Battle of the Light Orbs

Chapter 56: Battle of the Light Orbs

“Yu Zitong, I want to warn you one last time. If something happens to me, you won’t fare much better.”

“You must understand that in your current Primordial Soul form, you won’t last long either. Without my help to find you a suitable physical vessel, you’ll truly dissolve and scatter. So, if there are any omissions or falsifications in the technique you taught me, it’s not too late to correct them now. I will not hold a grudge. I can swear a poisonous oath right in front of you.”

Doctor Mo refused to give up, still stubbornly trying to coax the young man.

Han Li finally grasped the situation. Doctor Mo was wasting all these words on this man because he feared that this person named Yu Zitong might have tampered with the transmitted technique, causing the ritual to go wrong and bringing disaster upon himself. That was why, at this critical juncture, he was hesitating and overthinking, vainly trying to confirm things one more time from the other’s mouth before he could feel at ease.

“The possession method I taught you contains not a single alteration. If I am deceiving you, may my entire clan suffer Heaven’s retribution, die horribly without a proper burial, and be utterly wiped from existence.” Yu Zitong did not pause for even a moment. He swore another poisonous oath with absolute finality. It seemed he understood Doctor Mo’s concerns very well.

“Besides, after you use the Seven Ghost Soul Devouring Art, although it will grant you a certain amount of magical power for a short time and allow you to perform some simple spells, this is, after all, feeding your body to ghosts at the cost of your vital essence. The remaining vital essence in your body—would it even be enough for you to use this technique again?” Yu Zitong, having finished his oath, spoke again to block any remaining escape route for Doctor Mo.

After these words, silence once again fell over the stone room, broken only by the sound of Doctor Mo pacing restlessly inside.

Han Li prayed silently in his heart. For the first time, he, who had never believed in gods, made a wish to some passing deity, hoping that the other party would be afraid and abandon his malicious intentions toward him. Even though he knew it was absurd—a form of self-deception—it was the only thing he could do at this moment.

“Fine. He who employs a man does not doubt him, and he who doubts a man does not employ him. Since I want to seek such a great benefit, it’s only fitting to take a little risk.” Doctor Mo finally hardened his resolve.

Upon hearing this, Han Li was filled with despair. If he could still feel his face, it would surely be pale and ashen with defeat.

Yu Zitong, on the other hand, seemed very pleased, his words brimming with excitement.

“That’s exactly how it should be. Think about it. You were originally an ordinary man without Spiritual Roots, completely unable to set foot on the path of immortality. But after the ritual succeeds, it will be different. Possessing this vessel with Spiritual Roots, you can seek out an Immortal cultivation clan or sect to join and attach yourself to. From then on, you may be free from birth, aging, sickness, death, and the cycles of the Five Elements. At the very least, you will live far longer than an ordinary mortal.”

“Heh. Then I’ll take your kind words as a good omen. Rest assured. I, Mo Juren, am a man of my word. As soon as I succeed, I will immediately help you find a suitable body with Spiritual Roots as well. I won’t mistreat you, Brother Yu.” Doctor Mo was led astray by Yu Zitong’s words, lost in fantasy. The mere thought of the bright prospects after the ritual made his heart burn with eagerness. He became much more polite to Yu Zitong, his words carrying a hint of conciliation.

“Then I thank you, Brother Mo. After we succeed, I will hold nothing back and will hand over all the cultivation techniques to you, one by one.” Yu Zitong was equally cunning and slippery. He followed the opening immediately, closing the distance and establishing a personal connection.

Listening to this from the side, Han Li was so furious he could feel smoke coming out of his seven orifices. These two were truly birds of a feather, utterly shameless. They had already taken his body as their own spoils, never once consulting the owner’s opinion. And now, he truly had no way to counter them.

Having cast aside his lingering doubts and made up his mind, Doctor Mo decided not to delay any further.

He produced several fine golden needles from somewhere, deftly inserting them into secret acupoints at the back of his own head. This caused his face to flush red and his spirit to soar, giving him ample energy to perform the ritual without error.

Then he walked over to Han Li, propped his body up, and adjusted his posture, sitting him cross-legged on the ground. He himself sat down opposite, crossing his arms and clasping his own shoulders.

Doctor Mo formed a hand seal. With a flick of his wrist, a beam of red light shot from his hand and struck the pattern beneath Han Li. Immediately, the several pieces of jade around them began to glow brightly.

Then, a low, rumbling incantation slowly flowed from Doctor Mo’s lips. It was like a magic spell, making anyone who heard it feel drowsy and overwhelmed with sleep. As the sound of the chant entered his ears, Han Li’s consciousness gradually grew fuzzy, and an intense sleepiness washed over him.

Not good. Han Li knew something was wrong. He understood clearly that this was intentionally done by the other party, the prelude to a possession of his physical body. He was unwilling to accept this, refusing to be captured without a fight. He mustered all his strength to resist the sound.

But it was futile. If he could still control his body, he could have used methods like biting his tongue or pinching his skin to stimulate himself and stay awake. But now, he could only passively endure.

Under the powerful hypnotic effect of the spell, Han Li quickly lost consciousness. In the hazy moments before he fell into a stupor, he vaguely saw that Doctor Mo’s once strikingly handsome face had become twisted and grotesque in the dim lamplight, its former charm utterly gone.

“You’ve become so ugly…” This was the last thing Han Li wanted to say before he fell asleep—a helpless curse, delivered without a single dirty word.

In the boundless darkness, Han Li had a very strange dream.

In the dream, he was a green orb of light, the size of a fist. He had his own small domain, and there, he roamed freely, filled with boundless joy.

But soon, a yellow orb suddenly intruded. This orb was only the size of a thumb, several times smaller than Han Li’s green orb. Yet it came with a fierce, hostile air. The moment it saw Han Li, it rushed at him viciously, splitting open a huge mouth to bite him. Han Li naturally did not back down. He, too, produced a mouth of his own and counterattacked fiercely.

In no time at all, relying on his greater volume, Han Li easily devoured the yellow orb, ending the battle with little effort.

Victorious, Han Li was elated, savoring the delicious taste of his spoils. At that moment, another invader entered from outside. This time, the newcomer was a green orb just like himself, but noticeably larger by a full circle. Its light, however, was dim and weak, not nearly as dazzling as Han Li’s.

When this new enemy saw the green orb that was Han Li, it was clearly startled. It paused for a moment, seeming hesitant.

But Han Li had just tasted the exquisite pleasure of devouring other orbs. Why would he be willing to let this one go? Without considering the difference in their strength, he charged straight at it. Seeing this, the other orb had no choice but to engage, and they began tearing into each other.

The other orb was larger in volume, but it was weak and feeble, clearly just an empty shell. It lasted only a little longer than the yellow one before it showed signs of defeat and began to flee outward.

Han Li refused to let it escape, immediately giving chase. But the other orb was cunning. Whenever Han Li caught it, it would tear off the part that had been caught and continue fleeing. By doing so, it actually managed to escape from this place. However, its volume had shrunk by a full third.

After these two battles, this domain continued to be ruled by Han Li alone. The orb that was him still hoped for other intruders to come to him, but unfortunately, none ever arrived again.

As time passed, he stopped caring. He continued to drift about alone, joyfully, for a very, very long time, as if it would be this way forever.