CHAPTER 545: CHAPTER 545: THE OBJECT OF POSSESSION

Lin Shuo received the other’s gaze, feeling that his own words might be too much and affecting Mr. Jiang’s performance. He immediately pursed his lips, moved aside, and pondered over how he could please Mr. Jiang.

"Sect Leader Lu hasn’t noticed anything strange yet?" Jiang Yuan looked at the fiercely intimidating Lu Shaojie, sighed, and said: "Actually, those are small matters. The more significant matter for the Fox Immortal Sect is that you have been bewitched by the Green-eyed Fox Race and possessed. In time, your souls will be replaced and transferred to fragments of collapsing earth in the void, ready to crumble at any moment."

With these words, the onlooking cultivators were instantly in an uproar.

"Didn’t I say the Fox Immortal Sect was dubious? What kind of cultivation technique doesn’t require cultivation to succeed? How can such good fortune exist in the world?"

"Possession? I’ve read about it in ancient books. It’s said to be a terrifying evil technique that can expel a person’s soul, taking over the body!"

"Hiss! Is it really that terrifying? No wonder it’s called the Fox Immortal Sect; it’s actually possessed by a fox spirit!"

"So, does this mean their entire sect will soon become a gathering place for demon cultivators? This is bad, demon cultivators are invading the human world without anyone realizing it!"

"What’s the void? And what are the fragments of collapsing earth? The terms Mr. Jiang mentioned, I’ve never heard of them before?"

"Look at the way Lu Shaojie looked and the roar he just let out. It doesn’t seem human; more like a demon beast..."

......

Lu Erxi listened to the surrounding cultivators pointing and whispering, then turned to see his son with an aggressive expression, and a sense of panic welled up in his heart.

However, to say that everything bestowed by the Fox Immortal Grandfather was false, and there was no immortal but rather a demon cultivator with ulterior motives, he was a million times unwilling to believe.

"Sect Leader Lu, you might ask other fellow cultivators, is it so easy to obtain mana through cultivation?" Jiang Yuanxin thought that even though he was bound to a system, he still had to farm diligently every day, mining for experience. Even after gaining skills, he had to accumulate experience bit by bit to level up.

Hearing others mention that in the Fox Immortal Sect, there was no need for cultivation; they could feast and drink every day, with occasional prayers to receive a granting skill boost. Even if they really met an immortal, why would they just give mana to you?

Just because you randomly kowtow a couple of times and offer some low-quality incense?

"Please, Sect Leader Lu, carefully recall how you made contact with the so-called ’Fox Immortal Grandfather.’ Heaven won’t just drop pie into your lap; upon reflection, there will always be something odd, right?" Seeing the other’s visible panic, Jiang Yuan continued to apply pressure, "If you take heed and no longer seek granting skills, the spirits of the Green-eyed Fox and their demon cultivators can’t connect with you proactively, and there will be no more exchanges. At least, you can retain your lives and extraordinary abilities."

"I, I..." Lu Erxi opened his mouth, feeling a dryness in his throat.

In fact, his devotion to the Fox Immortal Grandfather was purely accidental. At that time, he was just a poor farmer. Fortunately, his industrious and capable ancestors left a few acres of thin fields, and with diligence under the sun and over the earth, life was manageable.

But who would have expected the spiritual energy revival? One day he heard of a villager becoming a cultivator capable of walking on rooftops; the next day, heard about an ancient secret technique manual uncovered in an ancestral home in town, sold for tens of thousands of gold!

Lu Erxi dreamed every day and night, but unfortunately, after flipping through the family lineage book many times, he found no traces of a cultivator in his ancestry. He dug through the family’s few ramshackle houses almost entirely but found no secret technique manual.

Just when he was dispirited, fantasizing about a blessing of immense wealth descending from the sky, Lu Erxi dug up a pit-riddled black stone in the field. At first glance, it looked a bit like a human, and it was heavy in his hands, clearly not an ordinary stone.

At this time, he suddenly recalled a night six months ago when the sky suddenly lit up as if countless stars fell. Villagers said it was demon beasts fighting in the wilderness, and nobody dared to venture out to check.

The next day, Lu Erxi discovered a large section of his farmland was ruined, paining him to death!

Upon recollection, the spot where he dug up the statue was precisely where the earth was trashed, but in his haste to plant crops, he filled it with soil without thinking more. Perhaps this thing had fallen from the sky or was dropped by a demon beast!

Lu Erxi cherished the statue as a supreme treasure and brought it home. Sure enough, that night, he dreamed of an old bearded man claiming to be the Fox Immortal Grandfather, teaching him how to pray for granting skills.

Lu Erxi skeptically tried it with his wife and children. Not only did their old ailments vanish, but the Fox Immortal Grandfather also rewarded them with a piece of gold!

From then on, the Fox Immortal Sect quickly established itself, gathering a vast number of believers, and he finally lived the life he dreamed of.

But now... Lu Erxi looked at his son, always praised by the Fox Immortal Grandfather for his exceptional wisdom, able to attain third-level divine skills, yet he had indeed changed greatly from the past, causing his legs to slight tremble involuntarily.

"Friend from the Green-eyed Fox, I know that part of your divine soul has already merged into Sect Leader Lu’s body. Although you don’t have control over it, you can still perceive everything happening here." Seeing him hesitating for a long time without saying anything, Jiang Yuan patiently advised, "Lu Erxi is merely a mortal, as are the sect members he leads, none possessing a spirit root. Even if your clansmen could possess them, what use is occupying a body that can’t practice cultivation?"

The shimmering green light on Lu Shaojie’s body suddenly grew lively, and a hoarse voice echoed in Jiang Yuan’s mind, "Friend, truly, no need to spell things out. You cross the line. In nature’s competition, survival of the fittest, we make honest trades with mortals for mutual needs, frequently giving them extra life-buying money. They always take advantage without fulfilling responsibilities; isn’t that unreasonable?"

Evidently, no one else heard this voice, and just then, a system alert popped up.

[Failed to trigger side quest. Reach Level Six courtyard grade for random trigger possibility]

Jiang Yuan glanced at the main quest still stuck there; at least half of the buildings hadn’t reached Level Six. Completing it would take at least a fortnight. Based on the current speed, even if the Lus continue to drag mortals down, a side quest could be triggered before a complete possession, halting things according to system guidance.

With certainty in his heart, Jiang Yuan laughed coldly, "Friend, you are the one mistaken. True fair trade requires no deceit or concealment.

You never told these blindly faithful mortals that the price for receiving granting skills is that after 81 times of this, there will be a spirit exchange, allowing the Green-eyed Fox Race to live safely in the world using human bodies; while their souls wander in the void, possibly dying shortly on your behalf."

The cultivators exchanged glances; Mr. Jiang seemed to be communicating with some formidable entity!

Gosh! Is this the power of a high realm cultivator?

With a mere glance, he sees through the other’s true nature, and not only can negotiate with the possessing being, but also, most crucially, remains patient, even offering earnest advice to save Lu Erxi’s life despite being insulted.

"No, no, no, friend, you’re the one in error." That hoarse voice laughed, "Mortals wish to gain supreme magical power and wealth without labor, so we grant them strength and riches.

Mortals desire everlasting youth, healthy bodies, an ascension to enjoy honor and wealth. We in the Green-eyed Fox Race are all stunning, dwelling in spacious palaces, dressed in fine clothes, and feasting on sumptuous meals; this exchange is precisely what they yearn for, isn’t it?

Furthermore..."

The laughter grew more rampant, "Friend! Do you think that by revealing the truth, they would willingly stop? Of course not. The greedy mortals would resent you for shattering their illusion, and they will continue praying to us."

Jiang Yuan felt the voice echoing in his mind and was suddenly enlightened, "Right, since you can use fragments scattered by chance to pass through worlds, transmitting energy to possess. When your divine soul formally descends, you can use human bodies to find more suitable ones for possession.

Whether or not Lu Erxi and the sect members practice cultivation, it makes no difference to you anyhow. In fact, their limited understanding makes mortals more easily beguiled."