Chapter 1146: The Crippled Ghost King
Under the Grand Spirit Master's control, the Skeleton Ghost Mountain plummeted towards Yang Haoran below with a thunderous roar. So immense was its power that the very space around Yang Haoran began to distort.
Simultaneously, the Ghost King flung the Remnant Moon he had clutched in his hand. Yet, he did not simply cast it aside haphazardly; instead, he hurled it directly towards Yang Haoran's position.
His choice to act in such a manner served but one purpose: to exert some influence over Yang Haoran through this method. If he could inflict damage upon Yang Haoran, that would, of course, be even better.
Furthermore, if Yang Haoran were to be wounded by his own Soul Armament, it would be akin to a resounding slap across his face. Not only would it severely humiliate Yang Haoran, but it would also affect the other Underworld Office personnel present, weakening the morale of the Night Watchers and Underworld Officials. Conversely, it would provide a certain degree of encouragement to their own side, dispelling the negative impact caused by Yang Haoran's single punch shattering the Spirit Aspect just moments before.
The Ghost King's assault was not limited to this. After flinging the Remnant Moon as an attack towards Yang Haoran, he immediately unleashed an illusion upon him. In his estimation, if Yang Haoran were trapped within the illusion, even for just a short while, he and the Grand Spirit Master would have ample opportunity to severely wound Yang Haoran, or even kill him!
The Spiritual Art, Skeleton Ghost Mountain, the Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, and the illusion cast by the Ghost King—at this moment, their combined target was singular: Yang Haoran.
No sooner had the Ghost King flung the Remnant Moon than, before it even reached Yang Haoran, it was forcibly redirected by Yang Haoran's mental command, changing its target. It transformed into a black streak, shooting rapidly towards the Grand Spirit Master behind the Ghost King.
Both Spirit Power and Soul Armaments possess a strong suppressive effect against ghostly entities, and the Ghost King was naturally no exception. Why Yang Haoran chose not to attack the Ghost King, but instead targeted the Grand Spirit Master behind him, was due to two reasons: on one hand, the Grand Spirit Master's injuries were far more severe than the Ghost King's. On the other hand, while the Ghost King's physical body could be quickly repaired if damaged, the Grand Spirit Master's flesh-and-blood body lacked this ability. Therefore, in the current situation, dealing with the Grand Spirit Master was considerably easier than facing the Ghost King, and the success rate for a decisive strike would be much higher.
Under Yang Haoran's mental command, the Remnant Moon's speed was several times faster than when the Ghost King had flung it. Before the Ghost King could even react, the Remnant Moon bypassed him, launching a direct assault on the Grand Spirit Master behind him.
It was immediately apparent that this Grand Spirit Master possessed extremely rich combat experience. She seemed to have anticipated the possibility of such a situation, and thus, reacted with timely evasion. The instant the Remnant Moon was about to strike her, her body executed a sidestep, dodging the attack.
The Grand Spirit Master's combat experience was extensive, and Yang Haoran's was equally formidable. He had long anticipated that once battle commenced, the Ghost King would undoubtedly employ illusions against him. Therefore, even as he mentally commanded the Remnant Moon to attack the Grand Spirit Master, he simultaneously activated his Ghost Eye.
The very moment his Ghost Eye activated, the illusion cast by the Ghost King descended upon him. Although the Ghost King's illusion was potent, there was a considerable gap between his strength and Yang Haoran's. Consequently, once Yang Haoran activated his Ghost Eye, the Ghost King's illusion failed to have any effect on him. Yang Haoran didn't even spare it a thought, instead focusing all his attention on the Skeleton Ghost Mountain thundering down towards him.
Yang Haoran chose not to dodge, nor did he employ any defensive Ghost Arts, as he simply had no time to form hand seals and cast spells in such a situation. As for his Soul Armaments, while Remnant Moon could be used to defend against an opponent's attack, it was currently assaulting the Grand Spirit Master and could not return in time to ward off the Skeleton Ghost Mountain. His other Soul Armament was even less of an option; Black Lightning was a purely offensive Soul Armament, incapable of being used for defense.
Therefore, Yang Haoran's method for resisting the Skeleton Ghost Mountain was straightforward: he would meet it head-on with Spirit Power. Although this approach would consume a fair amount of Spirit Power, he paid no mind to such a minor expenditure.
Yang Haoran stood his ground, completely motionless. Potent Spirit Power, accompanied by a thick surge of Yin Qi, erupted from his body, colliding with the plummeting Skeleton Ghost Mountain.
BOOM! ! !
The two forces clashed, unleashing a deafening explosion. The menacing Skeleton Ghost Mountain was successfully repelled by the dense Yin Qi, halting above Yang Haoran's head, unable to descend further.
After the dense Yin Qi collided with the Skeleton Ghost Mountain, it did not dissipate. Instead, it rapidly transformed into an enormous hand, a hand so vast it enveloped the entire Skeleton Ghost Mountain. The ghostly entities swirling around the Skeleton Ghost Mountain seemed to sense imminent danger; their arrogant, spectral laughter ceased, replaced by screams of terrified panic.
The massive hand clenched abruptly. The colossal Skeleton Ghost Mountain was directly crushed by the even larger black hand. The ghostly entities' terrified screams transformed into shrill shrieks of agony, and with a thunderous bang, they dissolved into dense Yin Qi alongside the Skeleton Ghost Mountain, vanishing without a trace.
Originally, countless battles, big and small, were raging across Tongyou City, but Yang Haoran's appearance caused some combatants to halt their assaults, their gazes uniformly turning towards the area where Yang Haoran and the Grand Spirit Master were engaged.
When Yang Haoran and the Grand Spirit Master formally engaged in combat, even more people ceased their attacks on their opponents. Both the forces of the Underworld Office and the Spirit Masters yearned to witness the battle between these two formidable figures.
In a sense, the battle between Yang Haoran and the Grand Spirit Master was not merely a duel between two individuals, but a clash of two great factions. Whichever side emerged victorious would undoubtedly bring immense encouragement to their respective forces, and could even decide the ultimate triumph of this struggle. Hence, at this moment, the vast majority of personnel from both sides paused their assaults, turning their gaze towards Yang Haoran and the Grand Spirit Master high above.
The sight before them was sufficiently shocking for both factions, leaving every single person with an expression of utter astonishment. The fiercely advancing Skeleton Ghost Mountain had actually been broken by Yang Haoran in such an audacious manner, and judging by Yang Haoran's calm and composed reaction, he seemed not to have used his full strength at all. This, naturally, only deepened their shock.
Yang Haoran was not only facing the Grand Spirit Master's Spiritual Art, Skeleton Ghost Mountain, but also an illusionary assault from the Ghost King. In such circumstances, Yang Haoran not only effortlessly dismantled their techniques but could even control the Remnant Moon to attack the Grand Spirit Master. How could they not be utterly astonished?
On the Spirit Masters' side, in addition to their inner shock, there was also a degree of worry, for this exchange clearly showed Yang Haoran gaining the upper hand. Conversely, the Underworld Office personnel were all beaming with joy, some even displaying overt excitement.
It wasn't just them who were inwardly shaken; even the Grand Spirit Master who had cast the spell was utterly stunned to see the Skeleton Ghost Mountain destroyed so easily by Yang Haoran.
The Grand Spirit Master had no doubt that Yang Haoran possessed the ability to destroy the Skeleton Ghost Mountain. However, she had never anticipated that Yang Haoran, without employing his Soul Armament or casting any Ghost Arts, could so effortlessly break the Skeleton Ghost Mountain. This was utterly beyond her expectations, and it was precisely this that led her to a crucial realization: she had severely underestimated Yang Haoran's true power. Even though she believed she had imagined his strength to be formidable, she had still fallen short.
The deployment of the Skeleton Ghost Mountain had consumed a significant amount of the Grand Spirit Master's Communication Power. Moreover, as the caster, the Grand Spirit Master shared a certain connection with the Skeleton Ghost Mountain; with its destruction, she too suffered some repercussions.
The Grand Spirit Master let out a muffled groan of pain. Although no blood spurted forth, a hint of agony appeared on her face, revealing her discomfort. However, she did not fully express the pain she was enduring, instead suppressing it as much as possible, so the look of suffering on her face was not overtly intense.
Nevertheless, it was precisely because her body had been affected that her evasion faltered for a fleeting instant. And that momentary pause granted the Remnant Moon its opportunity; the Remnant Moon successfully struck her body.
The instant before the Remnant Moon was about to strike her, she realized something was amiss and immediately attempted to dodge. However, it was already too late to completely evade the Remnant Moon; it still left a gash, a gruesome wound, on her body, from which blood gushed forth.
Upon seeing that his illusion had no effect whatsoever on Yang Haoran, the Ghost King dared not harbor even a shred of disdain towards Yang Haoran any longer. He knew Yang Haoran was far stronger than he had imagined, and thus, he had to unleash more potent techniques.
Since illusions were ineffective against Yang Haoran, he could resort to other methods, such as telekinesis, or a Spiritual Art, or even directly attack Yang Haoran with his physical body and inherent power. Surely one of these would be capable of inflicting damage upon Yang Haoran.
However, just as the Ghost King was about to unleash another technique on Yang Haoran, he happened to witness the scene of the Grand Spirit Master's left arm being struck by Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon.
The Remnant Moon had carved a deep gash into the Grand Spirit Master's left arm, nearly severing her entire limb. This sight caused the Ghost King's expression to change drastically.
The Grand Spirit Master was different from him; she did not possess the ability to rapidly reconstruct her physical body. If her left arm were severed by Yang Haoran, while not entirely impossible to restore, it would certainly not be as simple as it was for him. Thus, when he saw the Grand Spirit Master's arm almost completely sliced off by the Remnant Moon, a profound sense of worry welled up within him.
After a brief consideration, he abandoned the idea of immediately launching other attacks against Yang Haoran. Instead, he employed his telekinetic ability on the Remnant Moon, intending to repeat his old trick of forcibly freezing it in mid-air. This would simultaneously ensure the Grand Spirit Master's safety and create an opening for her to act.
However, this time he failed to achieve his objective. The Remnant Moon did not freeze in mid-air as it had before; its speed merely slowed down slightly. This filled him with both surprise and extreme fury, and the resentment and ferocity emanating from his body intensified considerably in an instant.
He cursed under his breath, then his figure flickered, charging directly towards the Remnant Moon. He appeared instantly before it, shielding the Grand Spirit Master from its attack.
Enveloped in power, the Ghost King fought the Remnant Moon bare-handed. Although the Remnant Moon was exceedingly sharp, the Ghost King's fists, feet, and even his entire body had become exceptionally durable under the enhancement of his power. Thus, he sustained no damage while battling the Remnant Moon unarmed.
However, this state was clearly temporary. Under the Remnant Moon's relentless assault, the Ghost King was steadily losing ground and had not gained the upper hand. If this downhill trend continued, it wouldn't be long before the power enhancing the Ghost King's body would be breached by the Remnant Moon. At that point, if the Ghost King continued to confront the Remnant Moon bare-handed, his body would undoubtedly be sliced to pieces.
With the Ghost King's intervention, the pressure on the Grand Spirit Master immediately vanished. However, this vanishing pressure referred solely to that inflicted by the Remnant Moon; the pressure exerted by Yang Haoran himself had not dissipated in the slightest.
She sealed the wound on her left hand with the utmost speed. Though the wound did not immediately heal under the shroud of dense Yin Qi, the blood ceased to flow. This was done partly to prevent the wound from impeding her movements, and naturally, partly to prevent further blood loss from causing more harm to her body. If she were to truly lose too much blood, she would fall into a weakened state, and then, let alone Yang Haoran, the Guardian of the Underworld Office, even a random Night Watcher might be able to take her life.
On the other side, Yang Haoran did not remain idle after destroying the Skeleton Ghost Mountain. He multitask, simultaneously controlling the Remnant Moon with his mind to launch a fierce assault, while also waving his hand to summon his Soul Armament, Black Lightning.
Responding to his summons, Black Lightning shot forth from within the swirling Yin Qi, vanishing above him in the blink of an eye. Immediately afterward, a dark cloud appeared out of nowhere, lightning snakes writhed within, and the rumble of thunder resounded without end.
No sooner had the Grand Spirit Master sealed her wound than she immediately felt a powerful surge of energy from above, followed swiftly by rolling thunder. She looked up, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter as she watched the massive dark cloud obscure the sky.
The Ghost King also sensed the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from above. He punched the Remnant Moon, sending it flying a certain distance, then seized the opportunity to look up. When he clearly saw the situation overhead, his expression instantly became exceedingly grim.
He had only just glanced up, not even having time to warn the Grand Spirit Master, when the flung Remnant Moon transformed into a black streak and shot towards him once more. Faced with this situation, he had no choice but to withdraw his gaze and re-engage in battle with the Remnant Moon.
Yet, at that very moment, two earth-shattering explosions suddenly erupted from within the dark clouds overhead. Two bolts of black lightning shot out from the clouds, thundering downwards; one struck towards the Grand Spirit Master, while the other cleaved towards the Ghost King who was battling the Remnant Moon.
The Grand Spirit Master had been prepared. Coupled with the fact that she was not under any other attack and her reactions were exceptionally swift, she successfully dodged the descending black lightning bolt. The Ghost King, however, was not so fortunate. Although he too realized the danger and attempted to evade the plummeting black lightning, the Remnant Moon's fierce assault left him no opportunity to dodge, and the black lightning's speed was incredibly fast. Thus, unlike the Grand Spirit Master, he failed to evade it and was struck directly by the descending black bolt.
BOOM! ! !
Struck by the lightning, the Ghost King's rapidly dodging body abruptly froze in mid-air.
This lightning bolt did not inflict substantial physical damage on the Ghost King's body, but it dispersed the dense Yin Qi that enveloped him. Even the power empowering the Ghost King was shattered at that very moment.
When the lightning struck the Ghost King, his body paused. Though it was only for a fleeting instant, that momentary halt granted the Remnant Moon its chance. A black streak flashed past, and the Ghost King's body was directly cleaved into two by the Remnant Moon. Immediately afterward, the Remnant Moon flickered several times, directly slicing the Ghost King's severed body into multiple pieces.
Soul Armaments inherently possess a suppressive effect against ghostly entities. Although the Ghost King was immediately powerful, far beyond what Evil Spirits (evil Spirits) or Evil Spirits (evil Spirits) could compare to, he was ultimately still a ghostly being. He would similarly be restrained by Spirit Power and Soul Armaments. The reason the Ghost King had fought the Remnant Moon bare-handed without sustaining damage earlier was entirely due to his body being fortified by his own power. As long as this enhancing power remained unbreached, he would naturally not be harmed. However, with that power now shattered, his physical body's inherent durability was naturally insufficient to withstand the Remnant Moon's sharpness.
The Ghost King's body was sliced into several pieces by the Remnant Moon; blood spurted, and internal organs along with severed limbs rained down from above. Yet, these gruesome remnants then transformed into various-sized masses of Yin Qi, which began converging towards the largest of the masses.
From the look of it, the Ghost King intended to reform his physical body.
Though the Ghost King's body being severed into multiple pieces would not cause his soul to completely dissipate, it was still a tremendous injury to him. Reforming his physical body, in particular, was a considerable drain on his energy.
In the current predicament, even though reforming his body would consume a significant amount of his power, the Ghost King would still choose this path, for he had no other option. However, before he could fully re-coalesce his severed physical body, bursts of explosions echoed from above once more. Lightning bolts, one after another, descended ceaselessly, targeting not only the Ghost King but also the Grand Spirit Master.
In comparison, the Ghost King's situation was far worse, for he not only had to face the continuous lightning strikes from above but also contend with Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon. The Grand Spirit Master, on the other hand, merely needed to dodge the relentless lightning, making the Ghost King's predicament considerably more dire.
Originally, the Ghost King's condition was far better than the Grand Spirit Master's. Yet, after he joined the battle between Yang Haoran and the Grand Spirit Master, though only a short while had passed, in that brief period, he had sustained far greater damage than the Grand Spirit Master. Consequently, his current physical state was no better than the Grand Spirit Master's, and perhaps even a few degrees worse.
Just a few minutes into the engagement, the Ghost King, who had started in relatively good condition, was already on the verge of being crippled by Yang Haoran. Yang Haoran, conversely, remained perfectly still from beginning to end, composed and unhurried, without making even a single large movement.
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