Chapter 1300: The Third Soul Armament (XIII)
Initially, Ulan believed Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments had merely experienced an inexplicable increase in power. However, she swiftly realized her mistake—and it was a profound one.
Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments weren't simply inexplicably more powerful; their might was continuously and eerily intensifying, and the rate of that augmentation was accelerating. Consequently, the astonishment in her heart grew ever more profound!
She hadn't initially detected this, as the initial surge in power from Yang Haoran's two Soul Armaments had been subtle. By the time she discerned something amiss, she barely had time to comprehend the anomaly before she observed the power of these two Soul Armaments accelerating exponentially!
Such an enhancement for two Soul Armaments was undeniably abnormal. However, Ulan was no mere ornamental "vase"; nor had she ascended to her current position by leveraging her beauty. She had earned her place as a foremost Guardian in the Tong Continent Underworld Office purely through her genuine capabilities. And it was precisely because she was a truly skilled individual that she swiftly pinpointed the source of the anomaly.
With a face etched in surprise, she directed her gaze towards Yang Haoran's third Soul Armament—that very Ghost Butterfly she had dismissed as a "chicken rib" Soul Armament, calling it foolish.
At this moment, the Ghost Butterfly still gracefully flitted around Yang Haoran's body, just as it had when first summoned. The power fluctuations emanating from it remained unremarkable; at their Life Soul realm, such a minor ripple of energy was indeed negligible. Yet, as Ulan fixed her gaze upon it, her eyes and expression underwent a considerable shift.
"So it’s responsible for this trickery. I never expected your Soul Armament to truly be a special one!"
Ulan spoke in a deep voice. From the very moment Yang Haoran had first summoned this Soul Armament, she had, based on her experience, speculated that it might be a special type. Though she had dared not be entirely certain then, now, within her heart, she was absolutely convinced.
As it stood, this was the extent of her understanding. More granular details about this Soul Armament—such as the upper limit to which it could enhance Yang Haoran’s other two Soul Armaments, or if it possessed any additional abilities—remained beyond her current grasp.
Nevertheless, the mere information she had deduced at this moment was enough to deeply astonish her, for it was the first time she had ever encountered a special Soul Armament possessing such an ability, leaving her utterly devoid of experience on how to counteract it.
No sooner had Ulan’s words faded than a sudden explosion echoed from above. Her sword-wielding arm faltered, and she looked up. There, her Soul Armament shield—which had consistently fended off every lightning strike descending from Black Lightning—now shattered explosively under Black Lightning’s relentless assault. Witnessing this sight firsthand, she dodged without a moment’s hesitation.
Boom! !
A bolt of black lightning impacted Ulan’s body. With the Ghost Head Shield above having shattered, Ulan was left exposed, allowing the lightning to successfully cleave down upon her.
However, Ulan, struck by the black lightning, neither spurted blood nor cried out in agony. Her body simply twisted for a moment before vanishing. The black lightning had not struck the true Ulan, but merely an afterimage created by her swift evasion.
Ulan, having regained her balance, wore a grim expression. Had she not reacted with sufficient speed and agility in that instant, she would undoubtedly have been struck by the black lightning, and physical injury would have been an unavoidable certainty.
Her own Soul Armament shield had previously proven perfectly capable of repelling Black Lightning's assaults, yet now it had been obliterated by the very lightning Black Lightning unleashed. Alongside her astonishment, a considerable surge of anger flared within her. How could her expression possibly remain pleasant?
Barely having stabilized herself, Ulan had intended to reform her shattered shield, which had dissipated into Yin Qi, and then increase the Spirit Power infused into it, thereby bolstering the Soul Armament’s defensive capabilities to ensure her safety. Yet, before she could even begin reforming the shield, another bolt of lightning cleaved down towards her position. Left with no alternative, she was forced to dodge once more.
Ulan’s speed was impressive, and her reactions were swift. She succeeded in dodging once more. However, the instant she regained her footing, yet another bolt of lightning cleaved towards her body. The lightning strikes were seamlessly continuous, affording her no reprieve whatsoever. Unwilling to be struck, she could only, once again, passively opt for evasion.
From the very moment Ulan first initiated her evasive maneuvers, she, who had previously been evenly matched against Yang Haoran, immediately found herself at a disadvantage. Her continuous dodging meant that the Soul Armament Remnant Moon was no longer held in check, thus Remnant Moon shifted from its previous defensive stance to an offensive one. She now had to not only constantly evade the black lightning descending from above but also contend with Remnant Moon’s aggressive advances.
Were it merely the black lightning unleashed by Black Lightning that possessed such incredible speed, it might have been manageable. But Remnant Moon’s velocity was equally astounding. Ulan was forced to simultaneously contend with two Soul Armaments of such breathtaking attack speed; the immense pressure on her was readily conceivable.
Under Yang Haoran’s precise control, Soul Armament Remnant Moon and Soul Armament Black Lightning collaborated with seamless perfection. Ulan, facing such fierce and cunning assaults, was denied even a single moment to catch her breath, able only to passively defend and evade. She had absolutely no opportunity to reform the shattered Ghost Head Shield!
Should this continue unabated, it was clear without a doubt that Ulan would ultimately face defeat. Ulan herself was acutely aware of this, and it was hardly the outcome she desired. To reclaim her lost advantage, she gritted her silver teeth and, even as she fended off the relentless onslaught of Yang Haoran’s two Soul Armaments, she summoned her own third Soul Armament.
Her third Soul Armament had remained unbroken, swirling amidst the Yin Qi, requiring only a single thought for her to summon it. Conversely, her shattered shield was different; she needed time to reform it, and while that time might be brief, it was nonetheless essential—a brief window Yang Haoran was unwilling to grant her.
Nevertheless, in Ulan’s estimation, by deploying her third Soul Armament, she would immediately seize the opportunity to re-forge her shattered shield. With all three Soul Armaments then in full effect, working in perfect concert, she was confident she could decisively reverse her current disadvantage!
As Ulan’s will stirred, a streak of black light shot forth from a violently swirling mass of Yin Qi beside her, then vanished.
The instant that black light vanished, a formidable black grand seal abruptly materialized above Yang Haoran’s head. This seal, entirely black, was intricately carved with myriad twisted human faces across its surface. These faces appeared sentient, constantly shifting expressions; however, every single expression they conjured exuded an exceedingly terrifying aura.
This black grand seal was precisely the third Soul Armament Ulan had obtained after opening her Life Soul. Accompanied by a chorus of chilling, grotesque cries, the seal ascended, emitting a visible surge of dense Yin Qi, and bore down upon Yang Haoran below.
Even before the grand seal had fully descended, Yang Haoran already felt an intense oppressive force, as if his body were being crushed by an invisible mountain. The mere pre-impact sensation bespoke the seal’s formidable power. Once this seal truly bore down upon his physical form, Yang Haoran surmised that even if he weren't utterly pulverized, he would likely suffer severe, debilitating injuries.
Yang Haoran was not averse to a strategy of "injuring the enemy by a thousand while losing eight hundred of one's own," but such a choice was contingent upon the circumstances. If he were truly pushed to an insurmountable deadlock, he would, without hesitation, even resort to "injuring the enemy by eight hundred while losing a thousand of his own. " However, he had not yet been forced to such extremes, and thus, he naturally wouldn't employ such a method now.
Therefore, he opted to dodge. However, as the black grand seal swiftly descended, his body felt as if it had plunged into a quagmire, his speed drastically impeded. From this alone, it became evident that this black grand seal also possessed the ability to restrain its targets!
Comments