Chapter 1139: A Unique Breakthrough
The Realm-Seizing Blood Refining Grand Art employed by the Crippled Elder seemed to have no effect on Guardian Spirits, which was why he showed little interest in these two Guardian Spirits, allowing them to escape without making a move.
Of course, there might have been other reasons for the Crippled Elder to act this way, but regardless of what those reasons were, it remained a fact that he did not prevent the two Guardian Spirits from escaping immediately.
The Crippled Elder's inaction did not mean Yang Haoran would allow the two Guardian Spirits to flee right under his nose. He had not forgotten the primary purpose of his trip, so the moment the two Guardian Spirits chose to flee the area, he did not hesitate for a second, immediately making his move against them.
The two Guardian Spirits, desperate to escape, hadn't managed to get far before Yang Haoran successively brought them into his Soul-Gathering Beads. The speed of this was partly because the two Guardian Spirits were already severely injured, and partly due to the immense power disparity between them and Yang Haoran.
"Sir, quickly look at that cripple!"
Just as Yang Haoran collected the two Guardian Spirits into his Soul-Gathering Beads, Bai Xue’s massive form shifted, appearing beside him, and she called out, gesturing towards the Crippled Elder’s position.
Yang Haoran waved his hand, storing the two Soul-Gathering Beads containing the Guardian Spirits into his independent space, before finally looking towards the Crippled Elder’s location. He saw the Crippled Elder’s entire body shrouded in a thick layer of Yin Qi, which churned violently, while the Crippled Elder's aura and the power fluctuations emanating from him surged wildly.
"Attack him with everything you've got!"
Indeed, Yang Haoran was profoundly concerned about the Crippled Elder’s condition. After devouring the White-Haired Old Woman and Cold Yue, the Crippled Elder's strength had already risen to the peak late-stage Grand Spiritualist. Now, having successively devoured two more Grand Spiritualists, his power was still skyrocketing. He might even break through the bottleneck of a Grand Spiritualist and directly ascend to the Spiritualist King realm in one go!
Although this seemed absurd—after all, advancing from peak late-stage Grand Spiritualist to the Spiritualist King realm was an extremely difficult feat, with countless peak late-stage Grand Spiritualists stuck at this bottleneck, unable to progress an inch until they died of old age without ever stepping into the Spiritualist King realm—this only applied to normal circumstances. The Crippled Elder’s situation was entirely different from the norm; he was boosting his realm by devouring others through a secret art, which was fundamentally different from conventional cultivation methods.
Since Yang Haoran knew nothing about the Realm-Seizing Blood Refining Grand Art, he couldn’t be certain if the Crippled Elder could truly ascend from peak late-stage Grand Spiritualist to the Spiritualist King realm. However, judging by the terrifying speed of the Crippled Elder's current power surge, there was a very high chance he would break through the bottleneck and step into the new and even more powerful Spiritualist King realm.
Once the Crippled Elder truly entered the stronger Spiritualist King realm, this matter would no longer be just trouble for Yang Haoran, but a genuine danger.
It was precisely because Yang Haoran understood the perilous situation he and Bai Xue would face if the Crippled Elder successfully entered the Spiritualist King realm that he immediately instructed Bai Xue to launch a full-force assault on the Crippled Elder. He hoped to inflict more damage this way, and if he could use this opportunity to interrupt the Crippled Elder's advancement or even slay him outright, then the problem weighing on his mind would be completely resolved.
Due to the urgency of the situation, he had no time to provide Bai Xue with a detailed explanation, which was why he used such concise and serious words to alert her.
Although Yang Haoran did not explain the situation in detail to Bai Xue, she was still able to guess his thoughts, so she showed no inclination to question him. The moment Yang Haoran’s words fell, she immediately launched a fierce assault on the Crippled Elder, her massive body serving as her best weapon.
At the same time, Yang Haoran was not idle either, controlling his two Soul Armaments to attack the Crippled Elder with full force.
Facing their combined assault, the Crippled Elder was beaten back step by step. Although his power and aura were steadily rising, he was still, after all, only at the peak late-stage Grand Spiritualist realm. Against Yang Haoran and Bai Xue, who were attacking with all their might, he was naturally no match.
The sound of Remnant Moon swiftly tearing through the air, the booming thunder as Black Lightning descended, and the deafening crash when Bai Xue's body collided with the Crippled Elder's power—all sorts of noises echoed throughout Death Valley. Powerful forces spread in all directions, causing the earth to tremble and mountains to sway, creating an utterly shocking spectacle.
The Crippled Elder found it hard for two fists to contend with four hands; facing the full-force assault from Yang Haoran and Bai Xue, he could only barely cope. In their brief exchange, while he hadn't been completely defeated or slain by them, his injuries were far more severe than before, both internal and external. The external wounds, especially those inflicted by Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, were strikingly conspicuous.
If the current situation continued, the Crippled Elder would bid farewell to this world in mere moments. Without a doubt, he would meet a tragic end under the combined assault of Yang Haoran and Bai Xue, even though his strength had already reached the peak late-stage Grand Spiritualist.
Yang Haoran and Bai Xue held the absolute upper hand, yet Yang Haoran did not relax his vigilance. In the current situation, as long as the Crippled Elder had not been slain by him and his soul successfully extracted, he would not let down his guard.
Originally, Yang Haoran had intended to unleash his most powerful technique, summoning the Death God's Law Aspect to deal with the Crippled Elder. However, casting this art required some time, and he worried that the Crippled Elder might successfully complete his breakthrough before the Death God's Law Aspect could be fully summoned. After all, there was no time for delay; a single second's delay could lead to a situation he desperately wanted to avoid. It was precisely this consideration that led him to choose to attack the Crippled Elder with the full might of his two Soul Armaments.
Although this approach wasn't as terrifying in destructive power as the Death God's Law Aspect, it at least didn't require time for hand seals and casting, allowing for an immediate assault on the Crippled Elder.
Furthermore, even if the power of his two Soul Armaments wasn't as great as the Death God's Law Aspect, their destructive capability was still quite astonishing; they were merely slightly inferior to the Death God's Law Aspect.
"Yang Haoran, I never intended for things to come to this today. If you hadn't pressed me relentlessly, I wouldn't have made such a choice. You forced my hand in this matter, so you must pay the price for your actions!"
The Crippled Elder took another blow from Yang Haoran’s Soul Armament, Remnant Moon. This strike didn't kill him, but it nearly cut his physical body in half. However, he showed no fear, his face instead hardened as he spoke to Yang Haoran with murderous intent.
"Old fool, still talking tough when death is at your doorstep? In your current state, in less than a minute, your own words will come back to bite you!"
Bai Xue swung her massive body, charging towards the Crippled Elder while speaking to him, her tone and words dripping with contempt.
In truth, Bai Xue harbored no condescending thoughts towards the Crippled Elder; on the contrary, her vigilance towards him was no less than Yang Haoran's. The sole purpose of her speaking to the Crippled Elder with such a contemptuous attitude was to provoke him, unsettling his state of mind, and thereby reduce the chances of his successful advancement as much as possible.
At this moment, Yang Haoran had no intention of wasting words on the Crippled Elder. The Crippled Elder’s declaration seemed to act as a signal, making Yang Haoran realize that the very scene he dreaded most was likely about to unfold. Thus, he had no leisure to engage in idle chatter with his opponent, focusing all his attention on the attack.
However, the instant Bai Xue’s words fell, the power fluctuations released from the Crippled Elder’s body suddenly doubled. The visibly dense Yin Qi surged violently, erupting from within him like flames doused in gasoline.
Bai Xue’s body hadn't even successfully collided with the Crippled Elder when this sudden surge of power directly knocked Bai Xue flying, the immense impact causing her to instantly vomit a mouthful of fresh blood.
Yang Haoran’s Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, was also blasted away by this powerful energy surge. The streaks of falling Black Lightning only managed to scatter a portion of the Crippled Elder's protective Yin Qi, failing to harm him in the slightest.
This sudden, massive change in the Crippled Elder's state made both Yang Haoran and Bai Xue realize what was happening. Bai Xue, having successfully stabilized herself in the air, no longer acted rashly, but retreated to Yang Haoran’s side, her massive snake eyes becoming incredibly serious.
Yang Haoran’s face had originally been filled with gravity, but then a faint smile returned to his features. Yet, just like Bai Xue, he did not continue his assault on the Crippled Elder, instead recalling his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon.
As for the Crippled Elder, the power fluctuations emanating from his body were no longer surging wildly; instead, they had settled into a stable state. However, this stable level had completely and far surpassed that of a peak late-stage Grand Spiritualist!
Both Yang Haoran and Bai Xue understood why such a dramatic change had occurred in the Crippled Elder. It was because the Crippled Elder had successfully broken through, triumphantly advancing from peak late-stage Grand Spiritualist to the Spiritualist King realm!
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