Chapter 1899: Sitú

Lan Ling'er was clearly the first to fall prey, as she genuinely hadn't expected her Uncle Nangong to be proficient in such a bizarre spiritual martial arts technique. The appearance of this scene, however, made Xu Yang quite pleased.

"Isn't what you're doing a bit like showing off in front of an expert? This saves me the trouble of creating a dream myself; now I can directly enter your soul world."

Murmuring a few words, Xu Yang unhesitatingly pointed directly at his glabella, instantly separating his soul essence from his main soul world. He then used his soul power to dive directly into the dream battlefield below, embracing the powerful spiritual vortex emanating from Nangong.

With almost no effort, Xu Yang's soul essence successfully entered Nangong's soul world. However, Nangong was currently under the control of another powerful spiritual force.

Consequently, the spiritual energy emanating from his soul world was not very pure, making the temporary dream space he created appear exceptionally crude.

If it weren't for Lan Ling'er's complete lack of defense and Xu Yang's intentional submission at that moment, it would have been very difficult for Nangong to ensnare an enemy with the quality of dream he could create.

Xu Yang's spiritual power was immensely strong; upon entering this dream battlefield, it seemed utterly out of place when contrasted with the illusory, chaotic nature of the surrounding space.

Xu Yang's soul essence, with hands clasped behind his back and a smile on his face, observed his surroundings before finally being unable to resist voicing a complaint.

"I must say, this dream battlefield you've woven is almost the lowest quality dream I've ever seen. Since you've led me here, I presume you have your own profound spiritual techniques. Don't waste any more time; show them to me and broaden my horizons. Someone who can create such a crude dream can't possibly unleash a truly powerful spiritual profound mystery."

Xu Yang was deliberately provoking and mocking the opponent, aiming to expose the even more powerful spiritual force hidden behind the dream. However, the mysterious energy controlling Nangong's soul consciousness was not as vulnerable as he had imagined; it remained deeply concealed.

Before long, at the other end of the dream battlefield, Nangong's controlled soul essence slowly emerged. He appeared somewhat sluggish, and his soul body already showed signs of spontaneously combusting.

Xu Yang's eyes immediately turned cold. He could clearly see that the opponent had no intention of letting Nangong live; this was merely a war puppet forcibly controlled by them.

However, the ability to firmly control the soul of a Martial God-level expert in one's palm was certainly not something an ordinary disciple could achieve.

Seeing Nangong completely out of control, Xu Yang helplessly clasped his hands together. Among the hundreds of thousands of cultivation techniques he had accumulated during his training, he sought out a Buddhist technique capable of purifying human souls.

However, Xu Yang was not a monastic, and he rarely used Buddhist techniques. So this time, he still used his Law of Light as a guide, perfectly integrating it with the core of the Buddhist soul-purifying technique. In this way, he mastered both techniques and amplified the essence of their soul-evolving aspects.

In an instant, golden rays of light shot from Xu Yang's glabella towards Nangong's controlled soul essence before him. This light was so powerful that Nangong's soul essence could not withstand it; once it enveloped his soul body, the purifying energy inherent in the technique quickly took effect.

The outer layer of immensely powerful, golden-shining soul energy directly condensed into a domain of light within this dream battlefield.

Enveloped by Xu Yang's domain of light, even the powerful spiritual force behind the scenes controlling Nangong's soul could no longer touch his soul body. This provided Nangong's soul with the perfect opportunity for complete purification.

In just a moment, Nangong's soul, which had been controlled and confused, gradually began to show signs of recovery, until the blood-red color in his soul essence's pupils completely disappeared. Only then did Nangong awaken as if from a dream.

He widened his astonished eyes, and at that moment, Xu Yang promptly projected a mental force, allowing Nangong to recover all of his memories from that period.

"Thank you for saving me!"

Within the domain of light, Xu Yang and Nangong's recovered soul essences were in close proximity. The two had resolved their previous animosity and were no longer adversaries, as Nangong, after regaining consciousness with Xu Yang's help, understood the full chain of events and thus naturally gained the ability to distinguish friend from foe.

Xu Yang chuckled and shook his head. "You don't need to be nervous. Within this area where we are, you and I are protected by my Law of Light. The spiritual force that originally controlled your soul world cannot enter this domain. You can speak freely to me."

Nangong gasped, and with almost no hesitation, immediately explained to Xu Yang the entire original purpose of his journey to the imperial capital to rescue Lan Ling'er.

According to him, because Lan Ling'er had been inexplicably taken away by Xu Yang's team, the Sect Master of Changyun Heavenly Sect, who was also Lan Ling'er's father, was burning with anxiety, worried that his inexperienced daughter might truly be in danger.

He directly dispatched all seven Martial Gods from the Changyun Heavenly Sect's Elder Council to rush to the imperial capital for rescue. However, they had unexpectedly been ambushed by that group of disciples shortly after entering the city.

According to Nangong, not only he but also the other six Martial God-level sect partners who came with him had all had their souls controlled by the disciples' faction using despicable methods. After learning all this, Xu Yang finally understood the situation and sneered.

"I knew it. It must be that arrogant High Priest causing trouble behind the scenes. But there's one thing I don't understand: all seven of you are Martial God-level experts, the most renowned martial artist team in the entire empire. Why were your souls so easily controlled by that group? Even with a conspiracy, controlling a Martial God-level expert in one go shouldn't be easy. Did you not resist at all?"

Nangong sighed with an embarrassed expression. "To be honest, it's all Situ 'Big Mouth's' fault. That guy is a complete gambler; his greatest lifelong passion is speculation. We originally got lost on the outskirts of the imperial palace. Everyone else suggested observing the situation, but he recklessly charged directly into the inner area of the palace, a place where the disciples' faction had already set up a very powerful ancient magic array. Once you step into it, even a Martial God-level expert, if they cannot find the array's core within a short period, will fall into a dream state after the buffer period ends."