Chapter 1156: Turning the Tide
The Spirit Aspect slammed a palm onto the body of the Nine Nether Bone Dragon. The latter let out a pained shriek, its colossal frame plummeting sharply downwards, yet it did not immediately crash to the ground.
As the shriek faded, the Nine Nether Bone Dragon immediately retaliated. This time, it did not spew green flames. The green flames it emitted targeted souls, but the Spirit Aspect was a construct formed from concentrated power; it possessed no physical body, nor any so-called essence, qi, or spirit. Thus, no matter how potent the green flames were against souls, they would have little effect on the Spirit Aspect.
The Nine Nether Bone Dragon chose a simple and brutal method of attack: it directly charged at the Spirit Aspect, seemingly prepared for a close-quarters battle with a foe even larger than itself.
However, the Nine Nether Bone Dragon had only just charged a short distance towards the Spirit Aspect when it was firmly seized by one of the Spirit Aspect's palms, much like an adult grasping a large snake.
Then, the Spirit Aspect's palm exerted force, its five fingers clenching tightly. The Nine Nether Bone Dragon let out another pained shriek, and where it was gripped by the five fingers, cracks even began to appear.
The Nine Nether Bone Dragon struggled violently, attempting to break free from the hand's confinement, but no matter how it thrashed, it could not escape the Spirit Aspect's grasp. Instead, the cracks on its body multiplied with its fierce struggles, looking as if its entire frame could shatter at any moment.
Before the Nine Nether Bone Dragon could successfully break free from the Spirit Aspect's grasp, another powerful burst of energy erupted from that hand. Visibly dense Yin Qi surged violently upwards, and the Nine Nether Bone Dragon's already heavily cracked body could no longer withstand the force, shattering with a crash.
All of this sounds like it took a long time, yet from the Spirit Aspect's attack to the Nine Nether Bone Dragon's dispersal, it was merely a fleeting moment. Precisely because the time was too brief, the Eyepatch Woman hadn't even completed her hand seals.
The moment the battle between the Spirit Aspect and the Nine Nether Bone Dragon erupted, Yang Haoran wasn't merely controlling the Nine Nether Bone Dragon to engage the Spirit Aspect in close combat. As before, he divided his attention three ways, controlling the Nine Nether Bone Dragon while simultaneously directing his two Soul Armaments to attack.
Under his control, Remnant Moon transformed into a black streak, shooting towards the Eyepatch Woman behind the Ghost King. He knew the Eyepatch Woman was forming hand seals to cast a Spiritual Art, and he naturally didn't want to see her successfully unleash it. Thus, he aimed to interrupt her hand seals with Remnant Moon's assault.
However, Remnant Moon had only just moved, before it could even get close to the Eyepatch Woman, when the Spirit Aspect's head, with its human-like ghost face, suddenly twisted. That ghastly face, appearing to cry and laugh, happy and angry all at once, now directly faced Remnant Moon, and with just a single gaze, the crescent blade, which had been as swift as lightning, was inexplicably frozen in mid-air.
At the same time, Yang Haoran was also controlling Black Lightning. However, because the Spirit Aspect's body was too massive, even though it was seated cross-legged, a portion of its body still pierced through the dark clouds formed by Black Lightning. The Spirit Aspect's body, moreover, contained immense power, and affected by this powerful force, Black Lightning was, for a moment, unable to unleash black lightning bolts as freely as before.
The black lightning failed to discharge normally, Remnant Moon was frozen in mid-air, and the Nine Nether Bone Dragon was no match for the Spirit Aspect, suffering a bone-shattering blow from its palm in their very first clash. Yang Haoran witnessed all of this. Although he hadn't achieved his objective, he didn't fly into a rage because of it. A faint smile still lingered on his face, though a hint of surprise arose in his heart.
Because he hadn't expected the Eyepatch Woman's Guardian Spirit to be able to single-handedly block his two Soul Armaments and the Nine Nether Bone Dragon conjured from his high-level Ghost Art.
When he then looked at the Ghost King controlling the Spirit Aspect, he understood what was happening, and why this Ghost King possessed such power.
He saw that the Ghost King's mouth was constantly gushing blood, its body trembling incessantly with streaks of blood-red cracks appearing, and some parts even directly exploded, dissolving into Yin Qi.
Given his strength, even if he successfully summoned a Spirit Aspect, it would have been impossible for him to simultaneously block Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments and the high-level Ghost Art. The reason he could do it was because he disregarded his own injuries, forcibly overdrawing the power within his body, which caused the constant gushing of blood and such drastic changes to his physical form.
Furthermore, there was another very important reason: Yang Haoran had consumed a large amount of Spirit Power in today's battle. Both his two Soul Armaments and the Nine Nether Bone Dragon were significantly weaker in power compared to when they first appeared.
It was precisely because of these two reasons that the Ghost King was able, relying solely on its own strength, to successfully block Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments and the Nine Nether Bone Dragon.
However, after just one exchange, the Ghost King had transformed into this state, looking as if its physical body could shatter at any moment. This indicated that even if it had blocked Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments and the Nine Nether Bone Dragon, it was only a temporary feat.
Yang Haoran watched this scene unfold. He knew the Ghost King wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer. If the Ghost King didn't choose to give up and continued to forcibly resist without regard for the consequences, then its ultimate fate was clear. However, it was hard to say whether the Eyepatch Woman could successfully complete her hand seals in the brief time the Ghost King managed to hold out.
The Ghost King's forced shattering of the Nine Nether Bone Dragon through the Spirit Aspect seemed simple, but in reality, it placed an immense burden on it. By the time it successfully accomplished this, half of its physical body had already exploded and turned into Yin Qi, leaving only half its torso. On the remaining half, the cracks were multiplying, and it was obvious that this half wouldn't last much longer. This clearly showed the immense price it paid to block two Soul Armaments while simultaneously breaking the high-level Ghost Art of the Nine Nether Bone Dragon.
The Ghost King controlled the Spirit Aspect to forcibly crush the Nine Nether Bone Dragon, successfully breaking Yang Haoran's high-level Ghost Art. It was precisely because of this that the Spirit Aspect's power became dispersed, allowing Yang Haoran to seize the opportunity. Remnant Moon took this chance to break free from the Spirit Aspect's restraint and shot towards the Eyepatch Woman behind it.
In this situation, it was clearly too late for the Ghost King to try and stop Remnant Moon again. Moreover, in its current state, it lacked the ability to do so. However, it didn't just let Remnant Moon attack the Eyepatch Woman; it still wanted to do its utmost to shield her from the crescent blade.
The method it chose was, of course, still the Spirit Aspect. Given its current miserable state, it had no other effective means apart from controlling the Spirit Aspect to stop Remnant Moon.
However, just as it was about to control the Spirit Aspect to intercept Remnant Moon, the dark clouds pierced by the Spirit Aspect's body suddenly rippled with streaks of electric snakes. They swarmed towards the Spirit Aspect, instantly enveloping it.
Due to the influence of the Spirit Aspect, although the dark clouds formed by Black Lightning could no longer fluidly release black lightning as before, this didn't mean they were entirely useless. The thunderous power within the dark clouds had always been present, and this power was still extremely formidable. What was currently shrouding the Spirit Aspect was precisely the thunderous power within the dark clouds.
Dense, black currents of electricity enveloped the colossal Spirit Aspect. Struck by this power, the Spirit Aspect became somewhat ethereal.
At the same time, Remnant Moon transformed into a black streak, instantly piercing through the Eyepatch Woman's body, successfully splitting her body in two.
Yet, strangely, although the Eyepatch Woman's body was split in two, no blood flowed out. Instead, it distorted and vanished.
This happened because Remnant Moon didn't strike the Eyepatch Woman's physical body at all, but rather an afterimage. When Remnant Moon broke free from the Spirit Aspect's power restraint, the Eyepatch Woman realized something was wrong. Thus, while continuing her hand seals, she simultaneously dodged. But because the speed was simply too great, she left an afterimage in her original spot, and it was precisely this afterimage that Remnant Moon split in two.
As the afterimage vanished, the Eyepatch Woman's cold and enraged voice suddenly rang out.
“Spiritual Art, Spirit Aspect! ! ! ”
The Eyepatch Woman successfully completed her hand seals. The technique she unleashed, just like her Guardian Spirit's, was a Spirit Aspect. Her reason for choosing to unleash this Spiritual Art at this moment was self-evident.
The space above fluctuated violently, and a Spirit Aspect rapidly condensed into form. Remnant Moon, having missed its mark, did not give up because of it. Instead, it abruptly halted in mid-air, reversed course, and attacked the Eyepatch Woman once more.
The Eyepatch Woman was the caster; as long as she was eliminated, the Spirit Aspect would dissipate without a fight. If not for the dark clouds formed by Black Lightning being affected by the Spirit Aspect and unable to unleash black lightning, then Yang Haoran's attack on the Eyepatch Woman at this moment wouldn't just be Remnant Moon—it would definitely be accompanied by a torrent of black lightning, delivering a devastating blow to her.
But the practical problem was right before him: the dark clouds formed by Black Lightning were temporarily unable to unleash black lightning, capable only of releasing thunderous power to deal with the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Ghost King. Thus, Yang Haoran couldn't use black lightning against the Eyepatch Woman and could only attack her with his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon.
The Eyepatch Woman had long anticipated Yang Haoran's actions, so at this moment, she did nothing else but dodge with all her might. Remnant Moon's speed was simply too fast; if she were to divert her attention to anything else, she feared she would fail to dodge and truly end up being split in two by the crescent blade.
There was another reason she chose to dodge with all her might: she had now successfully unleashed the Spiritual Art, Spirit Aspect. The next step was simple: just wait for the Spirit Aspect to fully condense. During this process, she only needed to ensure her own safety. Once the Spirit Aspect was fully formed, Yang Haoran's Soul Armament Remnant Moon and all his other methods would be dealt with by the Spirit Aspect she summoned. Therefore, at this critical moment, she had no need to directly confront Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran looked up at the Spirit Aspect rapidly condensing above him. The faint smile on his face not only didn't recede but intensified somewhat.
“Heh heh, another Spirit Aspect. In my current state, trying to deal with these two Spirit Aspects using just two Soul Armaments might be a bit unrealistic. In that case, let's have a battle of aspects, shall we? ”
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. As his words fell, while controlling his two Soul Armaments with his mind, his hands simultaneously began to form hand seals rapidly. Since the Eyepatch Woman had unleashed her final move, he was also prepared to summon the Death God's Law Aspect to deal with the two Spirit Aspects from her side.
The Eyepatch Woman noticed Yang Haoran rapidly forming hand seals. She knew what he intended to do, and the sneer on her face intensified considerably for a moment.
“Yang Haoran, how you treated us just now—I'll let you experience it firsthand! ”
While dodging Remnant Moon's attack, the Eyepatch Woman spoke coldly to Yang Haoran. Earlier, when they tried to form hand seals to cast Spiritual Arts, Yang Haoran, relying on the swift attack speed of his Soul Armaments, continuously struck at them. His aim was to prevent them from successfully unleashing their Spiritual Arts, putting them in a very passive position.
At this very moment, Yang Haoran was forming hand seals, intending to unleash a Ghost Art. The Eyepatch Woman watched this scene. She naturally didn't want to give Yang Haoran a chance, letting him successfully complete his spell. How Yang Haoran had dealt with her before, she now wanted to use the same methods against him.
As her words fell, the Spirit Aspect she summoned fully condensed into form in the sky above. It was just that the Spirit Aspect she summoned was noticeably larger in size than the one summoned by her Guardian Spirit.
Before the Eyepatch Woman summoned her Spirit Aspect, the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit, having no comparison, was undoubtedly the most striking presence in the entire world. Even the Nine Nether Bone Dragon summoned by Yang Haoran was merely a slightly larger serpent-like creature in front of this Spirit Aspect.
But now that the Eyepatch Woman had successfully summoned her Spirit Aspect, the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit was immediately overshadowed. Neither its solidity nor its size could compare to the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit. As a result, the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit was no longer the most striking presence in this world.
After the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Eyepatch Woman fully condensed, one of its arms, which had been coiled around its waist, suddenly loosened and then slammed a palm downwards towards Remnant Moon.
Remnant Moon's speed was incredibly fast; compared to the Spirit Aspect's outstretched arm, its speed seemed countless times faster. Yet, this time, the Eyepatch Woman did not choose to dodge. Just as Remnant Moon was about to strike her body, it was suddenly bound by the Spirit Aspect's power, freezing it in mid-air. The Spirit Aspect's palm followed, swatting Remnant Moon away with a single blow.
Because the power of the Spirit Aspect's palm strike was simply too immense, Remnant Moon could not withstand it. After being flung a certain distance, it immediately shattered and dispersed.
Having shattered Remnant Moon with a single palm, the Spirit Aspect did not stop. Under the Eyepatch Woman's control, its arm swung, its target this time not Yang Haoran, but the dark clouds formed by Black Lightning. Its unusually long arm smashed down, cutting through like a sharp sword. The dark clouds formed by Black Lightning were sliced in half by the arm, and then a powerful force directly tore them apart, causing them to dissipate into streaks of Yin Qi.
As the dark clouds were torn apart, the thunderous power shrouding the other Spirit Aspect also vanished. However, due to the fierce assault of the thunderous power, this Spirit Aspect had already become considerably ethereal. If the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Eyepatch Woman hadn't intervened in time to break the dark clouds formed by Black Lightning, this Spirit Aspect would not have been far from dissipating.
With two strikes, the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Eyepatch Woman first pulverized the Soul Armament Remnant Moon, and then shattered the Soul Armament Black Lightning. Its speed and power were utterly beyond comparison to the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit.
Having destroyed Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments in a short time, the Eyepatch Woman still had no intention of stopping. Destroying Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments was not her primary objective; interrupting his hand seals and destroying Yang Haoran himself—that was her main goal.
Therefore, after the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Eyepatch Woman destroyed Black Lightning, its arm didn't retract; instead, it slammed a palm down towards Yang Haoran's location.
At this moment, Yang Haoran had neither the Nine Nether Bone Dragon nor his two Soul Armaments. Facing the Spirit Aspect's attack, he had no other option but to dodge.
As his body had just begun to move, he sensed a powerful binding force descending upon him. It was obvious that this binding force originated from the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Eyepatch Woman. Affected by this binding force, his speed immediately slowed.
At the same time, the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit also made a move. Its terrifying, ghostly head rotated under the Guardian Spirit's control, its eyes directly locking onto Yang Haoran. And thus, another layer of binding force was added to Yang Haoran's body.
One binding force had already made Yang Haoran's movements difficult; with another added, the impact on his movements naturally grew even greater. Not to mention his movements, even Yang Haoran's hand seal gestures were affected, becoming sluggish and far from as swift as before.
Although the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit had been greatly weakened, it had not yet dispersed and still possessed considerable power. Therefore, the binding force it released also had a certain impact on Yang Haoran.
Besides the binding force, the Guardian Spirit also wished to control the Spirit Aspect to attack Yang Haoran. But in its current state, doing so would cause even greater harm to its physical body, of which only half remained.
Furthermore, with the Eyepatch Woman's summoned Spirit Aspect making its move, it had absolutely no need to continue doing so. The attacking could be entirely left to the Eyepatch Woman, while it only needed to provide assistance from the side.
Yin Qi surged and billowed from Yang Haoran's body. To break free from the two layers of binding force on him and regain his freedom of movement, he had no choice but to mobilize even more Spirit Power. At this moment, although he didn't unleash his full late-stage Earth Soul realm strength, the power he erupted with was stronger than any of his previous attacks!
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