Chapter 330: How Could I Be Reckless Without Some Preparation?
Yang Haoran couldn't possibly be unaware of the Evil Spirit's current intentions; he certainly wouldn't allow it to continue devouring him like this.
The moment he sensed the Evil Spirit devouring the Spirit Power within his body, he frantically mobilized his internal Spirit Power, intending to break free from the Evil Spirit's restraints.
Yang Haoran's body suddenly trembled violently, then the restraints shattered, and a furious roar escaped his lips. With his Spirit Power fully erupting, he instantly scattered the Yin Qi the Evil Spirit had transformed into.
Dense Yin Qi still surged around Yang Haoran, but this time, it was all Spirit Power transformed from within his own body, not the Yin Qi formed by the Evil Spirit.
Although the Yin Qi that the Evil Spirit had transformed into was scattered, it didn't vanish. Streaks of Yin Qi gathered together, coalescing once more into a single mass. Within this mass of Yin Qi, a head emerged. This head belonged to none other than the Evil Spirit itself.
The Evil Spirit licked its lips, with a look of insatiable desire.
"Spirit Power is truly delectable. What a shame you're so stingy."
Yang Haoran's expression was grim. Although he hadn't lost much Spirit Power in that brief exchange, it was enough to make his heart ache.
"I am indeed a bit stingy. Everyone who knows me knows that. However much Spirit Power you devour from me now, I will make you spit it all back out later. Do you believe me?"
It intended to use the same trick again, but Yang Haoran was already prepared. He gave it no chance to get close, instead controlling Remnant Moon to launch a fierce counterattack.
The Evil Spirit originally didn't want Yang Haoran to expend too much Spirit Power, but judging by the current situation, if it didn't wear down more of Yang Haoran's Spirit Power, it would be difficult to completely control him.
Thus, the Evil Spirit also let loose, preparing to cripple Yang Haoran first before anything else.
Both sides unleashed their full power, clashes echoing endlessly. The ancient tomb trembled continuously under their fierce battle, but it was surprisingly sturdy. Despite the incessant shaking, there were no signs of collapse for the time being.
Half an hour later, Yang Haoran, along with his Soul Armament, was sent flying, his body slamming into the stone wall, directly creating a large crater in it. His body was embedded within, while his Soul Armament, Remnant Moon, was lodged in the stone wall beside him.
Pfft!
A mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and Yang Haoran's face was pale. Several wounds of varying depth appeared on his body; although he promptly sealed them with Spirit Power, the blood that spurted out before he sealed them still soaked his clothes.
At this moment, he looked rather miserable, clearly not lightly injured.
As for the Evil Spirit, his opponent, its condition had also changed significantly compared to before. Its Spirit Body had originally been very solid, appearing almost indistinguishable from a physical body. However, now its Spirit Body had become illusory, and it was clear at a glance that it was a Spirit Body and not a physical body.
However, in comparison, the Evil Spirit's condition at this moment was much better than Yang Haoran's. This could be distinguished from the power fluctuations emanating from both sides.
Watching Yang Haoran's entire body embedded in the stone wall, the Evil Spirit burst into hearty laughter. Although it had sustained considerable injuries at Yang Haoran's hands, these were completely insignificant compared to gaining Yang Haoran, an Underworld official. Why would it not be happy?
Injuries could heal; that was no big deal. But gaining an Underworld official meant its power would increase at an alarming rate. It couldn't possibly misunderstand which was more important.
"Where's your arrogance now? " the Evil Spirit asked, smiling, as it looked at Yang Haoran embedded in the stone wall.
Yang Haoran didn't immediately answer the Evil Spirit. He struggled free from the stone wall, and then coughed up another mouthful of fresh blood.
The Evil Spirit, which had originally intended to attack immediately, seeing Yang Haoran's pathetic state, surprisingly developed a desire to toy with him.
It was a ghost; Yang Haoran was an Underworld official. Underworld officials were natural enemies of ghosts, and crippling one with its own hands gave it a considerable sense of accomplishment.
"Speak up, while you still can. Say a few more words quickly," the Evil Spirit said with a laugh. "Lest you start jabbering and making a fuss when I'm eating. That would spoil my appetite."
Yang Haoran slowly straightened himself, his gaze falling on the Evil Spirit. His face showed no expression of shame or indignation; instead, it broke into his characteristic kindly smile.
"From your tone," Yang Haoran asked with a smile, "it seems you think you've got me completely at your mercy?"
"Oh, isn't that so? " the Evil Spirit retorted.
Yang Haoran's smile didn't falter. He looked directly at the Evil Spirit and said with a laugh, "I merely wanted to test the limits of my current strength against you. Do you truly believe I have no way to deal with you?"
The Evil Spirit burst into laughter. In its eyes, Yang Haoran's words were nothing more than empty bravado. How could it possibly take Yang Haoran seriously?
However, Yang Haoran's next action caused the smile on its face to suddenly freeze.
Before Yang Haoran, space rippled. A square wooden box appeared out of thin air. The box opened on its own, revealing a thumb-sized black pill. Pure and dense Yin Qi emanated from this black pill.
Seeing this black pill, the Evil Spirit's eyes went wide.
"This is. . . this is a Soul Pill!"
Yang Haoran smiled and said, "Your eyesight is quite good. This is indeed a Soul Pill. It's been with me for quite some time, and I've never found an excuse to consume it. But now, I have a reason I can't ignore."
When he first became an Emissary of Death, Yang Haoran received three Soul Pills from the Black-Clothed Man. One was used to pay his Night Watchers, and it hadn't been fully depleted yet. The other two, he had carefully stored away.
Yang Haoran had never consumed these two Soul Pills. One reason was that he was reluctant; after all, Soul Pills were too precious to him, and he couldn't bring himself to consume them.
Furthermore, he wanted to save the Soul Pills for a rainy day, perhaps they could even save his life at a critical moment. Thus, he had always carefully preserved these two Soul Pills.
There were many times when he wanted to swallow these two Soul Pills to enhance his strength. However, it was precisely because of the two reasons above that he suppressed that impulse in his heart.
At present, this Evil Spirit was too powerful; its strength had indeed surpassed his. In this situation, if he didn't use a Soul Pill, then he, an Emissary of Death, would truly be "sent off" by a ghost, becoming a joke in the eyes of ghosts and a disgrace in the eyes of the Underworld Office.
"Heh heh, old fellow," Yang Haoran said with a smile, "you don't understand me. I'm actually quite timid; I'm always very cautious and vigilant in everything I do. The fact that I'm staying here to go head-to-head with you means I wouldn't take such a risk without some preparation."
The Evil Spirit didn't respond. In such a situation, how could it have the leisure to reply? Its Spirit Body transformed into a mass of Yin Qi, rushing towards Yang Haoran at top speed.
Judging by its reaction, it probably wanted to snatch the Soul Pill from in front of Yang Haoran, or prevent Yang Haoran from consuming it.
Since Yang Haoran dared to take out the Soul Pill in front of it, and even had the leisure to exchange pleasantries, how could he not have been prepared?
The moment the Evil Spirit's body transformed into Yin Qi, Remnant Moon, which was embedded in the stone wall, broke free from it and then slashed towards the Evil Spirit.
At the same time, a barrier of Spirit Power appeared in front of Yang Haoran's body, forming a protection for him.
Faced with the incoming Remnant Moon, the Evil Spirit should have chosen to dodge, because being hit by a Soul Armament would cause it considerable damage. But in the current situation, how could it have the presence of mind to care about that? To save more time, it would rather let its Spirit Body be harmed by the Soul Armament than waste time by dodging.
In the blink of an eye, Remnant Moon struck the Yin Qi that the Evil Spirit had transformed into. The Yin Qi split into two, and the two masses of Yin Qi, without losing speed, coalesced into a single mass again mid-flight. However, compared to before, this mass of Yin Qi had become much fainter.
The next instant, the Yin Qi appeared in front of the Spirit Power barrier. Meanwhile, Yang Haoran looked at the Yin Qi that the Evil Spirit had transformed into, a smile on his face. He unhurriedly picked up the Soul Pill, and then put it into his mouth.
Boom!
The Yin Qi slammed into the protective barrier. The barrier held for only an instant, unable to withstand the Evil Spirit's terrifying power, and shattered with a bang.
However, in that single instant the barrier held back the Evil Spirit, Yang Haoran's body vanished from its original spot. The Evil Spirit, having broken through the barrier, hit nothing but air.
Comments