Chapter 546: Fourth Grade Great Cultivator

「The seventh day of the ninth month.」

An unremarkable day.

“Master.”

Ming Nianwei arrived at Tong Li’s courtyard as she always did, her eyes downcast in a show of meekness:

“How have you been feeling these past few days?”

Though a hundred times unwilling, she didn’t dare skip her visit, terrified of provoking him.

COUGH, COUGH…

Tong Li covered his mouth, coughing softly.

With each passing day, his physical condition deteriorated. His face was a web of deep-set wrinkles, and his skin was covered in liver spots.

“I’m almost gone.”

Taking a deep breath, Tong Li reached out and gently stroked Ming Nianwei, the wrinkles on his face crinkling into a strange smile.

“Thank goodness I have you.”

“Master.”

Ming Nianwei looked up, her eyes welling with tears and her voice trembling.

“You’re going to be all right.”

“Silly girl,” Tong Li sighed. “Life and death are the way of the world. We Cultivators attempt to defy the heavens and change our fate…”

“…but how many of us ever succeed?”

“Stop pretending.”

He chuckled softly.

“I know you’ve made your own preparations, but I doubt you were counting on today being the day.”

Hmm?

Ming Nianwei’s eyes quivered. Her hand shot up, and two sharp beams of light erupted from her palm.

Wind-Fire Stab!

This was her most practiced and secretive technique.

It could be unleashed with a single thought, and its power was astonishing.

It could pierce a foot-thick slab of metal ore, and at close range, it could even severely injure a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist who was caught off guard.

DING…

A rosy glow descended, blasting the Magic Ming Nianwei relied on into motes of Spiritual Light.

And that wasn’t all.

As the glow enveloped her, her body was instantly paralyzed. Even her thoughts slowed to a crawl.

“It’s useless.”

Tong Li’s voice was faint, yet it carried an undercurrent of absolute control. He slowly raised one hand.

“I chose you as my disciple. Did you really think I wouldn’t know your little tricks?”

“This Profound Soul Secret Technique and the Profound Mystery Cave Origin Record you practice both originate from the Golden Palace Jade Book. My Secret Technique happens to be the perfect counter to your Magical Power. Before me, you have no secrets.”

“Master.” Ming Nianwei’s smile was stiff.

“You’ve misunderstood…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tong Li said, stroking her cheek. His expression was strange, his gaze even more complex.

“This body isn’t perfect, but it’s the best one I could choose. The heavens have not forsaken me!”

“Don’t you worry, my dear disciple.”

“Once I take your Physical Body and am reborn, I will fulfill your wish and cultivate an Immortal Primordial Spirit. Perhaps one day, I’ll even glimpse the apex of the Daoist Technique.”

“You fiend…” Ming Nianwei gritted her teeth.

“You won’t get away with this.”

“Heh…” Tong Li chuckled.

“Done with the act?”

“You’ve had to put on that act for so long, I feel for you. Fortunately, you didn’t neglect your Cultivation. My year-long wait wasn’t for nothing.”

“Let’s begin!”

With a wave of his long sleeve, a faint mist enveloped the room, and the floor beneath them gave way.

Of course, Tong Li hadn’t been idle over the past year.

He had excavated the earth beneath the courtyard, setting up a Possession Array in the secret chamber below.

He had also secretly acquired various Magical Artifacts and materials, making extensive preparations for this very day.

WHOOSH…

Flames ignited.

Nine lotus-shaped oil lamps burst into flame, their eerie green light radiating a sinister chill.

Countless intricate patterns carved into the Spirit Jade floor connected, forming a profound Grand Array.

Ming Nianwei’s body was forced to sit in the center of the Grand Array, her face a mask of terror.

She had never expected him to make his move today.

In her calculations, the most opportune time would have been in a few days, during a period of extreme yin energy.

But now, many of the countermeasures she had prepared were not with her.

“Master.”

“Master, spare me!”

Her body was immobile, but she could still speak. Seeing Tong Li hunched over and scurrying about the room, she began to beg for her life.

“Spare me, and I’ll work like a slave to repay your kindness.”

“My Cultivation is mediocre, and my aptitude is average. Even if you take my body, you won’t be able to accomplish much.”

“You fiend!”

“You’ll die a miserable death!”

…

She begged, she cursed, she cried. She screamed herself hoarse, but Tong Li remained completely unmoved.

“I’ve laid an Array here. Not even a Fifth-Grade Expert could hope to break through it quickly.”

“You can scream until you’re hoarse; no one is coming to save you.”

He turned around.

A cold sneer spread across Tong Li’s face.

“Not even Zhu Ju!”

Ming Nianwei’s voice caught in her throat, her face twisting in terror as if her deepest secret had just been exposed.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Tong Li said.

“I’ve lived a long time. Did you think I wouldn’t know what you’ve been doing? The only one you could possibly turn to for help is Zhu Ju.”

“But…”

“…he may have some tricks up his sleeve, but he’s just an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist. Even if he wanted to help, it’s far too late.”

“That’s enough talk.”

He dusted off his hands, then slowly walked over to Ming Nianwei. He produced a small bell and shook it gently.

TING-A-LING…

The mystical sound filled her ears.

Ming Nianwei felt her Divine Soul tremble. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her consciousness sank against her will.

“Three Souls eternal, spirit unwavering.”

“Mind, soul, and Pill Essence, guide me to my true form.”

…

Strange syllables danced in her ears, and her consciousness faded until she was plunged into darkness.

Suddenly.

Ming Nianwei ‘opened’ her eyes.

She found ‘herself’ enveloped in a soft halo, floating in an endless darkness.

‘Where am I…’

‘The Sea of Consciousness!’

As a Cultivator, how could she not recognize her own Sea of Consciousness?

However, she was only a Seventh-Grade Mage. She could only sense the existence of her Sea of Consciousness, not truly enter it.

But now… …wrapped in this halo, she could perceive her own Sea of Consciousness with perfect clarity.

BOOM!

Before she could understand what was happening, countless streams of light slammed into her Sea of Consciousness.

The streams of light wove together in mid-air, forming a Grand Array.

‘It’s the Possession Array Tong Li set up!’

“Haha…”

Tong Li’s laughter rang out immediately after. Free from the burden of his Physical Body, it was no longer old and hoarse, but clear and resonant.

“Soul transfer, spirit exchange! Get out!”

HUMMM…

A round Treasure Pearl materialized from thin air. Like an unshakable anchor, it stabilized her Sea of Consciousness.

“The Soul-Stabilizing Pearl?”

Tong Li snorted.

“It seems you weren’t idle this past year, either. To think you secretly forged such a Magical Treasure.”

Ming Nianwei’s spirit surged.

‘That’s right.’

She too had made preparations for this day. Her voice rang out, clear and defiant.

“Tong Li, this is my Sea of Consciousness! An outsider’s Divine Soul is naturally suppressed here. With the help of the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl, even a Sixth-Grade Peak Cultivator like you can forget about stealing my Physical Body!”

“True.”

A mass of black Qi gathered in the air, gradually coalescing into a human figure.

“But…”

“I am at the Fourth-Grade Peak!”

What?

Ming Nianwei’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The figure that appeared in the center of her Sea of Consciousness wasn’t Tong Li, but a stunningly beautiful woman.

The woman wore a magnificent palace gown and carried herself with a noble, dignified air. It was obvious at a glance that she was accustomed to a high station.

“I am Li Chengxia, third daughter of the former Prince Yong’an and a Fourth-Grade Peak Cultivator. I lost my Physical Body in a calamity and was forced to take shelter within Tong Li’s.”

“And now.”

“I shall be reborn in your Physical Body.”