"Don't let his Saint Mage aura fool you. He was wounded by this old man, so he's only at the level of an Earth Grade Mage now." Just then, the imprisoned old man rasped.
Golden light flashed in Qi Bei's eyes. With a low growl, he exploded forward like lightning, and the black longsword in his hand suddenly cleaved out a golden sword-ray, striking straight at the dried-corpse-like old man's throat.
With a clang of metal, a streak of black light suddenly appeared at the dried-corpse old man's throat. Like the hardest diamond, it blocked Qi Bei's lightning-fast strike.
"Cackle, cackle, cackle..."
The dried-corpse old man let out a spine-chilling, sinister laugh. He stretched out his withered-tree-like claw, and dozens of strands of black smoke instantly wound around Qi Bei, lifting him into the air.
"Even if this exalt is merely an Earth Grade Mage, killing you will be as easy as flipping his hand." As he spoke, the dried-corpse old man swept out his withered arm, and Qi Bei was sent flying, smashing heavily into the black crystal wall.
"Pfft!" Qi Bei spat out a mouthful of blood, his internal organs convulsing in waves.
So this was the strength of an Earth Grade Mage. He was actually this powerful.
Only after a Mage reached the Advanced Mage realm could he be considered a true Mage. At that point, a Mage possessed a certain degree of defensive ability. Combined with powerful magic attacks, that was what made them truly terrifying—let alone an Earth Grade Mage.
This dried-corpse old man had once been a Saint Dark Mage standing at the pinnacle of the entire world. Forget that his strength had fallen to the level of an Earth Grade Mage—even as a Junior Mage, he was not someone others could toy with at will.
Qi Bei's strength could almost rival that of an ordinary King Grade Warrior, yet before this dried-corpse old man, he was utterly helpless.
"Offer up your soul and essence blood, and let this exalt recover to the Heaven Grade..." The dried-corpse old man waved the staff in his hand, and a string of obscure incantations poured from his mouth at an unimaginable speed.
A black radiance shot from the skull atop the staff, enveloping Qi Bei, who was curled into a ball.
At once, an enormous suction force seeped into Qi Bei's body, intending to draw out all the essence blood from him.
Qi Bei felt as if all the blood in his body were desperately trying to drill out through his skin. His blood vessels began to swell, and vein after vein bulged across his body. His handsome face was now covered in constantly swelling veins, as if countless earthworms were crawling over it, while his bloodshot eyes bulged with rage. He looked like a vicious ghost crawling out of hell.
At the same time, his soul was also being pulled outward by a suction force, floating lightly as it struggled to break free from the restraints of his body.
"Crack, crack, crack..." Qi Bei clenched his teeth, while the inner power of the Divine Dragon Art began circulating wildly, attempting to suppress that strange and tremendous suction force.
At that moment, the black longsword that had fallen beside Qi Bei began to tremble slightly. Since it was not in contact with Qi Bei's body, the information it transmitted could not enter his mind.
"What a powerful will! But no matter how you struggle, it's all futile." The dried-corpse old man was clearly somewhat surprised, but he did not take it to heart. No matter how powerful one's will was, it could not resist his Soul Devouring Technique. After all, the difference in strength between them could only be described as a gulf between heaven and earth.
The dried-corpse old man recited another string of incantations, and the suction force suddenly doubled.
Qi Bei's entire body began to rise from the ground, lifted into the air by that enormous suction force.
Some of his tiny capillaries began to rupture, and blood seeped through his skin before flying through the air toward the dried-corpse old man.
A gurgling sound like flowing water came from Qi Bei's throat, and threads of blood trickled from his mouth.
"Hahaha, little ant, give up resisting. That way, your death will be more painless." The dried-corpse old man laughed eerily. The stronger Qi Bei's willpower, the stronger his soul would be—how could he not be delighted?
Just then, the bloody color in Qi Bei's pupils was replaced by gold. The gurgling in his throat gradually deepened, and it began to sound faintly like the distant Dragon's Roar rolling down from the far horizon.
All of a sudden, the dried-corpse old man felt his suction force being pinned in place. A terrifying aura that made the heart tremble began radiating from Qi Bei, who looked like a ghost.
"Not good!" The dried-corpse old man sensed that something was wrong, but the soul power he had fused into the Soul Devouring Technique could no longer be withdrawn.
Qi Bei raised his head. The veins on his face began to subside, and his pair of cold, arrogant golden eyes fixed on the dried-corpse old man. It was as if, in that instant, their positions had switched—the dried-corpse old man had become the humble, insignificant ant.
Qi Bei's large hand began swelling in an instant. Dense golden scales appeared across it, and sharp claws gleamed with a chilling light, carrying an aura of destruction.
"Th-the aura of a dragon..." the dried-corpse old man cried out in terror. His soul power was firmly seized. To escape, he would have to abandon it, and then his strength would fall to that of a King Grade Mage—or perhaps merely an Advanced Mage.
"Die!" Qi Bei shouted coldly. The Dragon Claws radiated golden light as they struck straight toward the dried-corpse old man's heart.
The dried-corpse old man's pupils contracted, and waves of black light once again appeared over his body.
The Dragon Claws touched the black light and paused slightly, but the black light immediately shattered piece by piece, and the sharp claws pierced into the dried-corpse old man's chest.
Just then, the dried-corpse old man's entire body trembled. He forcibly severed his soul power, and a terrifying burst of dark energy instantly exploded.
The shockwave rolled through the black crystal stone chamber, blasting Qi Bei away.
"Bastard! This exalt will make sure you die without a burial place!" the dried-corpse old man roared repeatedly. Wisps of black fog billowed from the skull atop the staff in his hand, gradually condensing into the shape of a wolf.
"I offer my soul as a sacrifice..." At that moment, the imprisoned old man suddenly began chanting a mysterious incantation in a strange rhythm. His face was filled with pious serenity, yet faint white holy light rose from his body.
A huge, mysterious rune condensed and suddenly enveloped the dried-corpse old man.
How could Qi Bei miss such an opportunity? He immediately let out a furious roar. One of his two enormous Dragon Claws stabbed into the dried-corpse old man's heart, while the other pierced into his head.
"No..." the dried-corpse old man howled unwillingly. The wolf-like phantom that had already taken shape began to dissipate, and the skull staff fell from midair.
Qi Bei pulled out his Dragon Claws. One held a heart that was still faintly beating, while the other had torn out a mass of pale-white brain matter.
The dried-corpse old man collapsed like a lump of rotten meat, while wisps of invisible energy dissipating from his body were greedily absorbed by the black longsword.
Qi Bei's lips twitched. Beneath his two claws, his inner power had already been completely drained. The Dragon Claws began reverting into hands, and his body felt intensely weak in an instant.
"Young friend, do you still have the strength to come over?" Just then, the imprisoned old man spoke.
Qi Bei turned his head and was astonished to see the old man's body slowly becoming transparent. He dragged his heavy footsteps over to him. If the old man had not just used a miraculous technique to immobilize the dried-corpse old man, Qi Bei would probably have been in dire straits.
Before you continue