Gu Changfeng slowly knelt near the cracked stone floor of the cultivation chamber. The air there felt heavy, like invisible soot drifting through still water.

  Gu Changfeng: “Something is not right here. The concentration of dark qi is unnatural…”

  Jiang Beichen walked around the chamber, inspecting the scorched walls and collapsed stone platforms.

  Jiang Beichen: “We found no trace of the bodies. Even the main cultivation room is empty. Whoever did this cleaned the scene thoroughly.”

  Fairy Nangong Yuexi’s eyes narrowed, her expression turning cold as winter frost.

  Fairy Nangong: “Something is deeply amiss… Whoever killed my disciple is long gone.”

  Her voice lowered. “Could it be… a Golden Core master?”

  The atmosphere tightened.

  Gu Changfeng did not answer immediately. Instead, he took out a thin bronze needle and a stack of pale-yellow talismans. With practiced precision, he arranged the talismans in a circular pattern across the stone floor. His fingers formed seals, each movement deliberate and restrained, as though disturbing ancient dust.

  A faint blue glow spread outward.

  The talismans ignited without flame.

  Threads of gray-black qi began rising from the ground, drawn out like smoke pulled from invisible cracks in reality. The chamber temperature dropped noticeably.

  Gu Changfeng’s pupils shrank.

  “Spirit-trace extraction… reveal.”

  The drifting strands suddenly condensed.

  For a brief moment, shadowy illusions appeared:

  Five kneeling figures.

  A circular formation.

  Dark light pulsing like a heartbeat.

  Then—

  A distorted silhouette hovering above them.

  The vision shattered instantly.

  Gu Changfeng’s expression turned grim.

  “This… was a sacrificial ritual.”

  Jiang Beichen’s eyes sharpened.

  “Sacrifice?”

  Gu Changfeng nodded slowly.

  “The five Qi Refinement cultivators were used as fuel. Their souls were forcibly extracted and refined into pure soul energy.”

  Fairy Nangong’s killing intent surged.

  “For what purpose?”

  Gu Changfeng’s gaze shifted toward the center of the chamber where faint distortions flickered for only a fraction of a second, like ripples passing through glass.

  He froze.

  Then he extended his spiritual sense again.

  Nothing.

  Only emptiness.

  But he had seen it.

  A trace.

  A very faint trace.

  Spatial distortion.

  His brows furrowed deeply.

  “…Strange.”

  Jiang Beichen immediately noticed.

  “What is it?”

  Gu Changfeng hesitated before answering.

  “There was… something else here. Extremely subtle. Almost impossible to detect.”

  He stood up slowly, voice heavier now.

  “This ritual was not for strengthening or resurrection.”

  “It was for body possession.”

  Silence fell.

  Even the faint crackling of residual fire qi seemed to fade.

  Gu Changfeng continued:

  “A Golden Core remnant soul most likely survived inside this cave for many years. When these disciples entered, the remnant seized the opportunity and sacrificed them to stabilize its soul before attempting possession.”

  Fairy Nangong’s eyes turned icy.

  “Then where is the possessed body?”

  Gu Changfeng shook his head.

  “That… I cannot determine.”

  He glanced once more toward the spot where the spatial distortion had appeared.

  Something about it felt wrong.

  Not demonic.

  Not orthodox.

  Not even natural.

  Like a footprint left outside the rules of the world.

  “The target of the possession is unknown,” he finally concluded. “But whoever it was… is already gone.”

  The chamber returned to silence, yet the air now carried a different weight.

  Not the residue of battle.

  But the lingering echo of something far more dangerous.

  Something that had slipped through the cracks of fate itself.

  Jiang Beichen’s expression tightened, the weight of the conclusion settling over the chamber like cold ash.

  Jiang Beichen: “You mean to tell me… that an unknown revived Golden Core is now roaming free?”

  Gu Changfeng shook his head slowly.

  Gu Changfeng: “It is not that simple. Even if the ritual succeeded, body possession is an extremely complex process. Those five souls were merely used to stabilize a fragile remnant soul inside a new vessel.”

  He walked a few steps, examining the faint ritual marks still etched into the stone.

  “Without near-perfect compatibility between soul and body, the possession cannot last. At best, a few years. After that, the body will begin rejecting the foreign soul, leading to collapse.”

  He paused, then added calmly:

  “And unless one can create an entirely new body from scratch… the process is ultimately doomed. Such feats are far easier spoken than achieved.”

  Fairy Nangong Yuexi’s voice cut through the chamber.

  Nangong Yuexi: “Will that Golden Core retain its original realm?”

  Gu Changfeng gave a faint snort.

  Gu Changfeng: “Ridiculous. Memories and knowledge may remain, but cultivation does not transfer so easily. The new vessel must recultivate from the beginning.”

  He folded his sleeves behind his back.

  “At most, with sufficient experience and resources, the possessed individual might temporarily display strength comparable to the Foundation Establishment realm. Nothing more.”

  Jiang Beichen nodded slowly, absorbing the implications.

  Then his eyes sharpened.

  Jiang Beichen: “Earlier you mentioned something strange.”

  Gu Changfeng glanced toward the chamber center again, his brows still faintly knitted.

  Gu Changfeng: “What here is not strange?”

  He continued, voice lower:

  “A fire-attributed Golden Core cultivator using demonic sacrificial techniques… That alone is already abnormal.”

  He gestured toward the surrounding environment.

  “The residual fire qi itself does not match the spiritual climate of this region. Most likely, the owner of this immortal cave was not native to the territories controlled by our sect.”

  A brief silence followed.

  The cave felt emptier than before, yet more unsettling, as if the true answer had already slipped away.

  After several seconds, Jiang Beichen turned toward the disciples behind him.

  His tone became decisive.

  Jiang Beichen: “Gather all remaining traces and prepare to withdraw.”

  The disciples immediately began moving, carefully collecting broken talisman fragments and recording the formation remnants.

  Jiang Beichen then looked at Gu Changfeng.

  Jiang Beichen: “Old Gu, compile a complete report of your findings. We will submit everything to the sect.”

  His gaze darkened slightly.

  “The higher authorities will decide how to proceed.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Gu Changfeng nodded, though the faint trace of spatial distortion still lingered in his thoughts like a half-remembered dream.

  Whatever had truly happened here…

  It was not entirely explained by possession alone.

  The team did not linger. The spirit boat sliced across the sky like a streak of pale lightning, heading straight for the sect gates without the slightest detour. They did not even pass through Blackstone City. If necessary, orders could be transmitted there at any time once the higher authorities reviewed the report.

  Within a week, the group arrived at the sect.

  Old Gu Changfeng had already compiled his findings. After a brief moment of contemplation, he decided to attribute the faint traces of spatial distortion to the lingering aftermath of the body-possession ritual. Such demonic arts were, by nature, acts that defied the laws of heaven. Unstable remnants were hardly surprising.

  In truth, he could have omitted the detail entirely. The distortion was weak, nearly negligible, and no immediate danger could be inferred from it. However, months earlier the Supreme Council had issued a directive to monitor any anomaly related to the Xuan family.

  Gu Changfeng never once considered that the two matters might be connected. Still, duty was duty. He recorded every detail with meticulous precision, leaving speculation to those who sat higher in the storm than he did.

  A few days later, inside the main hall of the Law Enforcement Department, a heavy stillness lingered in the air. Incense smoke curled slowly beneath the high beams, drifting like pale ghosts across rows of jade-lit pillars.

  Elder Qin Haitian, the head of the hall, sat behind a wide blackwood desk carved with ancient beast patterns. At his side stood his deputy, Elder Ning Taiwan, holding a scroll of compiled reports.

  Qin Haitian tapped the armrest lightly, his eyes narrowing.

  “You said the residual fire qi most likely belongs to the Phoenix Fire Immortal Sect?” he asked with a faint frown.

  Ning Taiwan inclined his head.

  “Most likely. The traces indicate the aura belonged to at least a late-stage Golden Core True Master. Otherwise, I would not have reported the matter to you personally, Master.”

  Qin Haitian leaned back slightly, fingers interlocked.

  “So a simple juniors’ expedition turned into a body-possession ritual… interesting. A Golden Core expert from beyond the mountain ranges hiding within our territory.”

  His gaze sharpened.

  “Can we pinpoint who it was?”

  Ning Taiwan unrolled the scroll a little further.

  “The traces inside the cave suggest the event occurred roughly three hundred years ago. I have already sent orders to review the archives of the border teleportation formation to determine whether such a figure passed through during that period.”

  Qin Haitian shook his head slowly.

  “It’s unlikely he came through the official teleportation formation. If a Golden Core expert had entered openly, the sect would never have overlooked such a high-profile presence.”

  Ning Taiwan paused.

  “You mean…”

  “Either he crossed the mountain ranges,” Qin said calmly, “or he used an alternative, unofficial teleportation formation.”

  Ning Taiwan raised his brow.

  “That should be impossible. Who could construct such a teleportation formation without us noticing? The cost alone would be astronomical, not to mention the requirement for high-level formation masters.”

  Qin Haitian’s expression remained indifferent.

  “Nothing is impossible.”

  A brief silence followed before he continued:

  “I want you to issue orders to tighten surveillance in the cities near the mountain range. Just to be safe.”

  Ning nodded, then added,

  “The report also mentioned a faint spatial distortion caused by the possession ritual. Do you believe that is plausible?”

  Qin waved his hand lightly.

  “Demonic arts are inherently unstable. A late Golden Core cultivator… even a remnant soul could produce significant disturbances.”

  Ning Taiwan exhaled slowly.

  “If the ritual succeeded, then locating that individual will be difficult. We have no idea who the vessel is.”

  Qin Haitian’s tone turned flat.

  “Register the case under rogue cultivator activity and close it.”

  Ning hesitated.

  “Should we involve External Affairs? They could investigate directly with the Phoenix Fire Sect.”

  Qin Haitian gave a cold snort.

  “Why would we do that? What if this Golden Core expert defected from his sect centuries ago? Informing them would only alert a potential threat.”

  A faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

  “Are we running a charity service for other sects now?”

  Understanding dawned in Ning Taiwan’s eyes. He smiled respectfully.

  “That is wise, Elder Qin.”

  Meanwhile, Chen Mo immersed himself in the scattered scrolls and annotated notes left behind by Huo Zhenwei, gradually piecing together the hidden truth behind the cave’s dark legacy.

  Before attempting his Nascent Soul breakthrough, Huo Zhenwei and his younger brother Huo Tianlei had spent years moving through the shadows of the cultivation world, secretly gathering forbidden knowledge to increase the chances of awakening the Phoenix Fire Sect’s legendary Nirvana Flame. Fully aware that orthodox techniques alone could not push them past the limits of fate, the two brothers traveled across remote black markets, abandoned ruins, and clandestine auctions to collect fragmented demonic manuals and experimental cultivation texts. Their search eventually led them into contact with a mysterious underground organization that traded in taboo resources, from which they obtained a black skull token as proof of membership.

  Among the materials they acquired were several dangerous and heretical techniques: Body Possession Rituals used to seize stronger vessels and prolong one’s lifespan, Soul Extraction Arts designed to refine spiritual essence from defeated enemies, Demonic Refinement Methods that compressed violent energies to accelerate cultivation at the cost of stability, and specialized Demonic Fire Enhancement Techniques capable of mutating ordinary spiritual flames into unstable yet terrifying variants. Each method carried severe risks of backlash, spiritual deviation, and even total annihilation, yet the brothers treated danger as a stepping stone rather than a warning.

  In their minds, if demonic transformation principles could be fused with the Phoenix Fire path, then the boundary of the Golden Core realm might finally crack. All of it pointed toward a single ambition: to push Huo Zhenwei beyond mortal limits and grasp the elusive threshold of Nirvana rebirth, a flame said to burn not only the body, but fate itself.