Luo Yuntao was, after all, a man of great experience. He understood everything in a flash and roared furiously, "Soul-shifting possession! Cangshu Bai, what a ruthless scheme!"
The man wearing Wumu's face replied in a flat tone, "It is merely borrowing a body. There is no need to make such a fuss."
All the anomalies suddenly had a perfectly logical explanation.
Why would Cangshu Bai, while under siege, suddenly change his attitude toward Luo Qingniao?
Everyone had assumed it was because Luo Qingniao was willing to sacrifice her own life for him, finally touching his heart.
However, Cangshu Bai had a heart of iron. If he could be moved, he would have been moved long ago when Luo Qingniao took that whip strike from Hongfu for him. Why would he wait until today?
Furthermore, resurrecting his deceased wife was Cangshu Bai's absolute obsession. How could he ever suggest letting his wife share a husband with another woman?
All the drastic changes today stemmed from a meeting between Cangshu Bai and Wumu in front of the Treasure Pavilion a few nights ago.
At that time, Cangshu Bai had said, "Perhaps there is a second way."
Wumu looked at him suspiciously. "What other way do you have?"
Cangshu Bai wanted the supreme treasure inside the Treasure Pavilion, but the pavilion was protected by restrictions. Only those acknowledged by the Qingtian Sect could enter.
But if Cangshu Bai wanted to become a member of the Qingtian Sect through legitimate means, he would be forced to marry Luo Qingniao.
His Ranran seemed carefree, but she was actually quite petty when it came to matters of the heart.
And as it happened, he was even pettier than her.
Let alone marrying another woman in name, even if rumors spread that he was involved with someone else, he would blow up the source of those rumors.
Cangshu Bai appeared refined, polite, cold, and aloof, but in his bones, he was deeply paranoid and twisted. Aside from Mu Ran, if anyone else tried to get close to him, he would want nothing more than to grind their bones to dust.
Not to mention those who tried to use underhanded methods to pressure him into submitting—they deserved death even more.
The path of cultivation he walked was inherently far more murderous than that of ordinary people. His usual cool and refined demeanor was merely a respectable facade maintained solely for Mu Ran.
If someone truly crossed his bottom line, all grace, rules, and sentiments were absolute nonsense.
In his entire life, he had only bowed his head once—five hundred years ago, when Mu Ran was about to sacrifice her life for him. At any other time, even if every bone in his body were shattered, he would never bow his head in defeat.
And those who tried to force his hand through manipulation only filled him with deeper disgust.
But Cangshu Bai had to enter the Treasure Pavilion.
He said, "Soul-shifting possession. We will exchange bodies."
Wumu was taken aback. "Soul-shifting possession?"
Cangshu Bai said unhurriedly, "Unlike ordinary possession, I am willing to exchange bodies with you. When the time comes, we will have each other's appearances and identities. You can marry your beloved Luo Qingniao, and I can enter the Treasure Pavilion to find what I want."
Wumu could not suppress his temptation, but he still retained some reason. "You have heaven-defying cultivation. Are you really willing to give it to me?"
Cangshu Bai replied, "No matter how high my cultivation realm is, it is not what my heart desires. There is only one thing I want to do, and that is to awaken my wife."
Wumu knew Cangshu Bai's story. Naturally, he also knew why Cangshu Bai wanted to enter the Qingtian Sect, and why he had ventured into a perilous place like the Haotian Secret Realm, returning after narrowly escaping death.
But he was still somewhat skeptical. "The young miss is of noble birth, innocent and romantic. Are you truly not moved in the slightest, thinking only of that woman with a mediocre background?"
Cangshu Bai raised his eyes.
Wumu's heart inexplicably trembled.
He vaguely felt that Cangshu Bai wanted to kill him on the spot, and the reason was simply that his words carried a hint of disparagement toward that long-dead woman.
In the end, Cangshu Bai restrained his killing intent and said without a ripple of emotion, "The treasure in your eyes is not worth mentioning in mine."
Wumu instantly felt a surge of anger.
He did not know if he was angry that Cangshu Bai looked down on Luo Qingniao.
Or if he was angry that the existence he viewed as a precious treasure was completely worthless to Cangshu Bai.
Invisibly, it felt as though he himself had been ruthlessly belittled by Cangshu Bai.
However, the temptation Cangshu Bai threw at him was simply too great.
If they truly performed the soul-shifting possession, not only would he be able to marry the girl he loved, but he would also possess this boundless cultivation. He would no longer be a lowly guard; he would become the most dazzling existence in the Qingtian Sect.
Yet Wumu was not stupid. He asked, "How do I know if the soul-shifting possession you speak of is real?"
Cangshu Bai immediately offered up a drop of his heart's blood. "If I go back on my word and try to take my body back, you can use this drop of heart's blood to restrain my soul and kill me on the spot."
Wumu's eyes lit up, and he hastily accepted the drop of heart's blood. Sensing that the blood was indeed connected to Cangshu Bai's aura and not a fake, he eagerly agreed to the deal.
Thus, the events of today unfolded.
First, Cangshu Bai fought a bloody battle against the entire Qingtian Sect alone. Sure enough, Luo Qingniao appeared.
It was at this exact moment that Cangshu Bai and Wumu exchanged identities.
Using Wumu's body, Cangshu Bai successfully entered the Treasure Pavilion, retrieved the Soul Nexus Lotus Platform, and then completely blew up the pavilion—a place that had existed in the Qingtian Sect for tens of thousands of years, housing countless innate supreme treasures.
Luo Yuntao's eyes nearly split open in rage. Spiritual energy surged around him like a tsunami as he thrust a palm strike with world-destroying momentum toward the black-clad figure. "Cangshu Bai! You dare destroy the foundation of my Qingtian Sect! Today, I will obliterate your soul!"
The palm wind could shatter mountains and split rocks. Just as it was about to land on the opponent, the figure suddenly raised his eyes.
The calm aura that originally belonged to Cangshu Bai shattered in an instant, and a look of uncomprehending bewilderment surfaced in his dark eyes.
In the blink of an eye, Cangshu Bai and Wumu had swapped their bodies back.
Completely unprepared, Wumu took Luo Yuntao's palm strike head-on. He instantly collapsed to the ground, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
Luo Yuntao's vital energy surged backward. Caught between shock and fury, he let out a miserable, furious roar. "You... you dared to swap bodies twice to play me for a fool! Cangshu Bai, what a venomous scheme!"
Severely wounded, Wumu also realized what had happened. He cried out in panic, "Young Miss!"
Luo Yuntao also remembered that Cangshu Bai's body was currently with Luo Qingniao. His expression changed drastically, and with a flash, he disappeared from his spot.
Luo Qingniao had never felt such a moment of profound happiness.
The man she had chased for so long had finally responded to her feelings!
The cold wind howled furiously at the mountain peak, yet her eyes seemed to hold only the bright April sunrise. The sky and the clouds were so beautiful it felt unreal.
She looked at the man standing by the edge of the cliff.
His black robes were like ink, his white hair like snow. His figure was tall and straight. Even though he stood at the edge of the precipice, he was as steady as an ancient mountain, naturally exuding an aura of aloofness and untouchability.
When he turned his head slightly, his white hair brushed past his pale, cold jawline. He was merely standing still, yet he made the entire mountain peak look like nothing more than a backdrop for him.
But she still remembered that not long ago, no matter how fierce the wind was, it could not blow away that hint of tenderness in his eyes—a tenderness reserved only for her.
