Chapter 1153: Misjudgment, Lost Life
Up until this point in the battle, Yang Haoran had indeed consumed a considerable amount of Spirit Power, especially with the continuous release of black lightning from Black Lightning, which was the greatest drain on his Spirit Power.
Furthermore, the Ghost Art, Nine Nether Bone Dragon, that he had just unleashed also consumed a significant portion of his Spirit Power. Although his Spirit Power was still far from being exhausted, it was approximately half depleted.
Taking Soul Pills before his Spirit Power was depleted, and even consuming two at once, was undoubtedly the safest approach. If he were to wait until his Spirit Power was completely exhausted, it might be too late by then.
Therefore, for the sake of caution and to avoid being caught off guard, Yang Haoran decided to take two Soul Pills in advance. The reason he took two instead of one was that, at his current realm, the Pure Yin Qi continuously released by a single Soul Pill could no longer adequately match his Spirit Power's recovery rate, which is why he consumed two Soul Pills at once.
The Lanky Man witnessed Yang Haoran taking the Soul Pills. He believed that Yang Haoran consuming Soul Pills at this moment, and two at once, must be because his internal Spirit Power was running low, hence his actions.
It was not at all strange for him to think this way. In his eyes, Yang Haoran's realm was at the mid-stage Earth Soul, which was the same realm as their mid-stage Grand Spirit Master. Although he himself was at the early-stage Grand Spirit Master realm, a minor realm weaker than Yang Haoran, he could roughly estimate how much Spirit Power Yang Haoran possessed.
From his perspective, Yang Haoran, facing the combined assault of himself and the Eyepatch Woman, not only held his ground but actually gained the upper hand, suppressing them both relentlessly. He even managed to find a moment to forcibly scatter Cold Yue's Guardian Spirit and collect it into a Soul-Gathering Bead. Achieving all this was solely due to Yang Haoran's unrestrained use of his Spirit Power.
If Yang Haoran had shown even a slight control over his Spirit Power consumption, his attacks would not have been so fierce, and both he and the Eyepatch Woman would have had opportunities to launch effective counterattacks, avoiding such a miserable suppression.
Under normal circumstances, the Lanky Man's analysis of Yang Haoran at this moment would have been entirely accurate. Unfortunately, he overlooked a very important point: when facing an abnormal situation, his conjecture simply did not hold true.
For example, if Yang Haoran's strength was not merely mid-stage Earth Soul, or if his Spirit Power reserves were far deeper than an ordinary mid-stage Earth Soul practitioner, both of these scenarios could overturn his speculation. Besides these two situations, there would naturally be other contributing factors.
And Yang Haoran, as it happened, was far stronger than just mid-stage Earth Soul, meaning his Spirit Power reserves were nothing like what the Lanky Man had conjectured. Thus, the Lanky Man's analysis of Yang Haoran at this moment was naturally incorrect.
However, the Lanky Man did not realize this at the time. He believed his analysis was correct, and therefore, he saw this as the best opportunity to counterattack Yang Haoran. If they didn't seize this chance to defeat Yang Haoran, once he recovered his Spirit Power with the Soul Pills, it would bring them no benefit whatsoever.
Thinking of this, the Lanky Man's expression turned grim, and his gaze sharpened. From his current reaction, it was clear that he seemed to have made a certain decision.
"Buy me some time!"
Facing the continuously falling black lightning, the Lanky Man decisively gave up resisting and chose to dodge, sternly ordering his Guardian Spirit.
As soon as he spoke, the Lanky Man began to quickly form hand seals without waiting for his Guardian Spirit's response. It seemed he was preparing to unleash some extraordinary Spiritual Art.
The Guardian Spirit's face was extremely ugly. Due to its own strength, the black lightning released by Black Lightning was particularly damaging to it. It simply couldn't withstand many hits. In the process of dodging the black lightning earlier, it had already been struck twice, causing its spirit body to be severely damaged. If it took another hit, it estimated that it wouldn't be far from soul transformation.
It greatly feared the black lightning released by Black Lightning, and it knew that relying on its own strength to defend against it was simply unrealistic. Yet, the Lanky Man actually ordered it to buy some time. In its view, this was simply ridiculous. If it had that ability, how could it have been struck and forced to scramble under the black lightning's assault?
So, the Lanky Man's command made it very uncomfortable, and its face turned ugly precisely because of this inner dissatisfaction.
However, even though it was uncomfortable, it did not disregard or defy the Lanky Man's order. Despite its inner displeasure, it dodged the black lightning falling from the sky while frantically unleashing its remaining power, forming a protective barrier above itself and the Lanky Man.
Although it knew that this barrier would not be very effective, like thin paper against the black lightning, at present, it could not think of a safer way to buy time for the Lanky Man. So, even though it knew this method wouldn't do much, it decided to proceed.
Indeed, just as it thought, the barrier condensed from its power could not block the black lightning. But it didn't change its approach, because what it wanted was safety. As for how much time it could buy for the Lanky Man, it would try to buy as much as possible while ensuring its own safety.
On the other side, after Nine Nether Bone Dragon was repelled by the combined efforts of the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit, it let out another dragon roar, this one filled with intense fury. Immediately after, it opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of green flames, surging overwhelmingly towards the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit.
Because the distance between them was not far, and neither the Eyepatch Woman nor her Guardian Spirit had anticipated that the Nine Nether Bone Dragon would breathe fire, coupled with the wide coverage of the green flames, they were caught off guard. They had no time to dodge or escape, and the master and servant were instantly engulfed by the green flames. The area where they stood was transformed into a sea of fire, a green sea of fire.
A whooshing sound pierced the air. Just as the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit were engulfed by the green flames, they immediately burst out of the fiery inferno. Although they couldn't evade the green flames in the initial moment, it didn't mean they would passively allow the flames to burn their bodies. The instant the flames swallowed them, they immediately reacted and burst out of the green sea of fire.
However, no sooner had the two of them emerged from the green inferno, before they could even clearly see their surroundings, let alone launch a counterattack against the Nine Nether Bone Dragon, they were met with a powerful tail strike from the Nine Nether Bone Dragon.
Bang!
Bang!
The two were directly sent flying by the Nine Nether Bone Dragon's tail, smashing violently into the ground below like cannonballs. Two dilapidated buildings were pierced through by their bodies, and unable to withstand the immense force of the impact, these already crumbling structures collapsed with a roar after being penetrated, kicking up a large cloud of dust and debris.
The Nine Nether Bone Dragon did not stop there. After striking the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit away with a tail whip, it showed no hesitation, opening its mouth again towards the two collapsed buildings and spewing forth rolling green flames, instantly turning the area below into a fiery sea.
However, at this very moment, the Lanky Man's hand seals were also nearing completion. This process didn't take long, but for him, it was fraught with danger, as he constantly faced the possibility of being struck by the black lightning. Thankfully, his worst fear did not materialize. With his full effort in dodging, he narrowly avoided one black lightning bolt after another, not being hit even once.
Of course, during this process, his Guardian Spirit still played some role, albeit not a significant one, but it did help to some extent.
Just as the Lanky Man was about to successfully complete his hand seals, Remnant Moon transformed into a black streak and shot towards him, moving incredibly fast, appearing behind him in the blink of an eye.
Although Remnant Moon attacked the Lanky Man from behind, preventing him from seeing the approaching Soul Armament, he could sense the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from Remnant Moon behind him.
Therefore, without looking back, he dodged immediately and accelerated the speed of his hand seals.
Yang Haoran had just taken two Soul Pills when he noticed the Lanky Man forming hand seals. He knew the Lanky Man intended to use this opportunity to unleash some extraordinary Spiritual Art against him.
He naturally did not want to see the Lanky Man succeed in forming the seals, because any Spiritual Art the Lanky Man would choose to cast under these circumstances would surely not be an ordinary one; it was highly likely to be the strongest among the Spiritual Arts he knew. If the Lanky Man managed to successfully cast it, even if it wouldn't kill him or severely injure him, it would at least cause him some trouble.
In the current situation, let alone major trouble, even a minor one could potentially alter the ultimate outcome of this grand battle.
Yang Haoran naturally did not want to see such a thing happen. So, when he discovered that the Lanky Man actually intended to form hand seals to cast a Spiritual Art, he did not let him. Instead, he continued to multitask, simultaneously controlling Black Lightning to continuously release lightning, commanding Nine Nether Bone Dragon to fiercely attack the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit, and manipulating Remnant Moon to attack the Lanky Man, aiming to interrupt his hand seals.
However, to increase the success rate and strive for a single decisive strike, Yang Haoran made some changes to Remnant Moon's attack route. He didn't have Remnant Moon attack the target directly from the front as before. This time, he controlled Remnant Moon to circle around, making it seem as if his imminent target was the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit, and not the Lanky Man. Once it entered the Lanky Man's blind spot, he immediately controlled Remnant Moon to attack the Lanky Man from behind.
Normally, Yang Haoran's move would certainly be effective, with a high probability of unexpectedly killing the target. However, this time he did not succeed, because the Lanky Man had been paying close attention to Yang Haoran's every move while forming his hand seals. Even when Remnant Moon, under Yang Haoran's control, entered his blind spot, he did not relax his guard. He was not 100% certain that Yang Haoran was controlling Remnant Moon to deal with the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit; he felt that Yang Haoran could also suddenly launch an attack on him.
If the Lanky Man hadn't experienced Yang Haoran's methods before, he might genuinely have believed that Yang Haoran was controlling Remnant Moon to deal with the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit, rather than himself and his Guardian Spirit.
Having witnessed Yang Haoran's methods, especially how Yang Haoran had unexpectedly attacked Cold Yue's Guardian Spirit and successfully collected it into a Soul-Gathering Bead, he understood that Yang Haoran would not play by the rules in combat. Yang Haoran seemingly controlling Remnant Moon to deal with the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit didn't necessarily mean that was the truth; it was quite possible that Yang Haoran's true target was him, or his Guardian Spirit.
It was precisely because the Lanky Man had such suspicions that he did not relax his vigilance even when Remnant Moon entered his blind spot. It wasn't that he didn't want to; he simply dared not.
The events that unfolded next confirmed that his suspicions and anxieties were entirely correct. He sensed an energy fluctuation rapidly approaching his position from behind him. Without even thinking, he knew this fluctuation originated from Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, and that Yang Haoran's purpose in doing so was undoubtedly to eliminate him by surprise.
Since he had long anticipated that such an event might occur, he hadn't relaxed his vigilance but had secretly been on guard. It was precisely because of this that he was able to dodge in time. As Remnant Moon was about to hit him, his body performed two successive flashes, not only dodging the incoming Remnant Moon but also escaping the black lightning descending from above.
When Yang Haoran controlled Remnant Moon to attack the Lanky Man, he had actually considered that the Lanky Man might be able to dodge Remnant Moon's attack. Therefore, he made a preemptive judgment and controlled Black Lightning to release a black lightning bolt, thereby blocking the Lanky Man's escape route. But to his surprise, both Remnant Moon's attack and the lightning released by Black Lightning were successfully dodged by the Lanky Man.
As the Lanky Man dodged Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, and the black lightning released by Black Lightning, his hand seals were finally completed. Although the entire process from start to finish was but a short while, that brief moment felt like a very long time, especially for the Lanky Man. Throughout this period, he was constantly under immense threat, potentially losing his life at Yang Haoran's hands. Thus, this short interval was the most tormenting and longest for him.
It was precisely because of this that he felt incredibly aggrieved and furious. Now that the hand seals were complete, all the negative emotions he harbored against Yang Haoran erupted at this very moment.
"Spiritual Art! Spirit Aspect! ! !"
As the Lanky Man's furious roar echoed, the space above his area suddenly fluctuated violently. Yin winds howled, and visible black Spiritual Power surged, rapidly coalescing into a colossal Spirit Aspect.
The Lanky Man went to great lengths and took immense risks to cast a Spiritual Art, and the one he ultimately cast turned out to be a Spirit Aspect. Although Yang Haoran was somewhat surprised by this, he didn't feel astonished. After all, given the current situation, the Lanky Man summoning a Spirit Aspect to confront his enemy was indeed a good choice. While summoning a Spirit Aspect consumed a significant amount of power, its might was undeniably formidable.
Of course, the Lanky Man choosing to summon the Spirit Aspect at this moment also indicated another issue: he had decided to make a final desperate stand against Yang Haoran. Although summoning a Spirit Aspect was a powerful technique, under normal circumstances, practitioners generally wouldn't use it easily unless it was the last resort. Since the Lanky Man decided to do so, he must have been attempting a final gamble.
And indeed, this was the case. The Lanky Man had indeed decided to fight Yang Haoran to the death. The reason he summoned the Spirit Aspect at this moment was entirely because Yang Haoran had pushed him to his limits. Yang Haoran was simply too powerful for him; it was exceedingly difficult to severely injure Yang Haoran with other methods. Furthermore, Yang Haoran's attacks were relentless, one after another, leaving him constantly on the defensive. It was very difficult for him to successfully execute a counterattack; Yang Haoran simply wouldn't give him the chance.
Therefore, when he just noticed Yang Haoran taking Soul Pills, and two at once, he believed that Yang Haoran's Spirit Power must be running low, becoming like an arrow at the end of its flight. This was the perfect opportunity to eliminate Yang Haoran. Hence, he decided to risk summoning the Spirit Aspect, intending to use his strongest technique to defeat Yang Haoran!
But the very next second, he suddenly realized he was wrong, and terribly so, because he knew he had thought everything too simply.
The Spirit Aspect, summoned at great cost of the Lanky Man's Spiritual Power and immense risk, had not yet fully coalesced when an overwhelming torrent of green flames surged towards his location, threatening to engulf him.
The Lanky Man's face changed drastically. These green flames were indeed from Nine Nether Bone Dragon, but ever since Nine Nether Bone Dragon was summoned by Yang Haoran, it had consistently targeted the Eyepatch Woman and her Guardian Spirit. Yet now, Nine Nether Bone Dragon had changed its target, actually making him its new focus of attack.
On these overwhelming green flames, the Lanky Man didn't feel scorching heat; what he felt was a chilling coldness, a coldness that seeped into the depths of his soul. He knew these green flames must be unusual, so he dared not allow himself to be enveloped by them. Thus, he attempted to dodge.
However, just as he made his move to dodge, a black lightning bolt descended from the sky, accurately predicting his escape route and directly striking his body.
The instant his body was hit, a sensation of paralysis instantly spread throughout every corner of his being, and his body stiffened in place. Before he could recover from the paralysis, before the overwhelming green flames could even engulf him, a black streak passed through his neck. His facial expression also froze at that moment, and his eyes even revealed a look of disbelief.
The next second, a line of blood appeared at his neck, followed by a spray of blood, and his head detached from his body.
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