A faint green light flickered above the old monster's head, slowly floating towards Chen Nan's head. The small ball of green light seemed to leap joyfully, emitting soft chirps, before accelerating rapidly downwards after reaching within half a foot of Chen Nan's head.
The possession is about to succeed. If the old monster successfully takes over Chen Nan's body, without a doubt, Chen Nan's original consciousness will be crushed to pieces and completely disappear from this world.
However, at the last moment, the small ball of green light seemed to have seen something terrifying. It screamed in terror, emitting a piercing, unbearable shrill sound, and fled quickly, instantly disappearing into the top of the old monster's head.
At that moment, the two green lights in Chen Nan's eyes quickly rushed away and into the old monster's eyes. Chen Nan's lifeless eyes closed again, showing no sign of what had happened.
The old monster shuddered violently, coughing up blood incessantly. The green light emanating from his body gradually dimmed, and his once jet-black hair instantly turned completely white. Wrinkles began to appear on his face. After this dramatic turn of events, the old monster was severely injured, transforming from a middle-aged man into an old man.
His body shook violently, and then he suddenly fell from the air, with Chen Nan falling to the ground as well.
The forest was silent. After a long while, the old monster finally managed to get up with great difficulty, his face filled with a bitter smile. Blood stained his clothes, and he sighed, "You reap what you sow!" After saying this, he fell silent and began to meditate and regulate his breathing.
He didn't know how much time had passed when Chen Nan awoke from his unconsciousness. Opening his eyes, he saw a sky full of stars. As if remembering something, he jumped up quickly, stretching his limbs and checking himself for any problems.
"No need to look anymore, you are unharmed, the possession failed..." The old monster opened his eyes wearily, his face full of fatigue.
Chen Nan was startled and turned around to see the old monster meditating and regulating his breathing not far behind him. His appearance had changed drastically; his body was hunched over, his once bright eyes were now somewhat cloudy, his face was covered with wrinkles, and his long, snow-white hair showed signs of old age...
"Is this... the consequence of a failed possession?" Chen Nan was both happy and worried. At least his body hadn't been taken over by someone else, but would this unpredictable old man in front of him become enraged and take revenge on him without considering the consequences?
"Cough..." The old monster coughed up a mouthful of blood, then stopped his attack and stood up, saying, "You reap what you sow! Don't worry about anything, I won't harm you anymore. How about we sit down and have a good talk?"
Chen Nan nodded upon hearing this and sat down on the ground. At this moment, the Purple-Gold Divine Dragon, which had been hiding high in the sky, seemed to sense that the danger had passed. It flew down from the sky and landed on Chen Nan's shoulder, cautiously observing the old monster.
The old monster wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a bitter smile on his face. He sighed, "At the last moment, I actually saw a series of terrifying illusions, truly strange! Fallen angels, one-armed demons, headless gods... they all surrounded you. My mind, which had remained undisturbed for years, suddenly crumbled, almost plunging me into eternal damnation. Alas, is there really such a thing as cause and effect? Was this a warning from heaven?"
Chen Nan was shocked. He felt that these illusions might be related to the divine and demonic aura on his body. In short, all of this was thanks to the Divine and Demonic Cemetery.
The Cemetery of Gods and Demons is filled with sacred sites both day and night. During the day, it is filled with celestial energy, and one can see various deities transformed from the undying and powerful divine thoughts of ancient gods. At night, demonic energy surges, and one can see the phantoms of legendary demons wreaking havoc within the cemetery.
Chen Nan sighed inwardly. "I possess divine and demonic power and am filled with divine and demonic aura. Perhaps those illusions and the illusions produced by the Divine and Demonic Cemetery are based on the same principle... But... why does my body resemble a moving cemetery?"
The old monster had been eyeing Chen Nan ever since he heard that Chen Nan could draw Hou Yi's bow multiple times. The old monster knew there were only a few possibilities for Chen Nan to be able to draw the sealed Hou Yi's bow, the most likely being that Chen Nan was a descendant of a god, which excited him immensely at the time.
What does it mean to have the blood of gods and demons flowing through one's body? It is the physique that cultivators dream of, enabling them to quickly reach the ultimate realm of cultivation, shatter the void, and become immortals or gods—no longer an unattainable dream!
The old monster desperately wanted to possess Chen Nan's body immediately, to take over the body that captivated him, but in the end, he restrained his impulse. He wanted to slowly "nurture" Chen Nan, and only make his move when Chen Nan's cultivation had reached a certain level and his potential had been fully released. Otherwise, he feared that Chen Nan's body would not be able to withstand his vast and boundless power.
Therefore, when Chen Nan caused chaos in the capital of Chu, the old monster let him leave without attacking him. Moreover, he followed him afterward, not only instructing him on cultivation methods but also intervening to save him when Renjian sent people to kill him. All of this was in service of the body-seizing.
More than three months ago, the old monster sensed a terrifying aura that shook his very soul. The perception of a sixth-level expert was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. He sensed that an exceptionally powerful being was awakening in the mountains. With his keen intuition, he felt that he could not let that powerful being discover him, otherwise he would be in great danger. The old monster sealed off his power and had been in seclusion in an inn ever since.
Later, he sensed the "Divine Dragon Incident" and heard about the "Death Zone Turmoil," which terrified him. Only after the Death Zone disappeared into thin air recently did he dare to lift the restrictions placed on him.
Recently, the City of Sin has been plagued by various disturbances. The old monster firmly believes that Chen Nan will be able to return safely from the mountains, and he has been guarding Chen Nan's usual route. If Chen Nan is in danger, he will definitely lend a helping hand in secret, as he cannot tolerate anyone destroying his future "divine body".
However, to the old monster's great surprise, Chen Nan actually broke through the third-order limit and entered the fourth-order realm. He was extremely excited. The perfect "divine body" that he had patiently "cultivated" had actually reached the standard ahead of schedule. Therefore, he made his move tonight to seize the body.
It was a long night. The old monster and Chen Nan talked a lot. The old monster frankly explained everything that had happened before. Later, they talked about cultivation issues and the various major events that had occurred in the City of Sin.
"Alas, the backlash from the possession has severely injured me. I'm afraid I can only live for another ten years at most. It seems I really can't escape death!" The old monster's face was full of desolation.
Chen Nan doesn't hate the old monster now, since the other party once saved his life. Although the other party's motives were impure, it was indeed a life-saving grace.
"What will become of the senior?"
"I will return to the capital of Chu immediately after dawn, and from then on, I will live a life of seclusion, enjoying my remaining years in peace." Having said this, the old monster showed a look of relief, muttering to himself, "For so many years I have schemed and plotted to achieve immortality, but in the end it all came to nothing. Some things really cannot be forced!"
Chen Nan offered a perfunctory word of comfort, and then, without realizing it, the conversation drifted to the cultivation levels of cultivators at different realms. The old monster elaborated on this in great detail, patiently explaining the cultivation states at each realm.
Before reaching the fourth rank, the difference in strength between different ranks is not very significant. However, after reaching the fourth rank, every slight increase in rank will result in a several-fold increase in power. It can be said that after entering the fourth rank, the difference in strength between experts of different ranks is enormous.
Of course, the path of cultivation becomes even more arduous after entering the fourth tier. Breaking through a small peak requires not only diligent practice but also a stroke of luck. In fact, after entering the fourth tier, the strength differences between the initial, intermediate, and advanced stages of each major realm are enormous.
Fifth-level experts are extremely rare in the eyes of ordinary people, and would certainly be considered peerless masters in the eyes of common people, but in the eyes of old monsters whose cultivation has reached the sixth level, they are "nothing special".
According to the old monster, the title of "peerless master" is merely a misnomer from worldly people. Only when one's cultivation reaches the sixth level can one truly enter the sacred hall of cultivation. Only masters who reach this level are qualified to aspire to immortality and shatter the void to ascend to heaven.
Chen Nan clicked his tongue in amazement. He thought that only an invincible master who had reached the sixth level would dare to look down on a fifth-level peerless master.
The old monster had already reached the sixth rank, but due to his frail and aged body, his cultivation was difficult to improve further, and he remained stuck at the initial stage of the sixth rank until he obtained the evil book in the ancient tomb beneath the imperial palace. Only then did he show signs of advancing to the middle stage of the sixth rank. However, he knew that even if he successfully advanced, it would be difficult to cultivate to the great perfection of the sixth rank, so he wanted to break through again by possessing another body.
It was only then that Nanfang realized that reaching the sixth level of mastery meant that he was only one step away from immortality. If he successfully broke through that crucial step, he would be free from the limitations of life and death and live forever between heaven and earth.
Through the old monster's explanation, Chen Nan finally learned that once a martial artist breaks through the fifth-tier limit and enters the sixth-tier realm, they will be able to fly. Moreover, upon reaching this level of cultivation, many mysterious supernatural abilities will gradually appear, such as the Heavenly Eye. Due to his advanced age and some hidden ailments, the old monster had never dared to expend his vital energy to fly.
Chen Nan's gaze towards the old monster changed. This was actually an invincible martial artist with supernatural powers, capable of flying through the air. No wonder the old monster didn't take the fifth-tier cultivator from Shenfeng Academy, who could fly on a sword, seriously; he had already been able to travel freely between heaven and earth based on his own cultivation.
"If I can fly through the air using my own cultivation, I will have no fear of any cultivator!" Chen Nan thought to himself.
The sheer power of an Eastern martial artist capable of flying through the air is unimaginable! In the epic battles among the top masters in the cultivation world, cultivators from the other three systems are most wary of such Eastern martial artists, and no one is willing to fight against such a terrifying master with supernatural abilities.
The old demon sighed, "Youth is truly wonderful!" He seemed to see through Chen Nan's thoughts and said, "You will one day reach the sixth rank, no need to rush. Your ability to reach the fourth rank in such a short time has already far exceeded my expectations. The day you break through the void is not too far off. Speaking of which, your generation of young people is far stronger than the older generation! In my time, there were only a handful of young people in their twenties who could reach the third rank, and young masters who reached the fourth rank were even rarer. This trip to the City of Sin has made me realize that the world has truly changed. Young masters are getting stronger and stronger, it's astonishing! As the saying goes, what goes up must come down, and what goes down must come up. The cultivation world, which has been peaceful for many years, is probably about to experience a major upheaval."
Chen Nan nodded thoughtfully.
"Is that little troublemaker who ran away from the palace still causing trouble?" The old monster's face was full of kindness when he mentioned the little princess, his affection and doting were evident in his words. He said softly, "Little Yu'er is indeed very naughty. I hope you won't take it to heart. This little girl is one of the most talented people I have ever met, but she is just too mischievous and never wants to work hard in her cultivation."
Chen Nan felt a chill run down his spine...
That little girl was a real little devil, thankfully her skills were a bit low, otherwise she would have ripped the sky apart.
The old monster seemed to remember something and said, "That successor of the Tantai Ancient Holy Land is no ordinary person. I sense that she has a mysterious and unfathomable power sealed within her. You must be more careful in the future!"
At dawn, the rosy light spread across the forest. Chen Nan awoke from his slumber, only to find that the old monster had vanished without a trace, having disappeared long ago.
"Awoo..." The purple-gold dragon opened its eyes and roared to the sky, then flew around, calling out, "Boy, what are your plans?"
Chen Nan straightened his clothes, gripped his long sword, and gazed in the direction of the City of Sin, saying, "Kill!"
"Awoo... I love it! Oh no, I want to capture that woman from last night alive, awoo..."
The Sinful City at dawn is like a fairyland, surrounded by green mountains and winding green waters. Under the reflection of the morning glow, it is as if draped in a light golden veil, ethereal and holy.
This dazzling pearl nestled in the mountains is the most important hub city between the Eastern and Western Continents. It is still very peaceful when the first rays of dawn appear, but as time goes by, the city gradually becomes bustling, and its prosperous scene is on full display.
The Purple-Gold Divine Dragon reluctantly hid in Chen Nan's sleeve. It knew that being discovered would bring endless trouble. Although it complained, it still obeyed Chen Nan's orders.