“What’s so strange about this? Did you really think this madman wouldn’t see through our soul-possession technique? It’s just that he was already obsessed with blood sacrifices and is extremely arrogant. Now that he has this convenient excuse, he naturally can’t be bothered to distinguish truth from falsehood. With his immortal powers, how could an ordinary Mahayana cultivator resist him in the slightest?” The male Jiaochi clansman sneered in response.
“That makes sense. But I didn’t expect you to know such an esoteric and complete soul-possession technique, and even temporarily evade his surveillance. If I’d known earlier, we should have used this method sooner and wouldn’t have been chased so desperately,” the female Jiaochi clanswoman said, still somewhat puzzled.
“What do you know? This technique is different from ordinary spiritual possession or Nascent Soul body-snatching. It involves transferring the complete soul into another’s body, and the casting process is extremely dangerous. I only had a seventy to eighty percent chance of success. Moreover, once performed, the original body must temporarily fall into a deep slumber, and we can only rely on the possessed body to move around, with most of our powers sealed. I would never take such a risk unless absolutely desperate. As for why it temporarily blocked his surveillance, I think it might be because this technique is also an immortal realm secret art—something I hadn’t anticipated beforehand. The backup plan I originally prepared to escape in the chaos wasn’t even needed.” The male Jiaochi clansman sounded somewhat frustrated.
From their conversation, it was clear these two were none other than Six-Winged Frost and Ice Phoenix.
Through some unknown method, they had transferred their souls into the bodies of two Jiaochi cultivators and temporarily escaped Ma Liang’s pursuit.
“An immortal realm secret art? How did you obtain such a technique?” Ice Phoenix asked in surprise.
“Years ago, I accidentally stumbled into an alien cave dwelling in the wilderness and obtained a page from the Golden Jade Book. It recorded an astonishing immortal secret art. Unfortunately, the technique can only be fully performed by an immortal body. This soul-possession method is just a small part of it—the only portion I could barely cultivate. Sadly, this possession can only last half a day. Once the time is up, we must return to our original bodies. Otherwise, we might have had a real chance to escape.” Six-Winged Frost sounded regretful.
“Enough. The fact that your immortal technique could temporarily block his soul tracking is already an unexpected boon. Now, as long as we take advantage of this effect while it lasts and hurry to another Jiaochi main city, we’ll have succeeded. Given the Jiaochi clan’s arrogance in the Thunder Continent and the blood sacrifice in that previous city, I refuse to believe they won’t clash violently with him. As long as this madman is delayed for a while, we can find another super teleportation array and return to the Wind Yuan Continent. This time, if he doesn’t follow immediately, it won’t be so easy for him to find us again. If all else fails, we can seek out Fellow Daoist Han. With his heaven-defying abilities—having slain the Mother of Silkworms—he might have a way to remove the soul marks on us.” Ice Phoenix’s eyes flashed as she spoke.
“Seek out Han Li? Dream on! I’d rather die than take that step!” Six-Winged Frost flew into a rage upon hearing this.
“Hmph, you’ve offended that immortal madman so deeply. If he catches you, death might be the least of your worries.” Ice Phoenix remained unfazed, adding coolly.
“No need to dwell on this now. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Maybe once we return to the Wind Yuan Continent, we can easily shake off this immortal madman.” Six-Winged Frost calmed down.
“Fine, if you say so. Let’s take it one step at a time. Now, let’s hurry to the next Jiaochi main city. I can already feel this body won’t last much longer. That madman will soon know our location again.” Ice Phoenix didn’t press the matter of Han Li further.
With that, their escape light surged, transforming into two streaks of cyan light as they sped forward.
—
Half a month later, the gaunt young man who had shadowed them to another Jiaochi main city was about to unleash another blood river to sacrifice the entire city’s inhabitants when he was ambushed by six Jiaochi Mahayana elders lying in wait.
With so many of their clansmen already sacrificed and two Mahayana elders slain, the Jiaochi clan had no intention of negotiating with this enemy. The moment they appeared, they activated an extremely powerful restriction they had prepared in advance.
This time, the descended immortal Ma Liang did not use that mysterious talisman to break the chains of heavenly law. Instead, he relied solely on his own powers to engage in a cataclysmic battle with the six Mahayana elders.
The six Jiaochi elders were no ordinary Mahayana cultivators—each was a true powerhouse of their realm. Working together with the restriction’s aid, they could almost sweep across the entire Thunder Continent.
Though most of Ma Liang’s strength was restricted, with several immortal secret arts and genuine immortal treasures at his disposal, he showed no fear.
The battle was evenly matched from the start, escalating into an increasingly fierce conflict.
The fight lasted most of the day, ending with four Jiaochi elders dead and two severely wounded, forced to flee.
However, at the battle’s climax, several Jiaochi elders simultaneously detonated fragments of Profound Heavenly Treasures, unexpectedly injuring Ma Liang.
Enraged, the descended immortal went on a rampage, blood-sacrificing three more Jiaochi cities.
Under such circumstances, the remaining Jiaochi leadership had no choice but to invoke an ancient pact, summoning three long-worshipped primordial spirits—the Hoofed Dragon, the Grand Sparrow, and the Solar Deer—from another dimension to engage Ma Liang in another epochal battle.
This battle raged for days, devastating the surrounding hundred-thousand-mile region.
Three days later, when the tremors of battle finally ceased, nearby Jiaochi clansmen rushed to the scene.
All they found were apocalyptic battle scars—the three primordial spirits had vanished without a trace, and Ma Liang was nowhere to be found.
Subsequent attempts to contact the spirits through various secret arts proved futile, leaving the Jiaochi leadership utterly bewildered.
Meanwhile, news of the “Supreme Fiend’s” atrocities on the Blood Sky Continent finally reached the Thunder Continent.
With Ma Liang’s whereabouts unknown, the various races of the Thunder Continent grew terrified at the mere mention of the “fiend.”
Upon hearing of Ma Liang’s disappearance, Six-Winged Frost and Ice Phoenix were overjoyed and immediately proceeded with their original plan.
Within a month, they entered the territory of another major race and, after paying a price, used their cross-continental teleportation array to return to the Wind Yuan Continent.
—
At the same time, Han Li, along with Nangong Wan and others, emerged in a flash of light within a massive formation in a remote corner of the Wind Yuan Continent.
The formation was housed in a grand hall, where dozens of guards showed no surprise at the sudden appearance of so many people.
A leader among the armored guards scanned Han Li and stepped forward respectfully, saying, “This junior has been ordered to receive Senior Han. The Chief Steward has been waiting nearby for some time and wishes to meet with you.”
“Oh, so Fellow Daoist Mingzun has invited me? Naturally, I shall go. Lead the way. Wan’er, you all rest here for now.” Han Li’s eyes flickered slightly as he nodded.
“Go ahead, husband. I’ll handle things here,” Nangong Wan said, glancing at the guard.
At her signal, the group exited the teleportation array and settled cross-legged in a designated area outside the hall.
Meanwhile, Han Li followed the guard toward a stone hut hidden in a dense grove nearby.
Before he reached it, the tightly shut stone door swung open from within, and an aged voice called out, “Fellow Daoist Han, you’ve finally arrived. Come in—this old man has been waiting for you.”
“My apologies for the delay. Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” Han Li strode confidently through the door.
Inside the hut, aside from a pale yellow wooden table and a few sandalwood chairs, there was nothing else.
A red-haired elder sat on one of the chairs, idly examining a smooth white jade slip in his hand.
“Fellow Daoist Han, please sit. I must apologize for previously leaking your whereabouts to Bi Ying’s side. I hope you won’t hold it against me.” Mingzun smiled as Han Li entered.
“It’s nothing. Besides, Fellow Daoist Bi Ying has already perished, so there’s no need to dwell on it.” Han Li waved it off and sat opposite the elder.
“Indeed. I never expected Bi Ying to depart before me. With the Blood Sky Continent in turmoil, our alliance must have suffered heavy losses, its influence greatly diminished.” Mingzun sighed.
“Your alliance did withdraw some personnel from Blood Sky, but under the joint management of several elders, no major chaos ensued. I was able to return to Wind Yuan smoothly thanks to their assistance.” Han Li replied neutrally.
“That’s good to hear. How much do you know about that Supreme Fiend?” Mingzun’s expression turned serious.
“From my discussions with your alliance’s elders, I know neither too much nor too little. But one thing is certain—this fiend is no less formidable than the Mother of Silkworms.” Han Li’s expression darkened.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage