027 Divine Possession

027 Divine Possession

Jia Yun waswinning.

It wasn't just a little advantage—she wasdecimatingFan Shi.

She was faster.

Stronger.

Her three tails whipped through the air as she weaved between attacks with inhuman grace, her fans sending out slicing arcs of wind and ice with every motion.

Fan Shi dodged by a hair's breadth each time, but I could tell—she was struggling.

And it pissed me off.

I activatedVoice Chat.

"Fan Shi, sidestep to the left, then pivot. She's aiming for your legs."

Fan Shi obeyed without hesitation, narrowly avoiding a crescent slash of wind that would've tripped her up.

"Nowjump—she's setting up for a follow-up strike."

She leaped just as an ice spear shot out from beneath her.

I exhaled.

My Perception, Wisdom, and Intelligence stats were putting inovertimefor this one.

Reading into an enemy's attack pattern like this? I wouldn't have been able to do it in a normal PvP match back inLost Legends Online. But here, where I could perceive Qi—reallyperceive it at superhuman levels—I saw more than just movements.

I sawflows.

Currents.

Subtle shifts in energy that revealed theintentbehind an attack before it even happened.

Divine Sense had lots offlavor textin LLO.

One of them was being granted insight into an opponent's techniques.

Of course, that never actually manifested as a game mechanic. It was just one of those immersion-boosting descriptions slapped onto a useless passive.

But here?

Here, as I got more used to observing and deducing Qi—its movements, its pulses, its reactions—Divine Sense had evolved into somethingreal.

And what I was sensing from Pan Xia made meverysuspicious.

I didn't confront him.

Not yet.

Instead, I honed in on him.

There was an energy connection.

Asolid, hiddenthread linking him to Jia Yun.

The skill she was using—thisBloodline Art—either didn't fully belong to her, or it requiredsomeone elsefor activation.

Could I be wrong? Maybe.

But IknewPan Xia was supplying energy to her.

And itwasn'tQi.

It wasn't Mana, either.

It felt different.

In LLO, there wereUltimate Skillsthat players couldneveruse even if they met the requirements.

Not because they lacked the proficiency.

Not because they lacked the stats.

But because sometimes—just sometimes—those skills required anenergy costthat went beyond what a player could normally access unless they fulfilled the relevant quests.

Was this that kind of situation?

Before I could think about it further, I noticed Pan Xia looking at me.

An amused smile spread across his face.

"Is there a problem, Senior Da?" he asked smoothly. "If looks could kill, I would have died ten times over."

I rolled my shoulders. "That's an exaggeration."

But my eyes stayed on him.

"Thatisa weird technique, though."

His expression didn't change, but I saw the briefest flicker in his eyes.

A flinch.

He hid it well.

Don't worry, Pan Xia. I wasn't going to expose your cheating.

Yet.

Or maybe never? Because I was feeling… particularly vindictive today.

He smoothly redirected the conversation, playing dumb.

"You must be referring to what's happening below, yes?" he said, gesturing to the fight. "Bloodline Arts are very rare, after all. TheNine-Tailed Fox Ascendanceis aSecret Art—one that allows its caster to borrow power from anImmortal Beast."

Ah.

So it was like a Paladin or a Priest summoning a deity into their body.

Interesting.

Andveryconvenient.

Back inLost Legends Online, I never chose a deity to serve.

No gods. No patrons. No fancy blessings or divine sponsors.

That meant noDivine Descent, the strongest ability a Paladin could have.

And because of that, my damage potential suffered—badly.

For a good one or two seasons, I was stuck at the bottom of the rankings, grinding skill points while everyone else was popping off with theirDivine Descentbuilds. I could've jumped ship, reset my skills, or even rerolled a new character.

But Ididn't.

Why?

Because I was waiting.

Patiently.

I had my eyes set on an upcoming class update for Paladins—one that would let me play exactly how Iwantedto play.

You see, Lost Legends Onlinewasn't exactlyforgivingto old players. Resetting skill points was more painful than just deleting your character and starting from scratch. Most players didjust that. But me? Ipersevered.

And then the update finally arrived.

TheDivine Path of the Paladin Legacy.

And with it came a skill no one expected to beasstupidly broken as it was.

A skill calledDivine Possession.

Now, when the devs started teasing it, most players ignored it outright.

A skill thathalvedyour stats? In exchange forpossessinganother character—whether they were a Player, NPC, or even a random mob?

Yeah. Hard pass.

And then they made it worse.

If you learnedDivine Possession, you werelocked outofDivine Descentforever. No refunds. No take-backs. You were making a deal with theworstkind of devil—bad game design.

And what did yougetfor this trade?

A possessed character buffed with half your stats but at the cost ofshared control.

Which meant theotherguy could fight back whileyouwere trying to use them.

Most players who tried it rage-quit on the spot.

But me?

I sawpotential.

I started using it in PvP.

On myopponents.

And then I'dattack myself like a lunatic.

Because guess what? Friendly fire was real.

And I hadthreeresurrection ultimates.

So even if theyself-destructed, I'd justcome back.

And the worst part?

I'd spam their skills like a madman—burning all their mana, wasting their abilities, and making their movements look like a drunk toddler was at the keyboard.

If I could've burned throughUltimate Skills, it would've beencompletelybusted. But even without that, it wasenough.

It waswarped.

It waseffective.

And best of all?

No one couldadapt.

Eventually, word spread.

More Paladins started copying my strategy.

Possession became thestrongestcrowd-control skill in the game.

Wasting skills became theultimate troll move.

For a while, Paladins were meta.

And then—because the universe can't let me have nice things—the devsnerfed it into the ground.

Now, whenever a Paladin usedDivine Possession, theirreal bodystayed behind.

Vulnerable.

Unmoving.

Completelyfreeto be targeted.

And what happened after that?

Everyonewho had been salty about Paladinsfinallygot their revenge.

For weeks, Paladins were getting deleted the moment they tried to possessanyone.

Spameveryultimate on them? Yes.

Blow them up with overkill damage? Absolutely.

Make their existence a living hell? Without question.

So why am I rambling on about all this?

Well…

Because I was about toscrew someonewithDivine Possession.

In this situation, what was the best part aboutDivine Possession?

It didn't haveanyanimation or visual effects.

No glowing sigils. No fancy light shows. No dramatic wind effects.

Nothing.

Just a clean, silent transfer.

And right now, I wastempted.

I could use it on Jia Yun and have her suffer ahumiliatingdefeat. The sheerschadenfreudeof watching her lose in the dumbest way possible was… enticing.

Or I coulduseit on Fan Shi. Maximize her skill usage, abusemystats, and show these cheating bastards who wasreallythe boss.

But I was anadult.

And there was noneedfor anyone to lose face here.

Who knew? Maybe this whole thing could be solved with just…talking.

I smiled. "As expected of the Cloud Mist Sect. Truly a formidable force."

Pan Xia huffed and turned away.

Divine Possession.

Asharpdip in my mana. A shift in my senses.

And suddenly, I was seeing myself from athird-personperspective—throughPan Xia'seyes.

Then the shift continued, pulling me forward—deeper.

First-person view.

I blinked.

I was no longer inmybody.

Pan Xia's mind tried to fight back, but I squashed his will with the utter difference in our stats. It was something that would have been normally impossible in LLO if we were at the same level or if his stats were a bit closer to mine. I remembered one-sidedly possessing NPCs and massively lower-level players, so this one-sided possession must be the result of something similar.

I guessed that even if my stats were halved, I was still stronger than this guy... stat-wise at least.

The next thing I did was subtly angle Pan Xia's fan tocovermy face while stealing a glance at my real body.

And I saw…me.

Standing there.

Looking back.

And smiling.

Huh?

Weird.

Wasn't mymain bodysupposed to bemotionless?

I watched as the other me—my original body—lifted a hand.

And reached out to me throughVoice Chat.

【…Greetings, My Lord.】

The voice wasmechanical.

【My name isDavid_69, your Holy Spirit.】

…

What the fuck?!

Ialmostlost composure right then and there.

I had too many questions.

Too manyconcerns.

But I hadothermatters to attend to.

I pushed down thewhat the fuckspiling up in my brain and addressed69throughVoice Chat.

"We will talk another time. Protect us in the meantime and don't act too suspiciously. Moreover, continue guiding Fan Shi on how to defeat her opponent via Voice Chat. If you can't, prioritize giving her instructions in a way that she receives the least harm."

I had no idea howheworked, but if he had my stats, then he should be able topower-computethe most optimal paths for Fan Shi, right?

There was a brief pause.

Then69replied, 【I understand, My Lord.】

Ihoped and prayedthis dude wouldn't suddenly betray me byjumping off the VIP balconyor something.

That would be… ugh.

"You look worried, Daoist Pan."

Long Xieren's voice broke through my thoughts.

I ignored him.

I didn't have much in the way of acting skills, but here goes nothing.

I couldn't exactly summon tears on command, but surely, I could at least pretend to be a brooding sage—not to be disturbed, lost in contemplation of the vast mysteries of the world.

With a slow, measured exhale, I lowered my gaze and angled my fan slightly to cast a shadow over my face. Mysterious. Enigmatic. Tragic. If anyone looked at me now, they'd think I was contemplating the weight of destiny itself.

But in reality?

I tapped intoVoice Chat.

InsidePan Xia'shead.

"What's happening?! What did you do to me?!"

His panic hit me like a flood.

I took my time before responding, speaking with deliberate slowness. Measured. Patient. Like a celestial master gazing down upon the tribulations of a mere mortal struggling to comprehend the vastness of the heavens.

"Calm yourself, Daoist Pan,"I murmured.

"Calm myself? CALM MYSELF?! I CAN'T MOVE! I CAN'T USE MY QI! I CAN'T—"

"Shhh."

"DON'T 'SHHH' ME—"

"Shhhhhh."

That shut him up.

"Good,"I said, voice as tranquil as a still lake."Now, listen well. What you are experiencing… is but a mere glimpse of the immensity of heaven and earth."

"What does that even mean?! Who are you?!"

"Who am I? Ah… That is a question many have asked. Few have received an answer."

"ANSWER ME, DAMN YOU!"

I let out a soft chuckle. Sage-like. Knowing. Infinitely patient.

"Daoist Pan, do you truly believe that the heavens revolve around you? That your struggles are unique? That you are beyond the reach of fate?"

"What are you—"

"Consider the sky above. It does not mourn when a storm is born, nor does it celebrate when the sun shines once more. It simply is—immovable, untouchable, unshaken by mortal concerns. The same is true of the great Dao."

A pause. A long, stunnedpause.

It was eight-grader syndrome bullshit. Or maybe some dialogue script I overheard somewhere…

But meh…

I could practicallyhearthe gears in his head grinding together, trying to decipher my words.

"What… what do you want from me?"

"Want? Ah, Daoist Pan… You assume much."

Silence again.

Then, cautiously, he asked,"Then why are you… in my mind?"

"Ah."I sighed wistfully."Why does the wind blow? Why do the stars shine? Why does the river flow ceaselessly toward the sea?"

"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER ANYTHING!"

"Doesn't it?"

Another silence.

I could feel thefrustration. Thedespair. Thehelplessness.

Pan Xia was grasping at understanding—trying to ground himself in reality, only to find the ground had beenpulled out from under him.

Good.

Let himstew. Let himquestion. Let himdoubt.

I smiled faintly, outwardly maintaining my brooding sage act as I continued my silent monologue inside Pan Xia's mind.

This was getting fun.

Too fun.

Fan Shi was barely hanging on by the skin of her teeth.

Jia Yun's rampage had reached its peak—her movements were swift, her attacks relentless, her power overwhelming. Every time Fan Shi dodged, it was by the slimmest of margins. Every counterattack was met with force several times greater.

Yet, despite all that, Fan Shi endured.

Because 69 was far more capable than I had given him credit for.

I had fought opponents twenty levels above me before and barely managed to eke out a victory—but that was withitems. That was with buffs, with potions, with some ridiculous game-breaking exploits that let me cheat the numbers.

This?

This was justraw skill.

And it wasawesome.

I let out a quiet breath, keeping my posture still and composed—or rather, keepingPan Xia'sposture still and composed. My mind, however, was racing. This was the first time I had seen Divine Possession work like this inreal life.

If I had known it would be this effective, I would have used it sooner. I wanted to use it on Jiang Zhen as part of an experiment, but he suddenly forfeited.

I turnedPan Xia'shead, making sure his gaze locked onto my own body sitting across the way.

Pan Xia—or rather, the part of him still aware thatsomething was wrong—was losing his mind.

"RELEASE ME! I AM A GRAND ELDER OF THE CLOUD MIST-"

"Shh."I silenced him through Voice Chat, my voice calm.

"Pan Xia,"I continued,"I don't like cheaters. I don't like bullies. And I especially don't like people who think they are above being fair."

His panic sharpened into pure terror.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"he tried to lie.

"You're not stupid. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

He couldn't respond.

"This will be my only warning to you. While your reputation remains intact, I suggest you no longer stray from the righteous path."

And with a thought—snap.

I severed the energy connection he had tied to Jia Yun.

Immediately, the transformation below unraveled.

Jia Yun's body convulsed mid-attack. Her nine-tailed fox form flickered, the blue flames and icy mist dissipating in an instant. Her expression twisted in confusion, then horror.

Then, her body gave out.

With a dullthud, Jia Yun collapsed onto the arena floor, unconscious.

Fan Shi stood over her, victorious—but barely. Her body swayed slightly, her breathing ragged, but she remained on her feet.

And then—I left Pan Xia's body.

I blinked, suddenly back in my own first-person perspective, my own hands resting where I had left them.

Across from me, Pan Xia sat frozen. His face had gone pale. His lips were slightly parted as if he wanted to say something—but no words came out.

Instead, he turned his head ever so slightly, glancing around, as if searching for something.

Good.

I had gone togreat lengthsto save him face.

Hopefully, heheardmy warning loud and clear.

But knowing the xianxia genre…

Ireallycouldn't let my guard down.

Chances were, he didn't even know it was me.

If hesuspected, he'd never dare try to confirm it or confront me. If he did, it would probably be with the backing of his Sect—which Idoubtedhe would have. After all, Ibasically had the backing of the Isolation Path Sect, though in name only.

That said, Pan Xia would also needsolid evidenceof what I just did.

There was no premise for him making trouble. No excuse.

Because everything that happened…

Happenedin his mind.