Chapter 146: Primordial Spirit Possession

Qin Shuang’s ferocious, panther-like figure suddenly halted as the pressure before her vanished entirely.

Misjudging the force, she stumbled forward, nearly twisting her ankle.

Dazed, she stared blankly at Xiao Nan standing atop the high platform, lost in thought for a moment.

His sword glowed with a pure, washed light, and his dark hair fluttered in the breeze...

At this moment, the young man wore a detached expression, his eyes fierce, radiating an ineffable and imposing might.

"I thought only I was growing, but he has caught up in a single stride, and I can already see him pulling away into the distance."

A slight, out-of-place sense of vicissitude welled up in Qin Shuang's heart, though she immediately collected herself, shaking her head with a wry smile.

It was just a pity she would never be able to beat him up again. Whether she could even win against him now was up for debate—what a genuine regret.

Tang Zhixuan was equally surprised. Even when she had imagined the most perfect ending, she had never expected a scene like this.

The Li family had indeed shown a flaw, exposing themselves before the public eye.

This should have been an excellent pretext; by following the vine to unearth the melon, it likely would have led to a hidden trail.

Ironically, this thread had been snapped the moment it appeared.

The Evil God’s primordial spirit had manifested in this realm, yet before it could even absorb ambient energy to grow fully strong, it had been obliterated without a trace.

Even its host body had its vitality utterly destroyed, leaving not the slightest chance of a comeback.

Tang Zhixuan thought she should feel deeply disappointed by this aborted success.

After all, the graduation mission she had accepted at the academy would once again fall into stagnation.

Yet, unexpectedly, she found not a shred of despair or loss within her heart, only a boundless overflow of joy.

Compared to that guy being safe and sound, what did the failure of a mere mission matter?

Besides, there might still be a turnaround for this matter.

It could not be considered a total, unmitigated defeat.

"The Four Seasons Sword Intent is truly formidable. Which deity on earth did Jiang Hongbo encounter back then?"

Judging by the sheer sharpness of that sword intent, severing souls and annihilating spirits was effortless.

Logically speaking, ordinary deities should have been utterly incapable of posing a threat to Jiang Hongbo.

One could only say that on the path of transcendence, there is always a mountain higher than the one before.

Mortals often foolishly believe they have scaled the highest summit.

Only when they raise their heads do they realize that what they stood upon was merely a small mound...

Ahead of them lie towering ranges of mountains, so high they touch the clouds.

...

"Shaohua..."

Just as everyone remained immersed in the lingering shock of the sword intent, astounded by the sheer might with which Xiao Nan had slain the Evil God’s spirit, a sorrowful roar pierced their ears.

It was Li Yuanchen.

An old man losing his son, the white-haired sending off the black-haired.

Such grief was always difficult to bear.

Even for a deep and calculating person like Li Yuanchen, who never kept familial affection on his lips or took it to heart, his heart still twitched with a sharp, agonizing pain at this moment, unable to suppress a grief-stricken howl.

He rushed onto the platform, pulling the charred, withered corpse into a tight embrace as two streams of hot tears fell.

Li Shaohua's body no longer resembled that of living flesh and blood; not only was it withered and grotesque, but it was also as light as a sheet of paper.

It seemed as though a breath of wind would send it floating away.

"Such a fierce sword intent, plundering both vitality and soul. If I recall correctly, the sword intent of the Four Seasons Sword wasn't quite like this, was it?"

Li Yuanchen raised his head apathetically, looking at Xiao Nan as he asked softly.

His voice carried no ripples, devoid of any discernible hatred.

Yet Xiao Nan knew that the fury within this man’s heart had already erupted like a volcano; at this moment, the slightest spark would cause it to blaze up instantly.

What more could he say?

Whatever he said would be wrong; surely he couldn't be expected to show mercy at the threshold of life and death.

On what grounds?

If he hadn't wiped out the Li family completely, it was only due to a lack of sufficient strength on his part. Having found the opportunity to kill Li Shaohua, how could he possibly let it slip?

As these thoughts churned in his mind, Xiao Nan’s gaze remained as calm as water, staring indifferently without uttering a single word.

At this time, silence was gold.

"Patriarch Li is indeed a man of profound family heritage, to be so well-versed even in the attributes of the Four Seasons Sword's intent.

Then, I would like to ask for your enlightenment: the Li family's orthodox sword techniques don't seem to include a trick like possession by a primordial spirit.

Is this offering oneself to feed a demon, or pulling chestnuts from the fire?"

Since Xiao Nan remained silent, naturally someone else would speak.

Unsurprisingly, whenever a major crisis arose, the one who stepped forward to fiercely back him up was always this carefree Aunt Su.

I take back my past grievances; at most, I promise not to call you a great fiend in my thoughts anymore.

Xiao Nan watched in a daze, paying no mind to the verbal sparring between the two on stage. He raised his head to survey his surroundings and caught sight of his mother, Tan Qiuyi, her expression still lingering with terror, clearly frightened out of her wits.

Meanwhile, little Xiao Bei’s nose and chin were covered entirely in potato chip crumbs.

Frozen in place, she had her mouth wide open, having clearly maintained that exact posture for quite some time.

Seeing her hands clenched so tightly that her snack bag had been crumpled into a ball, Xiao Nan almost laughed out of sheer amusement.

This little foodie must have come just to watch the show, though thankfully she still had a conscience and knew to worry for her older brother, completely forgetting to eat her snacks.

A wave of cheering echoed from all around—it was Zhang Xiaorou and her group of young girls jumping and shouting in delight, a surge of vibrant life pouring into his heart.

Only then did Xiao Nan suddenly realize just how perilous the previous moment had been.

Yes, it had indeed been extremely dangerous.

For a split second, he had almost been immobilized in both body and soul by the crushing pressure of the Evil God’s primordial spirit...

Had his strength not grown rapidly of late, he might well have remained frozen for a stretch of time in the face of that sudden, bizarre attack.

Had that happened, the one lying flat upon the high platform would likely have been himself.

Furthermore, Xiao Nan had discovered a major trouble: powerful though the bronze mirror was, it did not seem to react to external threats on its own initiative.

When faced with external soul attacks and spiritual coercion,

this mirror remained as dead as a stone, showing not the slightest movement.

Only after he had used a single sword strike to slay Li Shaohua did it eagerly leap out once more, impatiently rushing to absorb and devour that mass of golden-red light.

A ripple of vibrations echoed from the depths of his soul... Xiao Nan clearly sensed that the space within the bronze mirror had expanded once again, undergoing subtle, silent changes.

His spiritual perception had grown sharper, and his mind felt as clear as freshly washed water.

If nothing unexpected happened, his soul had undoubtedly risen with the tide, growing significantly sturdier once more.

At this casual thought, a faint sense of fulfillment welled up from his heart.

Both body and mind felt fulfilled, clear and bright both inside and out.

That was precisely this feeling.

A wave of peace and joy blossomed in his heart, causing him to pay not the slightest heed even to the two massive sources of lingering malice standing right beside him.

"Fine, you are all very good. Shaoyun, let us go."

Li Yuanchen stood in silence for a long moment, glanced around, and let out a quiet sigh.

Everyone treated him like a formidable enemy; even the wealthy merchant Huang Liang, who had always eagerly clung to his coattails, now wore a look of suspicion and fear, hiding off to the side and not daring to approach.

Composing his emotions, he called out to Li Shaoyun, preparing to leave.

Lifting Li Shaohua's withered corpse, he turned and stared at Xiao Nan for a long while before finally turning away to stride down the platform.

Without pausing his steps, he walked onward, step by step, toward the campus gates.

Behind him, Li Shaoyun said nothing, following quietly in his wake.

Further back, a dozen or so military officers wore mixed expressions, feeling utterly at a loss regarding how the situation had turned out.

Compared to the high spirits and overbearing dominance with which they had arrived,

the father and son of the Li family now appeared somewhat desolate.

And Li Shaohua, the genius student once deemed guaranteed to enter a prestigious university, had already become a thing of the past.

For the next few days, he would likely remain a frequent topic on people's lips, spreading far and wide—

either as an inspirational figure or perhaps as a cautionary tale of failure.