Chapter 400: The Battle of Spirit Masters (Part 2)
As a Spirit Master, Zhao Hong naturally had protective Yin Qi guarding her body, but after the man's relentless assault, her protective Yin Qi had long since been utterly dispersed, offering no real defense for her physical form.
Under the man's frenzied and brutal torment, Zhao Hong's breathing grew faint; compared to a corpse, she possessed barely a flicker of life.
In the shadows, Bai Xue glanced at Yang Haoran. This wasn't the first time she had looked his way; as the man unleashed his savage torture on Zhao Hong, she repeatedly turned her gaze to Yang Haoran, with one purpose in mind: to seek his counsel.
Each time she looked at Yang Haoran, Bai Xue was implicitly asking if he intended to intervene, but Yang Haoran had consistently offered no reply.
Yang Haoran remained silent, and Bai Xue dared not act rashly, fearing her impulsiveness might ruin Yang Haoran's plans.
Furthermore, the man felt too dangerous to her. If she were to confront him alone in her current state, she believed she wouldn't stand a chance. So, facing such a formidable foe, she refrained from acting haphazardly; after all, she wasn't foolish.
Bai Xue found the man extremely dangerous, and Yang Haoran felt the same. If it came down to a one-on-one fight, Yang Haoran reckoned he didn't have much of a chance of victory.
Therefore, he dared not act carelessly. Although the man had expended some Communication Power, he was still exceptionally strong. Since he and Bai Xue hadn't been exposed yet, he certainly wasn't foolish enough to go looking for trouble at this moment.
He was waiting—waiting for the battered Zhao Hong to counterattack and deplete the man's strength.
With Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit absent, it was perfectly normal for her to be on the receiving end of blows. From a conventional perspective, there seemed to be nothing worth pondering.
However, Yang Haoran always felt that things wouldn't be so simple. Zhao Hong was a Spirit Master after all; it was possible she possessed some powerful life-saving techniques.
Moreover, as a Spirit Master, Zhao Hong had managed to hide in the crematorium for so many years and hadn't exposed herself even after a battle with Deng Feng. This alone showed she was no ordinary person.
For such an extraordinary character to be dispatched in short order—Yang Haoran truly found that hard to believe.
Yet the current situation left him speechless, as if reality was slapping him in the face. Under the man's incessant brutal attacks, Zhao Hong was clinging to her last breath. Just one more blow, and Zhao Hong would be dead.
And yet, Zhao Hong showed no signs of staging a comeback, which forced Yang Haoran to wonder if his instincts were failing him.
Though Zhao Hong was now on her last breath, Yang Haoran still had no intention of intervening. After all, Zhao Hong was his target to eliminate, not someone he intended to save. If she died, then she died; it was not only not a pity, but rather a good thing for him.
The only thing that left him with a slight sense of regret was that if Zhao Hong were to die just like this, her death would be utterly without value. If possible, he wished Zhao Hong would at least deplete half of the man's strength before dying.
The man once again lifted the dying Zhao Hong from the ground. By now, all of Zhao Hong's bones were shattered, and her entire face was a gruesome mix of blood and dirt, presenting an utterly wretched sight.
“My apologies, it seems your Guardian Spirit won't be appearing, which truly is a bit of a shame. But no matter, I'll wait for it right here. As long as it dares show up tonight, I'll make sure it comes to join you. ”
The man spoke with a sinister grin, then slammed Zhao Hong, still in his grasp, violently back onto the ground.
No unexpected twist occurred. Zhao Hong's body slammed heavily onto the ground. With a dull thud, Zhao Hong's last breath escaped her, and after blood welled from her mouth and nose, she slowly lost all signs of life.
Yang Haoran had originally thought some unexpected event might occur at this critical juncture—after all, that's how it always played out in TV dramas. But as fate would have it, the situation unfolded completely differently from any movie script. Zhao Hong, a bona fide Spirit Master, was just unceremoniously dispatched.
Perceiving the cessation of Zhao Hong's life signs, the man still didn't stop. He lifted Zhao Hong's corpse again, and only after thoroughly confirming her death did a gratified smile spread across his face.
“Heh heh, I swore back then that one day, sooner or later, I would make you pay for your blood debt. I just never expected that day to come so quickly. ”
A cold sneer on his face, the man then tossed Zhao Hong's corpse onto the ground as if it were refuse. The body tumbled limply for a few turns before coming to a rest, a tragic sight, her eyes wide with unfulfilled grievances.
“This woman kept fleeing in this direction tonight. If I'm not mistaken, her Guardian Spirit should be somewhere in this area. By now, her Guardian Spirit must have sensed her death. I just wonder what choice it will make—will it ignore this matter, or foolishly come seeking revenge against me? ”
The man was all smiles. His words sounded like he was talking to himself, and yet also as if he were speaking to the Guardian Spirit beside him.
For a Spirit Master to possess a Guardian Spirit, they must sign a contract with a ghostly entity. Only after a successful contract can a unique connection be established between them, a bond that will endure.
However, should either party die or undergo Soul Transformation, the contract will be dissolved, and the special connection established through it will naturally vanish.
Now that Zhao Hong was dead, her Guardian Spirit would surely sense its master's demise. But whether the Guardian Spirit would rush to this location because of it was hard to say, for the moment Zhao Hong died, their contract was severed.
Under these circumstances, whether the Guardian Spirit would come to avenge its master would depend entirely on their relationship in life.
From the man's previous words, it wasn't hard to discern that he hadn't seen Zhao Hong's current Guardian Spirit, nor was he clear on the nature of their relationship. Thus, he couldn't be certain if Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit would come seeking them out.
Nevertheless, he decided to wait, for he had his own agenda.
“You've only just been promoted to Evil Spirit, and your realm isn't fully stable yet. If Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit dares to come, it would be a tremendous stroke of luck; it will surely become the best tonic for you to solidify your realm. ”
The man looked at his Guardian Spirit, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he spoke with a laugh.
In his view, with Zhao Hong, its master, already dead, the Guardian Spirit rushing over would undoubtedly be a suicidal act; no unexpected twists would occur.
A Spirit Master without a Guardian Spirit is like an ordinary person without hands, and likewise, a Guardian Spirit without a Spirit Master is no different.
If he were to face both Zhao Hong and her Guardian Spirit at the same time, he would find it quite troublesome. But if he could pick them off one by one, like now, it would be far too simple.
Upon hearing the man's words, the Evil Spirit revealed a terrifying smile. She stretched out her tongue and licked her lips, appearing quite excited.
“I want to devour her soul first. A Spirit Master's soul is also a great tonic,” the Evil Spirit said with a laugh, her voice sounding hollow and utterly unreal.
The man shook his head and said, “Her soul cannot be devoured just yet. I still wish to learn some secrets from her. Once I've extracted the information I need, you can do whatever you like with her. ”
Dissatisfaction flickered in the Evil Spirit's eyes. The man observed her reaction, worried that the Evil Spirit might act recklessly and devour Zhao Hong's soul when he wasn't paying attention, which would be a huge loss.
Evil Spirits (Evil Spirits) are more violent than Evil Spirits (evil Spirits) and are harder to control. It was possible that, facing such temptation, this one might disobey its master's commands.
Thinking of this, the man waved his hand, and a surge of Yin Qi coiled around Zhao Hong's corpse. Subsequently, Zhao Hong's body floated suspended in the air from the ground. He then channeled the Communication Power within him, preparing to forcibly condense Zhao Hong's internal soul into a Spirit and extract it.
His idea was simple: since he couldn't guarantee his Guardian Spirit wouldn't act erratically, he would first secure Zhao Hong's soul.
Streaks of Yin Qi drilled into Zhao Hong's seven orifices. This Yin Qi was transmuted from the man's Communication Power, entering Zhao Hong's body with the intent of forcibly condensing her soul into a Spirit.
But then, the man's expression stiffened, immediately turning incredibly ugly—
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