In the eyes of this heavily wounded, half-dead Nascent Soul Ancestor, the handsome, black-robed youth—brimming with vigorous life and blessed with a dragon-like Destiny—was indeed a much more ideal target for possession.

'If I just devour his Divine Soul Origin to replenish my own,' he thought, 'I can definitely recover some of my strength. Then, in one fell swoop, I can turn the tables and slaughter all the Ling Family Cultivators.'

'In the future, I just need to stay here and focus on my Cultivation in Seclusion. Not only could I revive the Sect, but my own Cultivation might even reach a new height.' 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Husband?!"

Not far away, Ling Zhiqing, Ling Yulu, and the other women turned pale. They wanted to rush over and help, but they were powerless.

The aura emanating from the figure was clearly that of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, a level of power far beyond their capabilities.

Meanwhile, deep within Ling Changqing's Sea of Consciousness, a completely different scene was unfolding.

Amidst a vast expanse of clouds, an old man hundreds of feet tall, wreathed in several coiling fire pythons and radiating a murderous aura, was roaring with laughter.

Opposite him stood the manifestation of Ling Changqing's Divine Soul, a figure merely dozens of feet tall. The disparity in their power was obvious at a glance.

Even a grievously wounded Nascent Soul True Monarch was far beyond what the current Ling Changqing could hope to confront.

However, there was no panic in his eyes. On the contrary, they held a hint of mockery.

"Hmm? You're not afraid of me, boy?"

The old man quickly sensed that something was amiss, his sinister gaze locking onto Ling Changqing.

Ling Changqing chuckled. "Why should I be afraid of a tonic that delivered itself right to my doorstep?"

"???"

The old man's expression froze. Before he could even comprehend what was happening, the situation took an unexpected turn.

A magnificent and opulent palace materialized above his head, suffused with a profound, inscrutable, and transcendent aura of Dao Rhyme.

The next moment, the Era Star Palace itself erupted in a brilliant light, completely engulfing the old man's form.

"No... don't..."

Faint cries of pain, interspersed with broken pleas, echoed from the depths of the Star Palace before quickly falling silent.

"Hmph. A broken Nascent Soul on the verge of fading away, and it still dared to be so arrogant?"

Gong Ling's melodious voice, laced with disdain, rang out.

Ling Changqing asked, "How much did that help you?"

"Not much, really. I managed to recover just a tiny bit!"

Gong Ling continued, "Master, you'll get a little something out of it too. A hundred years of Lifespan. How does that sound?"

"That's good."

Ling Changqing breathed a sigh of relief. 'That's even better than I expected,' he thought. 'After all, it was just a half-dead Nascent Soul True Monarch.'

Since they were in the middle of a battle, Ling Changqing didn't continue the conversation, and his Divine Thought quickly withdrew from his Sea of Consciousness.

In truth, not much time had passed. From the moment the Nascent Soul Ancestor's remnant soul entered his body to the moment it was devoured and refined by the Era Star Palace, only a few breaths had gone by.

Ling Changqing had just opened his eyes to see Ling Qiyue and the other women rushing to his side, surrounding him with anxious expressions.

"Don't worry, I'm fine."

Ling Changqing said reassuringly. His eyes were clear and his spirit untroubled, showing no sign of injury.

Ling Qiyue felt a small sense of relief, but she frowned as she asked, "Was that the remnant soul of that Nascent Soul True Monarch? Was he trying to possess you?"

"Yes. But I have an Ancient Heavy Artifact, and it devoured and refined him instead!"

Ling Changqing explained frankly.

"That's a relief!"

Ling Qiyue and the other women let out a collective sigh of relief, their hearts finally at ease.

Deep within the cabin, the exhausted Golden Core Master, Liu Chengbin, collapsed weakly to the floor, scarcely able to believe his circumstances.

He had been locked in a struggle of wits and will with that old monster for so long, he'd been certain it was only a matter of time before the man devoured his Divine Soul and successfully possessed his body.

Yet just moments ago, in a sudden fit of madness, the tattered Divine Soul of the Nascent Soul had abruptly abandoned his body and gone off to provoke that outsider, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator.