Liang Xiao strolled casually, appearing like any ordinary man taking a night walk — head lowered, pretending to scroll on his phone, but in reality, relying solely on his intuition to track the three people ahead.
To avoid being discovered, he slowed his pace, keeping a distance of roughly 150 meters.
Because it was within the city and late at night, this distance was safe enough — no one would suspect him of tailing anyone.
He followed them quietly for over ten minutes.
Suddenly, the Tan family father and son, led by the patrolling cultivator, turned into a small alley — and then... vanished.
"What's going on?"
Liang Xiao frowned, carefully sensing the surroundings.
To his shock, not only could he no longer see the three with his eyes — he could no longer sense their auras with his spiritual perception either.
They had vanished — completely.
A formation? Or...
Liang Xiao's expression hardened as he suddenly remembered what Captain Huang had once told him —
The Changsheng Sect possessed talismans capable of short-distance teleportation.
Could it be... they used a teleportation talisman?
His heart sank.
Wait... what if I try my method?
He suddenly recalled his Small Reflection Phenomenon — every time it appeared, he could sense the auras of those nearby and their exact locations.
With that thought, he activated the special golden core's array diagram.
At that instant, an entirely new feeling surged within him — as though he could control the reflection itself.
Acting on instinct, he locked onto one of the three auras — Tan Weifeng's father.
Among them, only Tan's father was an ordinary person — the least likely to detect his interference.
In a safe house more than 500 meters away, Father Tan suddenly froze.
A ball of light appeared within his consciousness — yet no one else reacted, because Liang Xiao had deliberately restricted the projection to him alone.
Found you.
Liang Xiao turned sharply to his left — his gaze piercing through layers of buildings — and saw it: a small house roughly 500 meters away.
By focusing on the reflected aura in Tan's father's mind, he pinpointed their exact location.
He prepared to move — but the next thing he knew, his consciousness surged ahead of his body.
Then—
Darkness.
When Liang Xiao opened his eyes again, he found himself standing beside Tan Weifeng.
"Grass!"
Without hesitation, he lashed out — his fist slammed squarely into Tan Weifeng's face.
Bang!
A jarring pain shot up his arm. Tan Weifeng stood unharmed — while Liang Xiao staggered back, injured by his own blow.
"Dad?!"
Tan Weifeng stared blankly, stunned by the sudden punch. The blow didn't hurt, but the shock left him completely confused.
The patrolling cultivator beside him — a Qi Refining stage one — frowned.
"Mr. Tan, what's going on?"
Liang Xiao's mind reeled.
Wait... this isn't my body.
He looked down — at the hands and clothes that weren't his.
Sure enough, this was Tan Weifeng's father's body.
He froze.
What... happened?
Then realization struck.
The reflection... I can possess others through it?!
Could this ability allow his consciousness to descend and temporarily take control of another's body?
Liang Xiao's heart pounded in disbelief.
What an incredible ability!
He remembered reading that the Minor Reflection Phenomenon could occasionally awaken unique abilities — but his had never shown anything like this before.
So, the true nature of his reflection was possession.
A pity, though — he couldn't read memories, nor could his cultivation strength carry over to the host body.
Still — this was a terrifying power.
Within less than a second, "Father Tan" regained composure.
He sneered coldly and spoke, voice calm again:
"I was just thinking about the Tan family's current situation... and got a bit angry. If this unfilial son weren't still useful, I'd have strangled him already. Continue — what were you saying?"
Tan Weifeng's face twisted with grievance, but he didn't dare retort.
It was true — his reckless actions had forced the entire Tan family into ruin.
It's all Liang Xiao's fault!!
Hatred boiled in his heart. If I ever get the chance... I'll make him regret ever being born!
The patrolling cultivator broke the silence.
"This is a safe house. You're secure for now. Soon, other adults will arrive. Once everyone's assembled, the altar will open to send you out of the city."
The Tan family had provided the Eternal Life Sect with valuable intelligence. Tonight, they were being smuggled out as part of the exchange.
"I see."
'Father Tan' nodded. "Who are these adults? How long until they arrive?"
"Dad, didn't we just say that?" Tan Weifeng frowned, confused.
'Father Tan' glared — and slapped him hard across the face.
"When did it become your turn to interrupt me?!"
Tan Weifeng staggered back, clutching his cheek in disbelief.
Even before, his father had never hit him. Now, in one night, he'd been struck twice.
The humiliation burned.
Before he could react, the patrolling cultivator's expression suddenly changed.
He stepped back sharply, his eyes narrowing.
"You're not Mr. Tan. Who are you?"
"What?!" Tan Weifeng was stunned.
In that instant, realization dawned — as a cultivator, he knew about special abilities that allowed spiritual control.
So the person who hit him wasn't his father at all — it was someone controlling his father's body!
And that person had called him a rebellious son!
'Father Tan' smirked coldly, drew a short knife from his sleeve, and lunged straight at Tan Weifeng!
"Dad!"
Tan Weifeng's face went pale — he dodged desperately, not daring to fight back.
The patrolling cultivator, however, had no such restraint. He raised his sword and pierced straight through 'Father Tan's' chest.
"Dad—!!"
On the dimly lit street far away, Liang Xiao's eyes snapped open.
We stirred the hornet's nest... but it was worth it.
Not only had he uncovered the ability to possess through consciousness, but he'd also located the missing trio.
Now that he'd been exposed...
He might as well kill them all!
He shot forward like lightning, racing toward the safe house.
Inside the safe house—
"Dad!!" Tan Weifeng screamed, kneeling by his father's fallen body.
At that moment, the door burst open — seven or eight people rushed in, led by a cultivator radiating a powerful aura.
A late-stage Qi Refining expert.
"What happened?!" the man demanded coldly.
The patrolling cultivator bowed hurriedly.
"My lord, Mr. Tan appeared to be possessed — I had no choice but to act. We may have been exposed. I suggest immediate evacuation!"
The late-stage cultivator's eyes widened.
"They arrived so quickly?! Everyone — into the formation, now!"
"Move!"
The patrolling cultivator grabbed Tan Weifeng by the arm.
Though unwilling, Tan Weifeng dragged his father's corpse and stepped into the teleportation array.
"We'll find that genius later — activate the formation!"
The late-stage cultivator roared, flooding the array beneath their feet with true Qi.
Outside—
"Trying to run? Did you even ask me?!"
Sensing Tan Weifeng's aura beginning to fade, Liang Xiao's face darkened.
He extended his hand — the Destruction Spear materialized in his grip.
At the same moment, he reactivated his reflection, locking onto Tan Weifeng's aura precisely — down to the centimeter.
As his spiritual sense confirmed the target, he hurled the Destruction Spear with all his might.
The instant it left his hand, his true energy drained completely — even his vital essence.
Then—
BOOM!
A terrifying, foundation-shaking power erupted.
Across the entire city, every Foundation Establishment cultivator turned their gaze sharply toward the explosion.
"Foundation Establishment power?!"
"Who dares to unleash such energy inside the city?!"
The quiet night shattered under the roar of annihilation.