Subduing the Evil Eyes

Lin Xu had never imagined at the outset that the battle would turn out like this.

There was little information about mid-tier professionals on the Spirit Realm Forum. In fact, from what Lin Xu had observed over the years, the people truly active on the forum were either newbies who had just entered the Spirit Realm or ordinary people like him who were full of curiosity about it.

Only today had he gained a firsthand impression of just how powerful mid-tier professionals really were.

"If I hadn't intervened, Peach Tree Village would have fallen today!"

Lin Xu reflected on the perilous battle. No one had expected the dungeon to send five mid-tier professionals on what was merely a probing attack.

Fortunately, Xuanwei Monastery's Dao soldier formation had been strong and resilient enough that even the Dark Warriors had failed to break through it quickly, giving him the chance to turn the battle around against the odds.

"These are lessons I have to take to heart. I must break through to the mid-tier as soon as possible..."

After witnessing the might of mid-tier professionals, Lin Xu felt an urge to disregard everything else and immediately enter seclusion to cultivate.

A cool current flowed through him, dispelling the restlessness in his heart.

It was the Ice Heart Jade Pendant.

"I have to make it back alive." Lin Xu clenched the pendant, feeling the warm, smooth jade as his emotions gradually settled.

"Senior Brother Lin, the battle report is ready..." An inner disciple came to report.

"How many people did we lose?" Lin Xu waved a hand, cutting his lengthy report short.

"We lost thirteen militiamen in this battle. Seven people were seriously injured, while eighteen militiamen, seven Dao soldiers, and two outer disciples suffered minor injuries." He paused, answering with a wooden expression.

"Treat the wounded. Cremate and bury the dead on the spot. Put everything into treating the wounded." Lin Xu glanced at the bodies laid out in rows and couldn't help frowning. "Write a battle report and send it to the monastery. Ask the monastery master for reinforcements while you're at it."

Peach Tree Village had only a little over a hundred militiamen in total, and it had lost a tenth of them in this battle. They couldn't leave Peach Tree Village to bear this burden alone.

"Yes." The inner disciple paused, then asked, "Senior Brother Lin, what should we do with these prisoners?"

Lin Xu glanced at the captives: two Dark Mages who had surrendered when they saw things going badly, two severely wounded Dark Warriors, and two Dark Ladies. The Dark Lady who had fled quickly had ultimately failed to escape the elite vengeful spirits.

The three Evil Eyes floating in midair had surrendered after the Evil Eye Dharma Protector singled them out for attack, with no way to escape and a powerful member of their own kind intimidating them.

With that, although the battle to defend the village had been brutal, they had won the final victory and killed or captured every last one of the attackers.

"Disarm them and lock them up for now." Lin Xu pondered for a moment. "Leave the three Evil Eyes to me."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Watching him turn and leave, Lin Xu looked at the somewhat excited Evil Eye Dharma Protector. "Are you planning to subdue them as Dharma protectors?"

The Evil Eye waved his tentacles in response. As a cultivator of a dark-gold-tier cultivation method, he could still condense Dharma Seeds to awaken Dharma protectors, even if the cultivator's limitations currently prevented him from practicing the complete method.

That was right: a Dharma protector deity could awaken Dharma protectors of his own, as long as the target did not resist.

Lin Xu glanced at the three Evil Eyes that had given up resisting and nodded. "When I have some free time tonight, I'll help you erase the Consciousness Locks in their seas of consciousness."

The troop types belonging to Spirit Realm factions all had troop restrictions to prevent betrayal.

With the battle over, Lin Xu expended mana to give the wounded emergency treatment. With the boost from Thought Overclocking, he brought the Rejuvenation Art to the grandmaster realm in just a few dozen castings.

Severe injuries became moderate, moderate injuries became minor, and minor injuries were healed outright.

In just an hour or two, everyone except the severely wounded had recovered and was helping clear the battlefield.

That still wasn't the end of it. Lin Xu repaired the damaged rock walls before finally stopping.

This battle had fully demonstrated how ineffective these traditional defenses were against enemies from the Spirit Realm.

But Lin Xu had no better solution for the moment. The Earth Control Art had its limits, and the wall could at least block some of the threats.

It wasn't until dusk that the aftermath of the battle was finally dealt with.

After assigning people to stand guard, Lin Xu returned to the quiet room to cultivate.

Today's great battle had made him aware of his weakness. "Aside from the Evil Eye's Soul Shock Blast, I lack another spell that can settle a battle in a single blow."

In fact, magical artifacts could also accomplish that, but after thinking it over carefully, he couldn't find a suitable one.

"Or should I simply learn a sword art?"

As Lin Xu considered it, he turned his gaze to the Evil Eyes before him.

Spirit Realm creatures were generally rigid. The three Evil Eyes before him, for example, had made no further attempts to escape after being captured. Or was it also because of the intimidation and influence of a powerful member of their own kind?

With that thought, he activated the Bright Light Lamp and projected his consciousness into an Evil Eye's sea of consciousness.

Just as he had seen in the Evil Eye Dharma Protector's sea of consciousness, chaotic, disordered mental power churned within the native Evil Eye's sea of consciousness, surging ceaselessly like a sea in a storm.

A faint light shrouded the sea of consciousness, symbolizing the Evil Eye's meager intelligence.

A point of light appeared in the dim sea of consciousness, and an illusory lamp lit up at its center.

The instant the light appeared, the entire chaotic sea of consciousness stirred, and the disordered mental power gathered toward that point.

Rumble~

The sea of consciousness shook, and a land of eternal daylight emerged. Though far smaller than the previous sea of consciousness, it lit the light of wisdom within the Evil Eye.

A Consciousness Lock slowly emerged. The illusory chain was a manifestation of the troop restriction, locking away any thoughts the Evil Eye had of rebellion.

The candle flame at the center of the sea of consciousness slowly heated the chain, like a flame melting a candle.

Crack~

The chain, once deeply entwined with the Evil Eye's consciousness, silently snapped. In an instant, it was swallowed by the candle flame and melted away without a trace.

The Evil Eye's Consciousness Lock had been broken.

Having witnessed the scene through shared consciousness, the Evil Eye Dharma Protector acted of his own accord.

He expended his own mana to condense a Dharma Seed, then cast it into the Evil Eye's newly opened sea of consciousness.

The once illusory candlelight merged with the Dharma Seed, opening the Evil Eye's Divine Aperture and fully stabilizing the space of its sea of consciousness, which had relied on Lin Xu's mana for support.

Only then did Lin Xu withdraw his consciousness and breathe a sigh of relief. "It worked."

This attempt had confirmed his idea: a Dharma protector deity who also cultivated the Lamp Kindling Spirit Transformation Chapter could likewise awaken Dharma protectors of a lower rank.

Moreover, opening a sea of consciousness using Lamp Kindling mana as its foundation did not cause the Consciousness Lock to run amok. Once manifested, the hidden restriction buried deep within a troop type's consciousness became far easier to break.

Lin Xu repeated the process, breaking the Consciousness Locks of all three Evil Eyes in succession and leaving the Dharma Protector Evil Eye to awaken them one by one.

"Not bad. From now on, you'll at least be a minor leader with troops under you, so I'll give you a name..." Watching the Evil Eye wave his tentacles excitedly as his companions joined him, Lin Xu smiled faintly. "I'll call you Qiuqiu~"

Wasn't a big eyeball floating in midair just like a flying balloon?