Seizing the Body

If one were to read only a single universe-hopping novel in a lifetime, it might be Swallowed Star: Starting by Binding the Epiphany System.

Outside the Heavenly Fiend Palace, a figure stood suspended in the air, his Domain Lord-level aura unleashed without restraint, drawing the gazes of the crowd below who paused to look up.

"I have arrived, so why hide within the palace, unwilling to show yourselves?" Xuanming's voice was deep and resolute, carrying far into the distance.

No sooner had the words fallen than three figures flew out from the depths of the palace.

The leader bore the same appearance as Xuanming, sparking an uproar among the onlookers:

"How can there be two Lord Xuanmings? Could they be twin brothers?"

"Twins, my foot—one of them is clearly a fake!"

"And what is that mass of black mist beside him?"

Xuanming gazed at the figure before him, identical to himself, and let out a light laugh: "Though a Phantom Beast can transform into myriad forms, it is ultimately only a semblance. Keluolü, do you truly intend to fight me while wearing my face?"

Keluolü snorted coldly, his form shifting as he revealed his true body.

It was a small, adorable beast with pure white fur.

Though Phantom Beasts possessed the talent to mimic all things, their combat power and innate abilities were far from outstanding.

Even with the full nurturing of the Heavenly Fiend World Lord, it had never broken through the bottleneck of Domain Lord ninth stage.

Xuanming's gaze turned to Tianmu, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness:

"Brother Tianmu, the teacher warned you time and again—on the path of cultivation, geniuses emerge in every generation. There is no need for envy, no need for anger. Just walk your own path and be done with it."

"I was sealed for ten thousand years, and even now, you still cannot cross this hurdle in your heart."

Tianmu's face was ashen, his lips tightly pressed together, offering no words.

It wasn't that he didn't understand the reasoning; it was just that his obsession lingered, and he could never take that step.

Finally, Xuanming's gaze fell upon the churning black mist, his voice instantly turning cold:

"It was you who ambushed me with a soul attack back then, wasn't it? That sealing formation was likely your handiwork as well. What grudge do I hold against you?"

A hoarse laugh came from within the black mist:

"Indeed, it was this humble one. The Xuanming Domain Lord lives up to his reputation—back then, you managed to withstand my soul secret technique, forcing me to alter my plans on the fly and seal you away instead."

Boom!

Before the words faded, Xuanming's figure had already appeared behind him like a teleport.

A blood-colored long spear had somehow materialized in his hand, its tip flowing with a dark red luster, as if condensed with boundless killing intent.

"Light of Annihilation!"

This thrust did not stir up earth-shattering momentum; instead, it seemed to devour all surrounding light, leaving behind only an extremely fine, extremely dark blood-colored rift.

It was the Nine-Layer Light Domain, compressed to its utmost limit and fully fused with a thread of the Law of Light, giving birth to a mark of destruction.

Space silently tore apart, and wherever the rift passed, the colors of all things faded, everything returning to annihilation under this single spear strike.

Before the spear's light even arrived, the destructive intent locking onto his body caused the black mist to churn violently!

"Domain Lord ninth stage! He's grown this much stronger!"

The black mist figure panicked.

Over the years, his own strength had soared, and he was confident he could slay Xuanming.

Who would have thought that even trapped in Red Stone Mountain, the other had still managed a breakthrough!

It wasn't just a single stage increase in realm—his spear technique, domain application, and even the Law of Light had all seen considerable improvement.

Pfft!

The black mist figure's form suddenly dispersed, then rapidly condensed elsewhere, though the mist around him had thinned by half.

"Sigh! One move and I'm gravely wounded—two more and I'm dead for sure! I'll go all out!"

In an instant, the black mist figure struck fiercely.

An invisible soul impact slammed into Xuanming's sea of consciousness.

Xuanming's eyes dimmed only briefly before returning to clarity.

"Not a bad soul attack. Ten thousand years ago, it would have seriously injured me. Pity that over these ten thousand years, I've improved not just my realm, but also my will and soul defense techniques."

Ten thousand years of sealing had instead kept him away from the myriad affairs of Heavenly Fiend Planet, allowing him to focus entirely on cultivation.

As a Giant Axe Martial Artist, how could he lack means to resist soul attacks?

Back then, he had simply been caught off guard by a sudden ambush.

Seeing Xuanming completely unharmed, the black mist figure panicked entirely and hurriedly shouted to the other two:

"What are you standing there for? Join forces and take him down!"

But just as he expected Tianmu and Keluolü to lend a hand, the man and the beast acted as if they hadn't heard, showing no intention of moving.

Just as Xuanming understood them, they too understood Xuanming.

From Xuanming's attitude, it was clear he had no intention of striking at them, but the black mist man was as good as dead today.

The alliance between the three had always been fragile, and now no one was willing to fight for him.

What's more, even if Tianmu and Keluolü joined forces, before Xuanming, they would only be two more crushed opponents.

"Damn it! Humans really can't be trusted! You leave me no choice!"

The black mist man let out a low roar, and a crystal suddenly appeared in his palm, crackling with lightning, its blinding radiance instantly illuminating the surrounding gloom!

"Heavenly Thunder God Crystal!"

Tianmu's pupils shrank sharply as he hastily retreated.

This Heavenly Thunder God Crystal was forged by a World Lord of the lightning attribute forcibly compressing the world power of their own domain.

Yet Xuanming's eyes showed no ripple at all; instead, he stepped forward and struck again at the black mist man.

"Want to drag me down with you?" The black mist man laughed hoarsely.

"Then let's die together!"

Without hesitation, he activated the destructive force within the crystal.

Keluolü's expression shifted drastically at the sight. With a sweep of his massive hand, a solid barrier instantly expanded, firmly shielding those below.

Boom!!!

The lightning exploded, and heaven and earth turned into a blinding expanse of white.

The thunderous power surged like an angry sea, space shattering inch by inch, and amidst the piercing roar, the waves of destruction spread wildly.

Xuanming's figure was completely swallowed into the center of that blazing white thunderstorm.

At the critical moment, a crimson mountain peak suddenly shot up from the heart of the thunderstorm, forcibly crushing most of the lightning.

Red Stone Mountain itself could barely bear the strain, its body covered in cracks, on the verge of collapse.

Hum!

Another light screen spread from the mountain's peak, obliterating the remaining lightning.

Xuanming stood atop the peak, his battle armor shattered, half his body charred to the bone, his aura weakened.

But he had survived after all!

"Phew, at least my teacher's territory wasn't damaged."

Seeing no one caught in the aftermath, Xuanming let out a long sigh of relief.

In the distance, Bai Yuan, who had witnessed everything, also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Xuanming won! But who was that black mist?"

Suddenly, a hoarse, eerie laugh pierced into his mind.

"Kid! This body is mine now!"

Within the sea of consciousness, before Bai Yuan could react, a shadowy mass enveloped his soul, frantically eroding and refining it.

"You didn't die! And you want to seize my body!"

Bai Yuan's mind shook violently.

He had thought the other party truly meant to die together, but it was only a ruse.

The real goal was to use the lightning as cover to let his soul escape!

What he hadn't expected was that among everyone present, the black mist had chosen him!

A Domain Lord at the ninth stage, even gravely wounded and on the verge of death, was not something he could contend with.

"What do I do? What do I do!"

Bai Yuan racked his brain but found no way out.

At the same time, Gu Suiting was secretly astonished:

"Such tenacious will. If not for his low realm and the vast gap in soul essence between us, with my current damaged state, I might not have been able to handle him."

Bai Yuan resisted with all his might, but could only watch helplessly as his soul was devoured bit by bit.

In his despair, he suddenly threw all his hope into his final reliance.

"System, use Enlightenment!"