Chapter 2665: Chapter 2665: A Puppet

The force that had been trying to drag Dorothy out dissipated gradually.

But she still hugged Zen tightly, and it took her a long time to calm herself down.

Just thinking of those black eyeballs, she couldn't help but quiver in fear.

“Zen, are the eyeballs gone?” Dorothy buried her face in Zen's neck, her voice shaking.

“Not yet.” Zen sympathetically wrapped his arm around her waist, trying to calm her down.

They could still hear something streaking across the stone wall.

Click! Click! Clang!

Just now, Zen had shut his eyes tight, jabbing his fingers aimlessly into the dark. Luckily, he managed to stab one of the Dreaded Eye Demons. The Dreaded Eye Demons had backed off momentarily.

But Zen knew it was only a matter of seconds before they came back to attack them. The sound of them crawling on the wall seemed to come from all around them. 'They just don't know when to give up, ' Zen thought as he gritted his teeth.

As if reading his thoughts, Dorothy began to shiver violently, extremely fearful of what was to come.

She never wanted to feel that horrible sense of dread again.

Zen lowered his head and tried to concentrate as the sound seemed to close in on them. Although he didn't fear them, he still needed to figure out how to slay them.

“What Godly Way have you cultivated?” Zen suddenly asked.

While the Truth of Eternal Sword Intent could not affect one's mind, there were still some Godly Ways that could control one's mind—they could even block out the feeling of fear.

Zen's eyes flashed as he considered his options. The Great Dominance Technique seemed most apt, as it could remove one's consciousness, rendering the body a lifeless puppet.

“Me? I've practiced the Five Elements Godly Way,” Dorothy answered confusedly, obviously not following Zen's train of thought.

Most people in the Source World chose to practice the Five Elements Godly Way, as this was the quickest and most convenient one.

“Don't worry, Dora,” Zen said in a soothing voice. “They are not scary at all. They can only manipulate your mind, making you think you've fallen into deep despair. If you can control your fear, you won't feel the despair.”

“But how in the world do I control my fear?” Dorothy whined. Her body tensed as soon as she heard the sound of the monsters.

Even though her eyes were closed, she could still vividly remember the fear inflicted on her at the sight of the Dreaded Eye Demons.

“Here they come again!”

This time, black liquid began to appear on the top and bottom walls of the hollow.

When Zen saw the liquid, he closed his eyes, shut off his spiritual sense, and severed all of his emotions.

Dorothy trembled. She had no idea how to deal with her fear. As the liquid became many black eyeballs, she fell into despair again.

“Soul arrows!” Zen cried.

Since he still kept his eyes shut, he was unable to see where his targets were. The soul arrows shot out blindly and haphazardly.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The opening of the hollow was very small, and with so many soul arrows shooting toward the opening, Zen thought he could hit the eyes.

No matter how many soul arrows were shot in the dark, Zen couldn't seem to hit any target.

Zen frowned, puzzled as to why no soul arrow connected with the target. Just as he was about to summon another volley, Dorothy shouted, “They are here! Above our heads, and beside us... They are everywhere...” Ꞧ𝘢NȰＢË𝓢

Zen gritted his teeth in frustration. It had completely slipped his mind that the Dreaded Eye Demons were but a mass of black liquid; of course his arrows missed! They could transform into eyeballs after they came into the hollow.

Just then, an idea came to his mind, and an unquestionable aura came out of his soul.

Most of the Godly Ways used the momentum of life vitality and the inner world, but some of them could affect one's soul.

The Great Dominance Technique and the Emotion Closing Godly Way could do so.

“Great Dominance Technique!”

Zen's soul exuded an aura of unmatched authority, aimed directly at Dorothy.

Usually, Dorothy's Soul of Light was just a few notches lower than Zen's in terms of strength, meaning such a spell would have no effect on her. However, under these circumstances, she was paralyzed by fear; consequently, she could not resist his Great Dominance Technique.

As the words left Zen's lips, Dorothy's body instantly went limp.

Her eyes stared blankly at nothing, lifeless as a rag doll.

She was like a puppet, waiting for the puppet master to dictate her next action.

Zen tightened his embrace to prevent Dorothy from being dragged out while searching her soul for a way to activate the Necklace of Mystic Soul that hung from her neck.

Zen painstakingly made his way through Dorothy's Memory Flame. The Memory Flame of a person was typically very messy, as this was a string of all the memories one collected over their lifetime. He wandered around aimlessly at first, as he had not used this technique before.

As he continued to explore, he stumbled upon a massive locked door.

'I wonder what this is.' Zen began to reach for the door knob, curiosity consuming him.

Why would a closed door exist in Dorothy's memories?

Just as his hand hovered a few inches from the door knob, he felt a strong force urging him to step back.

Zen shook his head. Now was not the time to think about this door; he had more pressing issues at hand.

After a short while, he finally found the memory pertaining to the usage of the Necklace of Mystic Soul.

Meanwhile, the black mass had made its way to Dorothy's and Zen's torsos, massive black threads coiling around them ominously. The menacing eyeballs blinked as they climbed over their shoulders.

It seemed that the Dreaded Eye Demons wouldn't give up until they were dragged out.

Dorothy's lifeless body suddenly moved.

She clumsily put her hands on her chest, lightly touching the Necklace of Mystic Soul.

Buzz!

A blue light burst from the necklace, piercing every corner of the hollow.

Under the bright light, the black eyeballs became abnormally weak. Cracks began to make their way across the surfaces of the eyeballs, as eyeball after eyeball exploded.

The black liquid seemed to bubble and boil until it evaporated completely.

“I did it!”

Zen then opened his eyes and looked at the black stains on the walls with a smile.

However, Dorothy remained lifeless in his arms. It took him a few seconds before he realized she was still his puppet, trapped by his Great Dominance Technique.

Zen quickly released her from the spell. Gradually, Dorothy began to feel life return to her body. She blinked, and stared at him blankly, having no clue as to what just happened.

“I just used the Great Dominance Technique to control you,” Zen explained with a hearty laugh. He gestured at the black stains on the walls. “Look! They were killed by your necklace!”

Zen grinned from ear to ear. Although he had known that Dorothy's necklace was powerful, it still ended up exceeding his expectations.

“Were they really killed?” As Dorothy observed the stains on the walls, she felt the spirit of fear leave her. “Wait, did you say Great Dominance Technique? Then, did you see...?”

She knew that in order for Zen to have used her necklace, he'd have had to explore her Memory Flame. Her cheeks flushed a deep red. 'How embarrassing!'

“Please, don't worry. I just looked for the way to use the Necklace of Mystic Soul,” Zen interrupted, flashing the most reassuring smile he could muster. He couldn't mention that locked door.

He also had many secrets; he didn't want Dorothy to feel as though she'd been pried open and peeked into.

“Okay.” Dorothy sighed with relief.

Zen's expression grew grim once Dorothy turned away. He had had no choice but to lie to her, but that was the least of their worries.

“However, there's still something strange about it,” Zen said and looked at the black stains. “The eyeballs spread like water on the walls. The sound they created when they were moving was not the same as what we heard before. There should be something else outside besides these eyeballs.”

Zen decided to omit the fact that the monsters were called the Dreaded Eye Demons, lest he would need to explain how he knew it.

“There's something else outside?” Dorothy asked nervously, the fear returning.

“But, I think that thing can't move anymore,” he replied reassuringly. “At least, it hasn't moved in a while...”

Whatever was waiting for them outside had to wait. They couldn't leave until the Soul-melting Light disappeared.