"Senior Brother, is soul possession common?"
Chu Lingwei thought of herself, realizing she now seemed to have become the Chu Lingwei of the Xuántiān Continent.
"Of course it's not common," Leng Xingzhi's pale lips curved into a faint smile. "Soul possession requires many conditions; it's not something you can do just because you want to."
"Can soul possession be detected?" Chu Lingwei's voice was anxious.
The Xuántiān Continent was home to many powerful beings. The higher their cultivation realm, the more their abilities seemed to intertwine with the Heavenly Dao.
"Soul possession goes against the Heavenly Dao and will not lead one far on the path of spiritual cultivation," Leng Xingzhi's gaze deepened. What exactly was the Heavenly Dao, no one could clarify.
Chu Lingwei's heart skipped a beat. Then, what was she?
"Cough, cough," Leng Xingzhi felt a force surging within him, and a flash of red light flickered in his eyes.
The two small beasts, who had been examining the eighth-tier Rainbow Electric Sable, were suddenly engulfed by a terrifying aura. Startled, they leaped towards Chu Lingwei.
"What's wrong?"
Chu Lingwei heard her Senior Brother cough and was about to step forward to inquire when the two small beasts pounced into her embrace, forcing her to catch them.
"So scary."
"Weiwei, it's dangerous here. Let's leave quickly."
The two small beasts spoke in unison, feeling that the terrifying power could tear them apart.
Chu Lingwei's heart sank. She hadn't sensed any anomaly in her surroundings.
"Senior Brother, how are you?" Chu Lingwei quickly put the two small beasts into her spirit beast pouch and stepped forward to support her Senior Brother's arm. It was then she noticed that his complexion was much worse than before.
"I need to rest. I know a safe place nearby. Let's go there first."
Leng Xingzhi summoned a flying artifact, shrouded it in a barrier, and quickly sped towards the depths of the Ten Thousand Li Forest.
Chu Lingwei stood beside Leng Xingzhi. They passed by several high-tier spirit beasts, none of whom detected their presence, which made Chu Lingwei suspicious.
Before coming to the Ten Thousand Li Forest, she had made sure to understand its dangers. Even experts in the Huàtiān Realm of the Three Heavens Realm had to proceed with caution.
Especially the high-tier spirit beasts here, whose spiritual power rivaled or even surpassed those in the Three Heavens Realm.
Yet, her Senior Brother could move about freely.
Just how terrifying were her Senior Brother's abilities?!
"Junior Sister, the spiritual energy here is abundant. Practice your sword techniques here. There's a valley ahead with spirit beasts around the fifth and sixth tiers. You should be able to handle them."
Leng Xingzhi led Chu Lingwei to a valley and stopped.
Chu Lingwei closed her eyes and probed the surroundings with her spiritual sense. As Leng Xingzhi described, spirit beasts were present, but no high-tier ones. It was perfect for her to hone her sword skills.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
"Mm, I'll go into a cave to recuperate," Leng Xingzhi nodded and entered a cave.
Seeing her Senior Brother leave, Chu Lingwei took out her Ice Jade Frost Sword and began practicing the Nine Heavens Sword Technique.
One month later.
Chu Lingwei held the Ice Jade Frost Sword and thrust it into the head of a fifth-tier bat opposite her, killing it in one strike.
"Weiwei is so amazing."
Feng Ming, seeing Chu Lingwei kill a fifth-tier spirit beast in just two moves, continuously transmitted messages of praise.
Chu Lingwei sheathed her sword. In one month, she had mastered the first three forms of the Nine Heavens Sword Technique. Against a fifth-tier spirit beast, she had an eighty percent chance of winning.
"Where is Mao Mao?"
"He's wandered off somewhere again." Mentioning Illusion Cat, Feng Ming was unhappy. Due to her injuries, she couldn't recover her combat strength.
Illusion Cat, however, could use its illusions to travel anywhere freely, which made Feng Ming slightly displeased.
"Has Senior Brother not come out of seclusion yet?" Chu Lingwei rubbed Feng Ming's fluffy head, knowing she was feeling insecure again, and asked with a smile.
"Not yet."
Feng Ming nuzzled Chu Lingwei's hand, her voice soft and a little pouty. "Weiwei, the spirit beasts in this valley are no longer your match. Are we going to stay here forever?"
Chu Lingwei urgently needed to improve her combat ability. With no opponents here, she should find a place that could challenge her more.
"Senior Brother is injured, so of course, we have to wait for him to come out of seclusion."
Her Senior Brother had brought her to the Ten Thousand Li Forest, and she couldn't possibly abandon him and leave alone.
That would be too selfish.
Suddenly, Chu Lingwei felt a pang in her heart, and her brow furrowed. "Mao Mao is in trouble."
Illusion Cat and she were telepathically linked. If he encountered danger, Chu Lingwei would feel it immediately.
"What happened to him?" Feng Ming's small body tensed. That pesky cat was in danger.
"Mm, I'll leave a message for Senior Brother. We're going to save Mao Mao first."
Chu Lingwei left a message for her Senior Brother and then took Illusion Cat onto the divine-grade flying artifact.
This was the inner region of the Ten Thousand Li Forest, filled with high-tier spirit beasts. They couldn't reveal the slightest bit of their presence.
Meanwhile.
"Huh, it's a fifth-tier spirit cat."
In the deepest part of the forest, a man around twenty years old stared at the Illusion Cat in a cage, surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Zuo Yi, is it hiding its spiritual power?" Zuo Aoran fiddled with the demon-binding rope in his hand, a confident smirk on his lips. A mid-tier spirit beast daring to appear in the depths of the Ten Thousand Li Forest must possess special abilities.
"Replying to Master, this subordinate cannot tell," Zuo Yi's eyes flashed with a green light as he scanned the Illusion Cat. There was no change, and he replied respectfully.
Zuo Aoran chuckled softly and tightened the demon-binding rope around the Illusion Cat's neck, lifting it into the air.
"Little spirit cat, how about becoming my spirit beast?"
Illusion Cat struggled violently, but it couldn't break free from the man's demon-binding rope.
"Oh, I see rejection in your eyes," Zuo Aoran chuckled lowly. A spirit beast with awakened sentience made him even more interested. Suddenly, his expression changed, and his sinister gaze swept into the Illusion Cat's eyes. "There is only one outcome for those who dare to defy me."
"Ugh."
Chu Lingwei's chest tightened. She felt an invasive force surge towards her.
"Weiwei, what's wrong?" Feng Ming felt Chu Lingwei's abnormality. Her small body suddenly grew larger, shielding Chu Lingwei behind her.
"Someone is pressuring Illusion Cat. Let's hurry." Chu Lingwei increased their speed, only to realize they were about to exit the inner region.
"There are experts in the Huàtiān Realm ahead."
Feng Ming felt the aura of powerful beings approaching and tensed up. "There are five of them."
"Feng Ming, conceal our aura."
Chu Lingwei's body turned cold. Four Huàtiān Realm experts, she was no match for them.
Only by wit could she succeed.
Chu Lingwei used her spatial abilities to conceal their presence and slowly approached Illusion Cat's location.
She saw four Huàtiān Realm experts standing in four directions, with a young man in the center. In the air before him, the trapped Illusion Cat was suspended.
"Illusion Cat looks very pained," Feng Ming, seeing Illusion Cat hanging in the air, bound by a thin thread, had worry in its eyes.