Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 601 Borrowing a Body
The gray-clad junior officer immediately raised his hand to signal, and led the four people beside him to step back a little to avoid getting in the way.

The old man's cloak began to sway and bulge slowly, as if being inflated. His white beard fluttered, and his lips murmured, as if he were talking to himself or chanting some incantation. The sound echoed in the quiet secret room.

Zhen'er, who was unconscious, suddenly twitched her finger, attracting the attention of the four people around her.

After a moment of silence, Zhen'er's entire head was enveloped in increasingly dense demonic energy. Her fingers twitched once more, then twice, then three times, and then gradually began to tremble and shake, eventually affecting her entire body, causing her unconscious body to twitch.

Gradually, it was accompanied by babbling, "Su..."

Those around her couldn't hear what she was saying, so they all pricked up their ears to listen carefully.

However, their gaze gradually shifted to the white-bearded old man, because they found that the old man also seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, his whole body trembling as if he were also suffering some kind of torment.

The four exchanged glances, sensing that something seemed off about the elder, but they couldn't figure out why, so they could only watch.

However, they soon noticed that the elder's hands, which were controlling the demonic energy, were trembling violently, and something was dripping from his white beard. Because of the color of the flames, they couldn't see what it was for a moment.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the dripping liquid was coming from the elder's nose, flowing onto his beard and drifting down his beard; it was a nosebleed.

The four were slightly surprised. They had only just started learning, so why were they reacting so strongly?

The gray-robed junior officer couldn't help but interrupt, "Elder, are you alright?"

Upon hearing this, the elder's cloak nearly burst open, the hood covering his head was flipped off, creating a gust of wind in the secret chamber, revealing a bald head, a wrinkled hooked nose, and a gaze filled with agonizing torment.

There were obvious signs of blood seeping from his nostrils, and bloodstains stained the corners of his mouth. He choked out a short reply, "This woman is strange. After being possessed by demonic energy, she is actually absorbing my demonic energy. Her spiritual resistance is sometimes weak and sometimes strong, sometimes as deep as an abyss and sometimes as thin as sand. She is unpredictable and unheard of. I have never heard of her before."

The four people beside them looked at each other in surprise and doubt. They seemed to understand, but they also seemed not to understand. This was because the path was profound and few people understood it. They couldn't quite figure it out.

The gray-robed junior official said, "Elder, if it really doesn't work, we might as well pause and come back after further discussion."

The bald elder's face hardened with a fierce expression, as if he had become stubborn. "With this Fire Spirit's meager cultivation, I refuse to believe that I can't subdue her. But it is indeed strange. Fire and demonic energy are mutually exclusive. How can a Fire Spirit absorb demonic energy? I was worried that it would damage her brain, but now it seems that I can only increase the intensity. I'll let you absorb it!"

After speaking, he closed his eyes, and the demonic energy surging from his hands became increasingly dense, causing the surrounding flames to flicker erratically.

"Su..." Zhen'er's babbling became more and more frequent, her body twisting restlessly.

The four people watching from the sidelines stared intently, not blinking, which actually made them tense as well.

It wasn't Zhen'er's reaction that made me nervous, but rather the elder's reaction seemed very abnormal. Blood dripped from his nose and flowed down his beard, and demonic energy surged from his hands, which seemed unable to extricate themselves. However, the demonic energy surrounding Zhen'er's head did not become denser; on the contrary, it became even thinner, and Zhen'er's face was already faintly visible.

It wasn't so bad that Zhen'er's face looked like she was trapped in a nightmare, but the key thing was that this elder also seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, with his eyeballs under his eyelids moving rapidly and restlessly.

"Elder, are you alright? Elder, Elder..." The gray-robed Shao Si tried calling out several times, but there was no response. He couldn't help but look anxious and looked at the other three, but they were also helpless.

They dared not act rashly when it came to matters involving the struggle of the mind, because they might accidentally turn someone into a mentally damaged idiot.

Just then, a soft, clear female voice rang out, gently calling, "Zhen'er."

The four onlookers' gazes immediately focused on Zhen'er's face, which was faintly visible amidst the demonic energy. They saw Zhen'er suddenly open her eyes and her mouth move. The voice was coming from Zhen'er's mouth, yet she was calling their names, which was truly eerie.

Ju Shihong hesitated for a moment and said, "This doesn't sound like Zhen'er's tone."

Not only him, but the two experts who helped capture Zhen'er had also heard Zhen'er speak at Liangqiu Mountain and also felt that it didn't seem like her.

Just then, a faint light appeared on Zhen'er's body, and her body swayed like ripples, displaying the characteristics of water and fire. At the same time, a faint phantom image was reflected on the opposite side of Zhen'er.

It was like a mirror reflecting the real person; the people inside and outside the mirror had the same body posture and were perfectly symmetrical.

As soon as the phantom appeared, Zhen'er's nightmare-like commotion vanished abruptly, and she became calm and serene, as if quietly watching the phantom Zhen'er amidst the demonic mist.

However, their reactions were completely different. In reality, Zhen'er was calm and peaceful, while in the illusory Zhen'er, surprise and joy were evident in her eyes, as if she had seen a long-lost friend, and as if she was cheerfully telling the real Zhen'er something.

The bald elder beside him was still frantically channeling demonic energy, but the moment a phantom image separated from Zhen'er's body, he seemed to find a crack in the separation of their spiritual essence. He suddenly opened his eyes, blood dripping from his nose, and gasped in terror, "No, she has two spirits within her, not the same person, but the spirits of two different people."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the four people beside him all turned to the real Zhen'er lying down and the corresponding illusory figure.

"Zhen'er..." As Zhen'er lay there, she softly called out to the illusory figure opposite her, then raised her hand, extended a finger, and gently touched the illusory figure's brow.

The illusory Zhen'er could no longer be happy. She seemed to have sensed something from the other party's deep and unfathomable gaze, and her face was filled with fear. From the shape of her mouth as she spoke, it seemed that she was repeatedly saying, "I'm afraid."

But Zhen'er's raised hand showed no sign of stopping. The instant her fingertip touched the illusory figure's brow, the entire figure blurred like ripples on water. The ripples bounced back, condensing into a single point of weak light, which disappeared without a trace into Zhen'er's fingertip. At the same moment, Zhen'er's restrained body floated up from the stone bed, her toes slowly lifting off the surface, the surging demonic energy seemingly supporting her as she floated.

At this moment, Zhen'er was completely different from before. Floating in the rolling demonic energy, she looked down at the few people standing below with her cold, abyss-like eyes, as if looking down at a few ants. Her long hair flowed with the demonic energy, like a true god descending to earth.

The four bystanders were filled with astonishment and doubt upon seeing this scene.

Looking at the bald elder, his nose was bleeding profusely, yet he was still channeling demonic energy into Zhen'er, and it was unclear how long he would continue.

The gray-robed junior official couldn't help but advise, "Elder, if it really can't be done, let's postpone it for now."

Upon hearing this, the bald elder seemed somewhat agitated. His trembling body shook even more violently, and his almost bulging eyes blinked rapidly. He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, and in that brief moment of respite, he shouted urgently, "Quickly kill her! I've been devoured by her spiritual power! Her spiritual power is too strong! Quick, I can't control myself anymore! Quick..."

Blood was also flowing from the corners of his mouth, and he was already hoarse and exhausted.

In other words, he is not the one driving the demonic energy to support the fire spirit; rather, the fire spirit is controlling his output.

The four onlookers were shocked, yet hesitant. The demonic path had gone to so much trouble to bring this woman here; should they just kill her? That wouldn't do.

The gray-clad junior officer suddenly waved his hand and said, "Go! Take her down!"

The other three exchanged a glance and immediately lunged forward. They were all experts at the Celestial Immortal level, and their speed was astounding.

However, Zhen'er, who was floating in the air, disappeared into thin air, turning into a wave of light that followed the rolling demonic energy and instantly struck the bald elder.

The bald elder stared wide-eyed and opened his mouth. The possessing light instantly receded into his body, and then the surging demonic energy outside was quickly absorbed and poured back into his body.

Zhen'er had vanished into thin air. The three attackers were stunned and turned around in mid-air to face her.

The bald elder's expression had completely changed. He glanced indifferently at the people present, then suddenly drifted away like a wisp of smoke, ignoring them and floating straight out of the exit.

The group, momentarily stunned, heard the door to the secret room shatter with a loud bang and quickly chased after it.

After the four of them leaped out of the house, they all landed and stopped. The bald elder in the cloak did not flee, nor did he seem to intend to.

Standing in the flower-filled, lush courtyard, she stretched out her arms, basking in the sunlight, and slowly turned in circles, murmuring, "She left, she really left, she's back, she's finally back..."

The voice that was speaking was still that of the bald elder, causing the four people who were slowly approaching to look at each other in bewilderment.

Based on these insane words, coupled with Zhen'er's previous transformation into another body, they were certain that the bald elder's body was no longer under his control.

The four exchanged glances and then separated to surround the person from four directions. The bald elder, who had lowered his hands, suddenly glanced at him coldly and said, "Since you are all members of my demonic path, quickly take me to pay my respects to our master."

The four exchanged glances, all knowing that the speaker was not the elder himself, but an outsider who had borrowed the elder's body to impersonate a member of the demonic path, trying to confuse the situation. Did they think they were stupid?

However, they were hesitant to make a move, as this was, after all, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, and attracting the royal court's attention would be troublesome.

Then the gray-robed junior officer pointed at the elder and shouted, "If there's anything to discuss, get out of his body first."

The bald elder glanced at them coldly, seemingly unwilling to waste any more words, and asked directly, "Where is this?"

It seems they want to pinpoint the location and find it themselves.

The four were puzzled again upon hearing this. They had just thought that this person was impersonating a demonic elder by borrowing another body, but now it didn't seem like it.

The gray-robed Shao Si pointed to the shadows of the magnificent, continuous buildings in the distance and said, "Isn't it obvious? It's the capital of Beiju."

"The capital of Beiju..." The bald elder looked over, his eyes gradually showing doubt. "I've never heard of it. What is its connection with Beiju Luzhou?"

The four people surrounding them exchanged glances again, and this time they were certain that the person was not impersonating their elder.

The gray-robed junior official tried to reply again: "The capital of Beiju is naturally the capital of Beiju Luzhou and the central place of the Beiju royal court. You have been to and from the Lian Tian Sect before, so this should not be your first time here. You don't even know this?"

After pondering for a while, the bald elder slowly asked, "Where is our lord?"

The gray-clad junior officer asked in confusion, "Which lord?"

The bald elder said arrogantly, "Naturally, it is the master who founded our demonic path! As members of the demonic path, how can you not know the master? Whose subordinates are you?"

(End of this chapter)