302: Chapter 303 Could it be the Jin family!

"If you behave obediently, the Corpse Seed will remain dormant forever and will not affect you in the slightest. But if you dare to tell the Lingxiao Sect or Ye Changge about today's events... or let a third person know of my existence..."

He paused, a cruel glint flashing in his eyes.

"I will make you wish you were dead."

Li Xuanfeng's face turned deathly pale.

He certainly knew what the Corpse Seed was.

It was a method used by Cultivators of the Evil Path to control others. Once planted in the body, it was like a maggot in the bone, impossible to eradicate.

The life and death of the person who had the Corpse Seed planted in them were entirely in the hands of the caster.

If the caster wished, they could activate the Corpse Seed at any time, turning the Host into a mindless walking corpse.

Even—they wouldn't even be able to self-destruct.

"You... what exactly do you want?"

Li Xuanfeng gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.

"Nothing much."

The black shadow chuckled.

"As long as you cooperate with me obediently, when the time comes, you can take your revenge. You can take the opportunity to reclaim Longmai Mountain. I will help you get back everything Ye Changge owes you, with interest."

Li Xuanfeng shuddered.

Revenge? Reclaim Longmai Mountain?

He stared fixedly at the black shadow before him, his eyes full of struggle.

He knew this person before him was no good.

Cooperating with such a person was no different from asking a tiger for its skin.

But—did he have a choice?

The Corpse Seed had already been planted; his life was no longer his own.

And... did he really not want revenge?

Those fallen Old Ancestors, those deceased clansmen, those days of humiliation... did he really not want to reclaim it all?

"Rest assured, once it is done, I will remove the Corpse Seed for you. By then, Longmai Mountain will be yours, and Ye Changge's life will be yours too."

As the voice faded, the black shadow flickered, turning directly into a wisp of black mist and dissipating within the Immortal Cave.

As if it had never appeared.

Leaving only Li Xuanfeng slumped on the ground, gasping for breath.

The wounds on his body were still oozing blood, and the intense pain in his limbs washed over him like waves.

But he was completely unaware of it.

He just widened his eyes, staring fixedly in the direction where the black shadow had vanished, his eyes filled with lingering fear and unwillingness.

For a long time—he slowly lowered his head, looking toward his own Dantian position.

There, he could vaguely feel something cold lying dormant.

Corpse Seed... Li Xuanfeng closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

He knew that from this day forward, he was no longer himself.

He didn't know how much time had passed in the Immortal Cave; perhaps it was the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, or perhaps half an hour.

Li Xuanfeng finally slowly climbed up from the ground.

He stumbled over to the stone table, held onto the edge, and barely steadied himself. Looking down at his tattered robes and the wounds on his body that were still oozing blood, his eyes were filled with gloom.

"What... exactly is the other party's identity?"

He muttered to himself, his voice hoarse and low.

Thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind.

The other party's cultivation was unfathomable, at least at the False Core Stage, perhaps even an old monster at the Core Formation Stage. Those elusive methods and that strange technique of planting the Corpse Seed were definitely not something an ordinary Loose Cultivator could possess.

"Could it be... someone from a Demonic Path Family?"

Li Xuanfeng's heart stirred.

He thought of the major event that had recently occurred within the territory of the Lingxiao Sect.

The Jin Family of Huazhu Ridge.

That False Core Family had been protected by the Lingxiao Sect for generations, responsible for governing the surrounding three counties and seventeen markets. They were deep-rooted, having occupied that region for several hundred years.

But who could have imagined—such a deep-rooted Family was actually a hidden pawn of the Demonic Path?

It was rumored that after the Lingxiao Sect learned the news, they were furious and immediately dispatched dozens of Foundation Establishment Cultivators that very night, led by a Core Formation Stage Elder, to head straight for Huazhu Ridge.

However—that False Core Stage Old Ancestor of the Jin Family had taken a group of elite disciples and escaped in advance.

Although the Lingxiao Sect had immediately sealed off the surrounding region and pursued them with all their might, they still had not found the whereabouts of those people.

"Could it be... the remnants of the Jin Family?"

Li Xuanfeng frowned, but then shook his head.

Furthermore, the other party was clearly very knowledgeable about him, Ye Changge, and the situation at Longmai Mountain.

They didn't look like stray dogs fleeing in panic.

It looked more like a premeditated and planned operation.

"Then who could it be..."

Or perhaps... they simply wanted to use him to deal with Ye Changge?

Li Xuanfeng shook his head and gave a bitter smile.

What was the point of thinking so much now?

He slowly sat back down on the stone stool, reached into his Storage Pouch to take out a bottle of healing Medicinal Pills, poured out a few, and stuffed them into his mouth. The bitter taste of the medicine spread through his mouth.

"Should I report this to the Lingxiao Sect?"

Li Xuanfeng muttered to himself, his eyes full of struggle.

He certainly knew that the Lingxiao Sect had a clear rule—any Cultivation Family within their territory, if they discovered traces of the Demonic Path, must report it to the Sect immediately.

Those who knew but did not report it would be treated as colluding with the enemy; the light punishment would be the confiscation of their ancestral land and exile to the border, while the severe punishment would be immediate execution and the extermination of their entire Family.

If it were in the past, if Li Xuanfeng encountered such a situation, he would definitely have reported it without hesitation.

But now...

He looked down at his Dantian; the cold sensation there was still clear.

Corpse Seed.

The other party had already planted the Corpse Seed in him.

As long as he dared to tell anyone about today's events, the other party could activate the Corpse Seed at any time, making him unable to live and unable to die.

Even more terrifying was—if the other party knew he had informed on them, the Li Family would truly be finished.

Although he hated Ye Changge and those who had taken away his ancestral land, he still had clansmen.

There were still some clansmen who had followed him for many years and were loyal, whom he had settled elsewhere.

If, because of a moment of his negligence, those clansmen also suffered... he could not do it.

"Besides... what good would it do to tell the Lingxiao Sect?"

Li Xuanfeng muttered to himself, a hint of bitterness gradually appearing in his eyes.

Even if he risked his life to inform, would the Lingxiao Sect return Longmai Mountain to him because of his "meritorious service"?

Impossible.

The Spiritual Contract had already been signed; Longmai Mountain was already the Ye Family's territory.

As a major Sect in the Cultivation World, the Lingxiao Sect valued rules and order above all else.

Once a contract was signed, it was bound by the Heavenly Dao and protected by the Sect.

Even if he exposed the Demonic Path and performed a meritorious service, the Lingxiao Sect would not break the rules or tear up the Spiritual Contract for the sake of him, the Clan Chief of a fallen Family.

At most—they would reward him with some Spirit Stones and a few words of commendation, and then there would be nothing more.

And what about him?

His life was in someone else's hands, and his clansmen could suffer retaliation at any time.

He would get nothing.

Instead, he would lose everything.

Thinking of this, the last trace of hesitation in Li Xuanfeng's heart gradually dissipated.

He raised his head and looked at the pitch-black night sky outside the Immortal Cave, a glimmer of determination gradually lighting up in his eyes.

"As long as... as long as I cooperate with them..."

He muttered to himself, his voice becoming increasingly firm.

"Perhaps I really can take down Ye Changge and reclaim Longmai Mountain!"