In the next instant, she vanished from the school grounds, leaving behind only a faint trail of distorted energy.

Far away, Mr. Crow’s expression changed abruptly. His connection with Lana flickered.

Then weakened. He frowned deeply, his voice tense. "Her presence... It’s moving away rapidly."

Axel, who had just finished dealing with the three-thousand-year-old ghost, stiffened.

"Maybe she’s chasing something suspicious," he replied quickly, though doubt lingered in his tone.

Mr. Crow shook his head, his brows furrowed. "No... something is wrong. My connection with her... It’s fading."

Those words struck Axel like a blow. His eyes widened.

A chilling memory resurfaced: the last time Lana had been possessed.

And that time...she hadn’t been wearing the jade bracelet.

Without another word, Axel turned and rushed in the direction Lana had gone, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

Meanwhile, Lana’s body moved through the city like a shadow.

She leaped from rooftop to rooftop, her speed terrifying, her movements unnatural.

But she didn’t feel it. Her body had already exceeded its limits.

Bones cracked. Her arm fractured upon impact with a ledge. Her ribs shifted painfully as she landed harshly.

At one point, even her leg bent at an unnatural angle, yet she continued moving.

As if none of it mattered. As if pain didn’t exist.

Eventually, she stopped in front of a school.

The grand gates stood tall, the name engraved clearly: Velour.

One of the most prestigious schools in the city.

A slow, eerie smile spread across her face. She stepped forward.

The watchman noticed her immediately, his expression turning suspicious. "Hey! You can’t..."

He never finished. With a casual wave of her hand, an invisible force struck him. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

His body slammed violently against the wall, the impact knocking the air out of his lungs before he collapsed, unconscious.

Inside, Lana’s consciousness screamed.

’Stop... please... stop ...’

But her body did not listen. She could only watch. Helpless.

Step by step, she walked into the school.

Students and teachers alike froze at the sight of her. Confusion quickly turned into fear as the oppressive aura surrounding her filled the corridors.

Then... chaos erupted.

With a mere flick of her hand, children were thrown aside as if they weighed nothing.

Teachers tried to intervene, but they were overwhelmed instantly.

Even those with years of experience, even those far stronger than ordinary cultivators, stood no chance.

The ghost toyed with them. Roughly. Cruelly.

Lana’s heart shattered as she watched it unfold. ’I... can’t stop it ...’

Her body continued deeper into the school. Then, it stopped. In a quiet room.

Inside, a young boy sat within a carefully drawn magical circle, a book resting in his hands.

His lips moved continuously as he chanted softly, completely immersed in his ritual.

The ghost within Lana laughed. A low, pleased sound. It stepped closer.

Then everything shifted. A sudden wave of dizziness vanished from Lana’s mind.

She blinked. Her vision cleared. And in that moment, she realized.

The presence inside her was gone.

Her eyes snapped toward the boy. The ghost had left her body.

And entered his.

For a brief moment, confusion filled her mind. ’Why...?’ she wondered. ’Why possess me... only to leave...?’

But the answer came quickly.

As she watched, the boy’s body began to change.

His form expanded, bones stretching, muscles growing unnaturally fast. His childish features twisted into something far older, far more sinister.

Lana’s eyes widened in shock. ’This... this was the vessel ...’

Everything clicked. She had only been a stepping stone.

A means to reach this boy. This prepared vessel.

With gritted teeth, Lana gathered what little strength she had left and surged forward, channeling her mystical energy to stop the transformation.

But it was too late.

The boy, now transformed into a young man, opened his eyes and chuckled.

With a casual wave of his hand... Boom.

An invisible force struck Lana.

Her body was sent flying across the room, crashing violently into a wall. Pain exploded through her entire body, her already injured limbs screaming in agony.

She collapsed to the ground, her breath uneven, her vision shaking.

Until now, Lana had been moving purely on instinct, her mind overwhelmed, her body pushed far beyond its limits.

But the moment she hit the ground and tried to rise again, reality caught up with her.

Her wrist throbbed violently. Her hand was fractured.

Her legs trembled, barely able to support her weight.

And now, only now, did she truly realize how badly she was injured.

Her breath hitched as a sharp wave of agony surged through her entire body.

’So this... is how bad it is...’ she thought, her teeth grinding together as she forced herself to stay conscious.

But she did not stop.

With a low growl, she pushed herself forward, her injured limbs screaming in protest as she lunged toward the ghost.

The possessed young man stood still, as if he had been waiting for this very moment.

Slowly, he raised his hand.

But before he could act, Lana moved first.

With trembling fingers, she pulled out several teleportation talismans and flicked them into the air.

The talismans ignited instantly, their symbols glowing as space itself began to distort.

The ghost frowned, sensing something off.

And then, they vanished.

In the next instant, both Lana and the ghost reappeared at the original location, where the mystic teachers and students had gathered.

As soon as Lana appeared, her vision blurred slightly, but she still managed to spot Axel and Mr. Crow rushing toward the entrance.

"Help!" she tried to call out.

But the word never fully left her lips. A brutal force slammed into her stomach.

The impact knocked the air out of her lungs, sending her crashing backward.

"Ugh!"

Blood spilled from her mouth as she collapsed, her body convulsing from the pain.

Her life force... was fading.

Lana coughed weakly, her vision dimming at the edges.

She tried to gather her healing energy, to repair even a fraction of the damage... but nothing responded.

Her meridians... were severely damaged.