Among the three guys Wu Sheng had killed, one had also run on four legs. So in that dream, Wu Sheng had learned a few fighting techniques used by four-legged creatures.
That made it much easier for him to control Man Gu's body.
Roaring, charging, ramming, trampling, biting...
In less than two days, he had learned to control Man Gu's body with such skill that it looked completely natural.
In fact, there was also a soul imprint belonging to Wu Sheng in Man Gu's sea of consciousness. The difference was that Wu Sheng had forcibly branded it onto Man Gu's soul with his Innate Secret Art, Mind Control.
The Mind Control Mark was domineering, far more so than Soul Spider. His opponent's soul remained intact, meaning he was technically still alive, but everything he did was under Wu Sheng's control. In effect, Wu Sheng had taken over Man Gu completely. There was a chance of backlash, of course, but Wu Sheng wasn't foolish enough to let Man Gu slip from his control and turn against him.
The most common form of backlash was a sudden surge in Man Gu's strength, especially in his soul, allowing him not only to break free of Wu Sheng's control but even to use the mark to control Wu Sheng in return.
But if that ever happened, Wu Sheng would rather make Man Gu self-destruct in advance than put himself in danger.
"Hmm, what's going on outside?"
The cave Wu Sheng had dug was not only far from the entrance but also sloped deep underground. Even Star Grade Spirit Readers would have a hard time sensing it from there.
Yet he could still feel the ground trembling, which meant a fierce battle was raging above.
"Who's Bai Yu fighting? Could it be the squad they joined before?"
Wu Sheng immediately thought of the most likely possibility and rushed toward the entrance with Man Gu.
At the same time, his green battle suit slowly covered his entire body, hiding his black fur.
He could also change his appearance by using his Innate Secret Art, Demon Ape Transformation, but he had no reason to do so in the Trial Ground unless it was necessary.
Who knew whether some powerful figures, such as Realm Lords or even Immortal Gods, were watching? If someone discovered this secret, his fate might be miserable. He could end up as a slave through Soul Slavery or have his body taken over through Body Possession.
Besides, Demon Ape Transformation could only change his body's shape and size. It couldn't alter the aura of his soul. If he ran into someone who knew him, the disguise would be full of holes.
He'd better keep pretending to be a Wu Gang Clan member until he'd familiarized himself with everything here.
Bang!
"It hurts! Croak!"
Bai Yu took a vicious hit, his body slamming into the hillside and smashing into a pit half a foot deep. He cried out in pain.
"Hmph, Bai Yu, you've grown some wings, have you? You still refuse to tell us who's inside? Our master came here in person this time. If you don't know what's good for you, you won't get another chance."
A scaly Alien Race creature with two long legs, looking much like a carp, watched the white bird before him with a grin, his eyes full of mockery. Behind him stood a dozen or so Aliens of varying heights.
If their master hadn't come this time to draw out the powerful figure in the cave, he would have killed this white bird long ago.
The guy was only an Earth Grade Eighth-Rank Spirit Reader, with a Psychic Amplification of less than thirty times. His Genetic Primal Force was pitifully weak, and his Force Amplitude had barely reached double digits. The basic reward he'd received was the most ordinary kind. If he hadn't just gotten his hands on a Tier Two Supreme-Grade Force Battle Suit, that casual kick would have blown him apart.
Who knew how such a cowardly bird had trained during his first year in the Trial Ground? He was hopeless.
Bai Yu, however, saw things differently.
He'd finally gotten his hands on a Tier Two Supreme-Grade Force Battle Suit and found himself a wealthy master. He'd planned to seize the opportunity to train hard, hoping to make it out of the Trial Ground alive.
But before he could truly make something of himself, the members of the squad he'd originally joined had tracked him down.
He knew he was a coward. In a pack of wolves with a strict pecking order, there was always one or two that got bullied. He'd spent his whole life being pushed around, and somehow he'd survived to this day.
But things were different now. Whether or not Soul Spider still bound him, his soul sense alone told him that as soon as trouble started, his master had come straight out of the cave.
That didn't necessarily mean his master cared about his life, but the fact that he'd acted so quickly was enough to put Bai Yu at ease.
"I'm not telling you. Is this how you ask my master to come out? I told you I could pass on your message, but you still dared to attack me. Hmph, you bullies only pick on the weak. Once my master comes out, he'll wipe you all out!"
Bai Yu said stubbornly. After all, he'd seen Wu Sheng kill the other three members of their Seventh Squad with ease and enslave their boss, Man Gu, turning him into a beastly puppet. In his opinion, Wu Sheng was far stronger than the dozen or so men in front of him and their "former master" combined.
As long as Wu Sheng came out in time, it was anyone's guess who would kill whom!
"You've got some nerve, you stubborn fool. Fine, then you die first!"
The two-meter-long Carp Alien had clearly been provoked. These people were, at best, Excellent Trial Takers, and it was extremely difficult for them to make it out of the Trial Ground alive. Even if they followed an Elite Trial Taker, they were doomed not to survive until the end.
So they were all extremely ruthless. They didn't dare offend the Elite Trial Takers, but they wished everyone else would die. That was how they'd earned their reputation as bullies who only picked on the weak.
They might have let such talk slide if it had come from someone else. But Bai Yu was a low-level Trial Taker who'd received only an ordinary reward. For him to say something like that was practically asking to die.
The two-meter-long Carp Alien immediately charged over, long spines covering his feet. His Primal Force weapon was clearly shaped like a pair of boots, worn on his feet.
One kick from him could easily have blown Bai Yu apart, given his pitiful defense.
Boom!
The Carp Alien swung one long leg in a huge arc, like an enormous spiked club, and kicked fiercely toward Bai Yu, who had covered his eyes with his wings and was waiting for death with them shut.
But what met him wasn't Bai Yu's small frame. It was a giant spike that burst out of the hillside.
"Roar!"
The giant spike flicked upward, sending the Carp Alien flying. Then a black figure as imposing as a tank emerged from the hillside and stood firmly in front of Bai Yu.
"Man Gu? You're still alive?"
The Carp Alien had barely managed to avoid a face-first fall by controlling his gravitational field, but the sight of the black figure left him stunned.
"Master, you're here! That's wonderful! Croak, croak!"
Only when Bai Yu saw the Green-Robed Youth behind Man Gu did he finally relax. He immediately poured out his grievances to Wu Sheng, like a child who'd been bullied, nearly bursting into tears.
Wu Sheng couldn't help laughing. He was still less than a hundred years old, counting both his past and present lives, while this guy had truly lived for more than a hundred years!
So much for dignity!
"So that's Man Gu. But he's not Man Gu anymore. No wonder those two wouldn't dare leave on their own, even if they were still alive."
"Brother over there, are you an Elite Trial Taker? I'm Jin An, a member of the Blood River Squad. You look like you're from the Wu Gang Clan. If you think well of us, why not join our Blood River Squad? We can stick together and make it out of the Trial Ground alive. What do you say?"
Among the dozen or so Aliens behind the Carp Alien, a Golden Armor Man stepped forward. He was about the same height as Wu Sheng and looked a lot like a human. Wu Sheng stared at him for a moment, almost thinking he'd run into a fellow countryman.
"The Blood River Squad? You mean this bunch of trash behind you?" Wu Sheng taunted.
But the Golden Armor Man smiled and said something that made the faces of everyone on his side change.
"Of course not. They're just my followers. Every member of my squad is at least an Elite Trial Taker!"