Reborn As A Ghost: Time To Build My Undead Army!-Chapter 1749: Self Cultivation
-----
FLUOSH!
Suddenly, a dark sphere materialized.
It was a Nightmare Soul Heart.
Maria channeled her magic to summon night, blanketing the sky in darkness and forcing the world into an artificial evening of her own making.
"I will forge my own path... I don’t need your blessings, Heaven!"
FLAAASH!
Maria aligned all ten spheres in the false night sky.
Ten stars formed a constellation—an imitation of something distant in the true heavens.
She moved her hands swiftly, forming hand seals that represented the constellation she had created.
If no existing Cultivation Method suited her...
She would invent her own.
"The First Star, Eyes."
"The Second Star, Ears."
"The Third Star, Nose."
"The Fourth Star, Mouth."
"The Fifth Star, Head."
"The Sixth Star, Arms."
"The Seventh Star, Torso."
"The Eighth Star, Legs."
"The Ninth Star... Heart."
"The Tenth Star... Soul."
The stars aligned into the silhouette of a woman—Maria from her past life.
But just as she was about to complete it...
ZAP!
"Ugh?!"
She coughed up black blood, and the ritual collapsed.
Daylight resumed its advance. Her artificial stars exploded and vanished.
"No? That wasn’t it either?!"
Maria’s eyes widened.
Realization struck quickly. She smiled and laughed.
"Hahaha, of course... I’ve been too selfish. It’s not about praying to myself. I shouldn’t seek a blessing from my own image."
Maria stood, drew her Sword Soul Heart, and infused it into a simple bronze sword. She swung it through the air beneath the sun, practicing while laughing.
As she trained relentlessly, Sword Ki rose from her body.
Soon, nine more Dream Soul Spheres and her Dream Soul Heart appeared.
"I don’t need a Constellation... And I certainly don’t need to place myself on a pedestal. Myself? Really? What was I thinking? I’m so foolish. It was right in front of me all along."
Maria’s Consciousness expanded. It wasn’t about what she had been.
It was about what she was discovering herself to be—and what she was becoming.
"My Soul is a Sword, and my Heart at the same time... It was there the whole time, staring me in the face."
She swung through empty space like a madwoman, dancing and laughing.
Black blood trickled from her lips as she cried.
Then...
"Hahah... Hahahaha!"
RUMBLE!
The sky split apart, turning pitch black as the void consumed everything.
Darkness surged. Night returned by force.
The Heavens trembled in fury.
Heavenly Lightning crashed down toward Maria as she danced atop the rooftop of her flying pagoda, heading toward unknown lands.
BOOOM!
BOOOM!
BOOOM!
Dozens of thunderbolts struck her.
Yet Maria continued moving, dancing with her sword.
She offered everything to her blade.
That was it.
The sword.
"I’ve dedicated myself obsessively to this blade... because it’s the only thing I can become. A sword to cut down all my enemies, to split the heavens and carve my own path..."
Her eyes glowed bright red.
"To destroy the tower!"
She swung her sword upward. A Void Slash erupted, cleaving the sky once more.
And there it was.
{Spectral Ghostly Fist Art: Ninth Form – Dream Chasing Star Blade}!
The sword fell from her hands. Her ghostly fists engulfed in her own Soul and the power of the Void born from hopelessness.
She manifested a pair of blades capable of slicing through stars.
"I reject the stars. I reject heaven. I reject fate."
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Three massive slashes unleashed gigantic shockwaves of void sword ki that struck the heavens again.
White clouds began to vanish, revealing the endless void beneath.
Darkness spread. Maria’s obsessive eyes caught something within that void.
Each attack created a ripple—a small light.
The lights combined, forming a long, sharp object.
"A sword... my sword. It’s there."
FLASH!
Her consciousness surged outward from pure intent, trembling as it merged with the boundaries of Dream and Soul.
Her hand grasped the sky, and she tore her soul from it.
CRASH!
Like glass, the night sky shattered. The world returned to normal.
But in Maria’s hands...
Her delusions, dreams, and madness had taken solid form.
A glowing blade born from stars forged through dreams, shimmering brightly with the radiance of long-forgotten memories.
The memories she had regained—those that complemented her true self—had transformed her soul without her realizing.
Sharpening her like a sword.
Maria had been incomplete before.
But now?
She gazed upon the true path to Ascension.
"I shall split the heavens."
Her sword rose. Darkness and stars surged.
Massive power erupted—pure Martial Arts born from her dark heart.
Nightmares fused into an aberrant legion of specters.
The stars shone brightly amid the black shadow fog.
Her Dream Chasing Star Blade was complete.
FLASH!
Within her Dantian, something glowed brilliantly.
A beautiful, false star.
"I can do this... No, I must!"
Her eyes filled with fascination at her discovery.
But she had no time to marvel.
Nine Dream Soul Spheres.
One Nightmare Soul Heart.
And the Heavenly Thunder feeding her with Heavenly Ki.
RUMBLE!
Everything rotated together, constantly transforming her.
She was...
"I am Cultivating...!"
Her body refined itself. Her entire soul forged like a sword in a furnace.
But instead of fire, ghostly flames, nightmares, and stars born from dreams tempered her.
It all aligned perfectly.
A Delusional Cultivation Method was born from someone forsaken by heaven and fate.
For one destined to die thrice.
Now defying her fate at this very moment.
Until...
BOOOM!
Her Dantian exploded inward.
A shockwave of blue and black energy coursed through her body.
Nothing changed on the surface.
But Maria felt it.
"It’s complete."
She smiled, relaxing with a faint sigh.
"I need to name it. My disciples must know it by that name."
She pondered for a moment, then began writing everything in several books—Cultivation Manuals.
They continued her Martial Arts.
A unique Martial Arts that also cultivated the body.
Unique, unprecedented, unheard of.
A Martial Arts and Cultivation Method born from Despair and Sorrow.
From Madness and Grief.
And from Delusions and Dreams.
"Records of Surpassing Cultivation With The Sword Born From The Stars Within My Dreams."
Maria laughed softly.
It was a ridiculous name.
Far too long.
But she had to admit it.
She liked it.
"There are longer names for cultivation methods out there anyway."
Maria gazed at her hand. A blade manifested.
It was both an Immortal Artifact bound to her Soul and her own Dream Weapon.
Yes.
"Every disciple will manifest something different, but the name will remain the same. My Martial Arts will teach them to be sharp as a blade, no matter the weapon—be it fists or a spear."
As Maria sat contemplating her enlightenment, she quickly realized something.
"What Realm am I in now? This Cultivation Method is unlike any other... The Realms might be different too."
-----
