C606 Devil Possession
Beyond the mist.
Qiao Xu snapped awake from his tranquil meditation and swiftly rose to his feet.
The Qiao family members and the Dragon Servitors from Hidden Dragon Lake shifted uneasily, their gazes drawn to the enigmatic depths of the encompassing white fog.
Obscured by the mountain and river formation, the true nature of the fog remained hidden, but suddenly, billows of dense white, pale green, and dark purple mist rolled out like tumultuous waves in a sea of clouds, emitting pulsations that set one's heart racing.
In this moment, without Tan Yuan to lead them and with Lee Yuchan having entered the fog, only three women remained, their brightly colored attire and peculiar actions stirring a sense of foreboding in Qiao Xu.
Whoosh!
The thick fog expanded outward, enveloping the area like a misty ocean, imbued with a bewitching power that could ensnare the soul.
The eyes of the three women standing guard outside shone with an eerie light that sent shivers down Qiao Xu's spine.
After a brief hesitation, Qiao Xu decisively called out, "We must leave, now!"
No sooner had the words left his lips than his gray vestment blazed with an astonishing spiritual radiance, boosting his presence dramatically. With a swift whoosh, he darted away into the distance.
The three enchanting figures who had accompanied Tan Yuan as guides moved fluidly, their silhouettes gliding like smoke towards the remaining Qiao family members and the Dragon Servitors of Hidden Dragon Lake.
Piercing screams echoed behind Qiao Xu as he made his escape.
The fog continued to spread wildly. A sense of dread filled Qiao Xu; he was certain that something horrific was unfolding within the fog's depths, for otherwise, those waiting outside would not have been caught in its wake.
...
The jade dragon departed, leaving the dragon-patterned pillar stained with blood.
Loong Tianxiao's once robust dragon form wound down the pillar, impaled by sharp branches, oozing a stench-ridden, vile blood.
His dragon body had diminished to a mere quarter of its original girth.
The jade dragon had stripped away the lifeblood of his dragon essence, the marrow within his bones, and his very breath.
Upon closer inspection of the diminished dragon form, one would see each segment of bone and sinew tainted with a virulent, multicolored poison. These horrific toxins, like countless parasites, feasted upon his dragon bones and veins, reveling in his torturous demise as their ultimate delight.
His human head atop a dragon's body, his cheekbones were sunken, and his once resolute and resilient face now radiated an aura of despair and pain.
Following his time in the Jade Peak Mountain Range, he pledged allegiance to Chen Qingyan and was taken into the Sword Sect, where he finally succeeded in forging a new body for himself.
As a hybrid of human and dragon, he forsook the bloodline advantages of the Nagas to delve into the human path of cultivation. With the guidance of his master, Chen Qingyan, and an ancient tome of body refining secrets, he painstakingly crafted a new form.
Ultimately, the innate dragon blood within him was activated, ensuring that his new form retained the shape of a dragon.
This new flesh and blood form surpassed his previous one. His unique dragon soul was refined to perfection, hinting at a potential to overcome the innate limitations of his dragon heritage and greatly empower his spirit.
Loong Tianxiao, buoyed by a surge of confidence, intuited a cultivation technique that could accommodate the dual nature of his human and dragon lineage.
Regrettably, before he could test its viability, he was captured alongside Chen Qingyan in the Desolate Swamp of the Great Swamp.
Now, he had been reduced to a scapegoat for the purple jade dragon, contributing to its ascension.
Meanwhile, he could only watch as the poison gradually claimed his life.
"Sss! Sss! Sss!"
From within the dragon-patterned pillar, a peculiar noise began to emanate.
Loong Tianxiao, resigned to his fate, felt the excruciating poison that had tormented him being slowly absorbed by the very pillar that bound and pierced his dragon form.
The poison, as if sentient, was being devoured by the dragon-patterned pillar.
The black and green pus, the foul-smelling clumps of poison, all took on a viscous, paste-like consistency, smearing onto the pillar and seeping into it.
Even the agony in Loong Tianxiao's soul was diminishing.
In his dazed state, Loong Tianxiao sensed the presence of Yu Yuan, as if hearing his voice echo in his mind, "Survive this, and live well!"
...
At the rear of the statue that had once been the Sword Prison.
Yu Yuan, with the sword sheath in hand, stood tall. His figure was now enshrined within the Evil Cauldron.
He stood within the Evil Cauldron, his eyes a deep, enigmatic black that matched the cauldron's hue strikingly.
The cauldron's surface writhed, its patterns alive as it radiated a demonic light filled with the ultimate destructive force, capable of obliterating worlds and erasing all life.
Whoosh!
The Evil Cauldron took to the air, gliding slowly forward from behind the statue.
Chi Hongyi and the Yin Corpse King, noticing the cauldron's movement, instinctively flanked Yu Yuan, positioning themselves behind him like protective guardians.
Yu Yuan's gaze was dark and unfathomable, his handsome face devoid of emotion.
Chung Mann's death, followed by the mysterious soul connection, forced Chung Miao to endure a backlash, compelling her to reveal her treasured "Silver Lightning Sky Thunder" and unexpectedly deal a severe blow to Zhao Jie.
Zhao Jie, mangled by the thunder into a bloody pulp, acted as if possessed, turning on Zhan Yun, her mentor in the arts of enchantment.
In a panic, Zhan Yun flailed her sleeves, conjuring a stream of spiritual light that resembled flowing clouds, dragging the bloodied Zhao Jie to one side.
"How could this happen? Why is this happening?"
The previously composed sect master of the Bright Sect was now profoundly shaken, her mind in turmoil, occasionally whispering to herself in disbelief.
She struggled to come to terms with the reality before her.
Zhao Jie was her chosen disciple, personally instructed in the subtle arts of enchantment, a prodigy she considered an arm of the sect.
Chung Miao was the sect's promising new talent.
Yet, in an instant, the two individuals she saw as the future pillars of the sect had been reduced to this.
Zhan Yun's gaze abruptly shifted to the Evil Cauldron and to Yu Yuan, who stood atop it with his dark, mysterious eyes.
At this moment, Yu Yuan had transcended the statue formed by the Sword Prison and now hovered before the compassionate visage of the God of Mercy.
The Yin Corpse King and Chi Hongyi, one on each side, anchored themselves behind the Evil Cauldron, aligning with the benevolent face of the deity.
"Sect Master Zhan, I truly admire your ambition to use Yu Yuan to consult the God of Mercy for a breakthrough," Yan Qiling spoke up, "but you've miscalculated. Your Bright Sect's parlor tricks are no match for what the Divine Soul Sect has painstakingly crafted in him. To think you could contend with that is to vastly overestimate your own abilities."
With a puff, Zhao Jie, known as "Charm Spirit" and once a renowned figure on the Profound Sky Continent a century ago, was grievously wounded by Chung Miao using her sister's corpse.
Chung Mann's body burst apart like a ripe watermelon hitting the ground, drenching Zhao Jie in blood. Seizing the moment, a barrage of silver lightning infiltrated Zhao Jie's Consciousness Little World, the electrifying force annihilating her soul. Before she could disentangle her consciousness from the Yin God, the lightning had ravaged her mind.
With a swift motion, Chung Miao snatched a jade pendant from Zhao Jie's waist and drew a slender sword from within. She effortlessly swung the blade, cleaving Zhao Jie's body as easily as slicing through tofu.
Sword in hand, Chung Miao advanced on Zhan Yun, whose face contorted with dread.
"Do you still not see the truth? Your self-righteous quest for answers has led to your downfall, a thorough and resounding defeat." Yan Qiling, witnessing the turn of events, felt no urgency to depart. Instead, she looked up once more at the snow-white robe adrift in the air and inquired, "What do you know about the Divine Soul Sect? Do you truly believe you can master the divine statue?"
"President Lyi, is that you?" The portly elder, garbed in the worn attire of the Babel Chamber of Commerce, swept his horsetail whisk and bowed respectfully to the figure in white.
As he looked up again, the old man's face was a mix of laughter and tears. "President Lyi, I joined the Chamber of Commerce in my youth, inspired by your leadership. But soon after I arrived, I heard you had met with misfortune. What exactly transpired back then?"
"President Lyi, my defection from the Chamber of Commerce was because you were no longer there!" The old man fervently pledged his loyalty to the man in the white robe.
"President Lyi?" Yan Qiling paused, then quickly connected the dots. "The former president of the Babel Chamber of Commerce!"
Overcoming his initial shock, Yan Qiling considered the man's formidable reputation and inhaled sharply. "If it's really him, alive and at the peak of his power, then perhaps..."
His gaze fixed on the Sword Prison statue and Yu Yuan, now fallen into the Evil Cauldron, Yan Qiling's concern deepened.
He believed that if anyone could, it was him who might truly have the power to control the statue. With it, he could enslave a host of Evil Spirits and leverage the statue to alter the dynamics of the Profound Sky Continent, ultimately triggering a massive shift across the entire Boundless Land.
"Hand her over to me."
At that moment, Yu Yuan, standing within the Evil Cauldron, gestured with his free hand towards Lim Zhuyun, who was enveloped in emerald flames, addressing the figure suspended in the air.
"It would be unthinkable for me to deny your request."
The master of the situation finally spoke up again, "In truth, I orchestrated her capture. By using the Sword Prison as bait, I intended to draw her out for you. She might fool others, but did she really think she could fool me?"
"Lim Zhuyun, your dealings with the Chaos Roc are of no concern to me. However, the Heavenly Devils you've captured, they have a history with me."
With those words, it became clear that the master had long been aware that the person within the green flames was not overtaken by the Heavenly Devils.
It was Lim Zhuyun herself!
