137: Chapter 137 A captivating and alluring beauty! Ugh~

When Gongye Hong's Divine Soul transformed into a stream of light and crazily rushed into the center of Zhou Liangan's brows, he was still harboring dreams of leaping over the Dragon gate.

He had even rehearsed in his mind the scene after a successful Possession: using this ten-thousand-year rare Human Emperor Physique to wash away the decaying Death Qi in his Origin, regain three thousand years of Lifespan, Breakthrough to the ninth stage of the Enlightenment Realm in one go, secure the position of a Human Race councilor, and lead the Gongye Family to the absolute Peak of the Star Domain. In his eyes, a Ningshen Realm junior who hadn't even touched the Enlightenment Realm must have a Divine Soul sea as fragile as paper. His eighth-stage Enlightenment Realm Divine Soul entering it would be no different from a tiger entering a sheep pen; Possession would be a matter of minutes.

But the moment his Divine Soul completely broke into Zhou Liangan's sea of Divine Sense and saw the scene before him, Gongye Hong froze, his entire soul light trembling crazily.

The small, weak, and vulnerable Divine Soul sea he had imagined did not exist at all.

Before him was a vast, boundless golden space. Mysterious Laws flowed across the firmament, and in the very center of this space stood an unimaginably magnificent, ancient giant tower.

The tower had nine levels, each engraved with dense soul-suppressing runes. As golden light flowed, a terrifying pressure that suppressed the heavens and crushed Divine Souls surged toward him like a tsunami.

Merely being brushed by this pressure caused Gongye Hong's Divine Soul to feel a heart-wrenching, lung-splitting pain, and his soul body began to faintly dissipate.

"No!!! The soul suppressing tower! This is the ancient Divine Artifact, the soul suppressing tower!!!"

A shrill, extreme cry of alarm erupted from Gongye Hong's mouth, filled with bone-chilling fear and disbelief. The high spirits and sense of certainty he had just felt instantly vanished, leaving only overwhelming despair.

He couldn't understand how a mere Ningshen Realm junior could hide an ancient Divine Artifact of this level in his Divine Soul sea!

This was simply contrary to all reason!

Just as he was terrified and wanted to turn and flee from this Divine Soul sea, a faint figure slowly condensed and took shape across from him.

Zhou Liangan's actual Divine Soul looked at Gongye Hong, whose soul body was trembling before him, with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. A playful curve hooked at the corner of his mouth as he spoke slowly: "Old thing, finally realized it? Weren't you quite imposing when you barged in just now?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Gongye Hong's already dimming soul body, the mockery in his tone growing thicker: "Speaking of which, that flower-like, jade-pure beauty of yours outside, Second Miss Liu Meiyan, is truly stunning. Her figure and face are top-tier. You've already got half your body in the grave, at the end of your tether, yet you can really resist not touching her? Leaving such a great beauty to sleep alone in an empty room, what a pity."

These words were like a sharp knife, ruthlessly stabbing at Gongye Hong's sore spot.

Years ago, he had suffered Qi Deviation, and his Origin was eroded by the Qi of decay. Not to mention relations between men and women, even maintaining his cultivation was a struggle; he had long been powerless.

But having this shameful matter exposed in public by Zhou Liangan made him both ashamed and angry, though mostly he felt a fear that seeped into his very bones.

Looking at the soul suppressing tower before him, which constantly exuded terrifying pressure, he knew better than anyone that in front of this ancient Divine Artifact, his bit of Divine Soul power was simply insignificant.

Fighting hard was a path to death; the only way to survive was to beg Zhou Liangan to spare him.

Gongye Hong's pupils contracted violently, his eyes staring fixedly at Zhou Liangan. His previous arrogance had vanished, and his tone carried a hint of humble fawning as he hurriedly spoke: "Your Excellency! Your Excellency, let's talk this over! Isn't it just a woman! If you like Second Miss Liu Meiyan, I will give her to you right now! Do whatever you want with her!"

Fearing that Zhou Liangan wouldn't be tempted, he hurriedly threw out chips, his soul body trembling incessantly from excitement and fear: "And! The core quota for my Gongye Family to participate in the councilor competition, I will give it all to you! And my daughter Gongye Peining, the one who tricked you into coming in, she's pretty enough, right? I will also give her to Your Excellency! Whatever you want her to do, she must do!"

"As long as Your Excellency is willing to withdraw the soul suppressing tower today and spare my life, all of the Gongye Family's resources, Spiritual Veins, Cultivation Techniques, and Magic Treasures will be yours! I can even lead the entire Gongye Family to serve Your Excellency as our master! I beg you, give me a chance!"

Gongye Hong was truly afraid. He had painstakingly reached the eighth stage of the Enlightenment Realm, only one step away from the Peak. He did not want to end up with his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering like this, without even a chance for Reincarnation.

To survive, he could cast aside all dignity, face, and Family interests.

But before he could finish speaking, the soul suppressing tower standing in the center of the Divine Soul sea suddenly emitted a deafening hum.

The tower body slowly rose from the ground, and with a terrifying might like Mount Tai pressing down, it ruthlessly suppressed Gongye Hong's Divine Soul.

"Hum—!"

Golden light flooded the sky, and the entire Divine Soul sea trembled along with it.

Gongye Hong was scared out of his wits. He desperately circulated the Dao of Yin and Yang he had cultivated his whole life. The Yin-Yang Energy within his body surged out crazily. Two streams of air, one black and one white, coiled rapidly around his Divine Soul, barely condensing into a Yin-Yang Dao Diagram flowing with Laws, blocking it above his head as he tried to resist the soul suppressing tower head-on.

"Clang!!!"

The soul suppressing tower smashed heavily onto the Yin-Yang Dao Diagram, emitting a loud sound like metal clashing against metal.

Gongye Hong's Divine Soul instantly felt a tearing pain, and he let out a shrill scream. His entire being was knocked flying backward, his soul body dimming significantly. The Yin-Yang Dao Diagram, which condensed his life's cultivation, was instantly covered in dense cracks, looking as if it were about to shatter.

He knew better than anyone that this was just a futile struggle.

The soul suppressing tower was an ancient Divine Artifact, specifically designed to restrain Divine Souls. Not to mention that he was now at the end of his tether, even if he were at his Peak, facing this soul suppressing tower, he would only be beaten soundly.

What made him even more desperate was that while the soul suppressing tower suppressed him, the runes on the tower body lit up, forming a huge golden vortex that began to crazily devour the vast and boundless Soul Power within his body.

That Devouring Power was overbearing to the extreme. He couldn't stop it at all and could only watch helplessly as the Soul Power he had painstakingly cultivated for nearly a thousand years was sucked away by the soul suppressing tower like a tide. Then, after being refined within the tower, it was transformed into the purest, ownerless Origin Soul Power, continuously pouring into Zhou Liangan's actual Divine Soul.

Meanwhile, Zhou Liangan stood not far away, clearly feeling his own Divine Soul, nourished by this vast Soul Power, continuously growing and solidifying at a terrifying speed.

The Divine Soul power, which was originally only at the Ningshen Realm level, was now skyrocketing crazily. In the blink of an eye, it broke through the shackles of the Ningshen Realm and soared all the way up.

It advanced triumphantly, and even the threshold of the Enlightenment Realm was faintly loosening.

This sensation of his Divine Soul rapidly improving was simply more satisfying than anything else.

Zhou Liangan was grinning from ear to ear inside; this Gongye Hong was simply a great living Bodhisattva.

First, he delivered two hot-bodied beauties with special Physiques, and now he actually delivered himself to the door, using the Divine Soul he had painstakingly cultivated for thousands of years to serve as nourishment for him, strengthening his Divine Soul. Such a good thing would be hard to find even with a lantern.

For such a good person, Zhou Liangan naturally had to "entertain him well."

He wouldn't let Gongye Hong die so easily. He wanted this old thing to feel, bit by bit, the extreme pain of his Divine Soul being ground away and devoured, making him pay the most painful price for his schemes.

Zhou Liangan crossed his arms and stood not far away, looking at Gongye Hong—who was being crazily devoured by the soul suppressing tower and whose soul body was becoming increasingly dim—with a smile that wasn't quite a smile. With a thick sense of playfulness on his face, he spoke slowly: "Oh? These chips you mentioned sound quite good, and they really do make me feel a bit tempted. Fine, let me think about it carefully, whether I should really let you go."

As he spoke, he really furrowed his brows, putting on an appearance of serious contemplation, even raising a hand to rub his chin, looking hesitant.

Gongye Hong, who was desperately resisting the soul suppressing tower and was already unable to hold on much longer, heard these words and instantly felt as if he had grasped the last straw of hope.

He abruptly raised his head. In his eyes, which had previously been dim and lusterless, a strong light of hope instantly ignited. He hurriedly looked at Zhou Liangan and spoke urgently: "Your Excellency! Your Excellency, rest assured! My Gongye Family is a meritorious Family of the Human Race, with a Legacy of over ten thousand years, and has always been true to its word and firm in its actions! As long as Your Excellency spares me this time, my Gongye Family will surely exhaust everything to repay Your Excellency's great kindness! There will absolutely be no going back on it!"

While speaking, he desperately urged his remaining Soul Power to resist the devouring of the soul suppressing tower, but even so, his soul body still became transparent at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the short time it took to say a few sentences, it had already dimmed by nearly thirty percent, and even the outline of his Divine Soul was about to blur.

Zhou Liangan lifted his eyelids and swept a glance at him with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, then spoke slowly: "That is indeed what you say. But the problem is, I am only a mere Ningshen Realm junior, with low cultivation and no strength to truss a chicken. If I let you go now, and you turn around and go back on your word after you get out, bringing all the experts of the Gongye Family to surround and kill me, wouldn't I be dead? I dare not do such a losing business."

Upon hearing this, Gongye Hong almost cried out in anxiety. He hurriedly looked at Zhou Liangan and swore with extreme seriousness: "Your Excellency, rest assured! I will absolutely not go back on my word! I can make the supreme vow to the Heavenly Dao right now! If I have even the slightest intention of retaliating against Your Excellency after I escape today, may I be destroyed by the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, my Divine Soul scattered, and never be able to enter Reincarnation for all eternity!"

As he spoke, he was about to immediately trigger the Laws of the Heavenly Dao to make the vow.

But no matter how fast his actions were, they could not be faster than the devouring of the soul suppressing tower. Another wave of vast Soul Power was sucked away by the soul suppressing tower. Gongye Hong's soul body trembled violently, and he let out a painful muffled groan. His entire aura instantly withered by more than half, and he almost had no strength left to speak.

Zhou Liangan looked at his disheveled appearance, sneering repeatedly in his heart, but his face remained in that hesitant expression. He added slowly: "Even if you make a Heavenly Dao vow, so what? You making a vow can only restrain yourself; it doesn't mean the entire Gongye Family won't make a move against me. After you die, the people of the Gongye Family can still seek revenge on me. I can't just live my days in constant fear because of your words, right?"

At these words, Gongye Hong froze instantly.

He snapped his head up, staring fixedly at Zhou Liangan. The hope that had filled his eyes was slowly replaced by cold despair and rage.

No matter how stupid he was, he realized the truth now—Zhou Liangan never intended to let him go. He had been playing with him from the very beginning, deliberately dragging out the conversation just to buy time for the soul suppressing tower to slowly grind away his Divine Soul!

"Kid! Are you fucking playing with me?!" Gongye Hong's voice became incomparably ferocious, and his Divine Soul twisted wildly with rage. "You never intended to let me go from the start! You were just stalling for time, wanting this soul suppressing tower to completely grind away my Divine Soul, right?!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Liangan was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter. The laughter echoed throughout the entire sea of Divine Soul, filled with mockery and satisfaction: "Hahaha! Not bad, not bad! You old thing, you still have some brains after all, not stupid to the point of being hopeless. That's right, I am playing with you, what can you do about it?"

He took two steps forward, looking down from above at Gongye Hong, whose soul body was on the verge of collapsing. His eyes were filled with cold disdain: "From the moment you had your daughter scheme against me, you should have expected this outcome. Want to perform Possession on my Human Emperor Physique? Why don't you take a piss and look at your reflection? You old thing with half a foot in the grave, are you even worthy?"

Hearing this, Gongye Hong's expression became incredibly ugly. His eyes turned blood-red, filled with bloodshot veins, and he fell into a state of hysterical madness.

He knew he was doomed to die today. Since he couldn't survive, he would drag this kid down with him even if it meant death!

"You little bastard! How dare you play with me like this!!" Gongye Hong let out a deafening roar, and a blinding, extreme black and white light erupted from his body. "Today, even if I have to face Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering and die here, I will drag you down with me, you little bastard!!"

He had actually chosen to burn all of his remaining Divine Soul Origin!

The power of an Enlightenment Realm eighth-stage expert burning their Divine Soul was terrifying to the extreme.

The Yin-Yang Energy around him surged wildly, slowly condensing in the void into a vast, boundless Yin-Yang Dao Diagram containing the Origin of the Yin and Yang Dao.

On the Dao Diagram, the black and white fish swirled continuously. A terrifying aura of destruction erupted, slamming fiercely into the soul suppressing tower, intending to perish together with it and, in the process, shatter Zhou Liangan's entire sea of Divine Soul!

Seeing this, Zhou Liangan just sneered, a flash of deep disdain in his eyes, his tone full of contempt: "At death's door, and you still want to launch a desperate counterattack? It is simply laughable and foolish to the extreme!"

As his voice fell, he didn't even move much, just waved his hand casually.

The next moment, the soul suppressing tower suppressing Gongye Hong's head instantly erupted with golden light. The ten-thousand-foot golden light, like a sun, illuminated the entire sea of Divine Soul.

The countless soul-suppressing inscriptions engraved on the tower body came alive, transforming into streams of golden divine light that connected heaven and earth. Like a meteor shower, they descended with a terrifying power that crushed everything, slamming down onto Gongye Hong and the Yin-Yang Dao Diagram.

"Boom!!!"

The divine inscriptions slammed into the Yin-Yang Dao Diagram. Almost instantly, the diagram, which had condensed all of Gongye Hong's Divine Soul Origin, shattered like glass into countless fragments. The scattered Yin-Yang Energy didn't even last a single breath before being completely crushed and swallowed by the golden light.

"Ah—!!!"

Gongye Hong let out a heart-wrenching, agonizing wail. His entire soul body was instantly pierced by the golden light, covered in countless cracks. The little bit of Soul Power he had left poured out like a floodgate, being completely swallowed by the soul suppressing tower.

At this moment, he no longer had any of the prestige of an Enlightenment Realm eighth-stage expert, nor the hysterical madness from before. Only fear and despair deep into his marrow remained.

He looked at Zhou Liangan, his soul body trembling continuously. He made intermittent pleas, his voice shaking: "Let me go... I beg you... let me go this time... no matter what conditions you propose... I can agree to them... I beg you... please..."

He had been completely crushed. All dignity and pride were gone, leaving only the most humble begging.

But Zhou Liangan just looked at him coldly, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth, speaking slowly: "Let you go? No need. Because once your Divine Soul is ground away, everything you possess—your woman, your daughter, your Family, your wealth—will all be mine."

He paused, his tone becoming even more playful: "Rest assured, Second Miss Liu Meiyan, and your good daughter Gongye Peining, I will enjoy them well for you. The things you cannot protect, I will protect for you. You can go in peace."

These words completely shattered Gongye Hong's last line of psychological defense.

He widened his eyes, bloodshot veins filling them, staring fixedly at Zhou Liangan. Using his last ounce of strength, he let out a hysterical roar: "You little bastard! You will die a horrible death! Even as a ghost, I won't let you go!!"

But before his curses could finish, the soul suppressing tower hummed again, and the golden light instantly engulfed his soul body completely. Amidst a shrill scream, Gongye Hong's Enlightenment Realm eighth-stage Divine Soul was completely refined and ground away by the soul suppressing tower, leaving not even a trace of a remnant soul.

All the Soul Power he had painstakingly cultivated for nearly a thousand years was converted into the purest Origin power, completely merging into Zhou Liangan's Divine Soul.

In an instant, Zhou Liangan felt an unprecedented, terrifying power erupt within his Divine Soul.

Nourished by this majestic power, his Divine Soul became incredibly solid and formidable. His Soul Power surged dozens of times over, not falling behind even Enlightenment Realm seventh or eighth-stage experts!

Awesome!

Zhou Liangan couldn't help but let out a low cry in his heart; this was an absolute profit.

Outside, in the secret land.

Gongye Peining's beautiful almond eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Zhou Liangan, who was closing his eyes. Her face was full of undisguised anxiety and unease.

She had been waiting here for nearly the time it takes to burn an incense stick. According to her expectations, with her father's Enlightenment Realm eighth-stage cultivation, performing Possession on a Ningshen Realm junior should have been a matter of minutes, but now, so much time had passed, and there was no movement at all.

She couldn't help but turn to look at Second Miss Liu Meiyan beside her, lowering her voice, her tone full of confusion and nervousness: "Aunt Liu, something is wrong. Why hasn't Father succeeded in the Possession yet? Is this kid's Soul Power really that strong? Does it require so much effort even for Father?"

Second Miss Liu Meiyan stood to the side, her long dress fluttering in the wind, her figure graceful, beautiful, and moving.

But at this moment, a barely perceptible strange look floated in her soul-captivating beautiful eyes.

Her Divine Sense was firmly locked onto Zhou Liangan, and she could perceive with absolute clarity that the Soul Power fluctuations radiating from Zhou Liangan were surging wildly at a terrifying speed.

That fluctuation was becoming increasingly terrifying and vast. By now, even she, an Enlightenment Realm seventh-stage Cultivator, felt a sense of dread and unease rising from the bottom of her heart.

Second Miss Liu Meiyan parted her red lips slightly, speaking in an still-calm tone: "This child's Divine Soul power is indeed not weak, far surpassing Cultivators of the same rank. Ah Hong might have encountered a small problem and needs to put in a little more effort."

"What?" Hearing this, Gongye Peining panicked instantly, clenching her pink fists unconsciously, her beautiful eyes full of seriousness. "Father is an Enlightenment Realm eighth-stage expert! To encounter trouble while performing Possession on a kid who hasn't even reached the Enlightenment Realm? Could it be... could something have gone wrong?"

She was truly scared. She had set up this trap herself, and she had personally tricked the person into coming in. If anything happened to her father, she would be the first one unable to escape.

Looking at her flustered appearance, Second Miss Liu Meiyan chuckled, shook her head slightly, reached out to pat her hand, and comforted her: "Alright, don't scare yourself. Ah Hong carries our Gongye Family's clan-protecting soul treasure. Even if this kid is a bit strange, he won't be able to make any waves. This Possession will definitely succeed, just wait with peace of mind."

At these words, Gongye Peining finally breathed a sigh of relief, and her hanging heart eased a little.

That's true, her father is an Enlightenment Realm eighth-stage expert with a soul treasure to protect him. How could he possibly fall into the hands of a Ningshen Realm junior?

She must have been overthinking it.

But before she could even fully catch her breath, a sudden change occurred!

Not far away, Zhou Liangan, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly opened them!

In an instant, a brilliant golden light shot out from his eyes. A terrifying Divine Soul pressure, like a tsunami, swept out from his body, instantly enveloping the entire secret land.

This pressure was too formidable. Even Second Miss Liu Meiyan, an Enlightenment Realm seventh-stage expert, felt her breath hitch, and the hairs on her body stood up. Gongye Peining turned pale, couldn't help but step back half a step, and could barely stand steady.

Feeling the surging power within his body, Zhou Liangan tilted his head back and let out a hearty laugh. His figure flashed, turning into a streak of light that was fast to the extreme, appearing instantly beside Second Miss Liu Meiyan.

Before Second Miss Liu Meiyan could react, he reached out and wrapped his arm around her slender yet voluptuous waist. With his palm pressed against her soft waist, feeling the delicate touch, he lowered his head and chuckled in her ear, his tone full of overbearing flirtatiousness: "Baby, don't just stand there. Come, accompany me inside, help me stabilize my Divine Soul, and by the way, improve my cultivation."

Second Miss Liu Meiyan froze for a moment, then reacted.

Second Miss Liu Meiyan snuggled into Zhou Liangan's arms, and a seductive blush instantly climbed onto her fair, delicate, and pretty face...

PS: The image shows Second Miss Liu Meiyan.