Chapter 1168: Soul Reversal, the Supreme Evil of Soul Capturer |
The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor, usually all smiles and mild demeanor, now revealed his true ferocity. Behind him floated dozens upon dozens of eyes, meaning that over the centuries, at least that many Great Demon and Great Nymph Kings had perished at his hands.
At the eleventh order, many powerhouses secluded themselves in long cultivation. Some failed and perished naturally. Some vanished inexplicably. Across centuries, such disappearances did not draw much scrutiny from the Ancestral Court. But now, the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor revealed his… stockpile. All these dozens of souls bound within him. If they were unleashed at once, even Emperors ranked above him might not be able to handle him.
A low dragon's roar rumbled, not from Tang San, but from the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor.
Two large eyes flared open behind him. A colossal dragon phantom emerged, and its scales glimmered jet-black. It was a Tenebrous Dragon. Judging by its appearance, it had reached the very peak of the eleventh order. Though only a soul projection, its aura rivaled that of Li Zhaopeng, the Tenebrous Dragon Demon Emperor's heir.
The dragon phantom lunged at Tang San, its corrosive soul power surging.
Since the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor's secret was bare now, he had no more misgivings and went all out. He first made sure Tang San could not move under his suppression, then struck to kill with no hesitation. He did not dare attempt to devour Tang San's soul the way he'd done with others. As tempting as it was, Tang San's power was too great. The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor had not lived unchallenged for a millennium by being rash. It was best to first make sure Tang San was dead, or at least irreversibly crippled. If he could then trap part of Tang San's soul and consume it, he had genuine hope of becoming even stronger, and perhaps truly reaching the pinnacle of this plane.
The thought thrilled him.
But in the very next instant, thrill turned to horror.
Behind Tang San, a vast golden phantom erupted, drawing torrents of faith power into itself.
The Tenebrous Dragon's soul manifestation evaporated instantly, dissolving into black smoke. At the same time, purple-golden beams of light from Tang San's eyes struck directly at the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor's sea of consciousness.
"Ahhh!" A scream tore from his throat. He was hurled backward like a comet, and his eyes simply burst apart.
The sudden counterattack shocked not only him but every Emperor watching below.
The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor had unleashed the foundation of his terrifying strength: dozens of bound souls that boosted his power. He should have dominated the battle. But within mere moments, Tang San had instantly reversed it.
That purple-golden light shook even the other Emperors' divine consciousness, leaving them momentarily dazed. They did not know exactly what ability Tang San had used, but it was undoubtedly backed by divine consciousness. And the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor, who had forced his spirit to the very peak of Emperorhood, had been utterly overwhelmed.
His screams echoed across heaven, and the countless eyes behind him wavered.
At that moment, Tang San lifted the Holy Dragon Spear. A ring of orange-golden light radiated outward, and under that divine radiance, the eyes seemed to awaken. Shrieking in fury, they changed shape, becoming shadowy figures of their former selves. They surged at the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor, tearing at his body and spirit.
There were both demons and nymphs, and they included beings from all first-tier clans and races: dragons, phoenixes, Behemoths, Scorching Sunflowers, Nethermoon Flowers,, Adamant Nymphs, Rainbowglaze Nymphs…. It was as if the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor had collected a grotesque menagerie of souls.
The sight made the other Emperors pale. Their own clansmen had been preyed upon by their peer.
The Tenebrous Demon Emperor had always been deemed evil, and that evaluation was not wrong, but compared to the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor, he now seemed almost harmless.
The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor's greatest foundation now became his death sentence. The very souls he had enslaved rose in rebellion.
Already wounded in body and spirit, he screamed, pouring out his power to resist.
But this was not one or two souls; it was all of them. Dozens of imprisoned souls, some held for centuries, now unleashed their vengeance together. Their fury was unstoppable.
The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor had always hidden his methods, cautious not to provoke other Emperors. He had used only the Golden Mammoth and Tenebrous Dragon souls earlier, bloodlines whose Emperors had just perished. That way, the others were unlikely to probe too much into what the other souls were.
He had never imagined that this caution would seal his doom.
Even Tang San's face grew grave at the sight.
Had the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor been willing to unleash all his bound souls at the start, he might have forced his cultivation to heights beyond the level of Emperor, beyond the threshold of this plane itself. Backlash from the world would have certainly followed, but his strike would have been unstoppable. Even Tang San would have paid dearly to keep his life.
But Tang San had experienced such things before, and he understood the truth at a glance. From the moment those countless soul-eyes appeared, he knew what this foe had done. So he feigned being ensnared, baiting the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor to overextend, all the while compressing his divine consciousness. And when the foe reached for him a second time, Tang San was ready. The Purple Demon Eyes unleashed their divine might.
Tang San's consciousness was now true divine consciousness, fully backed by his divine seat. Even if the Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor burned every bound soul in his possession, he had no chance of suppressing Tang San. When the Purple Demon Eyes tore open his defenses. Tang San's holy light brought relief and, at the same time, restored some measure of independence to the imprisoned souls. And the first thing they did was turn on their master with merciless fury.
The Soul Capturer Nymph Emperor's personal army had become his execution squad.