The woman with the bronze mask slumped down, sitting there in a daze, completely distraught.
"Please spare me, please spare me, my lord!"
As he witnessed all of this, the corpse-controlling Daoist fell to his knees, bowing and begging for mercy, trembling with fear and helplessness.
Su Yi held the sword embryo and approached the massive cocoon. After a brief examination, he casually asked, "Has the possession begun?"
The corpse-controlling Daoist hurriedly replied, "Indeed, it has."
"Who is being possessed?" Su Yi asked.
The corpse-controlling Daoist quickly responded, "It's the Marquis Wuling, Chen Zheng."
Su Yi frowned. Chen Zheng?
No wonder he had not returned since he entered the Bloodthorn Demon Mountain six days ago. It turned out he had encountered such a calamity.
"I'll give you another choice."
Su Yi glanced at the corpse-controlling Daoist and then pointed to the blood-colored vortex spanning a thousand zhang in the sky. "Either you enter it yourself or you die."
The corpse-controlling Daoist was stunned, his face turning pale as his thoughts turned bleak.
He struggled to stand up, his eyes fixed on the blood-colored vortex, and said with bitterness, "My lord, could you... grant me a way out?"
Su Yi shook his head.
The corpse-controlling Daoist's expression wavered for a moment, and after a long pause, he gritted his teeth and suddenly soared into the air. Like a streak of lightning, he dashed toward the blood-colored vortex in the void.
But before he could reach halfway, his figure abruptly twisted, and he turned around, heading towards the distant exit.
"Seeking death!"
Mu Xi snorted coldly, brandishing her golden spear, and struck through the air, killing the corpse-controlling Daoist in mid-flight.
Su Yi didn't even bother to look. He turned his gaze to the woman with the bronze mask not far away and said, "I'll give you a choice as well. Tell me all the secrets you know, and I'll let you die more quickly."
The woman with the bronze mask remained silent for a long time, then suddenly spoke with a deliberate pause, "When our clan's deity returns, you will inevitably face revenge!"
Su Yi raised an eyebrow, sensing something. In a flash, he appeared beside the woman with the bronze mask.
But before he could make a move, the Saintess of the Yin Sha Sect had already died, her body silently turning into ashes and dissipating.
Even in death, no one caught a glimpse of her appearance.
On the ground, only a bronze mask with intricate patterns remained, eerie and cold.
Su Yi held the mask in his hand, examining it briefly, his eyes revealing a hint of astonishment.
The material of this mask was unique; it was made from the 'Soul Iron of Tears' found in the Netherworld and possessed the power of soul attachment.
With a slight refinement, all it took was to imprint a strand of willpower into it. Anyone who wore the mask would be bound by that strand of willpower, their minds controlled and their actions not their own.
The previous Saintess of the Yin Sha Sect was clearly possessed by that strand of willpower from the bronze mask, resulting in the loss of her own consciousness.
Unfortunately, with the death of the woman, that strand of willpower also dissipated, leaving Su Yi unable to determine its origin.
"To leave a willpower imprint, the person must at least be at the 'Spirit Wheel Realm,' or possibly an even more formidable figure..."
The path of Spiritual Dao transcends the Primordial Dao and is divided into three realms: Spiritualization, Spiritual Aspect, and Spirit Wheel.
Cultivators who possess the cultivation of the Spirit Wheel realm are formidable beings second only to those in the Profound Dao Emperor realm.
Only such individuals can leave behind strands of willpower!
"However, there are no Spirit Wheel realm characters in this mundane world. Could it be that this bronze mask comes from the other side of the spatial barrier?"
"It's possible!"
Su Yi recalled that with certain special means, it was possible to send items across the world barrier.
For example, through sacrifices.
In the past, in the Nine Curves City, the Water Sovereign Wu Huan obtained gifts and guidance from a nine-headed bird claiming to be the "Great Compassionate God Sovereign" through a sacrifice.
Understanding this, Su Yi put away the bronze mask and turned to the massive cocoon.
At this moment, Ning Xianhua and Mu Xi had also approached.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Mu Xi asked, "Friend, if the Marquis Wuling is possessed, then... even if he survives, he won't be the Marquis Wuling anymore, right?"
Su Yi shook his head and said, "It's hard to say. Please step back a bit."
Ning Xianhua and Mu Xi stepped back.
Su Yi waved the sword embryo in his hand and struck the cocoon.
Crack!
The massive cocoon cracked in response.
Whoosh!
Almost simultaneously, a figure burst out, striking at Su Yi with a palm.
Swift as a lightning, ethereal and elusive!
Su Yi remained calm, reversed the sword embryo in his hand, and the blade swiftly rose to block the attack.
Clang!!!
In the deafening collision, Su Yi's figure swayed slightly, while the figure was forced back several steps by the impact of the sword embryo.
At this moment, Ning Xianhua and Mu Xi finally saw clearly. The figure stood tall like a spear, with resolute features, ancient bronze-colored skin, and a fierce and condensed aura.
It was none other than Marquis Wuling, Chen Zheng!
However, his eyes were icy, indifferent, filled with a contemptuous arrogance towards the world, and a disdain for all living beings as if they were ants.
"I never expected that when I awakened in this realm, I would become so weak..." Chen Zheng sighed lightly, his tone desolate.
He seemed like an old man who had experienced the vicissitudes of life, lamenting the passing of his youthful years.
Su Yi couldn't help but laugh. This guy was quite good at pretending.
He casually said, "Even if I were present, someone like you wouldn't be considered powerful. It's best for you not to act arrogant in front of me."
Chen Zheng was taken aback. He looked Su Yi up and down, his eyes filled with a playful look. "You, a Qi Gathering realm brat, dare to say that I'm not powerful enough?"
Su Yi casually replied, "Using a cocoon to traverse the world barrier and attempting to possess someone's body with a soul incarnation, these petty tricks are only used by insignificant characters. I'm actually giving you credit by saying you're not powerful enough."
Chen Zheng: "..."
Ning Xianhua and Mu Xi also looked strange.
Both of them could tell that the entity possessing Chen Zheng was undoubtedly a terrifying existence on the path of cultivation. Just from his gaze and temperament, he was far beyond ordinary cultivators.
However, in Su Yi's mouth, he was dismissed as someone unworthy, and his tone was so casual and natural that it gave people an inexplicable sense of astonishment.
"Listening to your tone, one wouldn't know that you're just a Qi Gathering realm kid. It's as if you possess earth-shattering means."
Chen Zheng was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but laugh. "Who would have thought that these would be the words of a Qi Gathering realm child?"
"An earth-shattering means?" Su Yi also chuckled, his tone even more indifferent. "In your eyes, the Profound Dao realm may seem unattainable, beyond reach, but in my opinion... it's just so-so."
This stunned Ning Xianhua and Mu Xi, leaving them dumbfounded.
The Profound Dao realm is just so-so??
Ning Xianhua knew how terrifying the existence of the Profound Dao realm was. That's why when she heard those words, she could hardly believe her ears.
Although Mu Xi didn't understand the exact realm of the Profound Dao, she could probably guess that it was far above the realm of Spiritual Dao cultivators.
It was precisely because of this that when she heard Su Yi's seemingly casual words, she couldn't help but feel a sense of absurdity and couldn't cry or laugh.
This guy... Could it be that he's just bragging and trying to scare the other person?
Hmm, that must be it!
Looking at Chen Zheng, Su Yi couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Those at the Emperor Realm, like the sun shining in the sky, can illuminate the world. It's enough to make billions of creatures look up in awe. But in the mouth of a little brat like you, who still reeks of milk, they are degraded to such an extent... It's just too funny!"
"That's because you're ignorant," Su Yi said calmly. "The Emperor Realm is nothing more than seekers on the path of Profound Dao, unaware that there are even higher unknown paths at the end of this road."
He shook his head and continued, "Why am I even telling you all this? It's like explaining things to a summer insect that cannot comprehend ice."
Chen Zheng stared at Su Yi for a moment, his lips twitching. He muttered, "I've lived for 9,800 years and encountered countless strange characters in my life, but you, an ignorant little thing, are the first of your kind."
"Do all the characters in this mundane world lack such knowledge..."
Saying that, he looked at Su Yi again and said, "However, you, at such a young age, able to survive in this mundane world and make use of the sealing formations here, can be considered quite rare."
"Here's the deal: I'll give you a chance. Swear allegiance to me right now, and I will enlighten you and help you understand what true cultivation is!"
Pausing for a moment, Chen Zheng looked at Ning Xianhua and Mu Xi and said, "Although your cultivation is somewhat lacking, your aura is quite extraordinary. You are much stronger than those characters from the Yin Sha Sect."
"As long as you serve me, I don't mind guiding you onto a grand path. I won't promise you immortality or radiance equal to the sun and moon, but at least it will give you the opportunity to transcend the mundane and pursue everlasting freedom!"
With his words and actions, he exuded the demeanor of a lofty and arrogant expert.
If it were other warriors in the mundane world, they would probably have been tempted long ago.
However, Ning Xianhua and Mu Xi exchanged a glance and smiled.
Then, even Su Yi burst into laughter.
The meaning revealed in those smiles made Chen Zheng's face darken. He felt a tremendous provocation to his dignity.
"The opportunity for immortality is before you, yet you treat it like worn-out shoes. How ignorant. Indeed, all the characters in this mundane world are nothing more than ordinary mortals who cannot be reasoned with."
Chen Zheng sighed deeply.
"You think you're worthy of talking about immortality? Well then, how about this? I, Su Yi, will make an exception and obediently leave Chen Zheng's body. I'll give you a chance to start anew. How about that?" Su Yi spoke with a smile.
"Oh?" Chen Zheng's eyes flashed with cold light. Suddenly, he reached out his hand.
Boom!
A giant hand condensed from true energy appeared in the air, resembling a dragon's claw. It covered all directions, like a vast net that left no escape or avoidance. It was an attack that surpassed the capabilities of a Martial Spirit Marquis like Chen Zheng.
From this, one could tell that the cultivator who took over Chen Zheng's body and crossed over from another realm was far from ordinary.
Unfortunately, in Su Yi's eyes, this possessor was not the real deal and was limited by Chen Zheng's cultivation level in this body. Although the martial arts displayed were exquisite, the power was truly limited.
Su Yi shook his head slightly and said, "You're seeking death."
As his words rang out, he also reached out his hand.
Boom!
The dragon claw handprint unleashed by Chen Zheng exploded abruptly.
Meanwhile, Su Yi reached out across space and grabbed Chen Zheng by the neck, pulling him in front of himself.
Before Chen Zheng could react, Su Yi lightly pressed his left index finger on Chen Zheng's forehead and said with thunderous voice:
"Forbid!"