Chapter 1398: Soaring Bloodlight
The sudden sound made everyone turn their gaze towards the distant area where Old Master Wu was. As expected, Old Master Wu was truly on his last legs under the Skeleton Man's fierce onslaught.
It had only been a short while—barely a dozen breaths, all told—yet in that brief span, Old Master Wu was already struggling to hold on. This clearly showed just how formidable the Skeleton Man's strength was.
Although Old Master Wu's Ghost King Body was something Yang Haoran had poured immense resources into, forging it in a short amount of time, Old Master Wu had possessed extensive combat experience in life. Even after his death and cultivation of the Ghost Dao, losing his Soul Armament, his combat experience and reactive ability in battle had not diminished.
Furthermore, the Ghost Arts and Spiritual Arts that Yang Haoran had collected were not only numerous but also varied, and Old Master Wu had cultivated many of them. The Ghost Arts and Spiritual Arts he practiced, along with the unique nature of his Ghost King Body, could completely compensate for the power he lost by not having a Soul Armament. Yet, even so, at this moment—
It wasn't that Old Master Wu wasn't formidable enough; it was simply that the Tongzhou Great Emperor he currently faced was overwhelmingly powerful, far exceeding anything he could contend with. That was why he was being beaten without any chance to retaliate.
Under everyone's gaze, Old Master Wu's physical body was forcibly sliced apart by the Skeleton Man's blade. This sight made everyone's heart leap into their throats. However, seeing that the scattered Yin Qi didn't vanish but instead rapidly coalesced once more, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. This indicated that Old Master Wu hadn't suffered Soul Transformation.
"No, I have to help Old Wu! If this continues, he'll be finished soon!"
Old Master Wu's predicament reignited Lu Wu's urge to rush to his aid.
At Zhu Rong's sharp reprimand, Lu Wu dared not move an inch. Though Zhu Rong was a woman, her formidable capabilities were evident to all of Yang Haoran's trusted subordinates, Lu Wu included.
Moreover, even before joining Yang Haoran, Zhu Rong had been a high-ranking official in the Administrative Courtyard, naturally possessing a strong aura of authority. After following Yang Haoran, her status steadily rose, her power grew, and the people and matters she managed became increasingly numerous and complex. Coupled with Zhu Rong's strong, dominant personality and firm methods, she was a true iron lady, which only intensified her intangible official authority.
It was precisely because of this that her single sharp command was barely enough to hold back Lu Wu, that hothead. If it had been any other trusted subordinate of Yang Haoran's, besides Old Master Wu, probably no one could have deterred Lu Wu, or even barely managed to do so. This wasn't about strength; it was about that powerful aura.
Of course, the true reason Lu Wu dared not move a step to aid Old Master Wu was because Zhu Rong had invoked Yang Haoran's name. Otherwise, given Lu Wu's nature, even if he were momentarily deterred, once he regained his senses, or received any further provocation, he would absolutely disregard Zhu Rong's attempts to stop him.
"Old Wu is buying us time to escape this place with his life. We cannot let his painstaking efforts be in vain. Now, everyone, direct all your power to attack a single point on this restrictive barrier, exactly where I indicate. We must break open an exit for our escape in the shortest possible time!"
After reprimanding Lu Wu, Zhu Rong immediately issued orders to everyone. Though Lu Wu was extremely reluctant, he didn't dare voice a rebuttal, nor did he disregard Yang Haoran's orders and rush to aid Old Master Wu, who was at a disadvantage.
Even Lu Wu, that hothead, was like this, let alone the others present. As Zhu Rong's words fell, they all erupted with their power to the extreme, preparing to unleash their strongest attacks upon the restrictive barrier. The moment Zhu Rong gave the command, they would immediately direct their most powerful techniques towards the designated spot!
"ATTACK! ! !"
With Zhu Rong's command, those who had prepared immediately launched their assault on the restrictive barrier, targeting precisely the area Zhu Rong had indicated!
A deluge of colorful attacks, as dense as raindrops, rained down upon the designated area, their overwhelming might astonishing. Though their individual strengths were limited, combined, the destructive power they unleashed was truly terrifying. The restrictive barrier, which had previously been concealed, reappeared due to the assault. The attacks repeatedly struck the barrier's light curtain, producing a series of thunderous roars, and even the surrounding space was considerably affected, trembling lightly without cease.
Yet, after a wave of attacks, everyone's expressions turned grim, Zhu Rong and Lu Wu no exception. Despite such a fierce assault, one that even caused the space to tremble slightly, it hadn't shaken the restrictive barrier in the slightest, let alone torn open an exit for their escape.
Everyone present clearly understood what this implied, and it was precisely because they understood that their faces turned so grim!
Meanwhile, in the distance, Old Master Wu's physical body was once again disintegrated by the Skeleton Man's assault. This Skeleton Man, seemingly on the verge of falling apart at any moment, was astonishingly powerful—a stark contrast to his appearance.
Old Master Wu, who had coalesced his physical body once more, was not only pale-faced but also exuded an incredibly weak aura. Having his physical body forcibly disintegrated repeatedly, even with a Ghost King Body, he couldn't endure such torment. In his current state, he was not far from Soul Transformation. If he couldn't recover, just a few more times of his physical body being dispersed would truly lead to his Soul Transformation.
The situation was dire. Whether it was Old Master Wu's current plight or the predicament of Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others, it could only be described as a dead end, for their current circumstances truly offered not a glimmer of hope.
At this moment, Old Master Wu's resolve was to buy as much time as possible, even at the cost of his own life. From the beginning until now, this resolve had not wavered.
However, Zhu Rong was different from Old Master Wu. At this moment, her inner thoughts had shifted. She originally hadn't wanted to betray Old Master Wu's painstaking efforts and had aimed to evacuate everyone present in the quickest possible time.
But judging by the current situation, she knew that achieving this was simply impossible. Tearing space to leave this place was a non-starter; both she and Lu Wu had just tried it. They had exerted all their strength but were unable to tear space within this restrictive barrier.
And now, she had originally intended to combine everyone's strength to forcibly blast open an exit through the restrictive barrier for their escape. Yet, their combined assault hadn't shaken the restrictive barrier in the slightest. Even employing their strongest techniques, they couldn't achieve it. This meant that none of them possessed the ability to break open this restrictive barrier, even if they used their full power.
Because she understood this perfectly, her thoughts had changed. Since they couldn't break through the restrictive barrier and leave, there was no need to waste further time on it. They might as well fight the enemy to the death. Even if winning was utterly impossible, even if they couldn't manage to land a single bite before their demise, they would still use their lives to splatter the enemy with their blood!
In Zhu Rong's view, this wasn't defying Yang Haoran's orders, because this thought had only arisen after she confirmed that they couldn't break through the restrictive barrier. Knowing escape was hopeless, there was naturally no need to waste their power on fleeing. Rather than that, fighting to the death would be far more spirited!
With her decision made, Zhu Rong prepared to order everyone to halt their meaningless assault and instead set their sights on the lofty Tongzhou Great Emperor as their new target. Even if it meant death, she would ensure that she and her people died with spirit and dignity!
However, at that very moment, a surge of immense power erupted from the distance. The appearance of this power fluctuation not only seized the attention of Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others, but also drew the gaze of the Tongzhou Great Emperor himself. All of them simultaneously looked towards the origin of this powerful burst of energy.
Old Master Wu naturally also sensed this sudden eruption of powerful energy. However, facing the Skeleton Man's relentless assault, utterly overwhelmed as he was, he dared not allow himself the slightest distraction. Thus, all his attention was focused on barely fending off the Skeleton Man, not daring to glance towards the area where the power fluctuation had erupted.
Under the collective gaze, a blood-red light suddenly shot skyward, hitting the upper region of the restrictive barrier in the blink of an eye.
BOOM! ! !
The blood-red light struck the upper restrictive barrier, unleashing a deafening roar. The restrictive barrier, which Zhu Rong, Lu Wu, and the others couldn't even budge with their combined efforts, now violently shuddered under the impact of this blood-red light, as if it could shatter at any moment.
This sight left everyone utterly astonished. Even the Tongzhou Great Emperor himself cast aside the cold sneer on his face, his brows involuntarily knitting together.
Comments