Yet within, an even deeper terror took hold. He could clearly feel a cold, slippery, malicious soul invading the deepest part of his mind.
If this were the normal process of "Living Corpse Reincarnation," Orochimaru could already have transferred his soul. However, what he intended to do now was entirely different.
Orochimaru took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn and focused as his hands formed a new set of seals. If the Second Hokage or Tobirama Senju were present, they would sense something strongly familiar.
That was because what Orochimaru was using now was "Impure World Reincarnation." This technique was developed by the Second Hokage and later refined by Orochimaru to prove that souls from the Pure Land could be summoned back and bound within sacrifices.
This provided Orochimaru with the most crucial element. Souls were not untouchable, and the formula of Impure World Reincarnation could forcibly summon, bind, and even command them.
On the basis of summoning, binding, and commanding, shaping Yin Release Chakra into different structures made it possible to strip and absorb souls. This was the key leap he needed.
A low hum filled the air.
In front of Orochimaru's chest, the air within a small area began to twist and rotate. His pure Yin Release Chakra underwent a change in form, and a visible vortex of Chakra gradually appeared.
The vortex was not a physical object, yet it emitted a chilling suction force. Its depths were dark and cold, as if even light could not escape it.
This was the structure he built by imitating the "Xu hole" described in the Scroll. It was not a physical existence but a pure energy construct aimed specifically at stripping and absorbing souls.
With the "Xu hole" completed, a sharp light flashed in Orochimaru's eyes. He rapidly formed seals again and spoke in a low voice, "Secret Technique. Soul Devour."
In an instant, an invisible suction force targeting the soul erupted. Through the previously established mental link, this force turned into countless barbed chains that plunged into the ninja's body and hooked onto his soul.
This time, it was a modified version derived from the Reaper Death Seal. The difference lay in its purpose, which was not sealing but tearing away.
"Ahhh!"
A scream beyond human limits ripped through the dead silence of the laboratory. The ninja's eyes bulged, bloodshot and nearly bursting, as his body convulsed uncontrollably on the restraint platform despite the powerful drugs.
The pain did not come from the flesh but from the soul being forcibly torn apart. It was an extreme torment that no physical sensation could match.
Soon, under the pulling force of the "false Xu hole," an almost invisible Xu-like spectral form was gradually stripped away. The human features on the spirit showed struggle and resistance, yet it was firmly locked and dragged toward the vortex before Orochimaru.
"…"
With his modified snake body, Orochimaru should almost never sweat anymore, yet moisture still seeped from his forehead. The state the two of them were in could be described simply as a tug of war, with both sides pulling on the same rope. This kind of struggle at the soul level strained even him, though it was still within what he could endure.
"Get in here!"
Orochimaru's pupils tightened as he staked everything and forced more power out. The spirit body of the Ninja finally collapsed, its mouth opening in a silent scream as it turned into a stream of mental energy and poured into the "Void Hole". At the same time, Orochimaru's body shook hard.
A torrent of negative emotion slammed into his mental defenses, and countless broken memories and deep hatred toward the caster stabbed in like poisoned needles. "Hn!" Orochimaru let out a muffled grunt, his face going pale as veins stood out and his eyes shut tight. As a proper researcher, he had already considered every possibility before the experiment began.
Buzz!
Strange purple markings appeared at the corners of Orochimaru's eyes, and the Senjutsu Chakra within his body became the finest filter in the final step. After the spirit body was completely shredded, it was filtered and refined, like washing mud out of water. As large amounts of impurities were crushed, removed, and purified, the violent and chaotic spirit lost its mixed colors and turned into pure mental energy that flowed into Orochimaru's own soul.
Boom!
A vast, warm surge filled Orochimaru's brain in an instant, and he snapped his eyes open as if a pale white glow flickered within them. "It worked?!" He stared down at his palm in disbelief, then broke into wild laughter and shouted, "Hahahaha! It really worked! I did it!" With this technique, he felt that he lacked nothing anymore.
He could feel his slightly tired soul become full and solid, like dry land meeting rain, and the extraction of Chakra grew smoother and stronger. His perception of the world sharpened, as if everything before him had become clearer. No matter how sharp his senses were, however, he could not detect the hidden gaze watching him at that moment.
[ Ding, your lie has been judged as Please Enter the Trap, Making the Fake Real, and Substitution. Orochimaru has produced intense emotional fluctuation and reached the level of Eager Pursuit, gaining 3000 Reality Points… ]
"Interesting."
Through the Recording Technique of the Scroll, Yunchuan Hyuga had already grasped what Orochimaru had done, and a smile rose on his face. It really was worthy of "Lord Orochimaru". The understanding of soul essence from Living Corpse Reincarnation, the insight from Impure World Reincarnation that souls could be manipulated by external force, and the guidance of the Scroll had turned "Summoning Binding" into active devouring.
Added to this were his own mastery of Yin Release and Chakra properties and form changes, plus deep knowledge of biology and soul studies that supported the theory of soul energy and conversion. Without question, all of this rested on Orochimaru's decades of relentless learning, his deep grasp of many Forbidden Techniques, and his profound attainments in the soul field. And that Scroll from Yunchuan Hyuga had shifted Orochimaru's research from surviving by changing bodies to growing stronger by devouring souls.
It was like the final puzzle piece, linking together scattered and even conflicting knowledge from his life's work into a new and complete framework. "Leaving this to Orochimaru really is the best choice," Yunchuan Hyuga sighed again at how useful he was, and added inwardly, "Thanks to Lord Orochimaru for saving me a huge number of points."
He had tried to manifest a soul devouring technique before, but like the several Forbidden Techniques used by Orochimaru, having such a technique was the same as owning several forbidden arts.
Living Corpse Reincarnation, Impure World Reincarnation, the Reaper Death Seal, Sage Mode, and more were all involved. The system price was so high that it made Yunchuan Hyuga click his tongue. Most importantly, it required extremely deep mastery of Yin Release and Chakra properties and form changes, which he could not quickly achieve.
Recording Orochimaru's technique framework and then using points to manifest and implant it into a 'Xu' was far easier. When Yunchuan Hyuga previously modified Karin's mother into a 'Xu', he skipped every step and relied entirely on the system. Even so, one person cost him two thousand points, and repeating that price each time would drain him no matter how many points he had.
As for now, Yunchuan Hyuga silently commanded, "Manifest, based on the evolutionary direction of 'Xu', implant Orochimaru's soul devouring ability, and modify the target spirit body…"
[ Spend 200 points, confirm manifestation? ]