Wang Jixuan felt as if he now had two bodies.
This novel experience left him rather invigorated.
No, dividing his attention was somewhat difficult. Powerful enemies were outside; he had to make haste.
Wang Jixuan immediately had his main body close his eyes and enter a state akin to meditation, focusing on controlling the Dragon Python Strange Soul.
Mature cultivation techniques generally came with supporting spells.
The soul-transfer possession art that accompanied the Dragon Python Swallowing Heaven Technique was an evil method that used a strange soul to control a puppet.
Wang Jixuan had never planned to use it before, nor had he thought he needed to control puppets. He only wanted to use the Dragon Python Swallowing Heaven Technique to compensate for his lack of endurance in battle when his cultivation was low, allowing him to seize the power of Remnant Souls of Blade Beasts for himself while fighting Blade Beasts, creating a perpetual-motion style of combat to deal with Blade Beast Tides.
Who would have thought that this technique would save his life one day?
Even if his conscience condemned him, that was still better than wasting his Mahayana Remnant Soul!
At worst, he could change his chat nickname from "Light of the Righteous Path" to "A Person of the Righteous Way" later!
Under the watchful eyes of the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner, Dragonfly Aunt, and Zheng Shiduo:
Wang Zheng seemed to have fallen asleep as he slowly lowered his head against the side of the passage. Xing Tian, meanwhile, suddenly came alive, azure light blooming in his eyes. Like an infant learning to walk, he staggered two steps before beginning to walk steadily.
"Move."
"Xing Tian" spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Stall them as much as possible. I need some time to adapt. The qi inside him is too mixed."
The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner looked enlightened, the corner of her lips curling slightly.
Just a puppet.
So what if he had taken control of Xing Tian's body? Xing Tian was only an S-Class Psionicist. How could he possibly deal with more than a dozen people?
Still, she had not expected this fellow to possess such a method.
"W-Wang... Brother Wang?" Zheng Shiduo asked shakily.
"Mm." Wang Jixuan, in "Xing Tian's" body, nodded. "This is a temporary avatar I refined. Tell Instructor Shell and the others through text. Tell them not to make a sound or let the other side overhear us. We'll find a way to catch them off guard."
"Holy shit... got it!"
Zheng Shiduo cried out excitedly, the shock in his eyes slow to fade.
Dragonfly Aunt could not help muttering, "You're getting more and more like a villain, you know that? You can just take over Xing Tian's body whenever you please. Doesn't that mean we could..."
"Circumstances forced my hand."
Wang Jixuan found it increasingly easy to speak through this avatar.
He controlled the avatar forward, removed the Storage Magic Tool from his main body's wrist, and slipped it onto the avatar's wrist before hiding it beneath his sleeve.
Because the two Storage Magic Tools were rather ordinary, they were only secured by restrictions. As long as one knew the unlocking sequence, they could be opened, which made them convenient for the avatar to use.
The Daoist controlled the avatar as it took a few steps forward, then began running ahead, quickly adapting to the body's mechanical structure.
To be safe, he had not left Xing Tian any remnant soul behind. After the Dragon Python Strange Soul successfully took over the body, he refined Xing Tian's final wisp of soul and immediately began regulating the qi within the body.
An enormous amount of qi.
If it had been another cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment facing so much impure qi, they would likely have been helpless.
But Wang Jixuan was different.
He had wielded mana dozens or even hundreds of times greater than this, and that mana had been incomparably pure.
By the time he controlled the avatar to Black Shell and Peony's side, Wang Jixuan had already completed three of the simplest circulation cycles. The qi had begun drawing inward, initially forming a massive qi vortex.
In fact, if he had enough time to refine and purify it a little, sacrificing sixty percent of its total volume would allow him to condense an inferior Golden Core.
Unfortunately, there was no time.
This was enough for now.
Wang Jixuan had the avatar sit cross-legged and gently nod at Black Shell and Peony.
"Wait..."
Black Shell swallowed. "So... this means..."
Wang Jixuan had already begun transmitting his voice:
"Instructor, negotiate terms with them first. Be firm. You can use detonating your Mechanical Arm to kill Black Storm as leverage, then throw Xing Tian in as an extra. Send Xing Tian over to their side.
"Leave the rest to me. I'll launch a sneak attack."
"Okay. Sure. Understood."
Black Shell furrowed his brow and said nothing.
Fu Jian, who was watching this scene through Black Shell's shared vision, could not help leaning back.
Fu Jian truly had no idea just how many more surprises this fellow called Wang Zheng could offer him.
"Xing Tian" meditated quietly, fighting for every second.
Every time Wang Jixuan made Xing Tian's qi complete the simplest circulation cycle, it became a little purer, and his Dragon Python Strange Soul gained more effortless control over the body!
A roar like crashing waves against the shore arose within "Xing Tian's" body!
"Xing Tian" merely flicked a finger, and a point of azure light bloomed around him. The phenomenon instantly vanished, while his face remained pale.
Boom!
An explosion sounded at the junction between Area One and the one-way passage.
Raging flames surged toward Area One as several figures rushed in side by side, brilliant light blooming across their bodies as they condensed psionic shields to block the radiation ahead.
Black Shell took the initiative to jump out, raised his Mechanical Arm, and shouted, "Nobody come closer!"
The four Psionicists who had rushed in first stopped at the same time.
They had seen the wildly flashing red light on Black Shell's Mechanical Arm.
"Come any closer, and I'll blow the reactor core! I'll take you down with me!"
Black Shell shouted viciously:
"You want Black Storm? That has nothing to do with us!
"We're all contributing to humanity. There's no need for us to bleed each other dry! Give me your terms! I'll hand Black Storm over to you!"
The four slowly retreated a few steps as a middle-aged woman stepped forward.
She was an awakened S-Class Psionicist, surrounded by a haze of blue vapor. She seemed skilled at controlling water.
Behind her, the S-Class Psionicists had split into two groups and arranged themselves in tiers.
She said coldly, "Now you want to beg for mercy? Don't waste time, and don't try to stall. Your reinforcements will arrive here in thirty-nine minutes at the earliest."
Black Shell smiled. "Looks like you really came prepared. You won't kill Black Storm, will you?"
"Of course not. Our boss merely wishes to invite him back to teach us his technology."
"I need to discuss this with—"
"You don't have time."
The middle-aged woman suddenly attacked. With only a slight lift of her hand, two water arrows shot out from around her, triggering sonic booms as they struck the nearby stone wall.
The stone wall, burned into a glasslike state, instantly collapsed.
An excellent display of power.
Black Shell's nostrils twitched as he said softly, "Then at least give me some room to negotiate. Otherwise, we can only go to war with the Psionic Capital. You can ignore me—I'm just a worthless second-generation mech—but Commander Fu Jian stands behind me... Aren't you afraid of our mechanical tide?"
"Mechanical tide? What is that?"
"Nothing." Black Shell smiled. "Your rank must not be high. Why not ask the person in charge behind you? Meng Jin, right? Why doesn't he dare come closer? Afraid of radiation?"
Meng Jin's voice came from the passage. "A marshal should naturally remain with the central army, while those who charge ahead are generals, just like Instructor Shell. Please hand over Black Storm. How much energy remains in your shields? Give Black Storm to me, and we will withdraw at once. Black Storm will never fall into the hands of the Six Elders. That is my promise to you."
Black Shell's eyes rolled. "Will you give him back after you're done using him?"
Wang Jixuan: ...
He knew the instructor was stalling for time.
But hearing that still felt rather strange.
Meng Jin smiled. "Of course. We are all part of the Human Faction, merely different parts of it. The gifts of Alien Civilization should be shared by all humanity. We do not intend to monopolize them. We simply wish to obtain this technology, promote it, and ultimately... save this shattered world."
"Wow. An idealist."
Black Shell changed his tone:
"But you—"
"Enough!" the middle-aged woman snapped coldly. "Hand over Black Storm!"
"You won't even let me finish?"
Black Shell looked toward Xing Tian behind him, as well as Zheng Shiduo, who had just returned, and something stirred in his heart.
He shouted, "Peony, pin Black Storm down! Don't let him come out!"
Peony froze for one-tenth of a second, then acted decisively. She pounced and pinned Zheng Shiduo against the wall, using a standard grappling hold on him.
Zheng Shiduo nearly moaned in pleasure.
Then he suddenly realized something... X Armor! Similar psionic fluctuations! He could disguise himself as Black Storm!
Zheng Shiduo shut his mouth, merely lowered his head and sighed as he began putting on an acting performance inside the armor.
Black Shell glanced at the seated "Xing Tian" behind him and continued shouting, "Don't come closer! Come closer and I'll blow him up! Look up who I am and what achievements I've got yourselves! My life's been worth it anyway. Taking a few of you down with me would be a huge profit!"
Among those Psionicists, one of them quietly began preparing a Mental Shock.
Wu Man promptly stepped forward to stand beside Black Shell.
The young man was short, and even his armor was a size smaller than the others', but the psionic fluctuations surrounding him and the faint Buddhist light around his body still made the enemy warily stop their little move.
Wang Jixuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, the avatar could fight normally. The result was much better than he had expected. But since Instructor Shell could still "hold out," he would delay things a little longer.
If he did not strike, so be it. But once he did, he had to accomplish something!
Hmm, if his avatar fell to demonic cultivation directly, that should not count as him falling to demonic cultivation, right?
The Dragon Python Strange Soul itself was a product of a demonic cultivation technique. Adding some demonic qi to strengthen himself should not be a problem, right?
Wang Jixuan's spiritual sense spread out simultaneously from his main body and avatar. Its power was actually twenty to thirty percent stronger than before, which counted as one special benefit of the avatar.
He located Blade Beast Crystal Cores one by one and wrapped them in the Power of the Strange Soul.
After spending three to five minutes finishing this, the qi within Xing Tian had initially transformed into "mana with considerable impurities," and Wang Jixuan's confidence began to swell.
The negotiation on Black Shell's side finally got on track...
"Fine. I have three things here in total. Xing Tian is what you want, right? The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner's stone wall, and Black Storm. To show my sincerity, I can hand Xing Tian over first. Then you let some of us leave. How about it?"
Meng Jin's voice from the passage had gained a trace of impatience. "I said I would spare you, and I will spare you."
"Can an enemy's promise even count as a promise?"
"It can," Meng Jin said coldly. "You have only three minutes."
Wang Jixuan immediately controlled the avatar to lean against the stone wall, his face pale and his breath weak. Wisps of Black Energy appeared above his head, exactly like Xing Tian had looked earlier.
A Mechanical Maid stepped forward, hoisted "Xing Tian" onto her shoulder, and ran toward the passage entrance.
Black Shell used text to project words onto everyone's faceplates.
[Prepare to attack.]
On the other side, Meng Jin made a gesture.
The middle-aged woman directly raised her hand toward Xing Tian. A water serpent bloomed from her palm and, openly, with faint disgust and brisk decisiveness, dragged "Xing Tian" over.
Their senses had not been wrong.
This was Xing Tian. His scent had not changed, and his Total Psionic Energy had approached SS-Class because of this Promotion Ceremony.
In truth, in the middle-aged woman's eyes, the most valuable resource here was the S-Class Material clone left at the promotion site in Area Three, protected by a locked special device.
They could not directly devour an established Psionicist like Xing Tian, whom the Six Elders valued.
"Xing Tian" flew over. She sidestepped and let him fall onto the ground to one side.
Then the middle-aged woman urged, "You can let your people come out now. It would be best if everyone came out and only Black Storm remained. We have no interest in killing a few Mechs that can be continuously produced..."
Wang Jixuan's main body swallowed.
It was an instinctive reaction.
Though "Xing Tian" was merely an avatar and could be discarded if lost, the effect of his next attack would determine whether he could lead everyone safely out today.
The opportunity was here.
The avatar's mana began to gather. Crystal Cores placed in several warehouses within the Secret Base began trembling continuously, and the Storage Magic Tool hidden on the avatar's wrist lit up.
An old man nearby frowned and looked over, seeming to notice something strange about "Xing Tian."
No more waiting! Now!
Wang Jixuan made his decision without hesitation!
"Xing Tian," lying on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes and flashed upright. At some point, a longsword rippling like autumn water had appeared in his hand, and it erupted with more than ten meters of Sword Light.
The Sword Light swept out!
His first strike was the avatar's full power!
The total qi within "Xing Tian" rivaled the Heaven and Earth Bridge Realm before the Nascent Soul Realm. Its combined effect was comparable to the impure mana of the late Golden Core Realm, and it now erupted with full force!
At that moment, Wang Jixuan felt as if he had returned to the past!
The five S-Class Psionicists at the front truly deserved to be the Judgment Group's elite. Under such circumstances, three of them actually reacted in time, dodging aside as best they could, instinctively raising their hands, ducking down, and activating their psionic energy to the fullest.
But this woman—this awakened S-Class Psionicist, this woman skilled in controlling water-element power—was simply too close to Wang Jixuan's sword edge!
So close that her psionic energy had yet to emerge from her body, and the mysterious Tadpole Script on her body had yet to light up!
Slash!
An arc of azure light blossomed outward like a shockwave.
The sword edge severed the woman's head without resistance. The peerlessly sharp Sword Light sliced off an arm to either side, and every massive boulder that had collapsed in the part of Area One reached by the Sword Light was cut in half!
The might of a Golden Core!
This was the might of a Golden Core!
But it was not enough!
The moment Wang Jixuan struck with his sword, he pressed the attack. The four S-Class Psionicists to either side had already responded, instinctively retreating. Wang Jixuan's Sword Light had injured all four, one of them even losing both arms. Yet Wang Jixuan targeted the old man on the left, the least injured and strongest among the four, and swept his sword sideways.
Seven great stars suddenly shone, and countless Sword Lights bloomed like a river of stars, swallowing that man in an instant!
There was no way to withstand it.
Nor was there any way to resist it!
How could the old man know how to break the sword formation Wang Jixuan had unleashed? His head, chest, and neck were pierced through in an instant! Residual Sword Shadows nailed him into the stone, and the rock wall of the passage could not withstand such overwhelming force. A chain of explosions rang out behind it.
A beam of golden light bloomed from the passage entrance behind them. Meng Jin, having sensed that something was wrong, had decisively made his move!
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