"How did you know?"
The voice abruptly took on a heavy note of astonishment, tinged with the panic of being caught off guard. It echoed cautiously through the pitch-black void of the secret realm, its earlier composure gone.
"Because I'm a genius."
Jiang Lu's lips curved slightly at the answer. She slowly surveyed the withered branches drooping around her before finally fixing her gaze on the enormous trunk before her.
She raised her eyes slightly, her gaze clear and bright. Having already seen straight through its intentions, she continued calmly:
"You can't possess me, can you? You already tried just now."
She tapped her arm with a fingertip, her arms folded across her chest, and said with deliberate clarity despite her casual posture:
"Let me guess. You deliberately lured me here because you wanted to possess my body and use it to break free. Unfortunately, you failed. So now you intend to trap me while you find another way?"
Jiang Lu kept her arms folded across her chest, lightly tapping her arm as she spoke.
The air fell deathly still.
The entire dark space sank into a prolonged silence, an oppressive aura closing in layer upon layer.
After a long while, that deep voice sounded again, carrying a trace of incredulous curiosity. "When did you realize I intended to possess you?"
Jiang Lu spread her hands and answered carelessly, "When you trapped me just now."
The entity had secretly stirred its Divine Sense, sending a strand of cold, sinister soul power creeping into her Sea of Consciousness in an attempt to seize control by force. But the instant that power touched the boundary of her Sea of Consciousness, the vast golden light of merit surrounding her had forcibly driven it back.
She stared intently at the heart of the tree,