The Protector Wu and Protector Sun saw Elder Yao, Lin Yuan, and Medusa Queen suddenly halt, and immediately a trace of joy flashed across their faces.
Their primary targets were Elder Yao and Lin Yuan, the two exceptionally high-quality souls. As for Ling Ying and Xiao Yan, one a Dou Emperor and the other merely a Dou Grandaster, they were insignificant in their eyes, nothing more than minor extras.
Facing the overwhelming barrage of cyan flame bullets, bone-white fire spikes, and multicolored sword qi, the two Protectors each unleashed several black chains from their palms to meet the attack head-on.
The two pitch-black chains twisted and darted through the air in unpredictable trajectories, precisely intercepting and scattering the incoming flame bullets, fire spikes, and sword qi one after another.
At the same time, Protector Wu and Protector Sun continued charging forward without the slightest reduction in speed, heading straight toward Lin Yuan and the others.
Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully observing their responses and assessing the level of coordination between the two Protectors.
"During their counterattacks just now, they showed redundant responses when dealing with multiple targets. It seems that although their cultivation levels are similar, they are acting independently. At the very least, they are not well-coordinated. That works in our favor."
With this thought, Lin Yuan quietly relaxed. Two poorly coordinated enemies were far easier to deal with than two perfectly synchronized ones.
A classic example of such coordination, he knew, were the Gold and Silver Elders of the Black-Corner Region.
As twin brothers practicing identical techniques, their synergy allowed two peak Dou Emperors, under special techniques and perfect coordination, to contend even with a Dou Ancestor like Su Qian.
While he was thinking, Protector Wu and Protector Sun had already caught up within the mountain valley where Lin Yuan and the others stood.
Their bodies were shrouded in dense black mist, and Protector Wu let out a sinister laugh.
"Jie jie jie… Yao Chen, you actually dare to stop? Trying to protect that useless disciple of yours? How fortunate for us! This time, this Protector will not let you escape again. If we capture you today, the Hall Master will surely be pleased."
Elder Yao coldly stared at Protector Wu, his voice carrying both rage and killing intent.
"A bunch of rats hiding in the sewers. Back then you used that beast Han Feng to ambush this Venerable. I will settle that debt sooner or later. Today, I'll take a little interest first. Prepare to die, lowly Soul Hall Protector."
As his words fell, Elder Yao unsealed the medicinal power of the Spirit-Boosting Pill within his body. Under the refinement of Bone Chilling Flame, the pure medicinal energy erupted.
Instantly, his spiritual power surged wildly, and his strength rapidly climbed to the level of a Four-Star Dou Ancestor, an overwhelming aura erupting outward.
"If you want this Venerable's soul, let's see if you have the ability to take it. If not, you will all die here today."
With a calm, indifferent gaze fixed on Protector Wu, Elder Yao clenched his hand, and bone-white flames surged out, condensing into a white ruler slightly smaller than the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
"Flame Devouring Sea Ruler."
Protector Wu let out a cold laugh, black mist swirling even more violently around him.
"Arrogant. If you had a physical body, this Protector would avoid you. But now you're nothing more than a soul body. Jie jie the Soul Hall has plenty of methods to deal with souls!"
Then he glanced at Lin Yuan and Medusa Queen beside Elder Yao, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes.
"Protector Sun, no need to hesitate! If we can capture these souls today, not only can we recover our losses, but we will also gain unimaginable benefits."
"Not to mention the souls of two alchemists, just the Heavenly Flames on their bodies are enough for us to rise within the Hall."
Protector Sun nodded slightly, looking at Elder Yao and Lin Yuan.
"Ordinary methods won't work on these two. It seems we'll have to use some special techniques, even if it costs us."
With that decision made, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes.
"Jie jie jie Protector Wu, let's join forces and form the Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Spirit Formation."
Hearing this, Protector Wu grinned coldly.
"Just what I was thinking."
Immediately, boundless black mist erupted from both of them, transforming into a dark cloud that instantly engulfed the entire valley where Lin Yuan and the others stood.
The sky darkened in an instant, as though daylight had been swallowed completely. The swirling black mist blocked even the sunlight from penetrating.
Within the darkness, two floating black masses of energy rose slowly, emitting eerie glimmers.
Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes. He recognized them, Soul Sacs.
Then, countless blood-red soul bodies burst out from within, their eyes crimson as they let out piercing, inhuman screams that filled the entire valley with a chilling, horrifying aura.
Suddenly, Protector Sun's furious voice rang out from within the formation.
"Protector Wu! Why have you only released this many souls?!"
"I had no choice. During a previous mission, I encountered a strong enemy and lost too many. At this point, there's no turning back. Stop complaining and go all out, if Yao Chen escapes, we'll suffer far worse consequences!"
"You bastard! So this is why you dragged me here? You've schemed against me!"
Protector Sun roared in anger.
The Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Spirit Formation consumed an enormous amount of souls. Even within the Soul Hall, it was rarely used. If the results failed to justify the loss, the backlash from the Hall would be severe punishment and that was something he absolutely did not want to face.
He had originally intended to share the cost with Protector Wu, but now he realized he had been tricked.
With a cold snort, Protector Sun said, "Since I've contributed more, I want an additional twenty percent of the spoils."
Protector Wu replied indifferently, "We'll discuss that after we finish them off."
"Hmph!"
Though dissatisfied, Protector Sun still continued forming the array.
Soon, the formation was completed. The two Protectors stared coldly at the trio trapped within the dark formation.
Protector Sun's gaze locked onto Lin Yuan and Elder Yao as he grinned.
"Jie jie jieYao Chen, and that slippery brat you should feel honored. I spent years collecting souls for this formation. Today, enjoy it to your heart's content."
Elder Yao narrowed his eyes, staring at the dark clouds above with grave seriousness.
With his experience, he could clearly see the countless souls hidden within the black mist. Their sheer number made even him feel a chill of disgust.
"You Soul Hall dogs are truly disgusting. The Soul Hall is nothing but a cancer on the Douqi Continent."
"Jie jie jie," Protector Sun sneered, flicking his hand as a drop of blood-red essence fell into the black cloud.
"This Soul Hall is not something you are qualified to judge. Now obediently offer up your soul!"
"Blood Sacrifice!"
As the blood merged into the cloud, the dark sky instantly turned a deeper crimson. Countless shrill screams echoed from within.
Then, the black cloud suddenly trembled.
In the next moment, countless ferocious blood-red soul shadows rained down like a storm, rushing madly toward Lin Yuan and the others.
At that instant, Lin Yuan swept his hand forward.
A lotus-shaped sea of cyan flame instantly spread out from him, like a blooming azure lotus engulfing the darkness.
"Green Flame Devouring Heaven!"
With a low shout, the lotus-shaped sea of cyan flames erupted with terrifying heat. Any blood soul that approached was instantly ignited, its illusory body burning away as miserable screams echoed continuously.
Queen Medusa also unleashed waves of rainbow-colored sword qi, efficiently cutting down the surging blood souls.
Although the blood souls numbered in the tens of thousands, they posed no real threat to Lin Yuan or Medusa at their level, and were unable to cause any damage.
However, the souls that were destroyed did not fully dissipate. Instead, they turned into wisps of gray energy that slowly rose into the sky, eventually merging back into the black cloud. As a result, the pressure within the cloud grew increasingly terrifying, as though something monstrous was about to be born.
Protector Sun's lips curled into a satisfied smile, his eyes filled with mockery.
Elder Yao frowned deeply, staring at the increasingly dense black cloud with grave seriousness.
With his experience and perception, he could clearly sense the violent and sinister energy gathering within it, and instantly understood the situation.
"This is troublesome the Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Spirit Array. They're planning to condense a fiend soul."
"A two-pronged strategy using these souls to exhaust us, while also refining them into a fiend soul after they are killed?"
Lin Yuan remained calm on the surface, but a trace of curiosity flashed deep in his eyes.
"As expected compared to ordinary soul envoys, the methods of these protectors are far more interesting."
At this moment, Elder Yao spoke again.
"Lin Yuan, this is getting troublesome. This is the Soul Palace's Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Spirit Array. Killing these blood souls is useless, they will all be refined into nourishment for the fiend soul forming within the cloud."
"Once the fiend soul is fully formed, it will be directly linked to Protector Sun's soul. Not only will its strength be comparable to his, but their coordination will be seamless. It will be extremely difficult to deal with."
Lin Yuan nodded.
"I know this array. I already tested it earlier what you said is correct."
"To break it, we either kill Protector Sun, who is the array core, or destroy the fiend soul before it fully forms."
As he spoke, Lin Yuan's gaze locked onto Protector Sun's position.
However, Protector Sun seemed to sense his intent and instantly vanished into the black cloud. Among the countless wandering souls, his aura became extremely difficult to detect.
After deploying the Ten Thousand Souls Devouring Spirit Array, Protector Sun adopted a cautious approach, stalling for time while waiting for the fiend soul to form and for Lin Yuan and the others' medicinal effects to fade.
As time passed, their advantage would only grow.
Protector Wu also did not rush to attack. Instead, he retreated into the black cloud, maintaining a defensive stance while waiting for the right moment.
Queen Medusa frowned slightly.
"So what now? If we attack them, we must first destroy these souls. But destroying them will only accelerate the fiend soul's formation."
Lin Yuan smiled faintly.
"Relax. Since it's me, there's another way."
"Protect me."
He formed a mysterious hand seal.
"Heart Flame Seal release."
A cracking sound echoed within his body as a seal shattered. An entirely different kind of scorching aura erupted from within him, completely distinct from the Green Lotus Core Flame.
A formless flame then leapt out from his body and landed on his fingertip.
It was the Fallen Heart Flame sub-flame.
Elder Yao's expression immediately changed.
"An Heavenly flame? You actually have two kinds of heavenly flames?"
"No," Lin Yuan corrected calmly. "One is an heavenly flame, and the other is a sub-flame."
"If you're interested, Elder Yao, we can discuss it later. For now, let's deal with this."
"The Fallen Heart Flame specializes in soul destruction. Even though this is only a sub-flame, it should be enough to break this formation."
As he spoke, he looked at the flame on his fingertip with satisfaction.
After months of being nourished by the Green Lotus Core Flame and his own cyan flame dou qi, the sub-flame had already grown significantly stronger than when it was first born.
Moreover, it was refined and nurtured by him personally, making it completely obedient under his control.
Lin Yuan's eyes sharpened.
Dou qi and soul force surged into the flame, while a trace of dragon qi from his essence blood merged into it.
Then his hand seal changed.
The formless flame instantly expanded, transforming into a translucent dragon-shaped flame spirit over ten meters long. The moment it formed, it opened its mouth and released a terrifying dragon roar carrying invisible soul-shattering waves.
"Dragon Sound Eight Resonances Modified Form: Soul Destroying Shock!"
The sound wave spread outward.
Wherever it passed, the blood-colored souls had no resistance at all, instantly exploding into nothingness, completely erased without leaving even a trace of soul energy behind.
Hundreds of souls were destroyed in a single strike.
And none of their energy returned to the black cloud.
Elder Yao could not help but feel astonished.
"Excellent flame control, comparable to a peak Seventh-Grade alchemist. And using sound-wave dou techniques to amplify the Fallen Heart Flame's soul destruction… brilliant idea."
Protector Sun's furious roar echoed from the black cloud.
"Fallen Heart Flame?! Damn it! You brat actually has such a thing?!"
Four black chains shot down from the sky, aiming for the dragon flame spirit.
However, Elder Yao and Queen Medusa stepped forward simultaneously, unleashing a blade of white flame energy and rainbow sword qi, intercepting all the chains.
Another wave of hundreds of souls was annihilated.
Lin Yuan looked up at the black cloud and smiled faintly.
"Protector Sun, remember what I said before?"
"In soul techniques I'm even better."
Another dragon roar echoed.
----
For additional chapter's
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu