Chapter 886: Seize the Body

The mud stone doll shot out from the soul space in an instant, restoring all the characteristics of its original form.

This object wasn't a soul artifact to begin with.

Xu Xiaoshou sensed that his spiritual energy could manipulate it, so he unleashed a compressed spiritual thread from his hand, wrapping it into a spiritual cocoon. Ignoring the treasure's resistance, he seized it from afar.

"Imitator?!"

Wuji Laozu cried out in shock, finally realizing what Xu Xiaoshou had been after all along.

This guy, even in the midst of battle and with Yi still alive, had already set his sights on someone's prized possession.

One of the Top Ten Aberrant Ability Weapons, the ultimate treasure capable of imitating anyone's abilities from anywhere under the heavens — the Imitator!

Yi's soul body trembled violently, as if unable to endure this any longer.

But Lei Xier's Shenmo Tong prohibition was too powerful.

That pair of "Shenmo Seal" restraints had completely controlled his soul body, and up to this point, Yi hadn't managed to break free!

"Xu Xiaoshou..."

Lei Xier turned her gaze slightly and whispered, her delicate face etched with pain.

Her Shenmo Tong was on the verge of giving out.

Xu Xiaoshou never expected that Lei Xier's control technique could hold a Taixu entity for so long at the Wangzuo level!

Without a word, he blasted the Imitator into his Yuanfu World for direct suppression, while his spiritual intent pulled once more...

The Tianji Shu hooked onto the other treasures in Yi's soul space, drawing them out like a flood, one after another.

"Madness!"

Wuji Laozu stared in disbelief at the countless spiritual artifacts, pills, and dozens of space rings lined up neatly, flying toward Xu Xiaoshou. He was completely stunned.

This was insane!

In the middle of a fight, you just loot someone's inventory, clearing out decades' worth of stock on the spot?

Who could stand for that?

Yi clearly couldn't!

His soul body shuddered fiercely in the void, splitting apart in rage...

Not just from rage.

The guy's soul body actually split in two right there!

The front half of Yi's soul body was still controlled by Lei Xier's Shenmo Seal, but now it seemed to have withdrawn all of Yi's mental will, ceasing all resistance.

The other half that had split from the back escaped like a cicada shedding its shell, instantly darting toward Lei Xier.

"Wahaha..."

Yi laughed maniacally, his voice wild with frenzy: "Xu Xiaoshou! So what if you've emptied my soul space? Next, even your people will be mine!"

A flash of light streaked by.

Lei Xier, still straining to control the front half of Yi's soul body, had no time to react before the other half rushed into her body.

At that moment, Wuji Laozu's face turned pale, as if he had figured something out.

"Possession!"

He shouted in alarm: "Xu Xiaoshou! This guy isn't planning to restore his physical body — he's targeting your junior sister's body. He wants to possess her!"

Possession?

Xu Xiaoshou's face went white.

If Yi tried to restore his physical body, his You Si Jian could strike it down.

So, this guy had simply given up on fixing his body and shifted his scheme to Lei Xier?

Lei Xier had only just broken through to Wangzuo, and her realm was still unstable.

It had to be said, this was the perfect opportunity for possession!

And once Yi's soul body entered Lei Xier's body...

Without knowing if she had been possessed, could his You Si Jian strike at his own ally?

"You bastard!"

Xu Xiaoshou roared in anger, demonic energy surging once more, rampaging through his mind.

His body trembled uncontrollably as golden light burst forth. The frenzied giant in his blackened state appeared again!

"Roar—"

He stomped forward, shattering the ground.

Xu Xiaoshou, with his massive frame, leaped into the sky in one step, blocking the path of Yi's soul body.

He was using his colossal form to shield Lei Xier!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know if Lei Xier could resist the possession.

But he knew full well that if Yi dared to enter his own body, the wills of those big shots inside him would wipe Yi out before any possession thoughts even formed!

When he had used Soul Reading on Duo Er and faced the Bansheng Zang Ren, Xu Xiaoshou had realized.

He was still just a pawn of those big shots, with no way to resist.

But as Sang Lao had said,

A pawn only needs to fulfill its role.

The rest — the things he couldn't handle — someone would always step in to clean up the mess.

That was why Xu Xiaoshou could be so bold, completely disregarding Wuji Laozu's face, scolding when he needed to, fighting when he had to.

Sometimes, a pawn could act more recklessly than the player.

A truly clever pawn could even manipulate factors in the game and ultimately... use the player!

However.

While he thought that,

Yi wasn't foolish, and how could he follow the enemy's script?

Earlier, Yi hadn't fully understood Xu Xiaoshou's status with the Shengnu, so he had considered possessing either Lei Xier or Xu Xiaoshou.

But after seeing the "Bazil Ling" that Xu Xiaoshou threw and witnessing Wuji Laozu kneel,

Even if Yi were dense, he could guess that Xu Xiaoshou must have backups from the Eighth Jianxian and various major figures on Xukong Island.

If he tried possession,

Looking at everyone present, none were the ideal choice.

Wuji Laozu was out — at his peak, the guy was a Shengdi with an incredibly strong will!

Xu Xiaoshou had too many setups; entering his body might trigger something even more terrifying than Wuji Laozu.

As for Lei Xier...

This woman carried the karma of the Lei family tragedy; perhaps all of the Lei family's countermeasures were on her.

Possessing her wouldn't be safe.

But the Lei family was, after all, just a Taixu clan.

As long as it was a Taixu clan, that meant no Bansheng in their ranks, even if the Lei family's overall power could rival a Bansheng.

In terms of will,

Even if the Lei family patriarch from back then showed up, at most, it would be a Taixu-level will...

And Yi was at Taixu!

In this dire situation, Lei Xier was the relatively best choice.

Of course,

The only choice!

Yi's half soul body braked sharply in front of the frenzied giant, then swerved around its head.

This scene was all too familiar.

Xu Xiaoshou instinctively turned his head...

Soul Reading!

Those blood-red eyes, swirling with demonic energy, suddenly burst with dim light, locking straight onto Yi.

"Again?"

Yi sneered mockingly.

He had fallen for it once and learned from it — how could he not be prepared?

"Taixu power..."

"Hunming Ghost Qi, Spiritual Avatar!"

Yi pressed his palms together, and a dark green Taixu power emanated from him, forming a protective barrier in front — a second spiritual will body.

This spiritual will body only carried a faint thread of his spiritual intent.

Having been hit by Soul Reading once, for a Taixu fighter's combat awareness, any spiritual technique that landed once could be analyzed for its attack patterns.

And sure enough,

Everything was under control.

Yi only attached a thread of spiritual intent, so in Xu Xiaoshou's "Soul Reading" judgment, that spiritual will body had the soul energy from Yi's Taixu power and Yi's spiritual will...

That was essentially a person's soul core.

Thus, the "Soul Reading" technique, a top control move, was blocked by Yi's spiritual will body!

If it were another opponent, it would be nearly impossible to grasp spiritual and soul principles so deeply and counter "Soul Reading" so quickly.

But Yi specialized in spiritual and soul paths.

He was the master of this domain, and his Taixu power integrated soul offense and defense. With a simple tactic, he neutralized Xu Xiaoshou's proud awakening skill.

The second spiritual will body was controlled.

Even though Yi only linked a thread of spiritual intent, his main body was still affected, causing a brief delay.

But Yi was prepared; he simply severed that thread of spiritual intent, restoring his main soul body's mobility.

"Foolish?"

As he brushed past the frenzied giant's head, Yi glanced back and saw a flash of surprise in the giant's massive eyes.

Yi laughed.

"At such a young age, forcing me into this state with your tricks — you can be proud!"

He said this sincerely.

Remember, in the earlier fight, Wuji Laozu and Lei Xier hadn't intervened at all.

Xu Xiaoshou had single-handedly, at the Zongshi level, destroyed a Taixu physical body — the body of the current head of the Aberrant Faction.

Though it involved the boundary-ignoring supreme external aid of the You Si Jian,

External aids were still part of one's strength.

If word of Xu Xiaoshou's feats spread, it would stir massive waves across the Five Domains!

But...

That was as far as it went.

Yi paused, then shook his head with a sigh: "You've used all your tricks, but I still have powers beyond your reach. Now, just sleep it off!"

Taixu power surged again.

The true strength of Hunming Ghost Qi wasn't just creating a second spiritual will body for defense.

After all, that move was just Yi's combat awareness adapting to Taixu power on the fly.

The real power of Hunming Ghost Qi was offense.

"Spiritual Intent: Sinking!"

As Yi passed by, he casually waved his hand.

The Hunming Ghost Qi transformed into fluttering spirit butterflies, sweeping over and invading the frenzied giant's mind and soul.

"Control received, Passivity value: 1."

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he were hallucinating; his eyelids grew incredibly heavy, on the verge of collapsing into sleep.

Yi's Taixu power could actually induce coma and sinking!

In battle, this was almost unbeatable!

"I..."

Xu Xiaoshou tried to resist, to lift his eyelids.

But it was too weak.

He was drowsy, unable even to twitch a finger.

The absolute suppression of cultivation realm...

The absolute suppression of Taixu power...

Just as Yi said,

A Zongshi junior like him had done enough.

Any more would be overstepping!

But...

Was it really unbeatable?

Had he really done enough?

"I..."

Xu Xiaoshou's consciousness faded.

But the next second, a roar exploded in his heart, continuing his words.

"I can't sleep!"

With that inner cry, a rush sounded in his mind, like a bucket of ice water poured over him, and Xu Xiaoshou snapped awake in an instant.

— Soul Awakening!

Illusion Extinction Finger: Triggered passively when under mental or soul control, accumulating charge before counterattacking.

This was a passive counterattack special skill, not an active one!

"Illusion Extinction Finger (Charge: 4.62)."

Yi finished his move without a second thought.

In his view, Xu Xiaoshou was just a junior; the guy had too many abilities already — how could he possibly dispel Yi's Taixu power, the Hunming Ghost Qi?

So, after dealing with Xu Xiaoshou, Yi's soul body continued charging toward Lei Xier.

Lei Xier, with the frenzied giant's block, had a moment to catch her breath.

But the time was too short.

A Wangzuo controlling a Taixu — the realm gap was too vast, and the energy drain was immense.

Lei Xier had just withdrawn from Yi's front half soul body when her sea of qi could no longer support another use of Shenmo Tong for the Shenmo Seal.

As the master of the Bai Ku Small World, she could borrow its world power, of course.

Lei Xier was about to draw on the Bai Ku Small World's power.

But what kind of figure was Yi?

As he approached, he waved his hand again, giving no one a chance.

"Little girl, you sleep too..."

"Spiritual Intent: Sinking!"

More spirit butterflies fluttered.

Another dose of Taixu power's soul control.

Yet, even though Lei Xier hadn't moved, her Shenmo Tong stopped spinning on its own, then reversed into a high-speed rotation.

At the same time, the demonic energy on her body receded, and a massive surge of pure divine power emerged.

Then, around her, it formed a mental shield.

"Shen Ju?!"

Yi's soul body froze in surprise.

He didn't know much about the Lei family's Shenmo Tong.

But as a master of spiritual and soul paths, how could he not have heard of the Lei family's "Shen Ju"?

Shen Ju, the exclusive self-protection eye technique for Shenmo Tong hosts, could immunize against any mental or soul attacks.

This technique was infamous!

Yi recognized it instantly.

Earlier, when she tried mental control on Mu Xiao Gong, why it failed — it was Shen Ju at work!

Theoretically, Shen Ju immunized against all mental and soul attacks, but that was only against opponents of the same level.

Lei Xier was merely at Wangzuo.

Yi was at Taixu cultivation, unleashing his full Taixu power — how could it be completely immune?

So, the "Shen Ju" shield only blocked most of the Hunming Ghost Qi before being worn away.

For a Wangzuo to intercept Taixu power was impressive enough.

After the Hunming Ghost Qi was depleted, it invaded Lei Xier's body but couldn't induce sleep — it just left her mentally drained.

Yi's face turned vicious.

Tonight's opponents were all beyond their cultivation levels.

They were all too unpredictable!

But...

"Still awake?"

Yi gave a sinister, eerie smile and snarled: "Awake is even better! Awake, and I'll force-possess you!"

His soul body lunged.

Even without being put to sleep, Lei Xier was controlled for a moment and couldn't stop the possession assault.

But just then, a colder, more murderous voice echoed abruptly from behind Yi.

"Did I let you pass?"

Yi's soul body shuddered and halted, turning back to look.

Behind him, the frenzied giant, who should have been down, had raised his hands high as his massive body leaned back.

This was incredibly deceptive.

Xu Xiaoshou, even after "Soul Awakening," hadn't given up the pretense of being unconscious.

So, Yi's spiritual intent had indeed sensed the giant falling but didn't realize the raised hands were intentional, not just from the fall's momentum.

The frenzied giant bent his hand, extended his finger...

One finger!

Yi's pupils shrank.

This finger, like that of an immortal, was all too familiar — he had been blasted by it before, leaving his soul body in tatters for ages.

No time to react.

With a thunderous soul roar in his ears, the Illusion Extinction Finger's phenomenon — invisible to the naked eye — appeared to the soul body as dazzling azure light tearing through the void and obliterating everything.

"No—"