Novels online

Chapter 1302: Not Much Time Left

The fierce battle between Yang Haoran and Ulan continued for another half an hour. During this time, both of them sustained quite a few injuries. However, comparatively, Yang Haoran was in a much better state than Ulan, having suffered less damage and, more importantly, expended far less Spirit Power.

Just like Yang Haoran, Ulan was determined to slay him within the hour. Compounded by the rage clouding her mind, her Spirit Power surged forth like a breached dam, rapidly draining away. Yang Haoran, on the other hand, was different; he meticulously kept his power expenditure at a constant level, which meant his Spirit Power consumption was nowhere near Ulan's.

For Ulan, expending such a vast amount of Spirit Power would undoubtedly be worth it if she succeeded in slaying Yang Haoran. The problem, however, was that despite gaining the upper hand, she hadn't managed to kill him. Instead, her own internal power had been almost entirely depleted. This result was truly unacceptable to her.

As the battle wore on, counting the time before Ulan's fury overwhelmed her, well over half an hour had already passed. Though Ulan desperately wished to deny it, she had no choice but to admit that she could not possibly slay Yang Haoran before the Absolute Prohibition disappeared. After all, very little time remained now.

Boom! !

The enlarged Remnant Moon collided with the black great seal. Both Soul Armaments were sent flying at the same time. Yang Haoran and Ulan, who controlled these two Soul Armaments, were likewise thrown back by the violent force generated by the collision.

As both stabilized themselves in mid-air, they each spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Ulan's expression was contorted and unsightly, while Yang Haoran appeared remarkably calm. Even with the vivid bloodstains at the corner of his mouth, his signature smile remained plastered on his face.

No sooner had they steadied themselves than a thunderous roar erupted from the thick clouds above. A bolt of Black Lightning struck down towards Ulan below, while a slender Soft Sword materialized before Yang Haoran, lunging for his chest.

Though both had been knocked back by the powerful impact of their colliding Soul Armaments, neither ceased their attempts to land a killing blow on the other. After all, the more chaotic the situation, the greater the chance of successfully eliminating one's opponent. Both were seasoned veterans with extensive combat experience, and naturally, they wouldn't let such a prime opportunity slip away!

Originally, Ulan's Soul Armament, the Ghost Head Shield, had remained distant, at the exact spot where she had been before being thrown back. But the instant her body stabilized, the Ghost Head Shield vanished in a flash, reappearing directly above her head. And precisely at that moment, the Black Lightning descended. Without a doubt, the Black Lightning bolt striking down at Ulan was blocked by the suddenly manifested Ghost Head Shield.

Boom! !

After taking a direct hit from the Black Lightning, the Ghost Head Shield shuddered violently. The immense power of the black lightning forced it to sharply dip, but that was secondary. The main concern was that after absorbing this bolt of Black Lightning, the Ghost Head Shield had actually developed new cracks.

On the other side, faced with the incoming slender Soft Sword, Yang Haoran's recently stabilized body instantly vanished from his spot, causing the attacking Soft Sword to strike empty air.

Seeing this, Ulan did not continue her assault on Yang Haoran. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but that she couldn't. The Ghost Head Shield above her head had cracked again, and if she didn't promptly infuse Spirit Power into it to repair the fractured areas, then with just one more bolt of Black Lightning, the shield would undoubtedly shatter. Once the shield broke, she would lose a layer of protection. To regain this defense, she would have to find an opportunity to re-condense the shield, but the problem was that Yang Haoran certainly wouldn't give her such a chance. Forcing herself to condense the shield would undoubtedly cost her a considerable price.

Therefore, Ulan, acutely aware of the pros and cons, refrained from continuing to control the Soft Sword to pursue Yang Haoran. Instead, she immediately began infusing Spirit Power into her Soul Armament.

As Spirit Power flowed in, the cracked areas of the shield began to heal at a visible rate. However, before these cracks could fully mend, another bolt of Black Lightning descended from the sky, striking the shield. The shield, which had just begun to heal, took the hit, and not only was its recovery interrupted, but it now sported even more cracks than before!

Ulan, who had previously held the absolute advantage, now found herself at a disadvantage once more. The reason was that her Spirit Power was now severely depleted, and the weakening of her Spirit Power meant that the power of her three Soul Armaments was far less than before, leading to this predicament.

Ulan knew full well that if this continued, her shield would inevitably shatter. Her speed in repairing the Ghost Head Shield simply couldn't keep up with the destructive speed of the Black Lightning. Therefore, the shield's eventual shattering was a certainty. Moreover, during this time, she would also face attacks from Yang Haoran's other Soul Armament, which would render her situation extremely perilous.

To change this, she absolutely had to recover her depleted Spirit Power as quickly as possible. As long as her consumed Spirit Power could be restored within a short period, all her problems would be resolved!

As this thought crossed her mind, a thick plume of black smoke rose from Ulan's hand. Immediately afterward, a delicate, square box, about the size of a baby's fist, appeared in her palm!

Ulan's palm gave a slight shake, and the box above her palm was instantly shattered by Spirit Power, revealing a Soul Crystal!

Once the Soul Crystal was retrieved, Ulan didn't hesitate for a second, nor did she utter a single word of nonsense. She immediately intended to consume the Soul Crystal.

Her haste, of course, stemmed from her desire to avoid any mishaps during the process of consuming the Soul Crystal. If she hesitated or wasted words on Yang Haoran, the process of ingesting the Soul Crystal might very well be interrupted by him. If the roles were reversed, she would do the same. To prevent such a scenario from actually occurring, she naturally had to quickly swallow the Soul Crystal.

As this scene unfolded before Yang Haoran's eyes, his brows couldn't help but twitch. Although he had long suspected that Ulan might possess a treasure like a Soul Crystal, witnessing it firsthand still gave him a headache. Because once Ulan successfully consumed the Soul Crystal, her depleted Spirit Power would rapidly recover, which was by no means good news for him.

If the Absolute Prohibition didn't have a time limit, he wouldn't be concerned in the slightest. Even if Ulan consumed the Soul Crystal, he had ways to exhaust her to death. He certainly didn't believe that Ulan possessed more Soul Crystals or precious Dānyào for healing than he did!

The problem, however, was that the Absolute Prohibition not only had a time limit, but very little of that time remained. Once Ulan successfully ingested the Soul Crystal, if he wished to slay her in the remaining short window, he would have to employ even more methods and expend more treasures. And even then, success wasn't guaranteed; it would merely offer a hope of slaying Ulan. Therefore, he naturally did not want to see Ulan successfully consume the Soul Crystal.

But after Ulan retrieved the Soul Crystal, she made no idle chatter, instantly moving to consume it with decisive action. Even if he wanted to stop her, there was nothing he could do. He could only watch helplessly as Ulan swallowed the Soul Crystal in a single gulp.

After successfully consuming the Soul Crystal, Ulan felt considerably more at ease, and her lost confidence reignited within her.

“Yang Haoran,” Ulan said coldly, “I never imagined you hid yourself so deeply. It seems you must harbor many unknown secrets, otherwise it would be impossible for you to possess such formidable strength in such a short time. Today, I will surely kill you, seize your soul, and then unearth all your secrets! ”

Ulan spoke chillingly to Yang Haoran, even as she strained to fend off the attacks from his two Soul Armaments.

Ulan's icy words revealed a multitude of intentions: doubt, fury, confidence, and a faint, almost imperceptible hint of desire.

Although she was currently struggling to resist Yang Haoran's onslaught, she knew this was only temporary. She had already consumed the Soul Crystal, and soon, it would continuously erupt with terrifying Pure Yin Qi within her body. This Pure Yin Qi would rapidly restore her depleted Spirit Power, and she certainly wouldn't believe she was doomed simply because she was currently at a disadvantage.

No sooner had Ulan's words faded than a voice, laced with disdain yet tinged with excitement, resonated through the area.

“A Soul Crystal is a good thing indeed,” the voice drawled. “It's truly wasteful for a dying person like you to consume it. If you can honestly spit it out and hand it over to me, I can promise you that I'll be as gentle as possible when I deal with you later. ”

The one who spoke was none other than Zhong Siyu, who had been observing the spectacle from below!