Dark clouds, shrouding the sun and sky, swirled above the valley. The once clear sky darkened almost instantly, as if a sinister force were blocking even the sunlight from penetrating. Eerie, sharp wails echoed ceaselessly in the valley, as countless souls darted through the black mist, much like malevolent specters lurking in the night, their blood-red eyes glowing menacingly in the darkness.
“Everyone, be cautious. These are all controlled soul beings!” Nalan Yanran’s face grew somber as he watched the souls circling the sky, his voice filled with urgency.
Soaring through the sky, Su Mei and numerous other powerhouses were startled by the sudden change. They swiftly leaped to the side of Xiao Yan and the others, their eyes filled with gravity as they gazed at the dense black clouds gathering overhead. The sheer number of erratically flying souls made them feel a deep chill creeping up their spines.
“Ha ha, to capture you, Elder has brought ample resources. These souls were collected over three full years, just for this formation, surely it’s worth it to you…” Han Xue cackled, his voice dripping with malice as he observed the spreading black clouds from the mountain walls.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, peering at the expanding black clouds. With his keen vision, he could clearly see the vast horde of souls hidden within the fog. The sheer, overwhelming numbers even made him gasp. It seemed that the Elder indeed had put significant effort into this, as such a massive “Soul Devouring Formation” required an enormous amount of souls. Even back when he was in the Yunzhou Empire, Iron Elder from the Soul Temple had not reached the requirement to build such a large-scale formation.
“Ha ha, Xiao Yan, are you satisfied with this feast? When you fall into the hands of the Soul Temple, I will specially request to personally ‘take care’ of you!” Han Xue bared a wicked grin, his face contorting with malice as he roared at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan gave him a sidelong glance before turning his attention back to the thickening black fog. The “Myriad Soul Devouring Formation” was obviously quite powerful, and breaking it would certainly be a challenge.
“Blood Feeding!”
On the mountain wall, the black fog around Han Xue gradually contracted, transforming into a vague, indistinct shadow. With a flick of his finger, a stream of crimson blood spurted out, splattering into the black clouds. As the blood mixed in, the black clouds took on a macabre, reddish hue, and more agonizing wails echoed through the air. Moments later, the black clouds paused, silent, before a torrent of bloodthirsty and savage souls rained down like a storm, their faces twisted in savagery and ferocity as they charged at Xiao Yan and his companions.
“Beware!” The sudden change startled Xiao Yan, and he shouted a warning, clenching his hand and releasing a brilliant green fire pillar into the air. Wherever the emerald flames touched, the bodies of the attacking souls burst into flames, eliciting shrill cries of agony.
The fiery column swept under Xiao Yan’s control, its intense heat causing the fierce souls to pull back. However, their sheer numbers were staggering, and many still managed to break through, lunging at Su Mei and the others with gnashing teeth and snarls.
“Bang!”
The powerful warriors summoned forth their Battle Qi, enshrouding themselves in the first moment. Seeing the approaching horde, they unleashed their Battle Qi, slashing at the oncoming spirits. Sharp blades cleaved through the air, tearing apart the souls they struck. Yet, the slain souls disintegrated into a faint gray mist, ascending back into the black clouds, enhancing the oppressive energy radiating from the clouds.
“Damn it, the Battle Qi isn’t dealing much damage to these spirit entities, and they’re endless. If this continues, we’ll be exhausted sooner or later!” Xiao Li shouted, his silver spear trembling with electrified energy as he pierced through another soul. But amidst the sea of onrushing enemies, the small victory felt inconsequential. After slaying dozens of souls, he finally panted, addressing Xiao Yan with a shout.
Nearby, Little Healer Immortal and Su Qian hesitated, their brows knitted as they observed the dense black clouds. With their keen eyes, they noticed that as more souls were eradicated, the energy within the clouds seemed to grow stronger…
“This formation is rather peculiar…” Xiao Yan’s fingers flickered, sending five tendrils of fire hurtling towards the spirits. The blazing flames burned the souls into nothingness, the resultant gray mist rising slowly. Xiao Yan’s eyebrows furrowed as he murmured softly, “These endless souls aren’t the real threat. They are merely fuel. Each soul slain is absorbed into the cloud, and as more soul energy gathers, a monstrous entity of combined souls will form. This entity, linked to Elder’s soul, will become an incarnation, matching his strength, and should the incarnation be destroyed, Elder too will suffer severe backlash, losing his rank, or worse, becoming a puppet enslaved by the beast’s wrath.”
Su Qian’s eyes locked onto the black clouds overhead, his tone grave, “And, I know that each time this formation is activated, the sacrifice is enormous. Very few in the Soul Temple perform such ritual, as failure to gain corresponding value leads to severe punishment, making life unbearable…”
“Capturing me, perhaps, he believes, justifies the cost,” Xiao Yan muttered.
Su Qian nodded slightly, “To break the formation, we must kill the Elder, but he hides in the midst of the countless souls, making it near impossible to find him…”
“Then does it mean we can only wait for the monster to solidify before striking?” Little Healer Immortal frowned.
If the monstrous entity truly forms, then even without Ma Tianxing, the enemy would have four powerful Soul Masters. A grim situation for them.
Xiao Yan’s frown deepened, feeling a headache. The Soul Temple’s methods were insidious, leaving no room for defense.
“Hehe, little one, the Falling Heart Flame is the nemesis of ordinary souls. Are you really having trouble here? Though I didn’t expect you to wield two different flames, your fused flame is indeed more powerful than the Falling Heart Flame alone, but it also diminishes its soul-eradicating effect. Notice how much weaker the escaping soul energy is compared to others? Use the pure Falling Heart Flame, and these souls will turn to nothing. Remember, use the Five Wheel Fire Control Technique; your crude control is inadequate against so many souls,” a wise, aged voice reverberated in Xiao Yan’s mind.
Hearing the voice, Xiao Yan instinctively touched the white jade ring on his finger, his eyes glittering. As the previous master of the Falling Heart Flame, the Heavenly Fire Venerable possessed insight far beyond Xiao Yan’s.
“Thank you, Elder!” Xiao Yan responded, his heart filled with gratitude. His body’s emerald flames dimmed, replaced by the invisible Falling Heart Flame…
As the flame appeared, the bloodthirsty souls, seemingly unaware of fear, now showed a flicker of dread in their eyes. “Indeed, it works,” Xiao Yan smiled inwardly, his hand seals changing as the flame erupted from within, forming a colossal, ten-zhang tall Wolf Spirit above his head.
At the sight of the Wolf Spirit, the swarm of bloodthirsty souls grew restless, their aggressive charge faltering.
“Howl!” The Wolf Spirit let out a deafening roar, waves of invisible energy rippling out. Any soul caught in the blast trembled and vanished into nothing, their souls shattered, leaving no trace…
As the Wolf Spirit decimated the masses, the pressure on the fighters below eased. Outnumbered, the souls crumbled under the relentless onslaught, and the massive Wolf Spirit consumed the last bits of the vanquished foes…
The tide of battle suddenly turned, and the hideous smile on Han Xue’s face froze. His eyes locked onto the massive Wolf Spirit, shock evident in his gaze. Since when did Xiao Yan master such profound fire control? Such mastery, Han Xue knew, was beyond even his current abilities. But Xiao Yan had done it.
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