Isshiki's body fell into the central secret chamber of Kara's inner base.
Unlike the desolation of the Alternate Dimension in the Land of Snow, this place was filled with cold-glowing metal instruments.
The central cultivation pod was filled with a pale green nutrient solution, and several transparent tubes connected to the pod were continuously delivering Chakra for repair.
At this moment, Isshiki's blood vessels bulged beneath his pale skin, and the long horn on the back of his head was largely broken.
Dark purple blood gushed from his wound, soaking his tattered white tailcoat.
He struggled to raise his hand, condensing the last trace of Chakra at his fingertips, and pressed it on the activation button of the cultivation pod.
With a soft hum, the pod's door slowly opened, and a faintly fishy-smelling nutrient solution flowed down the pod's wall, forming a small stream on the floor.
"I must... repair my body..."
Isshiki gritted his teeth, using all his strength to crawl into the cultivation pod.
As the nutrient solution submerged his body, the tubes on the pod's wall instantly popped out, precisely piercing his neck and limbs, and the pale green repair fluid surged into his body through the tubes.
With the injection of the repair fluid, his broken long horn began to slowly regenerate, and his pale skin gradually regained some color, but the exhaustion and anxiety in his eyes remained undiminished.
"Using the power of my true form... indeed comes at too great a cost..."
Isshiki leaned against the cultivation pod's wall, feeling the strength gradually returning to his body, his heart full of unwillingness.
He had thought that with his true form's power, he could crush Shun. He hadn't expected to end up in such a sorry state.
If he hadn't retreated in time, he would probably have already become nourishment for a young God Tree.
On top of that, the backlash from his true form was more severe than expected. Even with the repair fluid's nourishment, his body would not last more than three days. He had to find a new vessel as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, Isshiki raised his hand and pressed the communicator on the cultivation pod. "Boro, come to the central secret chamber immediately."
A moment later, the alloy door of the secret chamber slowly slid open, and a tall, strong figure walked in.
The newcomer was Boro, thirty years old, dressed in a black combat suit, his muscular lines vaguely visible beneath his clothes, and a hint of youthful arrogance on his face. However, upon seeing Isshiki in the cultivation pod, the arrogance in his eyes was instantly replaced by reverence.
"Lord, you called for me?"
Boro was one of the few "perfectly modified humans" within Kara, possessing not only formidable physical strength but also proficiency in medical Ninjutsu and curses, making him one of the potential vessels Isshiki had identified early on.
However, despite his strong physique, he was always unable to perfectly adapt to Karma, and had been temporarily set aside.
Isshiki slowly opened his eyes, and black Chakra condensed into a diamond-shaped mark in his palm.
This was a Karma with some of its power stripped away. Though not a complete form, it was enough to temporarily sustain his consciousness.
He beckoned, his tone tinged with urgency. "Boro, come here. I need you to become my new vessel."
Boro was stunned for a moment, a flicker of surprise and hesitation in his eyes.
Although he was loyal to Isshiki , he also knew what it meant to become a vessel.
At best, he would lose his self-awareness. At worst, he would be completely devoured by Isshiki, with not even his soul remaining.
But he looked at Isshiki's weakened state in the cultivation pod, and then thought of the greater power he could gain, and finally suppressed the hesitation in his heart.
He quickly walked to the cultivation pod and knelt on one knee. "Your subordinate is willing to serve you, lord."
Isshiki nodded with satisfaction, raising his hand to imprint Karma from his palm onto Boro's forehead. The black Chakra instantly merged into Boro's body.
Boro's body trembled violently, his muscles tensed uncontrollably, and black patterns similar to Isshiki's gradually appeared on his forehead, though the patterns were shallower and more chaotic than Isshiki's.
"Ahhh..."
Boro let out a painful roar, clutching the metal floor with both hands, his knuckles white.
Karma's power raged within his body, constantly transforming his body, but also bringing a tearing pain. He could clearly feel a strange consciousness entering his mind, it was the will belonging to Isshiki.
"Endure it."
Isshiki's voice was tinged with fatigue. "Only by enduring the transformation of Karma can you become a qualified vessel."
He increased the output of Chakra, trying to make Karma and Boro's body fuse faster, but no matter how hard he tried, the rejection reaction within Boro's body persisted, and the patterns of Karma could never fully stabilize.
Half an hour later, Isshiki finally exhausted his strength and withdrew his Chakra.
Boro collapsed on the floor, panting heavily. The Karma mark on his forehead, though not gone, appeared particularly dim and out of place with his tall, strong physique.
"Is this still the only extent it can reach?" Isshiki looked at Boro, his eyes full of disappointment.
He could clearly sense that although Boro's physique was strong, he lacked compatibility with the Ōtsutsuki bloodline, and could at most temporarily carry 50% of his power.
Boro struggled to get up and knelt on one knee. "Lord, your subordinate failed to fully bear the power of Karma, please punish me."
Isshiki waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness. "It's not your fault, it's just that you are ultimately not the most suitable vessel."
Boro pressed his head to the ground, not daring to look up. "Your subordinate will do his utmost to help you find the most suitable vessel."
Isshiki leaned against the cultivation pod's wall, looking at the metal pipes on the ceiling, his heart filled with anxiety. "My body doesn't have much time left. If I can't find a suitable one..."
He suddenly remembered Shun, those golden Six Tomoe Rinnegan, and that pure Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
If he could take possession of his body, or imprint Karma into his body, he would surely be able to perfectly bear his power.
But at the thought of Shun's strength, Isshiki couldn't help but shiver. Even his true form was no match, let alone possession or imprinting Karma.
He took a deep breath, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "It seems I can only look for other candidates. Notify all Kara members, spare no effort to find people with special physiques."
Boro respectfully replied, "Your subordinate obeys."
With that, he turned and exited the secret chamber, leaving Isshiki alone in the cultivation pod.
Isshiki looked through the glass of the cultivation pod towards the top of the secret chamber, his gaze full of unwillingness and madness.
Over a thousand years of waiting and planning, only to encounter Shun, this anomaly, truly his misfortune.