Novels online

Chapter 1415: Shifting Dynamics

Yang Haoran, who had burst out of the sea of fire, his expression originally exceedingly grim knowing he had been driven into a corner by the Tong Continent Great Emperor, now found a faint smile returning to his haggard face with Zhong Siyu's appearance.

"In my dictionary, there's no such word as 'escape'," Zhong Siyu replied with a laugh, her smile sweet and pleasing to the eye, giving off an innocent, harmless air. "Besides, killing is my favorite pastime. How could I miss out? I didn't show myself or make a move before because I wanted to see just how strong you've become. Now that you've been driven to desperation, and it looks like you can't pull out any more powerful tricks, if I don't help you now, you'll instantly be reduced to dust. And since I don't want to see you die like that, I had no choice but to appear."

Zhong Siyu's words put Yang Haoran's mind at ease a little more. His greatest fear was that Zhong Siyu would slack off or play dead in such a situation. While this was unlikely—after all, Zhong Siyu wasn't a fool; once he died, Zhong Siyu certainly wouldn't fare well either, and the Tong Continent Great Emperor wouldn't let Zhong Siyu off the hook—he believed Zhong Siyu understood this well.

However, Zhong Siyu's behavior couldn't be judged by ordinary standards after all; the possibility of her temporarily slacking off wasn't entirely nonexistent. So, before Zhong Siyu spoke those words, he had still harbored some concern about this issue.

As long as Zhong Siyu didn't slack off and was willing to help, the predicament he currently faced would undergo an earth-shattering transformation. The Tong Continent Great Emperor might not know Zhong Siyu's true power, but Yang Haoran certainly did.

"Another ghost! It seems I was absolutely right to eliminate you, traitor," the Tong Continent Great Emperor said coldly, "because you utterly disregard the laws of our Underworld Office. Someone like you, who so casually tramples upon our Underworld Office's laws, absolutely cannot remain in the Underworld Office, let alone in this world!"

The Tong Continent Great Emperor spoke coldly and shone the stone mirror in his hand directly at Yang Haoran. The rough surface of the stone mirror instantly became smooth, and a black light flashed across it.

Yang Haoran was intimately familiar with this sight. He knew what would happen next, so without a second thought, he dodged as swiftly as possible. He didn't just look out for himself; even in this perilous situation, he thought of Zhong Siyu. The instant he darted away, he prepared to pull Zhong Siyu along with him, but Zhong Siyu's reaction was no slower than his. As he dodged, Zhong Siyu also moved, her dodging direction completely opposite to his.

A loud explosion erupted from the spot where the two had been standing just moments before. Space collapsed, forming a black hole. The black hole was quite large; if either of their reactions had been even slightly slower, even if they hadn't been directly hit by the stone mirror's power, they would have been sucked into the black hole.

Yang Haoran's quick reaction was because he had witnessed the stone mirror's power and knew its methods of attack.

Zhong Siyu's swift reaction was also for the same reason. Although she hadn't appeared before, she had observed Yang Haoran's battle with the Tong Continent Great Emperor clearly from the shadows. Thus, she not only understood the stone mirror's attack methods, but she also knew the attack methods of the Tong Continent Great Emperor's other two Soul Armaments. So, when the rough surface of the stone mirror began to change, she knew its attack was imminent.

Yang Haoran steadied himself and immediately summoned his three Soul Armaments. He didn't dare waste a single moment, otherwise, he would have to find another opportunity to manifest his three Soul Armaments later, and such an opportunity might not even arise.

Zhong Siyu, on the other hand, immediately entered her battle state. Her white dress vanished, replaced by a Blood-Clad outfit. The sweet, lovely smile on her face twisted into a ferocious grimace with the shift to her battle state. The power fluctuations emanating from her body multiplied in that instant, and a cold Yin wind whipped through the area she occupied.

The Tong Continent Great Emperor's expression turned grim. It wasn't just because the stone mirror's attack had missed both Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu. Another reason was the sheer intensity of the power fluctuations Zhong Siyu was unleashing at that moment. Although it hadn't reached a level that surpassed his own, it was far, far stronger than Yang Haoran's power even at his peak. This was the main reason his face grew incredibly dark.

Although the Tong Continent Great Emperor's face was exceedingly grim, he didn't fall into a furious rage as he had before. Perhaps his tolerance had grown stronger after his recent outburst, or perhaps his rage hadn't yet reached the boiling point. Whatever the reason, without exploding in fury, he didn't roar, but immediately launched another attack.

This time, his attack target wasn't just Yang Haoran alone. The newly joined Zhong Siyu also became a target of his assault.

He used the stone mirror in his hand against Yang Haoran, while the sword-shaped Soul Armament, under his control, became his means of attack against Zhong Siyu.

The reason he chose to use the stone mirror against Yang Haoran instead of Zhong Siyu was partly because the Tong Continent Great Emperor's disgust for Yang Haoran far exceeded his dislike for Zhong Siyu. Even though Zhong Siyu was a ghost he loathed, his aversion to Yang Haoran still surpassed that for Zhong Siyu by a wide margin.

The hatred in his heart for Yang Haoran made him want to eliminate Yang Haoran first. However, this was only one reason. Another reason was that Yang Haoran was much weaker than Zhong Siyu. Furthermore, the previous battle had drained Yang Haoran considerably, and he had also sustained significant injuries. Dealing with Yang Haoran in this state was naturally much easier than dealing with Zhong Siyu, and killing him would be far simpler!

In the Tong Continent Great Emperor's view, as long as Yang Haoran was killed, there would be one less annoying fly buzzing around him. It was precisely because of these two reasons that he decided to use the stone mirror against Yang Haoran first, rather than Zhong Siyu!

The great battle between the two sides erupted once more. With Zhong Siyu's entry, the intensity of their confrontation far surpassed what came before. Not only did space itself tremble ceaselessly under their fierce struggle, but even the sea of fire below was stirred up by the immense power unleashed by both sides.

As for the intense heat emanating from the sea of fire, neither side paid it any mind, nor did they have the leisure to care. While the presence of the sea of fire did have a certain impact on them, that minor effect was nowhere near as significant as the impact their opponents had on them. Naturally, neither side bothered with the sea of fire below; they only needed to ensure their defenses prevented the intense heat from harming their physical bodies.

Previously, the Tong Continent Great Emperor hadn't felt much pressure dealing with Yang Haoran. It was merely his repeated misjudgments of Yang Haoran's strength that led to his repeated failures in eliminating Yang Haoran, thus driving him into fits of rage. This had nothing to do with feeling pressure.

However, now, while dealing with Yang Haoran, he also had to contend with Zhong Siyu, who was even stronger than Yang Haoran. He inevitably felt pressure. If he only had to face either of them individually, he would feel absolutely no pressure. But with both of them teaming up, it was entirely different.

The Tong Continent Great Emperor felt pressure, and Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu likewise felt pressure. Zhong Siyu was slightly better off, as both her strength and condition surpassed Yang Haoran's. Yang Haoran's situation, however, was precisely the opposite. Furthermore, Yang Haoran was facing the stone mirror in the Tong Continent Great Emperor's hand. This Soul Armament surpassed the sword-shaped Soul Armament in both destructive power and attack speed. His pressure was, naturally, far greater than Zhong Siyu's.

Although Yang Haoran was under immense pressure, and the brief exchange had caused significant damage to his physical body, his mood was considerably lighter than before Zhong Siyu's appearance.

The reason was simple: before Zhong Siyu appeared, he had no hope whatsoever. He could only try every possible method to delay for as long as he could, until the Absolute Prohibition dissipated. He had little confidence in his ability to endure until the Absolute Prohibition vanished, and even less confidence in successfully escaping from the Tong Continent Great Emperor after it did. The mental pressure he felt was immense, as one could easily imagine.

After Zhong Siyu appeared, he gained a powerful ally. The situation had undergone an earth-shattering transformation because of this. He went from having no hope to having hope. The pressure in his heart wasn't as great as before, so he naturally felt much more relaxed.

As Yang Haoran's pressure diminished, his thoughts also changed. He no longer wished to desperately delay for as long as possible, enduring until the Absolute Prohibition vanished. What he wanted was to inflict more damage upon the Tong Continent Great Emperor, perhaps even slaying him right here!