“Hmph! What do you mean ‘female’? You’re implying I’m a she, aren’t you?” the woman’s voice was cold and clear.
Han Li, hearing this, gave a wry smile but didn’t respond. He retracted the flying sword hovering above his head before leisurely saying, “Regardless of whether you’re male or female, shouldn’t you at least tell me your origins?”
“Origins? Aren’t I just the artifact spirit of that ancient treasure in your hand?” The white fox half-crouched, its gaze calm as it looked at Han Li.
“Of course I know you’re an artifact spirit, but I’ve never heard of an artifact spirit capable of possession,” Han Li frowned, his voice turning icy.
“That just means you’re ignorant. Am I not proof enough?” The fox seemed to curl its lips in disdain, speaking carelessly.
Han Li fell silent at this. But after a moment, he suddenly raised the jade ruyi in his hand, examining it closely.
“What are you doing?” The fox’s eyes instantly sharpened with vigilance as it coldly questioned Han Li.
“Nothing much. I’m just curious—since you’ve successfully possessed this fox’s body, this jade ruyi is probably useless now. But if I were to shatter it, I wonder what would happen?” Han Li sighed, speaking calmly.
At these words, the fox’s expression drastically changed, its gaze turning fierce as it glared at Han Li. But after a moment, as if remembering something, its hostility abruptly dissipated.
“No need to test me. Indeed, if you destroy the jade ruyi, my spirit form will naturally vanish along with it. After all, as an artifact spirit, I’ve become one with this ruyi,” the fox said indifferently.
Then, a flash of silver light enveloped its body, and an immense aura descended upon the fox.
Han Li’s heart tightened, his face instantly turning wary.
“Don’t worry. It’s just inconvenient speaking to you in this beastly form. I’ll take human shape now,” the fox said coldly, glancing at Han Li.
Hearing this, Han Li felt a momentary surprise before relaxing slightly.
At that moment, the fox’s body erupted with a dazzling silver radiance, forcing Han Li to instinctively step back.
Within the silver light, the fox flipped over and rapidly transformed into the alluring form of a young woman. As she stood up, Han Li noticed that aside from the disappearance of the green glow in her eyes—now replaced by clear black pupils—her appearance remained identical to before the possession. It seemed that once a demon beast’s human form was set, it couldn’t be altered.
While Han Li was silently contemplating this, the woman instinctively covered her vital areas with her hands, hesitating before speaking with slight embarrassment, “Do you have any spare robes, fellow Daoist? I’m not quite accustomed to this state.” As she spoke, a faint blush colored her delicate face.
Han Li paused briefly before wordlessly retrieving a spare robe from his storage pouch and tossing it to her.
“Many thanks, fellow Daoist!” the woman murmured gratefully, draping the robe over herself with graceful hands, instantly concealing most of her exposed figure.
Han Li’s expression flickered slightly. Every movement of this woman exuded an indescribable elegance, far surpassing even the most refined noble ladies. It was hard to believe she had once been the spirit of a silver wolf.
After calmly adjusting the robe, the woman lifted her face and said slowly, “You may call me Yin Yue. As for my origins, it’s not that I’m unwilling to tell you—I simply don’t remember clearly myself. You must know that once a demon spirit is refined into an artifact spirit, it should lose all consciousness, obediently serving the master of its vessel. But for some reason, from the moment I gained awareness, I vaguely recalled fragments of my past. Though few, they granted me a degree of autonomy. I faintly remember belonging to the Silvermoon Wolf Clan. The name ‘Yin Yue’ is one I gave myself based on that memory. As for my original name, I can’t recall.” As she spoke, the woman took a few light steps, as if adjusting to her new body.
“Silvermoon Wolf Clan? I’ve never seen any records mentioning such a demon beast,” Han Li stroked his chin, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
“These are just fragmented memories. Perhaps I misremembered,” Yin Yue frowned slightly, her voice melancholic.
Han Li had no response to this.
“Very well. Even if Lady Yin Yue doesn’t recall her origins, how is it possible for an artifact spirit to possess a body? Don’t tell me all artifact spirits have this ability, or the cultivation world would have descended into chaos long ago,” Han Li pressed, his tone grave.
“Do you think I can possess any body at will?” the woman countered with a cold laugh.
“What do you mean by that?” Han Li narrowed his eyes, staring intently at her.
“Strictly speaking, the technique I used earlier wasn’t possession, but an innate ability of our Silvermoon Clan—Soul Devouring. It involves projecting one’s primordial spirit to directly attack another’s soul. Once the target’s soul is devoured or forcibly expelled, our clan can temporarily inhabit the body. However, this can’t last too long, or the primordial spirit will assimilate with the flesh, making escape impossible. Moreover, this ability is a double-edged sword. Our clan’s spiritual sense isn’t inherently stronger than other demon beasts. If we encounter an opponent with an exceptionally powerful soul, we risk losing our lives. Hence, we rarely use it. But for me, a spirit without a body, it hardly matters,” Yin Yue explained, her words startling Han Li.
Seeing his shocked expression, she seemed to anticipate his next question and added, “Don’t ask me for details about Soul Devouring. I don’t know how it works—it’s as if I instinctively knew how to use it. But rest assured, this ability has many stringent limitations and can’t be used freely. Besides, I’m no longer in my original Silvermoon form. Using this ability as an artifact spirit is nearly impossible. If not for encountering this Four-Pupiled Spirit Fox, I wouldn’t have succeeded. In my memories, this fox species is naturally suppressed by our clan. Moreover, this fox’s body had already been possessed once by the Corpse Demon’s split soul, making it easier for me to seize control,” Yin Yue explained calmly.
“Four-Pupiled Spirit Fox? Isn’t this a Snowcloud Fox?” Han Li scrutinized her eyes but found nothing unusual, prompting his question.
“The ‘Four-Pupiled’ refers to the fox’s matured state, where it awakens a terrifying pupil-based ability. In some ways, it’s even more fearsome than our Soul Devouring, capable of slaying enemies effortlessly. But outwardly, it does resemble an ordinary Snowcloud Fox. Unfortunately, once it uses its abilities, my incarnation recognized it immediately,” Yin Yue smiled faintly, an alluring charm unconsciously seeping into her expression.
“The fox’s cultivation had reached the seventh rank. Isn’t that considered matured? And if it hadn’t broken through to the eighth rank’s transformation stage, how could it take human form early? Also, why did your cultivation fluctuate so drastically, just like the fox before possession? Don’t tell me you can also conceal your cultivation like it did,” Han Li pressed, voicing his deepest doubts.
“*Giggle*! You certainly have many questions. But it’s been so long since I’ve spoken to anyone, so I don’t mind. As for why the fox could transform early, I truly don’t know. Perhaps the Corpse Demon, seeing its situation dire, used some technique to forcibly transfer part of its cultivation to the fox’s avatar, explaining the drastic shift in power. The fox’s true cultivation was merely that of a low-rank demon beast. Due to restrictions, it couldn’t stray far from the Corpse Demon’s main body even after the transfer. As for my human form, I used a similar secret art to temporarily elevate my cultivation to the seventh or even eighth rank. But this boost will gradually fade, reverting me to beast form. I won’t be able to take human shape again for at least a month,” the woman explained, clearing Han Li’s confusion.
Han Li fell silent, pondering her words. After a long while, he finally spoke calmly, “While these answers haven’t resolved all my doubts, they’ve shed light on most of the mystery. Now, I have one last question for you, Fellow Daoist Yin Yue—now that you have a body, what are your plans?”
At this loaded question, Yin Yue’s lips curled into an enigmatic smile.
“If I said I wished to leave you and cultivate independently, would you kill me?” she asked playfully.
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