A flying crane let out a long cry, soaring leisurely in the sky, displaying its graceful form.
A gentle breeze blew, rustling the pine trees on Flying Crane Mountain.
The bright morning sun hung high, but its brilliant light could not penetrate this dark, underground chamber.
The underground chamber was crude in form, with stone walls on all sides. Apart from a stone bed in the center, it was completely empty.
Moisture had filled the stone crevices with moss.
On the stone bed lay the broken and rotting body of a Fifth Rank young Gu Master. It was Gu Yue Fang Zheng.
In order to sense Fang Yuan's location and cooperate with He Feng Yang in attacking Hu Xian's Grotto-Heaven, Fang Zheng had fallen prey to Heavenly Crane's scheme. His Gu, such as the Defeated Blood Demonic Flower, had all gone out of control, causing him to lose too much blood, his soul on the verge of collapse, plunging him into a death-like coma.
"You want to revive Fang Zheng?" He Feng Yang stood beside the stone bed, looking at the Soul-Containing Flea hovering in the air.
Heavenly Crane's soul, Fang Yuan's master, was stored within the Soul-Containing Flea.
At this moment, a firm voice came from the Soul-Containing Flea. "Yes, my lord. I am willing to give up the chance of possession. Please lend your hand and save Fang Zheng."
He Feng Yang cast his gaze at the comatose Fang Zheng and said softly, "His injuries look terrifying, but that's not the main issue. I don't even need to act; the sect has plenty of methods to heal them. The real problem is his soul. This time, his forced sensing heavily damaged his soul. It is a hair's breadth away from complete collapse."
"In fact, the current situation is perfect for your possession. This body itself has Grade A aptitude, and now has a Fifth Rank aperture. His soul is extremely weak. If you possess it, the battle for his soul will have no suspense. Possession was always your plan, wasn't it?"
Heavenly Crane let out a bitter laugh.
Ever since he had used his methods to harm Fang Zheng, the image of Fang Zheng kept appearing in Heavenly Crane's heart. He kept recalling the moments he had spent with Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng's innocence, his obsession with justice, always reminded him of his younger self. Fang Zheng's revenge was so similar to his own experiences.
"My original plan was indeed to possess Fang Zheng. But now... my heart is filled with reluctance and guilt. Logically, he is a descendant of the Gu Yue clan, but he called me 'Master' over and over. He trusted me, and never once considered that I would harm him. He believes in justice, just like I used to. If I killed him and succeeded in possession, living out my days in his shell, how could I face myself?"
Heavenly Crane sighed.
He Feng Yang was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly raised his hand and gently placed it on Fang Zheng's forehead.
A cyan-green radiance, gentle as water, flowed from He Feng Yang's palm and quickly spread over Fang Zheng's entire body.
Wherever the cyan-green light passed, swelling subsided, wounds scabbed over, and all injuries, big and small, healed at a visible pace.
After a few breaths, Fang Zheng's body was completely healed. His breathing was steady and long, but he was still unconscious.
"I have healed all of his physical injuries and stabilized his soul. As repayment for your service to me, I will give you another chance, Heavenly Crane. You don't need to give up the chance of possession so quickly. I will give you some time to consider it further. Think it over properly," He Feng Yang said.
"My lord..."
He Feng Yang withdrew his palm. "The possession methods we possess are not complete. They originate from the Northern Plains. Now, our sect's Can Yang Sage has followed Feng Jiu Ge into the Northern Plains. He carries several sect missions. One of them is to gather more information to perfect our current possession methods. When he returns to the sect, Heavenly Crane, you will have a better chance at possession. By then, you will have given it deep thought. Give me your answer then."
"My lord..."
Before Heavenly Crane could finish, He Feng Yang waved his sleeve and vanished into thin air.
Fox Immortal's Grotto-Heaven, underground cavern.
The ever-changing, seven-colored Wisdom Light reflected onto Fang Yuan's face.
Fang Yuan's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression shifting.
Pfft.
Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of green corpse blood. At the same time, the countless pleasurable thoughts in his mind collapsed and dissipated.
This was the first time Fang Yuan had been injured while leeching off the Wisdom Light.
Fang Yuan retreated from the Wisdom Light, found a short patch of meat mushroom, and sat down on it as if it were a stool.
As he wiped the corpse blood from the corner of his mouth, he endured the splitting headache and examined his own mind.
His mind was in turmoil. Thoughts were born only to shatter and collapse on their own. The very borders of his mind were riddled with cracks, the backlash from Fang Yuan's forced thinking just moments ago.
At this moment, any thought Fang Yuan stirred up brought him intense pain in his mind.
He simply closed his eyes, stopped all mental activity, and remained as still as a stone statue.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes and inspected his mind again.