Wu Yu hurriedly nodded, his eyes full of eagerness. "Exactly!"
"This Corpse Puppet's body was refined by this junior. It has an innate connection to my soul. As long as its consciousness is erased, I can take over directly. There'll be no need to waste time searching for a new body!"
Hearing this, Luo Chuan's gaze fell on the Corpse Puppet, trembling in the grip of the giant hand in the Void. Faint ripples of spiritual power shimmered at his fingertips.
The Corpse Puppet immediately sensed the mortal threat and struggled frantically. Its hoarse voice was full of pleas. "Spare me, senior! I'll submit! I'll serve you faithfully! Please don't erase my consciousness!"
Luo Chuan ignored its pleas and turned to A-Dai. "You've seen Wu Yu's karmic ties too. Once today's business is settled, come back with me to the Hengyue Sect and devote yourself to cultivation."
A-Dai nodded vigorously, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed three times before Luo Chuan. His face was full of resolve. "This disciple pays his respects to Master!"
Only after A-Dai had agreed did Luo Chuan turn his gaze back to the Corpse Puppet. Spiritual power surged from his fingertips.
The Corpse Puppet let out a shrill scream. Black qi instantly dispersed from its body, and its eyes, once filled with ferocity, turned blank and lifeless. Its consciousness was completely erased, leaving only an intact body slumped in the giant hand in the Void.
Seeing that the Corpse Puppet had gone still, Wu Yu was so excited his voice trembled.
"Thank you, senior! Thank you for granting my wish!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wu Yu didn't hesitate. His Nascent Soul transformed into a streak of light and shot straight into the Corpse Puppet's body.
A moment later, the Corpse Puppet slowly opened its eyes. Its aura had yet to stabilize completely, but the soul fluctuations that belonged to Wu Yu were already unmistakable.
Wu Yu moved his new body, feeling the familiar yet strange power within, then bowed deeply to Luo Chuan.
"Senior, I'll never forget your great kindness! From this day on, the entire Corpse Yin Sect will follow the Hengyue Sect's lead!"
Luo Chuan gave a faint nod and turned toward the cave's exit. "There's no need for formalities. I'll visit the Corpse Yin Sect in person one day. Remember to have everything prepared."
Wu Yu nodded and clasped his hands toward Luo Chuan's departing figure, offering his flattery.
"Farewell, senior!"
Hengyue Sect, bamboo grove behind the mountain.
Luo Chuan sat in a chair and waved his right hand. A scroll of cultivation techniques, entirely ocher-colored, appeared before A-Dai.
"This technique is a special cultivation method of the Immortal Remnant Clan. Go ahead and practice it."
"The Immortal Remnant Clan?" A-Dai asked, his face full of confusion. "Master, why aren't you having this disciple practice the Hengyue Sect's techniques? Why the Immortal Remnant Clan's instead?"
A-Dai's memories were sealed, so he had no idea what the Immortal Remnant Clan was. Still, he could tell that this cultivation method didn't seem to belong to any sect in the various nations.
Luo Chuan swirled the teacup in his hand and replied calmly, "Just do as I've instructed. You needn't concern yourself with anything else. Once your senior sister finishes her retreat, I'll introduce the two of you."
A-Dai glanced at the technique in his hands and nodded. Then he ran toward the mountain behind them, eager to master it as soon as possible.
Luo Chuan swirled his teacup and murmured to himself, "After the Outer Realm Battlefield ends, I'll find a chance to undo the talismans on A-Dai."
"Once they're undone, I'll go to the Immortal Remnant Clan to find the Reincarnation Fruit and increase his strength. That should let me restore A-Dai's cultivation to the Yingbian Realm in a short time."
Luo Chuan looked at the clear tea in his hand. He was just about to go cultivate when he sensed a peculiar energy fluctuation coming from a nearby room.
"This energy... could it be..."
Luo Chuan appeared instantly in the room where Liu Mei was staying. The moment he pushed open the door, an extremely dense pink mist filled the once-quiet room.
Looking at the pink mist filling the room, Luo Chuan's expression shifted slightly. This mist contains an aura that makes cultivators restless.
Just as Luo Chuan was about to leave the room, a pair of jade hands suddenly settled on his shoulders. An even stronger, sweet fragrance, mingled with a creamy scent, washed over him, intoxicating the senses.
The moment Liu Mei tried to draw closer, Luo Chuan appeared in front of her. His large hand seized her by the neck and lifted her bodily into the air.
A powerful wave of force swept through the room, instantly tearing Liu Mei's thin clothes to shreds and revealing her crystalline skin.
"You're not her."
Luo Chuan could easily sense that the aura coming from the Liu Mei before him didn't belong to her, but to another of Mu Bingmei's clones.
Liu Mei's lips curved into a smile. She extended her rosy tongue and lightly licked the web of Luo Chuan's right hand. "Don't you like me like this, Master?"
Luo Chuan released Liu Mei's neck and said coldly, "You suddenly took over her consciousness. Are you trying to seize this sovereign's Dao-imprint?"
Liu Mei didn't care that she was exposed. Instead, she stepped toward Luo Chuan, a seductive smile curving her lips.
"Master, I am Liu Mei, and Liu Mei is me. How could I possibly seize your Dao-imprint?"
Liu Mei leaned against Luo Chuan, rubbing her bewitching body against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and blew a warm breath against his cheek.
Her warm breath, carrying a cloying fragrance, brushed past his ear. Liu Mei's soft fingertips traced his wrist, her voice deliberately sweet and gentle.
"Master always says I'm not her, but my heartbeat, my warmth, and... my feelings for you—how could any of those be false?"
Liu Mei rose onto her tiptoes, her rosy lips almost touching Luo Chuan's jaw. Her fingertips slipped through the opening of his robe and brushed his warm skin, deliberately slowing their movement.
"Look. Every inch of this body is longing for you to touch it, Master."
The pink mist seemed to grow denser with her every movement, winding around the hems of their clothes. Liu Mei nestled into Luo Chuan's arms, her soft body pressed tightly against him. Her voice dropped lower, laced with a tempting gasp.
"If you don't believe me, why not see for yourself... and find out whether there's any difference between me and her?"
Liu Mei's fingertips lightly caressed the spot over Luo Chuan's heart. Her eyes glistened as a sly smile played on her lips. "There's no one else in this room, after all. Whatever you do, Master, no one will ever know..."
"Silence!"
Luo Chuan's right hand clenched abruptly. In an instant, surging spiritual power scattered the mist throughout the room. Liu Mei let out a scream and collapsed to the ground.
Even the sky above the entire Hengyue Sect gathered a vast surge of energy at that moment, as though it threatened to destroy everything.
Liu Mei glared viciously at Luo Chuan and clenched her jade hands. "Luo Chuan, do you really think you can rest easy?"
"This sovereign's affairs are no business of anyone else. Liu Mei is my disciple. As for anyone else who wants to possess her, they don't have the ability."