The Programmer Cultivator

’Or rather, one force was being completely crushed by the other. If not for its home-field advantage, it probably wouldn’t have lasted a second. As it was, it couldn’t hold on for more than a few breaths.’

At that moment, Li Shifan’s eyes snapped open. It was as if he had been kicked out. As he emerged, the Scroll above his head slowly drifted away from him. Its vibrations intensified, and the cracks spread faster.

The instant Li Shifan opened his eyes, he stared at the Scroll, which was now riddled with cracks. His eyes went wide and instantly turned bloodshot, the corners threatening to tear as he roared, "No! Ancestor!!!"

The Scroll Illusion watched all this and said in astonishment, "Is that... a Lifebound Painting? There’s another person inside this junior? What is this, a double-booking or a full-blown party?"

Before the Scroll Illusion could react, countless Spiritual Power Light Points in the air began to converge, slowly forming a human figure.

The Scroll Illusion’s expression stiffened again. She said in amazement, "An Outer Body Incarnation?"

She just stared, frozen, making no further moves. ’In my current state, I can’t use any abilities other than Soul Control.’

’But use Soul Control on an Incarnation of unknown power? I may be sealed, but I’m not an idiot!’

As the Spiritual Light converged, Elder Huang’s figure appeared. It flickered a few times before solidifying into a physical form.

The already baffled Scroll Illusion’s expression changed once more. She exclaimed in alarm, "The Transformation of the Three Pristine Ones? Are you from the Sanqing Temple of the Hongmeng Holy Land?"

After appearing, Elder Huang looked at Zhang Deming and asked, "For what reason was I summoned?"

THUD...

Zhang Deming bowed his head, but before he could reply, Li Shifan dropped to his knees. With a rare look of panic, he pleaded, "Elder Huang, I beg you, please save my Ancestor! I am willing to trade anything for it."

Elder Huang frowned slightly. He turned and saw the Scroll, which was on the verge of shattering. His expression shifted, and without a word, he raised his hand as a red Spiritual Light began to glow.

Rune Technique: Unbelievable Misfortune!

Rune Technique: Blessed Star!

"Experience Points -10,000!"

Two strange glows emerged. One, blackish-red, surged into the Scroll and was instantly consumed by its powerful aura. The other, crimson, vanished above Li Shifan’s head, triggering a peculiar change.

Then, before Elder Huang could act again, the Protective Talisman hanging from the hilt of the Broken Sword—the one with the ’Fortune’ character inscribed on it—suddenly flared. As if it had absorbed something, its once-dim glow erupted with brilliant light.

The Broken Sword Illusion had already successfully invaded the Scroll. But as it was dodging one of Li Cheng’s Techniques, something unexpected happened: it stumbled out of one of the many cracks in the Scroll.

But because the Scroll was riddled with cracks, the Spirit Sword that Li Cheng had summoned also slipped through an opening. As luck would have it, the sword shot right toward the Broken Sword Illusion, striking it right in a weak spot and causing its form to waver violently.

Just then, Li Cheng’s figure also emerged. His smoky form flickered unsteadily, so faint it was nearly transparent. But at least his life was no longer in danger.

After emerging, he had intended to press his attack, but upon seeing Elder Huang, he paused. He withdrew his hand and bowed respectfully to Elder Huang. "Greetings, Elder Huang!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Elder Huang frowned and nodded.

"The Blessed Fortune Path?!!!"

’Are you kidding me? It took me hundreds of years of constant effort just to wear down the curse the last one left behind, and I’m not even done cleaning up the mess. Now another one shows up? I thought very few people chose the Blessed Fortune Path, and even fewer ever succeeded!’

The Broken Sword Illusion, Xin Rongjiang, wavered as he stared at Elder Huang with a foul expression. A strange Spiritual Light flickered across his body, resonating with the Protective Talisman on the sword hilt. He remained suspended in mid-air, not daring to move an inch.

He had personally experienced a Blessed Fortune Cultivator’s death curse for several hundred years, a curse that led to such Unbelievable Misfortune that he ended up being sealed. He knew all too well how bizarre and powerful the Blessed Fortune Path could be.

The Scroll Illusion, Yinn Yindi, also stared at Elder Huang with a grim expression. Neither of them dared to make a rash move.

When Li Shifan saw Li Cheng’s figure reappear, the panic finally drained from his face, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

His gaze then turned icy as he glared at the Broken Sword Illusion, Xin Rongjiang, his eyes flashing with hatred.

Elder Huang, hands behind his back, glanced at the three entities on the Spirit Summoning Essence Soul Jade. He then turned to the Broken Sword Illusion, Xin Rongjiang, and said, "What is this? With a mere Three Talents Cultivation, you intend to perform Possession on a disciple of my sect?"

In the Hongmeng Realm, Possession is divided into two categories. The first is Soul Body Possession, and the second is the "Possession" Skill from the Earth Evil Seventy-Two Techniques.

The difference is that the first method can be attempted by anyone at the Three Talents realm or higher, but it is extremely dangerous. This so-called Possession is, in essence, a mutual Devouring of souls.

Even when used against someone with a much lower Cultivation, it remains incredibly risky. When souls are Devouring one another, willpower is the primary factor; Cultivation is secondary.

Furthermore, after the Devouring, the auras of the two individuals will fuse, and their True Spirits will blend together, becoming impure. Not only does this cause severe side effects, but it is also easily detected by High-Tier Cultivators.

To many Righteous Cultivators, this is an incredibly evil method. Well... it only counts as evil if you fail to cover your tracks and get exposed.

Therefore, very few people choose this option unless it is an absolute last resort.

As for the second method, performing the "Possession" Skill, one must first learn the Skill itself and meet numerous preconditions. Once completed, however, there are very few downsides.

The reason there are so few downsides is that in the process of using this Skill, the target’s True Spirit and consciousness are completely obliterated, leaving behind a nearly pure physical vessel.

Because of this, although the Skill is extremely well-suited for many heavily injured Cultivators, it is considered far too inhumane toward the target and has been classified as a Forbidden Skill by the Holy Lands.

As for how strictly this is enforced, well...

It is what it is. As long as you don’t go parading it around and loudly announcing what you’ve done, not many people will bother you about it.

Even so, this classification still has an impact. It has greatly affected the circulation of the "Possession" Skill, making it extremely rare.

...