Chasing

"What am I doing? Naturally, it's Body Seizure!" the Black Robe Old Man's voice turned cold. His eyes were tightly shut, and his originally emaciated, heavily injured body was devoid of life.

Lu Xiaotian's mind went blank, and his vision turned dark.

His sight cleared again, revealing a hazy white mist. The ground was bare sand and soil. In the distance, a misty space stretched out, unclear and without end.

Why have I come to this strange place again? Lu Xiaotian was surprised, but he quickly remembered the Black Robe Old Man. Lu Xiaotian shouted, "What is Body Seizure?"

"Body Seizure means devouring your Primordial Spirit and taking over your body. Good Disciple, come into my mouth quickly. I've taken a Soul Condensing Fruit this time. If you are swallowed by me, you will retain a considerable amount of Spiritual Power within your Soul. Once I devour you, we will become one. By taking over your body, I will be able to successfully reach Foundation Establishment in no time, and I will have ample time to verify the Golden Core Great Dao."

A sinister and presumptuous voice drifted over. If other cultivators heard the name Soul Condensing Fruit, they would likely be terrified. This fruit had been extinct in the Cultivation World for many years, and even Golden Core Ancestors could not easily obtain it. Yet, a peak Qi Refining Stage cultivator like the Black Robe Old Man had it in his possession. This person's encounters were truly incredibly strange.

Ordinary Body Seizure involved forcefully devouring the opponent's Primordial Spirit, which would usually have some side effects. However, after consuming this fruit, the side effects could be minimized, and the opponent's Primordial Spirit's power could be absorbed to the greatest extent.

However, this effect was mutual; the other party could also absorb his Primordial Spirit to use as their own. Of course, this situation was nonexistent in the Black Robe Old Man's eyes. How could a mere Qi Refining First Layer fellow be his opponent?

"Old geezer, you son of a bitch, you never had good intentions. May you die a terrible death!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaotian was instantly enraged. This Old Monster's intentions were so malicious. He had tricked him back to the Cave Mansion, and he had foolishly helped the Old Monster prepare everything. He was truly an idiot, pushing himself into a fiery pit.

"Hmph, you're someone who doesn't even know which element your Spiritual Root belongs to. If I hadn't taught you the Primordial Scripture, you'd still be a Menial Laborer in a third-rate secular Sect, only able to fetch water and chop wood your entire life. If I had any other choice now, I wouldn't even look down on your inferior Spiritual Root! It's your good fortune to be chosen by me. Come obediently and let me swallow you, and I'll give you a quick end. If you anger me, I'll extract your soul and refine your spirit, making you taste all the pain and regret coming into this world," the Black Robe Old Man said fiercely.

"Old geezer, no need for your empty threats. If you have the guts, come over yourself. This young master isn't afraid of you." Lu Xiaotian had been very afraid of the Black Robe Old Man before, but now that death was inevitable, if he couldn't win, couldn't he at least curse him?

"Boasting with your tongue, utterly arrogant. Do you think the water you soaked in was for bathing? That was Soul Locking Soup. Once you soak in it, your Spiritual Sense will be unable to escape your body. I'll see how long you can hide," the Black Robe Old Man laughed triumphantly, his Primordial Spirit searching step by step.

This Black Robe Old Man was truly meticulous and extremely insidious, having planned this long ago. Lu Xiaotian was both shocked and angry, yet still helpless against the Black Robe Old Man. The Old Monster's methods were completely beyond his imagination. No wonder he had been unwilling to teach him any skills before; he was afraid that once Lu Xiaotian learned them, he would pose a threat to the Black Robe Old Man.

Run, even if I die, I can't let this Black Robe Old Man succeed so easily. He desperately tried to fly away.

"Huh? What kind of ghost place is this? It looks somewhat similar to a canyon?"

Lu Xiaotian felt his body was very light, floating and drifting. With a single thought, he could float several feet, even dozens of feet. Before Lu Xiaotian could be surprised for long, the Black Robe Old Man's sharp laughter reached his ears, "Good Disciple, where are you going?"

"It's that old beast." Lu Xiaotian concentrated his gaze and saw a faint, insubstantial silhouette, not solid, identical to the Black Robe Old Man's gloomy appearance. Who else could it be? It looked somewhat like the ghostly state described in common folk tales, with a body that floated and drifted.

What terrible luck, Lu Xiaotian lamented inwardly, but he would never sit idly by. From their previous conversation, he now understood that this was the Black Robe Old Man's Spiritual Soul, or from a cultivator's perspective, his Primordial Spirit would be a more fitting term.

Lu Xiaotian desperately fled into the distance, while the Black Robe Old Man pursued him with confidence. Although he didn't know why he had come to this inexplicable place, this brat had soaked in his Soul Locking Soup. With his low cultivation at the Qi Refining First Layer, he absolutely couldn't escape his grasp.

"Brat, stop! If you run again, don't blame me for being impolite."

After chasing each other in the mist for a while, the Black Robe Old Man said with some exasperation.

"Old geezer, this young master won't stop here for you to kill. If you have the ability, come and chase me yourself." Lu Xiaotian retorted without yielding. The chase had given him some confidence; the Black Robe Old Man's Primordial Spirit didn't seem much faster than him. As long as he kept running, the other party might not be able to catch up.

"It seems I need to teach you a lesson, or you won't know my power!" The Black Robe Old Man was furious. If he used too powerful a spell, he might accidentally scatter Lu Xiaotian's Primordial Spirit to oblivion. It was enough to just block this fellow. The Black Robe Old Man chanted incantations, and his Primordial Spirit thinned slightly.

Lu Xiaotian was fleeing with all his might when a yellowish-brown shield suddenly appeared before his eyes. Startled, he didn't have time to swerve and crashed headfirst into the Earth Shield. He was immediately dizzy and his ears rang.

"Heh heh," a triumphant, sinister laugh echoed, much closer than before.

Lu Xiaotian's heart trembled. He suppressed the discomfort in his Spiritual Sense and, bypassing the Earth Shield, desperately tried to flee into the distance. The Black Robe Old Man's methods were completely beyond his imagination. Only by distancing himself from this terrifying fellow could he have a sliver of hope.

The Black Robe Old Man said triumphantly, "Little fellow, you can't escape. If I weren't afraid of destroying your Primordial Spirit, a Fireball Technique could have made you vanish from body and soul. But even so, if I cast two more Earth Shield Techniques, I can catch up to you. Stay put obediently and let me devour your Primordial Spirit, and you can avoid much unnecessary pain."

"Screw your mother's dog-sh*t."

He was clearly trying to harm him, yet he spoke so righteously. The sheer shamelessness! Lu Xiaotian was furious but helpless against the Black Robe Old Man, who was far too powerful.

Although he still tried his best to escape, his heart was filled with despair. The distance between them was steadily closing. The Black Robe Old Man cast another Earth Shield Technique. The two Primordial Spirits, one large and one small, were now only a few dozen feet apart.

Lu Xiaotian fled forward solely on a surge of anger, refusing to let the Old Monster succeed easily. In his haste, Lu Xiaotian failed to notice a wisp of mist, like fine silk, drifting towards his Primordial Spirit within the hazy fog.

"Heh heh, I'm about to catch you. Ouch!"

A cry of pain sounded from behind. Lu Xiaotian, surprised, looked back. The Black Robe Old Man's ferocious face was now within reach, his mouth opening to bite him. Lu Xiaotian was startled, but seeing that the Black Robe Old Man seemed to have hit a wall, Lu Xiaotian was surprised again. Only then did he notice that between him and the Black Robe Old Man, a protective barrier, seemingly condensed from mist, had appeared. To be precise, he was now enclosed within this mist barrier, separating him from the Black Robe Old Man.

"What the hell is this mist barrier? Why can you control it?" the Black Robe Old Man exclaimed in exasperation, also filled with disbelief. With his many years of experience in the Cultivation World, he had never heard of such a strange situation occurring within someone's Sea of Consciousness. He had also researched the experiences of others in Body Seizure and made preparations, so why had previous accounts never mentioned such an anomaly?

"I just can, old geezer, what are you going to do about it? Come and bite me." Seeing that the Black Robe Old Man couldn't get through after several attempts, Lu Xiaotian's heart settled, and he taunted him.