Chapter 705: Narrowly Fooled
The protective barrier shattered, his body suffered a heavy blow, and the Spirit Master spurted a mouthful of fresh blood from his mouth, his face instantly turning pale.
The disparity in their internal power was simply too vast, and the arts they cultivated were not on the same level at all. Thus, when facing Yang Haoran, the Spirit Master was utterly incapable of putting up any meaningful resistance.
Precisely for this reason, after only a brief exchange, the Spirit Master was beaten to the point of vomiting blood by Yang Haoran. Crucially, Yang Haoran hadn't even opened his Heaven Soul yet, nor was he even fighting at full strength in his current state. Otherwise, the Spirit Master's condition would be far worse than simply spitting blood.
Still reeling from the shock, the Spirit Master climbed to his feet. Based on his understanding of Yang Haoran, Yang Haoran had only become Lecheng's Emissary of Death a mere few years ago. In such a short span of time, Yang Haoran's strength should be quite limited.
As a Spirit Master, he believed he was on the same level as Yang Haoran. Even if Yang Haoran was a bit stronger, he shouldn't be *this* powerful. Yet, the facts were clear before him: his strength and Yang Haoran's were worlds apart, leaving him both alarmed and incredulous.
No sooner had he stood up than a ghostly head appeared right before him. It was the Ghost Fiend Soul Chain that had just attacked him, but instead of launching an immediate assault, it let out a grating laugh, its gaze provocatively fixed on him.
Meanwhile, Yang Haoran had conjured a Soul-Gathering Bead. Another Ghost Fiend Soul Chain returned to his side, spitting out the Guardian Spirit from its mouth. Several chains, formed from condensed Spirit Power, appeared, entwining the Guardian Spirit before forcibly pulling it into the Soul-Gathering Bead.
The Spirit Master witnessed all of this, and looking at the menacing Ghost Fiend Soul Chain before him, he felt an unprecedented humiliation. Consumed by rage, he flashed to the side, his hands rapidly forming seals once more, seemingly preparing to unleash another Spiritual Art.
The Spirit Master paled with shock, the panic in his heart causing his hand seals to go awry. The failed incantation meant all his previous efforts were wasted. He had no choice but to temporarily abandon forming seals and fully focus on dodging the Ghost Fiend Soul Chain's assault.
However, at that very moment, another Ghost Fiend Soul Chain, after delivering the Guardian Spirit to Yang Haoran, also singled him out as a target and launched an attack!
Just one Ghost Fiend Soul Chain had been difficult enough to handle. With two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains simultaneously targeting him, the pressure instantly doubled, and dodging became even more strenuous.
While dodging, he repeatedly attempted to form seals and unleash Spiritual Arts again, but each time he was mercilessly interrupted by the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains.
Filled with disbelief, he dodged while simultaneously seeking an opportunity to counterattack. His Communication Power clashed with the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains, unleashing a series of thunderous roars. The black energy generated by the explosions raged through the area, snapping large trees, whipping up scattered rocks and weeds, and cracking the damp ground. The barrier, unable to withstand such intense power fluctuations, finally shattered with a crash.
In but a moment, the Spirit Master was defeated. Not only was he beaten to the point of incessant vomiting blood by the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains, but he was also encircled. The thick, massive chains coiled upwards, forming a circular prison of links, trapping the Spirit Master within.
The Spirit Master did not abandon his resistance because of this; he continued to struggle, attempting to burst out of the prison formed by the chains. However, his efforts were futile, achieving absolutely nothing. Each time his body surged upwards from below, he would be forcibly driven back by the two ghostly heads. Facing the ferocious assault of the two ghostly heads, not only did he fail to escape, but his wounds only continued to multiply.
Outside the prison formed by the Ghost Fiend Soul Chains, Yang Haoran observed everything. Although he wasn't fighting at full strength, he had no intention of wasting words with the Spirit Master, nor was he prepared to spare the Spirit Master's life.
While he wished to extract information about other Spirit Mediums from the Spirit Master's mouth, achieving this didn't necessarily require the Spirit Master to be alive. If this person died, he could still obtain the information he sought through his Ghost Eye.
Currently, the barrier here had already shattered, and the power fluctuations generated by their battle had spread. It was possible that others had already sensed them. To prevent further complications, he decided to directly kill the Spirit Master, extract his soul, and then leave this place.
Under his control, the two enormous ghostly heads let out a spine-chilling burst of ghoulish laughter, then abruptly lunged at the Spirit Master below.
By this point, the Spirit Master had little combat capability left. In Yang Haoran's estimation, this single strike was enough to claim the Spirit Master's life. In his current state, it was utterly impossible for the Spirit Master to block this attack from the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains.
Yet, precisely at this moment, a massive black hand suddenly condensed in the air above the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains. Although this black hand was enormous, its speed was incredibly swift. It instantly seized the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains below, then forcefully slammed them towards Yang Haoran's position.
All of this happened too suddenly, and the opponent's movements were decisive and clean, without a trace of hesitation. By the time Yang Haoran reacted, the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains were already right upon him.
Yang Haoran's eyebrow twitched slightly. Without any discernible movement from him, the two Ghost Fiend Soul Chains, just as they were about to strike, suddenly dispersed into Yin Qi.
The Ghost Fiend Soul Chain was a Ghost Art he employed. He could control the Ghost Fiend Soul Chains to attack targets, and similarly, he could disperse them. Furthermore, doing so was exceedingly simple, requiring only a single thought, a mere intention.
However, no sooner had the Ghost Fiend Soul Chains dispersed into Yin Qi than the enormous hand clenched into a fist and slammed directly towards his body!
Before the fist arrived, its wind preceded it, sending sand and gravel flying across the ground. Faced with this situation, Yang Haoran's first thought was to dodge. No sooner had that idea formed in his mind than the world before his eyes suddenly shifted.
The attacking fist vanished, the collapsed old building disappeared, and the half-dead Spirit Master he had struck was gone as well. The world before his eyes transformed into an entirely unfamiliar landscape.
Muttering an inward "Not good," Yang Haoran realized he had fallen victim to a ghost's illusion.
From the moment he began his assault on the Spirit Master, he had kept his Ghost Eye activated to guard against ghosts casting illusions on him. Although he hadn't pushed his Ghost Eye to its limit, ordinary Evil Spirits casting illusions wouldn't have much effect on him.
Yet now, despite having his Ghost Eye active, he had still fallen victim to a ghost's illusion. That could only mean one thing: the ghost casting the illusion on him possessed considerable strength.
Although somewhat surprised by the ghost's strength, his reaction was swift. The instant he realized he had been caught in an illusion, his body immediately vanished from his spot, dodging to the side.
Simultaneously, he mobilized the Spirit Power within his body and infused it into his Ghost Eye. In an instant, black smoke billowed from his Ghost Eye, the world before him shattered, and the true world reappeared.
Boom! ! !
With a deafening crash, the large tree behind Yang Haoran was pulverized by the impact of the enormous fist. The fist's momentum remained unchecked, not stopping until it smashed into the mountain behind it, causing an earth-shattering roar. The solid mountain was left with a massive crater.
Had Yang Haoran not dodged instantly, and had the opponent's prediction been slightly more accurate, that colossal fist would not have struck the tree and the mountain behind him; it would have struck his body!
Under an attack of this magnitude, the protective Yin Qi around him would have been utterly useless; it would certainly collapse in an instant. Without the protection of the protective Yin Qi, enduring this blow with only his physical body, even if it didn't rip out his intestines, would absolutely leave him severely wounded.
The opponent's objective was clear: to control him or disrupt his mind through an illusion, then kill him with a single strike. Even if they couldn't kill him, they aimed to gravely wound him, after which the subsequent matters would be simple.
It was just that the opponent likely hadn't anticipated his reaction speed would be so swift, that he would dodge immediately, causing the strike to miss its mark.
Although he had successfully avoided this strike, a significant risk remained. If the opponent had chosen a different method of sneak attack, the outcome might not have been what it was now.
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