Volume 1, Chapter 39: The Lingering Soul of Mo Jiuyou

Lin Yang shook his head with firm resolution. "Sect Master, please say no more. I will certainly not agree to this, and I have no desire to be the Sect Master. Please, stop trying to persuade me."

Zhang Xianfeng clicked his tongue in displeasure. "With great power comes great responsibility. Since you possess such formidable cultivation, should you not be protecting more people?"

"I only chose to intervene this time because the sect was on the verge of collapse. Under normal circumstances, just treat me as a third-level Qi Refining cultivator."

"But during the time I was away from the sect, didn't you manage everything perfectly well?"

"Managed? I just stood on the sidelines and shouted a few instructions; everyone else did the actual work. It had nothing to do with me."

Hearing this, Zhang Xianfeng’s eyes widened. "You! You... you scoundrel!"

Lin Yang simply covered his ears, pretending not to hear.

After a long while, Zhang Xianfeng checked to ensure they were alone before sighing. "You brat, the Great Wilderness Immortal Sect truly needs you to carry the burden. I... I can no longer hold on."

Hearing this, Lin Yang raised an eyebrow, lowered his hands from his ears, and asked in confusion, "Why do you say that? Do you also find being the Sect Master exhausting and want to quit?"

Zhang Xianfeng glared at him and retorted, his tone sharp, "If you say one more word, I will truly die of anger because of you."

Lin Yang shrugged, his expression finally turning serious. "So, what is actually wrong with you?"

Zhang Xianfeng sighed. "Just probe my Dantian yourself."

Lin Yang immediately probed the Dantian of the older man, and what he discovered shocked him: Zhang Xianfeng’s Dantian was completely shattered, devoid of even a shred of spiritual energy.

Lin Yang opened his eyes, stunned. "Sect Master, your..."

"Hush—" Zhang Xianfeng signaled for him to stop, then smiled bitterly. "This is the result of the battle with those demonic beasts. You arrived early enough to save my life, but you arrived too late—the cultivation within me is already gone."

"Now, do you understand why I need you to take up this banner?"

Lin Yang’s face was bitter, a sense of regret rising in his heart. If he had only arrived a little sooner, perhaps Zhang Xianfeng wouldn't have been so severely injured. Now, though his life was spared, his cultivation was gone—a fate worse than death.

After a long pause, Lin Yang sighed, his voice desolate. "Sect Master, is there really no other way?"

Zhang Xianfeng shook his head, his smile strained. "How could the Dantian of an Ascension Realm cultivator be so easily repaired?"

Lin Yang’s eyes flickered with indecision before he said in a low voice, "Sect Master, wait a little longer. Let me go and find a way."

Hearing this, Zhang Xianfeng bristled. "You brat, do you really hate the idea of being Sect Master that much?"

"Why must you force this position on me? Even if you want to abdicate, you could choose someone else," Lin Yang said helplessly.

Zhang Xianfeng glared at him. "The sect is in ruins, and every Peak Master is nursing injuries of varying severity. You are the only young one left; who else would I choose if not you?"

Lin Yang remained unmoved, shaking his head calmly. "I will think of a way when I return to see if I can restore your cultivation. Please, do not be in such a rush to abdicate."

Zhang Xianfeng snorted dismissively. "What could you possibly do? The shattered Dantian of an Ascension Realm cultivator is not something that can be repaired just because one wishes it."

"I naturally have my methods, but you needn't worry about what they are."

Hearing this, Zhang Xianfeng recalled Lin Yang's own Ascension Realm cultivation and could not help but nod.

"Fine. If you can truly heal my cultivation, I will not force you to become Sect Master. However, let us be clear: if you cannot fix it, then this position will be yours for certain."

Lin Yang nodded helplessly, already turning the matter over in his mind.

...

Upon returning to the sect, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Half a year of life on the battlefield had been suffocating.

As Lin Yang descended from the spirit boat, Lu Chen, who had been waiting expectantly, beamed at the sight of him. "Master, it is so good that you are unharmed!"

Then, noticing the dark red stains on Lin Yang’s robes and catching the scent of blood, Lu Chen’s pupils contracted. "Master, how many people did you... actually kill this time?"

Facing the question, Lin Yang counted on his fingers, uncertain. "I'm not sure. Perhaps around ten thousand."

Hearing this staggering number, Lu Chen felt his heart race.

At that moment, Lin Hongye also stepped off the boat. She looked at Lu Chen with a smile. "Little Lu, it's been over half a year; you've grown quite a bit."

Lu Chen gave a proud, cold huff. "Of course. I am a peak-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator now."

In truth, given Lu Chen’s talent, half a year would have been enough for him to break through to the Golden Core stage. But to achieve the absolute peak of each realm, he had repeatedly suppressed his cultivation, which was why his progress seemed slow. Even so, reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment in six months was a speed that could be called heaven-defying.

Lin Yang, remembering something, addressed them both. "Enough, don't just stand there. Follow me back to the peak; I have things to discuss with you."

With that, Lin Yang turned and headed toward Chiyang Peak, with Lu Chen and Lin Hongye hurrying to follow.

...

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, a remnant soul drifted aimlessly. It possessed a sinister appearance and a face full of rage.

This was the remnant soul of Mo Jiuyou. After being killed in a single strike by Lin Yang’s sword, this scrap of his soul had luckily escaped. Even so, he was filled with anxiety; although he had escaped, if he could not find someone to possess in time, he would perish.

However, in his current state, his soul possessed even less power than a Qi Refining cultivator, making it impossible to possess any practitioner. If he did not find a suitable candidate by nightfall, he would surely vanish into nothingness.

"Someone, come here... someone, come!"

Mo Jiuyou roared in his mind, his phantom form darting across the battlefield, searching for a mortal he could possess.

Suddenly, he heard the noise of children playing. His eyes lit up, and he flew toward the source of the sound. Before long, several children in tattered clothes appeared in his vision, seemingly arguing over something.

Seeing this, Mo Jiuyou was overjoyed.