Chapter 736: Side Story 2: Struggle

Zhang Jiao'e's shouting gradually faded, and I felt a sudden chill in my lower abdomen as the Coffin Nail returned to its place.

Zhang Jiao'e finally vanished in smoke and ashes.

In the Nine Abyss Deep Abyss, the light gradually dimmed.

At that moment, I saw Zhao Zixun's physical body tremble, his entire upper body leaning forward a bit.

On his back, at some unknown time, a black shadow had appeared.

Then came a second, a third...

As one black shadow after another pressed onto Zhao Zixun's back, his upper body leaned more and more; soon, his entire upper body seemed about to be pressed flat onto the ground.

And those black shadows did not fly in from outside.

At first I thought they had appeared out of nowhere, but after observing them for a while I realized those black shadows were actually bursting out from inside his body!

Those dozens of black shadows were clearly ghosts.

Moreover, ghosts kept pouring out endlessly from Zhao Zixun's body.

What is going on?

Who can tell me what exactly happened?

Just now the heavenly thunder struck down; such a heavy heavenly punishment, even I, a ghost that has been refined, must avoid its edge, let alone these ghosts.

So, in fact, from the moment I faced Zhang Jiao'e and felt the Yin Cold Qi coming from behind, Zhao Zixun was already in this state?

After the heavenly punishment began, did they hide inside Zhao Zixun's body because they were afraid?

How did they manage that?

Could it be because... the shattering of his battle soul caused some flaw in his physical body?

Over the past hundred years or so, Zhao Zixun's physical body has been imprisoned in this Nine Abyss Deep Abyss, and yet it has been invaded and parasitized bit by bit by souls?

In just a short while, the souls bursting out from Zhao Zixun's physical body numbered over a hundred.

Moreover, souls continued to burst out.

Looking at Zhao Zixun's physical body now crushed under pressure, I could feel his pain.

I could no longer bear it; I lifted my foot and rushed toward Zhao Zixun.

As I walked, I gathered ghost power in my hand and struck at those souls on Zhao Zixun's back.

But before I could get close, Zhao Zixun suddenly turned his head and roared at me: "Get lost!"

That roar shook heaven and earth, making my soul essence tremble.

A powerful ghost force surged toward me, and I could barely resist it.

And Zhao Zixun's gaze aimed at me was gloomy and bloodthirsty, as if poisoned.

His entire demeanor had changed, as if he no longer recognized me somewhat.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say many things to him, to ask how I could help him.

But my voice became hoarse, as if a hand were pinching my throat; I stared blankly for a while before managing to say: "Zhao Zixun..."

"Get lost!"

Another fierce roar.

This time, I heard a bloodthirsty killing intent in his roar.

But the next instant, his head was forcibly pressed down, thudding onto the ground.

He remained like that, forehead pressed to the ground, his head dangling, motionless.

As if he were dead.

"Zhao Zixun..."

I lifted my foot and took two steps forward, then saw the souls on his back quickly burrowing back into his body.

In the blink of an eye they vanished completely.

It was as if everything I had just seen were an illusion.

Zhao Zixun woke up, sat upright, and when he turned his head to look at me, there was no trace of the earlier ferocity left on him.

He reached out his hand and gently said, "Wanwan, come here, let me hold you tightly; after all these years, I've missed you so much..."

I knew clearly in my heart that the Zhao Zixun before me was not right.

I also knew that, under the influence of those souls, he was likely trying to devour my soul essence.

Yet I felt no fear, nor did I hesitate; I stepped toward him one step at a time.

I also longed to embrace him, I also missed him deeply.

If devouring me could truly restore his battle soul, I would be willing; I have never wavered on that.

Just as I reached out, wanting to place my hand in his palm, a dark aura suddenly rose around Zhao Zixun's body, and that fierce aura appeared again.

He backhanded a palm, pushing me away again, and roared at me: "Get lost!"

When that dark aura once again sank back into Zhao Zixun's body, his state shifted again: "Wanwan, come..."

He was struggling.

He was contending with the souls inside him.

The lucid Zhao Zixun wanted to push me away, to save me.

The possessed Zhao Zixun wanted to devour me.

He was in great pain.

I again recalled the words Zhang Jiao'e had taunted Zhao Zixun with before she vanished in smoke and ashes.

She said Zhao Zixun's divinity had fallen, his battle soul shattered, and he was only one step away from eternal damnation...

So, if Zhao Zixun does not devour me, he will be consumed by the souls within him and fall into eternal damnation, right?

No, absolutely not!

"Zhao Zixun, don't push me away again, okay?"

"My life was saved by you; I can live another lifetime thanks to you; you shouldn't fall into the place of myriad calamities from which there is no return; you are the Upper Realm War God; you should return to the Heavenly Court!"

I said this, and when Zhao Zixun reached out his hand to me again, I quickly placed my hand on his.

His hand was ice-cold, ice-cold, without a trace of human warmth.

A big hand wrapped around my hand, gripping tightly.

He kept shaking his head violently, letting out a low growl from his throat, his whole body plunged into extreme agony in that instant.

Then, he pushed me away again.

This time, he seemed unable to control his strength, using too much force; my Soul Body was flung out and slammed hard into the stone wall.

Even though it was a Soul Body, under such tremendous force, my Soul Essence also wavered for a moment.

Zhao Zixun stood up.

He reached out his hand, muttering an incantation, and in the next moment, his long blade appeared in his hand.

That long blade had accompanied him through life and death, but back when he was in the Nine Abyssal Depths, it was shattered.

At this moment, the long blade was still covered in cracks, each crack exuding a strong yin killing qi.

His long blade, just like him, was controlled by yin spirits.

Zhao Zixun gripped the long blade, and I thought he was going to attack me.

But the next moment, he suddenly twisted his wrist, and the long blade viciously stabbed toward his own chest and abdomen...

I cried out in shock and lunged forward, wanting to help him block this blade.

A surge of strong true qi came from my side, intercepting me.

Pfft.

The long blade pierced deep into Zhao Zixun's physical body; he let out a muffled groan, but no blood spurted out as expected.

I was still shaken, my gaze darting between Zhao Zixun and the person who had blocked me.

The person was none other than Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu stood at my side, blocking me, yet also gazing at Zhao Zixun.

Her eyes held reluctance, yet she turned her head and firmly said to me, "Wanwan, you can't save him; come with me, or return to your true form? You need to decide quickly."

I shook my head: "I won't go, Xiao Jiu; if I truly can't save him, I want to accompany him."

Together, to be reduced to ashes and smoke; together, to vanish from this world.

Xiao Jiu, however, said: "Wanwan, we came too late; you can't accompany him; General Zhao has been invaded by a hundred ghosts for too long... he... cannot return, nor can he die."