Rise of the Wang Clan: Starting with a Portable Farm

Chapter 226: Body Seizing

Wang Hao flew forward, closing the distance to Wang Guang’an. With his vision obscured by smoke and fire, it was safer to stick close to the Golden Core cultivator. Who knew what other formidable Demon Beasts lurked in this subterranean world?

“Ancestor, that demon should be dead now, right?”

Wang Guang’an shook his head, his expression grim. “Hard to say. I can no longer sense the Vine Demon’s aura, but there is still a powerful, active life force ahead.”

“Could it be the Life Spirit Fire? A Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire wouldn’t be destroyed by ordinary flames,” Wang Hao suggested.

Wang Guang’an shook his head again. “No. Besides the Spirit Fire, there is another source of vitality.”

Moments later, the flames began to recede. Wang Guang’an waved his sleeve, dispersing the thick smoke, and led Wang Hao forward.

Seeing the green flame still flickering amidst the devastation, Wang Hao let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

He turned his attention to the remains of the Vine Demon. Its massive network of vines and roots had been incinerated, leaving only a single, thick section of root that had been charred black but remained intact.

This was the source of the life force Wang Guang’an had sensed. The Ancestor raised his hand, gathering spiritual energy to deliver the final, killing blow.

Suddenly, a distorted, wooden face contorted with malice surfaced on the charred root.

A wave of intense, mortal danger washed over Wang Hao.

“Careful! The beast lives!” Wang Guang’an shouted.

Wang Hao frowned and instantly erected a protective barrier around his body. But a streak of emerald light shot from the root, ignoring his physical defenses entirely. It pierced through his forehead and plunged straight into his Sea of Consciousness.

Crack.

The Soul-Stabilizing Jade Pendant at his waist shattered into dust.

A Soul Attack? Or Body Seizing? Can a wood spirit even possess a human?

Three thoughts flashed through Wang Hao’s mind in the fraction of a second before darkness took him. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

“Hao’er!”

Wang Guang’an cried out in grief. He caught Wang Hao’s falling body, cradling him in his arms. He frantically poured spiritual energy into the young man’s meridians, attempting to wake him.

It was useless. Wang Hao’s eyes remained tightly shut, his body limp.

Seeing this, Wang Guang’an realized what was happening. A look of helpless despair crossed his face. He gently laid Wang Hao on the ground. This was a battle of souls; no outsider could intervene. He could only pray.

Inside Wang Hao’s Sea of Consciousness.

A mass of green mist was under siege by a slightly larger, denser gray mist. Upon closer inspection, the green mist was already tattered and fading.

This green mist was the soul of the Vine Demon.

It had cultivated in the darkness for over 4,000 years to reach the Third Rank Low Grade. For the next 2,000 years, its progress had stalled because it had drained the Spirit Vein dry. But 1,000 years ago, it had finally pierced the surface, establishing a connection with the outside world.

Given a few more centuries, it would have extended its vines to a new Spirit Vein, rooted itself, and transferred its main body, continuing its path to power.

But today, these two humans had destroyed everything.

Although a fragment of its root survived, the demon knew the humans wouldn’t let it live. They would burn it to ash.

Cornered and desperate, it made one final gamble: abandon its physical form and seize a human body.

Body Seizing across species was a violation of the Heavenly Dao. The chances of success were infinitesimal. But certain death awaited if it stayed. It had to try.

It chose Wang Hao over Wang Guang’an for two reasons. First, the Golden Core cultivator’s soul was likely too strong to overcome. Second, it hated Wang Hao. If not for this gnat constantly burning its roots and harassing it, it might have stood a chance.

At first, the invasion went perfectly. Wang Hao was caught off guard. Even his Soul-Stabilizing Jade Pendant only managed to inflict minor damage before shattering.

But the moment the demon entered Wang Hao’s Sea of Consciousness, its world collapsed.

“Why?!” the Vine Demon’s soul roared in despair. “Why is the soul of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator stronger than an early-stage Golden Core?!”

Wang Hao’s gray soul-form coalesced into a mocking smile.

He had spent his entire cultivation journey consuming rare spirit herbs and treasures to strengthen his soul. He had practiced soul techniques far beyond his realm. Trying to seize him? The demon would have had better luck with Wang Guang’an.

ROAR!

Wang Hao’s soul transformed into a fierce tiger. It pounced on the green mist, claws tearing through the demon’s essence.

At its peak, the Vine Demon’s soul might have rivaled Wang Hao’s. But it had been grievously wounded—first by the destruction of its body, then by the Jade Pendant. It was weak.

Half an hour later.

Amidst screams of unwillingness and rage, the green mist dissipated. It shattered into motes of green light that scattered across Wang Hao’s Sea of Consciousness.

Wang Hao cautiously absorbed a few specks. They were memory fragments. As he devoured them, pieces of the demon’s life flooded his mind, and his own soul grew visibly stronger.

Eventually, a sense of fatigue washed over him. He stopped the consumption. He had never devoured a soul before; without knowing the side effects, it was safer not to ingest too many alien memories.

However, he had learned enough.

The Vine Demon was born 7,000 years ago. This cavern was once a mine owned by the Gui Ran Sect, a major power in the Southern Sea. It began as a medium-sized Spirit Stone mine. When the stones ran dry, the sect discovered a vein of Mysterious Earth Essence and continued digging, creating the massive void.

The sect, unwilling to waste the space, converted the mine into a medicinal garden and a beast farm for species that thrived in darkness. The Vine Demon started as a simple Fulu Vine, one of many herbs planted here.

By sheer luck, its roots tapped into the Life Spirit Fire. Nourished by the flame, it gained sentience. It learned about the world by eavesdropping on the Gui Ran Sect disciples who tended the garden.

The memories were fragmented. Wang Hao saw flashes of its long, lonely struggle for survival, its slow growth, and its eventual domination of the cavern. But he didn’t learn why the Gui Ran Sect abandoned the place, or when. Nor did he find the location of any other treasures.

Sensing that too much time had passed, Wang Hao forced his consciousness to surface.

Wang Hao opened his eyes.

To him, the battle had felt like hours. In reality, less than half an hour had passed.

Seeing Wang Hao awake, Wang Guang’an’s face lit up with joy—then immediately hardened with suspicion. He took two steps back, his hand hovering over the Three Flames Fan.

He stared intensely into Wang Hao’s eyes.

“Are you Wang Hao? Or are you the Vine Demon?”

Wang Hao blinked, then smiled weakly. “Ancestor, if I were the demon, would I be awake right now? Body Seizing takes years of recuperation to stabilize the soul. I’d be in a coma.”

Wang Guang’an didn’t relax. “Don’t give me that glib tongue. Answer my questions.”

He fired off a series of queries—details only core family members would know, secrets shared only between the two of them.

Wang Hao answered them all without hesitation.

Only then did Wang Guang’an exhale, the tension leaving his shoulders. He slumped slightly, relief washing over him.

“It is truly wonderful that you are safe,” he sighed, his voice trembling with emotion. “If you had perished here… this Ancestor would have died of guilt.”

Wang Hao was the architect of the family’s rise. If Wang Guang’an had failed to protect him, the guilt would have haunted him forever, likely birthing an Inner Demon that would sever his path to immortality.