Chapter Forty-Eight: The Elder Buried in Bones

“What should we do next, Elder Xiang?”
The young man beside her, clutching a longsword, could not help but ask.
One of their companions had just been possessed; urgent rescue was needed. But judging by Xiang Yunqian’s words, the gaunt old man must have attained a high cultivation realm. Otherwise, he could not have evaded the search of several Foundation Establishment cultivators even while sealed.
“Let me think,” Xiang Yunqian replied, falling silent.
Her first instinct was to return to Xuanqing Palace and report the incident, taking time to consider a thorough plan. Yet, in front of so many disciples, abandoning the others outright would seem improper.
“First, let’s search the area for clues. If you encounter danger, protect yourselves and retreat promptly.”
After a brief consideration, Xiang Yunqian thought that since the gaunt elder had been sealed for so long, his cultivation must have suffered a dramatic decline. His strength was likely a mere shadow of its former self, hardly a tenth remaining. There was no need to fear him excessively.
“Form up. We’ll search for Chen Yan together!”
At her command, the Xuanqing Palace cultivators gathered their spiritual power and conjured a complex formation, moving with caution through the mountain forest, seeking traces of the burly man.
“Before we left, I took some incense ash from the ancient sacrificial cauldron bestowed by the Celestial Exile of the Primeval Dao. Keep it on you…”
“It offers some protection for your spiritual consciousness…”
Xiang Yunqian produced a jar filled with ashes. Back in the Wildlands, after Qin Feng summoned the sacrificial cauldron, the cultivators of Xuanqing Palace had noticed that the tall incense within not only repelled beasts but could also strengthen and shield the mind.
In other words, under the influence of the incense, the Xuanqing Palace cultivators would be afforded some degree of protection. If the ashes were freshly gathered, this effect would last for a while.
“Thank you, Elder Xiang…”
The nearby disciples gratefully took some incense ash and carried it with them.
After these preparations, the group proceeded along the mountain paths, each extending their spiritual sense to search for any sign of their missing companion.

***

Elsewhere, in a secluded mountain cave, the gaunt old man sat cross-legged, weaving incantations and merging his soul ever deeper into the body of the burly man.
As time passed, his spirit fused entirely with that new vessel.
“Marvelous…”
“Hahaha… truly marvelous. How I missed this feeling…”
“Sealed away for decades, and at last I am free—Heaven truly favors me…”

***

Having seized the burly man's body, Bone Burial Elder let out a hearty laugh, flexing his new limbs and finding them comfortable. Apart from the vessel's lack of power, there were no real flaws.
“The cultivation is a bit low, but that’s easily remedied…”
“I need only go out and consume a few cultivators…”
Smiling to himself, Bone Burial Elder strode out of the cave. If he remembered correctly, there was a sect nearby.
With that thought, he extended his spiritual sense, searching for cultivators in the vicinity.
He was bold indeed. Not only did he show no fear after possessing a disciple from Xuanqing Palace, he even dared to seek out more of their members, hoping to devour their vital essence.
So, after half an hour of searching, Bone Burial Elder ran directly into Xiang Yunqian and her group.
“Foundation Establishment cultivator!”
At the sight of Xiang Yunqian, the old man’s expression changed. He had only intended to hunt lone Qi Refining disciples, not to clash with a Foundation Establishment expert.
Though his cultivation had once been formidable, his power had fallen drastically after years of imprisonment. If he fought a Foundation Establishment cultivator now, the outcome was far from certain.
“Damn it, what rotten luck…”
“Half a day searching and not a single weakling, then suddenly a whole group—led by a Foundation Establishment elder, no less…”
His face darkened and he turned to flee at once, unwilling to face off against the formation of Xuanqing Palace cultivators.
But Xiang Yunqian had no intention of letting him escape. In a flash, her spiritual sense locked onto the thief who had stolen the body of their fellow disciple.
“Chen Yan is a hundred paces to the west! After me!”
At her call, the disciples surged after her.
“Damn it!”
Bone Burial Elder bolted, desperate to escape.
“After him! Don’t let him get away!”
The old man’s frantic flight only confirmed to Xiang Yunqian that he was in even worse shape than she’d expected. She immediately ordered her disciples to give chase.
“Villain, halt!”

***

“Return Chen Yan’s body to us at once, fiend!”
“Do you think you can still escape? Dream on!”
The Xuanqing Palace cultivators raced after him, unleashing spells to cut off Bone Burial Elder’s escape.
Explosions of light and power erupted; cold sword energy flashed, thorny vines burst from the earth, and the air itself grew frigid, frost forming in a desperate attempt to immobilize the fleeing enemy.
“Damn!”
Bone Burial Elder’s face twisted in fury. Dodging spell after spell, he fled with all his might, devouring every beast he encountered along the way.
Suddenly, a massive hammer materialized behind him and struck with crushing force, sending him careening through the air.
He coughed blood, his bones feeling as if they would shatter, but he used the momentum to propel himself deeper into the wilds.
In the blink of an eye, Bone Burial Elder vanished into the deep mountains.
“Catch him!”
“He’s gravely wounded—there’s no escape!”
Xiang Yunqian’s expression was grim as she dispatched her disciples to search the forest.
They fanned out, spiritual senses probing the shadows, slowly closing in on their quarry.
Meanwhile, Bone Burial Elder hid himself deep within the woods, suppressing his aura and searching for more beasts to consume.
Surrounded and wounded, he could only devour wild creatures to recover some strength; if not, he feared he would be captured alive then and there.
“Once I’ve regained my power, not a single one of you will escape…”
Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, he scanned the forest and soon spotted a wild boar.
Muttering an incantation, he conjured a bloody sigil and sent it into the boar’s body, draining its vital essence.
As he absorbed the beast’s life force, his aura gradually steadied—perhaps even grew a little stronger.