124 Possession

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Zhao Longjie and Hei Yue stepped out of the room and went downstairs. They gazed upon the black sand composed of countless human bones scattered on the ground, alongside three bodies whose heads were twisted at a ninety-degree angle. Their faces bore expressions of terror, eyes wide open, blood dried and withered—an eerie sight that sent chills down the spine.

“Master, who could have done such a thing silently, without even you noticing?” Hei Yue said, his face turning pale with disgust.

Zhao Longjie ignored Hei Yue and began searching for the corpse demon.

The corpse demon was upstairs, gripping the railing, emitting a crackling sound as it stared at Zhao Longjie and Hei Yue.

“Upstairs,” Zhao Longjie said, having heard the noise. He turned and looked up.

Hei Yue’s eyes widened for the first time upon seeing the corpse demon.

The corpse demon shook its neck, producing the sound of cracking bones, then leapt down from the upper floor toward Zhao Longjie and Hei Yue.

Seeing the drastic transformation of the corpse demon, Zhao Longjie’s pupils contracted. He pushed Hei Yue aside.

The corpse demon launched a fierce attack on Zhao Longjie as it landed.

Zhao Longjie clenched his fist into a palm and slammed it hard on the demon’s chest, but the demon remained unmoved. The demon’s punch landed squarely on Zhao Longjie’s chest.

Zhao Longjie spat a mouthful of fresh blood. At least two ribs were broken. He slid backward several meters before stopping his momentum.

The corpse demon pressed the attack, its hands reaching to stab into Zhao Longjie’s chest.

For a moment, Zhao Longjie feared he would die at the hands of this monster.

Suddenly, a long whip restrained the demon’s hands. Hei Yue pulled hard, binding the demon’s hands to its chest.

Zhao Longjie snapped back to his senses and counterattacked. Unexpectedly, the demon raised its foot and kicked Zhao Longjie’s abdomen. Zhao Longjie was sent flying, crashing onto a dining table and smashing it to pieces.

The corpse demon exhaled sharply, breaking the long whip.

It pursued Zhao Longjie relentlessly.

Zhao Longjie raised his hand and struck the demon’s chest again, forcing it to retreat a few steps. He channeled his energy into his hand, but the general’s armor he wore barely suffered a scratch, let alone inflict damage on the corpse demon.

The demon unleashed its demonic energy, swaying its body, then appeared before Zhao Longjie, its hand transforming into a fist.

Zhao Longjie braced himself with both arms to block.

The corpse demon’s punch knocked Zhao Longjie against the wall, where it began to pummel him. Zhao Longjie searched for a weakness in the demon’s defense.

The demon’s sharp nails scraped against the wall, emitting a sizzling sound.

Zhao Longjie’s eyes narrowed; he realized the demon’s claws were highly poisonous and dared not face them directly. Seizing an opening, he struck the demon’s chest twice fiercely.

The corpse demon was thrown backward, floating briefly in midair before descending.

Suddenly, the demon sensed the presence of the Qilin Stone on Zhao Longjie and Hei Yue and turned to attack Hei Yue.

Hei Yue was no match for the demon. After only a few moves, he was struck on the left shoulder by the demon’s palm, spewing blood from his mouth. He flew back, crashing onto a dining table, crushing it once again.

The demon pursued relentlessly. Seeing his disciple in danger, Zhao Longjie ignored his injuries and stepped forward to block the demon.

Zhao Longjie kicked at the demon’s legs, but the demon’s speed was far superior. It pinned Zhao Longjie’s foot to the ground with a stomp.

Zhao Longjie struggled with all his might, but the demon held him down firmly.

Hei Yue got up, clutching his left shoulder. Seeing that even Master Zhao Longjie couldn’t handle the demon, he feared staying would only increase his master’s burden. Despite his injuries, he fled the inn to find reinforcements.

Zhao Longjie didn’t notice Hei Yue’s departure. The demon flipped and kicked Zhao Longjie’s jaw, causing him to lean back and spit blood. The demon closed in quickly.

Zhao Longjie rapidly channeled his energy, absorbing the blood into his hands. He pressed his palms together, forming a yin-yang symbol in his palm, and struck the demon’s chest.

“Boom!”

A shockwave burst from the demon’s chest, sending it flying backward. The general’s armor on its chest was shattered, revealing golden fish-scale skin beneath.

The demon roared in fury but suffered no real harm. Instead, it seemed enraged.

Zhao Longjie vanished with a flash, striking the demon’s face. With a loud bang, the demon’s form dissolved into demonic energy and entered Zhao Longjie’s body.

Zhao Longjie’s skin flickered, alternating between golden scales and blackened patches.

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Chen Family Village Charity Hall.

Rats, snakes, and cockroaches poured out in a panic, scrambling to escape.

Some even crawled onto sleeping people, waking everyone with shrill screams.

Meanwhile, Li Xintian heard the noise but saw nothing unusual. Quickly dressing, he sensed something grave had occurred and dashed toward Zhou You’s location.

“Master Zhou, why are there suddenly so many rats, snakes, and cockroaches? It feels as if they are fleeing for their lives.”

Li Xintian arrived just in time to ask Zhou You.

“It’s no illusion. They are indeed fleeing. The disaster star has descended—an ominous sign. The forbidden inner hall of Chen Family Village must have been breached,” Zhou You said, calculating the situation carefully.

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Zhou You pinched his fingers to calculate and said, “Master, we should flee immediately.”

Bian Yiyuan, upon hearing that disaster had struck Chen Family Village, hastily packed his things.

“Wait. First, we need to find your senior uncle. Only then will our chances of survival increase,” Zhou You urged, grabbing Bian Yiyuan’s arm.

“Uncle!”

At that moment, Hei Yue arrived, wounded.

“Hei Yue, how did you get hurt like this?” Zhou You hurried over.

“Master Zhou, don’t touch her. She’s been poisoned,” Li Xintian warned as he saw blackened flesh smoking on Hei Yue’s left shoulder.

Zhou You also noticed Hei Yue’s left shoulder turning black. Without treatment, she was at death’s door.

Li Xintian channeled righteous energy into his palm. “Endure it. The poison in you is no ordinary toxin—it contains demonic energy.”

Before Zhou You and Hei Yue could react, Li Xintian pressed his hand on Hei Yue’s blackened shoulder, releasing a foul, rotting stench. Bian Yiyuan and the others stepped back unwillingly.

Zhou You frowned but said nothing. Bian Yiyuan gritted his teeth.

“Ah!”

Hei Yue screamed sharply from the pain in her shoulder.

“I’ve dispelled the poison, but I can’t fix your broken bones,” Li Xintian said and quickly withdrew his hand. The shoulder was slowly turning yellow.

“Thank you, Young Master Li,” Hei Yue said, bowing her head modestly.

“Enough of that. Tell me what happened,” Li Xintian said, shaking his head.

“Uncle, please hurry to save my master. He’s barely holding out against that monster,” Hei Yue said, regaining her composure.

“Where?” Li Xintian asked.

“At the Chen Family Village inn,” Hei Yue replied.

“Master Zhou, I think it’s better if only the two of us go. Too many people might hinder us,” Li Xintian suggested.

“Agreed. You all stay here at the charity hall. Hei Yue, don’t worry; I’ll set out immediately,” Zhou You agreed.

“Master, we want to come too!” Bian Yiyuan protested, displeased that Zhou You accepted Li Xintian’s advice.

“Want to come? Then train harder and stop wasting time,” Zhou You scolded sharply.

“Uncle, I want to go too. I’m worried about Master,” Hei Yue bit her lip and said.

“If you want to come, then follow us. But don’t expect anyone to save you. I warn you—life is precious and only comes once. If you’re not capable, don’t recklessly join. If you get rescued, someone might lose their life instead. Don’t blame me for being blunt,” Li Xintian said firmly upon seeing their reckless determination.

“You all wait here. Hei Yue, follow behind us,” Zhou You said, then rushed out. Hei Yue followed closely.

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“Stay put and wait here,” Li Xintian said, seeing that Zhou You allowed Hei Yue to join. After all, she was Zhao Longjie’s disciple.

When Li Xintian, Zhou You, and Hei Yue arrived at the inn, Zhao Longjie was seated on a chair with his back to them.

“Master, are you alright?” Hei Yue stepped forward and stood behind Zhao Longjie.

Li Xintian and Zhou You surveyed the surroundings—signs of a fierce battle everywhere. Li Xintian’s attention was drawn to the pile of white bones that had turned into black sand.

“Don’t go!” Li Xintian warned, but it was too late.

Zhao Longjie suddenly turned and grabbed Hei Yue by the neck, his eyes cold and merciless, pupils black as night. “Where did you put my things?”

“On my body!” Hei Yue said.

Li Xintian channeled righteous energy, shifting his body and kicking Zhao Longjie backward. Zhao Longjie crashed through a dining table. His form changed—he wore the general’s armor of the corpse demon, with two swords on his back, and his skin shimmering gold with fish scales.

“Step back quickly!” Li Xintian urged, pushing Zhao Longjie away and addressing Hei Yue.

“Righteous energy!” Zhao Longjie’s black eyes fixed on Li Xintian as he growled.

“Hei Yue, run! He is no longer your master,” Zhou You urged Hei Yue to flee.

“No, Master Zhou, take Hei Yue and leave quickly! Don’t help me. No magic can control him now,” Li Xintian said, urging them to escape. He had already sensed how terrifying the corpse demon was when dispelling its demonic energy from Hei Yue.

“I’ve memorized your aura so you won’t escape. You won’t get away,” the corpse demon controlling Zhao Longjie’s body said as it transformed into a stream of demonic energy and departed. It needed time to familiarize itself with Zhao Longjie’s body and would return to confront Li Xintian and the others the next night.

“What does he want?” Li Xintian asked Hei Yue sharply.

“I don’t know if it’s this stone,” Hei Yue said, biting her lip as she took out a Qilin Stone from her bosom.

“Looks like your master disturbed it and released this monster—the corpse demon,” Zhou You said, narrowing his eyes on the Qilin Stone. He realized Zhao Longjie must have entered the forbidden inner hall of Chen Family Village.

“The corpse demon is said to be a creature composed of human, demon, and monster parts. It’s a terrifying beast with human intelligence and demonic evil. The monster part might be this Qilin Stone. It’s likely formed from the resentment of a dead qilin, condensed into a stone of hatred. Sigh, I never thought someone could truly create such a thing,” Zhou You said, recognizing why Zhao Longjie had taken out the Qilin Stone. Zhao Longjie probably intended to cultivate to become a human-demon-monster hybrid, a power level between the corpse demon and a full demon.

“Then I’ll destroy this Qilin Stone,” Li Xintian said, taking the stone in hand.

“No! Although the stone contains hatred, if Young Master Li can extract the essence blood from it, it could be useful,” Zhou You said anxiously, stopping Li Xintian.

“You should have said so earlier. I thought it was useless. I managed to force the corpse demon out of Zhao Longjie’s body, but now it depends on you, Master Zhou. I’ll keep this Qilin Stone,” Li Xintian said, covering the stone with a layer of righteous energy and tucking it into his bosom, ignoring the looks from Zhou You and Hei Yue.

“Seems Young Master Li already knows my plan,” Zhou You thought to himself. After all, extracting essence blood from a Qilin Stone, especially one forged from malice, was no simple matter.

“Master Uncle, what method do you plan to use?” Hei Yue asked, surprised that Zhou You had a solution after the Qilin Stone was involved.

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End of text.