As the sinister laughter of the Black Guard echoed through the sky, the pained expression on the enormous, phantom head suddenly solidified. A dense black radiance gushed out from its seven apertures and exploded in a moment, under the horrified gazes of countless eyes.
Boom! The thunderous sound reverberated through the heavens and earth, and a terrifying, black tide surged out from the shattered phantom head like a deluge, spreading with uncanny speed until it enveloped the entire world. This darkness was so complete that even the sun in the sky seemed to vanish, and the whole world was suddenly filled with darkness.
The abrupt darkness caused an immediate uproar in the square, with countless people shouting in terror, their panic spreading rapidly. On the treetops, Xiao Yan and the others were also startled by the sudden darkness, but quickly regained their composure. With his exceptional soul-sensing abilities, Xiao Yan knew that this strange black shroud was just the result of the dissipation of energy from the Black Guard. Once the energy dissipated, the darkness would naturally dissipate.
“Teacher and Cai Lin, I wonder how they are…” Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed as he gazed into the dark void, his fists clenched tightly, a sense of unease gradually filling his heart. Thinking back to the Black Guard’s actions earlier, it seemed he had extracted Yunshan’s soul and detonated it…
A Battle Sect’s soul self-detonating, the destructive power… Thinking of this, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but shiver slightly.
“Did this guy create such a big commotion just to make this dark shroud?” Haibodong, standing beside Xiao Yan, his body enveloped in a white battle aura, scanned the area around him, covered in a weak auric glow, with narrowed eyes, muttering in confusion.
Hearing this, Jia Xing Tian and the others nodded subtly, having felt no particularly powerful energy eruptions except for this somewhat peculiar black veil…
“That guy detonated Yunshan’s soul. Under his control, the explosive soul fluctuations must have primarily targeted Medusa and Teacher Xiao Yan, which is why we didn’t feel much,” Pharmacist Elder frowned. As an alchemist, he was exceptionally sensitive to such intangible soul fluctuations. Others might not notice, but he could faintly detect an exceptionally terrifying energy wave brewing in the dark sky.
Upon hearing Fa Ma’s words, the faces of Hai Bodong and the others changed slightly, and their battle auras rushed through their bodies, ready to guard against any potentially explosive soul waves.
Just as they were speaking, a barely audible, bizarre sound suddenly resonated through the sky. This low-pitched noise, nearly undetectable to ordinary people, sounded like thunder to Xiao Yan.
Sensing the terrifying soul fluctuation within the sound, Xiao Yan’s face turned grim, and he abruptly looked up, staring fixedly at a dark spot in the sky. Yet, under the veil of darkness, nothing could be seen.
“Damn it!” Seeing nothing, Xiao Yan cursed angrily, his brows still furrowed. Suddenly, a glimmer of emerald flame traveled along his meridians, then leaped into his eyes, turning his black pupils into fiery ones.
As the Lapis Lazuli Lotus Heart Flame appeared in his eyes, the darkness began to dissipate, revealing a world tinted slightly green.
As the darkness faded, Xiao Yan’s gaze immediately fell on a part of the sky, where his face gradually paled. High above, floating amidst the darkness, was Yao Lao alongside Medusa. Both were in a rather precarious state. The latter was slightly better off, while the former’s already ethereal form was now almost transparent.
Not far from them, the Black Guard hovered in the air, his bony hand holding a massive black light globe, containing a terrifying soul force. The familiar soul energy inside was the same as what had burst out when Yunshan’s soul self-exploded. Now, this soul energy, born from the self-detonation, was completely under the Black Guard’s control.
Although he could see through the darkness, it seemed to block out sounds from a distance, preventing Xiao Yan from discerning whether the three were conversing. Thus, he could only watch as after a brief confrontation, the Black Guard’s face twisted into a malevolent smile. He raised the massive, inky soul energy orb, then, with a sudden push, sent it hurtling towards Medusa and Yao Lao like a black meteor.
As the inky soul energy orb tore through the sky, Xiao Yan, despite the distance, felt a strong sense of soul suppression. This sudden soul pressure was also noticed by Hai Bodong and the others, but they could not see through the darkness like Xiao Yan, leaving them to voice their confusion, “What’s happening? Have they started fighting?”
“Such terrible soul oppression…” Fa Ma’s face turned pale. He realized that under the overwhelming soul pressure, his own soul sensing ability had been crushed entirely into his body, unable to escape.
Amidst the shock and awe, the massive soul energy orb suddenly descended upon the serious-looking Medusa and Yao Lao, crashing down without pausing. The terrifying impact rippled through space, causing it to tremble.
Boom! The fierce soul energy slammed into Medusa and Yao Lao, who were unable to dodge. Despite both of them pushing their energies to the maximum, how could they counter the self-detonation of a Battle Sect’s soul so easily?
Multicolored energy and cold white flames erupted, desperately resisting the fierce soul force. However, within moments, the dark soul force surged, suppressing the vast energy emanating from the two!
Puff! The multicolored energy rapidly dissipated, and Medusa’s face became pale. Moments later, her cheeks flushed red, and she uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of blood before retreating rapidly.
Medusa managed to retreat, but Yao Lao, now greatly weakened, had no such luck. The self-detonating soul force, particularly, was devastating to a disembodied soul like his. When the Bone Spirit Ice Fire guarding him dispersed, the eerie black light engulfed his entire being.
Receiving such a heavy blow, Yao Lao’s body became nearly transparent, clearly showing the severity of the injury. Xiao Yan could also sense that Yao Lao’s presence was growing weaker.
“Hehe, Yao Chen, as I said, today, you cannot escape!” The Black Guard’s sinister laugh echoed through the vast blackness, and he instantly appeared close to Yao Lao.
Seeing this, Medusa, who was retreating, paused and flashed towards the Black Guard.
“Hmph!” As Medusa moved, the Black Guard sneered, and with a change of hand seal, the dark shroud around her began to move strangely. Space distorted, halting her advance.
With the help of the dark shroud, the Black Guard blocked Medusa and, with dry hands aglow in black, reached out ghost-like towards Yao Lao’s transparent soul.
Feeling the sinister energy approaching, Yao Lao’s transparent body wavered slightly, revealing an aged, frowning face. Staring at the Black Guard’s attack, his eyes flickered, knowing he could no longer evade it with his current injuries. It seemed that capture was inevitable…
His thoughts raced, and he glanced down, seeing the pale, black-robed youth on the treetop. He smiled gently, and a white flame bolt shot from his forehead, zipping through space and embedding itself in Xiao Yan’s forehead.
“Little one, perhaps teacher won’t be able to accompany you anymore. From now on, you must rely on yourself. You are no longer the little boy who needed me. I hope one day I can see you surpass my predictions…”
Xiao Yan’s body trembled violently, his teeth biting his lips until blood seeped out. The scene he least wanted to witness had finally come.
“Fear not, I am not so easy to kill. This fire essence is the root of the Bone Spirit Ice Fire. Master it, and you can wield it. Because I’ve refined it, your Flaming Decree cannot absorb it. If I should meet my end, the fire mark on your forehead will disappear, and the Bone Spirit Ice Fire will become yours. Take it, use it…”
“I hid my soul in a ring named ‘Bone Flame Ring.’ Within it, there are methods to break your brother’s Soul-Consuming Pill and some of my legacies. Give it to Venerable Wind, if you meet him. He’ll believe you and help you.”
“Although I am captured by the Soul Temple, refining my soul will not be easy. Remember, before you have strength, do not act rashly. To save us, protect yourself.”
“Little one, you are my proudest student. I’ve always been very proud of you.”
In his mind, the gentle laughter slowly faded, and on Xiao Yan’s forehead, a white flame mark gradually appeared. As the fire mark formed, the Black Guard’s claw pierced through Yao Lao’s body, black light surging, and with a sinister chuckle, he absorbed Yao Lao into a dark fog!
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