Chapter 1318: One Last Question!
“Demon Art, Awakening! ”
The instant she successfully formed the hand seals, Bai Xue smiled and uttered four words. Even as she unleashed the demon art, she maintained her seductive demeanor.
As this demon art was unleashed, all the surrounding vegetation sprang to life. From towering ancient trees to inconspicuous weeds, each now emitted specks of green light, launching a fierce assault on the Black-Robed Person.
Bai Xue chose to strike again, partly because she had already figured out the Black-Robed Person’s purpose in risking danger to seek her out today. The other reason was that she knew she could no longer extract useful information from his mouth; discerning his identity would ultimately require violence.
A continuous whooshing sound filled the air as blades of grass shot forth like arrows, branches whipped like hands, and vines coiled like serpents. Without exception, all their attacks targeted the Black-Robed Person. For a moment, the entire mountain forest erupted into a frenzy.
“Bai Xue, your actions greatly anger me. Any flicker of goodwill I had for you has vanished like smoke because of this! ”
While dodging the assault, the Black-Robed Person spoke to Bai Xue in a low, grave tone, his anger undisguised. Besides anger, his voice seemed to carry a hint of barely perceptible disappointment.
Bai Xue, of course, had no inclination to speculate on the Black-Robed Person’s feelings at that moment. In her eyes, he was an enemy, and how could she possibly care about an enemy’s feelings?
Facing the impenetrable assault from the surrounding vegetation, the Black-Robed Person found it somewhat difficult to cope. The reason for this was that he had not used his two Soul Armaments.
Soul Armaments were the most formidable means available to Underworld agents. An Underworld agent not using their Soul Armaments was akin to an ordinary person who had lost their arms; no matter how strong that person might be, their combat strength would definitely be greatly diminished. The reason the Black-Robed Person had fallen into a passive position was precisely because he had not used his two Soul Armaments.
Soul Armaments were the most formidable means, and simultaneously, a mark of an Underworld agent’s identity. Through the Soul Armament an Underworld agent used, one could determine their identity. Even an obscure Underworld agent, as long as one possessed a powerful intelligence network, could still, with some time, investigate and clarify their identity.
At that moment, Bai Xue harbored this very thought in her mind. She wanted to know exactly what the Black-Robed Person’s two Soul Armaments were. Once she ascertained this, even if the Black-Robed Person truly employed some remarkable means to escape her grasp later, she could still determine his identity through the Soul Armaments he used.
Her thinking was naturally flawless, yet the Black-Robed Person, even when fallen into a disadvantageous position, still didn't use his Soul Armaments. This left her somewhat speechless.
Evidently, the Black-Robed Person must also be very clear that his identity would be exposed if he used his Soul Armaments, which was why he had been reluctant to use them.
Given the current situation, if he didn't employ other means to turn the tide, the Black-Robed Person wouldn't be able to keep his identity secret even if he didn't use his Soul Armaments. For he would die a miserable death at Bai Xue’s hands, and once he died, if Bai Xue extracted his soul, all his secrets would be laid bare.
The Black-Robed Person understood this truth, so he had to find a way to turn the tide. To turn the tide without using his Soul Armaments, he could only resort to other means to contend with her!
The Black-Robed Person first unleashed a defensive Ghost Art to bolster himself, thereby enhancing his own defensive power. Immediately after, while dodging the assault, he simultaneously unleashed an offensive Ghost Art, which then collided with the demon art Bai Xue had cast.
When Bai Xue first met Yang Haoran, she knew very few demon arts. However, she had long since surpassed her former self. Her Flock of Demons Society collected a wide variety of demon arts, some voluntarily submitted by members in exchange for other benefits useful to them, and others obtained from annihilating other demon clans. It was precisely for these reasons that the Flock of Demons Society's collection of demon arts continued to grow.
As the president of the Flock of Demons Society, Bai Xue could cultivate these demon arts however she wished; no one would stop her. Thus, over the years, she had successfully cultivated many demon arts, and all of them were hand-picked masterpieces. She wouldn't even deign to look at ordinary demon arts, much less cultivate them.
As Bai Xue’s Demon Art, Awakening, was broken by the Black-Robed Person’s Ghost Art, immediately after, a showdown between Ghost Arts and demon arts unfolded, with the power unleashed by both sides increasing proportionally!
The contest between Ghost Arts and demon arts lasted a full hour. The area where the two stood was razed to the ground; the previously lush mountain forest now lay as a barren depression. The two stood in the center of the depression, confronting each other.
An hour of clashes had expended considerable power for both, though this consumption was not fatal to either. It was merely the other's strength that surprised them both.
“The intelligence I gathered indeed had issues; your strength far exceeded my expectations! ”
The Black-Robed Person spoke in a low voice, slightly panting and remaining wary of Bai Xue. His tone at this moment contained anger, but more so, astonishment.
“Your strength is also considerable. To be able to endure this long against me with only Ghost Arts, I, too, underestimated you somewhat. ”
Bai Xue spoke with a seductive smile plastered on her face, her pace of speech unhurried, displaying a composed and unruffled demeanor. Compared to the Black-Robed Person, her state was clearly much better, as the Demon Power emanating from her was still very formidable, and her aura was extremely stable. The Black-Robed Person, in contrast, was slightly panting.
Although Bai Xue’s face showed composure, she still harbored some doubts and maintained her vigilance against the Black-Robed Person. She and the Black-Robed Person had battled for a full hour, and the surrounding area had been razed by their clash. Such a huge commotion, logically speaking, should have long been sensed by nearby patrols, who would then have rushed to this location.
Yet, up until now, not a single person had arrived. This situation was clearly illogical. The only explanation was that this area had been secretly enveloped by a restriction barrier, so the outside world was completely unable to sense the battle here, and naturally, no one could have come to this place.
Bai Xue estimated that the Black-Robed Person must have laid down a restriction barrier here while she was previously feeling dispirited and distracted. In that distracted state of mind, her sensory abilities were extremely low, so it was normal for her not to notice the Black-Robed Person secretly setting up the restriction barrier here. The reason she later managed to discover him secretly following her was that the distance between them grew shorter; at such close range, even if she was dispirited and distracted, she could still sense the Black-Robed Person’s presence, given her inherent strength.
However, upon closer thought, she felt that it was quite normal for the Black-Robed Person to act this way. This was Yang Haoran’s Guardian District, teeming with experts. If he hadn't set up a restriction barrier beforehand, once a conflict arose between them, the Black-Robed Person’s situation would become extremely perilous. If she were the Black-Robed Person, she would also choose to do the same.
Being trapped within the restriction barrier set up by the opponent was not a good thing for Bai Xue. Thus, though she appeared composed on the surface, her heart was filled with vigilance towards the Black-Robed Person.
“I’ll ask you one last time: are you truly unwilling to cooperate with me? ”
Although Bai Xue had already flatly refused the Black-Robed Person, he had not given up hope because of this. Now, he brought the matter up again.
“Hehehehe, you can abandon that notion. It’s impossible for me to cooperate with you. ”
Bai Xue spoke with a seductive smile, not changing her mind because of the Black-Robed Person’s repeated inquiry.
“Since that is the case, I will have no choice but to activate another plan! ”
As the Black-Robed Person's words fell, a surge of even greater power erupted from within him. The power he had unleashed before was roughly at the mid-stage Earth Soul realm, but now he directly elevated his cultivation to the late-stage Earth Soul realm.
Violent Spirit Power surged forth from his body, raging wildly. The resulting gale whipped up dust from the ground, and visible Yin Qi ascended from his body. His entire aura instantly rose by a level!
Bai Xue did not know what the Black-Robed Person's other plan was, but from the current situation, it was clear he was getting serious. The late-stage Earth Soul realm power unleashed by the Black-Robed Person now should be his true realm.
“Well, well, so you were still hiding so much strength. A realm like late-stage Earth Soul is rare even throughout the entire Underworld Office. I’m truly growing more and more curious about who you really are. ”
After these words fell, although Bai Xue’s seductive smile remained on her face, a hint of mockery subtly emerged.
“Hehehehe, while the late-stage Earth Soul realm is indeed very strong, it’s still a bit lacking in front of me. If you want to subdue me with such strength, it’s definitely impossible. Let alone your reluctance to use your two Soul Armaments, even if you did use them, you wouldn’t be able to. ”
Her words paused. Dense Demon Power surged from Bai Xue’s body, and her body was also enveloped in a visible layer of green light. In just a short span, her cultivation instantly soared from mid-stage Demon King to late-stage peak Demon King, directly surpassing the Black-Robed Person.
The violent Demon Power formed a powerful shockwave that spread outwards. A thick layer of earth and rocks was churned up from the ground, and the Black-Robed Person was forced back several steps under its force. The disparity in power between the two was immediately and perfectly manifested!
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