You Call This Possession?

Clear spiritual energy merged with the frigid wind, pouring through the narrow stone window into the inner room with a desolate whistling sound.

Everything had happened too quickly, and too absurdly, leaving Xiao Bai rooted to the spot, unable to react for a moment.

To be honest, when he first heard the words "soul seizure," Xiao Bai had been somewhat flustered.

If I, a proud transmigrator, got my soul seized, wouldn't people laugh their teeth out?

But on closer thought, something was clearly wrong.

Leaving aside how a mortal who had not even reached Qi Condensation could seize his soul, Xiao Bai had not seen any spell or sensed any flow of spiritual power. There was only a foul-smelling hand loosely clutching his wrist.

The talismans pasted onto Senior Brother Li's arm looked like ghostly scribbles scrawled at random...

You called this possession?

Behind him, someone was even telling him to wake up.

You had not even seen my face, yet you were telling me to wake up?

Xiao Bai understood in an instant.

You people did not have the ability to possess someone, but you certainly had the ability to kill with a borrowed knife under the guise of possession—and plenty of it!

Xiao Bai shook his head, utterly unsurprised, finding it only ridiculous.

The only thing that saddened him was... Senior Brother Li had already died.

Those ghostly talisman papers pasted to his arm might have merely been used to control the corpse, making it speak and write letters.

As he thought this, the talismans suddenly ignited without fire, swallowing up the arm.

In the blink of an eye, Senior Brother Li's corpse had been burned to ashes.

Having personally witnessed his close friend's cremation, Xiao Bai's guilt swiftly transformed into fury.

He slowly turned around.

Zhao Hanwu, who had always been hunched over with a face like a shriveled plum, now stood straight as a green bamboo, sword in hand and killing intent in his eyes.

Forget over a hundred years old... he looked no more than fifty or sixty.

With that murderous look, you were telling me to wake up?

Heh.

Besides Zhao Hanwu, two burly servant laborers whom Xiao Bai did not recognize had rushed in.

The moment they entered the inner room, they raised their Bamboo Cutting Knives at Xiao Bai and cursed without explanation:

"Bold Li Feiyu! Driven by jealousy, you possessed Martial Uncle Xiao! Hand over your life!"

This tactic... was brilliant.

Xiao Bai could not help sighing. To dare pull such a stunt in broad daylight within the Snow Flame Sect showed just how lofty the status of the person backing them was.

Fortunately, the Demoness who did not care about laws was secretly protecting him, so he was not afraid either.

"Even if I gave you ten thousand times the courage, you would not dare lay a hand on an elder's Dao companion. Speak—who ordered you to do this!"

Xiao Bai's face darkened as he shouted furiously.

A chill appeared on Zhao Hanwu's face. He enunciated each word and raised his voice deliberately, ensuring that the servant laborers watching outside could hear.

"This old man does not believe that after merely three days on Hundred Herbs Peak, Martial Uncle Xiao could possess such dominance. You must have just been possessed by that traitor—Li Feiyu, surrender at once!"

Zhao Hanwu had lived for over a hundred years and was cautious by nature. Though his Qi Condensation cultivation utterly crushed Xiao Bai's, he had not acted personally to kill Xiao Bai in an instant.

He feared that the Pill Elder might have given Xiao Bai some special means to preserve his life or counterkill, putting himself in danger.

So he had sent the two burly servant laborers in first, to test whether Xiao Bai had any hidden trump cards.

"Finish this quickly!"

The two burly men did not hesitate. With blades in hand, they pounced on Xiao Bai together.

Rather than retreat, Xiao Bai stepped forward and abruptly drew his sword.

Shhk—

A flash of icy sword light skewered both men together.

The two laborers were still dazed, looking at each other.

They felt no pain. Only when they tried to swing their blades did they realize their bodies no longer belonged to them.

Xiao Bai withdrew his sword.

The white sword went in, and the white sword came out.

Not a drop of blood was seen, yet they were already dead, collapsing limply to the ground with a thud.

Xiao Bai pointed his sword at Zhao Hanwu.

"It is not too late to answer my question now."

Zhao Hanwu saw through Xiao Bai's intimidation at a glance.

The sword technique was indeed not bad, but it was still not enough to kill an experienced Qi Condensation cultivator.

The more the other party tried to intimidate him, the more it showed his weakness.

Besides, Zhao Hanwu had no other choice. If he did not kill Xiao Bai, he himself would die.

"The talisman pasted to your sword hilt is exactly the same as the one on Li Feiyu's arm just now. Poor Martial Uncle Xiao was actually possessed by a wolf-hearted, dog-lunged wretch like you... This old man shall personally cut you down and avenge Martial Uncle!"

This little old man was really deep in character!

Xiao Bai was so moved he nearly cried.

Come to think of it, Xiao Bai himself did not know exactly how much Combat Power he possessed, or whether he could defeat Zhao Hanwu.

At this moment, was Senior Sister Mu Yun truly protecting him in secret? Would something unexpected happen, or had she encountered the enemy's main force?

Xiao Bai was not certain of any of that.

Outside the Healing Cave, dozens of servant laborers held their breath as they watched. At most, they could serve as witnesses by ear; no one dared enter to save him.

Xiao Bai could only grit his teeth and charge ahead.

Zhao Hanwu struck first. Sword in his right hand, he somehow kneaded a palm-sized round fireball out of thin air with his left.

The fireball spun by itself, its center ringed with flaming blades. It spun faster and faster as it shot straight toward Xiao Bai.

A Fireball Technique fused with a spiraling sphere?

Who would have thought? This little old man's cultivation was mediocre, but his spell was pretty damn impressive.

Xiao Bai cleaved the fireball apart with a single stroke, leaning forward as he thrust straight at Zhao Hanwu.

Zhao Hanwu stood like a pine tree and met the sword head-on.

Azure flames suddenly ignited along his blade!

Clang—

The two swords collided.

Xiao Bai lacked strength. Fire spiritual energy invaded his body, scorching his organs until they boiled, and blood filled his mouth.

Fortunately, it was magical damage rather than physical damage. Xiao Bai managed to steady himself and endure through gritted teeth.

He directly retrieved a Blood Spirit Pill from the Modifier's Item Bar to restore his health on the spot, without needing to use his hands.

Then his body twisted sharply. Xiao Bai slid with the momentum using the Butcher's Sword Technique—

Severing Zhao Hanwu's sword-wielding right hand.

"Aah!"

Zhao Hanwu screamed and hurriedly stepped back, opening the distance between himself and Xiao Bai.

The fireball that had earlier been cleaved into two had already merged back into one, rushing at Xiao Bai from behind.

Xiao Bai instantly caught fire.

He hurriedly stripped off his Deacon's Robe, then, wearing only his shirt, slashed his sword toward Zhao Hanwu!

After losing his right arm, Zhao Hanwu's balance had plummeted. He did not dare engage Xiao Bai in close combat.

He could only widen the distance once more!

Forming hand seals with one hand, he controlled his sword from afar, sending it stabbing toward Xiao Bai.

Whoosh—

At the Qi Refining Realm, controlling a sword in flight was passable, but when it came to killing someone from afar, its force and agility were far inferior.

Xiao Bai moved like a ghost. Without slowing down, he angled aside to evade the flying sword, then leaped and stabbed at Zhao Hanwu again.

"You fell for it."

As a Qi Refining cultivator, Zhao Hanwu far surpassed Xiao Bai in both speed and strength.

The flying sword was merely a feint.

Before Xiao Bai's blade could reach him, Zhao Hanwu had already prepared his left hand, curling it into a vicious claw.

Instead of retreating, he advanced. Taking one step forward with his left foot, he drove his left hand through Xiao Bai's left chest and heart.

For a mortal still in the Fetal Breath Realm, having one's heart crushed meant certain death.

But Xiao Bai was no ordinary mortal. He was a mortal with an alchemy goddess for a wife.

The Heart-Returning Powder suddenly took effect.

Extending Xiao Bai's life...

Only then did Xiao Bai recover his senses. With a horizontal slash, he cut Zhao Hanwu in two at the waist.

This time, blood bloomed as brilliantly as fireworks.

Having solo-killed a Qi Refining cultivator, Xiao Bai, whose heart was still recovering, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He immediately took out a Blood Spirit Pill, stuffed it into Zhao Hanwu's mouth, and said in a low voice:

"Tell me who is behind this, and you can still live."

At death's door, Zhao Hanwu thought hazily:

Some people can live even after their hearts are crushed. I only lost half my body—why can't I live?

"It was..."

Unfortunately, he did not know that someone had long ago placed a Word Spirit Curse inside his skull.

Before he could finish speaking, the Word Spirit Curse exploded with a roar.

His head was gone, and Xiao Bai's face was splattered with blood.

At the same time!

A Sleeve Arrow shot swiftly through the stone window.

Carrying the spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment Stage, it silently stabbed straight toward Xiao Bai's dantian.