Chapter 131 - 97: The Big Shot Straight Up Loses It

Chapter 131: Chapter 97: The Big Shot Straight Up Loses It

Faced with Jiang Mu’s brazen, point-blank confrontation, Han Chenghu did not get angry.

He gently raised a hand, fingers slightly spread.

SWISH!

A vine entwined with black and red, blood-like filaments erupted from the ground at Jiang Mu’s feet. Its tip, sharp as a steel awl, shot straight for his throat.

But the instant the vine broke through the soil, Jiang Mu’s figure vanished into thin air.

A moment later, he reappeared by the courtyard wall, a hundred feet away.

"Hm?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Han Chenghu’s eyes.

He waved his hand again.

This time, it wasn’t a single vine. Dozens erupted from the earth at once, closing in on Jiang Mu from all sides like the bars of a cage.

Jiang Mu executed his Serpentine Steps, weaving and dodging through the gaps between the vines, his movements as elusive as a phantom’s.

But as the vines intertwined into a tightening web, the space he had to maneuver dwindled.

Seeing that Jiang Mu was now a beast in a cage, Han Chenghu halted his assault and studied him with keen interest.

"That movement technique of yours... it’s no ordinary skill. Is it one of the Divine Abilities that came with your Star Position? As I recall, there are no Earth Demon Level Star Positions with that kind of feature. How interesting."

"You’re not my husband!"

Just then, Madam Han shrieked.

Her lips trembled as she stared at Han Chenghu in terror.

"My junior martial brother said you cultivated a Secret Skill from the Fengdu Mountain Ghost Sect! You... You’re a Ghost Cultivator who possessed my husband’s body!"

The Fengdu Mountain Ghost Sect was world-renowned for its art of "remnant soul possession."

According to legend, the sect’s Secret Skill allowed a Great Power, at the moment of death, to use a Secret Technique to seal their soul within a specific Magical Artifact or a land of potent yin energy, thus preserving their consciousness.

Although the path to cultivating anew was fraught with peril, if one could find a physical body with a compatible Life Chart and successfully merge with it, they could be reborn in a borrowed corpse and step back onto the path of cultivation.

Han Chenghu looked at her, a playful smile on his lips.

"It seems you were quite devoted to your husband. Knew him inside and out."

His words were a clear admission.

Jiang Mu’s heart lurched.

’I thought Madam Han had killed her husband to refine his corpse, his resentment turning him into a zombie. To think it was actually a Ghost Cultivator who took his body!’

’Just who is this powerhouse?’

’If his remnant soul is this formidable after death, it goes without saying how terrifying he must have been when he was alive.’

Han Chenghu continued.

"Still, if you, you venomous woman, hadn’t used that Corpse Refining Skill to turn your husband into a Corpse Puppet, I would never have found such a compatible body to nurture my remnant soul. Finding someone in this world with a Life Chart compatible with mine is an incredibly difficult task."

"Who... Who are you?"

Madam Han demanded, her voice trembling.

The moment she spoke, her dress shredded like old rags, revealing her naked body.

Caught completely off guard, Madam Han was overcome with shame and indignation, frantically trying to cover herself.

Although she was licentious by nature, Han Yushu was present. She still had some sense of decency to maintain.

Nearby, Han Yushu was already frightened witless; now, he was simply frozen in place, dumbstruck.

When he finally snapped out of it, he quickly spun around, trembling uncontrollably.

"Not bad. Not bad at all."

The mysterious Ghost Cultivator looked Madam Han up and down, nodding in satisfaction.

"She possesses an Extreme Yin Physique. Not as good as the woman Kun’Er married, but she’ll make a passable cauldron to aid my cultivation."

In the next instant, several vines shot out, wrapping tightly around Madam Han’s limbs and suspending her in mid-air, completely immobilized.

Then, he turned to Jiang Mu, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

"As for you... rest assured, I won’t kill you. Because... I am going to *become* you!"

Jiang Mu’s brow furrowed. "You want to possess me?"

"Precisely."

A glint of Greed flashed in the mysterious Ghost Cultivator’s eyes.

"Encountering someone with a proper Star Position is a stroke of fortune granted to me by the heavens. Besides, kid, you have quite a talent for dual cultivation. After I take your body, it’s not like I’ll be putting it to waste."

Jiang Mu already had his suspicions.

’This guy hasn’t just cultivated the Secret Skills of the Ghost Sect; he’s clearly also practicing some form of dual cultivation.’

’His desperation to possess a new body proves that Han Chenghu’s corpse is no longer enough for him. He needs a living, breathing body with potential, and he plans to use dual cultivation to rapidly recover his strength.’

’And a zombie can’t exactly engage in dual cultivation.’

’So, how can I possibly fight back?’

’The power gap is immense. Resistance seems futile.’

’This mysterious Ghost Cultivator’s Cultivation Level is unfathomable. Even while just possessing a corpse, he’s far beyond anything I can handle at my current level.’

’If that’s the case...’

’I guess I’ll just have to die once.’

’With the Substitute Death Doll, I might be able to pull off the ultimate deception.’

As Jiang Mu calculated his options, he asked, "Just who are you? At least let me die knowing who I’m up against."

"I am—"

The mysterious Ghost Cultivator took a step forward, and the thick black mist around him roiled and surged.

Countless vines shot toward the sky like frenzied dragons, weaving together in the air to form a net that blotted out the sun.

A colossal, dark-red rune materialized on the ground beneath his feet.

"Beitang Batian!"

As he uttered those two words, a boundless pressure cascaded down like a collapsing mountain, heavy enough to suffocate.

Beitang Batian!?

The name sent Jiang Mu’s and Madam Han’s minds reeling, their faces masks of pure horror.

The top-tier Great Power who had recently failed in his attempt to claim the Ziwei Emperor Star, the one everyone believed had perished, his body and soul utterly destroyed?

He was still alive!

He had used the Ghost Sect’s Secret Skill to possess a body with a remnant soul and was now clinging to existence!

Jiang Mu was secretly speechless. ’Of course. An old monster like that would have an endless supply of tricks to stay alive.’

’Just my rotten luck, running into this Evil Deity.’

’Well, fine. Losing to a former holder of an Emperor-level Star Position, one of the world’s most preeminent experts... I can accept that.’

’I’ll just chalk it up to bad luck.’

"I once resented the Celestial Dao’s injustice for severing my path to immortality. Now, it seems the heavens have not forsaken me after all."

Beitang Batian’s gaze burned as he formed a hand seal, activating the great art of possession.

A Corpse Puppet to nurture his remnant soul, a high-grade cauldron to aid his cultivation, and a talented physical body with a proper Star Position...

This was a god-tier starting hand!

This was a great opportunity from the Dao itself!

As long as he possessed this kid and supplemented his recovery with dual cultivation, he, Beitang Batian, could very well make a comeback—perhaps even return to his peak!