Chapter 1350: The Invitation

Boom!!!

The rapidly shrinking eight-colored light prison suddenly exploded. As it detonated, portions of its power merged—water and fire intertwined, forming a towering Water-Fire Giant! Thunder and flame fused, giving birth to a Thunder-Fire Giant! Lightning and destruction converged, manifesting as a Thunder of Annihilation Giant…

One after another, these colossal figures emerged, nine in total.

Each of these nine giants possessed combat prowess equivalent to a perfected Divine Emperor, and they coordinated flawlessly as they launched a relentless assault on Dongbo Xueying.

“Impressive,” Dongbo Xueying murmured, maintaining his peak physical form as he wielded his spear with all his might. Yet, he found himself slightly overwhelmed. After all, the combat techniques of these giants were profound, surpassing even his own spearplay.

“This soul illusion is indeed disruptive—I can’t even manifest my Nine-Headed Battle Form,” the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor sighed, shaking his head slightly. The vast illusory world affected only twenty percent of his mental focus, yet that minor distraction was enough to prevent him from executing his techniques flawlessly. Unlike Wu Xiao, who relied on brute physical strength, the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor’s combat style demanded intricate manipulation of his power, consuming an immense amount of mental energy.

Simultaneously controlling nine perfected Divine Emperor-level bloodline powers while ensuring seamless coordination placed an extraordinary burden on his mind.

“Change,” the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor willed.

“Rooooar!”

One of the nine giants dissipated, while the remaining eight merged, transforming into a monstrous eight-headed serpent giant! This abomination radiated terrifying ferocity as it lunged at Dongbo Xueying.

Dongbo Xueying, already flustered by the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor’s relentless techniques, swiftly adjusted his spear stance to counter the eight-headed monstrosity.

“Thankfully, his mental focus is compromised, preventing him from deploying the ‘Nine-Colored Domain’ or the ‘Nine-Headed Battle Form,'” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself. Though he had long since gathered intelligence on the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor, even with the latter’s diminished strength, he still found the battle grueling.

“Whoosh.”

The sinister, eight-headed serpent giant abruptly vanished.

From a distance, the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor chuckled, “Brother Feixue, your physical vitality drains far too quickly. You must train harder and strive to reach the Half-Step Hunyuan Lifeform level soon.”

“I still have a long way to go,” Dongbo Xueying sighed. After just a brief skirmish, his vitality had already plummeted to sixty percent.

In terms of combat strength, while his physical outbursts barely qualified him as a Half-Step Hunyuan Lifeform, his lack of true enlightenment in the Dao meant his techniques remained flawed. Compared to genuine Half-Step Hunyuan Dao Comprehenders, he likely only wielded seventy to eighty percent of their power. Take Xie Fan, for instance—ranked among the top ten in Chiyun City. Without factoring in his soul techniques, Dongbo Xueying would barely scrape the bottom among the city’s elite fighters.

Of course, when accounting for his soul techniques and short-term explosive power, he could easily rank among the top few.

After all, even at his full strength, only those at the City Lord level could truly suppress him.

“My body is still too weak—it can’t sustain prolonged battles,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly.

“Incredible.”

“Emperor Feixue hasn’t even reached the Half-Step Hunyuan Lifeform stage, yet he’s this formidable? If he achieves it, he’ll instantly rival the Three City Lords.”

The other cultivators marveled, recognizing that while Dongbo Xueying’s Void Dao prowess placed him below dozens in Chiyun City, his soul techniques alone had drastically weakened the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor, leveling the playing field.

—

Dongbo Xueying and the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor returned to their respective positions.

“Those soul techniques are truly extraordinary,” the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor remarked with admiration.

“Brother Feixue, I won’t ask you to spar with me—your body is still too fragile. Just unleash your soul techniques on me. Go all out,” Wu Xiao urged eagerly.

“Let me experience it as well,” Fengyun Yiyie added.

“Very well.”

Without hesitation, Dongbo Xueying summoned the vast illusory world once more, ensnaring the souls of Fengyun Yiyie and Wu Xiao.

Through this mental tug-of-war, Dongbo Xueying sensed that Fengyun Yiyie’s soul was nearly identical in strength to the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor’s, perhaps marginally stronger—but the difference was negligible, detectable only by his acute perception. As for Wu Xiao, while his physical form was monstrously powerful, his soul strength barely reached sixty percent of Fengyun Yiyie’s or the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor’s.

Under the influence of the illusory world, Wu Xiao had to divert significant mental energy to resist. However, his sheer physical dominance meant he required far less focus to control his body.

“This affects me greatly—I can’t even execute my strongest techniques,” Fengyun Yiyie admitted with a nod.

“I’m probably even weaker than you, Nine-Heads,” Wu Xiao remarked after a moment of assessment. “These soul techniques are downright oppressive.”

Dongbo Xueying promptly withdrew his technique.

“No wonder even perfected Divine Emperor-level Hunyuan Lifeforms suffer such drastic reductions in power. Even I can only muster sixty to seventy percent of my strength,” Wu Xiao said. “The most absurd part is that your soul technique affects all enemies simultaneously—whether it’s twelve hundred Demon-Slaying Beasts or three thousand, even ten thousand.”

“Indeed. Any enemy within the range of my illusory domain will be affected,” Dongbo Xueying confirmed.

Once the illusory world descended, every foe within its bounds would have their souls ensnared—unless he deliberately exempted them.

“Remarkable,” Fengyun Yiyie rarely offered praise. He sipped his wine contemplatively, lost in thought.

Beside him, the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor fell silent, his eyes flickering with unspoken reflections.

—

The banquet finally drew to a close.

Throughout the event, the Three City Lords had primarily engaged Dongbo Xueying in discussions, sparring, and Dao debates, paying little attention to the other cultivators.

As the gathering disbanded and guests began departing—

“Brother Feixue.” Fengyun Yiyie and the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor spoke almost simultaneously.

“Hm?” Dongbo Xueying blinked, glancing between them.

The two exchanged a look and chuckled.

“You first,” the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor yielded. “Once you’re done, I’ll have my turn.”

“Very well.” Fengyun Yiyie nodded. “Brother Feixue, come with me. Let’s speak privately.”

Dongbo Xueying studied the two City Lords. “What is this about?”

“I’ll wait here. We’ll talk afterward,” the Nine-Headed Serpent Ancestor said leisurely, settling into his seat.

Dongbo Xueying assented.

He rose and followed Fengyun Yiyie to a secluded chamber within the cave abode.

The two took their seats.

After a brief silence, Fengyun Yiyie spoke. “I’ve long sought to slay that imprisoned Hunyuan being in Wind Demon Valley. However, the creature is exceedingly cautious. Ever since surviving my first assault, it now ventures out only with an entourage of three thousand guards—each at the perfected Divine Emperor level. Though I could rally experts from Chiyun City to aid me, those three thousand guards… render me utterly helpless. But now, with your emergence, Emperor Feixue, I see a glimmer of hope. Brother Feixue, I ask for your assistance—join my team in hunting down that Hunyuan prisoner in Wind Demon Valley. Name your price, and it shall be granted.”