txolops Chapter 396 The Blazing Sun's Backstab
Chapter 396 The Blazing Sun's Backstab
The Fiery Sun Bird's desperate attack, though seemingly powerful, was in reality a desperate measure. While the sea of fire greatly enhanced its supernatural power and hindered the enemy, it also acted like a solid cage, trapping itself within the hundreds of feet of flames, making it difficult to escape. It could only engage in a war of attrition with the enemy in this "home field."
"Whoosh—!!!"
A piercing sound of air being torn apart approached rapidly from the horizon behind! A streak of light, a mixture of red and blue, with a violent aura, streaked across the sky like a meteor, and in an instant it reached the outer edge of the sea of fire, hovering a hundred feet away, revealing the strange figure of the Blazing Sun Master, who had fused with the Wind Eagle Demon Soul, had wind spirit wings on his back, and whose aura was faintly unstable.
However, when Master Lieyang saw the Lieyang Bird confronting True Person Suihun in the sea of fire ahead, as well as the Ghost Spirit Sect elder dressed in black robes with a cold aura, his expression instantly turned extremely ugly, and his eyes were so gloomy that they almost dripped water.
"Shatter your soul!" Venerable Lieyang roared through gritted teeth.
The opponent was a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert with profound cultivation and was skilled in unpredictable and difficult-to-defend soul attacks. He himself had just suffered a soul injury and forcibly burned his demon soul to perform the "Spirit Fusion Technique," so he was no longer at his peak.
Although his "Blazing Sun Technique" can counter the Ghost Path, the difference in their cultivation levels cannot be completely bridged by attribute counters alone. Facing a fully-fledged Shattered Soul in a one-on-one fight, he has no guarantee of victory and may even suffer a loss.
But as his gaze swept quickly between the Fiery Sun Bird and the chilling Soul Shattering Immortal, a glint of light flashed in the Fiery Sun Immortal's eyes. He quietly sent a wisp of his divine sense towards the Fiery Sun Bird in the center of the sea of fire:
"You should know the current situation! This old ghost of shattered souls is powerful and clearly has ulterior motives towards you, wanting to seize your demon core and essence! With your current severely injured body, it is extremely difficult for you to escape his clutches!"
How about we join forces temporarily and deal with this enemy first? With my 'Blazing Sun Technique' combined with your 'Golden Crow True Fire,' the attributes will complement each other, multiplying the power. We're sure to suppress or even severely injure this beast!
"If you insist on leaving afterwards, I... can promise that the Spirit Control Sect will no longer pursue you, allowing you to roam freely! It's better than having your soul extracted and your spirit refined by this old monster of the Ghost Path, resulting in your death and the dissipation of your cultivation!"
These words were half a threat and half an offer.
Amidst the sea of fire, the Fiery Sun Bird's sharp, eagle-like eyes, burning with golden flames, slightly contracted, its gaze flickering violently as if engaged in a fierce internal struggle. It naturally loathed the Fiery Sun Venerable, its "master" who had enslaved it for years, but the Soul-Shattering Immortal's undisguised greed also posed a more direct and deadly threat.
Weighing two evils...
A moment later, the Fiery Sun Bird suddenly raised its head, and a cold, complex divine thought returned to the Fiery Sun Venerable's sea of consciousness: "Hmph! Considering we've known each other for hundreds of years, I'll trust you this once! Let's use the same method we used to fight together back then, and eliminate this treacherous old ghost first!"
Upon receiving this divine thought, Master Lieyang remained expressionless, but inwardly he was overjoyed.
The Soul Shattering True Man, who was in the distance, was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with keen divine sense. Although he was unable to intercept the specific content of the transmission, the brief, clearly communicative soul fluctuations between the Blazing Sun Venerable and the Blazing Sun Bird, as well as the Blazing Sun Bird's sudden relaxation and its posture of forming a pincer movement with the Blazing Sun Venerable, made him instantly understand the other party's intentions!
"Not good! These two are indeed going to join forces to deal with me first!" Shattered Soul Master's face immediately turned ugly, and he secretly cursed his miscalculation.
He originally planned to take advantage of the situation when Master Lieyang and the Lieyang Bird were both exhausted, but he didn't expect Master Lieyang to be so decisive and cunning. In an instant, he persuaded the Lieyang Bird, who had just wanted to defect, to temporarily join forces!
Although he was strong, his chances of winning were greatly reduced when facing a powerful being with the opposite attribute, the Blazing Sun Venerable, plus a transformed demon bird with the supernatural power of "Golden Crow True Fire". He might even be defeated by a ditch!
Just as Shattered Soul True Man's eyes flickered, pondering whether to temporarily retreat or risk a strong attack to break the enemy's united front—
On the other side, about several miles away from the battlefield.
Luo Ming slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, suppressing the slight fluctuations of magical power around his body caused by his full-force earth escape technique. Although this "high-level earth escape technique" was fast, comparable to the flight of a Nascent Soul cultivator, its consumption of magical power was truly astonishing. If it weren't for his solid foundation and magical power far exceeding that of his peers, he would probably already have more than half of his magical power depleted by now.
He silently used his divine sense to remotely "observe" the three parties locked in a tense standoff high in the sky. When he "saw" that the Blazing Sun Immortal and the Blazing Sun Bird seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding and were subtly joining forces against the Soul Shattering True Person, a hint of amusement and excitement flashed in his eyes.
"Tsk tsk, this is getting interesting. That old ghost, Shattered Soul, originally wanted to be the one who reaped the benefits, but unexpectedly, he has become the 'sniper' that others are joining forces to deal with in the blink of an eye." Luo Ming chuckled to himself.
"With his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, he could probably defeat either the Blazing Sun Venerable or the depleted Blazing Sun Bird in a one-on-one fight. But facing these two with opposing attributes who are temporarily allied... hehe, he'll probably end up looking disheveled. The fiercer the fight, the more serious the injuries, the better it will be for me."
He suppressed the urge to act immediately, like the most patient hunter, continuing to lie in wait for the best opportunity to strike. He knew that this fragile "alliance" was absolutely unreliable; the slightest change would shatter the balance in an instant.
High in the sky, True Immortal Shattered Soul saw that Venerable Blazing Sun and the Blazing Sun Bird were faintly connected and locked onto him, and the thought of retreat arose in his heart. He swayed and prepared to create distance first before making any further plans.
"Hmph! You old ghost of the Shattered Soul, you want to leave now? Too late!" Just then, Venerable Lieyang suddenly roared, his voice booming like thunder!
With a flick of his sleeve, a burst of spiritual light appeared before him, and a bronze mirror magic weapon with an ancient design, a smooth, mirror-like front, and intricate sun patterns engraved on the back, spun around and instantly grew to a size of ten zhang, hovering in front of him.
The mirror was aimed at the Soul Shatterer, and a hazy golden light rapidly gathered and flowed on the mirror surface, emitting a strange fluctuation that made people's souls tremble!
"The Dry Light Mirror? You actually brought this treasure out with you!" When the Soul Shatterer saw the bronze mirror, his face turned extremely ugly, and even showed a hint of fear!
How could he not recognize it? This was none other than the renowned magic treasure passed down by the Blazing Sun Peak of the Imperial Spirit Sect – the "Dry Light Mirror"!
This mirror has no direct physical attack power, but it can shoot out a strange and unpredictable "soul-capturing golden light" that specifically targets the soul of cultivators. Once covered by the golden light, the soul is as if frozen and imprisoned, unable to move for a short time, and at the mercy of others! It can be called the nemesis of ghost cultivators and soul cultivators!
The two families had been neighbors for thousands of years and knew each other's secrets to some extent. He had long heard of the infamous reputation of the "Dry Mirror"!
In his view, the Blazing Sun Immortal brought the "Dry Light Mirror" originally to guard against the potential backlash from the Blazing Sun Bird after it transformed, using it to stabilize its soul and make it easier to reapply the restrictions. Unexpectedly, it has now become a powerful weapon against him, the Soul Shattering True Person!
The Soul-Shattering Immortal's heart pounded with alarm. His figure transformed into a ghostly wisp of black smoke, retreating rapidly in the direction farthest from the Blazing Sun Immortal! He knew he absolutely could not be touched by that "Soul-Seizing Golden Light"! This treasure had a limited range; as long as he maintained sufficient distance…
However, just as the Soul-Shattering Immortal was rapidly retreating, fully focused on defending against the "Dry Light Mirror"—
"Certainly!"
Suddenly, a cold and murderous syllable escaped from the mouth of the blazing sun! His hand seals changed, and the ten-zhang giant mirror suddenly trembled violently, emitting a "humming" roar. The hazy golden light gathered on the mirror surface instantly solidified, transforming into a golden beam of light with a diameter of ten zhang, which shot out with a bang!
However, the direction this golden beam of light was aimed at was not the rapidly retreating Soul Shattering True Person, but rather—on the other side, at the Blazing Sun Bird, which was quietly shifting its position according to "tacit understanding," preparing to cooperate with Blazing Sun Venerable to attack Soul Shattering from both sides!
"You—! Despicable!" Caught off guard, the Sunbird never expected its "ally's" attack to suddenly turn against it!
It felt a burst of golden light before its eyes, and an irresistible, binding force specifically targeting demonic souls, like a net from heaven and earth, instantly enveloped it! The golden beam of light was too fast; it had no time to make any effective evasion!
"Eh-!!!"
The Fiery Sun Bird let out a shriek filled with shock, anger, despair, and violence at being betrayed! It struggled frantically, its Golden Crow True Fire surging as it tried to resist and burn away the imprisoning golden light.
However, the "Soul-Capturing Golden Light" of this "Dry Light Mirror" is a rare object specifically designed to target the soul, possessing extremely strong penetrability against physical attacks and energy defenses.
As the golden light enveloped its body, the Fiery Sun Bird felt as if its sea of consciousness had been poured with ancient ice. The operation of its demon soul instantly froze, and its connection with its demon power and physical body was forcibly severed by more than half!
Only the physical body could still make a slight struggle based on instinct. The huge body was as if it were being gripped by an invisible giant hand, frozen in the golden sea of fire in mid-air, unable to move!
"Hehehe..."
A look of relief mixed with a cruel sneer appeared on Master Lieyang's face. He activated the "Dry Light Mirror" with all his might to maintain the golden light's restraint on the Lieyang Bird, while approaching the frozen bird. His voice was mocking and smug.
"You beast, you are ultimately a creature of the beasts, your intelligence newly awakened. How could you understand the treachery of the human heart? Obediently return to the Spirit Control Sect with me. Considering our past relationship as master and servant, if you are willing to acknowledge me as your master again and offer your soul blood, I may preserve your intelligence and allow you to continue serving as the guardian spirit bird of my Spirit Control Sect. If you remain stubborn..."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and he didn't say the rest of the words, but his killing intent was already palpable.
This sudden and astonishing reversal not only caught the Fiery Sun Bird off guard and made it a target of a sneak attack, but also left the Soul Shattering True Person, who was preparing to deal with a joint attack and even planning to take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, dumbfounded and stunned on the spot.
Meanwhile, Luo Ming, who had been observing all of this from a distance, also had a look of surprise in his eyes, which quickly turned into vigilance.
"What a cunning and ruthless Master Lieyang! He is indeed cunning and ruthless! His decisiveness is not to be underestimated." Luo Ming thought to himself, his wariness of Master Lieyang increasing even more.