Deep within the earth, in a strange, dark green space, two figures stood suspended in mid-air.
"Hehehehe, human brat, you've really injured me badly today! Logically speaking, given the taboos you've violated, I should have torn you to pieces, made you suffer unbearable physical pain, then extracted your soul, used these myriad evil spirits as a source to crush it, and left a wisp of your essence to be placed in the Soul-Burning Lamp, to be burned for a thousand years!"
With one hand controlling Xiao Yan's body out of Hei Mu, and the other hand held in front of his chest, his large palm slowly opened, and a point of black light condensed in his palm, which then transformed into a dark soul, twisting and turning in his palm. Faintly, a few mournful cries could be heard, making this strange soul even more terrifying.
While casually toying with the wisp of Yin spirit in his palm, Hei Mu waved his other hand, which was controlling Xiao Yan's Xiao Yan. In the next moment, thick, dark green vines, as thick as hemp ropes, shot out from the space around Xiao Yan and quickly wrapped around his entire body, binding him to a thick vine root that suddenly appeared.
At the same time, Hei Mu's free hand clenched into a fist, and a lamp burning with Heavenly Flames appeared in Hei Mu palm.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat, and his expression immediately became solemn. He figured that these two items must be the source of evil spirits and the Soul-Burning Lamp that Hei Mu had mentioned earlier.
The eerie, chilling aura emanating from the lamp sent a shiver down Xiao Yan's spine, and a sense of fear welled up from the depths of his soul.
These things are truly the most evil things in the world!
Such soul-torturing tormenting things would likely instill fear even in the strongest person, let alone Xiao Yan current strength is only at the Three-Star Half-Emperor level.
Hei Mu casually toyed with the two Old Gu objects in his palm, glancing at Xiao Yan and noticing the deep solemnity on Xiao Yan's face.
A cold smile crept across his lips, followed by a soft snort. He clenched his fists tightly, and a muffled thud resounded from his palms as the evil spirit and the Soul-Burning Lamp exploded...
Then, Hei Mu turned his gaze back to Xiao Yan, glancing sideways at his face. His pair of sharp, hawk-like eyes instantly fixed on Xiao Yan, his piercing gaze filled with amusement.
Feeling the sinister gaze of Hei Mu, Xiao Yan instantly felt a tremor deep in his soul, and a chilling feeling slowly rose from the bottom of his heart.
Swallowing hard, Xiao Yan's pale face was now completely bloodless. This Hei Mu was truly an old ghost who had lived for ten thousand years; his eyes looked as if he had crawled out of the deepest hell.
On the dark, ashen face of the Hei Mu, a sinister smile crept across his face once more. His withered hand gently rose into the air, and dark green vines materialized out of thin air, coiling and taking shape in mid-air.
"However, you're quite lucky, kid. Although your strength isn't anything special, you've cultivated your physique to a terrifying level that even puts me to shame, so..."
Having said that, Hei Mu slightly raised his eyes, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, before continuing with a sinister smile:
"I intend to turn you into a puppet."
Upon hearing Hei Mu's words, Xiao Yan's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints, and the skin at the corners of his eyes trembled slightly.
Before this ancient demon, even with Xiao Yan's unwavering resolve, there was still a terrifying feeling, as if he were trapped in an inescapable hell. While it's said that old people become cunning, this Hei Mu seemed to be something to belittle, even if one called him an old monster...
With a cold laugh, Hei Mu revealed a seemingly appreciative and amiable smile, which only intensified Xiao Yan's apprehension towards him. This face was truly fickle!
"While your strength is somewhat lacking, your potential for growth is more than enough to compensate. Having mastered the puppet body, you will undoubtedly become my most loyal slave. Of course, as your future master, I will grant you strength far exceeding your current power, and even greater power than you can attain in the future. Consider this your reward... I'll forget our past grievances and make you my right-hand man. I, Hei Mu, am as magnanimous as ever, hehehehe..."
Hearing Hei Mu's increasingly strange tone, Xiao Yan's heart grew heavier. The last vestige of clarity in his heart was gradually replaced by fear, or rather... clouded...
A glint flashed in his old eyes, and Hei Mu snorted coldly again. Then, with a flick of his wide, dark green sleeves, countless vine roots shot out, completely enveloping Xiao Yan into a huge vine ball, which hovered in the void.
Seeing Xiao Yan sealed inside, Hei Mu finally exhaled a deep breath of the stagnant air that had been trapped within him, and his entire body slumped down at that moment...
Even he, under such strain, was truly unable to bear it. Moreover, the old thing deep inside his body had not been completely suppressed yet. It was already quite an achievement that he could still intimidate Xiao Yan at this moment. If this dragged on any longer, he couldn't guarantee that the thing inside his body wouldn't break out.
Given the previous changes, it was already quite an achievement that he could barely withstand the combined attack of Elder Luo and Qing Mu. In the end, he was completely bombarded by Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flames, and he had completely entered a period of weakness. If Luo Ao hadn't been somewhat considerate of his body, he probably would have been shattered by Luo Ao's attack long ago.
At this moment, Hei Mu no longer had the energy to pay attention to Xiao Yan. His previous actions were merely a show of force, intended only to intimidate Xiao Yan and prevent him from causing any further trouble...
After all, Xiao Yan's endless stream of methods made him dare not underestimate him in the slightest. If Xiao Yan were to make a move at this moment, even he would probably be powerless to stop him...
This situation presents him with a tremendous opportunity. Only by quickly recovering some of his strength can he be confident in controlling Xiao Yan. Otherwise, he has no idea who will ultimately prevail.
His trembling body grew increasingly weak. Although he wanted to leave, his rapidly weakening body slowly hunched over, eventually curling up into a ball like a frozen dog.
The black aura surrounding his entire body gradually dissipated, and specks of emerald green fluorescence reappeared on his gray-black face, causing his entire body to tremble violently.
The violent trembling, and the increasingly bright emerald green fluorescence on his face, seemed to stir up a deep-seated resentment within Hei Mu. Amidst the violent clenching of his teeth, indistinct words escaped from his mouth.
"Heh... heh... I... won't... heh heh heh... let you... take it back... so... easily...!"
As soon as the words were spoken, from the space surrounding this body—whether it was Hei Mu or Qing Mu— threw through the void and appeared before the body.
The moment it appeared, a strange, pitch-black aura, like a thick fog, rushed over, completely suppressing the slight emerald green fluorescence that had just returned. The violently trembling body slowly calmed down, and a pair of dark, empty eyes reappeared...