Chapter 256: The Heavily Wounded Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan
Invisibility meant invincibility.
Although Ghost Veil was only Luo Ling's first spirit skill, its effect was nothing short of heaven-defying.
It was the power of the Original Martial Spirit itself—its strength had little to do with the spirit beast it came from.
When Luo Ling disappeared, Yu Yuanzhen froze in shock.
Tang Hao narrowed his eyes; this was the same ability Luo Ling had used when he stole the Blue Silver Emperor's hundred-thousand-year soul bone—completely silent and without a trace.
While everyone was still dazed, a dark figure darted toward the other members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Luo Ling had vanished, but the Raven Shadow Puppet remained.
Formed entirely of dark, evil energy, the puppet possessed nearly the same powers as Luo Ling himself.
Aside from being unable to use the Desire Spirit's unique abilities, it had no other limitations.
Like a reaper harvesting souls, the Raven Shadow Puppet tore through the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan's elites—none could resist.
With its Dark Slash and Night Crow Feathers, it slaughtered Soul Saints and even Soul Douluo with ease, each weakened under the oppressive aura of corruption.
It was like cutting grass.
When Yu Yuanzhen finally reacted and saw his warriors falling one after another, his eyes went red with fury.
"Bastard! How dare you!" he bellowed.
The dark-blue storm clouds swirling above him burst to life, unleashing torrents of lightning upon the battlefield below.
Bolts of thunder crashed down, writhing like serpents of divine rage.
The Raven Shadow Puppet dodged swiftly, but much of the lightning still struck it, blasting apart chunks of its shadowy form.
Yu Yuanzhen felt a flicker of relief as the puppet cracked apart—but that relief died immediately as the evil mist surged again, and the Raven Shadow Puppet reformed, whole and ready to attack.
Now truly enraged, Yu Yuanzhen roared, "Stop!"
Thunder crashed downward in uncontrolled fury, hammering the ground again and again.
Yet no matter how many times the lightning tore it apart, the Raven Shadow Puppet regenerated endlessly, indestructible and unrelenting.
From a distance, Tang Hao and Tang San stared in silence.
Back in the Slaughter City, the Undying had been the same way—no amount of damage could destroy him for good.
Tang San had once wondered whether that "Undying" was even human. Now he understood. The one who fought endlessly in the Hell Killing Fields had been nothing more than Luo Ling's spirit puppet.
At last, after the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had lost nearly half its forces, the Raven Shadow Puppet blinked sideways in a misaligned shadow flash.
The continuous slaughter, the endless regeneration, and the lightning bombardment had drained massive amounts of spirit power.
In his invisible state, Luo Ling had less than half his energy remaining.
As he watched his clan's elites fall like wheat, Yu Yuanzhen's heart bled.
These men represented the foundation of his family, accumulated over generations—gone in a single night.
He glared at the puppet, seething with hatred, wishing he could shatter it to dust.
But it was only a puppet; the real Luo Ling was nowhere to be found.
For the first time, fear crept into Yu Yuanzhen's heart.
He clearly possessed the strength to kill Luo Ling, yet all he could do was watch as his clan was massacred before his eyes.
All he could do was stare, helpless.
"Spirit Trickster…"
He recalled Luo Ling's other title—how fitting it was. This was the kind of opponent whose methods inspired true dread.
Nearby, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo were equally shaken.
Luo Ling, still only a Spirit Saint, had managed to fight Yu Yuanzhen to a standstill and even force him into a stalemate. It defied all logic.
Just then, a thunderous bellow echoed through the forest, followed by another equally ferocious roar.
The ground quaked violently. Birds and beasts scattered in terror as two massive figures burst out of the trees: one with the head of a bull and the body of a serpent, the other a towering ape radiating immense power.
The Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape.
The aura of the two hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts filled the air. Even Yu Yuanzhen's face twisted in dread.
He shot a glance at the Raven Shadow Puppet, then at the two Spirit Hall Douluo, and shouted a command:
"Everyone, retreat immediately! Those are two hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts—we cannot face them!"
Before leaving, Yu Yuanzhen cast one last glare at the puppet. "Luo Ling! You've slaughtered my clan's finest today, and I swear this debt will not go unpaid!"
With that, he turned and fled at full speed, not forgetting to collect the corpses of his fallen elites into his soul device.
They would serve perfectly for the blood ritual.
Tang Hao didn't hesitate either. He grabbed Tang San and withdrew rapidly, fearing that Luo Ling might strike his son next.
Only after Yu Yuanzhen and his people had vanished did Luo Ling's body slowly reappear above the battlefield.
The Raven Shadow Puppet dissolved into mist, fading from sight as Tianqing Niu Mang (the Azure Bull Python) and the Titan Giant Ape stepped forward.
Xiao Wu sat atop the Titan Giant Ape's head, her eyes full of worry as she looked at Luo Ling.
"Luo Ling, are you okay?" she asked quickly.
Luo Ling shrugged and smiled. "I'm fine. Yu Yuanzhen still can't do anything to me."
Before attacking Tang Hao and Tang San, Luo Ling had cast Ghost Veil on Xiao Wu, keeping her hidden the entire time.
She had secretly observed everything until the fight began, then hurried away to summon Da Ming and Er Ming for help.
"Sister Xiao Wu, didn't I tell you? That kid Luo Ling is ridiculously strong. You had nothing to worry about!" the Titan Giant Ape rumbled playfully.
He'd witnessed Luo Ling's terrifying power before, during their battle with the Rift Demon—the kind of strength that could even make two hundred-thousand-year beasts uneasy.
Xiao Wu's face flushed red. She lightly smacked Er Ming's head, snapping, "Er Ming, stop talking nonsense! I wasn't worried!"
The Titan Giant Ape scratched his head in confusion, unsure what he'd said wrong.
Luo Ling watched them, his expression softening slightly.
"So, you two must be the kings of the Star Dou Great Forest—Titan Giant Ape and Azure Bull Python?"
Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo approached carefully.
Even as Titled Douluo, they rarely encountered such ancient spirit beasts, and their powerful aura made even veterans like them feel pressed for breath.
"Yes, that's us," the Azure Bull Python said, exhaling a long breath. "We appreciate you escorting Xiao Wu safely back to the Star Dou Great Forest."
"It was nothing. We were simply following the orders of the Pope," Chrysanthemum Douluo replied with a nod.
(END CHAPTER)
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