Chapter 1138: Power Soars
The scene unfolding before Yang Haoran truly astonished him, for it completely exceeded his expectations; he had never imagined the situation would evolve to this state.
Watching the Crippled Elder's power fluctuations soar wildly, Yang Haoran couldn't help but let his smile fade slightly. This change alone showed that Yang Haoran now regarded the Crippled Elder with much more seriousness than before.
The Realm-Seizing Blood Refining Grand Art—Yang Haoran had never witnessed this technique before, nor had he even heard of it. Today, he finally got a glimpse.
Judging by the powerful Communication Power unleashed when the technique was cast, it should be a secret Spiritual Art unknown to him. After all, Spiritual Arts, like Ghost Arts, were as numerous as ox hair; it was perfectly normal for there to be Spiritual Arts he didn't recognize, or had never even heard of.
However, he couldn't be entirely certain that the Realm-Seizing Blood Refining Grand Art the Crippled Elder employed was definitively a Spiritual Art. This technique's tyrannical method of devouring vital blood to seize cultivation realms bore a striking resemblance to the methods of the Demon Cult. Thus, Yang Haoran was momentarily unsure whether the Realm-Seizing Blood Refining Grand Art was a Spiritual Art or a demonic cultivation technique of the Demon Cult.
Although Yang Haoran couldn't yet ascertain whether the Crippled Elder's Realm-Seizing Blood Refining Grand Art was a demonic cultivation technique or a Spiritual Art, he clearly saw its strangeness. In just a mere blink of an eye, two Grand Spirit Masters were devoured into empty husks, while the Crippled Elder's strength skyrocketed, surging directly from late-stage Grand Spirit Master to peak Grand Spirit Master.
One must know that reaching Yang Haoran's cultivation realm meant that every single advancement required immense resources and time. For the Crippled Elder to elevate his late-stage Grand Spirit Master cultivation to peak late-stage in such a short period—this abnormal surge, in Yang Haoran's eyes, could no longer be described merely as "strange."
Not to mention that before devouring the White-Haired Old Woman and Cold Yue, the Crippled Elder's body was already quite weak and his internal power nearly depleted. Even if the two had been at their peak, Yang Haoran believed such a situation should not have occurred.
Watching the lifeless corpses of the White-Haired Old Woman and Cold Yue plummet from the sky, Yang Haoran merely sensed them briefly and discovered that not only had all their blood been completely devoured, but their souls had also not been spared, similarly consumed entirely. Their bodies had become veritable empty shells!
Everything happened too quickly, too suddenly, leaving a surprised Yang Haoran no time to react. The White-Haired Old Woman and Cold Yue became the Crippled Elder's sustenance.
However, even with the Crippled Elder's realm now elevated to peak late-stage Grand Spirit Master, Yang Haoran only found it somewhat troublesome. He didn't believe he couldn't take down the Crippled Elder. After all, the Crippled Elder was not only somewhat injured, but his Guardian Spirit had also been captured by Yang Haoran into the Soul-Gathering Bead. This was akin to severing one of the Crippled Elder's arms; even if his strength had increased to peak Grand Spirit Master, he couldn't unleash the full power of that realm. Of course, Yang Haoran wouldn't harbor any fear because of this.
Yang Haoran naturally possessed a certain confidence in his methods and strength, but he wasn't the type to be blindly arrogant. He wouldn't, out of confidence in his own power and methods, treat his opponents as insignificant ants incapable of contending with him. He certainly wouldn't lack the necessary caution and prudence.
"Heh heh, they protected you with their lives, and yet you could still ruthlessly strike them down. I truly underestimated you."
Yang Haoran said with a faint smile. As the words left his mouth, several bolts of Black Lightning descended from the dark clouds above, striking down towards the Crippled Elder below. Simultaneously, his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, also launched an attack on the Crippled Elder under his control.
The Crippled Elder did not respond to Yang Haoran. He flickered and vanished from the spot. Remnant Moon struck empty air, but one of the Black Lightning bolts still successfully hit his body.
Although the Crippled Elder's dodging speed was quite fast, much faster than his Guardian Spirit that Yang Haoran had captured, Yang Haoran's method of controlling multiple Black Lightning bolts was identical to before, blocking all of the Crippled Elder's escape routes. Therefore, the Crippled Elder couldn't completely avoid all the Black Lightning bolts, and one still managed to hit him.
However, this Black Lightning bolt didn't cause much impact on the Crippled Elder. As he dodged, he immediately erected a protective barrier around himself, and the Black Lightning bolt just happened to strike this barrier. Though it shattered the barrier, it didn't cause significant damage to the Crippled Elder himself.
If it had been before, taking this Black Lightning bolt from Yang Haoran head-on would not only have shattered the Crippled Elder's barrier but also injured the Crippled Elder himself. But now, with the Crippled Elder's strength greatly enhanced, a single Black Lightning bolt had a quite limited effect on him.
The shattering of the barrier didn't make the Crippled Elder stop moving. When his body came to a halt, he had already appeared behind a Grand Spirit Master.
This Grand Spirit Master was one of the two who had been battling Bai Xue. Both had witnessed the Crippled Elder's recent actions, and while their hearts were filled with shock, an inexplicable fear also arose within them towards the Crippled Elder. Their battle with Bai Xue had also ceased due to the Crippled Elder's actions.
When the Crippled Elder suddenly appeared behind him, the Grand Spirit Master, sensing his arrival, instantly changed his expression. A dreadful premonition surged in his heart. He felt that the Crippled Elder appearing behind him at this moment certainly boded no good, so he instinctively tried to dodge.
However, this Grand Spirit Master's reaction couldn't keep up with the Crippled Elder's speed. Just as the thought of dodging arose in his mind, the Crippled Elder's hand immediately tore open a gash in his back and plunged into his body. His fate was the same as the White-Haired Old Woman and Cold Yue before him; he was devoured into an empty husk in a blink of an eye.
Because the Crippled Elder's speed was truly too fast, this Grand Spirit Master not only failed to escape the Crippled Elder's vicious grasp, but he didn't even have time to utter a scream before his entire body became an empty husk. It was utterly tragic and incredibly unlucky.
This scene fell into the eyes of the other Grand Spirit Master, making him tremble involuntarily. It was clear that his heart was now filled with terror. The reason for his fear was a premonition that surged within him: it would most likely be his turn next. The Crippled Elder would very likely strike at him, devouring him in the same manner.
As this thought arose in his mind, this Grand Spirit Master, without a second thought, immediately waved his hand to tear open space, wanting to leave this place via spatial teleportation. He hadn't thought of tearing open space to escape earlier because he believed it hadn't reached that point yet, and their side wouldn't necessarily be defeated by Yang Haoran's hands.
But the situation was completely different now. Regardless of whether their Spiritualist side would ultimately be defeated by Yang Haoran, staying here would lead to only one outcome: death. Neither Yang Haoran nor the Crippled Elder would spare him.
Knowing that staying here would only result in death, he naturally wouldn't remain. Choosing to flee immediately was the most accurate course of action. However, just as the spatial rift he opened had only just formed, a terrifying force suddenly descended from the sky, striking the spatial rift. The newly torn spatial rift, before it could form a stable spatial teleportation channel, was shattered by this powerful force.
A cry of alarm sounded in the Grand Spirit Master's heart. He knew that the one who had shattered the spatial rift was not Yang Haoran but the Crippled Elder, because he sensed that this power was Communication Power, not Spirit Power. The Crippled Elder's actions further confirmed his inner suspicions; the Crippled Elder truly had no intention of letting him go.
The situation was urgent, and this Grand Spirit Master had no time to think. The moment the spatial rift collapsed, he immediately chose a random direction and fled rapidly into the distance. Since he couldn't leave via spatial teleportation, he could only use this method to escape the perilous situation he was in. As long as he could put some distance between himself and the Crippled Elder and Yang Haoran, he would have another chance to tear open space and achieve his goal of leaving this place.
However, he had only just darted out when he collided with someone. This person was none other than the Crippled Elder.
In that brief instant when he collided with the Crippled Elder, he hadn't even reacted before a hand plunged into his chest, and he, too, met the same fate as the three before him, instantaneously devoured into an empty husk by the Crippled Elder.
Everything happened too fast. The two Grand Spirit Masters who had been battling Bai Xue were completely devoured by the Crippled Elder in a matter of mere breaths. Although Yang Haoran and Bai Xue both tried to intervene during this process, it had no effect. The Crippled Elder preferred to endure a few attacks from Yang Haoran and Bai Xue rather than spare the two Grand Spirit Masters. This led to both Grand Spirit Masters also becoming the Crippled Elder's nourishment.
As for the Guardian Spirits of the two Grand Spirit Masters, although their hearts were filled with extreme rage upon seeing their masters die at the Crippled Elder's hands, they also knew that with their current strength and state, it was impossible to avenge their masters' deaths. Fleeing was the correct course of action. As long as they successfully escaped with their lives, they would have ample opportunities to seek revenge in the future. Conversely, if they couldn't escape, then that revenge would forever remain unfulfilled.
But how could Yang Haoran possibly watch idly as they escaped? One must know that his primary objective in this operation was the Guardian Spirits of the Grand Spirit Masters. If these two Guardian Spirits were allowed to escape, it would be a considerable loss for him.
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