One-Eyed Monster

The words of the Spirit sent a chill down Kuyi Tulan’s spine. It was as if they were trying to erase his identity. He couldn’t let that happen; the lesson from his past mistakes was right in front of him, and he couldn’t repeat them.

He was ambitious and had aspirations. The only reason he submitted to this Spirit for now was because he hadn’t yet figured out how to suppress it. He would never willingly become someone else’s Puppet. No, his current role was merely a shell for others, a figure at someone else’s command, a marionette without autonomy!

This was Kuyi Tulan’s biggest headache. He didn’t want to be controlled by this Spirit; it was truly an excruciating matter.

”Remember what I said; it’s crucial. Otherwise, neither of us can handle such immense Energy,” the Spirit continued. They had some time, just as the Spirit had stated.

The undead were continually getting back on their feet. Although their momentum wasn’t as fierce as before, they were more than sufficient for the Soul Guardians to fend off for a while. Moreover, these undead would cyclically rise again, even if many had lost limbs under the Guardians’ attacks...

”We have time, so what we need will eventually be obtained. Our large-scale actions these days are because we found the uncontrollable factor of the past. As long as we can reclaim that factor, we can instantly achieve what we desire...” The Spirit’s heart was surging, completely unaware of Kuyi Tulan’s abnormality.

Kuyi Tulan didn’t want to forget himself. He was who he was; he didn’t want to play someone else. This was a deeply troubling matter for him. For the things the Spirit mentioned, he couldn’t care less if he had no sense of self; what use was power without identity?

This was something he absolutely couldn’t agree to.

”I won’t forget that I am Kuyi Tulan.” In his mind, he resolutely declared, even if the Spirit retracted all its Energy, he would still say this. This was his stance; he would not suffer in silence.

”What? What did you just say?” Clearly, the Spirit was a bit incredulous at his decision.

”I’ll repeat it. I am me, not some Shadow Ghost!” Kuyi Tulan was decisive.

”Did you forget that you can’t access that much Energy now? You need me to be strong, so you must listen to me for now!”

”I’m not that naive teenager anymore. You forget, both sides of the equation are the same. Back then, you could only proceed together because you had the same goal.”

”If you continue to be this headstrong, I’ll withdraw my Energy.”

”Withdraw your Energy, and you’ll fall into an endless slumber,” Kuyi Tulan’s tone was sarcastic, a sarcasm stemming from his heart.

These Spirits always thought that by manipulating Energy, they could control everything. They continually overlooked one thing: without the Awakener’s consciousness, they could never exist in this world.

The dispute continued, and the entire atmosphere grew increasingly tense. It seemed there was nothing they could agree upon, and no compromise was in sight. The rift formed by their discord was their weakness, and this weakness was exponentially magnifying. Consequently, the controlled undead were also affected, collapsing under the Soul Guardians’ assault.

Yet the Spirit did not lose its footing, continuing to manipulate Energy. Those fallen undead would continue to rise...

”Is there no room for change? Are you still this stubborn?”

”It’s just my insistence; I am who I am, and I won’t become someone else.”

”You’ll always be a substitute. You think too highly of yourself,” the Spirit was angry. Perhaps on any other day, he could suppress the guy’s consciousness in an instant and take control. However, he couldn’t do it now; his partner had just collapsed, and the remaining essence was only enough to keep him awake. In this state, he could only summon simple Energy; he couldn’t manage anything more complex.

He should have endured, gradually realizing his goals. But his emotions didn’t allow him to do so.

He couldn’t stand the fact that Kuyi Tulan was more arrogant than he was. He couldn’t tolerate this young fool acting with such insolence.

He absolutely couldn’t lose to Kuyi Tulan in terms of momentum, so he chose to continue confronting this fellow.

They had ample time, with no need to worry about anything else. The Soul Guardian Team was powerless to do much against them; these undead were enough to trouble the Guardians. Even though the undead weren’t as fierce now, their numbers hadn’t dwindled, and they kept coming...

What troubled Bigas and his team wasn’t the power of these undead; it was their relentless resurgence. This persistent drain would eventually disadvantange them. Bigas really wanted to focus his efforts on Kuyi Tulan because he knew stopping the commander would halt the undead. But unfortunately, they couldn’t approach the hovering Kuyi Tulan, as everyone was caught up battling the undead.

The standoff between Kuyi Tulan and the Spirit was hard to resolve, as they each clung to their principles without backing down a bit.

They would only make such choices when in an advantageous position. If the Soul Guardians caused them any trouble, they would undoubtedly set aside their differences and choose a safer strategy to deal with it.

But right now, the Soul Guardian Team was utterly exhausted dealing with the undead, unable to trouble them at all. This allowed the two to engage in their prolonged standoff without any results.

This kind of standoff consumed time and made them overlook many things. Their usual sharpness and meticulousness were completely absent. Both individuals were locked in a contest, as this would determine who called the shots later. The dominant one would naturally suppress the other. Thus, neither Kuyi Tulan nor the Spirit would back down over this identity issue.

Both were self-centered, not considering anything else.

They didn’t even notice a large hole in the Barrier created by the Soul Guardians.

A new stream of Energy leaked in through the hole. The Energy moved like a nosy puppy, swinging its head and constantly peering around.

This Energy conducted tentative collisions with the various energies inside the Barrier before disappearing...

Then, the whole Barrier’s opening began to shake violently, as it seemed a powerful Energy Wave was trying to break in!

The Barrier shook ferociously, but the confrontation between the Spirit and Kuyi Tulan over self-identity continued...