Chapter 24 Possession (Second Update)

The sight before them made them hold their breath.

Behind the stone gate lies a vast underground space, in the center of which stands an ancient altar. A red box is tightly bound to the altar with chains, and directly above the box hangs a long sword. The sword's blade is black, covered with intricate runes, while the hilt is red and emits a chilling light.

"What is that?" Qiu Nan's eyes widened.

Fu Yunshu's gaze also turned serious. He recognized the sword; it was the Broken Abyss Sword of True Person Chi Du. He never expected to find the Broken Abyss Sword in such a place.

Judging from the situation, the mahogany box is the object being suppressed, and the Broken Abyss Sword is the object used to suppress it.

The Broken Abyss is a spirit, and the only one who could make it willingly act as a guardian spirit here was the True Man Chi Du from back then. What exactly was in that redwood box that could make the Ancestral Master take out his natal spirit sword to suppress it?

"Although we don't know what it is, just in case, we should stay away from the altar," Fu Yunshu whispered a reminder.

It seems we should take them out as soon as possible and come back to check on them in person after the assessment is over.

Fu Yunshu glanced at the altar again silently.

The three of them carefully searched for the exit along the altar. When they were halfway there, they suddenly heard footsteps behind them.

"I didn't expect you guys to come here too!" Pan Tianlei's fierce voice came from behind.

Fu Yunshu turned around and saw Pan Tianlei leading his group of henchmen coming from the other end of the cave. They were covered in mud and blood, clearly having fallen from above.

"Pan Tianlei, what are you trying to do?" Qiu Nan asked warily.

Pan Tianlei sneered: "You don't need to know what we're doing. All you need to know is that today is the day you all die."

Fu Yunshu frowned. Although Pan Tianlei disliked them greatly because of what had happened before, and acted arrogantly when they met, he was ultimately just a spoiled brat. However, at this moment, Pan Tianlei was clearly intent on killing. Why?

Meanwhile, inside the main hall, the moment Fu Yunshu and the others fell into the cave, all the water mirror images disappeared, turning into complete darkness, and the entire main hall fell into dead silence once again.

After realizing what had happened, Ning Xuexi was the first to break the silence, "What happened?"

She stood up, her brows furrowed, her gaze fixed on the dark water mirror. "How could the water mirror suddenly malfunction?"

Song Wenzhuo's expression also turned serious. He raised his hand and made a hand seal, trying to reconnect with the water mirror, but no matter how he cast the spell, the water mirror remained unresponsive.

"The connection between the Water Mirror and the Secret Realm has been severed," Song Wenzhuo said in a deep voice, with a hint of anxiety that was barely perceptible in his tone.

"Could there be a problem with the secret realm?" Ning Xuexi asked, frowning.

The elders below also started chattering amongst themselves. This was truly unprecedented; it was the first time in the thousands of years that Qingyuan Sect had encountered such a situation during its entrance examination.

Moreover, the sect leader seemed to be acting strangely today, and no one knew what had happened. The elders were also on tenterhooks.

Song Wenzhuo's fingers unconsciously tapped on the table, making a soft "tap-tap" sound.

His gaze swept over Pan Hongru, and the strange feeling in his heart grew stronger.

—What exactly is wrong?

Wen Xun and Ye Xiuzhu quickly arrived at Huayang Courtyard. Huayang Courtyard was originally the temporary residence for new disciples of Qingyuan Sect before they entered the sect. Ever since Yin Simiao discovered traces of the demon race here, Song Wenzhuo ordered Huayang Courtyard to be locked up, and almost no one set foot there. However, at this moment, Huayang Courtyard seemed unusually quiet, even somewhat eerie.

"Something's not right here." Wen Xun frowned, his fingers forming a hand seal, a faint spiritual light flickering at his fingertips. He closed his eyes, carefully sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him.

Ye Xiuzhu strode into the courtyard and looked around: "The passage has been moved here? I didn't notice anything."

His gaze swept around like that of a hawk, his fingers lightly resting on the hilt of his sword, ready to deal with any unexpected situation.

"Wen Xun, are you sure the passage has been changed to this location?" Ye Xiuzhu asked impatiently.

Wen Xun opened his eyes and nodded: "That's right, the aura of the formation is here. Although it's well hidden, it has indeed been moved to Huayang Academy."

"Then what are we waiting for? Open the passage quickly!" Ye Xiuzhu urged.

Wen Xun did not act immediately, but frowned and said, "Something is not right. In addition to the changes at the entrance of the passage, the formation seems to have been tampered with in other ways."

"What do you mean?" Ye Xiuzhu asked anxiously.

Wen Xun pointed to the ground: "Look, the flow of spiritual energy here is very strange, as if it has been deliberately guided. If I'm not mistaken, although the passage has been moved here, the entrance has been sealed off, and... there may have been a trap set."

Ye Xiuzhu waved his hand impatiently: "Who cares about traps or anything like that? Just break through it, won't you?"

Wen Xun shook his head: "It's not that simple. This formation was set up by the Wen clan's ancestors. Although it has been modified, the core part is still preserved. If we rashly break the formation, it may cause even bigger problems, or even lead to the complete collapse of the secret realm."

Ye Xiuzhu was silent for a moment before asking, "How long?"

Wen Xun smiled; their years of tacit understanding needed no further explanation. Ye Xiuzhu trusted him to break the formation left by the Wen clan's ancestors, and Wen Xun trusted Ye Xiuzhu to protect him safely during this time.

"Half an hour."

Ye Xiuzhu patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, with me here, no one can bother you."

Wen Xun nodded, sat down cross-legged, made hand seals, and began to carefully sense the flow of spiritual energy in the array.

Meanwhile, in the underground space within the secret realm, Pan Tianlei's murderous intent was no longer concealed.

"Pan Tianlei, are you crazy? This is a secret realm. If you kill us, you won't pass the test either!" Qiu Nan shouted, trying to calm Pan Tianlei down.

However, Pan Tianlei seemed completely deaf to the warning. His eyes turned unusually fierce, and a strange smile curled at the corner of his mouth: "Kill you? No, I just want you to stay here forever."

Before he finished speaking, Pan Tianlei suddenly waved his hand, and his henchmen rushed forward, their weapons gleaming coldly, pointing directly at Fu Yunshu and the other two.

Fu Yunshu's eyes turned cold, and she quickly shielded Yin Lisheng behind her, whispering, "Be careful, something's wrong with them."

Qiu Nan also noticed something was wrong. Pan Tianlei's henchmen had blank stares and stiff movements, not at all like normal people.

"They've been taken into custody!" Qiu Nan exclaimed.

Fu Yunshu did not answer, but swiftly drew his longsword. With a flash of light, he forced back the two men charging at the front. However, the two men seemed to feel no pain, and immediately charged forward again after being repelled, their attacks becoming even more ferocious.

“These people are suspicious, don’t hold back!” Fu Yunshu said coldly.

Qiu Nan also drew his sword and fought alongside Fu Yunshu. Although Yin Lisheng had just stepped into the threshold of cultivation, he quickly adjusted his state, gripped his sword tightly, and vigilantly watched his surroundings.

The battle erupted instantly. Although Pan Tianlei's henchmen had become significantly stronger after being controlled, and because they couldn't feel pain, they fought with extraordinary ferocity. Fu Yunshu, despite his strength, had his cultivation suppressed in the secret realm and also had to protect the other two. Facing these tireless "puppets," he was finding it somewhat difficult.

"Pan Tianlei, what exactly do you want to do!" Qiu Nan shouted as he parried the attacks.

Pan Tianlei stood aside, coldly watching them, his smile growing increasingly sinister: "I just want to send you to hell."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pan Tianlei's body suddenly trembled violently, and his eyes became vacant. Immediately afterward, his aura surged dramatically, and his cultivation, which was originally only at the Qi Refining stage, broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage in an instant, and was even continuing to rise.

"What...what's going on?!" Qiu Nan stared wide-eyed at Pan Tianlei in disbelief.

Fu Yunshu's expression also turned serious: "No, this person is not Pan Tianlei. He is possessed by something."

"You noticed, huh?" Pan Tianlei's voice became hoarse and low; it wasn't his usual voice, but rather—

A note from the author:

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Next chapter (V) [heart emoji], Pre-order: [Narcissus] Saving the Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Character in Progress

“I have lived your life, I know all your pain and perseverance, so I will support you unconditionally, my love.”

He's a movie star who won the Best Newcomer Award at fifteen and the Best Actor Award at twenty. He's the leading actor of the new generation in the entertainment industry, and a specialist in playing beautiful, strong, and tragic characters.

He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 25, and died alone in his bedroom on his 27th birthday.

However, when he opened his eyes again, he was bound to the "Save the Beautiful, Strong, and Miserable" system and sent to a small world to save the characters he had played.

world:

Immortal Sect Senior Brother x Sword Spirit

Regent x Bodyguard

Star Marshal x Bionic Robot

Puppeteer x Little Doll

God of Light x God of Darkness

...