned from the hides of a grey wolf and a white deer had appeared upon him.

The wolf's head and the deer's head hung respectively on either side of his shoulders. From time to time, the phantom of a white deer treading upon moonlight or a wild black wolf sprinting would manifest behind him.

The accompanying soldiers naturally divided into two factions, joining the ranks of either the grey wolf or the white deer. As for Ou Xiaolu’s consciousness, because of his closer connection to the leader, it remained undivided.

Soon, they found an auspicious location leaning against a mountain (a mountain piled high with skulls) and facing water (a river washing over corpses). The arriving soldiers prepared to build a city, and Ou Xiaolu came to understand the leader’s vision.

Having conquered the mortal realm, the leader did not seek a prolonged reign, but rather greater challenges. He intended to build a city in the netherworld and, using this city as his center, conquer the entire netherworld.

Ou Xiaolu and the others were the backbone of the army selected for this purpose, because their disposition, loyalty, and competence had all proven flawless through numerous battles.

Many of the soldiers were even relatives of the leader, people whose roots were thoroughly known to him, allowing the leader to deploy them with complete peace of mind to fight alongside him.

At the same time, such an arrangement allowed for the best utilization of these soldiers. For instance, Ou Xiaolu’s vessel had no other hobbies besides combat and martial arts practice; even the position of the Golden-Blade Imperial Son-in-law had been forcibly bestowed upon him by the leader.

For a person like this, the leader naturally deployed him on the front lines of the army, fighting against all kinds of enemies to hone his strength.

While fighting in the netherworld, the city was gradually constructed, and the divine corpse brought inside was slowly studied piece by piece.

In the netherworld, the divine corpse did not sit up again like the military leader had, nor was it indestructible as it had been in the living realm. Through various methods, Ou Xiaolu slowly absorbed the nutrients within the divine corpse to strengthen his own physique, while constantly contemplating and seeking his own martial path amidst the battles.

Who could say how much time had passed? The divine corpse had completely vanished, and the city in the netherworld had transformed into a vast empire.

Ou Xiaolu had finally mastered the kind of power the military leader once wielded, and the phantom of the divine corpse would occasionally manifest behind him.

Yet, Ou Xiaolu always felt as though something was still amiss; even endless slaughter could not allow him to take that final step.

At that moment, the military leader’s conquests encountered a snag. A deity from an ancient kingdom had intervened—an entity capable of a thousand transformations. Every time he fought this deity, he encountered various unforeseen complications.

Ultimately, Ou Xiaolu had an intuition that this deity possessed a certain connection to the divine entity he and the others had studied all these years. This was his ultimate opportunity for a breakthrough.

Thus, Ou Xiaolu presented his request to the military leader: to challenge this deity alone.

The military leader granted his request, and Ou Xiaolu set forth alone upon the path of slaying gods.

That final battle was earth-shattering, lasting a full seven days and seven nights. Ou Xiaolu was beaten to the brink of death several times, yet he managed to endure purely through his own consciousness and instinct.

During this battle, Ou Xiaolu’s combat style underwent a qualitative transformation. Initially, Ou Xiaolu had studied the lethal arts of the army, and later, fighting in the netherworld, his style became increasingly dark and sinister. But in this battle, everything changed; his style unexpectedly transformed into one of direct, overwhelming, frontal force.

With his final punch, Ou Xiaolu actually shattered the deity’s physical body, leaving behind only its immortal head as an ornament around his waist.

It was precisely this frontal punch that shattered the phantom of the divine corpse behind Ou Xiaolu, shattered the illusion of the sea of blood and mountains of corpses, and shattered the barrier between the netherworld and the living realm, allowing Ou Xiaolu—who had lived in the netherworld for an unknown number of years—to step once more into the realm of the living.

"So that's how it is!"

"Indeed, so that's how it is."

As Ou Xiaolu sat up, he discovered that his avatar, unverified by the system, was already standing before him.

The avatar was attired in ancient garb, wearing a long robe and leather armor, with his hair tied up. A brilliant, sunlight-like smile graced his face, and his hands were as white as jade. Hanging from his waist was a mercury-like human head that constantly twisted and struggled.

Seeing Ou Xiaolu sit up, the avatar even bowed to him. "It seems I walked right out."

Ou Xiaolu was unsure whether this was a trait of the protagonist card or the sheer might of that final punch, but he immediately opened the avatar interface and began to make adjustments.

"Do you have any preferences for your outward appearance?"

Ou Xiaolu suddenly thought to ask just as he was about to make changes.

"None. You can help me change the clothes; I know this outfit won't pass muster out in the world nowadays. By the way, can you get rid of this thing?"

The avatar pointed to the head hanging at his waist. As his finger gestured toward it, the head seemed intent on lunging forward to bite his finger.

"I can," Ou Xiaolu answered with certainty.

As Ou Xiaolu made the adjustments, the avatar's attire also shifted. The long robe and leather armor transformed into a white leather jacket paired with canvas trousers, a black t-shirt worn underneath, black half-finger leather gloves on his hands, and the mercury human head transformed directly into a silver belt buckle fastened around his waist.

The avatar moved his body, testing to ensure the clothing would not impede his attacks, and only then nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment, Ou Xiaolu asked again, "Do you have a name?"

The avatar paused for a moment before finally shaking his head. "I am your avatar; you shall choose my name."

Ou Xiaolu pondered for a moment. "The leader you originally followed bore the surname Tie. You shall share that surname. Let's call you Tie Zhongxiao."

The avatar considered it. "This name is quite acceptable. I rather like the character 'Xiao'. Let's settle on that."

Ou Xiaolu nodded and began operating the interface.

Soon, Tie Zhongxiao's interface became accessible.

[Tie Zhongxiao (Ou Xiaolu's Avatar, Protagonist Class), ID: 103, Level: 0, EXP: 0/500, Combat Power: 7000, HP: 500, Mana: 500.]

[Skills: Fortitude Infusion, Martial Arts Grandmaster, Innate Divine Physique, Born Strength, Combat-Type Talent, and Pure Heart]

[Equipment: Imperial Son-in-law's Golden Blade (Status +1), Mercury Head (Legendary Status +1)]

Looking at Tie Zhongxiao's skills, Ou Xiaolu could not help but draw a deep breath. "Can I use all of these?"

Tie Zhongxiao thought it over. "The combat-type talent and pure heart probably won't work, but the others will."

"Does that mean I am now also a martial arts grandmaster with an innate divine physique?" Ou Xiaolu could not help asking.

Tie Zhongxiao nodded affirmatively. "However, there is one thing I must clarify: in my early days I used weapons, but later on, all weaponry became fused into my fists. Therefore, my status as a martial arts grandmaster refers strictly to bare-handed combat."