"Cough! To be honest, I'm a victim in all of this," Yu Zitong began, attempting to gain Han Li's sympathy and distance himself from Mo Dafu. But seeing Han Li's unwavering expression, he knew he wouldn't get far with such tactics and reluctantly continued: "I was once a cultivator..."
Yu Zitong laid out the story of his origins, explaining in great detail how he became entangled in this mess. Of course, he portrayed himself as a helpless pawn, coerced into working with Mo Dafu, placing all the blame on the deceased man. Han Li listened, not taking his words at face value but rather sifting through them, piecing together the truth from the fragments of information.
From Mo Dafu's previous admissions and the story now unfolding, Han Li could deduce much of the truth, even if he didn't believe everything Yu Zitong said. He understood that, while some parts of Yu Zitong's tale were self-serving, the core of it aligned with the things Mo Dafu had previously revealed. There were gaps and distortions, but the outline was becoming clear.
Yu Zitong explained that he was born into a family of cultivators and had once been a promising disciple, reaching the seventh stage of the "Changchun Gong" (Eternal Spring Art). However, his innate talent was insufficient for him to break through the foundational barriers to officially enter the realm of the immortal cultivators. Unable to reach the core stage of cultivation, he could not formally join the cultivation world and was essentially excluded from it.
Desperate to overcome this bottleneck, Yu Zitong left his secluded home and ventured into the mortal world. His goal was simple: to find a way to break through his limits by refining his inner self through worldly experiences and, if possible, obtain some rare herbs for concocting elixirs. Although he knew the chances of finding something valuable were slim, he figured that fortune might favor him, and maybe he would come across a rare treasure by sheer luck.
However, as time passed, the temptation of worldly pleasures dulled his once-determined heart. The dazzling sights and sounds of the mortal world seduced him, and soon, his desire for cultivation waned. Instead, he found himself at the beck and call of powerful families, living a life of luxury and indulgence. His cultivation dreams faded as he became comfortable in his new life.
But in the years that followed, his family cast him aside. He was eventually struck from the family's genealogy, declared no longer a cultivator, and was abandoned unless a future descendant with outstanding talent emerged.
Yu Zitong's situation seemed bleak, but fate had other plans. One day, while casually strolling through a market, he came across an extremely rare herb: the Blood Spirit Grass. To the untrained eye, it resembled a common flower, but Yu Zitong recognized its value immediately. This herb was the key to breaking his cultivation bottleneck. Elated, he rushed to purchase it.
However, just as he was about to make the purchase, another cultivator entered the store and saw the herb. Naturally, a dispute broke out between the two men over who would buy it. The shopkeeper, seeing the competition, decided to auction the herb to the highest bidder.
In the end, Yu Zitong, having a little more wealth at his disposal, successfully acquired the herb. Knowing that the other cultivator wouldn't let the matter rest, he fled that very night, intending to return to his family's home for safety. But halfway through his journey, the rival cultivator caught up with him, and a fierce battle ensued.
The other cultivator's strength far surpassed Yu Zitong's, and he was soon badly injured. But Yu Zitong, unwilling to part with the precious herb, activated a life-saving talisman, using a desperate, self-destructive technique to force his opponent to retreat. With his injuries worsening, he stumbled across Mo Dafu, who was also in search of a remedy for his condition.
Mo Dafu, desperate to recover, found Yu Zitong's situation advantageous. Recognizing the weak and injured cultivator, Mo Dafu quickly extracted information about any healing elixirs Yu Zitong might possess. Although Mo Dafu was a cunning and powerful figure, Yu Zitong had no choice but to reveal that he did, in fact, possess a rare medicinal herb, though not as valuable as the Blood Spirit Grass.
However, Yu Zitong was unwilling to give up the herb freely. It was an item of tremendous worth, and he could not part with it so easily, especially in his weakened state. Mo Dafu, frustrated by Yu Zitong's refusal, resorted to more drastic measures. He secretly poisoned Yu Zitong, taking advantage of the cultivator's weakened state to launch a surprise attack.
The poison that Mo Dafu used was no ordinary poison—it was a rare and complex concoction that Mo Dafu himself barely understood. The poison immediately began to take effect, and Yu Zitong, already weakened by his previous injuries, quickly fell to the ground, barely holding onto his life.
Realizing that he had been betrayed, Yu Zitong, in a fit of fury, activated his "Blood Arrow Ghost Curse," converting his life force into a blood curse and spraying it directly at Mo Dafu's head. At the same time, Yu Zitong abandoned his body, using his soul to escape.
However, once his soul left his body, Yu Zitong realized that he had made a grave mistake—he had no protective artifacts prepared for his soul. In desperation, he fled into Mo Dafu's body, hoping to avoid annihilation.
Mo Dafu, drenched in the blood curse, was initially shocked but soon realized nothing unusual had occurred and dismissed it. As Mo Dafu celebrated the recovery of his strength through the elixirs he found on Yu Zitong's body, he failed to notice that Yu Zitong's soul was now residing within him.
With Mo Dafu unaware of the truth, he set off to pursue revenge and restore his power, armed with the mysterious techniques he had taken from Yu Zitong's body. But little did he know, he had unwittingly become the vessel for Yu Zitong's vengeful spirit.