Discovering a Clue!

Inside the Five Village Temple.

Zhou Hao and Elder Yuan sat as host and guest, respectively.

As the two ate Ginseng Fruit and drank celestial wine, chatting idly, they would look up at the light screen mirror in mid-air. The battle scene reflected in the mirror was the 'Domain Battle' of the Crimsonbright Domain.

"That was truly devastating."

Elder Yuan watched the fleeing army of immortals and demons from the Wujian Gate being hunted down and slaughtered by the Crimson Bright forces, knowing that only one in ten would survive and return to Wujian City, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "The struggle between factions is a matter of life or death. Knowing that it will cause widespread suffering, they still insist on doing it... sigh."

Zhou Hao listened to the Elder Yuan's sighs without saying a word.

At this moment, the strongest Xing Tian controlled by Ji Ning was wreaking havoc in all directions, with sword light soaring into the sky. Even the Dao Ancestor puppet was completely suppressed and was about to be suppressed and captured.

Although Zhou Hao was in the Longevity Realm, he kept his thoughts focused on that battlefield.

He even deliberately let the Black-Robed God King and the Ink Bamboo Dao Ancestor know, his intentions were self-evident.

'I'm watching. If you break the rules and make a move, be prepared to face my wrath!'

Not only him, but also the thoughts of powerful beings from the Three Realms, such as the Western Spirit Mountain in the Heavenly Realm, the Eastern Dao Sect, and the Flame World, descended upon them.

There are also the Myriad Demon Realm and the First World, among other lair worlds, belonging to the Wujian Gate.

The decisive battle in the Crimsonbright Domain today is being watched by 99% of the powerful beings in the Three Realms.

Elder Yuan finished sighing, he thought Zhou Hao would seize the opportunity to speak.

They used lofty ideals such as "ending the conflict as soon as possible and restoring peace to all living beings in the Three Realms" to persuade him to join Nuwa Faction.

In any case, other powerful figures, including Hengmu of the Wujian Gate, have always used this method to persuade and win them over.

To everyone's surprise, Zhou Hao remained silent.

This, however, made Elder Yuan feel uncomfortable.

He put down his wine glass and looked at Zhou Hao: "Young friend, you invited this old man here as a guest, not to persuade me to join Nuwa Faction?"

"Why should I try to persuade you?" Zhou Hao said calmly. "If you're willing to join, I don't need to persuade you. If you're not willing, my persuasion is useless. Why bother trying?"

"Yes." Elder Yuan nodded, a smile spreading across his face.

"At our level, our resolve is unwavering, and no one can persuade us otherwise. If others try to persuade me, I will always say, for the sake of my reputation, that I chose to remain neutral and not take sides because I don't want to see my old brothers die one by one."

"Young friend Zhou Hao, instead of trying to persuade me, this old man has something to say to you from the bottom of his heart." Elder Yuan shook his head and said, "The Sanqing Rulai have too narrow a vision. Their eyes can only see a tiny fraction of the Three Realms. How can they compare to the vastness of the entire Endless Chaos!"

"From ancient times to the present, we have encountered many invasions by Chaos Alien, from the very beginning ' Luo Hou ' to the ' Lord of All Things ' who caused the destruction of the two great chaotic worlds of Wujian and Pangu. The techniques and supernatural powers of those alien races are all stronger than ours."

"Even those alien races that nearly wiped out our entire Chaos World are just minor figures in the endless chaos beyond the Three Realms. Only World Realm powerhouses like World God and Chaos Immortal are truly great beings," the Elder Yuan sighed.

"We true gods, born from chaos, are merely natives. What great beings are we? We only possess such power because of our origins, allowing us to dwell in the remote Three Realms, high and mighty."

"The fight between the three realms? The fight between the Nuwa camp and the Wujian Sect? Who will rule the three realms? I have never cared." Old Man Yuan sneered, "I have never thought about consuming my life in the internal battles of the three realms. What I care about is endless chaos, and what I care about is the broader world."

"Nuwa had long seen through it all; the Three Realms were too small for her. Therefore, as soon as Nuwa broke through, she left the Three Realms and entered a much wider world."

"Although I am not as good as Nuwa, I am confident that I am no worse than the Chaos Alien outside. It's just that I live in the Three Realms and have no better methods or opportunities!"

"If I venture out, I might become World God, Chaos Immortal." The Elder Yuan's eyes held longing. "That's what I yearn for, that's the path I want to take."

They have big ambitions.

Zhou Hao glanced at the Elder Yuan.

Although Elder Yuan's words were self-centered and seemed somewhat selfish.

Zhou Hao, however, could understand.

The path of cultivation involves drawing vital energy from heaven and earth to nourish oneself, which is inherently a selfish path.

For the Elder Yuan, he is a true god of chaos, born from chaos itself. What's the point of talking to him about the greater good of the race or the home of the Three Realms?

He himself is the most important.

Zhou Hao could understand, but he did not agree.

After all, if one truly abandons everything and has no emotions whatsoever, even if one reaches the pinnacle of cultivation and becomes Dao Lord or Eternal Emperor, wouldn't one still be nothing more than a walking corpse, no different from Shitou man?

But everyone has their own ambitions, so Zhou Hao simply nodded slightly and offered no comment.

When Elder Yuan saw that Zhou Hao did not rebuke him righteously as he had originally expected, he seemed to have suddenly found a kindred spirit and began to talk incessantly.

Zhou Hao listened silently, occasionally chiming in with a word, which made Elder Yuan even happier, and he repeatedly offered him a toast.

However, Zhou Hao did not notice that an extremely subtle and faint invisible power was slowly seeping into his body.

The Void Holy City, with its ancient and simple palace.

Zhou Hao himself sat cross-legged with his eyes closed on the central stone platform.

Within the Blue Flower Space inside his body, the Void Soul Crystal was slowly merging with the Taiji Divine Soul.

"Hmm?" Zhou Hao suddenly opened his eyes.

During the fusion process just now, the seven-colored light and crystal droplets formed by the Void Soul Crystal seemed to be touched by an external force, and rippled slightly.

Although the touch was extremely slight, the ripples of the glistening water droplets were also incredibly faint.

However, Zhou Hao's entire focus was on the fusion of the Void Soul Crystal and his divine soul, so he was still able to discover it immediately.

"Zhou Hao, someone is using mental energy to infiltrate the soul of your Second Primordial Spirit." Xing Luo's voice rang in his mind almost simultaneously.

"Mental energy infiltration?" Zhou Hao was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Xing Luo, are you sure?"

"I can confirm it," Xing Luo said. "That person used a soul control technique, which allows them to control other people's souls without them even realizing it."

"Although your Second Primordial Spirit and your true self are separate individual lives, their most essential souls are the same. Whether the secret technique is used on your Second Primordial Spirit or your true self, it is targeting your soul."

"However, the secret technique that person used is not of a high level, at most at the level of Ancestor God or Ancestor Immortal, and its penetration into your soul is negligible. Given the strength of your soul, it would take a very long time to penetrate and influence you."

"By this time, the fusion between the Void Soul Crystal and your soul would have been completed long ago. With the Void Soul Crystal protecting your soul, even World Realm cultivator of mental strength can't do anything to you. He's destined to be wasting his time." Xing Luo somewhat dismissively.

"Who cast the secret technique on your Second Primordial Spirit? He must be a cultivator focused on the power of single-mindedness. Isn't your chaotic world supposed to have a severe lack of cultivation knowledge?"

She recalled that when she first met Zhou Hao, he didn't even know some basic facts about the endless chaos, so she was curious and asked him a question.

"Yes, in this backward Three Realms, where would you find cultivators with mental strength?" Zhou Hao sneered.

Mental power cultivators are extremely rare even in the endless chaos. Systematic mental power cultivation techniques, even for those at the level of Ancestor God Ancestor Immortal, are more precious than the techniques and supernatural abilities left behind by many World Realm experts.

There isn't even a complete Qi Refining technique in the Three Realms. The only thing that can be achieved through Qi Refining is the lowest grade 'Third-Grade Golden Core'. How could there possibly be any cultivators with the willpower to cultivate?

"I was right. There really are Chaos Alien like the Cixiu hiding in the Three Realms." Zhou Hao's eyes sharpened.

The Dao Treasury Hall contains many records of the methods used by practitioners of mental cultivation.

Therefore, although it was Elder Yuan who attacked his Second Primordial Spirit, Zhou Hao was very clear about it.

Regardless of whether the Elder Yuan was possessed or his soul was controlled, anyone capable of such methods could only be an alien race from the endless chaos, not a being from the original Three Realms.

"When he was first conceived in the chaos, the Elder Yuan was reclusive and of average strength. Later, during his travels in the chaos, he had some fortuitous encounters, which led to his rise to power. He displayed strength comparable to that of a top-tier being, almost on par with leaders, and established the Source River Lineage with powerful beings such as Styx Kunpeng. He also began to befriend other powerful beings in the Three Realms..."

Zhou Hao recalled the information about the Elder Yuan he had previously seen.

"It must have been that so-called fortuitous encounter in the chaos that led to Elder Yuan being possessed." Although it was a guess, Zhou Hao was almost certain.

Otherwise, if Elder Yuan had only been controlled by the soul of a cultivator of alien mental power, his strength and personality would not have changed so drastically.

"An alien race." A murderous glint appeared in Zhou Hao's eyes.

no.

We cannot kill him now.

He has been lurking and hidden since ancient times. Now that he intends to control my soul with his mental power techniques, what about the other powerful beings in the Three Realms?

Zhou Hao suppressed his murderous intent and pondered silently.

Rulai the factional conflict began, Fuxi-shi, Fuxi, Shennong-shi, and Uncle Xiaoyao... they all had excellent relationships with the Elder Yuan and spent a long time discussing the Dao together.

There's also Donghua Brother Donghua, who also received guidance from Elder Yuan and traveled together through the Three Realms for many years, becoming close friends despite their age difference.

Such a long period of time, if it were truly intentional...

"Xing Luo," Zhou Hao asked telepathically, "If someone is controlled by a soul, is there any way to break free?"

According to the records he read in the Dao Treasury Hall.

Soul control is something that terrifies any cultivator.

Once controlled by a soul, one will no longer be in control and will absolutely obey the master from the bottom of one's heart. Even if the master wants him to die, he will willingly commit suicide with a smile on his face.

This is a control method that is infinitely more terrifying than a life-ordained oath!

Once controlled by a soul, one may appear to be alive, but in reality, they have long lost their autonomy and are essentially dead.

Even knowing all this, Zhou Hao still refused to give up, hoping there might be a chance.

Otherwise, even if he were to kill the ' Elder Yuan,' those powerful beings who were being secretly controlled would also die along with him.

Among those secretly controlled by ' Elder Yuan,' are there any people you know or are close to?

Zhou Hao dared not gamble, nor was he willing to gamble.

"It's very difficult to break free. Only if the controller actively releases the control can the controlled soul regain its freedom," Xing Luo pondered. "But the soul is ethereal and intangible, making it impossible to verify whether the control has truly been broken..."

"What if it were someone else who enslaved the controller's soul?" Zhou Hao pondered.

I'm thinking about how to bring things to a close in the Three Realms.

This is one chapter for today.

We'll continue tomorrow.