Chapter 488: You Dare?

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

With his cultivation restricted, the old man was no match for Zhang Xuan. After a few consecutive blows, his face was swollen beyond recognition.

He had brought the Soulless Golden Figurine to treat a persistent ailment, but instead, he was beaten so badly. The old man could no longer hold back; his teeth gnashed together, and his eyes were bloodshot.

“I’m going to kill you…”

“Kill me? Weren’t you trying to use my hands to kill him in the first place? Why are you suddenly trying to kill me?” With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan looked over leisurely.

“What did you say? I... I don’t know!” Hearing this, the old man showed a trace of panic, which he immediately concealed.

“Don't know? You came here to usurp someone else's body, and you even wanted to annihilate their soul... and you dare tell me you don't know?” Zhang Xuan’s lips curled into a smile.

“Usurpation?” Jin Conghai, Pavilion Master Sai, and the others were all startled. They looked at the old man again, full of vigilance.

Body-snatching is a special technique of Witch Soul Masters, also known as 'borrowing a body to return a soul'. As the name implies, Witch Soul Masters whose lifespans have ended forcibly suppress or kill another person's soul and inhabit their body to live again. It is mysterious and incredibly bizarre.

“Don't worry, he hasn't fully succeeded yet!” Seeing their expressions, Zhang Xuan smiled. “If he truly succeeded, that would be evil spirit possession, and I genuinely wouldn't be able to resolve it.” He had just said he couldn't deal with evil spirit possession, which had confused everyone. It turned out this person wasn't possessed by an evil spirit; his body had been usurped.

“You... don't talk nonsense! I am me. I've been possessed by an evil spirit, and it's beyond resolution…” The old man gnashed his teeth.

“You're possessed?” Zhang Xuan shook his head, walked around the old man again, his hands clasped behind his back. “I'm not entirely sure what method you used to suppress the other party's soul, but I can still tell what's truly going on.

“You came to the auction house to auction the Soulless Golden Figurine, but you wouldn't say what you wanted, making everyone guess... If I'm not mistaken, his original soul was still dominant then. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak; it's that you suppressed him, preventing him from vocalizing it, isn't it?

“Under everyone's persistent questioning, he became agitated, and you seized the opportunity to take over his body... Then you said that whoever bought the Soulless Golden Figurine would be led to the Witch Soul Master's tomb. If I'm not mistaken, you wanted to lure others there, set traps, and kill more powerful experts!” Zhang Xuan scoffed, “Otherwise, if digging up the Soulless Golden Figurine led to evil spirit possession and a short life for him, how could he possibly want to go a second time? Are you saying he's accustomed to abuse and wants to seek death?”

“This...” Jin Conghai and Pavilion Master Sai were both stunned simultaneously.

Just now, when the old man was on the auction stage, he was heavily pressed by everyone and indeed seemed to want to say something. Unfortunately, his body swayed, and he never spoke again, immediately thereafter saying what he did. Thinking about it now, it was indeed a bit strange. At the Witch Soul Master's tomb, he obtained the Soulless Golden Figurine but also had his soul usurped and was close to death. In such a dangerous place, why would he want to go again? It was clearly a huge loophole. It was a pity that they were too captivated by the Witch Soul Master's legacy and treasures within to consider this point.

“I merely wanted to raise the price...” the old man replied.

“Raise the price? Very well then!” Zhang Xuan chuckled softly, “Elder Jin, Pavilion Master Sai, I'll need to trouble you both to remove the seals on him!”

“Remove the seals?” The two were stunned. Although the beating earlier was severe, it was only superficial; no fundamental damage was done. Once the seals were removed, his strength would recover to the peak of Mortal Transcension Realm Two, and they would certainly be no match.

“Don't worry!” Knowing their concerns, Zhang Xuan gave them a reassuring look.

“Alright!” Knowing that this young man, despite his age, never did anything without certainty, the two simultaneously made a grabbing motion with their hands.

The power suppressing the old man vanished, and his aura recovered.

“Hmph, I don't see you being able to expel the evil spirit either. In that case, I'll take my leave!” Before he had taken two steps, he saw the young man blocking his path. “What, you think you can stop me with your strength?” he sneered. Although he couldn't discern the young man's exact strength, the fact that he'd let others act earlier suggested his strength was certainly inferior to his own.

“Then try it!” Without another word, Zhang Xuan lifted his foot and kicked again.

“Hmph!” The old man's face darkened, and he abruptly thrust his palm forward. However, he caught nothing; instead, a sharp pain shot through his chest. He was sent flying back again, crashing heavily onto the ground.

“You...” The old man's pupils contracted.

“Surprised?” With a flicker of his body, Zhang Xuan was in front of him again, raising his hand and slapping downwards. His face flushed red, another five-finger slap mark appeared, and the old man fell to the ground.

“This...” Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

“Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak completely unable to resist a Half-Mortal Transcension practitioner... what's going on?”

“I don't understand either...” This old man clearly possessed the strength of a Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak practitioner. Earlier, when he was sealed, his power was ferocious. How did he suddenly become a weakling now? He was beaten by a Half-Mortal Transcension practitioner with no ability to resist? Even if Master Zhang could fight beyond his realm, facing a Mortal Transcension Realm One practitioner would be difficult. Beating a Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak practitioner so brutally that he couldn't even retaliate was absolutely impossible.

“Did our teacher's strength increase again?” Unlike their shock, Zhao Ya and the others were filled with excitement. Their teacher's breakthroughs were as common as drinking water to them, a habit long ingrained in their minds. Seeing a Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak practitioner being beaten senseless, they simply assumed Zhang Xuan had already achieved another breakthrough.

“No, it's... the old man's strength has weakened! His current combat power is, at most, Mortal Transcension Realm One initial stage!” Zhao Feiwu said. Limited by her physique, she hadn't cultivated much, but she was well-traveled and had excellent discernment.

“Hmm, the Young Master is right. His current strength is, at most, at the initial stage of Mortal Transcension Realm One. It's just that... his cultivation level is genuinely at the peak of Mortal Transcension Realm Two. Exactly... why, I don't understand either!” Jin Conghai said.

“A Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak cultivation, but only the strength of Mortal Transcension Realm One initial stage... this is...” Hearing their confirmation, Zhao Ya and the others were also bewildered. Luo Qin was even more confused.

“Did you hear that? Not only did I see it, but others also saw it. What do you have to say for yourself now?” Zhang Xuan stopped his attack and looked with a smile at the old man, who had just been brutally beaten again.

“I... I'm injured, so I can't fully exert my strength...” The old man gritted his teeth.

“Even if you're injured, it's impossible for you to lose nearly two major cultivation stages of strength!” As if he had long anticipated this excuse, Zhang Xuan said.

“Master Zhang, what exactly is going on?” Seeing that the fellow was running out of words and revealing more and more flaws, Pavilion Master Sai could no longer hold back.

“It's simple. The strength of the usurping soul and the body's original owner are mismatched! If I'm not mistaken, the original owner of the body was at Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak, while the usurping soul is only at Mortal Transcension Realm One initial stage!” Zhang Xuan continued, “Although he has taken over the body, he hasn't adapted to it. Especially after I just beat him, the physical body and the soul are struggling to integrate. Even if he can control it without revealing flaws, he can't mobilize true essence, which is why he appears weak!”

When he first saw the old man on the auction stage, his Eye of Insight revealed many flaws, which made him suspicious. Normally, with his current cultivation, he could at most see through a Mortal Transcension Realm One practitioner. But... he could see issues with a Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak practitioner. Thinking about it now, it was precisely because of the Mortal Transcension Realm One initial stage soul integrated within the body. Body-snatching naturally leads to poor integration with the physical body. When the body is beaten, it instinctively chooses to align with its original soul and distance itself from the usurping soul... This is why he clearly possesses the strength of a Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak practitioner but cannot exert it.

“You, you...” The old man's face turned pale. He could have explained away everything before, but this hit directly at the core of the issue, making any explanation impossible. After all, the injuries before were merely superficial. Such a degree of injury would be negligible for a Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak expert.

“No need for 'you, you...'. When I didn't mention usurpation earlier and deliberately called it evil spirit possession, my goal was to eliminate your worries. You probably thought it was a perfect opportunity to use my hand to eliminate the soul competing with you... Was I wrong?” Zhang Xuan continued.

Although the other party had successfully usurped the body, they hadn't annihilated the original soul. In fact, that original soul was still trying to gain dominance. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come here to auction the Soulless Golden Figurine, nor would he have been so eager to exchange it for a method to suppress it. Although his idea was clever, anyone else might have fallen for the trap, eradicating the original soul and completing the usurpation. Unfortunately... he encountered Zhang Xuan. Under the Heavenly Dao, nothing can hide. Let alone a soul, even if it turned into a wisp of smoke, it couldn't escape his discerning eyes.

“You... since you've seen through everything, I won't pretend anymore. Yes, I usurped this fellow's body!” Seeing that he could no longer hide, the old man stood up, let out a cold snort, and no longer denied it.

“It really is?”

“A Mortal Transcension Realm One soul usurping a Mortal Transcension Realm Two Peak body...” Hearing his confession, everyone's faces turned pale with fright. The difference between Mortal Transcension Realm One initial stage and Realm Two Peak is nearly two major cultivation levels. In terms of combat power, it's like the difference between heaven and earth, an insurmountable gap. Yet, this soul managed to successfully usurp a body... How did he manage it? That's terrifying!

“It's good that you admit it. Actually, all of that just now... was merely my guess. If you hadn't admitted it, I would have thought I was wrong...” Zhang Xuan said. He was telling the truth. He could only see flaws; he hadn't fully analyzed the specifics or formulated a complete answer. He had merely formed a hypothesis by connecting numerous flaws and errors with the knowledge in his mind. He hadn't expected... that he would actually guess correctly.

“You...” The old man's face flushed, and he nearly coughed up blood. If only he had known Zhang Xuan was just guessing, he would never have admitted it, even if it killed him... Now it was too late; after admitting it, there was no way to deny it, even if he wanted to...

“Don't get cocky!” Narrowing his eyes and casting aside his frustration, the old man sneered coldly, “My soul is dominant now; I am the master of this body. What good does it do you to know I usurped it? Can you kill me...?”

“Do you dare?”