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Zhang Lexuan's pupils trembled slightly as she struggled to process what was happening. Before she could find her focus, another shrill scream pierced the air. Not far away, a member of her team was surrounded by several Moon-Eating Silver Wolves.
Their cries of agony seemed to go on forever, echoing through the dark forest. Zhang Lexuan stared blankly at the chaos, feeling a deep sense of despair rise within her heart. It felt like a cold weight she could not lift.
At that moment, the Moon-Eating Silver Wolf King raised its massive head and let out a long howl. The sound was filled with intense mental pressure. It felt like a heavy hammer striking Zhang Lexuan's mind with brute force.
In an instant, the floodgates of her sealed memories burst open. She recalled that terrible night from her childhood, the towering flames that consumed her home, and the desperate, pained eyes of her parents. Everything from her past overlapped with the hell-like scene before her eyes.
Rage surged in her chest like a volcano about to erupt. With her level of cultivation, she really should have been able to break through the influence of the mental attack. However, all the emotions she had suppressed over the years chose this moment to explode. She thought about the cold looks and accusations from her peers in the inner courtyard.
She remembered the shock and pain she felt when she discovered the dark side of the academy. She felt the powerlessness of wanting to change things but facing too much resistance. All the pressure from the high expectations placed upon her shattered the last pillar of strength in her heart.
She felt so powerless. She had been unable to protect her parents, and she had been unable to change the academy. Now, she could not even protect her teammates who were fighting right beside her. She felt like she could not accomplish anything at all.
Complete despair drowned her consciousness like a cold tide, washing away all her physical strength. Tears rolled down her face, mixing with the blood and dust on her skin before dripping onto the ground. She felt completely helpless. She wondered if anyone could save her.
A hint of mockery flashed in the intelligent eyes of the Moon-Eating Silver Wolf King. It locked onto Zhang Lexuan, seeing that she was the strongest human but also the one whose will had been shattered. It did not hesitate any longer.
Its massive body turned into a silver lightning bolt as it charged. Its sharp claws aimed directly for her head, and the shadow of death covered her.
Zhang Lexuan watched the claws get bigger and bigger, but her body was too stiff to move. She felt just like she did on that powerless night when she was a child. She stayed rooted to the spot, ready to accept her fate.
Suddenly, a gentle and calm voice sounded right in her ear. It asked if she was already giving up. Zhang Lexuan was dazed, but her crumbling mind regained a tiny bit of clarity.
She shifted her gaze to the side and saw a slender young man who had appeared out of nowhere. A faint silver glow flowed around his body. His handsome face looked exactly like the young man she remembered from the competition. She recognized him instantly.
Kong Mingan's gaze was calm. He did not even look at Zhang Lexuan at first. He raised his hand, and a sword made of ice appeared out of thin air. It was condensed from Extreme Ice and snow. He thrust the sword forward to block the attack. There was a loud clang as the Moon-Eating Silver Wolf King's claws hit the blade.
Those claws were powerful enough to tear through metal, but the ice sword held firm. Immediately after, an extreme chill spread from the sword. It was so cold it felt like it could freeze a Soul. The chill covered the wolf king's body, turning it into a giant ice sculpture.
After stopping the beast, Kong Mingan finally turned to look at Zhang Lexuan. He raised an eyebrow and spoke with a hint of helplessness. He asked why she didn't call him, since he had told her he would come if she did.
Kong Mingan viewed Zhang Lexuan as a very useful part of his plan to infiltrate Shrek. He didn't want her to die because it would be a waste of his efforts.
Zhang Lexuan was completely lost. She looked at the young man, and her pupils trembled. She tried to say something, but her throat felt blocked. She couldn't make any sound at all. Kong Mingan did not wait for her to answer.
He looked back at the ice sculpture. Cracks were spreading across its surface very quickly. It was clear the Moon-Eating Silver Wolf King was about to break free.
He noted that it was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast. Because he was using an incarnation of energy projected from a distance, he lacked his full power. It was easy for him to bully Spirit Beasts below that level, but a true Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beast was a bit more troublesome.
A trace of annoyance appeared on his face. Kong Mingan thought for a moment and then turned back to Zhang Lexuan. He extended his hand and gave her a calm order to give him her hand.
Zhang Lexuan paused for a second. It felt like she was grasping onto a lifeline. She instinctively obeyed and placed her blood-stained hand into his palm. The next moment, a vast amount of spirit power and mental force surged into her body.
It felt like a sea of energy intertwining with her own power. She wondered if this was a Spirit Fusion Ability. Then, his voice sounded directly in her mind, telling her not to resist and to leave everything to him.
His tone was firm, but she did not mind. Her spirit and body did not fight him at all. Even before she could think about it, she let go of all resistance. She surrendered complete control of her body to him. Deep down, she was yearning for this.
She wanted someone to do the things she was afraid to do. She wanted someone to make the hard decisions for her so she wouldn't feel so confused. She actually wanted to be dominated.
Zhang Lexuan's consciousness became like an observer watching from the inside. Under her gaze, her body stood up from the ground. Her eyes, which had been full of tears and despair, were now calm and cold. A silver-white data stream flashed deep in her eyes and then disappeared. Her posture became steady. The aura coming from her still felt like her own, but the person inside was different.
Kong Mingan, now controlling her body, complained to himself that her chest felt very heavy. He had chosen to act in her form to make things easier later, but he was not used to it yet. Since Zhang Lexuan was not resisting, he was able to adapt to her body very quickly. He looked at the wolf king and asked his mental system how much spirit power was left in the body.
A mechanical voice in his mind answered that the spirit power was at sixty-eight percent. Kong Mingan nodded slightly, thinking that it was enough to get the job done. He looked at the Moon-Eating Silver Wolf King in the distance.
He felt a bit of regret that he couldn't take the materials from the beast easily, but he was also eager to try a new experiment. He said that for a one-time test, it should be enough. Then, Kong Mingan slowly raised his hand to begin.