novelraw Chapter 553: The Green-eyed Fox in the Void
Chapter 553: The Green-eyed Fox in the Void
Jiang Yuan looked at the green, slime-like mass that had automatically entered his Storage Bag, which was still squirming continuously, and grinned; it really was a bit disgusting.
It seems that he had oversimplified the issue by thinking a bit of damage to his Divine Soul for Spiritual Communication to squeeze into the Cultivator circle was worth it, and that he could just stop when things seemed fine.
Only now did he realize that mortals without a Spirit Root cannot cultivate, and it’s impossible to obtain opportunities through legitimate channels. It’s better to honestly lead a stable life as an ordinary person. Otherwise, he could be killed by this lump of stuff, and even his corpse might continue to harm people, what great sin!
A probe, grab, and yank with the Soul Hook could restore a polluted human to normal, adding one more strange soul to the Storage Bag.
The process didn’t take long, but the number of victims was overwhelming, causing Jiang Yuan to have to maintain order and take time to answer questions, keeping him extremely busy.
Meanwhile, in the lavish palatial hall floating on the massive continent in the void, a green-eyed fox wearing a luxurious robe of deep red and green with a gray fox head suddenly emitted green light from its eyes, screaming, "My soul! Ah! My soul... the human soul too... Ah! Trouble!"
Overcome with emotion, the whole green-eyed fox suddenly collapsed into a lump composed of green pus and slime, with its luxurious clothing loosely piled upon it.
Another green-eyed fox, seeing the state, couldn’t help but roll its eyes, "Idiot, what are you screaming about? Look at you, turned into that hideous form again. As long as you remain calm, you can maintain our original appearance. As a Cultivator, one needs to be unfazed by a collapsing Mount Tai... Ah! My soul! My soul!"
His mocking words barely left his lips before his emotions fluctuated too intensely and he turned into a lump of green pus.
"Quick! Go to the Clan Leader!"
"What is going on? Impossible, it shouldn’t be! My portion of the exchanged human soul is missing, how about yours?"
"Also gone! A piece of my Divine Soul is missing... Damn it! Clan Leader! Clan Leader, help..."
...
From the moment the first green-eyed fox noticed something was wrong, clan members screamed in succession, with lumps of green pus creeping forward rapidly, not caring that their ornate robes fell all over.
"What’s the commotion outside?" The green-eyed fox clan leader, Jing Peiran, lay on his bed, resting with his eyes closed.
Ever since connecting with mortals from the Unknown World to perform Possession, his Divine Soul had been split, always leaving him feeling restless. Upon hearing the clamoring from the clan members, he immediately frowned, "A Li, go see what’s happening."
Jing Li was the house servant raised single-handedly by the clan leader Jing Peiran, with whom he shared the closest relationship.
During the connection and Possession, Jing Peiran chose to possess Lu Erxi, leaving Lu Shaojie’s younger body for her. Through careful Possession, Jing Li had already exchanged a third of her soul.
It was also this elderly lady of the green-eyed fox race who communicated with Jiang Yuan.
"Just some irrelevant trifles." She humped over slightly, her husky voice said, "The world suddenly collapsed, yet our clan is quite lucky, occupying intact territory. But even so, wandering while floating in the void is bound to instill fear among the clan members.
Moreover, having survived the terrifying experience of being engulfed by the Ghost Realm, deliriously escaping, only to discover we transform into that disgusting appearance when emotional fluctuations occur, how can any clan member accept it calmly?
At least clamoring is better than deathly silence. Please rest first, I’ll go have a look."
Jing Peiran snorted coldly, "A bunch of unappreciative fools! Escaped world collapse, survived the Ghost Realm, it’s already enough that we’re still alive.
Lucky for us, when the world collapsed, our clan’s Divine Mountain Sacred Stone fortuitously landed in an Unknown World. I established Spiritual Communication using a Secret Technique, allowing several hundred survivors of our green-eyed fox clan to return safely through Possession.
Though now we’re only possessing mortal bodies, once the Possession succeeds, we can choose whatever form we want in that world by exchanging bodies. I get a headache over trivial matters being squabbled over every day!"
Jing Li lowered the luxurious bead curtain, whispered, "I’ll handle it, please rest first."
She walked hunched over but left the back hall like the wind, entered the grand hall through the back door, and saw the ground covered with wrenching green slime emitting ghostly wails.
"Granny Li, help! Our souls are incomplete!"
"Is your soul damaged, Granny? And the clan leader? How is he doing?"
"What should we do! Could the deities in the Unknown World have found us out during the Possession? Is there hope for our survival through Possession?"
...
The clamoring mixed with the squelching sound of slime rubbing together made Jing Li confused. She smacked the table, her voice hoarse, "Quiet! Look at all of you, is there any trace left of the green-eyed fox clan’s grace and elegance over thousands of years!"
The cries and wails in the hall gradually subsided.
One or two green-eyed foxes with high cultivation quickly calmed down, returned to their normal forms, put on their luxurious attire, and respectfully saluted the old woman, "Granny Li, we cannot blame the clan members for being fear-stricken. It’s just that... the human souls we possessed suddenly vanished, and we lost contact with the exchanged portion to the Unknown World, unable to return. Neither you nor the clan leader noticed anything unusual?"
"Did all clan members participating in the initial Possession experience this?" Jing Li was taken aback, and suddenly remembered the human Cultivator she communicated with "yesterday." Could it be him?
After receiving a confirmation, she gestured to soothe them, "Don’t be alarmed; although we unfortunately experienced the world’s collapse and entered the Ghost Realm, the resulting change is rather a good thing. Our souls, now like our bodies, possess great resilience and can easily split and merge.
Once the clan leader leads the successful Possession, moving to that world, our perception of our own souls will be amplified a thousand times. Then we can retrieve the lost portions.
Quiet down, I will report to the clan leader to accelerate the Possession process. Even if it means taking some risks, it doesn’t matter; as long as our clan can successfully possess one or two human entities, it can secure Cultivator bodies for Possession.
With a more concealed and secure base established, I assure you the clan leader will not leave any member behind, allowing each to be reborn in a new world with a new body and identity!
Indeed, her words quickly pacified the green-eyed foxes who were distraught over their lost souls.
Jing Li turned and left the grand hall, hurriedly reporting to the clan leader, "Do you think the little Cultivator I met yesterday is behind this? He immediately saw through the situation and knew we were the green-eyed fox clan."
"I don’t think so." Jing Peiran thought for a moment and shook his head, "I watched coldly at the time; he probably practiced some Secret Technique that allows him to detect anomalies in souls, but he definitely doesn’t know our current status.
Ah Li, we’ve become the very ’Curiosities’ feared by those Cultivators that they’d first kill on sight. Why waste that many words?
I find that little Cultivator quite adorable himself, naively thinking providing some Spirit Stone to Lu Erxi and patiently advising them would make them settle to live as happy Cultivators. Tsk tsk, had Lu Erxi not been such a self-righteous, insatiably greedy fool, I have never chosen him."
He rose from the couch, sighed eerily, "Though the incident remains unclear, the situation in that world seems rather complex. Ah Li, we cannot afford a conservative approach to Possession; prepare yourself as I will cast spells again, aiming for successful Possession within a few days!
Once one of us, whoever succeeds first, we can preside over the major affairs rather than leaving it to Lu Erxi, that incompetent fool. After the clan smoothly possesses the body, we’ll search for the missing souls detained. It’s not too late then."