All the old ancestors from Beyond Heaven sat there like petrified rocks, eyes brimming with an inconceivable glow.

After a long while, an old ancestor of Beyond Heaven asked Li Zhu in a deep voice, "Body takeover? Does that mean occupying someone else's body?"

"I once read a similar mention from an ancient text, claiming that some beings can inhabit human bodies. Appearance, features and all remain unchanged, but the disposition becomes completely different." Another Beyond Heaven ancestor suggested.

Li Zhu nodded, "That's pretty much it."

"Then, is it that you, young master...?" An elder gulped, looking at Li Zhu incredulously.

An elder very close to Li Zhu stared blankly and horrified, "Zhu?"

Li Zhu nodded and smiled, "Of course, it's still me! Otherwise, why would I treat you all so well? And why would I bother to develop our sect?"

Everyone in the room sighed a breath of relief.

This revelation was so unnerving that they had forgotten what had triggered the conversation in the first place.

After a period of silence, someone remembered, "Then, what does this have to do with Qin Xiao from Lonely City?"

"Yeah, could it be... Qin Xiao was also taken over?"

"Is it that bad? Is Returning Ruin that terrifying? True, over the countless years, very few were able to return alive. Yet, we haven't heard any tales of people's disposition drastically changing after they come out."

One of the elders from Beyond Heaven then said, "I don't know if any of you noticed, but after Qin Xiao came out of the Returning Ruin, he seemed somewhat different. He's become much colder; the old Qin Xiao was only arrogant, not cold."

"Now that you mention it, it seems to be true."

"Yes, I had the same feeling, he seems to have grown cold!"

All eyes turned to Li Zhu as the group began to sense that something was awry.

Li Zhu glanced at them and nodded, "Yes, it's true. Qin Xiao was taken over."

The room fell silent as all the Beyond Heaven ancestors sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

Only Li Zhu's voice echoed ominously, "That day, I was drawn to a place by a force. There, a divine sense asked me if I desired a legacy. Heh… What do you think I entered Returning Ruin for?"

One of Beyond Heaven's ancestors sighed, "Of course, it was for the legacy."

Li Zhu nodded, "Of course, the legacy. Who among us mortal realm warriors doesn't want to become a cultivator? Who doesn't want to enter a higher level world? Who doesn't want to live more years? Even if we could only remain in the mortal realm, we'd still want to dominate this world, wouldn't we?"

Li Zhu paused then looked around, "Isn't that right, esteemed ancestors?"

The crowd nodded in agreement.

"Deemed as ascetics by the world, the image we portray is one of monks detached from worldly desires. Yet, as humans, we cannot be without desires and emotions. Moreover, what we Beyond Heaven truly practice is the path of energy gathering! We need women, a lot of women! But all these while, we have been discreet, even creating our sect in the remote and cold Black Tortoise Continent..." Li Zhu trailed off, his gaze burning into each one present, "People on the outside say we endure pain and hardship for self-improvement... To hell with it!"

Gasp!

All of the Beyond Heaven elders exhaled heavily.

Indeed, to hell with it!

If it weren't for fear of being persecuted by the world, who'd want to stay in the freezing Black Tortoise Continent?

"So, when that divine sense asked if I wanted a legacy, of course, I wanted it!" Li Zhu said through gritted teeth, "That divine sense then ordered me to completely open my mind. Fortunately... I was a bit suspicious. Heh, because our Beyond Heaven cultivation methods require the entire surrender of the woman's mind!"

One of the Beyond Heaven Ancestors nodded, "Indeed, that's why we first need to torment the woman continuously, so that her spirit… completely breaks before we can truly gain strength from her."

"Exactly. I felt somewhat strange then, as if... I was being manipulated. Therefore, I didn't heed his words and retained most of my divine sense. As expected... The moment his divine sense stormed into my mind, it attempted to obliterate my sense!" It had been over a year since the incident, but every time Li Zhu recalled it, he still felt an icy dread.

The other elders from Beyond Heaven also felt a chill in their hearts.

They could treat those pitiful women in such a way without feeling remorse, but if someone were to do the same to them... it would certainly be unbearable.

"My divine sense clashed with his enmity immediately... At that time, the thing I appreciated most was our Beyond Heaven cultivation method. While we may not have noticed, our divine senses have actually grown very strong unknowingly. Not many in the Mortal Realm possess a divine sense that is stronger than ours." Li Zhu spoke coldly, "That person, Si Konglang, is a traitor to the Human Clan, who defected to the Demon Clan. His divine sense suffered severely back in the day. To this day... he is facing the imminent danger of complete dissolution. Thus, in the end… I won!"

Despite predicting the outcome, Li Zhu's words brought deep relief to everyone.

"But Qin Xiao... lost!" Li Zhu calmly stated. "When I came out of the secret room, I saw Qin Xiao coming out from another room. One look at his eyes and I knew something was off. If he were really Qin Xiao, the first thing he would do was to accuse me."

"Accuse you?"

"Accuse you of what?"

"What's wrong with you?"

A few elders questioned in confusion.

"When we first entered Returning Ruin, I found Chu Mo and his team too strong. Halfway through the fight, I just fled." Li Zhu chuckled.

"Ha, so that's what happened."

"Clever, young master!"

"That's the way!"

The elders laughed with delight. To them, nothing was more important than their own survival. As for others... What did it matter if they live or die?

Li Zhu continued, "I didn't wait for him to speak, I simply said, 'It's been quite a while since we last met, Mao Litong.' The one who took over Qin Xiao is called Mao Litong! Right after that, 'Qin Xiao' spoke and said, 'Si Konglang, we meet again!'"

"Could Qin Xiao… have been in a similar situation as the young master?" One of the elders speculated.

This suggestion gave others reason to believe there might be a possibility. Perhaps, both parties were harbouring the same intentions, testing each other out.

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I finally returned to the city and I'm exhausted. I need some rest, and I'll be back to normal tomorrow.

Asking for a monthly ticket for encouragement. (To be continued. If you like this story, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users, go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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