Translator: CinderTL
Xu Sanyan didn't rush out. First, he retrieved spirit stones to replenish his spiritual power, then used that power to restore his physical body.
The edge of the Mist Sea posed little danger to him, so lingering here for a moment was no problem.
As twilight deepened, Xu Sanyan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, the force of his breath scattering the mist ahead like an arrow.
"Hah..."
Crack!
He stretched his body, and his joints and bones popped in unison, sounding like a string of firecrackers. A wave of ease washed over him.
Xu Sanyan silently assessed himself. After receiving the blessing, his physical capabilities had noticeably improved. This wasn't just in terms of strength and speed; his body's resilience had also increased exponentially.
His senses seemed sharper as well. Despite being in the Mist Sea at night, he could clearly see the woman standing on the shore.
The woman was also watching him.
The moment their eyes met, Xu Sanyan's mind jolted. He recognized her.
Not only did he recognize her, but he had also touched her.
"Zuoqiu Zhen?" Xu Sanyan murmured.
During this secret realm expedition, the Zuoqiu Clan had suffered catastrophic losses. Four of the Huai Lake Seven Heroes had died, leaving only the second eldest, Zuoqiu Chen, the sixth eldest, Zuoqiu Zhen, and the seventh eldest, Zuoqiu Yi.
Among them, Zuoqiu Zhen had encountered some kind of trouble. Her current condition remained unknown.
Zuoqiu Zhen's face was expressionless, her earlier liveliness completely gone. Her dead-fish eyes stared intently at Xu Sanyan, a severed head still clutched in her hand.
Xu Sanyan glanced at the head and recognized it—it seemed to belong to a family elder of the Zuoqiu Clan.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the head into the sea, where it sank with a gurgle.
Xu Sanyan had long suspected something was amiss with Zuoqiu Zhen. Now, it seemed she had been discovered by the Zuoqiu Clan, forcing her to betray them and flee.
But why had she come to find him? And how had she pinpointed his exact location?
Frowning in thought, Xu Sanyan retrieved an object from his storage pouch: an ancient, tattered banner. This was the same banner that had been planted on the stone platform in the secret realm's grand hall—the very key to trapping Xiang Tan.
After much deliberation, he realized this was the only item he couldn't decipher. Perhaps it was this banner that had revealed his position.
The moment Zuoqiu Zhen saw the banner, she visibly relaxed, her figure gliding toward the Mist Sea.
"Give it to me," she demanded, extending her hand. Her gaze swept over the secret realm fruit in his other hand before settling on the banner.
"What is this?"
Xu Sanyan gripped the flagpole tightly, examining it closely. He didn't recognize the object, but sensed it was a treasure and stowed it away.
"It's useless to you," Zuoqiu Zhen said, stopping a dozen steps in front of him, hovering in the air.
"Tsk... Aren't you afraid of me?" Xu Sanyan's eyes held an unreadable expression. With Zuoqiu Zhen's cultivation level, she shouldn't even be able to kill ten of her kind, yet she showed no fear whatsoever.
A gentle breeze swept across the Mist Sea, stirring their robes. Xu Sanyan's sharp eyes noticed a small bloodstain on the hem of her garment—whether it was hers or someone else's, he couldn't tell.
Zuoqiu Zhen remained silent, her gaze sweeping toward the spot where she had just thrown the severed head. The meaning was clear: if she could kill a Soul Refining Realm family elder of the Zuoqiu Clan, she possessed means to threaten even those at that level.
Xu Sanyan shook his head with a dismissive smile. He saw through her facade: Zuoqiu Zhen was merely at the Initial Stage of the Dao Seeking Realm, her cultivation level unstable, likely having just broken through. He could crush her with a single finger.
Even if she possessed some special techniques, they would be useless against such a vast disparity in cultivation level.
"You know, even among Soul Refining Realm cultivators, there are differences. Just because you killed him doesn't mean you can kill me."
"What do you want?"
Zuoqiu Zhen's beautiful brows furrowed slightly. She had no desire to create further complications and only wanted to retrieve the Soul-Stabilizing Banner as quickly as possible.
The arrangements she had made within the secret realm had been disrupted, and her soul and spirit were now increasingly unstable. She needed to reestablish them immediately.
Xu Sanyan toyed with the banner in his hand, his gaze sweeping up and down its length. After a moment, he asked, "I want to know what's going on with you. Who are you really, and how did you seize control of Zuoqiu Zhen's consciousness? Was it corporeal possession?"
He recalled encountering a strange woman years ago, shortly after leaving the Qi Kingdom. She had been the failed victim of a corporeal possession attempt by an elder from Shangyin Mountain, leaving her in a half-human, half-corpse state.
At the time, she had claimed that corporeal possession was forbidden by the heavenly dao and doomed to failure. Yet now, Zuoqiu Zhen seemed to be a clear case of successful possession.
Zuoqiu Zhen lowered her head in thought for a moment before slowly replying, "It wasn't corporeal possession, but a replacement."
"A replacement?"
"Yes," Zuoqiu Zhen nodded. "Since you have the Soul-Stabilizing Banner, you must have seen something."
Xu Sanyan frowned. In truth, he had seen nothing. By the time he arrived at the grand hall, Lin Fan and Huan Xi'er had already finished their business. All he had found was the intricate formation.
Zuoqiu Zhen made no attempt to conceal the truth. With matters having reached this point, there was no need for further deception. She continued,
"Humans possess three souls and seven spirits. The three souls are the soul, the conscious soul, and the vital soul. The soul governs wisdom, the conscious soul governs perception, and the vital soul governs life. I extracted her soul and replaced it with my own using a secret technique, dominating her consciousness while suppressing her conscious and vital souls."
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. So that's how it works?
He recalled Xiang Tan mentioning a faint female figure beneath the stone platform earlier. That figure must have been Zuoqiu Zhen's soul.
But isn't this just corporeal possession? Isn't it essentially living another life?
As if sensing his thoughts, Zuoqiu Zhen explained, "This isn't corporeal possession. Strictly speaking, it's more like forceful occupation. It requires constant suppression of the divine soul's rejection response."
Xu Sanyan nodded slowly, understanding dawning. He wasn't particularly interested in the technicalities; he was more curious about who had taken over Zuoqiu Zhen's body. He asked,
"Are you perhaps another sage from the Yaotian Holy Sect?"
Zuoqiu Zhen hesitated before slowly nodding. "Yes."
"Tch..."
Xu Sanyan smirked. Sages really are remarkably resilient.
First, there was the old man, then the woman under the Begonia Tree, then this guy, and finally the great elder of the Yaotian Holy Sect.
However, the great elder was at the immortal realm.
Zuoqiu Zhen extended her hand. "I've finished speaking. Now, return my item."
Xu Sanyan shook the banner. "What's this?"
Zuoqiu Zhen frowned, barely suppressing her inner turmoil. "The Soul-Stabilizing Banner. It's useless to you."
Xu Sanyan grinned, his gaze raking her up and down with predatory intensity. He licked his lips, his expression lewd.
"There's one more thing..."
Zuoqiu Zhen's eyes turned icy, instantly understanding his meaning. Her brows furrowed tightly.
She couldn't afford to act rashly now. Otherwise, she would have already seized the banner by force, sparing herself this pointless conversation.
Ever since the formation malfunctioned, the rejection reaction in her divine soul had grown increasingly severe. She was now exerting all her strength just to barely suppress it.
After a moment's consideration, Zuoqiu Zhen lowered her gaze and tugged at the sash around her waist. Her pale blue robes slipped off her shoulder, revealing a hint of her fragrant shoulder.
(End of the Chapter)
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