The Price of Deception

The situation was dire. Lin Tian frantically called out to Jiaofeng in his mind, but received no response. He warily observed the statue, noting a faint spiritual energy flowing within it.

Suddenly, a streak of golden light shot out! Unable to dodge, it struck Lin Tian directly between his brows!

His consciousness blurred instantly. He felt an excruciating pain rip through his head, causing him to collapse to the ground, unconscious.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, two spiritual souls intertwined—one golden, one blue. Lin Tian felt as if he were trapped in a dream, devoid of any tangible reality; his body was gone, transformed into a blue gaseous form. At that moment, a massive golden gas surged forward, scattering his essence. The agonizing pain in his head was incredibly clear, yet he could not touch it.

The golden gas was slowly, relentlessly eroding him. Powerless to resist, Lin Tian could vaguely hear the old woman’s voice:

“Little girl, stop resisting. You’re merely at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement; this body belongs to me now!”

As he watched himself being assimilated, his thoughts gradually became hazy…

Just then, another burst of golden light erupted! Though its aura was not strong, the surprise attack scattered a large portion of the old woman’s spiritual essence.

“What?! How do you have two spiritual souls?!”

****

Three hours had passed in the outside world. The collapsed Lin Tian suddenly sat up, his pale forehead slick with sweat, strands of hair clinging to his fair neck.

“Senior, was the body-snatching successful?” Qian Yuling’s voice drifted from outside the door.

“How could I possibly fail with a mere eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator? My aura is unstable now; I need to regulate it,” Lin Tian replied, his tone completely altered.

“Senior, please rest assured and recuperate. I will stand guard for you.”

Lin Tian sat cross-legged, regulating his aura. That had truly been a dangerous encounter. He had heard of body-snatching techniques before, but never imagined someone would attempt to seize his own body. Had it not been for the other spiritual soul assisting him, working together to annihilate the intruder, his body might now be under someone else’s control.

Knowing little about such matters, Lin Tian did not dwell on the identity of the other spiritual soul. For now, he was safe, though his back ached as if someone had brutally hammered his pressure points. He realized Qian Yuling had indeed deceived him; appearances could truly be misleading, and danger lurked everywhere.

That talk of a secret realm array was likely fabricated by Qian Yuling. The reason for choosing Luo Yingkong was entirely due to his appearance.

Appearance… should I also attempt body-snatching?

After a moment’s consideration, he quickly dismissed the thought. Each cultivator could only snatch a body once in their lifetime. If one’s physical body was destroyed, as long as the spiritual soul remained intact, they could seize another. This was a means of self-preservation, best reserved for moments of extreme crisis.

He consumed two more pills and resumed his meditation. The meridians Qian Yuling had sealed gradually unfurled, allowing spiritual energy to flow freely once more.

Two hours later…

Lin Tian’s eyes snapped open, his expression icy. He burst through the door!

“Ah!” Qian Yuling shrieked in surprise, then quickly composed herself, respectfully saying, “Congratulations, Senior, on your successful body-snatching. As for what you promised me…”

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Tian hurled a flying disc directly at Qian Yuling!

“Senior?!” Qian Yuling gasped, hastily drawing a small shield to block in front of her!

The flying disc spun rapidly, sparking against the shield! Qian Yuling was forced back three zhang, leaving two deep footprints in the ground. Seeing that the flying disc could not penetrate her shield, Lin Tian charged forward, a flying sword in hand!

“Such speed!” Qian Yuling exclaimed in alarm. Retreat was no longer an option. Gritting her teeth, she produced a long whip and began to lash it wildly, like a frenzied python, kicking up dust and preventing him from approaching.

“Bang!”

Lin Tian fired a shot, but the other woman reacted swiftly, blocking it with her shield. The bullet left only a faint white mark on its surface. With the shield and whip working in tandem, ordinary people could not get close, and ranged attacks failed to harm her.

“Is that?!”

Seeing Lin Tian pull out a grenade, Qian Yuling’s face changed drastically. She had witnessed its power at the auction; a single shield would be utterly useless against it! Without a second thought, she desperately fled backward. Due to her back being turned to Lin Tian, she lacked defense and was struck in both knees by two bullets! She tumbled to the ground with a thud, rolling several times.

Upon seeing this, Lin Tian rushed to Qian Yuling with incredible speed, pointing his handgun at the woman’s head.

“Senior, please spare my life!” Qian Yuling pleaded, her face twisted in misery. Her legs were shot through, rendering her immobile.

“Considering our journey together, I’ll allow you a final word.”

“You are… Fellow Daoist Luo?” Qian Yuling stammered, stunned.

“Is that your last word?” Lin Tian chambered a round, ready to fire at any moment.

“No, no, no, Fellow Daoist Luo, please don’t! I was forced by that old woman; I truly didn’t want to harm you.”

“And what of it? Just for luring me here to my death, there’s no reason to spare you!” The threat to his life filled Lin Tian with a trace of anger. Had they not traveled together for a while, he would not have wasted words.

“I know where the old woman hid her storage bag. A Foundation Establishment cultivator’s fortune is considerable. If Fellow Daoist Luo spares me, I will lead you to it.” To save her life, Qian Yuling offered her trump card.

After contemplating for a moment, Lin Tian calmed down, deciding that reason should prevail. Since there was a benefit to be gained, he would not act on a momentary impulse.

“I didn’t intend to kill you anyway. But if you try any more tricks, I won’t hold back!”

“Thank you, Fellow Daoist Luo.” Qian Yuling breathed a slight sigh of relief, the usual smile gone from her face.

“Lead the way.”

“But my legs…”

Lin Tian sighed, then poked several of Qian Yuling’s pressure points, sealing her spiritual energy, before carrying her on his back. Having never carried a girl before, this was his first time feeling skin-on-skin contact, giving him an indescribable, peculiar sensation. He walked slowly…

“Who was the one who tried to snatch my body earlier?” Lin Tian asked.

“She was originally a disciple of our sect, having reached the Foundation Establishment stage. She was gravely injured during a mission, and only the two of us survived. I wasn’t injured, but she was poisoned with a potent venom. Her body would slowly decay until death, and her cultivation also dropped to the Qi Refinement stage.”

Qian Yuling paused for a moment, then continued:

“At death’s door, she initially tried to snatch my body, but my master had placed a protective enchantment on my Sea of Consciousness. Out of desperation, she forcibly planted a venomous Gu worm in me; it will activate and kill me in three months.”

Lin Tian listened for a while, then guessed, “So she forced you to find a body-snatching target for her?”

“Exactly. She never told me where she hid the antidote… Now that her spiritual soul has been annihilated by Fellow Daoist, I fear my days are numbered…”

“I do know a friend who dabbles in Gu worms, but he’s a mortal. I don’t know if he can cure your venomous Gu worm,” Lin Tian said, thinking of the stout young man.

“Is Fellow Daoist Luo’s word true? I’m going to die anyway; I want to try with him. If he can remove the venomous Gu worm from my body, I will repay Fellow Daoist with all my might in the future.”

“Oh? What can you repay me with?” Lin Tian countered.

“Though my cultivation isn’t high, I’m quite adept at gathering information, and I’ve had a natural intuition for rare treasures since childhood. The secret realm I spoke of before truly exists.”

“The treasure ground you tricked me about earlier?”

“Precisely. With my intuition, there are definitely treasures there!”

Lin Tian chuckled softly. “Don’t get too excited. My friend is just a mortal; he might not be able to cure your Gu.”

At this, Qian Yuling’s eyes dimmed again. “Take the Creation Pill, Fellow Daoist. It’s useless to a dying person like me.”

“Even if you didn’t say so, I would take it.” Lin Tian moved a finger, taking her storage bag.

Inside were only some spirit stones and a few low-grade magical artifacts. After taking out the Creation Pill, he returned the storage bag to her.

****

“It’s here?”

“Yes, her storage bag is beneath the cave. I can’t accompany Fellow Daoist inside, or the Gu worm will immediately activate. It will also activate immediately upon returning to the sect…”

At the cave behind the pavilion, Lin Tian gently set her down and thought for a moment. “There aren’t any traps inside, are there? Are you leading me to my death?”

“How dare I deceive Fellow Daoist? There are only simple pavilion restrictions inside. If you don’t believe me, I can swear an oath or sign a contract.”

Seeing Qian Yuling’s earnest expression, Lin Tian walked directly into the cave. “No need, I trust you.”