A Wind Rises Overseas: The Possession Art

With Zi Ling's icy voice cutting through the air, the gazes of the other cultivators snapped collectively toward a single spot in the crowd.

Elder Zhao and a middle-aged scholar stood there with expressionless faces. The scholar was the other Sublime Sound Sect elder who was often seen at Zhuo Ruting’s side.

Seeing this, Madam Fan and Zhuo Ruting both seemed to realize something, their expressions turning extremely ugly. Of the two, Madam Fan looked the worst; she appeared almost frantic.

“Who’s skulking around over there?” A furious roar suddenly came from the dark clouds above. A streak of lightning-fire shot out from the clouds, twisting like a spirit serpent as it struck toward a nearby empty space.

The air in that vacant spot dimmed. A burst of black mist exploded out of nowhere, swallowing the lightning-fire completely. A moment later, a short, thin young man materialized there.

“Wu Chou!”

Han Li, who had quietly retreated to the very back of the group, recognized the young man’s appearance and let out a silent gasp of alarm.

By now, many of the other cultivators had also recognized the youth; cries of surprise rang out.

The Hidden Kill Sect members’ faces changed drastically, their eyes fixed on Wu Chou with undisguised hostility. But the middle-aged man at their head wore a strange expression. As he stared at Wu Chou, a faint hint of fear crept into his eyes.

“Hehe! Worthy of the famed old fiend Chi Huo, seeing through this young master’s concealment technique so easily.” Wu Chou swept his gaze dismissively over the assembled cultivators before settling his eyes on the dark clouds above.

“Hmph!” A single cold snort came from the clouds, but nothing else followed. Wu Chou’s expression darkened.

“Did your Extreme Yin Island orchestrate all of this?” Zhuo Ruting, who had remained silent since realizing something was wrong, finally spoke.

“Correct. Every bit of it was arranged by this young master. Your Sublime Sound Sect’s cargo was taken by my island’s men. The two elders were framed and blamed on the Hidden Kill Sect by my orders.”

Utterly unexpected, Wu Chou made no effort to conceal anything. After a cold laugh, he admitted everything, his lecherous gaze roaming freely over Zi Ling’s purple-clad figure.

Zi Ling’s eyes remained cold as before. She simply stared at Wu Chou without uttering a single word.

At this moment, Elder Zhao, the scholar, and the cultivators who had just attacked, without a word, flew over to Wu Chou’s side. They now formed a triangular stalemate with Zi Ling’s group and the Hidden Kill Sect cultivators.

Seeing this, Zhuo Ruting, who had already guessed as much, still showed a change in expression. Her face grew heavy.

“Elders Zhao and Meng… our sect has never treated you poorly. How could you do this?” Madam Fan’s face had already turned deathly pale. When Elder Zhao and the others flew to Wu Chou’s side, she could no longer hold back and shouted accusingly.

She had invested enormous effort in Elder Zhao to counterbalance Zhuo Ruting’s power within the Sublime Sound Sect, even sacrificing her own body to win him over. And now he had abandoned her without a word, filling her with shock and fury.

“Madam Fan, I did not want this either. But Elder Meng and I have long had our lives held hostage by others. We had no choice.” Elder Zhao’s face twitched as he spoke woodenly.

Hearing this, Madam Fan was stunned. She was about to say something else when Zi Ling shut her down with a single cold sentence:

“Sister Fan, there’s no point in talking anymore. Since our enemy dares to set such an elaborate trap, they surely have a contingency plan. Let’s talk about surviving today’s tribulation first.”

Madam Fan fell silent.

“Tsk, tsk. Truly worthy of the famed beauty Zi Ling. This young master has admired you from afar for a long time. I wonder if the immortal lady would be interested in marrying me? I may have many concubines, but the position of principal wife has always remained open.” Wu Chou stared at Zi Ling’s magically concealed face with a lecherous look.

“Very well. I agree.” Zi Ling replied expressionlessly.

This answer shocked everyone, including Han Li.

Wu Chou himself was taken aback for a moment. Then, with a suspicious look, he asked again,

“Miss Wang, do you mean that?”

“Kill every one of the men who murdered my mother, and I will marry you.” Zi Ling’s voice turned icy cold.

The joy on Wu Chou’s face faded. He frowned and shook his head.

“That condition is impossible. Many of those who acted that day are my grandfather’s trusted confidants. I don’t have the authority to execute them. Could Miss Zi Ling choose another condition?”

Zi Ling gave a cold laugh, then lowered her voice to exchange a few words with Madam Fan before ignoring Wu Chou entirely.

Seeing this, a flash of brutality crossed Wu Chou’s ugly face. But as if remembering something, he suppressed his anger and turned his gaze toward the Hidden Kill Sect cultivators.

“Uncle-Master Sun. I didn’t expect that after all these years, you’ve managed to raise so many disciples. Truly gratifying.” Wu Chou said coldly.

“Uncle-Master Sun?”

The other cultivators were shocked by this address.

Han Li’s heart lurched. His unease grew. But his spiritual sense had already thoroughly probed the surrounding area; there were no other ambushes.

He hesitated. He wasn’t sure whether to flee immediately or wait and see how things developed.

After all, he still hadn’t confirmed whether the matter of the Divine Thunder Bamboo was real or not.

At that moment, the middle-aged man gave a cold snort and replied with an uncertain expression:

“I’m still alive. I didn’t expect that the moment I led some disciples out for a walk, your people would spot me. It seems this trip was truly a mistake.”

“Hehe! Uncle-Master Sun is joking. Who wouldn’t want to come out for some fresh air after spending decades trapped within the Boundless Mist Sea? Besides, you’re probably out this time concerning the ‘Heavenly Void Hall.’ That fragment of the Heavenly Void Map that a few uncles took with them back then—I wonder if you still have it on you. By my reckoning, the three-hundred-year cycle for the Heavenly Void Hall to surface is almost upon us. If you were to voluntarily hand that map over to your nephew, I could plead with my grandfather to spare your life.” As Wu Chou spoke, a greedy, feverish light gleamed in his eyes as he gazed at the middle-aged man, his tone turning seductive.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man fell silent for a moment. Then he replied coldly:

“We former disciples know Old Fiend Extreme Yin’s methods all too well. The moment I hand over the map, you’ll have me tortured and killed.”

“And…?” Wu Chou frowned.

“And do you really think you’re the one calling the shots? Old monster, stop hiding and show yourself!” the middle-aged man said with a sinister edge.

Hearing this, Han Li and the other cultivators were greatly startled. They quickly looked around. Was Extreme Yin Ancestor really here?

But the surroundings remained calm and ordinary. Nothing unusual appeared.

The cultivators were baffled. They turned back to look at the middle-aged man and Wu Chou.

“What are you playing at? Why wouldn’t I be…”

Wu Chou was startled at first, but before he could finish, his expression froze. A strange look stole over his face.

He stared fixedly at the middle-aged man in that strange manner. Then he broke into a sinister smile.

“Not bad, not bad. I suppose you truly are one of the disciples I valued most back then, seeing through my identity at a single glance.”

As he spoke, Wu Chou’s features began to blur and twist. Moments later, under everyone’s stunned gaze, they reshaped into the appearance of another short, thin man with narrowed, beady eyes—an ugly old man.

A chill shot down the spines of Han Li and the others.

“Possession Art! I knew it. There’s no way you’d entrust something this important to a junior. You came yourself. Even if this isn’t your true body.” The middle-aged man stared nervously at the old man, his voice low and slow.

“My good disciple, you wouldn’t dare raise a hand against your master, would you?”

The old man’s lips did not move. Yet a piercingly sharp voice emerged from his abdomen, causing everyone’s eardrums to throb in pain. Involuntarily, they all took several steps back.

“Hmph! Master? Back then, you beat and killed us on a whim. Anyone who displeased you would have their soul drawn out and refined. When did you ever treat us as disciples? We were nothing but your slaves! And now you’re only using a possession technique. At most, you can bring a third of your power to bear. What do I have to fear?” the middle-aged man said with cold ferocity. With a wave of his hand, the ghost head floating before him instantly swelled, becoming even more fierce and terrifying.

Zi Ling, Han Li, and the other cultivators were stunned by this bizarre turn of events. Their expressions shifted.

Hearing the middle-aged man’s words, the old man did not grow angry. Instead, he said calmly:

“Not bad. If this were a hundred years ago, what you said would be correct. With only a third of my cultivation base, it would indeed be difficult to capture you alive. But now…”

As he spoke, a sharp, mocking smile appeared on his face.