Boom!
At the very moment Dongbo Xueying pierced through the body of the Flame Candle Protector, the terrifying wooden staff also struck him with a thunderous impact. He was sent hurtling through the air at an incredible speed, his body reduced to a streak of light. The internal structure of his “Annihilation Extreme Profound Armor” rapidly dispersed the force of the blow. Though Dongbo Xueying was sent flying and spat blood from the shock, his body remained completely unharmed—his armor intact.
“What? He actually withstood it?”
“He took Flame Candle’s staff head-on with his body?” The three other Protectors, who had been leisurely standing by without rushing to attack, were stunned. They had full confidence in Flame Candle, the leader of their group, whose strength was indeed overwhelmingly tyrannical—capable of facing the Sorcerer Silkworm Emperor in direct combat.
Though their leader had warned them that Dongbo Xueying’s armor was formidable, they had assumed that even if Flame Candle couldn’t kill him in one strike, ten or a hundred blows would suffice.
Yet now, they saw that Dongbo Xueying remained unscathed, merely spitting blood. At their level, unless a portion of their life force was completely annihilated, spitting blood was nothing—mere droplets could regenerate thousands of times without any loss of energy.
“Hmm?” Flame Candle frowned slightly. Though he had other techniques—even deadlier forbidden strikes—his full-powered attack had failed to injure his opponent. Even if he used his forbidden moves, the outcome was uncertain.
“This Dongbo Xueying’s strength is pitifully weak, but his armor is extraordinary. Stick to the original plan—trap and capture him,” Flame Candle transmitted mentally.
“Understood.”
“Let’s imprison him first.”
After this initial exchange, they adjusted their strategy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The four of them instantly transformed into streaks of light, dispersing to encircle Dongbo Xueying.
Meanwhile, Dongbo Xueying was testing his enemies’ limits. “That dark-red-skinned Protector is absurdly strong—my Blood Serpent Spear’s full-force strike couldn’t even pierce his skin. I’ll have to give up on him. Let’s try the other three.”
With a swift motion, he thrust his spear toward the green-eyed man.
The Blood Serpent Spear cut through the air, its path unpredictable.
The green-eyed man sneered coldly, gripping a slender longsword etched with intricate patterns. With both hands, he swung it down in a furious slash.
“Swish!”
The world itself seemed to split in two as the blade expanded, cleaving toward Dongbo Xueying.
Again, Dongbo Xueying chose offense over defense. He could tell that though this strike was strangely powerful, it paled in comparison to the dark-red-skinned Protector’s attack.
Since Dongbo Xueying had struck first, his spear pierced the green-eyed man’s body before the blade could land. The green-eyed man, confident in his physique, took the hit head-on. This time, the spear met no resistance, cleanly punching a bowl-sized hole through his torso.
The green-eyed man remained expressionless, staggering slightly, but his blade’s momentum remained undiminished as it slammed into Dongbo Xueying.
“Thud—!”
The impact sent Dongbo Xueying flying again—this time closer to the gray-robed female Protector.
“Trap him,” the green-eyed man transmitted. Clearly, his strike wasn’t meant to kill but to position Dongbo Xueying for capture.
“Leave it to me.” The gray-robed woman’s body erupted with countless green vines, their leaves spreading wildly as they surged toward Dongbo Xueying.
“Not good!”
Dongbo Xueying couldn’t afford to be entangled. If he were truly restrained, even retreating into the Void World wouldn’t save him—the vines would follow him in, and with enough force, they could drag him back out.
“Go!” He thrust his spear toward the gray-robed woman, its speed far surpassing the vines’ growth.
Frowning, she instantly wrapped herself in a dense sphere of foliage.
“Thunk!”
The spear pierced through layers of vines, but its momentum rapidly waned, unable to breach the sphere.
“Retract.” With a thought, the Blood Serpent Spear shrank and withdrew. Without pause, Dongbo Xueying redirected his attack toward the purple-robed elder in the distance.
“Careful! His weapon carries a venom that’s nearly impossible to purge,” the green-eyed man warned, his wound healing at an agonizingly slow pace.
The purple-robed elder, his face hidden save for his eyes, frowned. Though he was the least skilled in close combat among the four, his physical resilience matched Dongbo Xueying’s, and he had his own defenses.
“Whoosh…”
A shroud of black mist enveloped him as he murmured softly, “Without his blood, the curse’s power is insufficient.”
Still, he chanted under his breath.
An eerie, intangible force descended upon Dongbo Xueying.
“Hmm?” Dongbo Xueying’s expression shifted. This energy was bizarre—transcending both the material world and his Void World’s control. It seemed to originate from a higher plane, a force unlike any he’d encountered—neither conventional energy nor soul attack, but something far more mysterious.
As it neared him, his innate life force weakened it until it dissipated entirely.
“So this is the Ancestral Cult’s infamous curse-killing technique Master mentioned? Blood is the best medium—never let them obtain it, or the curse’s power multiplies.” Though he had spat blood earlier, it was merely condensed energy, instantly reclaimed without loss.
Despite his shock, his spear thrust forward, piercing the black mist. The mist resisted fiercely, as if countless creatures assailed his weapon. Even weakened by half, the spear still struck the elder’s chest, punching a gaping hole clean through.
Yet the rest of the elder’s body remained unharmed, the wound healing just as sluggishly.
“Flame Candle is untouchable. The woman is shielded by vines—without Void Path techniques, I can’t harm her. The purple-robed elder and the green-eyed man are vulnerable, with the elder being the weakest.” Having gauged his enemies, Dongbo Xueying had a plan.
“You can’t escape.”
The vines were upon him.
But Dongbo Xueying merely smiled, his form flickering between reality and illusion as he slipped into the Void World.
The vines passed through empty air.
“What?!” Even the female Protector was stunned. How had he evaded capture?
“Now it’s my turn.” Dongbo Xueying grinned.
Hum.
The Void World descended.
An illusionary realm took hold!
His master, Bloodblade Divine Emperor, had warned him: Ancestral Cult Protectors possessed monstrous physiques but glaring weaknesses—their comprehension was shallow. Their powerful bodies bred mighty souls, yet their low cultivation realms left their mental fortitude lacking.
While exceptions existed, generally, higher realms correlated with stronger minds.
Figures like Bloodblade, the Abyssal Primogenitor, and Pang Yi possessed towering mental resilience. Even among ordinary True Gods, few matched Dongbo Xueying’s level.
Among the Ancestral Cult Protectors, most were only at the Four-Pillar Fiendgod realm, their mental defenses mediocre. Though their souls were strong, their poor comprehension made them susceptible to illusions.
And when it came to illusions?
In both the Divine Realm and the Abyss, Dongbo Xueying—who dwelled in the Blackmist Sea, immersed in its dreamscapes, and had pioneered the Void Path—ranked among the top three Sovereigns! Other Sovereigns might surpass him in raw power, but none specialized in illusions like he did.
“First, taste the illusions of my Void World.” This was his first time deploying such techniques since mastering the Void Path—and against Ancestral Cult Protectors, no less.
“Huh?”
Flame Candle and the others suddenly found their surroundings shifting, an unseen force seeping into their souls.
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