Chapter 65: Possession?

“Me? Take over a body?!” Luo Feng stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to imagine what Jiang Chen was suggesting.

Babata, however, was excited, exclaiming repeatedly, “Jiang Chen, are you truly willing to give Luo Feng the chance to possess another being?”

“Luo Feng excels at the metal element; the Golden-horned Beast is more suited to him,” Jiang Chen nodded, admitting his intentions.

It wasn’t that Jiang Chen had no interest in the Golden-horned Beast, but firstly, he lacked the proper secret techniques, and without Huyan Bo’s ‘Soul Seal’ for assistance, the process of possessing the Golden-horned Beast carried significant risk. More importantly, Jiang Chen worried—what if after the possession, his system didn’t follow his soul? The system was Jiang Chen’s real foundation.

Compared to this, the advantages the Golden-horned Beast could offer were not that vital to Jiang Chen. Besides, in the original story, Luo Feng encountered countless opportunities, most of which merely added luster to his journey and were not essential. The truly critical opportunities could be counted on one hand.

Among these, possessing the Golden-horned Beast was one of Luo Feng’s most central fortunes. If he missed this chance, Luo Feng might never reach the heights he attained in the original tale.

Jiang Chen wasn’t certain how far the system’s help could take him. If he couldn’t reach the necessary heights, the future challenge of resolving the Beast of Calamity crisis and leading humanity to flourish would still fall on Luo Feng’s shoulders—a kind of insurance.

“Why should I abandon my humanity to possess a monster?” Luo Feng’s face showed utter reluctance, not the slightest desire to take over the Golden-horned Beast.

This was only natural. In the original work, Luo Feng took over the Golden-horned Beast only when forced to the brink of death, with no other way to survive. Now, with the beast’s threat easily resolved and no imminent danger, Luo Feng naturally had no wish to change his ‘race.’

Hearing Luo Feng’s refusal, Babata grew anxious. “Luo Feng, do you realize what an immense opportunity it is to possess the Golden-horned Beast?! As long as it matures naturally, it will reach the Domain Lord level, a cosmic behemoth! The resources and secret arts your teacher left you, plus your own painstaking cultivation over hundreds of thousands of years, might only give you a ‘chance’ at becoming a Domain Lord, with no guarantee of success!”

“Even so, I don’t want to lose my identity as a human.” Luo Feng’s resolve was unshaken by Babata’s words.

Jiang Chen suddenly interjected, “Luo Feng, the Golden-horned Beast has the ability to generate other-race clones. If you possess the beast, then use your own genes to create an Earthling clone, wouldn’t that solve everything? You’d retain your human identity and enjoy the Golden-horned Beast’s powerful abilities.”

“Clone?!” Both Babata and Luo Feng exclaimed in astonishment.

Luo Feng was surprised at the possibility of having it all. Babata, on the other hand, was shocked because he knew just how miraculous the ability of cloning was in the universe.

With the power of cloning, one’s survival prospects soared, and the chances of reaching the pinnacle greatly increased. Many prodigies with heaven-defying talent died before fulfilling their potential. With a clone, one could explore various places without fear of death, fully unleashing their abilities.

Yet Babata was puzzled. Even he didn’t know the Golden-horned Beast had this talent—how did Jiang Chen know?

Of course, Jiang Chen wouldn’t explain this to Babata. He simply urged Luo Feng to seize the opportunity to possess the Golden-horned Beast immediately. The beast was at its weakest, making this the optimal time for possession. Any longer, and even with the Soul Seal, Luo Feng couldn’t be sure of a flawless success.

Upon learning about the beast’s cloning ability, and under Babata and Jiang Chen’s persuasion, Luo Feng finally relented and agreed to take over the Golden-horned Beast.

This allowed Jiang Chen to breathe a little easier. With a Golden-horned Beast clone, Luo Feng’s path to becoming a Universe Master, even a True God, would be unimpeded. After apprenticing under Sitting Mountain Guest and obtaining the core inheritance of the King of Advancement within the World of Advancement, following the ‘divine power’ path, there would be hope for resolving the Beast of Calamity crisis.

Even if the system failed him at some point, halting his own progress, Jiang Chen no longer needed to worry that a world-ending crisis would one day wipe him out.

—

On Mist Island, deep beneath the earth in the Meteorite Starship.

After some time, Luo Feng finally succeeded in possessing the Golden-horned Beast. The entire process was uneventful and safe. The severely wounded, utterly weakened beast’s soul had become feeble, and with the aid of the Soul Seal, it could hardly resist. Luo Feng easily extinguished its soul and took its place.

“This body feels so unfamiliar,” Luo Feng communicated telepathically.

“No need to rush. The Golden-horned Beast has many unique traits. Take your time to get used to it. Once you’re fully attuned, then create your clone and return to the human world,” Jiang Chen reminded him. “This may take a few years. I’ll look after your family, so don’t worry. If you get homesick, you can send them emails, but don’t reveal anything about possessing the Golden-horned Beast.”

Luo Feng understood his situation must remain secret and immediately said, “Chen, please take care of my family for me.”

“Of course. I’ll head back to the base for now. This battle has given me a lot of inspiration. The ‘Goliath Giant’ still has plenty of room for improvement. I want to get back to my research.”

After bidding Luo Feng farewell, Jiang Chen turned to Babata, “Babata, how long until the starship is repaired? Luo Feng will need a long time to create his clone. Why don’t you take me on a tour of the universe in the meantime?”

The ship Jiang Chen spoke of was not one of the ‘outdated’ transport ships from his own base, but the Black Dragon Mountain X81 starship from Ruins No. 12.

“It’s almost done—about ten more days. Since Luo Feng will be busy for a while and he’s perfectly safe here, I can take you out for a spin. I’ll contact you when it’s ready,” Babata agreed enthusiastically, a far cry from his usual stinginess with Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen’s generosity in giving the Golden-horned Beast to Luo Feng had won Babata’s deep favor, making him truly consider Jiang Chen one of his own.

“Alright, then I’ll be off.”

With a wave, Jiang Chen left the Meteorite Starship and returned to his base.

There was no rush to study the Golden-horned Beast. Once Luo Feng fully adapted to its body, Jiang Chen could just ask him for some genetic samples.

But the ideas for improving the ‘Goliath Giant’ had filled Jiang Chen with an urgent sense of excitement—he couldn’t wait to put them into practice.