Chapter 128: Soul-Suppressing Seed!

As the radiance of the Soul-Suppressing Tower within his soul subsided, Lan Tian’s eyes suddenly sharpened.

"Don't be hasty. Your mental power has surged abruptly, and you haven't adapted to it yet. Do not engage in battle immediately; consolidate your strength first!" Bai had been monitoring Lan Tian the entire time and knew instantly that he had mastered the first level of the "Soul-Suppressing Tower." Seeing him poised to strike, Bai feared he might act impulsively and hurriedly intervened.

Lan Tian suppressed the surging murderous intent in his heart. While maintaining the appearance of a continuous assault on the parasitic creatures, he focused his entire mind on what could now be described as his vast mental energy.

Equipped with the Scarlet Gold Divine Armor, he could not make a precise judgment of his true mental capacity due to the armor's amplification. Yet, even a rough comparison confirmed that his current mental strength was certainly no less than the mental energy he had sensed from Qi Peng back on the cosmic warship.

The "Soul-Suppressing Tower" truly lived up to its name as a secret technique!

Lan Tian was ecstatic. He had only reached the first level, yet his mental power had already increased so much; it was unimaginable what it would be like once he truly mastered all nine levels!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Lan Tian did not rush to confront Qi Peng. Instead, he continued to observe the Soul-Suppressing Tower within his soul.

At this moment, the tower stood towering within his soul. Unlike the empty framework of the eight levels above, the lowest level had become completely solid. Countless ancient patterns flowed across its surface. As his mental energy passed through the complex structure inside the first level, the tower emitted a faint, ethereal sound, similar to a Sanskrit chant.

With the blessing of this chant, Lan Tian was pleasantly surprised to find that his mental energy had begun to grow once more. Although the magnitude of the increase was minuscule, it was continuous and steady.

Subsequently, countless mental particles began to condense involuntarily, and a crystalline, transparent bead gradually manifested within the first level of the tower.

This was... a Soul-Suppression Seed!

Seeing this seed emitting boundless brilliance, Lan Tian finally felt at ease. He was certain that his first slave was about to be born.

"Tell me, little brother, why do I feel like you're becoming increasingly perfunctory? If you don't go all out, at this rate, it's questionable whether we'll even be able to break out of here!" Lan Tian's prolonged half-hearted attacks finally provoked Qi Peng's dissatisfaction, and he sent a telepathic message.

"Heh, first of all, I am not your damn little brother. Secondly, I don't know if I can break out, but you—you definitely won't," Lan Tian sneered. His mental energy began to brew; he had endured this for too long.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?!" Qi Peng was stunned by Lan Tian's words, and his voice turned cold. Just as he was about to speak again, his body suddenly stiffened. The long blade he was swinging mid-strike froze, and he came to a complete halt.

A few seconds later, when Qi Peng regained consciousness, his body had already been struck over a hundred times by the surrounding parasitic creatures!

Each strike from these creatures was equivalent to the peak of the Star-Radiance rank. Even though Qi Peng had reached the strength of a Low-Level Star-Domain rank, without the protection of cosmic star power and relying solely on his physical body while defenseless, the consequences were dire. Had he not been truly formidable with a high level of physical conditioning, this alone would have cost him half his life!

Even so, he was gravely injured. His body was covered in bite marks and lacerations, flesh and blood a mangled mess; one of the creatures had even bitten off half of his arm!

"Ah! Damn it! What exactly did you do to me?!" After regaining his senses, Qi Peng desperately unleashed his full strength, obliterating the countless parasitic creatures swarming to tear him apart, while roaring in terror.

A realization then struck him, and his eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Lan Tian. "This is... a mental secret technique?! Damn it, you brat, you actually know a legendary mental secret technique!"

Lan Tian did not answer. He charged forward, widening the distance between himself and Qi Peng. While continuing to kill the surrounding creatures, he said with pleasant surprise, "The mental secret technique is truly well-deserved. I only used half of my mental power, without even adding any divine resonance, and I could make you lose your focus for so long. Tell me, old brother..."

"It seems... you are in danger now." Lan Tian was in high spirits, cracking jokes amidst the endless sea of insects.

"Damn you! We have no grievances! Why would you suddenly attack me?! I am the Deputy Commander of the Huidu Star Defense Force. Have you considered the consequences of attacking me?" Qi Peng’s murderous intent flared. He wanted to kill Lan Tian, but fearful of his mental attacks, he could only stand his ground and roar in fury.

"Heh, no grievances? Do you really think... I don't know you've been eyeing me for a long time?" Lan Tian curled his lips, his expression mocking. "The Huidu Star Defense Force? I'm so scared! Did you think I didn't know about the Corrosion Gold Tribe? In their special magnetic field, you can't send out any signals. If I kill you, who would know it was me?"

As he finished, a wicked curve formed on Lan Tian's lips. "Of course, don't worry. I won't kill you. How could I... kill my most loyal slave?"

"..." Qi Peng looked at Lan Tian's somewhat sinister smile, his hair standing on end.

"You... what do you mean?! Little brother—no, young man, let's not joke around. We are still in the sea of insects. Whatever it is, let's talk about it once we're out. Without my help, you won't be able to break out alone!" Qi Peng had lost his nerve. Although he desperately wanted to disregard everything and launch a surprise attack, facing Lan Tian's undefendable mental strikes, he had no choice but to back down.

However, for someone like him, Lan Tian would not grant a single chance. He smiled, "Don't worry, you will help me later. And you will help me wholeheartedly and with all your might."

"You... I'll fight you to the death!" Hearing this again, Qi Peng felt a growing sense of dread. He could no longer hold back, raising his blade to strike at Lan Tian!

In all fairness, if he could have landed that strike, its power would have been unparalleled. With his Low-Level Star-Domain strength, his ice-attribute combat techniques, and the divine resonance that went beyond the first level, the effect would have been devastating!

Lan Tian felt that with his current strength, if he truly had to face that strike head-on, he would likely be dead within a second.

Unfortunately, that strike would never be landed.

As Lan Tian unleashed his full mental power, the strike had barely begun. The blue ice-attribute cosmic star energy had just covered the blade, and the divine resonance hadn't even begun to flow before Qi Peng's entire body ceased all follow-up actions.

Then, a crystalline, transparent bead seeped out from between Lan Tian's brows and shot rapidly toward Qi Peng's rigid body.

It struck straight between his eyes!