Protector Sun struggled to lower his head, staring at the dark, faintly glowing claw that had pierced through his chest.
His soul body grew increasingly weak, yet hatred still burned in his eyes from the depths of his being.
"Refining Soul Hand, you prepared this from the start. Protector Wu, you bastard
you've been scheming against me all along from the very beginning, you intended to strike at me…"
The Soul Hall's secret technique, the Refining Soul Hand, required a large number of souls as sacrifice and exerted extremely strong suppression over soul bodies.
However, during the earlier battle with Yao Chen, even though they were at a disadvantage and Protector Wu had been suppressed, he never used this move.
Now, however, he had unleashed it without hesitation on him. The intention was obvious.
"Heh heh heh… I will report to the higher-ups that Protector Sun died during the operation to capture Yao Chen. As for this reward, I'll gladly take it all for myself."
With that, black light erupted from Protector Wu's hand, and the life force in Protector Sun's eyes rapidly faded.
Looking at him, Protector Wu's face twisted into a cruel smile. From the moment he agreed to split forty percent of the gains with Protector Sun, he had already decided, after using him, he would eliminate him and take everything.
After all, he turned his gaze toward Lin Yuan and the others flying in from afar, greed flashing in his eyes.
"Heh heh heh… with such a massive harvest, why should I share it with anyone?"
"Nine Dark Devouring Souls!"
A shrill command rang out. A strange black mist erupted from Protector Wu's body, instantly wrapping around Protector Sun's soul.
Immediately, the sound of chewing echoed eerily from within the black fog, sending chills down the spine.
Elder Yao's expression darkened after sensing it. With a wave of his sleeve, Bone Spirit Cold Flame surged forward, shooting toward the black mist.
Lin Yuan and Medusa also unleashed flame bolts and sword light respectively.
However, just before their attacks could enter the black fog, a layer of eerie darkness surged out, blocking them all.
"Heh heh heh... you think you can break my Soul Hall secret art?"
A distorted, sinister laugh echoed from within the fog.
"This black mist is such strong defense," Elder Yao said gravely. "This is troublesome."
"Any defense has its limit. Any technique consumes power," Lin Yuan said calmly, his eyes narrowing. "Right now, he's just a target. Even if we can't break through immediately, we can exhaust him."
"Queen, you and I will be the main force. Our techniques are high-grade; we can outlast him. Elder Yao, wait for an opening."
"If he dares to use a transformation technique on the battlefield, we'll teach him what it means to overextend himself."
With that, Lin Yuan and Medusa each took a Sixth-Grade recovery pill, Instant Qi Restoration Pill. Their Dou Qi recovery surged rapidly.
Immediately, the two began a full-force assault on Protector Wu.
Lin Yuan's Green Lotus Core Flame and Fallen Heart Flame sub-flame erupted simultaneously, intertwining into a blazing furnace that refined the black mist. Each collision produced constant sizzling sounds.
Medusa unleashed high-consumption sword techniques without restraint, sending massive seven-colored sword beams crashing down.
Elder Yao occasionally struck from weak points with Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
Under their relentless assault, the black mist around Protector Wu rapidly thinned.
Soon, his silhouette began to emerge.
Protector Wu felt increasingly helpless. In the past, opponents would retreat after failing to break his defense and conserve strength for his transformation technique.
But these people, especially that brat were actually consuming Sixth-Grade pills like they were nothing.
"Damn that kid!" Protector Wu cursed inwardly, accelerating his devouring process as if racing against time.
Both sides were now in a time battle.
Finally, just as the black mist was about to collapse, Protector Wu successfully devoured the souls of Protector Sun and a Dou Emperor.
The moment he reappeared, a terrifying aura erupted, Six-Star Dou Ancestor, shaking the entire valley.
The sky dimmed instantly, wind turning cold and sinister.
His body was now clad in black armor of unknown material, covered in eerie patterns. Upon closer inspection, the patterns formed a distorted human face, Protector Sun's face.
Feeling this unprecedented power, Protector Wu's expression turned intoxicated, his lips curling upward.
But when he looked at Lin Yuan and the others, especially Lin Yuan himself his gaze turned icy.
"If not for this brat interrupting my secret art. I could have devoured even more souls…"
He sneered.
"Brat, cleverness won't save your life. Sometimes it only hastens your death."
Lin Yuan glanced at him with disdain.
"Just gaining temporary power has inflated your arrogance this much? No wonder you're only a mere protector. To take my life, you need real strength and you don't have it."
"Also, watch closely. This is how a temporary power technique is used. Qi Origin Transformation."
As the technique activated, Lin Yuan finally entered dual-technique mode. His Dou Qi surged violently, and his aura climbed sharply, instantly reaching the level of a Two-Star Dou Ancestor.
At the same time, his state of clarity deepened further, allowing perfect control over his surging energy.
Protector Wu's eyes narrowed, but he still laughed eerily.
"Heh heh heh sharp tongue. Even with your technique, you're only a Two-Star Dou Ancestor. When I catch you, I'll make sure you enjoy yourself properly."
With a wave of his sleeve, endless black mist surged outward, forming a dark cloud that blocked the sun. The valley instantly plunged into darkness.
Within the darkness, Protector Wu's presence became almost invisible.
"It seems this is the final act," Lin Yuan said calmly.
He flicked his finger. A Heart Flame spear materialized in his hand.
His expression sharpened as the "Heaven-Origin Eight-Character Art"—Break, Spiral, Pierce circulated within him, coiling around the spear.
He suddenly turned and struck toward empty space behind him.
"Boom!"
A violent clash erupted as Protector Wu's figure was forced into view.
Shockwaves spread in all directions like thunder.
For someone with strong soul perception like Lin Yuan, ambushes were ineffective.
At the same time, Medusa and Elder Yao attacked in perfect coordination, sword and ruler strikes targeting vital points.
Protector Wu retreated rapidly while the three pursued him.
The four figures clashed across the sky repeatedly, each collision sending thunderous explosions across the heavens and tearing openings through the black clouds.
Advancing to the late Dou Ancestor stage truly meant one star per world. Even so, Protector Wu could still barely withstand the combined assault.
He was also inwardly shocked, these three were all extremely troublesome. Even with his current strength, he could not quickly break any of them individually.
The battle had turned into a stalemate, becoming a war of attrition. The outcome now depended on whose pills or techniques would run out first.
Lin Yuan's condition was neither good nor bad. He had anticipated this situation and deliberately only used one technique to prepare for prolonged combat.
Medusa was even more stable, attrition battles were her specialty.
However, Elder Yao's slightly weakened voice suddenly came through.
"Lin Yuan, my situation is not good. The effects of the Spirit Ascension Pill won't last much longer, about fifteen minutes."
Lin Yuan's eyes darkened, but he was not surprised.
A Sixth-Grade pill sustaining a Dou Ancestor battle this long was already impressive.
This was troublesome. If Elder Yao dropped out, the balance would collapse.
"We need to end this before that happens," Lin Yuan thought.
He transmitted calmly:
"Your Majesty, Elder Yao hold him down. I'll prepare a finishing move to break this deadlock."
The two of them nodded.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan once again exchanged a full-force clash with Protector Wu. Using the momentum, he retreated from the battle and flew toward the distance.
Protector Wu was momentarily startled, a series of thoughts flashing through his mind: Is that kid unable to hold on any longer? Or is he plotting something? Then his expression hardened.
"Whatever it is, I can't let him succeed."
With that thought, Protector Wu chased after Lin Yuan.
However, his plan was ultimately impossible to realize.
Medusa Queen and Elder Yao tacitly intensified their attacks, and although they could not suppress him, they were more than enough to hinder his advance.
On the other side, after leaving the battlefield, Lin Yuan did not place all his hopes on others.
He waved his sleeve, wiping away the faint trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, then quickly formed a series of profound hand seals. His body trembled slightly as silver lightning erupted from within him, instantly wrapping around his form.
"Three Thousand Thunder Movement—Three Thousand Thunder Shadows."
With a soft shout, two indistinguishable silver clones separated from his body. Three "Lin Yuans" shot off in three different directions.
Seeing the three indistinguishable figures, Protector Wu's expression darkened, realizing pursuit was futile.
He decisively abandoned chasing Lin Yuan and instead focused all his strength on attacking Elder Yao and Medusa, immediately increasing the pressure on them.
After escaping a certain distance, Lin Yuan exhaled deeply.
With the assistance of his powerful soul force, he split his Dou Qi into two streams. The two currents converged respectively into his left and right hands as he formed two different sets of hand seals simultaneously.
With the aid of soul-guided energy circulation, two radiant seals rapidly formed in his palms.
"Mountain River on the left, Sun Radiance on the right, merge!"
At his command, Lin Yuan's eyes sharpened as he brought both seals together before his chest. At the same time, his soul force surged out to make the finest adjustments.
Finally, the two seals made contact.
As if rehearsed countless times, the two seals fused without obstruction. A blinding light erupted, bright enough to scorch the eyes. Within that light, a cyan crystal seal slowly took form.
The moment it was completed, a sharp crack echoed through space.
Centered on Lin Yuan, black spatial cracks spread outward like a spiderweb.
At the same time, his vast Dou Qi surged upward, continuously pouring into the cyan crystal seal. For the first time since cultivating the Heavenly Flame Technique, his Dou Qi was nearly depleted.
As more energy poured in, the crystal seal trembled violently, and spatial ripples spread across the sky.
A terrifying pressure emanated from the cyan seal, sweeping across the battlefield.
The sudden surge of power immediately drew the attention of Elder Yao, Medusa Queen, and Protector Wu. All eyes turned toward the cyan crystal seal in Lin Yuan's hands.
Feeling the terrifying energy contained within it, all three changed expression drastically.
"That aura is it the Sun Radiance Seal?" Elder Yao's eyes narrowed. "No it's similar, but not quite the Three Radiance Seal. Yet its power far exceeds the Sun Radiance Seal."
Protector Wu, meanwhile, felt a trace of fear rising within him.
From that crystal seal, he sensed a fatal threat.
"Damn it what kind of technique is that brat using? How can someone at his level execute something like this?"
At the same time, he could clearly feel a dangerous lock targeting him, Lin Yuan.
His expression turned vicious.
With a surge of soul power, he forcibly repelled Medusa and Elder Yao, breaking free from their entanglement.
Then, his eyes flashed red as he formed a series of complex hand seals. His black armor began to writhe like a living creature. The face of Protector Sun emerged from the armor, then detached, forming a phantom soul head over a zhang in size.
Endless black energy surged from Protector Wu's hands into the soul head. The head expanded rapidly before suddenly exploding.
A torrent of black energy poured out, condensing into a massive black sphere filled with terrifying soul power.
His actions did not escape Medusa and Elder Yao's notice. All three understood instantly, this was the decisive moment.
At the same time, they also began preparing their final attacks.
Medusa's hand seals flashed rapidly as seven-colored energy gathered on her sword. Strange divine patterns appeared on the blade, drawing in massive amounts of heaven and earth energy.
Elder Yao extended both hands, forming intricate seals as vast soul power gathered in his palms. Within the distorted space, a faint palm imprint could be seen, wreathed in Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
The darkened valley fell into an eerie silence as all four sides temporarily paused.
But this stillness was only the calm before the storm.
The one who broke it was Lin Yuan.
His eyes sharpened as he flicked his hand, sending the cyan crystal seal flying outward like a restrained streak of light.
"Mountain River Combined Three Radiance—Heavenly Sun Shines on the Mountains and Rivers!"
Protector Wu's face twisted as he hurled the black soul energy sphere forward.
"Netherworld Myriad Forms, Soul Burial!"
The two devastating attacks collided under countless gazes.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted as cyan and black energies clashed, devouring each other. Spatial ripples spread wildly, and at the point of impact, space shattered like glass, forming a long black spatial crack.
At that moment, Medusa slashed out.
"Devouring Heaven Sword Art, Seven-Colored Rainbow Sword Light!"
Her sword beam pierced the center of the collision, breaking the balance.
The cyan and seven-colored energies surged forward, overwhelming the black energy.
The combined force turned into a massive shockwave that swept toward Protector Wu.
At the critical moment, Elder Yao changed his hand seals.
"Soul Profound Seal!"
A rare soul technique, even across the continent, manifested for the first time before Lin Yuan.
The Bone Flame-wrapped soul imprint tore through space and slammed into Protector Wu, forcing him into the center of the exploding energy storm.
A thunderous roar echoed across the sky as the energy finally erupted.
The entire valley was nearly flattened. The dark cloud covering it was completely dispersed.
Lin Yuan quickly took out recovery pills and swallowed them, feeling his Dou Qi refill as he let out a breath of relief and looked toward the others.
Elder Yao's body, having exhausted the pill's effect, had become nearly translucent due to extreme depletion.
Medusa, however, remained strong and steady her ancient beast physique showing its terrifying resilience.
After several minutes, the storm in the sky gradually subsided.
Protector Wu's battered figure finally reappeared.
His body was now extremely faint, his black mist almost completely dissipated. More importantly, his Nine Nether Devouring Souls technique had already collapsed.
His aura was far weaker than before he had devoured Protector Sun.
Lin Yuan's eyes gleamed with a hint of cold greed.
"After all that effort it's finally time for the harvest."
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