Chapter 1141: Overwhelming Power
As the Crippled Elder's voice rang out, a hideous ghost head swiftly materialized above his head. This ghost head was as vast as a mountain, emanating thick Yin Qi, and in the blink of an eye, it fully took shape. Besides its monstrous appearance, this ghost head had another peculiar feature: its mouth was exceptionally large, almost occupying half of its entire skull.
The moment this head successfully coalesced, it opened its disproportionately massive mouth and let out a piercing shriek.
The shriek was both bizarre and earsplitting. Its bizarreness stemmed from the fact that it was unlike any human cry or the call of any common beast; it was neither weeping nor laughing, neither a shout nor a call, thus giving off an extremely unsettling sensation. Its earsplitting quality, on the other hand, was due to its immense penetrative power, as if it sought to pierce eardrums.
Furthermore, this shriek possessed a demonic power that could disturb the mind, leaving those subjected to it feeling profoundly agitated, even driven to madness!
As the bizarre shriek resounded, an invisible sound wave immediately spread rapidly in all directions.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Not only were ordinary trees and rocks subjected to devastating blows, but even Yang Haoran's Soul Armaments likewise suffered ruinous damage.
Remnant Moon, being the Soul Armament closest to the Crippled Elder's location, was the first to fall victim. As it sought to launch a second attack on the Crippled Elder, before it could even harm him, it was instantly shattered by the powerful sound waves, dissolving into wisps of Yin Qi.
The dark cloud formed by Black Lightning above also failed to escape this calamity. After all, this Spiritual Art was an all-encompassing, omnidirectional diffusive attack, so even though the dark cloud formed by Black Lightning was high above, it still remained within the sound wave's attack range. Furthermore, the ghost head emitting the sound waves was not far from the dark cloud, so the dark cloud formed by Black Lightning similarly could not avoid being dispersed.
Neither Yang Haoran nor Bai Xue had anticipated that the Crippled Elder would suddenly unleash such an obscure sound-based Spiritual Art under these circumstances. Consequently, neither had prepared any targeted defenses, and caught off guard, both were struck.
Bai Xue's face twisted in pain, and from her serpent mouth, she spewed a torrent of fresh blood. Her massive body swayed precariously in the air, appearing as though she could plummet to the ground at any moment.
Although Yang Haoran's strength was considerably greater than Bai Xue's, he still sustained no light injury from this strike, also spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood just like her. However, unlike Bai Xue, his body did not sway precariously; instead, he immediately waved his hand to set up a protective barrier, enveloping both himself and Bai Xue within it.
This barrier was not a purely defensive shield; while it possessed a certain degree of defensive capability, its primary function was sound insulation. To be more direct, this barrier was essentially a soundproof restriction formation, and its value naturally lay in countering the powerful sound attack unleashed by the Crippled Elder's Spiritual Art.
Normally, once a soundproof restriction is established to isolate sound waves, a sound attack can no longer inflict harm upon its target. Therefore, a sound attack must be employed with surprise to cause greater damage, which is one reason why such attacks are considered unconventional methods.
Of course, it is not to say that setting up a soundproof restriction formation will always prevent a sound attack. This depends on the sound attack being unable to penetrate or destroy the soundproof restriction. If the soundproof restriction set up is too weak to withstand the powerful sound waves unleashed by the sound attack, then this soundproof restriction will similarly fail to defend against it.
Moreover, if a special sound attack capable of ignoring soundproof restrictions is encountered, then the soundproof restriction will be rendered useless in its presence, serving no purpose whatsoever.
Yang Haoran did not know what type of sound attack the Crippled Elder was currently employing, but regardless of its type, as the target of this art, he needed to immediately set up a soundproof restriction. This was the most rational and effective course of action.
Besides, sound attacks capable of ignoring soundproof restrictions are rare, and it was not certain that the sound attack the Crippled Elder was currently unleashing belonged to this type.
As the soundproof restriction was successfully deployed, the eardrum-piercing shriek immediately vanished, and the entire world instantly returned to quiet. This showed that Yang Haoran's judgment and actions were correct: the sound attack unleashed by the Crippled Elder was indeed of the conventional type, not the rarely seen special variety.
Although the sound of the attack was isolated, this did not mean Yang Haoran and Bai Xue were safe. For the soundproof restriction Yang Haoran had erected was now trembling violently, appearing as if it could shatter at any moment.
While this soundproof restriction was merely something Yang Haoran had casually set up, it was not some flimsy, fragile trash that would crumble at a touch, as it had consumed a considerable amount of his Spirit Power. The problem lay in the fact that the soundproof restriction he deployed was confronting a Spiritualist King. Regardless of whether this Spiritual Art was a high-level, immensely destructive one, even a low-level Spiritual Art, when unleashed by a Spiritualist King, possessed equally world-shaking power.
Yang Haoran observed this scene, feeling no surprise, for he had long anticipated it. Thus, when he noticed the soundproof restriction shaking violently, he didn't hesitate for a second, immediately injecting more Spirit Power into it to reinforce its strength.
With the blessing of a large amount of Spirit Power, the trembling of the soundproof restriction significantly diminished. However, the shaking still persisted. From this, it was clear that the shattering of the soundproof restriction was only a matter of time; it was merely a question of whether the restriction would break first or the Spiritual Art's power would be exhausted.
No sooner had Yang Haoran successfully injected Spirit Power into the soundproof restriction than Bai Xue spat out another mouthful of fresh blood. Given Bai Xue's enormous size in her restored true form, this spray of blood was akin to a sudden downpour of gore.
Yang Haoran had originally worn a smile, but after seeing Bai Xue spit blood again, his smile, though still present, significantly faded and appeared somewhat unnatural.
Yang Haoran's change in expression was, naturally, due to Bai Xue's considerably poor physical condition at that moment, which caused him a pang of worry.
Before the Crippled Elder made his move, Bai Xue's condition in all aspects had been fairly good. Although she had engaged in a major battle with two Grand Spirit Masters, her injuries were not yet severe enough to affect her combat prowess.
However, things were different now. Bai Xue's injuries were extremely severe, to the point where she had almost lost her combat capability. All of this was due to the Crippled Elder's attack; merely a single Spiritual Art, and she hadn't even fully endured its might, yet it had left her critically wounded.
In truth, Bai Xue's severe injuries did not surprise him, for not only Bai Xue but he himself had sustained no light wounds. Had he not reacted quickly enough to set up the soundproof restriction in time, both of them would undoubtedly have suffered even greater harm under the Crippled Elder's sound attack. While Bai Xue's critical condition was not unexpected, this did not prevent him from feeling a surge of worry.
“You rest for a bit. I'll handle the rest. ”
Yang Haoran smiled faintly. Though his words carried a hint of confidence, the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth was strikingly conspicuous. Bai Xue felt a pang of worry; after all, Yang Haoran was facing a Spiritualist King, not a Grand Spirit Master. She feared Yang Haoran might not be a match for the Crippled Elder, so she also wanted to contribute.
However, Bai Xue was also keenly aware of how terrible her current physical condition was. Forcing herself into the battle would not only fail to alleviate Yang Haoran's burden but might even become a hindrance. Thus, after a brief hesitation, she responded to Yang Haoran.
“Undertaker Brother, be careful! ”
Those few short words conveyed not only weakness but also a deep sense of helplessness.
Yang Haoran somewhat understood Bai Xue's inner turmoil at that moment. However, in the current situation, he had no time to explain to Bai Xue, for the soundproof restriction resisting the sound attack was about to shatter.
Seeing this, Yang Haoran immediately injected more Spirit Power into the soundproof restriction. The rapidly crumbling restriction formation, having received a massive infusion of Spirit Power, regained a modicum of stability. However, anyone with a discerning eye could tell it wouldn't last much longer.
After completing this, Yang Haoran immediately retrieved a delicate small wooden box from his independent space. Yang Haoran gripped the wooden box and squeezed it firmly; the box instantly shattered, revealing a pill in his hand.
It was a pill emanating dense Yin Qi. Yang Haoran gazed at the pill in his hand, hesitated briefly, and then swallowed it in one gulp.
Yang Haoran's hesitation stemmed from a deep-seated resistance to taking this particular pill. If there had been any other option, he would not have chosen to consume it.
But that was precisely the problem. Given the current situation, if he didn't find a way to enhance his strength, he would certainly be unable to contend with the Crippled Elder. His ultimate fate, then, would be self-evident.
The pill he had just consumed was precisely the Rising Yin Pill, capable of increasing the Spirit Power within his body. Only after taking this pill might he possess the strength to contend with the Crippled Elder. However, because he knew that the materials used to refine this pill were somewhat disgusting and perverse, he felt a certain reluctance to ingest it.
Nevertheless, constrained by the extremely unfavorable current situation, and his genuine need to enhance his power, he hesitated briefly before ultimately deciding to take the Rising Yin Pill.
No sooner had the Rising Yin Pill been swallowed than the soundproof restriction Yang Haoran had erected shattered with a crash. The strength he had just reinforced it with only allowed it to hold for an instant before it crumbled due to the immense power of the sound attack.
However, just as the soundproof restriction shattered, the ghost head above, which had been continuously emitting bizarre shrieks, also dissipated into Yin Qi. This outcome was clearly a result of the Crippled Elder's Spiritual Art having exhausted its power.
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