Body Seizure

"A tough nut to crack..."

The Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat's crimson tongue slowly licked across its fangs, its violet pupils reflecting the stubborn figure of that human youth.

The more it saw, the more the killing intent in its chest boiled.

Suddenly, its pupils contracted, and a savage grin split its maw.

"Killing him outright would be a waste..." The demonic tail slapped the ground excitedly as a more venomous thought took root in its mind—what if it could seize this body?

Then it could walk among humans in human form, even infiltrate the Heavenly Realm Division!

Imagining those unsuspecting martial artists being devoured one by one, the demonic cat's fur bristled with excitement.

"Hehehe... Perfect!"

Drool dripped from its gaping, bloody maw as its claws unconsciously scraped the ground.

This flawless plan made it tremble with exhilaration.

Gazing at the wilted Wei Qing, the Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat hesitated no longer. It transformed into a streak of light and plunged into Wei Qing's brow.

Within Wei Qing's sea of consciousness, his Mental Power flickered like a candle flame in a storm, on the verge of extinguishing.

The moment the cat demon's Mental Power surged in—

"Boom!"

A dazzling golden light erupted from the depths of the sea of consciousness, illuminating the entire mental world in an instant.

Amid the boundless golden radiance, a hazy figure of a woman in red robes stood suspended in the air. As her sleeves fluttered, the entire sea of consciousness trembled.

The woman raised a delicate hand, scattering golden starlight across the sky.

Where the light touched the sea of consciousness, it transformed into countless profound Dao patterns. The shattered sea of consciousness healed in an instant, restored to its former state and bathed in a faint golden glow.

"A mere beast dares to covet his body."

Her cool voice was not loud, yet it shook the cat demon's soul form to the brink of collapse.

The demon realized in terror that its soul was trapped like in quicksand, utterly unable to move.

"You... just who are you?"

The woman did not answer. She merely raised a jade finger, a point of cold light gathering at its tip...

"Annihilate."

At that single word, the cat demon's soul form shattered like glass, cracking inch by inch.

"Ahhh—!"

Amid a piercing wail of agony, the Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat's demon soul dissolved into a rain of fluorescent light.

The woman swept her wide sleeve, and those specks of light instantly coalesced into a pure crystal of Mental Power, suspended above the sea of consciousness.

"Enough for a while."

She formed a seal with her hands, and a golden thread connected the light orb to the sea of consciousness.

Pure Mental Power flowed like a gentle stream, slowly nourishing Wei Qing's nearly depleted sea of consciousness.

Having done all this, she looked up, her gaze seeming to pierce through the sea of consciousness toward somewhere outside.

"As for you..."

Outside

Zhu Huan had just regained the ability to move and was about to flee when his entire body suddenly froze stiff.

A phantom figure of a woman slowly materialized before him. The terrifying pressure she radiated was a hundred times stronger than the Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat's!

"Gulp—"

Zhu Huan swallowed hard, his teeth chattering uncontrollably. "I... I don't know... Senior..."

"Sign it."

The woman raised a delicate hand, and a white light descended from the void, materializing into a profound contract floating before Zhu Huan.

Ancient runes flowed across the contract, radiating a law fluctuation that made one's heart tremble.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhu Huan bit his fingertip. The moment his blood dripped onto the contract, the entire scroll erupted in blinding blood-red light, transforming into a streak of light that vanished into his brow.

The Master-Servant Contract was sealed!

At this moment, Zhu Huan felt no fear at all. Instead, he trembled with excitement.

He had never dreamed that a being of such heaven-shaking power would accept him, a mere Seventh-Rank Martial Artist, as a servant.

The woman raised her hand again, and a peaceful golden light enveloped Zhu Huan. The savage demonic markings on his face melted away like spring snow.

What shocked him even more was—

His cultivation had not fallen. On the contrary, under the nourishment of the golden light, it grew even more solid and refined.

Every hidden ailment throughout his body was gone. Every inch of flesh and blood felt reborn, pulsing with jubilant tremors.

"Thank you, Master, for the grace of rebirth!"

Zhu Huan prostrated himself fully, his voice choked with emotion. He knew better than anyone how terrifying those mind-corrupting Demonic Marks truly were.

The shock in Zhu Huan's heart was beyond words. The Demonic Mark hidden danger that had plagued him for so long had been swept away by this master as easily as flicking dust off a sleeve.

"Your true master is him."

The woman's phantom figure pointed a slender finger at the unconscious Wei Qing.

"Your subordinate understands!"

Zhu Huan quickly kowtowed, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

For a being of such transcendent power to go to such lengths to protect him, this youth's origins were likely far more astonishing than he had imagined.

Whether following the one before him or pledging allegiance to Wei Qing, either was a tremendous stroke of fortune for him.

The woman's figure gradually faded, dissolving into a stream of light that sank into Wei Qing's brow.

Zhu Huan immediately straightened his back, standing guard beside Wei Qing like the most loyal of protectors. Even his breathing was deliberately softened, afraid to disturb his master's recovery.

Within the Sea of Consciousness.

Wei Qing's awareness slowly stirred.

He was astonished to find that his Mental Power had not only failed to collapse but had actually condensed even further than before. More crucially—

The Mental Power light orb floating above his Sea of Consciousness was still steadily nourishing and strengthening his mental power.

Wei Qing focused his mind, and the system panel appeared:

code
[Host: Wei Qing]
[Age: 16]
[Realm: Seventh-Rank Martial Artist (Beginner)]
[Mental: 357]
[Strength: 236]
[Physique: 235]
[Martial Skill: Flowing Cloud Slash (Perfected) - Profound Meaning: Lotus Blossom]
[Technique: Nanke's Dream (Minor Mastery)]

Sure enough, his spiritual perception had surged by nearly thirty percent!

Every time that mysterious halo of Mental Power completed a cycle, his Sea of Consciousness solidified a little more.

Wei Qing tried drawing a strand of it into himself, and instantly felt an unprecedented clarity of thought. Even some of the obscure passages in "Nanke's Dream" suddenly became crystal clear.

Even his martial artist realm had risen accordingly to Seventh-Rank Martial Artist.

What exactly had happened?

No!

He jolted awake—he had clearly been locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Four-tailed Spirit Stream Demonic Cat.

The moment he opened his eyes, he found the Blood Moon Space had already dissipated. He was lying in the courtyard of Li Daniu's home.

"Your servant was bewitched and betrayed the human race. Please punish me, Master." Zhu Huan suddenly knelt to confess his guilt, his forehead pressed to the ground.

Master?

Punish?

Wei Qing's brows furrowed tightly. What on earth had happened while he was unconscious?

"Zhu Huan, what exactly is going on?"

"It was like this, Master..."

According to Zhu Huan's account, a mysterious powerhouse had happened to pass by.

They had slain the demonic cat, purified the Demonic Marks, and established a Master-Servant Contract to bind Zhu Huan.

When he reached the crucial part, Zhu Huan's eyes flickered slightly—clearly concealing something.

Wei Qing looked inward at his Sea of Consciousness and indeed found a Master-Servant Contract floating within it. With a single thought, he could decide Zhu Huan's life or death.

He set aside his doubts for now and asked in a low voice, "Are there others in Qingcheng colluding with demons and monsters?"

"There are." Zhu Huan lowered his voice. "The eldest son of the Fang Family... Fang Xiang."

"The Fang Family of Magistrate Fang?" Wei Qing's pupils contracted sharply.

"Exactly."