Body Snatching
"It's like a rabbit being attacked by a hungry dog trying to steal its food. We can't kill the rabbit, so we have to find a way to deal with it!"
"That's right!"
"The previous behavior was similar to smearing feces and urine on the rabbit, which made the hungry dog uncomfortable, but compared to starving to death, the dog thought that after catching the rabbit, it could wash it, skin it, and have a couple of bites!"
The metaphor is very apt!
"If we force-feed a rabbit with feces and urine, the rabbit meat will rot from the inside out. Even if a dog is starving, it won't be able to swallow it!"
"That's right!"
The methods are all correct; the only problem is that the rabbit is seeking to enter a Sole Self Realm.
Zhang Xuezhou used to think that entering the Divine Ability Realm in reality was a disaster, but compared to Gongsun Hong, he felt that his situation was nothing.
Gongsun Hong's body was constantly being pulled apart, yet he desperately tried to maintain a state of Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven.
This was not only a desire to break through the Sole Self Realm, but also a way for Gongsun Hong and others to escape.
He stubbornly held on, hoping to benefit himself by gaining the advantage of others.
Zhang Xuezhou and his group intervened a little earlier than Gongsun Hong had anticipated. If he could prolong the conflict between the two forces that were eroding his power, Gongsun Hong felt he would gain an even greater advantage.
Perhaps because they once possessed strength far surpassing Gongsun Hong, neither of them took Gongsun Hong seriously, focusing instead on eliminating their rivals.
This also brought unimaginable benefits to Gongsun Hong during their battle; he felt his soul growing stronger at an unprecedented pace.
For Gongsun Hong, a stronger divine soul brings greater precision in controlling Technique Method, and also enhances his ability to defend against Incantation Technique.
Every minute, even every second, Gongsun Hong felt his soul growing.
This was undoubtedly a miraculous encounter.
But the thought of himself and his eroding opponent being like the star and the moon sent a chill down Gongsun Hong's spine.
Because the two strange powers that emerged from the Resonance Between Heaven and Humanity both belonged to cultivators at least at the True Self Realm, and possessed extremely special strength.
For Gongsun Hong, who was only at the Divine Ability Realm, this was an insurmountable peak.
Gongsun Hong desperately needed external help, and fortunately Zhang Xuezhou noticed his abnormal state, while Li Shaojun came up with a solution.
One of the dark blue-faced figures couldn't hold on any longer and detached itself from his body, leaving only a lingering, unbroken connection.
The other being relentlessly continued to drill in.
Like a bloodsucking leech, the opponent even intensified its corrosive power, seeking to break through Gongsun Hong's sea of consciousness and seize everything.
The moment the two touched, Gongsun Hong's soul was utterly destroyed.
"Better to be disgusted than to sleep forever!"
The dark-faced man chattered on and on for a long time, and this was the first time that the other being had expressed his emotions other than scolding.
The other person's voice was unnatural, as if they were a foreigner learning Great Han, with a strong sense of stiffness.
The effect is not obvious when speaking short words, but it becomes apparent when speaking long sentences.
Having endured all sorts of torment and failed to break through to the Sole Self Realm, Gongsun Hong could no longer bear the high risk when the other party forcibly took over his body.
He roared, then began to struggle and drive it away.
"Mozi once used a very interesting term to describe me: 'the last gasp of a crossbow.' He used this to describe me, implying that I was a crossbow with no power left, and even sealed me inside a mechanical bird. But even the last gasp of a crossbow still has the word 'last gasp' in it. It has decayed and ceased to exist, but I still exist. I can live again!"
Gongsun Hong's roar was like a spent arrow; to the being within him, Gongsun Hong wasn't even a spent arrow, but merely a broken bow.
If it weren't for the presence of competitors, and the fact that two petty thieves were spreading and indoctrinating him with a bunch of disgusting things that made people want to die, Gongsun Hong would have been a good vessel to bear it all.
Especially when the other party gives up resistance and welcomes them in, it can almost completely replace their body.
The current situation is a bit worse, but not unacceptable.
"They even retrieved 'Jiuyu,' which holds the Void Crystal! This is truly a godsend!"
Gongsun Hong's expression was strange, and he occasionally spoke in different tones.
This caused Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun to exchange glances, their eyes revealing a tacit understanding.
Regardless of whether Gongsun Hong could handle it, Li Shaojun poured the powder from the two large earthenware jars into the mixture, while Zhang Xuezhou pinched Gongsun Hong's mouth and forced water down his throat, occasionally patting his chest to pour the mixture in.
"You bastard!"
A furious voice rang out, clearly indicating that Zhang Xuezhou and his group's actions had brought serious consequences.
Patches of lividity quickly appeared on Gongsun Hong's body, followed by a putrid stench of decay.
The external elixir clearly brought unbearable side effects, even turning Gongsun Hong into a zombie-like evil entity, causing the Soul-Guiding Powder and Soul-Stealing Powder to have even stronger negative effects.
"Open!"
The malevolent thoughts that dominated the body didn't even have time to target Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun. After staggering a few steps, it slapped 'Jiuyu'.
Without the permeation and infusion of Law Power, this towering treasure instantly transformed into something that emitted a purple mist.
In the hazy mist, the terrain of an unfamiliar territory is faintly revealed.
Just as Gongsun Honggang was about to pass through, Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun made their moves.
One of them tripped the other, while the other used Law Treasure rope to bind them.
"This is outrageous!"
Although it is a spent arrow, it is indeed at the end of its stroke.
He had barely suppressed Gongsun Hong for a few seconds, and didn't even have time to say a few words of triumph, when one part of his body pierced into 'Jiuyu', while the other part was caught by Zhang Xuezhou and the others.
The result of pulling and tugging during the passage is that the body will be completely cut off by spatial forces, which means the head will pass through, but the body will not.
Zhang Xuezhou and the others were unaware of the consequences, but how could they not understand these simple principles when they were manipulating Gongsun Hong?
His head burst out of 'Jiuyu' in a fit of rage, disregarding the fact that the newly acquired body was too heavy, and began to forcefully attack Zhang Xuezhou and the others.
"Rise!"
He lay on the ground and reached out, and the mechanical wooden figure covered in human skin that Li Shaojun had used to strangle him suddenly 'came to life' and quickly got up from the ground like a human.
The wooden dummy slammed down with two heavy punches, catching Zhang Xuezhou and Li Shaojun off guard as they were pulling Gongsun Hong away. Both of them were struck in the head.
Li Shaojun groaned, a faint blue Law Power light flickering above his head, and then he collapsed to the ground.
Zhang Xuezhou also suddenly felt a sharp pain, his vision blurred and his nose bled profusely, making it difficult for him to maintain his balance.
"Those two good-for-nothings have caused me so much trouble!"
Amidst the low curses, the evil thoughts that had taken over Gongsun Hong's body quickly ended the spell they were controlling.
As he was about to step into 'Jiuyu' again to travel away and recuperate, he saw bursts of white light rising from the main hall of Zixiao Palace, and the land behind the purple mist of 'Jiuyu' had disappeared.
"It seems to be the Sage Hongjun!"
A look of horror crossed his face.
He clearly hadn't expected that there were top-tier figures spying and making moves in this grand hall.