Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 73 - 72: Soul Transference and Spirit Seizure

Chapter 73: Chapter 72: Soul Transference and Spirit Seizure

Liu Shuyue opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

The Three Souls and Seven Spirits are innate to every person; they are nourished by the body and simultaneously strengthen it, both of which are inseparable in normal circumstances. After a person dies, the soul persists for a while, just as the body retains some warmth. Ultimately, the body decays and returns to the earth, while the soul transforms into a thread of Spiritual Qi, becoming nourishment for new spiritual seeds.

Only by forcibly endowing an object with a soul does such a situation arise. For example, the God Summoning Technique used by loose cultivators, which attaches the Celestial Soul to a paper effigy to drive it to murder. The moment the technique is interrupted, the Celestial Soul vanishes, and the paper effigy becomes an empty shell.

Because the thing being manipulated is a puppet in itself. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The reason Liu Shuyue hesitated to respond was due to her understanding of the gravity of the situation, which could be significant or trivial!

On a smaller scale, Immortal Masters of the Ning Kingdom degenerated voluntarily, practicing the demonic paths from outside, turning themselves into something neither human nor ghostly.

On a larger scale...

Liu Shuyue couldn’t even dare to think further.

"Why aren’t you speaking?" Liu Zhidong’s voice returned to its initial gentle tone, "Is it because you’re scared? After all, we all are born and raised in the sect, knowing nothing about who our real parents are. If someone were to tamper with our bodies, it could only be—"

"Can you be certain?" Liu Shuyue couldn’t help but interrupt, "Could it be that you were just too heavily wounded at the time and mistook what you saw?"

"Heh... Indeed, such an allegation is quite serious. Let’s continue with my story," Liu Zhidong resumed without taking her skepticism to heart.

"I spent two years recovering from my injuries and then spent a decade traveling through various countries... During that time, I secretly assisted the Liu Family. During this period, an unusual aging process began in me, as if my time was running out. This was far from my expected seventy or eighty years; at this rate, I might only have four or five years left to live."

Liu Shuyue frowned as she listened, "Do you believe this was caused by the sect as well?"

"Who knows." Liu Zhidong replied indifferently, "Just like you have never seen the previous disciples before coming here, I also had never seen prior disciples. Now that I think about it, if a previous disciple was still lingering when the sect reopened after a century, wouldn’t it be awkward? But I suspect there might be deeper reasons behind this, though I have yet to find the answers."

"Given the limited time, with no better options, I had to use myself to verify my earlier assumptions."

Use himself... to verify?

Liu Shuyue instinctively glanced at the mummified corpse.

"That’s right, just as you see." Liu Zhidong laughed again, "I succeeded. With the unconventional method of the Shadow Demon, I exchanged my Three Souls and Seven Spirits with a Demon Fiend and avoided death by using the Golden Toad Shell-Shedding Technique to bypass losing my soul. The mummified corpse on the lotus platform is my proof; when ’I’ died, the shadow demon’s spirit attached to it vanished instantly, leaving an empty body abandoned."

Exchanging souls with a demon?

Liu Shuyue suddenly realized something and quickly lifted her head—

In the boundless darkness, a gigantic figure appeared, nearly merging with the blackness, like a spider with numerous tentacles.

This was the Shadow Demon, a very peculiar demonic creature. It has no physical form and cannot be seen or touched, usually only appearing in people’s nightmares, sustaining itself by devouring emotions. The Shadow Demon could not have appeared in the desolate primordial forests, so it was undoubtedly captured here by Liu Zhidong.

"Absurd... absurd..."

Liu Shuyue suddenly regretted seeking the truth here; what had she been hearing?

To forsake human dignity and merge with demon fiends!

Were these the same outstanding, benevolent fellow disciples she remembered?

"If I were you, I would choose to end it myself right here!" she gritted her teeth.

"No, if I die, all these investigations would just vanish, wouldn’t they?" Liu Zhidong flatly refused, "Of course, I wouldn’t allow myself to remain like this perpetually. In fact, long before the exchange, I made many preparations, like guiding the Liu Family to attract your attention..."

"How could you know of my existence?!" Liu Shuyue angrily interrupted.

"Indeed, quite amazing, isn’t it." Liu Zhidong replied calmly, "I forgot to tell you that during those ten years of travels, I discovered some interesting little secrets, like there were previous disciples with the surname Liu. Besides, the surnames Zhang and Li... they appeared multiple times too."

She was stunned.

"So I had the Liu Family heavily publicize their connection with you... just to pique your curiosity. Be it Liu Da or Liu Er, man or woman, or even whether you were an Immortal Master of Qi Kingdom, it didn’t matter. As long as the news reached your ears, I believed you would visit the Liu Family. After all, we’ve all been born in the sect. How dare a mere local noble pretend to associate with an Immortal Master; is that not courting danger?"

The Shadow Demon lowered itself, its six pairs of scarlet eyes staring at Liu Shuyue, "But what I didn’t expect is how patient you were, arriving here only five years after descending the mountain. You know how anxiously I’ve been waiting; it could be said I’ve been counting the days!"

"And the baby from the Liu Family was you as well—"

"Right, before the mountain gate opened, I had them send away a batch of babies every year, both male and female, otherwise, the Liu family couldn’t maintain this setup."

"Where did the babies go?" Liu Shuyue demanded.

"Maybe they perished on the way. After all, ordinary people can’t trek out of this mountainous and forested region on two legs." The other party said dismissively.

"Enough, you are unworthy to be a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect! This conversation is over; I don’t want to hear another word from you!" She had reached the end of her patience.

"And then? Will you use the Demon-Slaying True Sword to kill me?" The Shadow Demon, its mouth full of jagged teeth, seemed to laugh, "I despise demon fiends more than you, trapped in this cave for untold years; every moment I fantasize about escaping! That’s why I invited you here—Liu Shuyue, you are my new body. I will replace you, become this generation’s disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect, and continue to unveil the sect’s unspeakable secrets!"

"Hand my body to you? No way!"

"It’s not a matter of whether you wish it or not... it’s already happening, see."

The spider’s body climbed up and soon vanished into the darkness. Liu Shuyue was shocked to see her own body started moving! She put down the jade tablet and waved towards him.

Liu Zhidong’s voice echoed again, "You think our conversation just happened; in reality, it’s been five days. This is the ability of the Shadow Demon—to extend dreams and illusions unknowingly. During this period, I’ve been gradually occupying your body."

It’s already... been five days? This isn’t good!

Liu Shuyue’s mind was seized by an overwhelming unease.

"Hm? Are you trying to hide something? Let me see..." Liu Zhidong seemed to sense her emotional shift, "Our souls are now squeezed together; whatever you think, I can feel. Chen Xuan... Who is Chen Xuan? A disciple of this generation of the Lotus Cloud Sect?"

"Get—out—of—me!"

Liu Shuyue burst into an almost uncontrollable shout in her mind!

In an instant, the hand waving paused suddenly, then a hand trembled as it reached for the talisman pouch on her waist.

"How can there be a reaction? You should be completely possessed by me!" Liu Zhidong exclaimed in surprise, then a surge of stronger force took control of the body, "Stop wasting effort! You’ve only been away from the mountain for five years, what makes you think you can surpass my decades of cultivation? Whether it’s the Heart Method, magic, or Talisman Technique, I surpass you by far!"

He finished speaking and took out the Sound Transmission Talisman which Liu Shuyue was trying to use, "You wanted to send a warning to this person, right? Forget it, I never intended to harm him, nor would I hurt anyone you care about. Because starting today, I am Liu Shuyue, and I will cherish everything you own."

"A person like you... has no right to save the world!" Liu Shuyue growled with great effort.

"I don’t, do you?" Liu Zhidong retorted indifferently, "In the end, Aren’t we all puppets manipulated by the sect, even our souls don’t truly belong to us. So what if we kill each other, will the sect care more about you? This century-long ordeal has made me realize a profound truth: I owe Lotus Cloud Sect nothing. From now on, I shall live for myself."

"As for this world... let it rot away!"

As his words fell, the surroundings blurred suddenly; in the next second, the cold and dark cave transformed into an opulently decorated room.

White light shone above, the air was filled with a faint creamy fragrance, and beautiful music was playing in the background.

Liu Zhidong barely had time to react before he found himself standing in front of a man.

The two stared at each other.

Finally, the other party spoke first.

"Are you alright?"