"Hoo hoo hoo -" The spraying flames were constantly swaying in the wind.
"Gududu-" The fiery magma was boiling and surging, with bubbles constantly emerging on the surface. As the magma wriggled, a vague human figure slowly condensed at the top of it.
"Stop!" A rough and ugly face emerged from the flames again and shouted at me.
"Give me a reason first," I looked at the figure and chuckled lightly. "I have warned you several times before to surrender voluntarily, but you kept pretending to be tough. Do you know what this behavior is called? Hey hey, let me tell you, this is called digging your own grave. Originally I wanted to talk to you nicely, but since you brought this upon yourself, how can I not teach you a lesson that will leave an impression?"
"Stop! Do you know that if you destroy me, Gan Jiang Sword will also be destroyed?" The figure looked at me and said.
"Oh really? Well then, for now I'll spare your life," hearing this, I couldn't help but raise my hand while playing with the huge elemental ball. While glancing at the figure I said: "Aren't you going to remove this delusional environment? Or at least change it into a better one so we can talk more easily?"
"You tell me first how did you break through my illusionary technique? This makes me very curious. As far as I know before this moment there were few who could do it; only my master Gan Jiang and Old Man Zhiguang managed it in over two thousand years. However they didn't break through by force; they used sincerity to move me instead. The reason why I obeyed Master Gan Jiang was because he created me; as for Old Man Zhiguang he avenged his death which made him worthy of respect from myself."
The figure stared with its fiery eyes and said.
"Hehe, do you think your illusionary technique is difficult to break? Actually it's a very simple principle. First of all, after I arrived here, I found that I had become flesh and blood without any special powers. All the elemental energy that I cultivated before was gone; this made me very nervous but also what you hoped for. The reason why you set up this delusional environment was to make those who tried to subdue you feel embarrassed in such a situation. If I'm not mistaken, many people have been trapped by this delusional environment and instead of breaking through they became your puppets controlled by your mind."
"Correct! Many ants wanted to subdue me but they were not only foolish but also mentally fragile. With just one threat from me they surrendered easily hehehe." The figure laughed triumphantly.
"So you deliberately controlled those people to kill, making others think they became insane sword puppets. In this way, those people will surely kill them to stop their atrocities. As a result, you really killed that person and not only did you kill the people who were going to subdue you, but also harmed many innocent lives. Don't you think what you did was too much?" I frowned and looked at the figure in front of me with displeasure.
"Ridiculous! There are no innocent lives; it's just your idea. I am a sword born for killing. The more killings there are, the more excited I become. How could I feel guilty about it? You shouldn't even think about such things." The figure confidently replied.
Well, I understand it a bit now. Indeed, he is a sword meant for killing and naturally has no compassion in him. It's like talking about mercy with a sword - it's pointless.
"You're right that killing should be your instinct and there is nothing wrong with that. However, now you don't have to be as arrogant as before because I have already seen through this illusion of yours and from now on, I am your master," I said looking at the figure.
"Obeying the strong is natural law but still curious how did you break through my mystery?" The spirit asked me curiously.
"It's simple," I smiled and said: "As mentioned earlier when entering here initially felt helpless but later thought carefully about some issues such as although currently appearing fleshly body actually only soul or rather just consciousness everything seen here is an illusion not real however since this isn't my territory can't change current situation worse yet unable to use own power either but don't forget before coming into this illusion completely relied on own strength which means still able to use own power until entering here so gave me huge hint indicating still able to use own power just don't know how."
"How did you understand the key later?" The spirit asked in doubt.
"Shifted thinking," I looked at him and said: "I tried to summon Qi but there was no response in my body. However, I sensed a fluctuation of aura in the distant sky. This instantly made me realize what was happening. I thought that since I am only consciousness or soul, my own body cannot have Qi; it is within my original body. Therefore, if I want to summon Qi, I can only do so from my original body. Since my consciousness has always been connected with the original body, all I need to do is forget about this illusionary fake physical form and move my thoughts into the original body and control it to send me Qi over here. Isn't everything solved then?"
"Well, you got me convinced now! You not only have strong power but also high intelligence; having a master like you makes me satisfied." As he spoke his expression gradually dimmed down and soon after the scenery around us began changing rapidly until we were surrounded by picturesque mountains and rivers - an idyllic paradise-like place where he transformed into a rough-looking man wearing golden armor standing before me."
'Subordinate Gan Jiang Sword Spirit pays respects to the master. From now on, as long as the master gives orders, Gan Jiang will obey without hesitation!' The big man looked at me, clasped his fists and knelt in front of me.
'Please rise,' I waved my hand and helped him up. Then I looked at him with joy on my face but couldn't help but say to him with some seriousness: 'Gan Jiang, I am glad that you can obey me. However, from now on, I may disappoint you because I don't intend to keep you by my side as a personal weapon. Instead, I want to use you to seal the Nine Yin Yellow Springs. Hope you can forgive me for leaving when that time comes.'"