CHAPTER 229: POSSESSED BY THE MYSTERIOUS CULTIVATOR

The disciples of Serene Void Academy were busy with repairs when a sudden blaze of golden light flashed across their eyes. One by one, they dropped whatever they were holding as though they had been possessed, summoned their weapons, and charged toward the teleportation chamber.

Nantian Yijian half-gripped his sword with his right hand and pointed it toward Wind Dragon. "Come, Wind Dragon. Let me see if the elemental beast still lives up to its name."

Thirty-six flying swords shot out from his guqin case and merged into a massive golden sword in his hands.

Jun Laoye immediately sensed that something was wrong. "Wan'er, who exactly is Little Jian? These techniques are clearly not low-grade spells."

Still shaken, he turned to Nantian Wan'er. "Judging from his current state, he's no ordinary villager, nor someone who stumbled into the cultivation world by chance. Could he really be a hidden pawn from the Nantian Clan?"

"I... I don't know either." Nantian Wan'er shook her head repeatedly, her eyes locked on Nantian Yijian. "But the techniques he just used... they definitely aren't from the Nantian Sect."

Lu Chen activated the Divine Eye on his forehead. "This person isn't Little Jian..."

He summoned the Hunyuan Greatsword from his Heavenly Pool, staying on guard against Nantian Yijian. "Perhaps from the moment he recited the Heart Observation Mantra, Little Jian had already lost control of his body."

"Lu-gege..."

"Little Lu, Little Jian shouldn't be in danger, right?" Jun Laoye wiped the sweat from his forehead and activated his own Divine Eye. "Hmm? What's that golden figure behind Little Jian?"

"That should be a powerful Divine Psyche Incarnation..."

Wind Dragon had also activated his Divine Eye. He couldn't see the golden figure Jun Laoye mentioned, and his expression turned tense. Still, from what he knew about the legends of Wish Power, he could guess the nature of the entity attached to Nantian Yijian.

Red Fox focused her gaze on the golden light erupting from Nantian Yijian. The mark on her forehead glowed as she searched through her bloodline memories.

"That should be a Divine Psyche Incarnation that has survived since the Primordial Era," she said, deactivating the mark. "It seems the Nantian brat accidentally triggered a hidden condition, causing the Divine Psyche Incarnation to take over his body.

"My father once told me that cultivators who practice Wish Power are called collective cultivators for a reason. In battle, they can use their Divine Psyche Incarnation to control the bodies of their clan members."

Wind Dragon tilted his head slightly. "What exactly do you mean? I understand that a Divine Psyche Incarnation occupying a cultivator's Divine Chamber can control that cultivator, but I've never heard of the legends you just mentioned."

"It's a bloodline inheritance," Red Fox replied, her gaze fixed on Nantian Yijian. "I think the Heart Observation Mantra triggered the Divine Psyche Incarnation within him, which then attracted the Wish Power-bearing incarnation below."

"So what do we do now?" Lu Chen tightened his grip on the Hunyuan Greatsword, glancing around anxiously. "Are we just going to stand here and watch Little Jian get possessed?"

Red Fox raised her chin with disdain and looked at him. "Calm down. Two beings with Wish Power will never clash over possession. This might even be an opportunity for that Nantian brat."

Jun Laoye frowned. "Lord Wind Dragon, could it be that the Divine Psyche Incarnation has been trapped here for ages, and now that it can finally control Little Jian's body, it just wants to have some fun?"

Nantian Wan'er watched Nantian Yijian's carefree movements and murmured, "When I was still in the sect, I used to imagine that when my brother returned, he'd take me out to play."

Wind Dragon’s gaze lingered on Nantian Yijian. He caught Nantian Wan’er's words and nodded subtly, his face still carved with cold, stern lines.

By now, the golden light surrounding Nantian Yijian had nearly solidified. He continued testing and challenging Wind Dragon relentlessly.

Wind Dragon landed with a heavy thud, his expression grave. He snorted coldly, expanding to more than two zhang in length, and swiped a claw at the barrier. Within it, thousands of wind blades surged toward Nantian Yijian.

"Here they come... The air borne of wind energies is so fresh, and so free." Nantian Yijian glanced at the approaching wind blades, hurled his massive sword into the sky, and shouted, "Finally, after millions of years, I've met someone with Wish Power. Let me show you the proper way to use it!"

"Invoke! Empowerment of Myriad Arts!"

The giant sword sliced through the air at incredible speed as Nantian Yijian weaved a series of hand seals, forming glowing rings beneath his feet that amplified all his physical attributes.

Lu Chen stepped forward, his Divine Eye blinking rapidly as he analyzed Nantian Yijian's body. "Wind Dragon, Little Jian's physical strength is continuously rising!"

Wind Dragon's eyes turned completely blue. "Raging Wind Blades!"

For the first time, he chanted a spell, gathering the wind blades into a colossal tornado that tore through the entire barrier.

Jun Laoye stared blankly at the scene. "Lord Wind Dragon... how powerful! So this is what cultivators of the Primordial Era were like."

Inside the barrier, countless wind blades shot out from the raging tornado, forming sharp cyan arcs that flew toward Nantian Yijian.

The first wind blade came at him fast, but Nantian Yijian merely tilted his head slightly and dodged it with ease.

By the tenth strike, Nantian Yijian only slid back two steps, easily dodging the barrage of wind blades.

When the hundredth and two-hundredth blades came, he began fully employing his movement arts, weaving through the dense storm with flawless precision. Not a single blade managed to graze him.

After dodging the five-hundredth strike, Nantian Yijian stopped at the center of the barrier and hooked a finger toward Wind Dragon. "This is still too weak. Speed up your attack. I want to see how far this kid's body can go."

"I don't care which era you come from, try this," Wind Dragon said coldly, eyes locked on Nantian Yijian. "Modern spells far surpass those of your time."

With a snort, he unleashed a torrent of wind blades. The storm surged with deadly intensity as countless blades condensed into streaks of light, shooting from every direction toward Nantian Yijian.

Seeing the onslaught roaring like a flood flattening a field of wheat, Nantian Yijian's lips curled into a sly, almost wicked smile. "Is that all you can do? Those earlier attacks were nothing but child's play."

The sly grin lasted only a few seconds before Nantian Yijian stumbled, his expression twisting into panic. "No, Lord Wind Dragon, that's too dangerous! Lord Wind Dragon! Stop, stop! I wasn't the one provoking you earlier! You must know I admire you the most!"

"I know..." Wind Dragon replied coldly, his hands never stopping. If anything, the wind blades only accelerated after Nantian Yijian's plea.

"A body that's being shared and controlled by two minds... how fascinating..." Nantian Yijian's sly smirk returned as he deftly dodged another volley. "But for now, you should step back. Let me enjoy this body a little longer before I hand it back.

"Since this body is so remarkable, allow me to show you the highest form of Wish Power. Consider it my thanks for the loan."

Nantian Yijian's expression hardened. Ignoring the raging storm, he formed an intricate and awkward hand seal.

Lu Chen's eyes widened in surprise. "That's the hand seal Grandpa used to make all the time. I've taught Little Jian before, but he shouldn't know this variation."

"That's the Spirit Officer Seal..." Wind Dragon glanced at Lu Chen, his tone lowering. "It seems your grandpa's identity isn't simple. First, he governed Greenheaven Village with Lord Green Emperor's identity token, and now it turns out he even knows the Spirit Officer Seal passed down from the Imperial Lord of Rituals. Just whose descendant is he?"

"Beats me." Lu Chen smiled faintly, his eyes still fixed on Nantian Yijian. "When we find him, you can ask him yourself."

Red Fox listened silently to their exchange. A thought surfaced in her mind. My lord... so you did return long ago, and this boy happens to be your grandson.

The appearance of the Seven Children, the Yuanyang Twin-Fish Disk, the Greenheaven Village massacre, the return of Lord Second's secret realm, and now, the reemergence of the Beast King Manor... None of this is a coincidence.

Lowering her head, Red Fox quietly pieced together every cause and effect. Everything Lu Chen had gone through seemed like part of a meticulously woven plan. But my lord, why must you choose such a cruel and tragic path for him?

Through fate's twists, she had become the first, after Flame Demon, to uncover the truth. Her curiosity had faded, replaced only by dread. Yet she dared not reveal what she knew.

In the end, she let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. Only now did she truly understand why Flame Demon had chosen to endure such grievous injuries rather than utter a single word when cornered by Feng Tiancheng.

Knowing the truth meant understanding that some things could neither be fully spoken, nor entirely left unsaid.

For someone who had walked the Dao of Slaughter like the Lord of Rituals to willingly remain in the shadows for years and weave such an elaborate design, this alone had already indicated that a great calamity was bound to befall those in the Outside.

Revealing the truth now would shatter Blindman Lu's plan, while keeping silent meant Lu Chen would have to bear the weight of a false guilt for a massacre that never happened. A guilt that, once broken, could drive him to the edge of death.

In the end, Red Fox could only let out another long, weary sigh.