C1 Possession Rebirth

As the eighteenth generation successor—and the sole heir—of the Pill Sect in the Cultivation World, Ye Feng carried a sense of pride unique to his position. In a mere two hundred and twenty years, he had ascended from the Foundation Establishment Stage to the Tribulation Stage, a feat unmatched within the Alchemy Sect. Indeed, across the vast expanse of the Cultivation World, there were scant few who could rival his prowess.

Yet, in this moment, Ye Feng was filled with regret, a despairing sort of remorse. Had he not impulsively consumed the "Spirit Accumulation Pill," he wouldn't have prematurely ascended to the Tribulation Stage.

Cursed be the Tribulation Stage! Cursed be the Heavenly Tribulation!

Ye Feng's journey in cultivation had always been smooth sailing. His advancement in cultivation was safeguarded by pills, and he had an abundance of ingredients at his disposal, which he could readily exchange for more medicinal pills. With such a skill at his command, he felt as though he had the world at his fingertips. However, this very advantage had led to an imbalance: his cultivation had reached the Tribulation Stage, but the resilience of his physical body was on par only with that of the Soul Formation Stage.

To face the heavenly tribulation in such a state? Even as Ye Feng wielded the fourth and fifth-ranked defensive treasures of the Cultivation World—the Great Tomorrow Parasol and the Nine Netherworlds Robe—he was consumed by regret.

The reason was clear: when the tribulation lightning manifested, Ye Feng realized he was facing the formidable Great Nirvana Tribulation!

The Great Nirvana Tribulation had nine stages, and after enduring the eighth, the Great Tomorrow Parasol and the Nine Netherworlds Robe were riddled with countless cracks. Relying on these two artifacts to withstand the ninth and final stage of the tribulation was no longer an option.

Popping a pill into his mouth, Ye Feng bellowed, "Damn you, heavens! Bring it on! I'm ready to go all out!" In the entire Cultivation World, perhaps only Ye Feng could afford to consume pills by the handful rather than one by one.

It seemed as though the heavens had indeed heard Ye Feng's defiant roar, responding with a fury of thick, bucket-sized bolts of purple lightning, striking down at him.

In the aftermath of the tribulation lightning, a vast pit spanning dozens of feet in diameter scarred the earth, with fragments fluttering within its depths. Upon closer inspection, one could discern that these were remnants of the Great Tomorrow Parasol and the Nine Netherworlds Robe.

Within the deep pit, not a soul was in sight!

Indeed, the third lightning strike of the ninth heavenly tribulation had pierced through the defenses of the Great Tomorrow Heavenly Luo Umbrella and the Nine Nether Magic Robe, obliterating Ye Feng's physical form. Filled with regret and despair, Ye Feng accepted his fate—he was certainly going to die this time.

Then came the fourth tribulation lightning, crashing down upon Ye Feng's Yuan Spirit. It made him feel as though the very fabric of the surrounding space was fracturing, and his Yuan Spirit was on the brink of shattering.

As the fifth tribulation lightning loomed, Ye Feng clenched his eyes shut and bellowed within his soul, "In my next life, I will dedicate myself to strengthening my physical body!"

At that moment, as the fifth tribulation lightning further tore the spatial rift created by the fourth, a dark aura enveloped Ye Feng's Yuan Spirit and whisked him into the fissure.

Upon awakening, Ye Feng's consciousness was blurring, threatening to vanish at any moment. He clung to his innermost self, aware that the loss of his consciousness would mean his true and final disappearance.

He found himself in a world of gray, moving forward, shrouded by a black light barrier. Where was he? He had no idea. Where was the barrier taking him? That, too, was unknown. All he knew was that he needed to find a body to nurture his primordial spirit soon, or his soul would disperse forever.

In the distance of the gray expanse, a small black dot emerged, growing larger as he approached. After a quarter of an hour, Ye Feng realized the dot was actually a planet.

The black light that enveloped Ye Feng seemed to sense the near exhaustion of his Yuan Spirit and propelled him toward the newly revealed planet.

Possession and rebirth—this was Ye Feng's fervent desire. Though he held fast to his core principles, he was acutely aware of his dire state, teetering on the edge of extinction.

"Hopefully, there are living beings on this planet!" Ye Feng silently prayed. But luck was not on his side; the light barrier halted above a forest.

A forest? Damn, are they expecting me to take over the body of a wild animal? If it came to that, Ye Feng knew he might not have the luxury of choice. After all, clinging to life, no matter the form, was better than death.

The light barrier seemed to sense that Ye Feng's condition was deteriorating rapidly. It whisked Ye Feng's primordial spirit away at breakneck speed to a cave hidden within the forest.

Inside the cave, a bonfire crackled and popped in the center, casting flickering shadows on the walls. A man and a woman lay within, the woman unconscious. Ye Feng's seasoned intuition told him instantly that the man was bad news.

"Scoundrel!" he inwardly cursed.

Unlike Ye Feng, the light barrier was unconcerned with such judgments. It merged Ye Feng's Yuan Shen with the body of the naked man.

Once inside, Ye Feng discovered the man had been dead for only a short while. As the man's residual memories flooded into Ye Feng's fragile Yuan Shen, he could no longer maintain consciousness and blacked out.

The naked man's body, now host to Ye Feng, was enveloped in a shroud of black light. Thankfully, the woman in the cave remained asleep.

A faint twitch of the man's finger indicated that Ye Feng had begun to assimilate his memories:

Name: Ye Bufan

Origin: Wanfeng Country - East King State - Cloud Peak City

Status: Second-Rank Noble (Profligate Son)

The girl lying beside him was none other than Yun Ruoshuang, the daughter of Cloud Peak City's Lord.

Ye Bufan had met his demise, which ironically worked in Ye Feng's favor. Had Ye Feng's weakened soul tried to take over a living body, he might have been the one consumed. Now, as Ye Bufan, he had narrowly escaped that fate. But with such windfalls often came complications.

Ye Feng, or rather Ye Bufan, realized he would have to bury his true identity deep within himself. Until he amassed undeniable power, he would have to live under the guise of Ye Bufan.

His gaze fell upon the sleeping Yun Ruoshuang. From where he lay, he could just make out the delicate bloodstains amidst the grass, glowing in the firelight. Her face, as radiant as jade, bore the faint tracks of tears—a silent testament to the former Ye Bufan's misdeeds. In that moment, her long eyelashes fluttered, and she awoke with a serene grace.

As Yun Ruoshuang's eyes met Ye Bufan's, they held no spark of life, only an icy detachment that sent a shiver down his spine.

Beneath such scrutinizing eyes, Ye Bufan couldn't shake off a sense of unease. Who have I managed to anger now? It's not like I'm responsible for this mess, but that's a thought I can only keep to myself. The reasons are simply unspeakable.

Internally, Ye Bufan reconciled, "Kid, I've taken over your body, and now I'm about to shoulder this blame for you. We're square."

Yun Ruoshuang's voice was icy to the extreme. "Unless you intend to kill me right now to keep me quiet, I'll be on my way."

The thought of murder had crossed Ye Bufan's mind, but he couldn't bring himself to act on it, especially not in front of Yun Ruoshuang. Her plight was already dire, and to kill her would be indefensible. Besides, Ye Bufan found himself utterly drained of strength.

"Go ahead," Ye Bufan murmured gently.

In Ye Bufan's eyes, Yun Ruoshuang spotted a flicker of pity—an emotion that seemed out of place for him. He must be feigning it. "You'll regret this!" she spat out coldly, staggering toward the cave's exit.

Just then, a chaotic shuffle of footsteps echoed from outside the cave.

Seven or eight hulking men, brandishing heavy swords and clad in armor emblazoned with a "cloud" symbol, abruptly blocked the cave entrance, cutting off Yun Ruoshuang's escape. A young man in lavish garb followed, sweeping his gaze through the cave. A sly twinkle passed briefly through his eyes as he inquired with feigned concern, "Ruoshuang, are you hurt?"

Caught off guard by their sudden appearance, Yun Ruoshuang, despite her deep loathing for Ye Bufan, preferred to keep the ordeal quiet...

Without a word, her expression remained frosty.

The youth's eyes landed on Ye Bufan, sprawled on the ground, and he bellowed, "Ye Bufan, you've got some nerve, committing such an outrage..." Overcome with emotion, the young man struggled to finish his accusation.

In Cloud Peak City, three major forces held sway: the City Lord's Mansion, the Ye family, and the Lin family.

Lin Feiyang, the third son of the Lin family, came to mind unbidden. "Quite the timely entrance, Young Master Lin," Ye Bufan remarked, the word 'timely' heavy with irony. With Lin Feiyang's arrival, it was clear to Ye Bufan that he had been ensnared in a carefully laid plot.

Lin Feiyang ignored Ye Bufan's remarks and turned to address his followers: "Yun City, Yun Wu, see to it that Ruo Shuang is safely returned to the City Lord's Mansion. The rest of you, take Ye Bufan into custody and bring him to the mansion to await the City Lord's judgment."

Yun Ruoshuang remained impassive, seemingly oblivious to the events unfolding around her, and woodenly trailed behind the two guards as they exited the cave.

Once Yun Ruoshuang was out of sight, Lin Feiyang fixed his gaze on Ye Bufan and inquired, "Young Master Ye, will you come with us willingly, or do you prefer to offer some token resistance before you comply?" With a casual wave of his hand, the Cloud Peak guards advanced toward Ye Bufan.

The guards wore a hint of trepidation on their faces, clearly intimidated by his status. Yet, for Ye Bufan, resistance was not an option. Given his weakened state, any attempt to fight back would be tantamount to inviting trouble.

As Ye Bufan braced himself to be taken without a struggle, the situation took an unexpected turn—a streak of cold light suddenly cut through the air...