Possession

Just as the words fell from his lips, Xu Yuan's peripheral vision caught sight of a swatch of pitch-black darkness deep within the cavern, devoid of even the faintest glimmer of light. Subconsciously glancing back, before he could even react, this darkness swept past beneath his feet like a flash, surging rapidly deeper into the cavern! A sudden daze washed over his vision. Snapping out of it, the world around him had already transformed. The cramped underground cavern was gone; cloaked in darkness, the surrounding space seemed to have expanded a hundredfold. Frowning as he looked up and took in his surroundings, various negative emotions began to spread through Xu Yuan's heart. Panic, dread, and an involuntary, slight trembling of his body. The vast dark expanse before him was enveloped in an indescribable mist. Innumerable corpses hung suspended from countless drooping willow branches, stacked in endless layers like a boundless sea stretching all the way to the edge of his vision. And there, stood a hazy, towering black silhouette that seemed to pierce the heavens. Like an existence that had endured since antiquity, all things before it were as puny as ants beneath one's feet. *Tap.* Xu Yuan took a subconscious half-step back, the sound of his footstep ringing out with startling clarity in the pitch-black space. And right at that moment, two crisp voices rang out almost simultaneously. "Calm your heart." "Focus your spirit." The dread and panic spreading through his heart suddenly halted, and two soothing, penetrating chills swiftly dispelled those chaotic, disordered thoughts. Xu Yuan gathered his wits and cursed under his breath. *Damn it, I was affected.* This ghost willow was actually powerful enough to directly influence the intellect and cognition of an Origin Realm cultivator! Glancing toward where the voices had come from, the azure-gold pupils of the two young women shone as brightly as the morning sun amidst the darkness. *Tsk, looks like the Heaven-Deducing Art can even grant immunity to the madness wrought by a Saint-level yin ghost.* "Flinching before the battle even begins—I'll look down on you for that, you know~" Under his gaze, Tianye's voice came with a playful, flippant chuckle, entirely devoid of seriousness: "But seeing as you can't resist the madness of a yin ghost, Xu Yuan, I'll forgive you this once." Xu Yuan regained his composure and rolled his eyes. "You don't have to forgive me." Tianye walked over with a beaming smile, her exquisite features showing not the slightest urgency. "No way. I was only joking just now. We're bound together by the Lock of Shared Life, after all—Tianye will forgive whatever you do..." "You can keep your useless chatter to a minimum." Tianyan appeared beside Xu Yuan in an instant, her chilly voice cutting the enchantress off. "This ghost domain has already sealed off all exits." Tianye didn't get angry either. She swept her golden eyes around. "Mm... looks like there really is no way out. But speaking of which, this is the first time I've ever entered the ghost domain of a Saint Tier yin ghost. I didn't expect the descriptions in the ancient texts to actually be true." "Descriptions?" Xu Yuan glanced at Tianye, who had stopped nearby. Tianye pointed toward the innumerable willow branches hanging down from the dark canopy, her eyes curving in a smile. "The ghost domain of a high-tier yin ghost can erode and remake reality. The willow branches and corpses you see before you are neither illusions nor phantoms constructed from Source Qi; rather, reality itself has been corroded by this ghost domain, conjuring them out of thin air. If you don't believe me, take a look at the willow branches on your hand." "..." Xu Yuan froze for a moment, subconsciously glancing down at the slender willow branches winding around his entire right arm and the Charm God tree seed. Wrapping his intent-soul around them, he immediately felt the pulse running through them, as well as the life force within. His scalp suddenly tingled with numbness. Although this world possessed the supernatural, the underlying logic governing all things still conformed to the fundamental conservation of energy, and living beings could not be created artificially. Yet the ghost domain of this Saint Tier yin ghost could actually break that rule? Why? How was that possible? Countless doubts flashed through his mind, but now was clearly not the time to ponder the underlying principles. The situation before him was already the greatest crisis he and Tianyan had faced since entering the illusory realm. A Saint Tier yin ghost. "Xu Yuan..." Tianyan's voice drifted softly from the side as she gazed at the colossal, hazy silhouette of the tree veiled in mist. "What do we do now?" Xu Yuan was struck utterly speechless by the question. What do we do now? Great question. There were three Origin Realm cultivators in total, two of whom were half-crippled and one heavily crippled, facing a Saint Tier ghost willow? Hopeless. Might as well wait for death. While resigning himself to defeat in his heart, Xu Yuan maintained a calm facade and asked in a low voice: "Tianye, about how long will it take for the Saints from your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion to arrive here?" Hearing this, Tianye tapped her soft cheek with a finger, pondering briefly before replying: "Mm... I was captured and vanished near the Ghost Willow Forest, so they should be searching outward with that place as the center. This place isn't too far from the Ghost Willow Forest either. With good luck and if they happen to be nearby, half a quarter-hour; with bad luck... probably half a day." Well then, looks like those Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Saints can't be counted on. His heart sank once more. Xu Yuan let out a long breath, turning his gaze toward the surrounding dark mist. "This ghost willow is still digesting Xia Qing and that Transcendent Realm yin ghost for the time being. Erecting this ghost domain was likely just to trap us..." "Tianyan already told you earlier to keep the useless chatter to a minimum," Tianye interrupted Xu Yuan with mild boredom, stating the obvious. "None of the three of us are in good condition, and even if we were all at our peak, we wouldn't last a single exchange against this ghost willow. It's keeping us around naturally because it's busy with other matters." At this, Tianye narrowed her golden eyes and whispered: "If you have a plan, Xu Yuan, then don't beat around the bush stating things everyone can already see." Everyone present was clever; such basic deductions were obvious at a single glance. Xu Yuan glanced at Tianye, took a deep breath, and said succinctly: "Fine. I intend to negotiate with this ghost willow." "..." Tianyan's pupils constricted slightly at those words. She snapped her gaze toward the man beside her, seeming to realize what he intended to do. Her red lips parted, but for a moment, she couldn't utter a word. Tianye's expression grew somewhat odd, her clear, beautiful eyes looking at him as if he were a fool. "You intend to negotiate with a yin ghost?" Xu Yuan stared at the towering tree silhouette in the black mist, his voice quiet: "It is both a yin ghost and a monster spirit. There should be a chance." "Oh?" Tianye let out a soft exclamation, and then, as if realizing something, she glanced toward where Xia Qing's corpse had been propped up earlier, chuckling. "Heh... ordinary yin ghosts indeed wouldn't be capable of something so clever." Yin ghosts were the embodiment of violence and chaos, yet the ghost willow before them acted with clear calculation. It knew full well that the greatest threat to it in the cavern was not the three living people, but rather the Transcendent Realm yin ghost trapped inside the Yin-Sealing Human Tomb. From that perspective, there might truly be some chance of negotiation. This was also the sole thread of survival they could exploit. Thinking this over, Tianye asked with interest, raising her arm to gesture with her thumb toward that enormous dark shadow: "So, what do you plan to negotiate with?" Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and gave a wry smile. "What else could I use? Naturally, my life—" "I refuse." Tianyan's cold voice interrupted Xu Yuan, her small face turning slightly frosty. "As a plant monster spirit, this ghost willow grows in the deepest part of Zhujian Valley, thousands of li away from here. Forcing itself to span such a distance must come with constraints." Listening carefully, Xu Yuan asked back in a low voice: "What if it crawled out from underground?" "Absurd," Tianyan sneered, her words rapid. "If the ghost willow truly had no constraints, even with that yin ghost trapped in the human tomb, we couldn't possibly be its—" "Even if it does have constraints, what can we do?" "..." Tianyan fell silent. Xu Yuan sighed, cutting off the young girl's words with a helpless smile playing at his lips. "In our current states, who among us could possibly exchange blows with it? You, Tianye, or me?" Tianyan was silent for a moment. Her hands clenched tightly, and her azure-gold pupils pulsed with ripples of radiance as she continually scanned her surroundings, seemingly attempting to find a way to break the deadlock through the Heaven-Deducing Art. Yet unfortunately, in the end, she bit her lip and gently lowered her head. She couldn't find one. Breaking a Transcendent Realm Dao domain was already as difficult as ascending to heaven; a ghost domain constructed from saint origin offered not the slightest flaw to be found. Seeing this, Xu Yuan shrugged, raising a hand to pat her little head. "You've seen before how attractive I am to these Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willows. This ghost willow is clearly coming for me—or rather, for the Charm God tree seed in my hand." His body was like a succubus to tree seeds; even low-tier Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willows would throw their lives away just to steal a kiss from him. He just hadn't expected that among such a common tree species as the Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow, such an ancestor actually existed in the deepest depths of Zhujian Valley. With this in mind, Xu Yuan lifted his bound right hand, tightening his grip slightly around the Charm God tree seed. Still, rather than the peculiarity of his own body, Xu Yuan was more inclined to believe this ghost willow had come for the Charm God tree seed in his grasp. The Thousand-Thorns Ghost Willow possessed an instinct for soul-bewitchment, while the Charm God tree seed, also a plant, happened to be a divine object of soul-enchantment. It was hard not to draw a connection between the two. Thinking up to this point, Xu Yuan slowly turned around, tightening his grip on the bound Charm God tree seed in his hand: "I'll try threatening to destroy this Charm God tree seed to make the ghost willow dispel its ghost domain. When that happens, leave immediately." "I'm not leaving." As soon as the words left his mouth, a reply came. Yet it wasn't Tianyan, but Tianye. With her arms crossed over her chest, eyes lowered, her index finger and thumb gently rubbing together, she lifted her gaze and smiled radiantly: "If anyone leaves, let Tianyan leave. Either way, I'm not leaving your side, Xu Yuan~" "Leave or stay, see if I care." "..." Tianye. Xu Yuan cast a sideways glance at Saintess Tianye, who was so full of herself. "I wasn't talking to you." Tianye pouted, looking somewhat displeased. Xu Yuan looked at Tianyan, speaking gently and softly: "Be good. In your current condition, staying behind will only make it easier for me to get distracted." Tianyan kept her head bowed and didn't speak, her golden eyes darting restlessly left and right. She was trying desperately to find a reasonable excuse to refuse him. After a long while, Tianyan suddenly raised her eyes and murmured: "But what if it didn't come for you and the Charm God tree seed..." "Then we'll all die here." Xu Yuan interrupted her, his eyes curving into a smile. "Well, if that really happens, you could consider it dying for love with me. But if my gamble pays off, remember to keep your widowhood for me." Meeting his chuckling gaze, Tianyan gritted her silver teeth and subconsciously looked away. Black mist drifted, hushed and tranquil, as silence stretched between the two. Out of nowhere: "Forget about keeping widowhood, but as for dying for love, I can certainly accompany you in death, Xu Yuan~" "..." Xu Yuan took a deep breath, slowly turned his head back, and glared at the enchantress. *Ruining the mood over and over—is there no end to this?* Tianye looked completely nonchalant, a faint, lingering smile playing at the corners of her lips as she turned her face away, gesturing for them to continue. Xu Yuan let out a sigh, abandoning his emotional teasing of the washboard Saintess, and whispered: "I'm going to start. Once this ghost willow completely devours that Transcendent Realm yin ghost, it might be a bit—" Even as Xu Yuan spoke, Tianyan and Tianye suddenly turned their gazes. Almost simultaneously, they looked in a certain direction within the hazy mist. Xu Yuan noticed, but lacking the Heaven-Deducing Art, he could not see through the dark mist. He frowned slightly. "What happened over there?" After several breaths of silence, Tianyan bit her lip and turned her head, her voice practically squeezed out from between her lips: "Xu Yuan... "The ghost domain... has been dispelled by the ghost willow." "..." Hearing this news, Xu Yuan's eyes instantly lit up. It seemed this Saint Tier ghost willow truly could communicate—and could even hear the conversation between the three of them. "Did my... gamble actually pay off?" A smile curved at the corners of his lips. Xu Yuan looked toward the towering colossal silhouette hazy amidst the mist and whispered, "Since it dispelled it, that means this thing agreed. Tianyan, leave quickly." "Xu Yuan..." "Stop putting on a melodrama here." Xu Yuan turned his back, waving his hand with slight impatience. "Even storybooks aren't as long-winded as you. Besides, if a catastrophe to the world like me dies here, wouldn't that suit your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion's wishes perfectly, Lady Saintess?" Black mist swirled hazily; corpses and willow branches swayed gently in the wind. Looking at the back of the man before her, and then at that towering, colossal tree veiled in mist, an indescribable ache welled up from deep within Tianyan's heart. Her delicate frame trembling, she drew a sharp, deep breath and slowly closed her eyes. And when she opened her eyes once more, all complex emotions had vanished from those golden pupils. All that remained was an indifferent divinity. She looked at him, her youthful voice crisp and detached: "I... shall take my leave first." "..." Xu Yuan didn't turn around, only letting the corners of his lips curl upward with his back to her. This was not the first time he had seen her in this divine state. Back then, he had thought that once he completely won over this washboard Saintess, he would make her roleplay in this state just to see what an immortal fairy fallen into the mortal dust looked like. Who knew if there would ever be another chance after this... Tianyan left, vanishing from the spot in an instant. In this vast, dark space, only he and Tianye seemed to remain. Tianye stared with great interest in the direction Tianyan had departed, suddenly letting out a laugh: "Looks like... she really is the Tianyan from twenty thousand years later. She has even mastered Divine Absence." "You leave too." "What?" "I said, you'll only get in the way here. Hurry up and leave." "..." Tianye's gaze turned somewhat peculiar as she blinked her eyes. "Are you worried about me?" "Are you an idiot?" Xu Yuan sighed, raising a hand to tap the area of his sea of consciousness. Bound by the Lock of Shared Life. If the ghost willow attacked Tianye and killed her, he would instantly become a mindless fool, so there would be no point in talking about negotiations or threats. Tianye hesitated slightly, whispering: "But if something happens to you, then I..." "You can undo it," Xu Yuan said without a second thought. "Undo it, and we'll have nothing to do with each other." "Tsk." Tianye clicked her tongue with unladylike disdain, a touch of disgust showing on her enchanting features. "Ah... this feeling of placing one's fate in someone else's hands truly is awful." At this, Tianye suddenly switched expressions in the blink of an eye. Stepping close to Xu Yuan, she hooked her arms around his neck and breathed bewitchingly into his ear with a radiant smile: "You want to use the Charm God tree seed to control this ghost willow, don't you? I can feel the connection between you and that seed." "..." Xu Yuan looked slightly surprised. Tianye smiled radiantly, whispering: "Though I don't know why, I can just sense it. "Don't disappoint Tianye, Brother Xu Yuan~ You have to survive. Otherwise, Tianyan will most likely end up in my hands, you know." As soon as the words fell, Xu Yuan felt the weight lift from him. Accompanied by flippant, seductive laughter, Tianye likewise vanished from the spot. "..." Sensing the profound quiet settling over his surroundings, Xu Yuan once again tightened his grip on the Charm God tree seed in his hand—the only thing that could bring him even a sliver of security. After several breaths of silence, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and spoke in a clear, resonant voice: "Speak then. What do you want?" "..." The wind whimpered, sobbing and keening, rustling the hanging corpses as they collided. The sounds echoed within the indescribable mist, eerily still. There was no reply. Seeing this, Xu Yuan did not hesitate in the slightest. His right hand immediately exerted force, wisps of cherry blossoms drifting down gracefully alongside the dancing willow branches. He prepared to destroy a portion of the Charm God tree seed directly: "Ghost willow, if you still don't show yourself, I will—" *Thud.* Before he could finish speaking, the dull thud of a heavy object hitting the ground came from beside Xu Yuan's right ear. Looking to the side, Xu Yuan saw a hand lying beside his foot. A right hand... clutching the Charm God tree seed. Slowly looking back toward his right arm—it was already completely empty. *Hah...* *So this is the gap between the Origin Realm and a Saint?* Xu Yuan let out a low sigh and murmur in his heart. Still, this was probably the best outcome. As long as the ghost willow swallowed the Charm God tree seed, he would still have a chance to turn the tables. Yet in the next moment, under his watchful gaze, that right hand holding the Charm God tree seed was directly crushed to powder amid countless willow branches. No devouring, no absorbing—destroyed outright. It was over. The plan to temporarily control the ghost willow using the Charm God tree seed had completely collapsed. Feeling the piercing agony surging from his right arm, Xu Yuan looked up in mild shock at the towering ancient willow that had arrived before him at some unknown moment. Before it, he was as insignificant as an ant. *Rumble—* The ground shook and the earth trembled as a grotesque, massive mouthpart of splinters split open along the ancient willow's unfathomably tall trunk. *Whoosh!* A slender willow branch shot forth from it like a bolt. The branch was not particularly fast; its trajectory could be clearly tracked. Yet, it was simply impossible to dodge. Deprived of any ability to resist, the willow branch plunged straight into the center of Xu Yuan's forehead. And then, an awkward, arcane, aged voice echoed in the depths of Xu Yuan's heart: "I require thy body to journey to the outside world." "..." With the center of his forehead pierced, Xu Yuan's eyes and consciousness gradually dulled. He suddenly realized something. This time, his gamble with his life had failed—and failed disastrously. The ghost willow's objective was actually to possess him to leave... His vision of the towering ghost willow began to blur and sway as Xu Yuan's consciousness steadily dissipated. Still, why was there another monster spirit here capable of awakening on its own? Amid his bewilderment, Xu Yuan's heavy eyelids could no longer hold up, and his consciousness sank gradually into darkness. Just as all was about to fade into the dark, at the pierced center of his forehead, a cherry blossom mark faintly surfaced, glowing brighter and brighter...