Chapter 1131: The Weasel of the Cold Sky

"Chen! Tan!"

A surge of black cold instantly enveloped the area.

Han Ye's laughter grew wildly uninhibited, as if he had found a powerful body to inhabit his strength, within reach in the next second.

Truth be told, none of the three present were the ideal choice.

If possible, Han Ye wanted to find an ice-attribute spirit refiner as his puppet.

But clearly, there were no other options now. Rao Yao Yao's judgment was correct—Han Ye was strong on the outside but weak within, unable to unleash all the power of his prime.

Thus, to deal with Rao Yao Yao, he needed a vessel.

Among the three, Rao Yao Yao was out of the question. That left only Ye Xiao and Chen Tan as potential hosts.

In terms of ranking, Ye Xiao should have come before Chen Tan.

Han Ye's choice wasn't entirely rational, as the "Power of the Death God" and the "Aura of the Ancestral Technique" made it obvious which was stronger.

Yet, he ultimately chose Chen Tan because the young man was a fellow traveler in the dark arts, of the same gender, and faintly carried a familiar aura.

Of course, this choice also mixed in a bit of revenge.

Who asked Chen Tan to sling mud earlier?

Besides these subjective reasons that pleased him, objective factors played a role too.

In Chen Tan's earlier slanderous words, a phrase stood out—"Bai Mai San Zu!"

"I'd like to see how you, boy, know about the Bai Mai San Zu!" Han Ye's body transformed into a black chill, leaving only two leading black eyeballs gleaming as he charged straight at Chen Tan.

It's coming!

It's already here!

As the oncoming black chill nearly pierced his nose, Xu Xiao Shou's stiff, immobile body suddenly stirred, a thought flashing in his mind.

"Bu Dong Ming Wang, release!"

He instantly deactivated the awakening skill "Bu Dong Ming Wang."

Yes, he had activated this awakening skill the moment he realized the situation was off, and in the next second, the entire area was locked down by Han Ye's powerful control.

But control was just control, not an attack.

Since Han Ye hadn't suffered any backlash, it meant his skills were completely immune to Xu Xiao Shou's "Bu Dong Ming Wang."

"How is this possible! This brat can ignore my sacred might and remain uncontrolled?"

"Suspicion received, passive value +1."

As he deactivated "Bu Dong Ming Wang," Xu Xiao Shou caught a fleeting look of astonishment on the black chill's eyeballs.

In the next second, his face turned fiercely sinister, and a fierce purple light erupted from his body. Swift as thunder, he pulled out a head-sized purple pupil bead from his hand.

"Da Ci Da Bei Shou!"

With a roar, Xu Xiao Shou slapped the "Chong Yin Zhi Yan" onto the rushing black chill.

The impact was so heavy that at the moment of contact, a blinding golden light exploded.

—Shattering Stance!

Xu Xiao Shou didn't dare let Han Ye get close.

This mysterious ghost beast was a deceptive liar whose words were hard to verify. Even if his body had once summoned the wills of great beings when facing the semi-saint Zang Ren, that was passive. Actively letting Han Ye enter was unthinkable—not to mention whether those wills would appear again, Xu Xiao Shou himself couldn't accept it.

My body, I control.

In the past, I was weak and powerless.

Now, with all these passive skills, I'm no longer a mere ant. You, a mere semi-saint, how dare you covet my body?

With a booming explosion, the "Shattering Stance" of the "Countershock" awakening skill lived up to its name. At the king-seat level, it displayed its full ferocity.

Han Ye, who couldn't accept that Chen Tan was immune to the ice chill, was instantly embedded with the "Chong Yin Zhi Yan" and blasted away.

He didn't even have time to react!

In theory, a ghost beast's possession is a special attack that transcends flesh, spirit, and intent, beyond ordinary defenses.

Yet, Chen Tan, as a Nan Yu heretic cultivator, had truly mastered a method to resist ghost beast possession!

That golden light...

Han Ye was stunned.

Even as he realized something was wrong, he didn't resist, thinking Chen Tan's attack would pass through without causing real harm.

But the result was...

It burst out from the "Tian San" prison gate, flew past Rao Yao Yao and Ye Xiao, and reached Chen Tan. Then, Chen Tan smacked it away with a palm, sending it spinning with stars in its eyes, flying back past Rao and Ye, and embedding into the ice crystal cave within the "Tian San" prison cell.

Only then did Rao Yao Yao and Ye Xiao break free from the semi-saint's power.

"Suspicion received, passive value +2."

Rao Yao Yao stood there, sword raised, frozen in shock, staring dumbly at Chen Tan.

Her intention was to help him, but this guy didn't need it at all. He single-handedly repelled Han Ye's possession!

So, what just happened?

A mere Nan Yu heretic cultivator slapped away a semi-saint-level ghost beast in the midst of possession!

"Are you messing with me?"

Rao Yao Yao instinctively thought it was a scheme, a self-directed ploy by Han Ye and Chen Tan.

How could a semi-saint be slapped away? It's impossible!

But in the next moment...

"Ah!!!"

A hysterical roar echoed from the "Tian San" prison cell.

The frost-white mist there had been completely tainted with an eerie purple, and Han Ye was writhing in agony, clutching his chest and screaming.

"The aura of the Xie Shen Zhi Li..."

Rao Yao Yao realized this was exactly what Ye Xiao had first told her about—the ability Chen Tan possessed.

She suddenly realized she had underestimated this Nan Yu heretic cultivator. Not just her, but Ye Xiao and Han Ye had too.

"Amitabha."

After repelling the possession, Xu Xiao Shou pressed his palms together, humbly bowing his head as he recited a Buddhist phrase.

Only then did he look up at Rao Yao Yao.

"Rao Jianxian, I've played all my cards; I have little left. I hope you won't lose focus again."

"We're on the same side now. I've made my commitment, and you both know Han Ye's plan. He won't spare me."

"Once he succeeds in possession, the Sheng Shen Hall will lose all face!"

Xu Xiao Shou's face paled, and after speaking, his heart surged, causing him to cough up blood as if at his limit. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to meditate in silence.

Ye Xiao was also baffled.

She never expected this Nan Yu heretic cultivator to also practice Buddhist techniques. That "Da Ci Da Bei Shou," that fleeting golden light...

It felt somewhat familiar.

But before she could think more, Han Ye, now back in the "Tian San" prison cell, let out a furious roar.

"Chen!! Tan!!!"

"Summoned, passive value +1."

As the eerie purple energy parted, the frost-white chill returned. Han Ye emerged from the prison cell, restored to human form.

His pale face was now covered in black demonic patterns, his eyes infused with purple energy, making them eerily sinister.

Most strikingly, his chest clothing was completely torn, with a head-sized purple eyeball embedded in his chest, bloody and radiating evil energy.

"He's been hit!"

Rao Yao Yao and Ye Xiao turned, their expressions turning cold.

No one expected Han Ye to actually be struck. He had clearly underestimated Chen Tan, never imagining anyone below semi-saint level could instantly break his ice frost seal, allowing the "Chong Yin Zhi Yan" to embed in his body.

"Da Ci Da Bei Shou..."

"What kind of 'Da Ci Da Bei Shou' is this, Chen Tan..."

Han Ye was furious, his hair standing on end as he glared down at the eyeball on his chest. He walked out slowly, unable to deal with it for the moment, so he temporarily sealed it in ice.

Ye Xiao watched with lingering fear.

She had experienced this attack from Chen Tan before.

But back then, she was cautious, releasing her body's restrictions in advance and splitting into three-legged black owls to dissipate the strike.

Who would have thought that even a semi-saint like Han Ye, after being hit, was powerless against it!

In the distance, Xu Xiao Shou, who was pretending to rest with his eyes closed, heard the noise and opened them slightly before closing them again, feigning exhaustion as he continued to regulate his breath.

"Ruthless!"

"The power of the ancestral source—it's not just an aura; it's truly ruthless. Even a semi-saint can't remove it quickly without a special method!"

Xu Xiao Shou pondered in his heart, finally understanding why Jiang Bu Yi was so wary of Teng Shan Hai's demonic god power.

Even if it was just an aura, once it latched on, anyone without a specific countermeasure, no matter how high their cultivation, would struggle to break free.

"Jee jee jee jee."

Sweat pouring down, eyes bloodshot, and veins bulging, Han Ye suddenly threw his head back in a sharp laugh. He used the ice chill to suppress his nearly out-of-control emotions, his face returning to calm, no longer affected by the "Xie Shen Zhi Li."

"Good fellows, each of you is not to be underestimated..."

He grasped the "Chong Yin Zhi Yan" embedded in his chest, as if wanting to pull it out but holding back.

His gaze swept over Chen Tan, glanced at Rao Yao Yao, and finally fixed on the Ye Xiao on the necromancer's shoulder. Han Ye seemed deep in thought.

"Then bring it on!!"

Suddenly, Han Ye howled wildly, spreading his limbs in a posture unlike any human. Like a large cat, he leaped into the sky.

The nine heavens turned icy cold.

Black ghost beast energy surged from him like a tide, freezing the void and turning the entire hall into a world of chill.

"Release!"

Han Ye roared in the air, and with a bang, his clothes exploded as his body expanded section by section.

He unleashed his true form, shedding the "Chong Yin Zhi Yan" embedded in his body to temporarily halt the "Xie Shen Zhi Li"'s invasion.

He transformed into a creature over ten zhang long, slender in build with short limbs, covered in white fur that blended with his fluffy, soft tail.

Even in his furious state, Han Ye's true form wasn't entirely ferocious; compared to void servants, it was more like "cute and compact."

His cat-like, mouse-like face was purely white, and aside from the black ice chill ghost energy, the only black on him was his two massive eyeballs and the dozen fine whiskers on his cheeks.

"Han Tian Zhi You!"

Rao Yao Yao exclaimed in shock after a moment.

On the necromancer's shoulder, Ye Xiao lifted her eyes from the shadows, showing a hint of curiosity.

Others might not know, but as the red-clothed enforcer who dealt with ghost creatures daily, Rao Yao Yao was well aware.

"Han Tian Zhi You is an ice-attribute semi-saint-level ghost beast of unknown origin. Hundreds of years ago, it was captured by Yan Lao and Yu Tong after a chase as a calamitous beast."

"In its prime, its combat power was immense. It was first sealed in Jin Zhao Yu Hai, relying on extreme fire attributes to suppress it."

"Later, when Jin Zhao Yu Hai had changes, it was moved to Si Xiang Mi Jing. It continued to cause chaos there, so it was finally imprisoned in the inner island of Xu Kong Dao, where it finally quieted down."

Rao Yao Yao spoke as if no one else was around, seemingly forgetting there was an outsider behind.

Xu Xiao Shou, appearing to meditate with eyes closed, was actually using his "Perception" to monitor the battlefield. Hearing Rao Yao Yao's words, he was startled.

"Han Tian Zhi You, Jin Zhao Yu Hai..."

He already knew that one of the Qi Jue Prison, "Jin Zhao Yu Hai," was the predecessor of the Bai Ku.

So, Han Ye had once been sealed in the former Bai Ku, suppressed by the power of the Qi Jue Prison.

This...

Xu Xiao Shou felt a strange sensation in his heart.

He thought of Ling Rong Ze, the "Jin Zhao Origin Seed" he obtained there, and the massive ice-fire explosion at that ghostly place.

Why would such a vast fire-dominant alternate dimension have a snow-capped mountain sealed by a spirit array, housing a sacred item like the "San Ri Bing Jie"?

Could it be...

The more Xu Xiao Shou thought, the more incredulous it seemed.

What was this?

Was it possible that the ice-attribute forces in Ling Rong Ze formed because of Han Ye's past presence?

This creature had also been sealed in Si Xiang Mi Jing—surely the chaos it caused there was the "Ran Ming Yuan" it mentioned?

And finally, it was imprisoned in the inner island of Xu Kong Dao.

Xu Xiao Shou's eyelashes twitched, almost opening his eyes.

The inner island of Xu Kong Dao—that was Ba Zun's old haunt!

There, the black and white pulses all revered Ba Zun as supreme, even the Sheng Di was no exception. Since Han Ye had been there, he must have been one of them.

Thinking this way, he was likely a backup left by Ba Zun, which is why he escaped from the inner island to the Wu Qing Dian.

Wait, no!

Even the Sheng Di couldn't do that—how did Han Ye manage it?

Ye Xiao clearly had the same doubt, but she held back, her eyes in the shadows glancing slightly at the motionless Chen Tan without speaking.

Before she could ask, Rao Yao Yao, knowing Ye Xiao's reticence, continued as if no one else was present:

"The Han Tian Zhi You excels at escape. It can shuttle through spatial rifts, temporal rifts, seal rifts, and gaps in the great dao, making it nearly impossible to guard against."

"Others from the inner island of Xu Kong Dao can't get out, but for a Han Tian Zhi You, with some cost, it's theoretically possible."

"However, after escaping, it must have lost its bearings and ended up in this Wu Qing Dian, where it was sealed again until you arrived."

So...

This was a semi-saint-level ghost beast that escaped from the inner island of Xu Kong Dao but got lost?

Xu Xiao Shou's heart trembled. He, more than anyone—perhaps even more than the red-clothed enforcers—could accept this explanation.

Because it sounded absurd, but it had factual basis.

Xu Xiao Shou had never been to the inner island of Xu Kong Dao, but it seemed the stronger the being, the harder it was to escape, with restrictions in place. Only those with bizarre abilities had a slim chance to slip away.

Feng Yu Jing was one, Wu Ji Lao Zu was another, and now this Han Ye, this Han Tian Zhi You.

Thinking this far, Xu Xiao Shou was almost unable to sit still.

Because from this perspective, Han Tian Zhi You—Han Ye—seemed to be on his side!

"I... took the wrong stance."