Jian Dan saw it clearly now—Mei Ji's demonic Nascent Soul was already dissipating, with only the portion above the neck remaining intact. The rest had blurred into nothingness.
This explained why, during her previous life's teleportation to the cultivation world, she hadn't encountered this threat. A hundred years later, this demonic Nascent Soul would have vanished entirely, unable to seize a new body. That was why she and Du Yanran had gotten off so easily back then.
But now, Jian Dan had no choice but to fight with everything she had. Even against a fading Nascent Soul, the slightest lapse in focus would mean death.
The two orbs clashed violently within her sea of consciousness, locked in a desperate struggle—each tearing into the other, neither willing to relent.
"To think that I, Mei Ji, who once dominated the cultivation world, would be reduced to fighting a mere child for a body!" the demon cultivator sneered.
Jian Dan nearly cursed aloud. This body you speak of is mine! I won't let you take it!
Then—
"No!"
The shrinking black orb in her consciousness suddenly erupted with a surge of demonic energy, crashing violently against her mind.
The impact sent Jian Dan's spiritual sense flying to the edge of her own consciousness, while the black demonic energy began seeping into her thoughts.
By the time half of her glowing orb had been tainted black, the magnolia flower resting in her sea of consciousness suddenly radiated a pure white light, halting the demonic energy's advance—though it couldn't expel it entirely.
Startled, a portion of the demonic energy retreated along a major meridian, surging toward her dantian. As it spread, it corroded her pathways while simultaneously reshaping her body.
From the outside, Jian Dan's body was now a battleground—her left half shrouded in black demonic energy, her right half shielded by five-colored spiritual light.
Neither side yielded, and as the struggle intensified, her cultivation visibly plummeted. From the Golden Core stage, she fell to Foundation Establishment's Great Perfection, then Late, Middle, and Early stages—nearly dropping back to Qi Refining.
Meanwhile, the unconscious orb in her mind stirred faintly, sensing the crisis. When Jian Dan finally regained awareness and scanned her own body, she nearly cursed aloud.
"This demon cultivator is ruthless! She was willing to self-destruct her Nascent Soul just to cripple my mind, then let the demonic energy slowly consume me until she could fully merge with my body!"
Fortunately, she had underestimated Jian Dan's protective immortal artifact, which had awakened her spiritual sense prematurely.
There was no time to dwell on it. Jian Dan immediately returned to full consciousness, took in her Foundation Establishment-level cultivation, and sat cross-legged in the cave. Without hesitation, she retrieved the Heaven-Earth Defence Formation from her spatial storage and activated it beneath her.
Then, she channeled the Primordial Chaos Sutra with everything she had—her understanding of it deepening in real time.
Her chaotic spiritual roots responded, weaving the five elemental energies into a single strand that gradually transformed into a murky gray. The rainbow aura around her right side shifted to match, clashing fiercely against the demonic energy.
But with her cultivation weakened and the demonic energy's inherent dominance, neither side could gain the upper hand.
"This isn't working!" Cold sweat dripped down Jian Dan's back. If this continued, she'd have to abandon her cultivation entirely to survive—but that would leave her defenseless against Mei Ji's lurking consciousness.
Just as panic threatened to take hold, the magnolia in her sea of consciousness seemed to awaken. A blinding white light erupted, flooding her mind.
"No—!" A shrill cry echoed—but it was too late.
A wisp of black energy was sucked into the flower's stamen, purified in an instant, and dissolved back into her consciousness as nourishment. Meanwhile, the rampaging demonic energy in her body lost its guiding will. No longer under control, it scattered wildly through her meridians, greedily claiming more territory.
Jian Dan knew this was the most critical moment. Mei Ji had avoided outright destruction of her body—after all, what use was a ruined vessel? The attacks had focused on her mind. But now, with Mei Ji's consciousness gone, the demonic energy acted on instinct, seeking to dominate her flesh through sheer force.
Tears of frustration welled up, but Jian Dan forced herself to focus. She had to expel the demonic energy bit by bit using her refined chaotic spiritual energy.
Yet the demonic energy, sensing its impending expulsion, surged forward in a desperate counterattack.
Jian Dan coughed up blood as her defenses faltered—and in that instant, the demonic energy engulfed her completely, shrouding her entire body in darkness.