The brainwashing process lasted for about the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense. When Xiao Yan finally withdrew his soul power from Hun Moli's spiritual sea, the once fanatically loyal Dou Zun powerhouse of the Hun Clan had undergone a complete transformation. A new set of memories had been implanted into her mind—memories that told her the man in front of her had saved her life, and that she owed him everything. He was now the man she was destined to serve with unwavering loyalty, for the rest of her life.
With his current strength, Xiao Yan found it quite taxing to brainwash someone at the level of a Dou Zun. After all, this kind of soul manipulation required the target's soul power to be significantly weaker than his own. While Hun Moli's soul power wasn't stronger than his, it had already reached the later stages of the Mortal Rank. Combined with her overwhelming advantage in Dou Qi cultivation, under normal circumstances, Xiao Yan's Spirit Rank-level soul strength would never have been enough to fully warp her memories.
Fortunately, he had the Nine Revolutions Soul Refinement Art and the Falling Heart Flame at his disposal. After burning away most of her soul force, Xiao Yan took control of her spiritual sea and only then launched the memory rewrite. To be safe, he also planted a soul mark deep within her consciousness. If anything ever went wrong in the future, all he had to do was activate the imprint, and her existence would be obliterated without mercy.
Xiao Yan had, of course, considered turning Hun Moli into a Heavenly Demon Puppet. But refining a Dou Zun-level puppet required an eighth-rank Magic Core, which he didn't currently possess. Hun Moli's armor used to contain one—but that core had been destroyed when Xiao Yan blasted her with the Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus.
So, he chose a compromise: soul control. After all, Hun Moli was a powerful Dou Zun. Having her guard Xiao Sect in his absence gave him confidence to travel to Central Plains freely in the future. Puppets, no matter how durable, couldn't use Dou Qi or Dou Techniques, and in terms of raw combat power, a living expert would always be more formidable.
And perhaps even more importantly, this marked the beginning of his revenge against Hun Dai'er. Killing her outright would be too easy—too merciful. Xiao Yan had far more elaborate plans in store for her. She would pay dearly for everything she did in his past life. He would make sure of it.
Thinking of this made Xiao Yan burst into uncontrollable laughter. The recently awakened Hun Moli—now Yuan Li—watched him with concern and asked softly, "Master Xiao Yan, are you all right?"
"I just remembered something pleasant." Xiao Yan smiled faintly at the woman who now stood before him with utmost deference. The soul imprint he had planted wasn't just for insurance—it also served a subtle hypnotic function, gradually altering her perceptions over time, making her completely obedient to his will.
In simpler terms, she had become the most loyal dog in his hands. If he ordered her to end her life right then and there, she would do so without hesitation. Of course, Xiao Yan didn't go through all that trouble just to make her perform meaningless tricks.
"We're leaving, Yuan Li," he said after sensing that his injuries had slightly improved.
Yuan Li—that was the new name Xiao Yan had given her. He despised the Hun Clan with a passion, and there was no way he would allow someone by his side to carry that surname. He had altered her memories accordingly. As far as Yuan Li was concerned, that had always been her name.
As for his so-called recovery, it was only from his perspective. When Qing Lin saw Xiao Yan return to Jia Nan Academy, drenched in blood with a deathly pale face, tears filled her eyes with worry. Xiao Yan, ever the actor, lowered his head apologetically and said to Elder Su Qian that he had failed to retrieve the Falling Heart Flame. Right after speaking those words, he dramatically collapsed and pretended to fall unconscious.
The people at Jia Nan Academy accepted Xiao Yan's story with little suspicion. Not because he was a masterful actor—but because the tale was plausible. Earth Demon Old Ghost was a seven-star Dou Zong, after all. That Xiao Yan, a mere one-star Dou Zong, could even survive such a clash was already miraculous. The evidence of his injuries only added to the credibility.
Truthfully, Xiao Yan wasn't pretending. He had indeed suffered grave injuries during his battle with Hun Moli. The explosion from the Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus alone had nearly cost him his life. If not for his emergency conjuration of a Heavenly Flame armor and the fact that his body had been refined with the Small Glazed Golden Body technique, he would've been reduced to ashes.
Thankfully, being a high-grade alchemist, he had plenty of healing pills stored in his ring. With his special physique aiding recovery, his injuries gradually healed over the span of half a month.
During that period, he was cared for by Qing Lin and Zi Yan. Qing Lin was already used to looking after him, but for Zi Yan, it was her first time doing anything like this. The little dragon girl, known for her wild and unruly behavior both in Jia Nan Academy and at Xiao Sect, had never played nursemaid to anyone. Yet, she quietly learned from Qing Lin, serious and attentive.
In Zi Yan's heart, Xiao Yan had suffered for her sake. He had only stepped in to help Jia Nan Academy because she had asked him to. If not for her request, Xiao Yan's personality would've led him to stay out of it. That he fought so hard and ended up severely injured—she blamed herself, and out of guilt, refrained from her usual antics.
As for Yuan Li, Xiao Yan kept her stationed outside the academy. Bringing her inside so suddenly would only raise questions—especially from the sharp-tongued Zi Yan. It would be troublesome to fabricate another story. More importantly, Xiao Yan wanted others to feel guilty for his injuries. If they found out he had a powerful Dou Zun servant with him, that sympathy would vanish. That simply wouldn't do.
This near-death experience also served as a powerful reminder.
His current strength was barely sufficient to handle average Dou Zuns. But the enemies he would face in the future were far more terrifying. If someone at the peak of Dou Zun, or even a Half-Saint, had appeared instead of Hun Moli, Xiao Yan wouldn't have survived.
This time, he'd been lucky. He'd grown faster than Hun Dai'er anticipated. But what about next time?
Once he entered Central Plains, it was inevitable that she would hear of his presence. And when she did, she would come prepared. Next time, his foes wouldn't just be Dou Zuns.
They'd be monsters of an entirely different league.
Which meant that from now on, Xiao Yan had to walk even more carefully.
(End of Chapter)
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