The Heaven-rank Battlefield Phantom’s body and soul were completely sucked away by the modified vacuum cleaner.
“As expected.”
Jun Changxiao thought privately, “This thing is also unclean.”
Actually, when the Battlefield Phantom first appeared, he’d wondered if it could be sucked in. But because he wanted to leave them for his disciples as experience packages, he’d never tested it.
Now one had come that was extremely powerful, and Demon King Zilin was helpless against it, so he could only take it out to test.
To show respect.
Jun Changxiao didn’t even use level three—he directly activated enhanced mode.
Of course, without Demon King Zilin’s earlier frenzied consumption, with his strength, getting close would have been difficult.
“Hall Master Zi.”
Jun Changxiao said, “You’ve worked hard.”
“…” Demon King Zilin almost couldn’t resist spitting out more blood.
I frantically consumed myself, frantically made a fool of myself, and in the end, it all served to let him show off with a finishing move. This was really too infuriating!
“What is Sect Master Jun holding?”
“It actually sucked the Battlefield Phantom right in!”
“Could it be an extremely high-level treasure?”
Standing on the floating mountain, City Lord Han and the others discussed amongst themselves. They’d already forgotten about Demon King Zilin’s frantic earlier battle, placing all their attention on the modified vacuum cleaner.
Typical spotlight stealing.
“Sect Master!”
Li Qingyang said, “The stronghold has expanded again!”
“Really?”
After returning, Jun Changxiao released his spiritual sense. Sure enough, he discovered the stronghold’s area had surged dramatically again—the surge was about the same as when he’d obtained the Jade Pure Mystic Spirit. So he speculated, “It’s probably because its strength was Heaven-rank. Defeating it gives more area.”
Looking at things currently, the Xingyun Continent stronghold’s scale was comparable to four towns.
One could call it a city, but it would be a small one.
Of course, whether it was a city wasn’t for Jun Changxiao to decide—it had to be judged by the epic quest. So he wouldn’t stop here, continuing to make expanding the stronghold’s area his mission.
“Page.”
Li Qingyang said, “We’ve got work to do again!”
“Roar!”
Page raised its head and roared, eyes flashing with excitement.
This fellow had been in the Planar Battlefield for some time now, busy every day with stronghold construction. Its strength had improved remarkably!
Without Xiao Longlong’s ability to improve cultivation through hibernation, Page could only rely on its own efforts to grow stronger step by step, until it reached the mountain peak and accompanied its master.
…
“Smack!”
“Smack!”
“Ahhh—”
Inside the Tianyuan Soul-Suppressing Tower, Er Ya swung the soul-suppressing whip, lashing at Hun. The latter was bound in a U-shape, letting out painful howls.
This guy did have some capability. He’d been imprisoned here for quite a long time and still hadn’t been completely purified.
Mainly, Hun was a creature with genuine independent thought, with clear differences from Xi Jingxuan’s eerie attributes and the Upper Realm’s thunder punishment power.
The more durable this guy was, the happier Er Ya became, because she could completely let herself go and unlock various methods and tricks for whipping.
“Smack smack smack!”
“Ahhh ahhh!”
Whipping sounds and screams rose and fell.
“Whoosh!”
Space twisted, and Jun Changxiao appeared out of nowhere, the modified vacuum cleaner on his back.
“Master.”
Er Ya stopped and smiled. “Why have you come?”
When whipping Hun, she was like a little demon walking out of hell. Upon seeing Jun Changxiao, she smiled like a brilliant child. The change was simply too fast!
“Bringing you a prisoner.”
“Really?”
Er Ya’s eyes immediately lit up.
Jun Changxiao opened the dust collector. The trapped Battlefield Phantom transformed into a stream of light that flew out, then banged against the spatial barrier and bounced back.
“Now that you’re here, don’t think about leaving.”
Er Ya swung the soul-suppressing whip, viciously lashing the Battlefield Phantom. The latter gradually changed from light form to humanoid form.
Under the soul-suppressing whip, all forms would be forcibly anthropomorphized, then subjected to double torment of body and soul.
“Huh?”
After one lash, Er Ya said with surprise, “Master, this one also doesn’t seem to be an attribute.”
“Correct.” Jun Changxiao said.
Although the Battlefield Phantom couldn’t speak and had no thoughts, it was a low-level creature created by the Upper Realm that only knew how to fight.
“How interesting!”
Er Ya narrowed her eyes and smiled.
This kind of creature was more interesting to train and gave more sense of accomplishment.
Glancing at the suspended Hun, Jun Changxiao inquired, “How much longer until this guy can be purified?”
“Uh…”
Er Ya thought for a moment. “Probably a few more months.”
“Sect Master Jun!”
Just then, Hun bared its teeth and said, “I… I surrender, I’m willing to submit to you!”
Being frantically abused every day, its spirit had completely collapsed. Pride, dignity—it could give up everything, just to quickly escape Er Ya’s whip and candles!
There was another important reason forcing it to surrender: during this period of abuse, its thoughts had clearly become sluggish. If this continued, it would probably completely lose its sense of self.
The so-called mental sluggishness was purification.
Once it completely lost its sense of self, it would become a puppet manipulated at will by Er Ya.
Jun Changxiao said, “To submit to me requires showing your sincerity.”
“I have sincerity!” Hun said urgently.
Jun Changxiao walked over. “Since you have sincerity, then honestly tell this seat—are there others of your kind still on this Xingyun Continent?”
Nine Hun Clan members had come to wreak havoc on the Xingyun Continent back then. If one had come out, the other eight might still be lurking in the shadows, developing quietly.
“This…”
“Er Ya, hit him.”
“Smack smack smack!”
“Ahhhhh ahhh—”
Hun immediately screamed again, then said painfully, “Sect Master Jun, I only recently awakened. As for whether there are others of my kind, I’m temporarily unclear!”
“Temporarily unclear?” Jun Changxiao said. “So you mean there really might be others of your kind?”
Hun’s expression was fierce. “In the battle with the Xingyun Continent’s Wudi back then, I was defeated, but my soul merged into the world. After nearly ten thousand years of recuperation, I finally awakened. As for my companions, they may have perished, or they may still be recuperating in the void.”
Their Hun Clan had a special divine ability that could save their lives in critical moments, but the price was falling into a coma.
The length of this coma depended on luck and severity of injuries—short could be decades, long could be centuries or millennia.
Of course.
If the injuries reached an extremely severe degree, even if they executed the ability, they would still die.
The Hun Clan member possessing Dai Lü’s body had been seriously injured at the time. Although it preserved its life, it barely survived in the void for nearly ten thousand years, with its cultivation and strength completely weakened.
“You also don’t know if there are companions?” Jun Changxiao said.
Hun hurriedly said, “Yes!”
“Next question.”
Jun Changxiao said, “Of the countless warriors on the Xingyun Continent, why did you lodge in Dai Lü’s body?”
Hun said, “When a living being is in a state of anger and unwillingness, we Hun Clan can easily merge into the body. Moreover, when I awakened from my coma, I happened to encounter him and didn’t think much before going in.”
The last sentence carried a hint of regret.
If time could flow back to the past, it definitely wouldn’t choose Dai Lü, because this guy was too benevolent, always unable to let go and absorb warriors. Otherwise, how would it have ended up in this situation?
“Er Ya.”
Jun Changxiao said, “Continue whipping.”
“Yes.”
“Sect Master Jun… I…”
“Smack! Smack! Smack!”
“Ahhh—”
…
In the cell.
Thinking about how Hun had once urged him to absorb warriors to improve his cultivation faster, and he’d refused to listen, Dai Lü shook his head and sighed. “One misstep becomes eternal regret; looking back, I’m already in jail.”
“So.”
Zhao Doudou placed one hand on his shoulder, earnestly persuading, “What should be let go must be let go. Don’t let yourself be forever lost in the abyss because of a momentary setback.”
“Can you, screw off?”
“If screwing off can bring about your great awakening, I’ll roll to the ends of the earth—what does it matter?”
“…”