Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Art of Spirit Possession

"Ice Howl, for now, you’ll have to enter the Spirit Beast Pouch. I’ll figure out a way to get you out later," Lin Yanghao said, taking out the Spirit Beast Pouch gifted to him by the Spirit Master. Since Ice Howl couldn’t go directly into the Chaos Ring, Lin Yanghao decided to let him enter in another form.

"How could you expect me, once a noble celestial beast, to stay in such a lowly thing?" Ice Howl protested, recoiling as Lin Yanghao revealed the pouch, adamantly refusing to comply.

"If you won’t go in, you can stay here, or try your luck breaking through Dragon Martial Continent again. Maybe you’ll get lucky and make it out," Lin Yanghao replied, smiling ambiguously, waiting for Ice Howl’s answer.

But Ice Howl was powerless to resist. Lin Yanghao’s words left him with no temper, and he reluctantly entered the Spirit Beast Pouch.

Lin Yanghao wasn’t certain whether the Chaos Ring could contain the Spirit Beast Pouch. If it couldn’t, Ice Howl might die. Yet, without another way to carry him out, Lin Yanghao found himself at an impasse.

Clenching his teeth, he finally tossed Ice Howl, now inside the pouch, into the Chaos Ring.

Activating the teleportation array, Lin Yanghao felt a pang of sorrow—he had lost Feng Shihan here once. Shaking off his memories, Lin Yanghao used his spiritual sense to contact Ice Howl within the Chaos Ring.

"Hey, Ice Howl, are you alright?" Lin Yanghao asked.

"Hmph! Try being locked in this pitch-black pouch yourself!" came Ice Howl’s reply. Lin Yanghao chuckled, thinking how childish Ice Howl still was despite centuries of life.

Relieved that Ice Howl was safe, the tension in Lin Yanghao’s heart finally eased.

...

"Lin Yanghao, let me out! I can’t stand another moment in this damned place!" By now, Lin Yanghao had safely returned to the Spirit Realm, but he had yet to release Ice Howl, who complained incessantly along the journey.

Yet Lin Yanghao ignored him. The entire southern region of the Spirit Realm was fraught with danger—parading Ice Howl around would only invite trouble. Keeping him in the Spirit Beast Pouch was the best option, and Lin Yanghao could act more freely alone.

Back in the southern region, Lin Yanghao’s first destination was the Seven Luminaries Sect. There lay a treasure he coveted: the superior spiritual vein hidden beneath the sect, along with many lesser veins. If he could obtain the superior vein, his cultivation would accelerate greatly. Even knowing the sect was dangerous, the temptation was too great, and Lin Yanghao decided to risk it.

Along the way, he encountered numerous low-level spirit beasts. At first, he paid them little mind—after all, the southern region was now the domain of spirit beasts, so their presence was normal.

Soon, however, he noticed something unusual. Every beast he met was of the lowest grade; not a single higher-level beast crossed his path.

"So much has happened lately that I’ve neglected my Divine Possession technique," he thought, finding a nearby cave and retrieving various spirit beast blood stored in the Chaos Ring.

He took out his usual wooden tub, poured in the beast blood, and prepared for practice.

The Divine Possession technique stimulated one’s potential through spirit beast blood, enabling a rapid surge in power—a method of unlocking hidden abilities.

Following the technique’s instructions, Lin Yanghao immersed himself in the blood and began cultivating.

His true essence slowly flowed from his dantian, circulating through his meridians, pores opening as energy moved in a complete cycle.

A piercing pain gripped him—now, he understood the severity of this method; it was truly a life-or-death gamble. He wondered whether others cultivated the Divine Possession technique in such a way.

If not for the miraculous Chaos Divine Spirit Method and the abundance of true essence in his dantian, he would have certainly perished.

Unbeknownst to him, the technique required the beast blood to be diluted—but every misfortune carried its own blessing.

...

"Ah! Just a bit longer—I’m almost there!" Lin Yanghao had been immersed in the blood for an entire day, feeling like he was burning in flames, his consciousness growing numb.

At dawn, he opened his eyes and found himself still in the tub. An overwhelming stench assaulted him, nearly suffocating him.

He leapt out, his body reeking, and quickly found a small river to wash.

"Hey, Da Zhuang, have you heard? All the celestial masters are gone from the continent now," Lin Yanghao overheard as he bathed, startled by the conversation and quickly diving underwater.

Seeing the newcomers were ordinary people, he relaxed. It seemed the withdrawal of cultivators from the Spirit Realm had stirred resentment among mortals. Who could understand the hardships of cultivation? If he could choose again, Lin Yanghao might abandon the path altogether and live peacefully with Feng Shihan in Dragon Martial Continent.

"Celestial masters? What a joke—they’re just a bunch of cowards! Sun Xuan, you still want to cultivate? I say they’re not just cowards, but hypocrites too!" Da Zhuang, a young man, shouted angrily.

"Don’t say that, Da Zhuang. Maybe the celestial masters have their reasons," Sun Xuan replied timidly, seeing his friend’s agitation.

Lin Yanghao closed his eyes, reflecting on the scenes he had experienced in the world of cultivation: brothers, fathers, lovers turning against each other for resources, endless strife. Maybe cultivators truly were as these youths said—though surely most were good, or else how would humans differ from bandits?

"Ah! Da Zhuang! Don’t die! Damn you, monster—I'll fight you to the death!" As Lin Yanghao meditated in the water, Sun Xuan’s anguished cry suddenly echoed from above.