“Check in?”

　　Check in for what?

　　Brian Cooper was momentarily stunned, then immediately realized what was happening.

　　Right now, he was like a drowning man, sinking deeper and deeper.

　　At a time like this, anything at all had to be grabbed onto tightly—maybe that was his lifeline!

　　“Check in!”

　　He immediately responded to the voice that had suddenly appeared in his mind.

　　“Check-in successful.”

　　“First check-in for the host, reward multiplier applied.”

　　“You have obtained the ‘Yang God’ Human Immortal Realm martial arts intent: ‘Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens.’”

　　“Martial arts infusion for the host will now begin!”

　　Yang God, Human Immortal Realm, Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens—within Yang God, the main antagonist throughout the story, Hong Xuanji, known as the number one in the Shattering Vacuum Realm, fused countless martial arts into the consummate martial path—the Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens?

　　! Brian Cooper only had time for a single thought.

　　The vast, overwhelming intent of the fist that could turn the heavens and crush all beings suddenly descended, instantly enveloping Brian Cooper’s soul!

　　He was immersed in the infusion of fist intent; in an instant, his soul was torn apart by the deep and boundless power, then rejoined under the operation of the Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens.

　　This process repeated countless times, until finally, he and the fist intent of the Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens became one!

　　“So this is the Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens!”

　　In the silent little courtyard, the old corpse, over nine feet tall, stood stiffly, black mist behind it twisting into all sorts of sinister shapes, exuding a chilling evil aura.

　　Suddenly, ‘his’ ashen eyes, like ink spreading on rice paper, bloomed with a patch of black, which quickly drove out all the lifeless gray, turning in an instant into the eyes of a living person!

　　The sinister aura changed in a flash!

　　Like a god-king taking charge of the world, a majestic and awe-inspiring presence burst forth from the old corpse!

　　Within this lifeless body, Brian Cooper’s soul occupied the Niwan Palace, facing the many ‘tenants’ charging in to kill, and spun the ‘Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens’!

　　“Cycle, cycle, cycle, cycle, cycle!”

　　The deep and vast fist intent instantly enveloped the old corpse.

　　It sought to connect with all the acupoints of the body, circulate vital energy and blood, unleash boundless power, and grind all the evil spirits inhabiting the body into dust!

　　In the world of Yang God, the Human Immortal Realm is all about opening the acupoints—one acupoint connects to a hundred.

　　And what was infused into Brian Cooper’s soul was precisely the Human Immortal Realm’s Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens fist intent.

　　However, Brian Cooper’s body had not reached the ‘Human Immortal Realm’—in fact, it was far weaker than an ordinary person.

　　His physical body was devoid of vitality, his blood and energy stagnant, his flesh withered—how could he compare to a Human Immortal, whose acupoints all connected, who could resonate with the stars and draw upon the power of heaven and earth?

　　! Thus, although Brian Cooper’s fist intent was powerful, his body was truly too frail to support its operation!

　　The moment the fist intent was released, it immediately collapsed and withdrew!

　　Even just releasing it for an instant left Brian Cooper’s soul exhausted, the consumption immense!

　　But he also gained a great deal.

　　The instant the Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens spun, it made Brian Cooper’s soul and body more closely connected, simultaneously circulating life and death, injecting a trace of vitality into his withered, dying body!

　　The domineering, torrential fist intent wrapped around his body, and even forced all those evil spirits lurking throughout Brian Cooper’s body—origin unknown—into the various acupoints, granting him a moment’s peace!

　　When Brian Cooper came back to his senses, he had once again become a straight-backed, seven-foot-tall old man.

　　The surging black mist behind him had completely vanished.

　　The cold, sinister aura was also gone.

　　“I’m alright now!”

　　The joy in his heart washed away the fatigue in his soul. Brian Cooper took a deep breath and stepped forward, only to feel his bones trembling, his flesh loose and sagging—he nearly stumbled and fell to the ground!

Chapter 2: Yin Spirit

　　“So confident, I was just too confident.”

　　The stiffness and discomfort from every bone and joint in his body reminded Brian Cooper that he was no longer the young man from his previous life who could carry two buckets of water up five flights of stairs in one go.

　　He silently retracted his outstretched leg.

　　It was a close call—if he’d fallen just now, wouldn’t he have given the villagers still lying in the main hall a demonstration of ‘how a ghost breaks its bones’?

　　Brian Cooper straightened his back and looked around.

　　His back could be so straight only because an unknown evil spirit was lurking within.

　　Even the Cycle of Life and Death Across the Heavens fist intent couldn’t suppress it into an acupoint.

　　But it hadn’t caused any trouble, nor did it seem interested in Brian Cooper’s soul, so he could only make do for now.

　　After surveying the small courtyard that had belonged to the original owner, he sighed silently.

　　The original owner had been a bachelor all his life, kind to others in the village, and the villagers had treated him well in return, helping to arrange his funeral after his death.

　　If he stayed here any longer and scared them, it just wouldn’t be right.

　　What’s more, now he was the one scaring them at night, but come daylight, when the other villagers came with pitchforks and shovels, it wouldn’t be clear who was scaring whom.

　　With these old bones, he’d surely end up being thrown onto the fire!

　　Thinking this, Brian Cooper dared not linger any longer.

　　With trembling steps, he staggered out of the courtyard.

　　Following the path out of the village from the original owner’s memories, he made his way through the wild woods, stumbling and stopping along the way.

　　He didn’t know how much time had passed before he finally left the village and stopped by a small river.

　　In the east, the sky was turning pale, and the sun was slowly rising above the horizon.