Chapter Nineteen: Soul Extinguishment and Possession

The eerie black orb drifted before Lin Feng, circling to the left and right, clicking its tongue in apparent satisfaction. If only it knew that Lin Feng’s dantian was shattered at this moment, making it impossible for him to condense true energy—what expression would it wear then?

Yao Sansi’s soul circled Lin Feng once and, without hesitation, plunged into the Baihui acupoint atop his head. Now was the perfect opportunity to seize his body; if he waited until Lin Feng awoke, things would become much more complicated.

As Lin Feng diligently absorbed spiritual energy from the world, a mass of black mist suddenly materialized in his sea of consciousness. It occupied the entire space, forcefully compressing his awareness into a single point of light.

"Ah… what’s happening!" He clutched his head in agony, writhing on the ground.

"Heh heh, don’t you recognize me? I just showed off a bit, let you all witness something extraordinary—shouldn’t you thank me?" The strange yet vaguely familiar voice echoed in his mind, startling Lin Feng and sending his feeble soul into a trembling panic.

"Haha, you remember now, don’t you? I am Yao Sansi. Today, I have taken a fancy to your body—it is your fortune earned over three lifetimes. Allow me to familiarize myself with this vessel, and I’ll let you live for half an hour longer..."

Yao Sansi was supremely confident. With his formidable soul, devouring the spirit of a mere Qi Refining disciple was child’s play. The Demonic Art of Soul Seizure required him to consume the opponent’s soul first, then consider the rest. The Carefree Demon Lord, having lived two and a half lifetimes, was too arrogant, and in the very next moment, he fell into utter ruin.

The black mist probed downward along the meridians, intending to explore every corner of the body, to fully appreciate this vessel of exceptional bones and sinews.

"Excellent! Solid meridians, robust physique—far better than I expected..." Yao Sansi praised as he drifted toward the dantian, a key point of his inspection.

Suddenly, a surge of crimson light erupted from the previously tranquil meridians, blazing into a scorching flame!

The red light met the black mist and, like a magnet, clung tightly to it, burning and pulling it downward with relentless force.

"Ah! What is this monstrous thing!" Yao Sansi screamed in agony, struggling like a drowning man in a vast sea, desperately fighting for survival, but an irresistible force tore at his very essence, dragging him toward endless oblivion.

The Manjusaka—the Red Spider Lily, a rare Buddhist flower warding off evil for a thousand years—how could it tolerate the presence of demonic intent? This peerless spiritual treasure was the bane of all evil spirits and corrupted thoughts!

Yao Sansi’s powerful soul resisted at first, but within moments, it was wholly sucked into the crimson vortex. After a few blood-curdling screams, silence fell.

Peace returned within.

No one knows how long passed before Lin Feng’s tiny soul fragment cautiously expanded, eventually filling his entire sea of consciousness. With great effort, he opened his eyes. The moment he awoke, dizziness and weakness overwhelmed him, as if he’d just endured a fierce battle, leaving him utterly drained.

"What happened to me..." His mind was clouded, muddled.

"Was that a dream?" As he gradually recovered, Lin Feng recalled Yao Sansi’s words and immediately checked his body.

"Nothing’s wrong, must have been a nightmare." He got up to check the door and windows, then laughed at himself and lay back down, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Above his dantian, the Manjusaka flower slowly revolved, threads of white light emanating from it. The name and presence of the renowned Carefree Demon Lord were erased from the world in that instant.

The next morning, alchemy resumed on the rear mountain plaza. This time, apart from the sect master Zhuoran, all five alchemists were new faces. The crowd was as large as before, and everyone secretly hoped for more drama—something to gossip about over tea and meals.

The previous night, Lin Feng and his friends had agreed to go watch around dinnertime, so as not to delay their cultivation but still catch the most exciting moments when the pills emerged from the furnace.

While they cultivated, time slipped by like a white colt across a gap. Only when Du Songsong knocked on the door did Lin Feng rouse from his meditation, his eyes flashing with brief brilliance in the darkness.

"Hurry, it’s almost time! Senior sister has already gone to reserve spots," Du Songsong whispered, glancing at the black steed curled at the doorway before grabbing Lin Feng and rushing out.

The rear mountain plaza was sweltering. In addition to the alchemists at the center, four figures stood coldly in midair atop flying swords, their sharp gazes sweeping the grounds like blades.

"Up here!" He Lian Ruxue waved from the old locust tree. Two other disciples had already arrived and were lounging on the branches, boredly watching the beauties below.

Lin Feng climbed up and quietly asked, "Who are those people?"

"After what happened yesterday, the sect master must’ve sent these experts to prevent any mishaps," whispered He Lian Ruxue.

"Oh..." Lin Feng understood.

"Look! They’re about to open the furnace!" Excited shouts rose from the crowd below.

At the center, a man in brocade robes formed a series of hand seals. The pill furnace’s lid flew off and landed nearby. With another seal, a ball of blue fire enveloped the indistinct pills and floated them from the furnace. An elder stepped forward with a golden tray, and at the alchemist’s gesture, every burning pill was transferred perfectly onto the tray.

"The pills are finished!" The brocaded man exhaled in relief. Twelve hundred contribution points earned—not a fortune, but enough for many to scramble for the privilege.

"Many thanks, Elder Cang!" Zhuoran beamed, inclining his head to the alchemist.

"Who is that?" Lin Feng asked.

"No idea, but he seems stronger than that Fang Xiaotian from yesterday," Du Songsong chuckled.

"Quiet, let’s see who the top three are," He Lian Ruxue scolded playfully.

Zhuoran took the tray. As the blue flames faded, the pills were revealed—ivory white, shaped like teardrops, each the size of a thumb, clustered together. Above them, illusory red, yellow, and blue lights intertwined, making all the disciples below yearn with envy.

Another elder from the Creation Hall brought over a tray filled with red-stoppered white porcelain bottles. Together, they efficiently divided the pills into the bottles until all were packed.

"This batch of Three Treasures Agarwood Powder yielded twenty-seven pills. Three will be awarded as prizes for this event; the rest go to the Xuancang Pavilion for future exchanges," Zhuoran announced. "Now, will the top three disciples step forward to receive one pill each."

Here, Zhuoran paused, his gaze sweeping the crowd of outer sect disciples. As expected, the massive square erupted with lively debate—everyone speculating who would win this rare prize.

"Xiao Lin, senior sister, who do you think it will be?" Du Songsong joined the flurry of gossip.

"Who else? Only those three stand a chance," He Lian Ruxue replied, drawing out the word "chance" to the amusement of those nearby.

Lin Feng sighed. "I picked the wrong place, made everyone come back empty-handed. Who knows, maybe we would have gotten a pill."

"Boss, it’s just a pill. Besides, if we hadn’t gone there, we wouldn’t have gotten—"

"Songsong!" Lin Feng interrupted sharply. Others were within earshot, and though they acted indifferent, their ears were perked like rabbits’.

Du Songsong stuck out his tongue and fell silent.

Just then, Sect Master Zhuoran smiled broadly and announced, "Third place in contributions: Luo Shangqing, please step forward for your reward."

Luo Shangqing, beaming, strode forward and accepted the porcelain bottle with trembling hands, unable to tear his gaze away.

"Second place: Nangong Ke, please come forward."

With cheers from the crowd, the dashing Corpse Prince walked up, accepted his bottle, thanked Zhuoran, and returned to his group.

"First place: Hong Yang, please step forward for your reward."

An uproar.

"Hong Yang? Do any of you know who that is?" Lin Feng, like everyone else, was curious about the name.

"Just watch," He Lian Ruxue replied with a smile.

"First place: Hong Yang, please step forward," Zhuoran repeated, but no one came forward.

Now the crowd grew rowdy. To win such a reward and not claim it—was he a fool?

At this moment, a Creation Hall elder quietly approached and whispered something to Zhuoran, whose expression changed slightly as he nodded.

"Very well. As the first place cannot attend to claim the reward, the pill will be kept by the Creation Hall. In six days, the Xuancang Pavilion holds its triennial celebration. All disciples, seize this last opportunity—let’s see what you can do." With that, Zhuoran left the plaza surrounded by the crowd, the four sword-riding experts soaring away. Soon, only the outer sect disciples remained, abuzz with speculation.

"Hong Yang... such a mysterious figure," Lin Feng thought, making a mental note of the name as he and his friends departed.

Many remembered that name that night—perhaps even Hong Yang himself hadn’t anticipated this outcome.

As the final deadline approached, most people frantically formed teams to rush into the Qiyun Mountains, fighting desperately for every last contribution point. Conflict and strife among fellow disciples became common. Amid this chaos, Lin Feng shut himself in and cultivated with madness.

"Alas, the Manjusaka still can’t condense energy—only a pseudo-dantian," Lin Feng wiped his sweat, smiling wryly to himself. "Given my current state, am I at the first Qi Refining layer or the ninth?"

If the Longevity Technique could circulate eighty-one full cycles, he’d reach the peak of the ninth layer of Qi Refining. Now, he could absorb spiritual energy all day without tiring—by rights, only half the technique was complete. With an intact dantian, he was confident he could achieve the eighty-one cycles in one go!

"Since my hope for restoring the dantian lies with the Xuancang Pavilion, I may as well push my spiritual absorption to the limit and see what happens. Will I hit the same bottleneck as before?" Once the thought struck him, he wasted not a second—he opened his heart, drew in spiritual energy without restraint, forging and tempering his body rapidly.

Days passed—the sun rising and setting outside his window—while Lin Feng continued his wild experiment. Normally, he’d rest every hour, but this time, he neglected even food and sleep, obsessed with reaching the limit. The meridians, channels for the body’s energy flow, were essential to all cultivation. Over these two days, the fine white meridians within him nearly doubled in size under the red energy’s stimulus, yet Lin Feng pressed on, heedless.

"Oof..." The swollen meridians, pushed to the brink by this surge of energy, felt ready to burst. Pain wracked his body, sweat streaming down.

"Is this the limit? What would happen if I pushed beyond?" Amid the agony, a wild, reckless idea flashed through his mind.

He intensified his spiritual absorption.

Gritting his teeth, sitting cross-legged, Lin Feng tested his insane theory on the edge of death. As the spiritual energy transformed, the red force expanding his meridians seared through every channel. The pain was excruciating—every inch of his body felt torn apart. Finally, after the second wave of energy thundered in, the overtaxed meridians began rupturing one after another. Unable to endure the torment, he collapsed unconscious onto his bed...

A wet, slippery sensation brushed his cheek. In his stupor, Lin Feng forced his eyes open.

"Whimper..." The black steed wagged its tail and whimpered softly, eyes full of complaint.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot about you. You must be starving." Lin Feng picked it up and spun it around with a laugh.

"Wait, let me check my meridians—how did they recover so quickly? There’s no pain... strange." Lin Feng sat cross-legged and examined his meridians inwardly.

"Ah!" What he saw left him utterly astonished.

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