"Mind Confusion!"
Red light blazed in Wu Sheng's eyes. The three enemies in front of him, including the black monster that looked like a triceratops, were merely bathed in the light—and immediately stood there like fools.
But Wu Sheng ignored the three of them and quickly retreated.
The green figure flickered several times before appearing in front of the Woodborn Clan member behind them.
The Woodborn Clan member was both shocked and delighted by what he saw. He was shocked that his opponent was a terrifying illusionist who had trapped his three companions in an illusion with a single move. He was delighted that this man hadn't attacked his three companions, but instead wanted to fight him at close range.
A mere illusionist wanted to fight him, a Planet Grade 8th Rank warrior, at close quarters?
How could the Woodborn Clan member not be delighted?
"Haha, die!"
He swung the Third-Grade Low-Rank Primal Force weapon, Dragonwood, down with all his might.
But he struck nothing. It was only his opponent's afterimage.
Before he could lock onto his opponent's whereabouts again, his throat suddenly hurt. Then he slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Impossible. My battle suit is also Third-Grade Low-Rank. How could a Planet Grade guy easily break through its defenses? Could that just now have been an illusion too...?"
At that moment, he finally understood. The instant he fell into his opponent's illusion, he lost the Primal Force sustaining his battle suit. Without its help, his opponent could kill him with ease.
Thud!
Wu Sheng kicked the dead Woodborn Clan member into the air, sending him straight into the net of Telekinetic Weapons. Then he looked up at the great white bird in the sky, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"Caw! Run, caw!"
The white bird felt a chill in his heart, a fear that came from the depths of his soul. Without another thought, he beat his wings with all his might, trying to fly away.
But how could Wu Sheng let him escape? With a thought, a pair of green flying wheels appeared beneath his feet. He pushed off hard and shot straight into the sky.
Before the white bird could fly very far, Wu Sheng turned into a streak of green light and caught up with him. Then he flipped in midair and swung his right leg, kicking the bird down. With a crash, he slammed heavily into the ground.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
The white bird covered his head with his wings and lay trembling in the half-foot-deep crater he had made.
Wu Sheng descended slowly on his Wind Wheels. Seeing how afraid of death the bird was, he found it rather amusing.
His Telekinetic Weapons were geared toward movement, and were pretty poor for attacking. Yet even that little bit of attack power had reduced the white bird to begging and wailing...
It seemed the old saying, "In a big forest, you'll find all kinds of birds," was quite apt.
"Stay right there and behave. If you dare move, I'll kill you on the spot!" Wu Sheng said menacingly. Then he went over to the three enemies caught in his illusion, planning to deal with them first.
"I wouldn't dare! I'll stay right here!"
The white bird still covered his eyes and answered in a tiny voice, not daring to move an inch.
Meanwhile, Wu Sheng looked at the three of them with a slight frown. After a moment's thought, he attacked directly, killing two and leaving only the fool who looked like a triceratops standing there.
Then two beams of red light shot from his eyes and drilled straight into the creature's eyes, beginning to establish a mental connection with him.
Innate Secret Art... Soul Control!
Red light blazed around Wu Sheng. In his Inner World, a great mass of blood-red energy surged out from the eye of the enormous tornado, passed through the soul formed by his eight Miniature Planets, then traveled through the connection between their eyes and burrowed into the "triceratops's" eyes.
"Wuuu... Roar!"
The "triceratops" writhed in agony, sometimes rolling on the ground, sometimes charging wildly. Before long, he had trampled the ground into a mess of uneven patches.
Wu Sheng was having a rough time too. This was his first time using this Innate Secret Art, and the burden on his soul was considerable. Though his soul power and will far surpassed his opponent's, they weren't enough to suppress him with ease. On top of that, this battle of enslavement was taking place in his opponent's sea of consciousness, which indirectly weakened Wu Sheng's advantage.
And that was only because his opponent had already fallen under his illusion. Otherwise, Wu Sheng's attempt at Mind Control would have failed long ago.
Wu Sheng kept his eyes fixed on the "triceratops." If he showed any sign of breaking free from the illusion, Wu Sheng would kill him without hesitation.
Fortunately, things developed in a favorable direction. The frenzied "triceratops" let out a few heavy breaths, then collapsed to the ground and could no longer get up.
Wu Sheng's eyes lit up. He had successfully established a mental connection with the triceratops. Looking at him lying on the ground, Wu Sheng had a thought...
The triceratops's eyelids twitched slightly, as though he wanted to open his eyes. But for a while, he couldn't even manage that simplest of movements.
After waiting a long time, he finally grew accustomed to his body. He not only opened his eyes, but also pushed himself upright on all fours.
But as soon as he tried to walk, his front legs stiffened in place while his hind legs kicked out hard, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Seeing this, Wu Sheng's mouth twitched. His Innate Secret Art was such a pain.
It was nothing like the Soul Slavery in the legends. Other people's Soul Slaves were utterly loyal to their masters and had some degree of autonomy. Their strength wasn't affected in the slightest, either.
Some Soul Slaves with powerful talents could even continue growing stronger.
But his was truly just a puppet. It didn't take up a slave slot, and if it died, he could replace it with another one without suffering any consequences. But a puppet was still a puppet; he had to control every little thing. And since he was a humanoid Special Lifeform, controlling a creature that walked on all fours was no easy feat—not in the short term, anyway!
"Forget it. I've already got him, so I'll use him for now. If I find a better choice later, I'll switch."
Wu Sheng could only comfort himself with that.
"I should ask that bird some questions. They look like they formed a small team, so they might be connected to some faction. I've been cultivating alone lately and know far too little about what's happening outside!"
He sighed. He wasn't a Special Elite, nor was he from some great faction. Becoming a super genius who could single-handedly kill a million people in the Trial Ground was nothing but a pipe dream.
It was better to follow the crowd, find a faction to shelter under, and slowly build himself up. As for how far he could go, even he couldn't say.
"You can come out now!"
Wu Sheng went to the edge of the crater and saw that the white bird was still covering his eyes. He couldn't help finding it amusing.
Still, it was one way to survive. If you were weaker than your opponent, you could lower your head and swallow your pride to stay alive. That wasn't a bad choice.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! You're so powerful, you don't need me at all. The battle suit, weapons, and treasures are all on Boss Man Gu. I don't have anything on me. Just pretend I don't exist and let me go!"
The white bird shivered in the crater, but didn't dare come out.
He had already sensed how powerful Wu Sheng was. Those Telekinetic Weapons were definitely Third-Grade Mid-Rank, which meant the Green-Robed Youth before him was probably an Elite Trial Taker skilled in illusions as well. Even if he wanted to escape, he couldn't. All he could do was beg quietly and hope the other man would spare his life.
"I told you to come out because I have questions for you. If you waste my time, I might as well send you on your way right now!"
Wu Sheng frowned, looking displeased.
"Then I'll try!"
The white bird slowly lowered his wings and stared with his big eyes. When he saw his companions lying motionless in the distance, he couldn't help shrinking his neck again.