After that, he had been searching nonstop for a suitable host body, hoping to seize it and reclaim his former glory. Unfortunately, he had never found one he liked among the mediocre talents of the realm. That was until Song Jing awakened his consciousness and made him aware of Song Wanníng's existence. She was someone an entire world, the Mùsù star system, wanted dead. There had to be something extraordinary about her to earn such a high price.
Once he finally met her and saw her young age and the depth of her cultivation, he knew his guess had been right. Only a host like this was worthy of him. A greenish, eerie glow flickered in the white-haired man's eyes, filled with naked aggression that seemed to pierce through her golden mindscape.
Hearing all this, Song Wanníng laughed outright, the sound echoing through her sea of consciousness. She found his confidence almost impressive. She shook her head lightly. "I thought invaders were the real threat. Who would have guessed that a local ghost was the most ambitious?"
"But you have only been thinking about finding an excellent host," she continued. "Did you ever think about why I became a thorn in the Mùsù star system's side in the first place? Aren't you afraid that after seizing me, you will end up becoming its next target?"
Her brows lifted slightly. She spoke without the slightest hint of urgency. That reaction caught him off guard and made him uneasy, his spiritual form flickering like a guttering candle.
"Hmph, so what if I become a thorn in its side? I've got plenty of ways to survive!" he shouted. "Those invaders are so stupid they're not even worthy opponents!" He had clawed his way through the cutthroat cultivation world for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. How old were those invaders, really, in comparison to his ancient soul? Take Song Jing for example.
He had transmigrated at just a few dozen years old and died before even hitting forty. What did that count for in the grand cycle of immortality? As for their scheming, they were laughably incompetent. In his eyes, the Mùsù star system itself was a joke, not worth mentioning at all. Of course he wasn't afraid of such a clumsy entity.
"Pfft." Song Wanníng couldn't help laughing and nodded along. "You have really thought this through." Not every invader was as naive as Song Jing, yet the white-haired man assumed they all were. That kind of thinking was childish, but she didn't correct him. Still, the invaders from the lower realms did seem more cautious. The ones she had met in the Immortal Realm felt more like they had been hastily thrown in by the Mùsù star system during a moment of panic.
No, to be precise, there probably weren't many living beings left in that star system. It didn't have many choices left for hosts. Maybe it hadn't expected to decline so fast. Otherwise, these people would have been sent over long ago to prepare the way.
"Song Wanníng, stop resisting. Even if I'm just a remnant soul, I was a Daluo Jinxian in life!" He stared at her coldly, his form expanding until he loomed over her golden soul. "If you're willing to hand over this body voluntarily, I can preserve your Primordial Soul and find you another host in the future! But if you insist on resisting, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As he spoke, the power of his Primordial Soul began to spread, a grey mist rolling over her golden consciousness. Her gaze sharpened, a mocking smile lifting her lips. "If you were really that powerful, would you still be wasting time talking to me? I would like to see just how impressive a Daluo Jinxian really is!"
Her expression darkened. In the next instant, two kinds of flames surged up around the borders of her sea of consciousness. The Shenyou Mystic Flame and Red Lotus Karma Fire formed a blazing wall, completely cutting off his path of escape. He let out a cold laugh, the ridicule in his eyes deepening as he prepared his strike. "Then let us see who gets the last laugh!" With that, he charged at her with full confidence.
He had not lied about his past. In life, he truly had been a Daluo Jinxian, only to fall unexpectedly in a secret realm. Later, Song Jing's body had carried his essence out, leading to everything that followed. That was why his Primordial Soul was far stronger than any early Dixian's should be.
In his mind, there was no suspense in seizing her body. She would be devoured, plain and simple. He stared with violent intent as he lunged at her Primordial Soul, snapping his jaws shut as if to swallow her whole.
Just as he was about to make contact, a bolt of divine thunder struck down from the golden ceiling of her mind. In a single clash, his Primordial Soul dimmed by nearly a third, sparks of violet lightning dancing across his form. He screamed in pain and retreated to a corner without thinking, shock flooding his eyes. "Why is there divine thunder in your sea of consciousness?" He froze for a moment, his surprise turning into a rage. "You tricked me!" All that talking had just been to toy with him while she prepared the trap.
"Tsk, I didn't say anything though. You didn't ask whether I had divine thunder, did you?" Song Wanníng shrugged innocently. As for being seized, she wasn't afraid in the slightest. With divine thunder protecting her, who could seize her body? Forget a Daluo Jinxian. Even a Hunyuan Daluo Jinxian wouldn't stand a chance against the lightning of the Heavenly Dao.
She didn't waste any more words and drove the divine thunder seed to keep striking at him. He didn't dare confront it head-on. His fury twisted his face, yet he couldn't do a thing to reach her. In the end, he was forced to flee around the golden space in misery, screaming in pain as each bolt singed his essence. He tried to rush out of the sea of consciousness to escape back into the physical world, but the Shenyou Mystic Flame and Red Lotus Karma Fire stood guard. The moment he touched the boundaries, the searing pain made him shudder. The two strange flames sealed the area completely, leaving no gap to slip through. He panicked.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jin planted his hands on his hips and laughed loudly, his voice booming through the mental space. "You dare try to seize Sister's body without asking whether we agree?" The little ones all rushed at him from the shadows of her mind, each of them furious at his intrusion.
Before long, he was beaten into utter despair by the coordinated assault. His Primordial Soul was nearly transparent now, a pale ghost of its former self. One more strike of divine thunder and he would be annihilated on the spot.
He hurriedly shouted, "Wait! As long as you spare my life, I will tell you about a secret realm. It is full of treasures!" By now, he had completely given up on seizing her body. He only wanted to survive as a fragment. Even finding some random host would do. He didn't dare have any designs on her anymore.
Unfortunately for him, that realization came far too late. She had no intention of letting a tiger return to the mountains where it could recover. Her lips curved coldly. "Even if I kill you, I will still know your secrets. In my sea of consciousness, you can't even self-destruct." She shattered his last shred of hope and lunged straight at him.
It was obvious she intended to devour his Primordial Soul and seize his memories. His expression changed drastically. He cursed inwardly and then charged at her like a madman. If death was inevitable, he might as well fight to the end. The two Primordial Souls tore into each other, but after being struck by divine thunder, his energy was almost completely gone. How could he possibly be her match? In just a moment, he let out a final, agonizing scream and was completely devoured.
A Daluo Jinxian's Primordial Soul was a massive boon for any cultivator. Her Primordial Soul surged in strength, growing far more powerful and radiant than before. At the same time, his memories flooded into her mind like a torrential river. After reviewing his entire life, she felt a flicker of surprise at the sheer scale of his experiences.
No wonder he had looked down on Song Jing's body. In life, he had been a genius among geniuses, a star that had outshone all his peers. Everything had gone smoothly for him since he began his path. His name was known throughout the entire Immortal Realm for his feats and his cultivation speed.
But geniuses were often arrogant, believing themselves invincible. By chance, he had obtained a map pointing to an ancient secret realm. Young and fearless, he had gone there eagerly, certain he would find legendary treasures that would propel him to the next stage. Who would have thought he would never come back, dying unwillingly in that trapped place?
Because of that failure, he had never been able to let go of his worldly ambitions. He had searched desperately for a host body, waiting for the right moment to seize one and return to the world's stage. As for ordinary hosts, he truly had not thought much of them at all, viewing them as nothing more than temporary vessels for his grand return.