At 10 years old, the Xianzhou's full-scale purge of the Heliobus began.
Initially, it was just sporadic arrests, targeting those unlucky individuals whose anomalies couldn't be hidden.
But soon, the rumors grew tighter, searches became ubiquitous, almost everyone felt endangered, and everyone looked like they were possessed by a Heliobus.
In the streets and alleys, more Xianzhou guards patrolled, their eyes sharp, their interrogations strict.
Once, a squad of guards was searching house to house and was about to reach the dilapidated house where A Yun was hiding.
However, the Golden Threads had already transmitted their route, their conversations, and even the impatient voice of their leader.
You took a step ahead, controlling A Yun's body, and slipped into a dark alley piled with Sundries.
The rough kicking and cursing of the guards came through the thin wall, then gradually faded away.
"Phew…" You felt the intense heartbeat and fear in A Yun's body.
For you, this was more like a game of hide-and-seek where you knew the location of all traps in advance, completely effortless, even a bit boring.
Moreover, this perilous environment became your hunting ground.
The purge created a large number of injured, weakened, and even forcibly separated Heliobus remnant souls.
They were clearly marked in your Golden Threads network, with precise coordinates.
The urge to hunt began to surge, and you realized it was your turn to strike.
You drove A Yun's body, skillfully avoiding fixed and mobile patrol teams, moving through the night.
The Golden Threads were the best guide and the most concealed eyes.
Soon, you found a green light cluster that was dissipating… It was a Heliobus that had just been wounded by a Xianzhou weapon and had fled its host in a panic.
You controlled A Yun to reach out, his fingertips touching the unstable energy body.
A cold, chaotic, yet very pure energy flowed into A Yun's body through his fingertips, ultimately being greedily absorbed by you.
Like a dry sponge soaking up water, you felt your flame grow a size larger, your power more solid, and your self-awareness clearer.
This sense of growth obtained through plunder was much more efficient and satisfying than slowly drawing out A Yun's meager emotional sustenance.
You began to actively search for the next "supplement."
Devour, then devour again.
And the price of your gradual growth was, naturally, A Yun's increasingly decaying spirit and body.
He always felt cold, as if cold air was seeping out of his bones, and no amount of sleep could dispel that inexplicable fatigue.
Mental disorientation became the norm; sometimes he would stand blankly, his eyes empty, unresponsive to external calls, and wouldn't even notice drool running down his mouth.
This was because your connection with this body had been forcibly deepened after devouring your kin.
You clearly felt that the spark deep within A Yun's soul was rapidly extinguishing.
Your control over this body was increasing at an astonishing rate.
Possession progress 60%, Villain Value +50.
At 11 years old, the Xianzhou's confrontation with the Heliobus entered a new phase.
The Ministry of Industry developed more targeted weapons and sealing devices; guards holding flickering, peculiar devices could be seen on the streets, and their lethality against the Heliobus significantly improved.
The Xianzhou's counterattack made the Heliobus collective realize that relying on individual combat and possessing people merely for individual gain was useless. Under the united purge of the Xianzhou people, they also needed to gather their strength.
Through the Golden Threads, you sensed a powerful Heliobus consciousness integrating other individuals.
That consciousness, like a lighthouse in the dark, attracted scattered Heliobus to converge towards it.
You knew that was the so-called Flint Emperor.
It sounded impressive, but he was just an oversized Heliobus.
Flint Emperor's goal spread among the Heliobus collective: counterattack the Xianzhou, seize living space, and even enslave these mortals.
Under his integration, scattered Heliobus began to converge, no longer individual flames, but merging into larger, more dangerous energy aggregates.
The power of these fusions far exceeded that of a single Heliobus, bringing an unprecedented and enormous threat to the Xianzhou.
What Xianzhou Zhuming faced was no longer minor possession and usurpation disturbances, but an organized Heliobus cluster war with powerful destructive capabilities.
At the same time, A Yun's body was deteriorating; his desire for longevity, twisted into a pathological obsession by the fear of death, became his only will to live.
He was already unable to comprehend the terrifying changes happening to his body.
Under the bone-deep fear, he began to pray to you inside his body more frequently, his voice humble and trembling.
"Immortal Lord… save me… I'm so cold… I don't want to die…"
"Please… grant me the longevity you promised!"
You watched all this indifferently, even finding it somewhat amusing.
This was exactly the situation you were happy to see; this foolish mortal was actively offering everything he had.
You occasionally responded to him, using a profound, god-like tone, conveying some false comfort and empty promises, telling him that the trial was about to end and eternal life was at hand.
"Don't be afraid, child, endure this final trial, and you shall receive everything you've ever dreamed of."
The stronger A Yun's hope, the greater his emotional fluctuations, and the more abundant and delicious the "food" produced.
Each false response made him more dependent and submissive, regarding you as his only Savior.
This shell, little by little, irreversibly, completely became your puppet.
Possession progress 80%, Villain Value +50.
At 12 years old, Xianzhou's technology once again achieved a breakthrough, and its determination to deal with the Heliobus war was unprecedentedly firm.
More advanced standardized weapons were distributed, and an elite unit specifically targeting Heliobus clusters was also formed and began to be deployed on the battlefield.
The Golden Threads captured the scene of this unit gathering; they were equipped with specially made armor that could resist Heliobus attacks, held long spears that could harm Heliobus, and exuded a calm, murderous aura. Leading them was a young man with eyes as sharp as an eagle, said to be a capable subordinate of a Xianzhou general.
Their target was precisely those Heliobus clusters integrated by Flint Emperor, who were causing chaos throughout the city.
It seemed the Xianzhou high command was getting serious, preparing to solve the problem once and for all.
At 13 years old, the war fully erupted, brutal and intense, dragging the entire Xianzhou Zhuming into an abyss of blood and fire.
The once prosperous giant ship-city was now filled with flames and smoke, ruins and shattered walls.
Your Golden Threads network faithfully transmitted every detail of the battlefield, as if you were there.
Distorted illusions spread wildly through the streets, sometimes terrifying monstrous aberrations that devoured people, sometimes extremely beautiful and delightful illusions that lured people to fall and sink. This was the Heliobus's main method of eroding reality and attacking the Xianzhou people's minds.
Xianzhou soldiers fiercely battled the enormous Heliobus that had merged with multiple Heliobus; the explosions of fire tore through the night sky, never ceasing.
Buildings collapsed in swathes, and Heliobus and Xianzhou people continuously fell.
A Yun was completely exhausted… Having his life force continuously drained by you, coupled with the fear brought by the war, he completely broke down.
He could only huddle in a dark, damp corner, his consciousness blurred, hanging on by the last thread of energy you provided.
He clearly knew that he was no longer a "human."
Complete despair swallowed his last shred of sanity, making him view the "Immortal Spirit" within him, who had never truly helped him, as his only salvation.
Because besides believing in the "longevity" you promised, he had no other choice.
This body's final resistance completely dissipated, and his soul fully submitted to your will.
This feeling of thoroughly manipulating and then controlling another body, playing with its hopes and despair… was truly incomparably satisfying.
This vessel, from inside to out, from flesh to soul, was now completely, utterly, entirely yours.
Complete possession, Villain Value +100.