Novels online

Chapter 614: Slightly Superior

The Spirit Masters had all been sent into the high platform by the Black-haired Man. While this sudden turn of events brought a surge of unexpected joy to the Spirit Masters, it simultaneously sowed doubt in Yang Haoran's party.

Although less than half of the Spirit Masters were still alive, and each was gravely wounded with little fight left in them, their mere presence could, at the very least, tie down the five invited helpers for a short time. For the Black-haired Man to send them all into the high platform for protection seemed utterly disadvantageous to him. This move would likely draw all the enemy's firepower onto himself; if he died, the Spirit Masters protected within the high platform would inevitably perish as well.

Unless, that is, the Black-haired Man believed he could contend with all of them by himself.

Or perhaps, a true miracle might occur from these Spirit Masters praying to the Spirit God Statue.

However, in their eyes, neither of these possibilities seemed particularly realistic.

After successfully sending the surviving Spirit Masters into the high platform, the Black-haired Man immediately injected a vast amount of Communication Power into the barrier, reinforcing it with the utmost speed.

"Leave him to me. All of you, quickly break through the barrier and rescue them!"

Huo Laoban's voice echoed in their ears at that moment. As his words faded, his hand, which had been forming seals, paused, and simultaneously, the Black-haired Man completed the reinforcement of the barrier.

A low growl emanated from Huo Laoban's mouth. A vast quantity of Spirit Power surged from within him, coalescing before him into individual bats.

The bats were enormous, each as large as an ox head, with black bodies and red eyes, their appearance ferocious. A dense Yin Qi rose from them. There were no fewer than a hundred, and each radiated a powerful ripple of energy.

Under Huo Laoban's control, this oppressive swarm of black bats eerily let out human-like laughter as they charged towards the Black-haired Man opposite them. The laughter was sharp and piercing, like a razor blade scraping against glass, making anyone who heard it feel profoundly uneasy.

The Black-haired Man also emitted a series of strange cackles from his mouth. His laughter was utterly different from the bats' current cackles; his was filled with bloodlust and savagery, conveying a morbid insanity. With this deranged laughter, he actively welcomed the oncoming bats.

In merely an instant, the two sides collided. The Black-haired Man first seized a bat by its wing, then, like a wild beast, opened his mouth and savagely tore at it. The bat's ox-headed body was ripped apart; half of it he swallowed, while the other half dissipated into Yin Qi in his hand.

Killing a bat with his first move seemed like a good start, but the reality was far from it. To this oppressive swarm of bats, the scattering of a single bat amounted to nothing at all.

Moreover, by the time he successfully dispatched that one bat, the other bats had already swarmed him, encircling him and opening their gaping maws to tear at his body, instantly leaving a dense network of wounds all over him.

If not for the powerful defensive Yin Qi currently protecting his body, he would not have merely suffered wounds. These bats would have been enough to gnaw him clean in a single encounter, leaving not even bone fragments behind.

In their initial clash, the Black-haired Man clearly found himself at a disadvantage, yet he paid it no mind whatsoever.

His body subjected to the bats' gnawing and tearing, an ordinary person would have been screaming in agony long ago. But the Black-haired Man not only emitted no cries of distress, he didn't even show a hint of pain. Instead, he appeared extremely agitated, as if he had been injected with stimulants.

"Yoh-yoh-yoh! How exhilarating! Haha! Truly exhilarating!"

The Black-haired Man's face was a mask of madness. Beneath his exaggerated laughter, Communication Power surged frantically from his body, forcing back the surrounding bats. Then, he lunged with a punch towards the densest cluster of bats!

*Boom! ! ! *

Several bats were directly sent flying by his punch. Bolstered by a massive infusion of Communication Power, the might of his fist was not to be underestimated. With one strike, he shattered several bats, causing them to dissipate into Yin Qi.

Having unleashed one punch with good effect, the Black-haired Man did not stop there. However, before he could successfully throw his second punch, the petrification power of the Stone Eye enveloped him.

Affected by the petrification power, the Black-haired Man's body stiffened, and his outstretched fist visibly turned to stone. Although he immediately forced this petrification power out of his body and shattered the stone layer, the punch he failed to land had no impact on the surrounding bats. Instead, his body was seized upon by the bats, tearing out even more wounds.

While Huo Laoban and the Black-haired Man battled fiercely, Yang Haoran and the other five were not idle. Each employed their own methods to launch an assault on the barrier enveloping the high platform.

Bolstered by the Black-haired Man's substantial Communication Power, the barrier was now not only exceptionally sturdy but also had its self-repairing capabilities significantly enhanced.

Precisely because of this, a wave of attacks from the six of them failed to break through the barrier, merely causing a series of tiny cracks to appear. These cracks then self-repaired, restoring the barrier to its original state, as if it had never been attacked.

This sight utterly astonished Yang Haoran and the other five, and simultaneously shocked them with the Black-haired Man's strength. Though he appeared utterly deranged, his power was undeniable; merely by setting up a single defensive barrier, he made it impossible for the six of them to easily break through even when working together.

Although one wave of attacks had failed to breach the barrier, none of the six gave up. On the contrary, they either unleashed stronger techniques or poured more power into their assaults.

The Spirit Masters who had just been sent into the barrier by the Black-haired Man were initially overjoyed, but upon seeing Yang Haoran and the other five frantically attacking the barrier, their hearts grew uneasy once more.

The reason was simple: the barrier could only protect them temporarily, not indefinitely. Given the intensity of Yang Haoran and the others' current ferocious assault, it was only a matter of time before the barrier shattered.

Once the barrier shattered, in their current state, they would be no match for Yang Haoran and the others. It was certain they would die at their hands, which was why their hearts were filled with such profound anxiety.

To this point, most of these Spirit Masters still harbored doubts about the existence of the Spirit God, but now they had no other choice. Thus, they could only choose to trust the Black-haired Man.

These Spirit Masters, who had just been sent onto the high platform, emulated those before them, prostrating themselves on the ground and praying devoutly to the Spirit God Statue.

This state of affairs continued for roughly the time it takes to smoke a cigarette. Under the relentless assault of Yang Haoran and the other five, the cracks on the barrier enveloping the high platform grew more numerous and larger, and its repair speed became increasingly sluggish. It seemed it wouldn't last much longer.

Meanwhile, the battle between Huo Laoban and the Black-haired Man had reached a fever pitch, with both sides unleashing their full strength.

Huo Laoban's Ghost Art, Yin Bat Funeral, was successfully shattered by the Black-haired Man, but the Black-haired Man paid a heavy price for it. His entire body was drenched in blood, his face slightly pale, and his appearance thoroughly disheveled.

If he had only needed to contend with the Ghost Art, Yin Bat Funeral, the Black-haired Man would not have ended up in such a state. However, he had to face not only the Ghost Art but also Huo Laoban's Soul Armament and Huo Laoban's personal attacks, which stretched him beyond his limits.

After employing the Spiritual Art "Soul Fusion," his power had surged dramatically, but compared to Huo Laoban, who had unleashed his full might, he was still somewhat lacking, which explained his current disheveled appearance.

Huo Laoban was not as disheveled as the Black-haired Man, but he too bore several ghastly wounds. His face was also slightly pale, and the power emanating from him was considerably weaker than before. Nevertheless, comparatively, his condition was slightly better than the Black-haired Man's.

The Black-haired Man successfully shattered the Ghost Art, Yin Bat Funeral. Huo Laoban did not unleash any other potent Ghost Arts, as the Black-haired Man gave him no such opportunity. The two continued to exchange blows bare-handed for dozens more rounds, fighting from the ground up to the sky. After one final, fierce collision, their bodies separated with a resounding boom, hovering mid-air.

This time, neither of them immediately launched an attack. Instead, they simultaneously closed their eyes and rapidly began forming hand seals.

From their reactions, it was clear they were preparing to unleash their ultimate moves for a final, decisive strike. To choose this moment to deploy them, these must be their strongest attacks!