Chapter 1157: A Race Against Time
A vast amount of Spirit Power surged, and the binding force that the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit had imposed on Yang Haoran was instantly broken. This binding force was not particularly strong for Yang Haoran; once he mobilized a large quantity of Spirit Power to counterattack, breaking free of it was a certainty.
As this binding force shattered, the Spirit Aspect that had imposed it was immediately affected. Its two eyes, fixed on Yang Haoran, instantly burst open from the backlash, and though no blood spurted, two streams of visible black Yin Qi rose from them.
With the Spirit Aspect suffering a backlash, the Guardian Spirit controlling it naturally fared no better. He, too, was affected. His body, which had previously exploded into Yin Qi and was rapidly re-coalescing, now, under the renewed impact, had its lower half—still not fully formed—shatter once more into surging Yin Qi. Moreover, the area of his physical form that disintegrated into Yin Qi was significantly larger than before.
Although Yang Haoran had successfully broken free from one binding force by mobilizing a massive amount of Spirit Power, and had even caused the Guardian Spirit and its summoned Spirit Aspect to suffer a backlash, he had not completely escaped the other binding force. Consequently, he took a solid blow from the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Eyepatch Woman.
Boom! ! !
That palm strike sent Yang Haoran flying, his body plummeting towards the ground like a meteorite.
With the Bone Dragon extinguished, the sea of flames on the ground below had mostly dissipated, leaving only a few green flames still burning. The ground beneath was revealed as a scene of tragic ruin.
But as Yang Haoran's body rapidly slammed into the ground, the immense impact force directly delivered another devastating blow to the earth below. A colossal roar echoed as dust and smoke billowed, as if an artillery shell had exploded on the ground. Some of the surrounding dilapidated but still standing buildings were directly leveled by the powerful shockwave.
Now, however, Yang Haoran had taken a full blow from her Spirit Aspect. For her, who had never managed to inflict any significant harm on Yang Haoran, the relief she felt was immense. She had no idea how long she had waited for this moment.
Within Tongyou City, many from the Underworld Office's side witnessed Yang Haoran being struck by the Spirit Aspect. Their faces all changed drastically, for they feared that Yang Haoran would be defeated by that single palm strike. Once Yang Haoran, this Guardian Spirit, fell, their fate would be utterly miserable.
Conversely, the Spirit Mediums' side reacted in the exact opposite manner. Previously, they had seen Yang Haoran display immense power, not only defeating Cold Yue, a Grand Spirit Master, in a short time, but then, with the combined efforts of two other Grand Spirit Masters, successfully dispersing Cold Yue's Ghost King Guardian Spirit and collecting it into a Soul-Gathering Bead. Immediately after, he slew the lanky man, another Grand Spirit Master, and took his Guardian Spirit. These scenes had been a tremendous blow to the Spirit Mediums, with some even feeling despair, believing their battle today was doomed to failure.
However, to their surprise, the tide turned. After the Eyepatch Woman successfully summoned her Spirit Aspect, she immediately swept away her previous disadvantage, even sending Yang Haoran flying with a single palm strike. This allowed them to see the dawn of victory. How could their hearts not be filled with excitement? Their morale received a tremendous boost as a result.
Just as the Spirit Mediums' side secretly rejoiced, the space above the Eyepatch Woman's area suddenly began to fluctuate violently.
Such a sudden occurrence caused the cold sneer on the Eyepatch Woman's face to stiffen. She and her Guardian Spirit simultaneously looked up. Under their gazes, visible black Yin Qi boiled, and a colossal entity rapidly coalesced into form.
The Eyepatch Woman narrowed her eyes. Although the colossal entity had not yet fully formed, she had already recognized what it was.
“Death God's Law Aspect! ”
Just four words escaped the Eyepatch Woman's lips, each one feeling as heavy as a thousand catties, utterly devoid of levity.
At the same time, a figure shot out from the swirling dust and smoke below, hovering at the same level as the Eyepatch Woman.
This person was none other than Yang Haoran, who had just been struck by the Spirit Aspect's palm.
Yang Haoran now looked vastly different from before. Not only were his brand-new Death God robes damaged, but he also clearly bore several wounds of varying sizes, and even blood stained the corner of his mouth. It was evident he had sustained considerable injuries.
And indeed, that was the truth. He was genuinely injured. Taking a direct blow from the Spirit Aspect's palm had caused him significant bodily harm. When he slammed into the ground, the powerful impact force and the resulting explosion also inflicted a certain degree of damage. That was why he had wounds on his body and blood overflowing from his lips.
If he could have, he naturally wouldn't have endured the Spirit Aspect's palm strike head-on. He knew well how powerful that blow was; dodging it would have been the best option, as taking it directly was never a good idea.
However, under those circumstances, without using his full power, he simply couldn't break free from the remaining binding force on him. It was precisely because of this binding force that he was unable to successfully dodge, forcing him to endure the Spirit Aspect's palm strike.
Fortunately, the Death God robes possessed astonishing defensive power, coupled with the protective Yin Qi emanating from his body and his timely mobilization of Spirit Power to shield himself. This allowed him to avoid a fatal blow from that palm strike; otherwise, his physical injuries would have been far more severe than they were now.
Despite his considerable injuries, Yang Haoran still wore a faint smile, not allowing his wounds to cloud his expression. Moreover, at the very instant he absorbed the Spirit Aspect's palm strike, he had just successfully completed his hand seal. Had he been even a fraction of a second slower, his hand seal would undoubtedly have been directly interrupted by that palm.
The Eyepatch Woman sensed that the power fluctuations emanating from Yang Haoran were far weaker than before, and she also perceived his significant injuries. This should have been a good thing for her, yet she couldn't bring herself to be happy; instead, she felt intensely uncomfortable.
Because Yang Haoran’s calm smile left her feeling utterly unsettled. Beyond that, there was another crucial reason: she had astonishingly failed to interrupt Yang Haoran's hand seal. Even though the Spirit Aspect’s palm strike had landed squarely on Yang Haoran, he had still completed his hand seal at the most critical moment. The rapidly coalescing Death God's Law Aspect in the sky was clear proof of this, which was why she couldn't feel happy at all in this moment.
If circumstances allowed, the Eyepatch Woman wouldn't have minded mocking Yang Haoran a few times, using words to provoke him, and then analyzing his true thoughts from his reactions and expressions—to discern if his calm demeanor was just an act or if he genuinely possessed absolute confidence in this battle. But with the Death God's Law Aspect rapidly forming above, in such a race against time, she had no leisure to waste even a single word on Yang Haoran.
Under her control, the Spirit Aspect launched another attack on Yang Haoran, but this time, the assault came not from one hand, but two. The other hand, which had been wrapped around the Spirit Aspect's waist, now detached and joined the fray.
Simultaneously wielding both of the Spirit Aspect's extraordinarily long arms would certainly be a significant drain on the Eyepatch Woman's Communication Power, but the destructive force unleashed by two arms was undeniably superior to that of one.
The Eyepatch Woman was willing to double the consumption of her Communication Power to control both of the Spirit Aspect's arms simultaneously in her attack on Yang Haoran. Her goal was to slay Yang Haoran before the Death God's Law Aspect fully materialized.
Otherwise, once the Death God's Law Aspect successfully formed, it would undoubtedly create another troublesome situation. Even if the Death God's Law Aspect summoned by Yang Haoran proved inferior to her Spirit Aspect, a dangerous battle would be inevitable. If she could slay Yang Haoran before the Death God's Law Aspect fully coalesced, then the subsequent perilous struggle could be entirely avoided.
While the Eyepatch Woman made her move, her Guardian Spirit also remained busy. Even in its severely weakened state, the Guardian Spirit still controlled its Spirit Aspect, providing support for her.
Since the eyes of one head of the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Guardian Spirit had already burst, this time he activated another head, attempting to bind Yang Haoran using the same method. Although he knew it was unlikely he could completely restrain Yang Haoran with his current strength, his requirement was simple: to merely cause Yang Haoran some degree of impact. Even if the effect wasn't significant, for a battle of this intensity, it could still be fatal.
The situation was critical, time was pressing. It was clearly impossible for Yang Haoran to perform hand seals and unleash a Ghost Art to counter the Spirit Aspect's attack, as there simply wasn't enough time for him to complete the seals. However, this time, he had no intention of taking the blow head-on. If he allowed his physical body to absorb another attack from the Spirit Aspect, he would be severely wounded even if he didn't die, and he certainly didn't want to fall into such a state.
He didn't immediately deal with the Guardian Spirit's attack, as it merely bound his body without inflicting substantial damage. Moreover, this binding force was not particularly strong for him; breaking free of it would not be difficult. The first problem he needed to solve was the attack from the Eyepatch Woman.
The Eyepatch Woman controlled her Spirit Aspect, swinging its two extraordinarily long arms. These arms inflicted not only binding force but also immense destructive power. Thus, he had to first move to block the Spirit Aspect's twin arm attack. The Death God's Law Aspect was rapidly coalescing; he only needed to hold off the Spirit Aspect for an instant.
Unable to perform hand seals and unleash a Ghost Art, Yang Haoran could only resort to using his Soul Armaments. Although his two Soul Armaments had previously been shattered by the Spirit Aspect summoned by the Eyepatch Woman, reforming them and putting them to use was but a thought away.
A black light shot out from the Yin Qi swirling by his side, followed by a buzzing sound that echoed through the heavens and earth. The black light instantly expanded, transforming into a massive crescent wheel that blocked the sky above Yang Haoran.
This crescent wheel was, naturally, Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon. Although Remnant Moon's size had increased, it was still considerably smaller compared to the two Spirit Aspects. At this moment, Remnant Moon was only slightly larger than the Eyepatch Woman's Spirit Aspect's palm.
Boom! ! !
A deafening roar reverberated throughout Tongyou City. Remnant Moon successfully blocked the Spirit Aspect's palm, but the immense force caused Remnant Moon to tremble violently. In just an instant, Remnant Moon emitted cracking sounds under the strain, and then cracks appeared all over its surface. In the blink of an eye, these fissures covered the entire crescent, indicating that Remnant Moon would not be able to hold off the Spirit Aspect for much longer.
One of the Spirit Aspect's hands was blocked, but its other hand was not idle. This hand ignored Remnant Moon, instead curving around it and slamming down with a punch directly at Yang Haoran, who was beneath the crescent.
Since Remnant Moon had already developed cracks, the Spirit Aspect's other fist needed only to deliver another casual blow, and Remnant Moon would certainly shatter. At that point, Yang Haoran would be left without any defense, just as before.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Haoran wouldn't be able to re-condense Remnant Moon and use it for defense before the Spirit Aspect's fist and palm descended, as there simply wasn't enough time. No matter how much he dodged, it would be futile; even if he evaded the palm, he couldn't escape the fist, and vice-versa. He was guaranteed to take a hit.
But, this was only speaking from normal circumstances. Could Yang Haoran be measured by such normal circumstances?
In the Eyepatch Woman's view, Yang Haoran could not be judged by normal circumstances. After clashing with him today, she had experienced firsthand how difficult Yang Haoran was to deal with, and indeed, his actions truly couldn't be rationalized by normal logic. She had suffered for that very point before.
Therefore, the Eyepatch Woman was very cautious. She felt that if she were to directly strike Remnant Moon with a punch, it might not shatter instantly. If Remnant Moon lasted even one second longer, it wouldn't be good for her, because under the current circumstances, she couldn't afford to waste even a single second.
Furthermore, even if Remnant Moon were to truly shatter from a follow-up punch from the Spirit Aspect, the powerful shockwave generated by the explosion would still have a certain impact on her attack. While it wouldn't cause the Spirit Aspect's hands to shatter, it would definitely affect its speed, even if only for an instant, which she similarly could not afford to delay.
Considering these factors, she chose not to bother with the seemingly fragile Remnant Moon, but instead took a detour, directly attacking Yang Haoran below the crescent. In her view, this was the safest approach. Although the Spirit Aspect's arm took a circuitous path during the attack, it at least avoided some potential disadvantages for her.
Yang Haoran could more or less guess the Eyepatch Woman's thoughts. He knew that her choice of attack method was to ensure, as much as possible, his demise before the Death God's Law Aspect fully materialized.
If it were anyone else facing such a life-and-death situation, they would undoubtedly be panic-stricken and at their wits' end. But to maintain composure and an unchanging expression in such circumstances—that was a realm not easily attained or accomplished by ordinary people.
Facing this situation, Yang Haoran's expression remained entirely unchanged from beginning to end. A faint smile still graced his face, as if he didn't consider his perilous predicament a matter of concern at all.
Just as Remnant Moon was about to shatter and the Spirit Aspect's other fist was on the verge of striking Yang Haoran's body, the Death God's Law Aspect in the sky fully coalesced. And at the very instant the Death God's Law Aspect completely formed, Yang Haoran, with a faint smile, uttered a single word:
“Seal! ”
As the word left his lips, the Spirit Aspect's incoming fist suddenly froze in mid-air. That mountain-like fist hung suspended above Yang Haoran, as if Mount Tai itself was pressing down.
At the same time, Remnant Moon, the Soul Armament blocking the Spirit Aspect's other palm, having reached its limit, could no longer hold on and exploded with a crash.
Although Remnant Moon had shattered, the powerful shockwave created by its explosion forced the Spirit Aspect's palm back a certain distance.
From this, it was clear that the Eyepatch Woman's earlier concerns were not entirely unfounded. Now that Remnant Moon had been shattered, the powerful shockwave generated by its explosion indeed had a certain impact on her attack, delaying her strike against Yang Haoran.
Her worries were indeed correct, and her choice to have the Spirit Aspect's fist curve around to attack Yang Haoran was also sound. The problem lay in the fact that even with these measures, she ultimately failed to slay Yang Haoran before the Death God's Law Aspect fully coalesced.
After the Spirit Aspect's palm was pushed back by the shockwave from the explosion, it did not continue to slam down on Yang Haoran; instead, like the fist that was about to strike Yang Haoran's body, it froze in mid-air. This was because both the Spirit Aspect's fist and its palm were now sealed by the power of the Death God's Law Aspect, which was why they had suddenly stopped in the air.
As for why the Spirit Aspect's palm was pushed back a certain distance, it wasn't due to the Spirit Aspect itself, nor was it intentionally done by the Eyepatch Woman, but rather, the powerful shockwave from the explosion had forcibly repelled it.
Seeing the Spirit Aspect suddenly cease its attack at this critical moment, the Eyepatch Woman's expression instantly turned extremely grim. She knew exactly what was happening, even without Yang Haoran uttering the word 'Seal'.
In this very moment, the Eyepatch Woman's heart was filled with fury and unwillingness. Her attack was on the verge of successfully striking Yang Haoran's body, yet it had missed by just an instant in terms of time. Had she been given just one more second, she believed Yang Haoran, even if not killed, would have been severely wounded by her.
Without that single second, not only had she failed to harm a single hair on Yang Haoran, but even her Spirit Aspect's attack had been forcibly immobilized by Yang Haoran. How could she not be furious? How could she be willing to accept this!
“Break free! ! ! ”
A furious roar erupted from the Eyepatch Woman's mouth, the anger and unwillingness in her heart contorting her expression.
As the Eyepatch Woman's roar echoed, both the Spirit Aspect's fist and its palm began to tremble violently. Crackling sounds even emanated from them.
From this, it was evident that the sealing force the Death God's Law Aspect had imposed on the Spirit Aspect would soon be broken.
Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged. Yin Qi surged around him, and a muffled thud emanated from his body, before he vanished from his spot.
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