Chapter 1142: False Life Soul
Seeing the ghost head dissipate, Yang Haoran immediately waved his hand, conjuring a protective barrier around Bai Xue, and then sent her down to Zhong Siyu's location. Only then could he fully concentrate on dealing with the Crippled Elder.
The Crippled Elder watched all of this unfold. He made no move to stop it, for he had already discerned that Bai Xue had lost her combat capability. In such a state, Bai Xue posed even less of a threat to him. If before, Bai Xue had been merely an ant-like existence in his eyes, then now, severely wounded and battle-incapable, she was not even worthy of being called an ant. Naturally, he saw no need to expend strength or energy preventing Yang Haoran from sending Bai Xue downwards.
All of the Crippled Elder's attention was fixed on Yang Haoran, for in his view, as long as Yang Haoran was dealt with, today's battle would be over. Neither the unconscious Zhong Siyu nor the heavily wounded Bai Xue could possibly pose the slightest threat to him.
Of course, Yang Haoran himself wasn't much of a threat in his eyes. He simply didn't believe Yang Haoran could be his match, even if he, too, was significantly injured.
Yet, in the very next instant, this thought within him shifted.
No sooner had Yang Haoran sent Bai Xue downwards than the Crippled Elder launched another assault on him, showing no inclination whatsoever to waste words.
Yang Haoran, for his part, wished to babble a few words, to buy himself a little time, but his opponent offered no such opportunity. With no time to form hand seals and unleash a Spiritual Art, he could only instantly re-manifest his two Soul Armaments, using them to parry the Crippled Elder's assault.
As for why he didn't try to influence the Crippled Elder with words while defending, Yang Haoran certainly entertained the thought. However, simply fending off the Crippled Elder's attacks was already a tremendous strain; one slip, and he would be utterly annihilated, leaving not a single bone behind. How could he dare to be distracted by anything else? He didn't even have the chance to resort to verbal provocation.
Not only that, but the power fluctuations emanating from Yang Haoran's body did not weaken due to exertion; instead, they grew stronger. Initially, this increase was not particularly rapid, but after just a short while, the speed of this power surge immediately became astonishing.
Yang Haoran's rapidly increasing power reminded the Crippled Elder of the Dānyào Yang Haoran had just consumed. He had seen Yang Haoran take the Dānyào at the time, but he hadn't known it was a Rising Yin Pill capable of boosting an Underworld agent's strength. He had merely assumed it was a restorative Dānyào. In his view, Yang Haoran taking out and consuming such a Dānyào in this situation simply meant it was very precious and would certainly be of great help to Yang Haoran's injuries.
However, judging from the current circumstances, he now believed the Dānyào Yang Haoran had taken earlier was absolutely not a restorative Dānyào, but rather one that enhanced strength. Otherwise, Yang Haoran's power wouldn't have increased so dramatically in such a short span.
At this thought, the Crippled Elder couldn't help but feel a flicker of unease. Yang Haoran's strength was already at the peak of the late Earth Soul realm; one more step, and he would break through to the Life Soul realm. Although breaking through from the peak of the late Earth Soul realm to the Life Soul realm was no easy feat, given Yang Haoran's current rate of improvement, a breakthrough to the Life Soul realm wasn't impossible, especially since the Crippled Elder himself had successfully ascended from the peak of the late Great Spirit Caller realm to a Spiritualist King this very way.
"Yang Haoran, there's no need for you to continue this futile resistance. You can't possibly believe that a single Dānyào will allow you to break through from the peak of the late Earth Soul realm to the Life Soul realm, can you? If that's truly what you're thinking, then I advise you to give up, because it's simply impossible!"
Although the Crippled Elder harbored such worries, he did not reveal them in front of Yang Haoran. Not only did he not show the slightest hint of his true thoughts, but he instead used words to strike at Yang Haoran, hoping to negatively influence Yang Haoran's resolve through this method.
Yang Haoran, of course, understood the meaning and intent behind the Crippled Elder's words. Thus, the Crippled Elder's statement had no effect whatsoever on Yang Haoran.
Yang Haoran wished to retort, but circumstances didn't allow it. Otherwise, if the Crippled Elder couldn't affect him with words, Yang Haoran felt quite confident he could make the Crippled Elder fume from every orifice.
As the Crippled Elder spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Yang Haoran. He observed every change in Yang Haoran's expression, hoping to discern from the subtle shifts whether Yang Haoran had fallen into his trap. But Yang Haoran's reaction left him deeply disappointed, for his words hadn't caused the slightest alteration in Yang Haoran's expression.
This was not the outcome the Crippled Elder desired. His face darkened. As he intensified his assault, he also intended to provoke Yang Haoran with more words.
However, just as he was about to speak again, the power fluctuations erupting from Yang Haoran's body suddenly surged.
Boom! ! !
With a thunderous roar, powerful energy fluctuations spread outwards. Not only were the Crippled Elder's offensive maneuvers shattered by this sudden eruption of power, but he himself was also sent flying backwards by the sheer force of the shockwave. While the distance he was flung wasn't great, and he sustained no actual harm, the fact remained that he had been sent reeling.
The Crippled Elder quickly regained his balance in mid-air. With a look of utter shock, he gazed towards Yang Haoran's location. There, Yang Haoran's entire body was enveloped in dense Yin Qi, yet that wasn't the most crucial detail. What truly mattered was that the power fluctuations Yang Haoran was now emitting had reached a level that even the Crippled Elder found perilous.
At this moment, the power within Yang Haoran's body ceased its ascent and stabilized at a certain point—a point that had completely surpassed the peak of the late Earth Soul realm!
"Life Soul realm!"
The Crippled Elder gritted his teeth as he spoke, his expression exceedingly grim. Judging by the powerful energy fluctuations emanating from Yang Haoran, he surmised that Yang Haoran had successfully stepped into the Life Soul realm; otherwise, Yang Haoran couldn't possibly be emitting such immense power.
However, he immediately dismissed his own conjecture. For if Yang Haoran had truly broken through to the Life Soul realm, he would inevitably possess a third Soul Armament. Yet, at this moment, only two clusters of Yin Qi were violently swirling around Yang Haoran's body; the Yin Qi mass for nurturing a third Soul Armament had not appeared.
Not to mention the Crippled Elder noticing this, Yang Haoran himself was also perplexed. While it was true he had successfully broken through to the Life Soul realm, it was equally true that a third Soul Armament had not manifested. In his estimation, this situation likely arose because his current breakthrough wasn't a genuine, permanent one, but rather a temporary advancement achieved through the power of the Rising Yin Pill.
In other words, his breakthrough, in a sense, couldn't be considered a true breakthrough at all, which was why the third Soul Armament hadn't materialized with his advancement.
Of course, this was merely Yang Haoran's own speculation, and he couldn't be certain if it was the truth. However, now was not the time to dwell on it, because the immense power he currently possessed was only temporary. Once the Rising Yin Pill's effects wore off, his cultivation would not only plummet back to the peak of the late Earth Soul realm, but he would also suffer a significant drop in strength due to the pill's side effects.
Therefore, he had to fully utilize the power he currently wielded before the Rising Yin Pill's effects faded, and successfully achieve his objective of slaying the Crippled Elder. Otherwise, once the pill's efficacy passed, his own death would be imminent—a result he absolutely did not wish to see.
"Hahahahaha, I actually thought you had truly broken through to the Life Soul realm. Now it seems I overestimated you. The absence of your third Soul Armament indicates that you haven't succeeded in your breakthrough at all. You merely possess power that surpasses the peak of the late Earth Soul realm. Perhaps this power is even just temporary, gained through the aid of a Dānyào. Am I not right?"
The Crippled Elder burst into laughter. Not finding Yang Haoran's third Soul Armament, he felt a measure of relief in his heart, though it was merely a temporary one. His vigilance towards Yang Haoran remained, for the power Yang Haoran currently possessed was indeed threatening him. His loud laughter and pronouncement served two purposes: one, to rally his own spirits and boost his own momentum; two, to strike at Yang Haoran, using his attitude to tell Yang Haoran that he still didn't consider him a threat.
"Heh, you may be crippled, but your eyes aren't blind. You're not wrong, the absence of my third Soul Armament indeed means I haven't truly stepped into the Life Soul realm. However, the power I possess right now is genuine, and I believe it's perfectly sufficient to deal with you, wounded as you are!"
As Yang Haoran spoke, he once again manipulated Black Lightning and Remnant Moon, launching a new wave of attacks at the Crippled Elder. Knowing full well that the power he currently wielded was only temporary, he dared not waste a single moment. He had to end the battle in the shortest possible time.
With Yang Haoran's strength greatly enhanced, the power of Black Lightning and Remnant Moon similarly received a substantial boost. Every single attack was earth-shattering.
Before, when facing Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments, the Crippled Elder had been perfectly at ease. Under Yang Haoran's control, the two Soul Armaments had not only been unable to harm him in the slightest but had also been forcibly dispersed multiple times by his overwhelming power.
But now, he found himself unable to easily disperse these two Soul Armaments, and what's more, they were inflicting considerable damage upon him!
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