Chapter 840: Soul Crystal Opens the Earth Soul
Ye Zhiqiu moved without a shred of warning, but the woman was an old hand herself. Having broken through to the realm of a Three-star Demon Hunter, she had weathered countless battles, big and small, so her reaction was naturally far from slow.
Yet, Ye Zhiqiu's actions only fanned the flames of her already considerable anger, making her fury burn even hotter!
With a swift flick of her own sword, she parried Ye Zhiqiu's sudden, incoming strike!
"Fine. If you won't speak now, then in a moment, I'll personally extract your soul and slowly torment you. We'll see if you speak then!"
The furious woman spewed her venomous threats, hoping to exert pressure on Ye Zhiqiu, but he didn't take her menacing words seriously in the slightest.
Just as Ye Zhiqiu was poised to unleash a more ferocious assault on the woman, Yang Haoran's voice suddenly echoed behind him.
"Swallow this. It'll be good for you."
Yang Haoran tossed a bottle of antidote towards Ye Zhiqiu. Sensing something rapidly approaching from behind, Ye Zhiqiu didn't bother to turn and catch it, his gaze remaining locked on the female Demon Hunter. As the antidote drew close, a surge of Star Spirit Power enveloped the bottle, then delivered it directly before him.
As he swallowed the antidote, the female Demon Hunter seized what she perceived as a prime opportunity, immediately swinging her sword at him once more. He observed the scene, his expression unwavering. Without haste, he discarded the empty porcelain bottle and, with a flourish, swept his longsword to block the woman's sudden assault!
To ensure Yang Haoran wasn't caught in the crossfire, Ye Zhiqiu deliberately drew the woman away, and the two sides relocated their fierce battle.
Although the Demon Weapon wielded by Ye Zhiqiu still hadn't advanced to Five Markings, his realm had already broken through from a Two-star to a Three-star Demon Hunter. As for how he managed such a feat in such a remarkably short period, apart from himself, perhaps only Red Lotus, residing within his Demon Weapon, held the answer.
Watching Ye Zhiqiu locked in battle with the woman, Yang Haoran had no time to marvel at the astonishing speed of his friend's power surge. Xu Meijing's strength was inferior to the male Demon Hunter, and Ye Zhiqiu's also seemed to lag behind the female Demon Hunter. If Yang Haoran didn't find a way to pitch in, they were all likely to be annihilated right here. Thus, he had no leisure to contemplate why Ye Zhiqiu's strength had advanced so swiftly, even far exceeding his own.
He slowly let the smile fade from his face, his expression turning solemn, then sat cross-legged right where he stood.
The previous clash between Xu Meijing and the male Demon Hunter had already caused Broken Head Mountain beneath his feet to tremble ceaselessly. Now, with two more formidable figures added to this battlefield, Broken Head Mountain shuddered with even greater intensity.
Although Yang Haoran sat cross-legged, his body remained perfectly still despite Broken Head Mountain's tremors. This was because his body hovered a full ten centimeters above the ground; a casual glance would easily lead one to believe he was seated directly upon it.
He first cast a protective barrier around himself to shield against the aftershocks of the battle raging above. Following that, he retrieved an exquisite black wooden box from his independent space.
A surge of power emanated from the wooden box, a fluctuation born from the very seal affixed to its surface.
His gaze settled on the exquisite black wooden box in his hand, and Yang Haoran found himself murmuring under his breath.
"Whether I can forcefully open the Earth Soul in such a short time, it all depends on you!"
As his words faded, Yang Haoran removed the seal from the wooden box, then opened it.
Inside the wooden box, a black, rhomboid crystal lay quiescent. This artifact was none other than the Soul Crystal Yang Haoran had refined during a burst of incredible luck!
At this moment, the Soul Crystal rested within the wooden box, not emanating its astonishing Pure Yin Qi. This was because Yang Haoran had placed a seal upon it, preventing any loss of its potent energy.
Originally, he had never intended to use the Soul Crystal. After all, it was far too precious to him; he didn't wish to employ it frivolously. He had intended to save it for a moment when it could yield even greater value.
Yet, in the current predicament, it wasn't merely Yang Haoran's life hanging in the balance, but also those of Xu Meijing and Ye Zhiqiu, and indeed, many more. If he failed to find a way to open his Earth Soul swiftly and eliminate these two formidable Demon Hunters, the ramifications would be catastrophic.
If he were to merely consume a Soul Pill, it would undoubtedly have an effect, and could still help him open his Heaven Soul. However, the process would be significantly slower, and what he desperately needed right now was time.
To open his Earth Soul in such a short span, consuming the Soul Crystal was the only recourse. The Pure Yin Qi it contained was terrifyingly potent, guaranteed to help him open his Earth Soul within moments!
Though his heart ached at the thought, in his current predicament, he could no longer afford such reservations. After withdrawing the Soul Crystal, he didn't hesitate for another second, swallowing it whole. Only once the Soul Crystal had entered his body did he finally break the seal upon it.
The instant he broke the seal, his body shuddered violently. A torrent of Pure Yin Qi erupted from within him, instantly plunging the inside of the barrier into absolute darkness, so dense one couldn't see their own fingers. Even Yang Haoran's body was completely shrouded by the thick Pure Yin Qi, vanishing from sight.
This phenomenon arose because the Pure Yin Qi unleashed by the Soul Crystal was simply overwhelming. His body was incapable of absorbing it all, causing copious amounts of Pure Yin Qi to spray forth from within him.
Fortunately, Yang Haoran had the foresight to erect a protective barrier beforehand. This barrier not only boasted considerable defensive power but also served to prevent the Pure Yin Qi from dissipating.
Within the barrier, a flicker of pain crossed Yang Haoran's face. In that instant, he felt as though his entire being was being ripped asunder.
Pure Yin Qi was the ultimate tonic for an Underworld agent, inherently incapable of harming the body. Yet, the Pure Yin Qi unleashed by the Soul Crystal was simply too intense, and compounded by his already injured physical body, he was now enduring an inhuman torment.
Unable to bear the sheer ferocity of such abundant Pure Yin Qi, cracks even began to appear on some areas of his skin, with blood continuously seeping through the fissures.
Yang Haoran wasn't surprised by this development. When he swallowed the Soul Crystal, he had already mentally prepared himself for such an outcome and had even devised contingency plans.
Gritting his teeth, he endured the rending pain. Then, he simultaneously mobilized his power to suppress the Soul Crystal, slowing the rate at which it unleashed Pure Yin Qi, while also striving to absorb every last bit of Pure Yin Qi radiating from it.
While this had some effect, it wasn't particularly pronounced. The cracks across his body continued to multiply.
Most people in such a predicament would likely lose their composure, unsure of how to proceed, but not Yang Haoran. Beyond a faint grimace of pain, his face betrayed not a hint of panic or anxiety.
The cracks on his body proliferated, and the rate at which blood seeped out accelerated. In just a few breaths, he was on the verge of collapse. If this continued, in a mere few more breaths, his physical body would undoubtedly rupture under the onslaught of the powerful Pure Yin Qi. He would likely become the first Underworld agent in history to be literally burst open by Pure Yin Qi!
Not only his body, but even the protective barrier he had erected was now trembling violently, clearly on the verge of collapsing, threatening to be ruptured by the ceaseless torrent of Pure Yin Qi surging from within him.
Yet, at that precise moment, Yang Haoran's already blood-soaked body suddenly shivered subtly once more. Following that, the Pure Yin Qi gushing forth from within him unexpectedly began to recede.
The four combatants battling in the sky all noticed Yang Haoran, now shrouded within a swirling mass of ink-black Yin Qi. Due to the presence of his barrier, they could only perceive the raw existence of the Yin Qi; they couldn't discern if this abyssal energy was mere ordinary Yin Qi or the potent Pure Yin Qi capable of enhancing an Underworld agent's power.
However, none of the four combatants were fools. They knew Yang Haoran wasn't a fool either, and anything he undertook in such circumstances was bound to hold significant meaning; he was certainly not trifling.
While they didn't know Yang Haoran's exact intentions, Xu Meijing and Ye Zhiqiu unequivocally supported him. As for the two Demon Hunters, they absolutely did not want Yang Haoran to cause any disturbance at this crucial moment that might interfere with their fight as a married couple!
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