Chapter 1424: The Might of Soul Fusion
The Tong Continent Great Emperor's confusion stemmed from the fact that he had never seen this person before. Dressed in blood-red robes, tall and imposing, the individual possessed long, blood-red hair, and their eyes and eyebrows were likewise an eerie blood-red.
Judging by their physical features, this person should have been a man; however, their appearance was remarkably feminine. Had it not been for their build and physique, one would undoubtedly mistake them for a woman, as their looks could not be described as handsome, but rather beautiful. Coupled with that blood-red hair that stirred as if by an unseen breeze, it was hard not to mistake them for a woman.
How could the Tong Continent Great Emperor not be bewildered, not be shocked, by the sudden appearance of such a stranger in this situation? After all, besides him, Yang Haoran, and Zhong Siyu, there was no fourth person here. The Absolute Prohibition was still active; outsiders couldn't enter, and those inside couldn't leave. Under these circumstances, it was impossible for him not to be shocked or confused by a stranger's emergence.
As for the hint of terror that flickered in the depths of his eyes, it was due to the terrifying power fluctuations emanating from this stranger. If he were at his peak, such power fluctuations would not faze him, as they posed no threat. But in the current circumstances, it was different. He knew that this level of power was beyond his current ability to contend with, yet he refused to let his inner dread show on his face.
As a Great Emperor of the Underworld Office, he never allowed his inner fear to show on his face, and indeed, such emotions rarely arose within him. The last time he felt such fear was during the 'Tong Yin Rebellion'.
In the throes of battle, one's presence must never falter, even if one's strength is diminished. The Tong Continent Great Emperor, long accustomed to his high station, understood this principle and acted accordingly. Even though the power fluctuations he currently exuded were far inferior to his opponent's, he did not allow his imposing aura to weaken in the slightest.
The overwhelming negativity and intensity of his emotions prevented him from immediately connecting this man with Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu. In his mind, Yang Haoran and Zhong Siyu had already perished in the recent explosion; even if a wisp of their remnant souls still lingered, their physical bodies must have been utterly destroyed, making survival impossible.
With a grim expression, the Tong Continent Great Emperor intended to ask the stranger who they were, hoping to both ascertain their identity and devise a countermeasure.
Just before the blood-robed man's power surged, he hadn't sensed Communication Power; he had only detected the Spirit Power of the Underworld Office and the power of ghosts, both mysteriously converging within the blood-robed man. It was only when the man's power suddenly spiked at this moment that he finally sensed Communication Power, this third type of energy.
Beyond the complexity of his power, the color of the man's externalized energy was also peculiar. Logically, whether it was Spirit Power, the power of ghosts, or Communication Power, their external manifestations should all be black, as Yin Qi is inherently black, and these three powers originate from Yin Qi, thus sharing the same color. Yet, the man's released power, in addition to black, was strikingly interspersed with blood-red. As the man's power surged at that moment, the crimson hues intermingled within the energy became even more pronounced.
The Tong Continent Great Emperor's confusion and dread had never truly vanished; he had merely suppressed them deep within himself, preventing them from showing. Now, the man's power not only surged suddenly, but he also sensed the presence of Communication Power, instantly multiplying the negative emotions in his heart!
Immediately after, when he noticed a violently churning mass of Yin Qi appearing beside the blood-robed man, the negative emotions in his heart instantly reached their peak, causing his entire body to tremble.
As a Great Emperor of the Underworld Office, he naturally knew precisely what this violently churning mass of Yin Qi was. It was precisely because he knew that he reacted so intensely, so much so that he failed to notice the blood-robed man's own body was also trembling, with cracks even appearing on some exposed parts, as if his body were on the verge of collapsing.
At this moment, the Tong Continent Great Emperor's inner dread had reached an unprecedented height, causing him to be momentarily dazed. Yet, precisely then, the blood-robed man extended a finger towards him, and a beam of intertwined black and blood-red light shot forth from the mass of Yin Qi beside him, striking out at the Tong Continent Great Emperor!
Sensing the danger, the Tong Continent Great Emperor instantly snapped back to awareness. His rich combat experience allowed him to react immediately, and under his control, his Soul Armament, the Xuanwu Shield, appeared before him.
Hiss!
The black and blood-red light easily pierced through the Xuanwu Shield, despite its formidable defense. Not only that, but the Tong Continent Great Emperor, hiding behind the shield, was also impaled by the same black and blood-red light. The Tong Continent Great Emperor's body froze in place. Behind him, the black and blood-red light rapidly dispersed, revealing a crescent moon. This crescent moon was no different from Yang Haoran's Remnant Moon, save for one distinction: the Yin Qi released by Remnant Moon was black, while the Yin Qi released by this crescent moon was black mixed with blood-red.
Crack!
With a crisp snap, the Xuanwu Shield, pierced by the crescent moon, first shifted up and down, then cracks spread across its entire surface before it shattered, dissolving into threads of Yin Qi.
Following the Xuanwu Shield, the stone mirror clutched in the Tong Continent Great Emperor's hand was also cleanly cleaved in two, neatly sliced, and transformed into Yin Qi, following the Xuanwu Shield's fate.
The Tong Continent Great Emperor paid no heed to his two Soul Armaments that had dissolved into Yin Qi. His gaze was fixed on the blood-robed man. Under his watchful eyes, the blood-robed man's body was suddenly enveloped and entwined by a mass of black and blood-red Yin Qi. This black and blood-red Yin Qi arrived as swiftly as it vanished, rapidly swirling around the blood-robed man's body before utterly dissipating.
The blood-robed man vanished, and in his place appeared two figures: Yang Haoran, dressed in tattered black robes, his face pale and utterly devoid of color, and Zhong Siyu, clad in blood-red robes, her power fluctuations weak.
This scene caused the Tong Continent Great Emperor's pupils to constrict violently. At this moment, he seemed to understand something, but before his stiff face could betray his inner emotions, his noble head tilted, then rolled from his neck. The headless corpse paused briefly in the air before, deprived of its supporting power, it followed the head down into the fiery abyss below.
Snap!
Snap!
With two crisp snaps, the Tong Continent Great Emperor's sword-shaped Soul Armament shattered on its own as his head separated from his body. The crescent moon behind the Tong Continent Great Emperor also disintegrated at that moment, transforming into wisps of Yin Qi.
"Go. . . go retrieve his soul. . . *cough*. . ."
Yang Haoran spoke with great difficulty, each word an immense struggle to utter. Before he could finish, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his lips, and his voice abruptly cut off.
At this moment, Yang Haoran's power fluctuations had become almost imperceptible, and his life force was even weaker than Zhong Siyu's, making him appear as if he had little time left.
"Heh, heh heh heh, you truly are weak. Even speaking is so difficult for you, utterly useless. There's no need to force yourself to say anything more; I know what you want to say. But I must inform you, I am not acting on your orders, nor are you and I in a master-servant relationship."
A sneer twisted Zhong Siyu's face. As these words left her lips, Zhong Siyu's form flickered, and she darted towards the Tong Continent Great Emperor's headless corpse. Mid-flight, Zhong Siyu's body dissolved into a mass of Yin Qi. Just as the Tong Continent Great Emperor's head and body were about to plummet into the fiery abyss below, the Yin Qi that Zhong Siyu had transformed into enveloped both the corpse and the head.
Zhong Siyu did not bring the Tong Continent Great Emperor's body back to Yang Haoran's side. Instead, she ascended some distance, moving away from the scorching flames, and then hovered in mid-air. At a glance, one could only see the violently churning Yin Qi that Zhong Siyu had become, with no glimpse of what was happening inside the mass of Yin Qi.
Yang Haoran watched this scene, understanding what Zhong Siyu was doing, but he did not speak to stop her. Instead, he immediately took out two Dānyào from his personal space and swallowed them. At this moment, he was on the verge of death; if he did not recover soon, he feared his physical body might not survive!
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