He was actually absorbing Saruman's lightning and comprehending its spiritual meaning.
"So that's how it is. This lightning attack actually contained two kinds of damage: one that directly affected the body, and the other that directly affected the soul! Very well! Let Sauron die at Saruman's hands. In the future, the Ouroboros organization will have a legitimate reason to investigate. The higher-ups of Ouroboros know that Sauron's soul was damaged, so dying under Saruman's soul attack is perfectly justified."
Immediately, Jiang Liu sent out a spiritual connection with "Soren".
Although Sauron's strength had diminished considerably, his reckless, all-or-nothing outburst was something Gandalf couldn't withstand. Having received Jiang Liu's message, Sauron immediately killed Gandalf, albeit with severe injuries.
In reality, it only destroyed Gandalf's physical body. As for the Maiar, their souls were immortal, and the gods of Valinor could be resurrected once more.
After killing Gandalf, Sauron charged madly toward Saruman. Although half of his body was severed by Gandalf's sword, his strong physical strength ensured that he would not die easily.
His powerful bloodline allowed him to resist death even if his heart burst.
If it were Sauron in his prime, given enough time, he could have regenerated from such an injury. But now, he was ready to die.
Wizards in the Third Ring, when they fight like madmen, are extremely terrifying.
It was so terrifying that even with only half a body remaining, it got very close to Saruman.
"Die!" Sauron uttered a emotionless word, declaring that he wanted not only Saruman dead, but also himself.
Looking at Sauron's icy face, Saruman felt a chill of fear. He couldn't help but recall the scene of Sauron tearing him apart in his previous life, and his hair stood on end.
Once bitten by a snake, twice shy of a well rope!
Chapter 292 The Post-War
After a brief moment of fear, Saruman finally launched his attack.
The lightning spear in his hand pierced deeply into Saurman's heart, while Saurman's palm pressed against Saruman's head.
At the same time, the lightning spear exploded! Completely ignoring Sauron's powerful physical defenses, it went straight into his soul.
With a "smack," Saruman's righteous-looking head was instantly turned into minced meat under Sauron's palm.
As Sauron pierced his heart with his lightning spear, he finally revealed a slight smile.
The power to destroy the soul directly annihilated Jiang Liu's wisp of soul, and then, a strong smell of charred flesh and blood spread from his body.
Without the suppression of mental power and severely injured, Sauron's body collapsed quickly, turning into a pile of rotten flesh in the blink of an eye.
The cheap teacher's body has finally completed its final mission.
Not only did he kill the two Maia, but he also ensured his own justifiable death in battle.
The battlefield fell silent. The terrifying wizard was dead, but there was no cheering; instead, fear gripped the battlefield.
Looking at the headless Saruman floating in the sky, still unmoved, filled everyone with a deep sense of despair.
As for Gandalf, there is no doubt that he has also perished.
The evil wizard is dead, but there is another in Rivendell, the home of the elves, and another in Gondor, while the mighty Maiar have lost three in battle.
Moreover, there is also a wizard sitting on the back of the dragon Smaug.
Aragon immediately sensed that all was lost.
Without the existence of high-end combat forces like the Maya, they are no match for wizards at all.
At the forefront of the battlefield, the orc forces had collapsed, and the eight treants were mired in the quagmire.
Although the elven archers were still present, over a hundred black arrows were already nocked on their longbows. And although the dwarven warriors were eager to fight, their armor gleaming and weapons sharp, they were the most powerful warriors.
But Aragorn, shrouded in armor, revealed immense sorrow.
"Arwin, lead the rear guard in a retreat..." Aragorn tried his best to remain calm.
A deep reluctance appeared in the eyes of the elf Arwin; in the original story, they were husband and wife. Under the rule of wizards, they were also lovers, and the chaos of the world brought them closer and made them love each other even more.
"I'll wait for you!" Alwin was no ordinary woman; she immediately knew that leading her army away was the right choice.
"Legolas, Gimli, for Middle-earth! Defend our last bloodline!"
"For Middle-earth!"
"For Middle-earth!"
A human, an elf, and a dwarf each led a hundred men in the charge.
Meanwhile, the remaining rear guard was retreating in an orderly manner.
"Those three, I want them alive!" Jiang Liu gave the order to Dwarf Number One and Elf Number One.
The army collapsed like a house of cards!
Letting the army flee in disarray, Jiang Liu collected Saruman's corpse and returned to the Wizard's Tower.
Before long, the battle outside the wizard tower was completely over.
After throwing the prisoner into the dungeon, Jiang Liu began to study Saruman's body. As a messenger of the gods, Maiah's physical body was naturally different from that of mortals.
As a disciple of a bloodline wizard, Jiang Liu first studied anatomy. Although he later began to study the soul, he also received Sauron's true teachings in bloodline modification.
They took Saruman's active cells, cultured some, and observed others. After working on this for a while, Jiang Liu discovered that his physical body was very compatible with the lightning attribute.
As for the prisoners, after Jiang Liu had figured out Saruman's mind lightning, he brought several characters from the story to the laboratory.
Looking at that handsome face, Jiang Liu put down the book in his hand and said, "Aragorn?!"
With a blank expression, he coughed up a mouthful of thick, bloody phlegm and spat it towards Jiang Liu.
He slightly shifted his body and dodged past.
"You've got quite a temper!"
Jiang Liu circled the elf once, examining him with his mental power, and said, "Legolas? Quite talented! You think you can eat me just by glaring at me, you big bearded man!"
"If you've got the guts, cut off my head, and you'll be a hero again in eighteen years. Evil wizard, the true god will cut off your head and use it as a football..." The bearded dwarf continued to curse incessantly.
"Oh, you must be Gimli! Then let's start with you!"
Jiang Liu waved his hand, and Dwarf Number One swung his fist and knocked Jinli unconscious, then threw him onto the workbench.
Jiang Liu stroked his chin, thinking to himself: My spiritual power has just broken through the two hundred mark, just enough to control seven soul slaves. To control the Middle-earth, I'll start with you!
Dwarves are naturally fused with the blood of stone giants.
Elf, tree-man bloodline.
As for Aragorn, Jiang Liu fused it with the bloodline of Saruman, which he had recently acquired, and gained the ability to cast thunder spells.
The pseudo-Maia bloodline's abilities seem to extend beyond mere affinity for lightning; it possesses other powers, though these are still in the initial stages of integration and haven't yet manifested. Jiang Liu integrated it into Aragorn's body, essentially making it an experimental subject.
"You dwarves must have accumulated quite a few rare metals over the years! Bring them all..."
Jinli, the bearded man, glared at Jiang Liu, his beard bristling, and leaped up, swinging his fist at Jiang Liu.
The moment his fist was raised, Jinli immediately howled in pain, then rolled on the ground in agony, suffering a pain that went deep into his soul.
“I’ve heard Gandalf talk about this ability; it’s called soul enslavement. You’ve used it on us! Gimli, we’ve become his slaves, soul slaves!” Aragorn said with a bitter smile.
"Since you know this, then don't resist. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to completely possess your bodies and enslave your souls. I only want what I want; you will remain as you are. It's not impossible that I will set you free one day when I leave this world. Perhaps I can even protect you... Otherwise, I will only let you destroy this world with your own hands."
“What do you want us to do?” Aragorn asked.
"Bring over all the precious metals that the dwarves have mined over the years!"
Jiang Liu tossed Aragorn a crystal ball and said, "There's a lightning array inside this crystal ball. With your comprehension, you should be able to learn it. Also, the wizard who occupied Gondor is probably very interested in the mithril mines of Kezadoom. My teacher, the third-ring archmage, has perished with the Maiar, so he may have already sent out an army of constructs. If you hurry back, you should be able to collect their bodies in time."
Aragorn's expression changed drastically, and the elves and dwarves tensed up instantly.
Are you sure?
"The gate is open, do as you please... Oh, and take those prisoners with you too! They're all good soldiers, they should bolster your fighting strength. Finally, good luck!"
Chapter 293 Mechanical Overlord
Just as Jiang Liu was engrossed in the ancient texts treasured by Sauron, a powerful figure who was both familiar and unfamiliar arrived outside the Tower of Sauron.
The person piloted this aircraft-like device and landed it on the open ground in front of the Wizard's Tower.
Jiang Liu looked at the flying vehicle, then stared at the short, stocky middle-aged man with a thick beard. At first glance, he might have mistaken him for a dwarf, but Jiang Liu knew that this man was a wizard with extremely powerful abilities.
Familiar because this person's identity is well-known, unfamiliar because this is the first time we've met.
Groth, the Mechanical Heart, known as the Master of Machines, ruled Gondor with his constructs.
As for strength, he is a third-ring archmage specializing in alchemy and mechanics.
In Middle-earth, the world of Lord of the Rings, Jiang Liu's cheap teacher Sauron and the elemental sorceress Leia, who occupies Rivendell, form a three-way power struggle.
Now, this great wizard stood in front of Jiang Liu, then took off his sunglasses, took a deep drag of his cigar, and inhaled it directly into his lungs.
"Your Excellency, the Mechanical Overlord, you..."
Before he finished speaking, he exhaled a puff of smoke towards Jiang Liu, which shot straight into Jiang Liu's face like a sharp arrow.
With a thought from Jiang Liu's spiritual power, the wisp of smoke traced an arc, like a white crane flying into the distance.
"A second-circle wizard?" Grot narrowed his eyes, a cigar dangling from his lips, and grinned. "Such exquisite mental control. Are you Sauron's disciple?"
"I am but Green, a disciple of the wizard Soren!" Jiang Liu said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
"Heh, I heard he's dead, perished together with Maiar!"
Jiang Liu's expression remained unchanged, but he nodded inwardly. Since this high-ranking wizard of the third ring believed that Sauron had died at the hands of Maiar, his plan seemed to have worked.
The Ouroboros organization now had evidence to support their investigation. The suspicion that Sauron died at their hands had lessened, or perhaps, they were no longer suspects at all.
"Don't you know how powerful my master is? How could he possibly die at the hands of a mere Mya!" Jiang Liu began to lie through his teeth.
Jiang Liu was truly surprised by the lung capacity of the man who took a big drag on the cigar. He estimated that the alchemical mechanical wizard's physique was at least several times that of his own.
Grote exhaled two puffs of smoke from his nostrils before saying, "Do you think I can't sense the fall of a third-ring wizard? Moreover, the Maiar who descended this time has already reached the level of a third-ring wizard. I know that Sauron is very strong, but every wizard has a weakness, and if there is a weakness, there is a possibility of death!"
“You are the same!” Jiang Liu retorted sharply.
"Heh!" Grote flicked his cigar away and then raised his left hand.
Instantly, the human-shaped left hand began to deform, and when it pointed its hand at Jiang Liu, five dark holes gleamed with a cold light.