"I told you to mind your own business," the young lady said, delivering a swift kick to the bull demon's corpse with a cold huff.
Draven still didn't fully understand how he was controlling her body, but he could feel it straining to its limits, breaking apart under the strain of Kalsimha's power. He hurriedly canceled the god transformation, and the Kalsimha statue within his inner world closed its eyes.
The moment the transformation ended, the young lady's body returned to normal, her fiery red eyes softening back to a deep, luminous purple. But the aftermath was severe, fine cracks spiderwebbed across her skin, weeping blood and making her delicate complexion look like shattered porcelain.
Frowning, Draven sat cross-legged and entered his inner world. There, the golden runic symbol of healing pulsed with a soft, steady light. Establishing a connection with the rune, he began to chant the primordial sound, "Dhraum," in a low, continuous murmur.
In response, the rune's glow intensified, blazing like a miniature golden sun. Pulses of shadow energy radiated from his five shadow cores, flowing into the rune and transforming into a soothing, potent healing energy. Draven carefully guided this energy into the young lady's body.
As the energy coursed through her, her wounds began to mend at a remarkable speed, visible to the naked eye. Her skin slowly knit itself back together, all the cracks and injuries vanishing until it was restored to its original, smooth and delicate texture.
Only after seeing her fully healed did Draven let out a sigh of relief. He then guided the remaining healing energy into his own broken body. A series of low creaks and cracks echoed as his shattered bones realigned and settled back into place. His open wounds closed, and his body was soon restored to its peak condition.
With a powerful push, he freed himself from the human-shaped imprint he had left in the tree trunk and landed nimbly on his feet.
From behind a nearby tree, the three middle-aged women emerged on shaky legs. Their faces were pale as they stared at the bull demon's massive body, their skin still crawling with residual fear.
Draven turned to look at them, and the young lady, now sitting on the ground, did the same. For a moment, Draven was disoriented, seeing the scene from two distinct perspectives, his own and the young lady's.
"Little co, cancel the fusion!" The young lady's furious voice suddenly echoed in Draven's inner world, and he felt his connection to her body sever instantly.
The little phoenix chick materialized from her body in a flash of light, landing on her shoulder and chirping softly as it nuzzled her cheek.
Seeing this, Draven finally understood. It was the little phoenix's inherent technique, the 'Reversal of Yin and Yang.' He had read about it in ancient texts but never imagined he would witness it firsthand on the very day the little phoenix was born.
"Argh... my head is pounding," the young lady groaned, clutching her temples as she shot Draven an accusatory glare. "You could at least ask for permission before possessing my body out of nowhere, you old pervert!"
Draven adjusted his disheveled clothes awkwardly. "You can't pin that on me. It was your bloodline spirit's doing."
The young lady pointed a finger at him. "Now you're blaming Little Co? Where is your conscience? If not for her, you'd be dead by now!"
Draven's mouth twitched in irritation. "And if I hadn't taken control, you would have been crushed by that bull demon's aura alone. A little brat like you wouldn't have even needed him to swing his hammer."
The three middle-aged women watched the exchange in terrified silence, not daring to utter a word in the presence of someone of Draven's power.
But the young lady had no such reservations. Still clutching her head, she pointed at Draven and commanded the little phoenix, "Little co, use your phoenix fire and singe that old man's beard!"
"co... co..." the little phoenix chirped and bobbed its head, fluttering over to Draven. However, instead of attacking, it landed on his shoulder and affectionately rubbed its head against his neck, chirping excitedly.
The young lady's jaw dropped in disbelief. She staggered to her feet, marched over, and snatched the little chick from Draven's shoulder with a cold huff.
"By the way, how did you even take control of my body?" she demanded.
Draven looked at her, surprised. "You don't know?"
She shook her head, her expression a mix of annoyance and confusion.
"I assumed that since your bloodline spirit is a mythical Yin-Yang spirit, you would know about its innate ability....." Draven began, but he paused when he saw her glare intensify. "It's called the Yin-Yang Reversal Technique. The spirit can temporarily switch the souls of the couple whose Yin-Yang energy its body is made from."
The young lady frowned. "Then why couldn't I control your body when you controlled mine?"
Draven didn't answer immediately. Instead, he waved his hand, and his two hammers and the sword flew back to him, shrinking into their black ring forms.
"Hey! I asked you a question! Why couldn't I control your body?" she repeated, her voice rising.
"You see the three-headed lion statue in my inner world, correct?" Draven finally replied. "Its first head guards my chaos core, the second my spirit, and the third my body. That third head prevented your soul from taking possession."
Infuriated, the young lady stomped her foot and, in a flash, reached out and tugged hard on Draven's beard.
Draven's eyes widened. He suppressed the urge to swat her hand away, reminding himself that she had, however unknowingly, helped him.
"Young lady, please calm down!" The three women rushed forward and pulled the furious girl away from Draven, their faces pale with terror.
"Young lady, if you anger him, the three of us together couldn't hope to save you," Lilly whispered urgently into her ear.
The young lady struggled free from their grasp and shot Draven a icy glare. "Angry? This old pervert? If he dares to be angry with me, I'll kick him so hard he'll be crying for his mommy!"
"Enough!" Draven boomed, his expression darkening. The three women flinched and stepped back in fear.
Undeterred, the young lady marched forward until she was standing right in front of him. At six feet tall, Draven towered over her five-foot-six frame, forcing her to look up to meet his eyes.
Draven's mouth twitched at her close proximity. "Didn't your elders teach you any manners? Don't stand so close to a man," he chided with a frown.
"Oh, now you care about propriety? Where was this when you were possessing my body?" she retorted coldly, taking another step forward.
Draven hastily retreated. He then turned to Lilly and said sternly, "If you value your young lady's life, control her."
Lilly, Susan, and Grace immediately nodded and worked together to physically drag the fuming young lady away.
Finally able to breathe, Draven sighed in relief. His attention then turned to the bull demon's carcass. Through his telepathic link, he communicated with Little Su, "I've hunted another godly beast. I will infuse its blood essence into the dragon egg. Return your spirit to the egg and prepare to absorb it properly."