Chapter 261 - 259: Yvonne Sawyer’s Mother, the Witch of Mt. Norgath (1)
The Immortal Spirit Qi that had been swirling around her body was now completely drawn inside.
The one who had awoken was Jocelyn Grant.
She reached out, pushed open the lid of the Ice Coffin, and sat up.
Jocelyn Grant raised a hand, a smile spreading across her face.
"Wonderful! I’m finally free from that palm-sized puppet." ’That whole experience was truly unbearable.’
"It’s a shame I can’t fully merge with this body just yet."
’For some reason, this body seems to be rejecting me.’
’But that’s no real obstacle. I just need to cultivate for a while to stabilize myself. Once I’m familiar with it, this rejection will surely vanish.’
"This body’s aptitude for cultivation is incredible."
’I suppose this was a blessing in disguise.’
Jocelyn Grant’s brow furrowed slightly.
’That’s strange. I didn’t inherit any of this body’s memories. I have no idea who she was. Without her memories, I can’t know what Cultivation Technique she practiced. Still, anyone who could find a place like this to nurture her body and use an Ice Coffin made from thousand-year-old ice must have had an extraordinary background.’
’A female cultivator with this level of Cultivation was probably from a Major Sect. Even if she wasn’t from an Immortal Sect, she might have come from a Cultivator Noble House.’
’If I can make use of this body’s identity, it might be helpful to me later on.’
"It doesn’t matter who you were. From now on, this body belongs to me, Jocelyn Grant. Don’t you worry. Since I’ve taken your body, I’ll find your family and take care of them for you. We are one now. You are me."
As she spoke, she rose from the Ice Coffin. With a wave of her hand, she shattered the Array.
The moment the Array shattered, ancient, obscure black runes appeared and shot straight into Jocelyn Grant’s body.
She didn’t know what had just happened or what those black runes were. Jocelyn Grant closed her eyes and probed her body, only relaxing when she found nothing out of the ordinary.
’Whatever it was, as long as it doesn’t affect me, it’s fine.’
Jocelyn Grant flew into the air, her long brown hair draped casually over her shoulders. She looked down slightly at the Ice Coffin resting on the cliffside ledge below.
She sized up the Ice Coffin and couldn’t help but murmur, "An Ice Coffin is a bit ominous, but I can refine it into another Magic Treasure later."
She looked down at her new body. There didn’t seem to be anything on it that could prove its identity, only a Space Ring on one finger.
Her gaze fell to the Space Ring on her hand. "And a Space Ring, too. Let’s see what’s inside. It would be great if I can find something that proves her identity."
With that thought, she peered inside the ring. She found only a few cases of Spirit Stones in a corner, along with a handful of Magic Artifacts and some talisman paper. There was nothing particularly valuable.
Seeing this, Jocelyn Grant’s face fell with disappointment. "Is that all?"
’To think she could afford an Ice Coffin capable of nurturing a Primordial Spirit, yet she had nothing valuable on her.’
Her gaze shifted back to the Ice Coffin. "Well, at least this treasure is decent."
At this thought, Jocelyn Grant stretched out her hand. The Ice Coffin on the cliff ledge immediately flew up, shrank, and landed in her palm.
But in that very instant, the shrunken Ice Coffin vanished from her hand. For a moment, Jocelyn Grant thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
’It was just gone, just like that. Without a single moment’s warning.’
Seeing this, Jocelyn Grant’s expression changed drastically.
"Damn it! What happened? Where did it go?"
She whipped her head around. "Who... Show yourself! Give me back what you stole! Who’s sneaking around in the shadows?"
Her voice faded, but the surroundings remained deathly still, the only reply being the echo of her own words among the cliffs. There wasn’t even a ripple of Spiritual Energy. This meant she was the only one here; there was no one else.
"This is so strange."
She frowned, murmuring to herself, "If there’s no one here, how did the Ice Coffin just disappear?"
A look around revealed nothing.
Unwilling to give up, Jocelyn Grant searched every place she could nearby, even scouring the spot where the Ice Coffin had been. She suspected there might be some hidden Array she hadn’t noticed, but a thorough search turned up nothing out of the ordinary.
The Ice Coffin could nurture a Primordial Spirit; it was a treasure rarely seen. Jocelyn Grant was furious that it had vanished just like that.
But since she couldn’t find it, she had no choice but to leave.
Jocelyn Grant’s face was a mask of rage.
The face she now wore belonged to another, a face that should have been gentle and graceful, but her twisted expression made it look hideous. It just went to show that even with the same face, they were two different people.
Fuming, Jocelyn Grant flicked her sleeves and departed.
Only after she had flown away did a Seven-star Ladybug, perched on a branch near the cliff ledge where the Ice Coffin once sat, stir.
The Seven-star Ladybug had concealed itself perfectly, not revealing the slightest trace of its aura. Now, it flapped its wings, watching the direction in which Jocelyn Grant had departed.
A voice slowly echoed.
It was the voice of a woman.
’Jocelyn Grant, is it? I will remember you.’
’In all my life, I have never met such a shameless person! Using my body and talking about taking care of my family... Pah!’
’Thankfully, I used my clan’s witchcraft to escape that fate. My damaged Primordial Spirit could only attach itself to this mindless ladybug. I only dared to show myself after that body-snatcher, Jocelyn Grant, had left.’
’My body isn’t so easy to control. Just you wait for the backlash.’
’If I hadn’t been plotted against, how could a dignified Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator like me have ended up in this state? I wonder how my clansmen are doing...’
’My body has been stolen. Big Brother will surely have sensed it immediately. All I can do now is wait for him to come for me.’
’I will take my body back.’
Her name was Hannah Sawyer, High Priest of the Norgath Clan.
She was also the only cultivator in her clan to have reached the Nascent Soul Stage through their unique witchcraft.
Over two hundred years ago, the Immortal Sects had besieged Mt. Norgath. She had fought to the death to protect her people and had nearly perished. Thankfully, her brother had arrived just in time to preserve a sliver of her soul, using their clan’s greatest treasure to find this place to nurture her Primordial Spirit.
She had been in a deep slumber all this time, never expecting to be awakened only to have her body stolen. There was nothing she could do. Her Primordial Spirit was now too weak to even control the body.
’I wonder how Big Brother is... and where are our people? And my Yana... Mommy is so sorry.’
Right after the child was born, the disaster had struck. To protect her, Hannah Sawyer had used witchcraft to place her under a seal, precisely so no one could find her.
’I wonder if Big Brother has found Yana.’
’If he hasn’t found her, he can’t remove the seal I placed on her. Yana won’t be able to grow up; she’ll be trapped as a baby forever.’
At these thoughts, the Seven-star Ladybug perched on the tree began to wail like a whistling kettle.
"Big Brother... Yana..."
"SOB... I miss you both so much."
