Chapter 1144: The Strength of Means Lies in Their Application
Of course, the Crippled Elder did not believe that Yang Haoran possessed any other means to threaten him besides his Death God's Law Aspect. In his view, Yang Haoran's boastful words at this moment were nothing more than a feint, an attempt to frighten and distract him, thereby creating another opportunity for a sneak attack.
It was precisely because he thought this way that the sneer on his face became considerably more pronounced. He was also convinced that Yang Haoran had reached the end of his rope and had no way to deal with him; otherwise, why would he resort to such desperate attempts at a sneak attack?
Facing the Crippled Elder's taunts, Yang Haoran offered no further reply. A faint smile touched his lips as he frantically channeled the Spirit Power within his body, injecting a portion into the dark clouds hovering above the Crippled Elder and another into his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon.
Empowered by a massive influx of Spirit Power, the dark clouds, formed by Black Lightning, churned violently. Bolts of electricity writhed within the clouds, and the continuous rumble of muffled thunder filled the air.
As Remnant Moon received a substantial boost of Spirit Power, it immediately emitted a buzzing hum. The surging Yin Qi exploded with a ferocity akin to ignited gasoline, becoming more than twice as dense as before.
The Crippled Elder witnessed this scene, and his expression drastically changed. The power fluctuations erupting from Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments were simply too formidable, and the barrier he currently maintained could not possibly withstand their continuous assault.
His original combat strategy was to stall for time until the effect of Yang Haoran's dānyào wore off. However, a moment ago, his body had been struck by Black Lightning, causing paralysis and immobility, forcing him to expend Communication Power to erect a barrier and even more Communication Power to reinforce it. But his true intention was never to confront Yang Haoran head-on.
Yet, Yang Haoran's current actions clearly indicated he intended to expend a large amount of Spirit Power to brute-force his way through the barrier surrounding the Crippled Elder. He knew that with the defensive capability of his barrier, he certainly couldn't block Yang Haoran's attack, and thus had even less desire to directly clash with Yang Haoran.
His idea remained the same as before: dodge and defend simultaneously, stalling for as much time as possible, and avoiding a head-on confrontation with Yang Haoran. Therefore, he did not expend a large amount of Communication Power to reinforce his barrier. Instead, he tensed his nerves, observing Yang Haoran's every move, ready to dodge or defend at any moment!
Black Lightning fell relentlessly, striking down upon the Crippled Elder below. Remnant Moon sliced through the void, transforming into a black ray that continuously assaulted the Crippled Elder. Although the Crippled Elder was mentally prepared, he still found it hard to withstand such a fierce onslaught.
Even though he had exhausted all means of evasion, even resorting to talismans, it was still insufficient. His protective barrier quickly shattered under the relentless assault of the two Soul Armaments, and the wounds on his body multiplied. Some of these injuries were almost fatal, and if he hadn't successively consumed several precious healing dānyào and sealed the wounds with Communication Power, these injuries would have claimed his life.
After about ten minutes, Yang Haoran's fierce assault on the Crippled Elder finally ceased.
Yang Haoran's face still held a faint smile, though it appeared somewhat strained. He was sweating profusely, panting heavily, and the power fluctuations emanating from his body had greatly diminished, making him appear very weak.
The dark clouds formed by Black Lightning had disappeared at some unknown point, leaving only Remnant Moon circling his body as a defense. However, compared to before, Remnant Moon's emitted Yin Qi was not as dense, and Remnant Moon itself looked worn and dull, with even its blade edge chipped.
Meanwhile, his opponent, the Crippled Elder, was covered in wounds. Like Yang Haoran, he was drenched in sweat and his aura was weak, as his injuries were truly severe. However, the smile on his face appeared genuinely happy, unlike the strained smile on Yang Haoran's face.
"Heh, hehehe, hahahaha, Yang Haoran, I have to admit your last wave of attacks was indeed formidable, but in the end, I withstood it. You have no more tricks left to play; now it's time for my show!"
Although the Crippled Elder was very weak, his inner joy made him burst into laughter. The laughter carried a clear sense of feebleness, yet the elation was equally palpable. The joy in his heart made him completely forget his fatigue and weakness at this moment.
With inner delight and an eager desire to slay Yang Haoran, the Crippled Elder suppressed the discomfort from his numerous injuries, mobilized the few remaining Communication Power within him, and conjured a chilling wind as he charged towards Yang Haoran, seemingly intent on ending Yang Haoran's life with this attack.
Bai Xue, positioned below, witnessed the entire battle between Yang Haoran and the Crippled Elder, not missing a single detail. She had a clear understanding of both their physical conditions. Seeing the Crippled Elder charge towards Yang Haoran, her thoughts were not much different from his. Based on Yang Haoran's current state, she also felt that he would likely find it very difficult to block the Crippled Elder's attack.
Although her belief wasn't as absolute as the Crippled Elder's, such a thought indeed existed.
She certainly did not want to watch helplessly as Yang Haoran lost his life at the hands of the Crippled Elder. Seeing the Crippled Elder charging towards Yang Haoran, she didn't even think; she simply wanted to step in and block the Crippled Elder for Yang Haoran.
Previously, she had indeed lost her combat power, but thanks to the healing dānyào, her injuries had recovered a little, as had the Demon Power within her. Although the time was limited and the recovery wasn't much, this slight recovery still allowed her to regain some combat capability.
Bai Xue also knew that with her current level of recovered combat power, she was completely unable to contend with the Crippled Elder, even if the Crippled Elder was also severely wounded. After all, a lean camel is bigger than a horse; in a state of similar severe injuries, she certainly wouldn't be a match for the Crippled Elder.
Furthermore, she could clearly sense the power fluctuations emanating from the Crippled Elder at this moment. This power, while certainly at the weaker end for a Spiritualist King, was still a very strong presence in front of her. If she were currently in her peak condition, she would have the confidence to block the Crippled Elder, and even counter-kill him wouldn't be impossible. But in her current state, she simply couldn't block the Crippled Elder's attack; forcibly resisting him would only cost her life.
She understood this in her heart, but she did not flinch or retreat because of it. She intended to step forward and block the Crippled Elder for Yang Haoran; even if she couldn't hold him off for long, depleting some of the Crippled Elder's strength would still be beneficial.
However, just as she was about to make her move against the Crippled Elder, she noticed Yang Haoran subtly waving his finger. The gesture was very slight; had she not been at just the right angle, she would surely have missed Yang Haoran's small action.
Bai Xue, of course, understood the meaning of Yang Haoran's subtle gesture—he was stopping her from acting. Out of absolute trust in Yang Haoran, she did not act rashly. However, at this moment, besides intense worry, a deep sense of confusion also arose within her.
The Crippled Elder approached Yang Haoran at a considerable speed, but at that moment, Yang Haoran suddenly conjured several talismans.
Seeing Yang Haoran produce several talismans at this juncture, the Crippled Elder's heart first skipped a beat, thinking Yang Haoran had brought out some extraordinary talismans. But when he clearly saw that all of them were merely Black Talismans, his worry immediately vanished. He didn't even slow down, charging directly towards these talismans.
Black Talismans were effective against Spirit Masters, but they were quite challenging against Great Spirit Callers. Against a powerful Great Spirit Caller, even top-tier Black Talismans would have little effect, unless they were special top-tier Black Talismans that coincidentally encountered unique circumstances; otherwise, they were completely ineffective. Against a stronger existence like a Spiritualist King, they would be even more useless.
It was precisely because the Crippled Elder thought this way that he completely disregarded these Black Talismans. Even though he was severely wounded at the moment, he didn't believe a few Black Talismans could harm him; after all, he wasn't so weak as to have lost all his combat power. So, he ignored these Black Talismans and charged directly forward, intending to shatter them with the power emanating from his own body.
Before the Crippled Elder even collided with the Black Talismans, they ignited in the air, turning to ash in the blink of an eye. The very instant the Black Talismans dissolved into ash, several streams of power descended upon the Crippled Elder. The Crippled Elder's expression suddenly changed drastically, and the speed of his charge also slowed.
"What's going on! ! !"
The Crippled Elder, now recovered from his initial shock, had a look of panic on his face. Immense changes were occurring within his body; the moment those few streams of power descended upon him, he immediately discovered that his Communication Power was being rapidly sealed, no longer under his control or freely mobilizable. It was precisely because of this that his charging speed slowed.
His confusion, too, lasted only for a moment. He quickly understood that the rapid sealing of his Communication Power must have been caused by those seemingly insignificant Black Talismans; otherwise, how could such a bizarre thing happen to him for no reason?
By the time the Crippled Elder fully comprehended this, the Communication Power within his body was completely sealed, and even the Yin Qi emanating from him uncontrollably retracted into his body. Without the support of his power, his body could no longer continue its charge, nor could it even remain suspended, falling from the sky like a bird with broken wings.
At the same time, Remnant Moon, which had been circling Yang Haoran's body, transformed into a black ray and shot rapidly towards the falling Crippled Elder. The Crippled Elder saw this scene, and instantly trembled all over, his face filled with terror, for he had already realized what was about to happen.
"No! ! !"
A roar of fear and unwillingness erupted from the Crippled Elder's mouth. Even as the roar still echoed through the valley, Remnant Moon had already pierced through his neck with extreme speed.
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