Hidden from sight, Ye Chen observed from a distance. When he activated his Heavy Pupil, everything about the old woman became clear to him. The old woman appeared to be younger than the Sect Master of Green Cloud Sect. However, her vitality was severely depleted. She seemed like she could only live for another ten or so years at most.

This wasn't uncommon. Many demonic cultivation techniques were designed for rapid results, using venomous and ruthless methods that yielded great power. But they all came at the cost of one's lifespan.

Often, cultivators had no choice but to use them in order to break through. This wasn't exclusive to the demonic path. Many lone cultivators, too, had to use techniques or spirit materials with severe side effects to break through. But this often led to many consequences.

For example, their lifespans wouldn't match up to their peers, and they would enter a period of decline much earlier than normal. The old woman before him was likely one of these cases.

From her words, Ye Chen roughly understood what was happening. The old woman was attempting to possess someone's body. No wonder, back in the Foundation Establishment secret realm, the disciple of the former sect leader had warned Su Yuxuan to be cautious of her master before he died.

In the cultivation world, body possession was actually a very difficult feat. That's why it was so rare. There were many restrictions.

For example, a person with a low spiritual root couldn't possess someone with a higher spiritual root. And if the roots were different, they had to be of the same attribute. If they didn't match, forcing the possession would result in an immediate explosion.

Furthermore, depending on the type of spiritual root, different spirit liquids had to be used, making it a very tedious process. Moreover, the person being possessed couldn't be dead. If the soul struggle didn't succeed, the possessor might die instantly. Even if possession was successful, it came with severe aftereffects. It would be incredibly difficult to continue normal cultivation afterward.

That's why, unless absolutely necessary, no cultivator would choose body possession. The fact that this old woman was attempting to possess someone meant that Su Yuxuan was still alive.

Ye Chen activated his Heavy Pupil and scanned the surroundings. As for the Magic Peak Master and the others, they wouldn't die before the old woman succeeded in her possession, so there was no rush to rescue them.

Soon, Ye Chen spotted who he had been looking for, not far from the large square, atop a tall pavilion.

Su Yuxuan!

Su Yuxuan had indeed broken through to the Golden Core stage, but her aura was completely depleted. She sat on the railing of the pavilion, her little feet swinging back and forth, staring blankly into the distance, as if lost in thought. Her once plump and rosy lips now looked pale. She seemed almost pitiful, no longer carrying the mischievous, lively aura she once had. It seemed like she had been severely beaten by her master.

Ye Chen floated up to the pavilion, and Su Yuxuan, who had been absent-minded, immediately noticed.

When she saw Ye Chen, her eyes widened, and she looked extremely anxious. "What are you doing here? Quick, leave! Old Monster Wang has set up formations all around this area. If she finds you, you won't be able to leave."

Meanwhile, the old woman, still refining the elixir in the distance, raised an eyebrow. Her gaze seemed to cut through the hall and directly land on Ye Chen.

"Huh, there's a little rat hiding here, and I didn't even notice. I'll deal with you after I finish refining this medicine."

With that, the old woman returned to her work. A late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator was nothing. With a flick of her hand, she could crush him! No need to worry.

Su Yuxuan's face darkened when she heard this. "Old Monster Wang is a top-tier second-grade formation master, and the formations she set up are extremely powerful. If you have a top-tier break-seal talisman, you should try it now. Once she finishes refining the medicine, you really won't be able to run."

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Ye Chen waved his hand. "I came here after receiving a task to investigate the disappearance of some elders. I happened to forget my break-seal talisman this time. By the way, what's going on here? The famous little demoness is looking so miserable this time?"

Ye Chen was truly unbothered. If he needed to escape, as a second-tier formation master, he could easily do so. Besides, why run?

Su Yuxuan wasn't in the mood to chat. She didn't want Ye Chen to die here. But hearing that Ye Chen didn't have a break-seal talisman, Su Yuxuan's face darkened. She looked ahead and spoke, "I broke through to Golden Core a while ago and had planned to hide here for a while longer.

"Old Monster Wang also has a blood spiritual root. Over the years, she's been cultivating disciples with the sole purpose of possessing them. However, her luck has always been bad. Now, she doesn't have much time left.

"If I didn't return to the sect, she would surely come to the ruins to find me, and I could ambush her. But Old Monster Wang was prepared. She placed a Heart Devouring Talisman on me when I was still a mortal, hiding it so deeply that I never noticed. The result was that the Heart Devouring Talisman activated, and I wasn't a match for her.

After Old Monster Wang confirmed I wasn't much of a threat anymore, she started capturing people, setting up formations, refining medicine, and preparing to possess me once the Heart Devouring Talisman completely exploded."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen finally understood everything. The Magic Peak Master and the others had fallen victim to an unwarranted disaster; they were merely collateral damage.

As for the Heart Devouring Talisman, Ye Chen was familiar with it. Once activated, the talisman would continuously consume the heart of the person it was cast on. While devouring the heart, it would also drain the cultivator's spiritual power, and the effects would worsen as the devouring progressed.

Eventually, the victim would lose all ability to resist. Even for a Golden Core cultivator, the heart was vital. Once completely consumed, the person would last no more than ten minutes before dying.

Moreover, the Heart Devouring Talisman could only be removed if the caster actively relieve it; otherwise, it was nearly impossible to undo. No wonder Su Yuxuan hadn't fled. It seemed there was no point in running.

However, Ye Chen was the kind of person who preferred mutual loss over single loss. If someone wanted to possess Ye Chen's body, he'd rather self-destruct than let them have their way.

As if she had guessed what Ye Chen was thinking, Su Yuxuan, her full lips now particularly pale, let out a bitter laugh. "My brother's soul is still in her hands. If I die first, she will undoubtedly scatter my brother's soul. Then, my brother will never have a chance to reincarnate."

In the cultivation world, many immortals had sworn that there was indeed a Netherworld. Thus, cultivators believed in the concept of reincarnation without a doubt.

Ye Chen frowned slightly.

So, she's one of those "brother-savers"? There were actually quite a few female cultivators like this in the cultivation world. They would form dao partnerships with someone, but their hearts would remain more focused on their family. If they had a younger brother, they would gladly pour resources into nurturing him.

The problem was, the husband of such a female cultivator would never be willing to support this. This was likely one of the reasons why most cultivators nowadays weren't keen on marrying female cultivators in the first place.

Su Yuxuan lowered her head, as if speaking to herself: "When I was still a mortal, I had parents, an older brother, and a younger brother. My parents and brother treated me badly. When I grew up and became beautiful, they only cared about marrying me off for money.

"So, after carefully selecting, they chose a fool from a wealthy family. It's said that this fool liked to torture people and had killed many women. But they paid the most money. My family just saw me as a commodity, never caring whether I would die the day after my wedding.

"It was only my younger brother, who, upon hearing about it, cried and hugged me every day. At just eight years old, one night, he stole the savings my parents had hidden, packed a bag, and tried to run away with me. He was beaten so badly by my brother that he couldn't get out of bed for half a month. So, on the day of my wedding, when Old Monster Wang came to take me as her disciple…

"Actually, I was the one who killed my parents and brother, one stab at a time. But I hid my brother away. In the end, he was still found. Old Monster Wang threatened me with my brother's soul. Before she died, if I didn't break through to Golden Core, she would make my brother's soul scatter!

"Then I began to cultivate with all my might, willing to pay any price, just to break through quickly and find an opportunity to save my brother's soul. My brother and you are the only two people in this world who made me feel warmth.

"Old Monster Wang had already sworn an oath to the heavens, promising me that once she took over my body, she would release my brother's soul. My wish was almost fulfilled. But why did you have to come at this moment? Although you've always bullied me, you're just as bad as Old Monster Wang! But truly, I don't want you to die…"

At the end of her words, Su Yuxuan finally lifted her head. Tears streamed down her pale face…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.