Soul Seizure

Just a glance was enough for Gong Wushuang to sigh, "It seems this Emperor-level fighter knew his life was coming to an end. That's why he prepared this tomb for himself and even dealt with his own body in advance... It seems unlikely we'll gain much from his remains. Although he miscalculated in his final moments, failing to set several layers of restrictions, reaching this extent is no small feat..."

Indeed, to uncover secrets from a fighter's remains, the body must be relatively intact for investigation into the meridians and to deduce techniques or combat skills. But the remains before them, reduced to mere bones, revealed little. This realization made both Li Yi and Gong Wushuang shake their heads; it seemed the true treasures were already unearthed in the inner chamber.

"Let's at least give him a proper burial," Li Yi said with a frown. Hesitantly, he started to gather the scattered bones back into the coffin, including the arm resting outside, and finally, the half-lying corpse... Rubbing his hands, Li Yi reached out to place the bones down. But at that moment, a blue lightning bolt suddenly shot out from the bones, striking towards Li Yi's fingertips. The speed was so fast that, despite his desire to dodge, it was too late. The lightning surged into his body, causing him to shake violently, almost blacking out...

"Not good! Soul seizure! Boy, quickly control your consciousness! If you can't, this remnant soul will consume you, and you'll be scattered to the winds without a resting place!" The Serpent Venerable's urgent voice echoed in Li Yi's mind, helping to clear his dazed state.

"What the heck is happening..." Li Yi cursed under his breath, dumbfounded by his current situation. He found himself floating in a bizarre realm of blood-red, with vague characters shining behind him, and an endless sea of blood in front of him. It didn't feel sinister but oddly comforting. Li Yi had a hunch about what was happening...

"Kid, this is your consciousness space. The Emperor's remnant soul has driven your consciousness here. If you can't consume it, you'll never leave, and your body will belong to it! You'll become a monstrous entity," the shadowy figure of The Serpent Venerable appeared before him.

"Am I really in my consciousness space? Is this the Tianmo Jiubian (Demonic Nine Transformations)?" Li Yi looked behind him and indeed saw the words 'Demonic Nine Transformations' glowing in blood-red.

"Old Ghost, what's going on? How did this happen in just a blink..." Li Yi was interrupted by The Serpent Venerable's furious voice, "Idiot! When you were collecting items, you used fighting aura to lift them. And now, touching an Emperor's corpse directly? Those who reach the Emperor level always have contingencies, and you've touched one of the deadliest. Before dying, he fused his life's cultivation of fighting aura with his soul, hoping for another chance... But perhaps due to the long passage of time, his soul has dissipated, leaving only this remnant. This remnant soul represents his life's obsession. When you touched his body, it invaded you to seize your flesh!"

"What do I do now?" Li Yi frowned.

"What else? I can't help you here; this is the most mysterious realm, inaccessible to outsiders... But under these circumstances..." The Serpent Venerable hesitated before continuing, "If I'm not wrong, the remnant soul will soon realize it can't perfectly occupy your body and will come to consume your consciousness. If it does, Li Yi will cease to exist. But if you can consume it, not only will you survive, you might even refine his cultivation seed, advancing your technique. So, kid, life or death is up to you... This is also your fortune. Anyone else facing this situation, without the Demonic Nine Transformations, would have no choice but to await death!"

"Damn it! Here it comes! Be careful, kid!" The Serpent Venerable's voice rang out urgently. Li Yi followed the sound, seeing a blue lightning skull plunging down, its eyes filled with murderous intent, ready to devour him...

"Did I get into this mess because of this thing?" Li Yi scoffed, waving his hand to release a burst of energy, repelling the skull. But after hovering for a moment, it attacked again.

"Foolish boy! Do you think you're in a normal state? You want to use fighting aura? Use your soul power to resist, or you'll be consumed!" The Serpent Venerable's ethereal figure seemed to shout desperately.

Li Yi exhaled deeply, fixing his gaze on the voice in the void, and said firmly, "Old Ghost, enough talk, just tell me how to deal with it!"

"Damn it!" The Serpent Venerable cursed, a rare occurrence. "I forgot you don't know how to use soul power! Remember, concentrate your heart on your spirit, unite your breath with your soul... This is your consciousness space! Here, you are the space, and the space is you! If you can't defeat a mere remnant soul here, then you might as well be dead!" As he spoke, a stream of mantras on how to control and fight with consciousness flowed swiftly from The Serpent Venerable.

The Serpent Venerable, accustomed to using his soul form in battle, was far more adept at this than Li Yi, a novice. Fortunately, Li Yi was quick to understand that fighting with consciousness was similar to using fighting aura, just with a different type of energy. And more importantly, this was his own consciousness space! Li Yi's heart stirred, and he felt a familiar, intimate sensation from the blood-red aura around him... It meant... in this place, he was everything!

With this realization, Li Yi's spirit soared. Watching the rotating skull in the void, he instinctively changed his hand gestures. The previously calm sea of consciousness suddenly turned turbulent, with every part boiling in crimson energy. Sensing something, the skull roared and charged towards Li Yi's soul form with a burst of blue lightning and a flicker of red light in its hollow eyes.

"Is this what got me into trouble?" Li Yi sneered, swiftly changing his hand gestures again. An invisible barrier appeared before him, and the skull crashed against it with a loud bang. The collision sent ripples across the barrier, shaking the entire consciousness space.

With the impact, Li Yi grunted, feeling a momentary darkness before his eyes. But he gritted his teeth and intensified his focus, stabilizing the barrier. He knew all too well that physical injuries could heal, but a wounded soul was another matter entirely.

In the outside world, Li Yi stood frozen, clutching the skull with his hand, surrounded by blue lightning. Gong Wushuang watched in shock, knowing not to interfere, lest she disturb his delicate state.

Back in the consciousness space, Li Yi frowned, seeing the barrier barely holding against the skull's assault, which seemed to be devouring his soul power. "Darn it! Running like this will drain my soul power even without it attacking!" Li Yi cursed and shouted, "Old Ghost, can't you come in and help me?"

"No!" The Serpent Venerable replied urgently, "If I exert more power here, your consciousness space might burst, leaving you an idiot or worse. I don't want an idiot for a disciple!"

"What should I do now?" Li Yi yelled.

"Run, until you figure out a way..." The Serpent Venerable replied helplessly. He had heard of such situations but never experienced them. There was little he could do but watch anxiously.

As they spoke, the skull caught up again, its ferocity intensifying. The Serpent Venerable cried out, "Bad news, kid! It's regaining its memories. If you don't fight back now, you won't even have a chance to escape soon!"

Li Yi's eyelids twitched. He knew The Serpent Venerable wouldn't lie about this. Mustering his courage, he abruptly stopped fleeing. The skull too halted, and they faced each other in the blood-red void, a standoff between man and phantom...