However, the fact that his physical body was uninjured did not mean he was unharmed. In truth, the damage he had suffered was far worse than he had imagined.
The Evil Golden Eye dealt damage at a fundamental level. The tumorous cultivator was no fool—he immediately realized that his spiritual consciousness seemed to have been suddenly locked down by some unknown force.
A chill of sweat broke across his brow. He promptly channeled his spiritual consciousness, attempting to purge the domineering power that had invaded his sea of consciousness.
But when his spiritual consciousness clashed with that force, he discovered that it was far more powerful than he had imagined.
His spiritual consciousness couldn't expel the attacking force at all. Worse, that force was spreading through his sea of consciousness like frost, gradually creeping outward.
"What—what's happening?"
While he hesitated, the six half-god cultivators launched another frenzied barrage of attacks against his body, pummeling his physical form without mercy.
"This is bad!"
Tumorous cultivator or not, even he knew something was terribly wrong. He hastily activated a divine ability and roared: "Fellow Daoist Zijing, lend me a hand! There's a trap here!"
This space hadn't been fully sealed, and his shout—amplified by a divine-path ability—did indeed reach the ears of the other god-path cultivator.
However, that other god-path cultivator was far from at ease himself. On the other side, he too had been tied down by a god-path cultivator.
And that god-path cultivator happened to be an old acquaintance—one they had frequently run into within the Infinite Prison. A bald cultivator named Yu Gong.
Bald cultivator Yu Gong had been given a chance to submit by Jiang Chen, and the man, ever the pragmatist who read the situation well, had already sworn loyalty to Jiang Chen.
"Yu Gong, have you lost your mind? You're turning on me? Don't you know that Lord Guangdu is right outside?"
The other god-path cultivator was named Yuan Zijing—one of the cultivators Lord Guangdu had brought along this time. He had refined, elegant features and at first glance gave off the air of a distinguished expert. In reality, however, Yuan Zijing had earned quite the notorious reputation within the Infinite Prison.
The man was not merely fond of women—he was outright depraved. Many female cultivators who had been cast into the Infinite Prison had fallen victim to Yuan Zijing's cruelty.
Back in the Infinite Prison, Yuan Zijing had once nearly abducted An Yu'er, mother of Huang'er. Fortunately, Divine Venerable Kasyapa had intervened in time.
So Yuan Zijing was, without question, the very picture of a refined scholar who was in truth nothing more than a civilized beast.
But right now, he found himself unable to play the beast at all. Yu Gong's combat power was in no way inferior to his own, and Yu Gong's fighting spirit was fiercer than it had ever been.
Yuan Zijing knew full well that his strength and Yu Gong's were roughly evenly matched. With the man locked onto him, at best he could fight to a draw.
So despite his concern for his companion's cry for help, he had no capacity to split his attention.
The tumorous cultivator waited and waited, but Yuan Zijing's aid never came. Wailing, he cried out: "Lord Guangdu, save me!"
As his entire body grew increasingly uncooperative, he could almost feel his physical form hardening—not freezing, exactly, but something closer to solidifying.
Once the Evil Golden Eye's attack found its mark, the effect compounded relentlessly, growing stronger with every passing moment. As his own defenses steadily weakened, the Evil Golden Eye's invasive power only increased.
A bona fide god-path cultivator, aided by a coordinated group assault and Jiang Chen's array of divine abilities, struck by a sneak attack—had actually been brought down.