Novels online

Chapter 1420: There's Still One Way

The struggle between the two sides continued for a period, and just as the Tong Continent Great Emperor had anticipated, the Lock Yin Talismans in Yang Haoran’s hand were not inexhaustible; eventually, Yang Haoran exhausted them all.

Yang Haoran originally possessed a considerable number of Lock Yin Talismans, but unfortunately, their grade was too low. Had they been Gold Talismans, one rank higher, their power would naturally have been far greater. Alas, Yang Haoran currently had no Gold Talisman-level Lock Yin Talismans at his disposal.

It hadn't been long since Yang Haoran advanced to a Gold Talisman Master. While he could indeed draw some lower-grade talismans using Gold Talisman materials, for advanced talismans like the Lock Yin Talisman – a lost art of the Talisman Order – the success rate of crafting them with Gold Talisman materials was astonishingly low.

Yang Haoran wasn't worried about the materials; with his financial resources and the efficiency of his subordinates, acquiring Gold Talisman materials was not a difficult task. However, materials alone were insufficient. He also needed to constantly consume materials over years to improve his talisman crafting success rate, and that was precisely what he lacked.

Therefore, in today's battle, Yang Haoran’s independent space contained no Gold Talisman-grade Lock Yin Talismans. While he possessed many Black Talisman-grade Lock Yin Talismans, even those could not withstand being unleashed several at a time.

Watching the Lock Yin Talismans in his independent space rapidly diminish, Yang Haoran had exercised great restraint during his struggle with the Tong Continent Great Emperor, striving to avoid any waste. Even so, with the last Lock Yin Talisman expended, he and Zhong Siyu, fighting in tandem, still failed to slay the Tong Continent Great Emperor. Instead, they found themselves suppressed by him for a greater duration.

Within the Guardian District, the sea of fire, conjured by spirit talismans, still burned fiercely. Although fire talismans were common, ordinary talismans, once a spirit talisman of this level unleashed its power, it would not necessarily dissipate on its own for several years without external interference or forced clearance.

The battle between Yang Haoran, Zhong Siyu, and the Tong Continent Great Emperor had remained above the sea of fire. None of the three had the leisure to attend to the inferno below, hence the blaze still raged intensely.

Above the rolling sea of fire, Yang Haoran’s face was pale and devoid of color. He gasped for air, large beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks. His expensive black robes were tattered, and wounds and bloodstains were visible all over his body. The powerful spiritual fluctuations he once emitted had long vanished; now, his power seemed incredibly faint, and even his body trembled slightly. He was, to say the least, in an utterly wretched state.

Zhong Siyu's condition was slightly better than Yang Haoran's, though not by much. In today's battle, her Ghost King body had been shattered an untold number of times, which was precisely why her injuries were exceedingly severe. Like Yang Haoran, her face was pale, the spiritual fluctuations she emitted were weak, and her Blood-Clad form, conjured from Yin Qi, was not only tattered beyond recognition, but even the vivid, blood-like essence that once condensed from dense Yin Qi and dripped from the edges of her blood-robes was now nowhere to be seen.

This situation naturally arose from the depletion of their internal power. Comparatively, however, the spiritual fluctuations Zhong Siyu now emitted were slightly stronger than Yang Haoran's, and she wasn't gasping for air as heavily as he was.

Both Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu were in a severely battered state, and the Tong Continent Great Emperor, whose strength surpassed theirs, appeared just as disheveled. His robes were ragged like a beggar's, and his body bore numerous wounds and bloodstains.

However, the Tong Continent Great Emperor only *appeared* as battered as Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu on the surface. In reality, a significant disparity still existed between them, most notably in the spiritual fluctuations they emitted. Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu were exceedingly weak, while the Tong Continent Great Emperor, though far from his peak, was still overwhelmingly stronger than both of them combined.

Both sides had consumed various dānyào, including Soul Pills to restore their internal power. Although Zhong Siyu was not an Underworld Official, Soul Pills were equally effective in restoring her power. Yet, even with this, the disparity between them was still evident.

Numerous factors contributed to this situation, not just one. For instance, the inherent strength of each combatant, the efficacy of the dānyào consumed, and the severity of injuries sustained during the struggle—all could lead to the current outcome.

Nevertheless, no matter how many reasons contributed to this phenomenon, only one fact remained: Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu’s spiritual fluctuations were now considerably weak, whereas the Tong Continent Great Emperor’s spiritual fluctuations were still significantly stronger than theirs.

“Heh, cough, cough, cough, hehe, this ‘Yin dog’ is incredibly strong. This time, it seems we might very well fall into his hands. Do you have any other tricks left? ”

Zhong Siyu let out a fierce, distorted laugh, only to immediately break into a violent cough. After a few hacking sounds, she still managed to speak her mind. Even in this desperate situation, the savage grin remained on her face, not lessening by a single degree. Hearing her, Yang Haoran continued to gasp for air, offering no verbal reply. He merely shook his head slightly, indicating that he had no more methods.

It wasn’t that Yang Haoran didn’t want to respond to Zhong Siyu; it was simply that at this moment, he felt exhausted even by the act of speaking. To put it bluntly, he was so weak that he barely had the strength to utter a word.

As for whether he had any other methods, it wasn't entirely certain he had *none*, but in his current state, he simply couldn't deploy any useful techniques, let alone turn the tide and inflict fatal damage upon the Tong Continent Great Emperor. As for useless methods, even if he exhausted every effort to cast them, they would be futile, and the Tong Continent Great Emperor wouldn’t grant them the time anyway.

Seeing Yang Haoran shake his head, Zhong Siyu's face showed no sign of disappointment. Just as before, a savage, twisted grin remained fixed on her face, her emotions seemingly unaffected by Yang Haoran's gesture.

“You have the most cunning ideas, and if even you are out of options, it seems we truly are going to meet our end here today. ”

At this point, Zhong Siyu paused, took a deep breath, and continued.

“Since we’re destined to die here, then we can only fight him to the death. Even if I perish, I absolutely won't let him have an easy time of it! ”

Zhong Siyu declared with a twisted sneer. Although her spiritual fluctuations were exceedingly faint at this moment, her bloodthirsty and cruel ferocity had not diminished. A single glance would still send shivers down one's spine. She was like a dying primordial beast – even with battle strength far from her peak, she could still unleash a formidable deterrent force!

Today’s battle had been initiated by the Tong Continent Great Emperor, who came specifically for Yang Haoran. Zhong Siyu had only been drawn in later. Before the Tong Continent Great Emperor deployed the Absolute Prohibition, she could have easily escaped. With her strength, if she had been determined to flee, the Tong Continent Great Emperor would not necessarily have been able to catch her. Yet, she did not; instead, she chose to remain and decisively appeared to assist Yang Haoran when he was overwhelmed by the Tong Continent Great Emperor.

Now reduced to such a plight, she neither voiced a single complaint towards Yang Haoran nor displayed any hint of regret. Instead, she resolved to stake her life in a desperate struggle against the Tong Continent Great Emperor. This couldn't help but fill Yang Haoran with profound shame, making him feel as if he had brought harm upon her.

The shame in his heart caused the forced, faint smile on Yang Haoran’s face to vanish. At this moment, he wore an expression of hesitation, as if grappling with a difficult decision he couldn't resolve.

Zhong Siyu, however, did not notice the change in Yang Haoran’s expression. Once she declared her intention to fight the Tong Continent Great Emperor to the death, she prepared to actively engage him. She knew that there was no time to lose. The Tong Continent Great Emperor hadn't immediately attacked them or wasted words, not because he intended to spare them, but because he, too, needed a moment to catch his breath. After all, the Tong Continent Great Emperor was not a machine of flesh and blood.

She worried that once the Tong Continent Great Emperor had rested sufficiently, she wouldn't even have the chance to fight him to the death, as she had little confidence in withstanding his assault then. Thus, she decided to strike first and gain the advantage.

Just as Zhong Siyu was about to charge out and engage the Tong Continent Great Emperor in a life-or-death struggle, Yang Haoran spoke up, stopping her.

“Wait, I still have one way to get rid of him! ”

Yang Haoran’s voice was very weak and sounded strained. Yet, at the very moment his words left his lips, it was unclear whether the Tong Continent Great Emperor had heard him and thus wished to deny him the opportunity, or if the Tong Continent Great Emperor simply felt sufficiently rested and ready to strike.

Regardless of the reason, the Tong Continent Great Emperor, who had paused for less than a minute, indeed attacked again!

With a flicker of his thought, the sword-shaped Soul Armament, under the Tong Continent Great Emperor’s control, swished through the air, rapidly slashing towards Yang Haoran!