Battle of Souls

Lin Ming's Soul Projection, amidst the violent Shockwave formed by endless resentment and Dragon Might, swayed and rocked violently like a small boat on a stormy sea.

The surrounding Purple-Black Flame seemed to come alive, transforming into countless ferocious fire dragons that roared silently, determined to tear this intruder who dared to invade their primordial land to shreds.

However, in this seemingly precarious situation, Lin Ming's soul core remained as stable as a rock. His Soul Power at the Spirit Realm Grand Perfection constructed an incomparably tough barrier, repelling the vast majority of Soul impact.

Facing the surging, Purple-Black Flame that converged into a torrent, carrying the power to incinerate souls, a fierce glint flashed in Lin Ming's eyes, as cold as ice.

He knew that competing with the Three Thousand Burning Flame Flames in terms of the Origin Space of the flames was unwise. In a flash, Lin Ming's mind raced, and the Elder Dragon Seal within his body, which he had obtained from the Ancient Void Dragon, was fully activated!

"Buzz--!"

A strange buzzing sound, not heard but acting directly on the Soul Origin, suddenly spread through the purplish-black void of flames.

Immediately following, an indescribable ancient and pure aura, seemingly originating from the beginning of creation and surpassing all dragons, erupted from Lin Ming's Soul Projection like a giant Giant Dragon awakening after slumbering for millennia!

This oppressive aura was not as violent and destructive as the Three Thousand Burning Flame; rather, it was more like an innate, deeply rooted hierarchical suppression, gentle yet unquestionable, vast and irresistible.

The originally roaring and raging torrent of flames, capable of instantly annihilating the souls of those in the Early Spirit Realm, suddenly faltered upon contact with the oppressive aura imbued with the authority of the Ancient Dragon Elder of the Void. It was as if a scorching hot iron had met extremely cold ice, or as if a powerful local tyrant had collided head-on with an imperial envoy wielding the Imperial Sword.

The flames at the forefront of the torrent even experienced a brief period of disorder and retreat. The violent and destructive will contained within them seemed to be intimidated and eroded by a higher and more primal force, and its power was visibly weakened!

"This is... the Elder Dragon Seal of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan?! Impossible! How could you, a mere human, bear such a mark?!"

The Mini Fire Dragon formed from the essence of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, its dragon eyes burning with eternally inextinguishable purple-black flames, suddenly contracted, revealing for the first time an emotion far greater than before, a mixture of horror, bewilderment, and disbelief.

The Dragon Seal within its body was left by the adult ancient Ancient Void Dragon that had some connection with it back then. Although it gave it the form and Dragon Might, in essence, it was just an "ordinary" Dragon Seal.

In front of the "Elder Dragon Seal," which, apart from the Dragon Emperor Seal, is a symbol of authority for the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, the Dragon Seal within its body is like a firefly in the wilderness trying to compete with the bright moon in the heavens—the difference in essence is like heaven and earth!

Taking advantage of the momentary blankness in the mind of the Three Thousand Burning Flame due to the sudden bloodline suppression, how could Lin Ming miss such an opportunity?

His Soul Power, at the Spirit Realm Grand Perfection, was unleashed without reservation, like a vast river bursting its banks, or like an invisible and intangible tide that filled the heavens and earth, surging forth!

This time, the Soul Power did not condense into offensive spikes or hammers, but transformed into thousands of fine, tough threads shimmering with a pale golden Soul Light, which, like a net, swiftly wrapped around the Mini Fire Dragon's body.

Each Soul Threads was clearly attached to the faint yet extremely powerful aura of the Dragon Emperor Elder. Like the most exquisite chains, they attempted to penetrate the barrier of the flames and directly connect with the core consciousness of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, forcibly establishing a master-servant soul connection, and suppressing its unruly and rebellious will, which originated from heaven and earth, with absolute Dragon Might might.

"Roar! Arrogance! So what if you possess the Elder Dragon Seal! This fire is a divine object born of heaven and earth, born of the very essence of destruction and rebirth, immortal and eternal! How could you, a mere human brat relying on external objects, possibly enslave it?!"

The Three Thousand Burning Flame was, after all, a terrifying existence ranked high on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Its intelligence had been awakened, and its ferocity was deeply rooted in its origin. After a brief moment of shock, it was thoroughly enraged and launched an even more frenzied counterattack!

It let out a roar that shook the very soul space, and the Purple-Black Flame around it boiled and exploded like oil in a cauldron thrown into a boulder! The flames scorched and pounded the Soul Threads that were entangled in it, making a hissing sound that made one's teeth ache. Even the soul space itself began to twist violently and ripple in circles under the extreme temperature and energy collision, as if it might shatter at any moment.

The clashes within the soul realm are silent yet extremely dangerous, with each moment potentially causing irreparable damage at the soul level.

Meanwhile, in the outer Star Domain...

Lin Ming's body remained as still as a sculpture, silently suspended before the enormous Giant Dragon's forehead, his palm firmly resting on the cool, special dragon scale, completely unmoved.

However, upon closer inspection, one could see that his slightly furrowed brows indicated that he was under immense pressure, and a fine layer of cold sweat had seeped onto his smooth forehead, slowly sliding down his temples. Although his aura was restrained, the intense fluctuations originating from the depths of his soul could not be completely concealed.

The Elder Qiu Ling, who had been intently guarding the area, suddenly focused his gaze on the spot where Lin Ming had come into contact with the Giant Dragon.

He could clearly sense an exceptionally powerful and antagonistic Soul Fluctuation emanating from beneath the dragon scales, intertwining and colliding with the unique, violent flame aura of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, causing the surrounding space to tremble slightly.

"This is... a battle of souls!" Qiu Ling's expression instantly turned extremely solemn, his deep voice carrying a hint of undisguised astonishment.

Upon hearing this, Cao Ying and Dan Chen's expressions changed slightly. As Alchemist, they naturally knew what "soul battle" meant.

That is the most dangerous and direct form of competition after Soul Power has been cultivated to an extremely high level!

This kind of battle completely abandons Dou Qi and external objects; it is a pure clash of the Soul Origin and willpower. The slightest carelessness can result in the loser suffering a minor injury to their soul, a significant reduction in strength, and lasting aftereffects that are difficult to heal; or even worse, the Soul Origin can dissipate, leading to the complete annihilation of both body and spirit!

Therefore, even those old monsters with truly powerful Soul Power would never dare to engage in soul battles with others unless forced to.

"Alas! How could things have turned out this way..." Qiu Ling sighed inwardly, filled with entanglement and worry.

How did the situation get out of control so quickly? If Lin Ming could win the battle of souls, everything would be much easier, and subduing the Heavenly Flames would be within reach.

But if Lin Ming fails... not only will he himself be devoured by the very essence of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, and his soul will most likely be completely consumed, but the dormant Three Thousand Burning Flame will also be completely awakened, and may even become more violent because of this battle. At that time, the price to pay for resealing it will probably be far beyond imagination!

However, if we were to forcibly interrupt him now... Lin Ming, who is currently in a deep soul connection, would be greatly affected by external interference, which could easily trigger a backlash of his Soul Power, with equally unimaginable consequences.

Looking at the strongest champion in the history of the Pill Gathering and an excellent candidate for the future Pill Tower Giant, Qiu Ling really couldn't bear to ruin such a brilliant talent because of his rash actions at this moment.

After much internal struggle, Elder Qiu Ling finally decided to wait and see for a while longer. He could only pray silently, hoping that Lin Ming's Spirit Realm Grand Perfection and that strange Dragon Seal could create a miracle.

"I hope you succeed... but if I sense your soul energy weakening rapidly, I may have no choice but to take action at the risk of harming you! After all, a damaged soul is better than losing your life!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anxiety, and turned to look at Cao Ying and Dan Chen, whose faces also wore worry. He said helplessly in a low voice, "Worrying now is useless. This kind of deep-seated soul battle is most vulnerable to external disturbance. Any disturbance to either of them will cause an energy backlash, with unimaginable consequences. Now... we can only wait for them to decide the outcome themselves..."

Xiao Yan, standing to the side, also clenched his fists slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Lin Ming's back.

He possesses multiple Heavenly Flames within his body, and his sensitivity to the relationships between Heavenly Flames is far more acute than that of ordinary people.

He could clearly sense that within the seemingly calm Giant Dragon's body, the terrifying energy that had been dormant like the deep sea was now stirring restlessly, like an awakened volcano. The surging energy, though sealed, surged and raged, causing the surrounding starlight to flicker uncertainly. A sense of impending doom and impending storm enveloped everyone's hearts.

"Everyone, stand back! Do not make a sound, and do not disturb Lin Ming in any way!" Elder Qiu Ling made a decisive decision and issued the order again, his voice filled with unquestionable authority.

Under the oppressive gaze of the Qiu Ling, Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Xiao Yan, and the others dared not voice any objections. They held their breath and cautiously retreated again, trying to stay as far away as possible from the Giant Dragon whose energy fluctuations were becoming increasingly unstable.

However, just as everyone's attention was drawn to Lin Ming and the Giant Dragon, Elder Qiu Ling had just turned his gaze away from the crowd, no one noticed that the last two "outstanding individuals" who had made it into the top ten of the Pill Gathering at the very back of the line exchanged a cold and enigmatic glance.

Immediately, the two men subtly clenched their hands within their sleeves, and a jade Jade Tablet, displaying a deep, shimmering silver hue, appeared in their palms. Without the slightest hesitation, they squeezed the Jade Tablet pendant tightly, crushing it to pieces!

"Snap!"

The crisp cracking sound was barely audible in this silent Star Domain.

But as the Jade Tablet shattered, an extremely powerful and pure Space Power, like a sleeping Fierce Beasts suddenly awakening, surged forth with a deafening roar! This force was so strong that it twisted and tore open a pitch-black Spatial Rift with unstable silver light flickering at its edges in the stable space beside the two of them!

Just as the rift stabilized, four figures, their entire bodies shrouded in wide black robes, revealing not a trace of their aura, silently stepped out of the Spatial Rift like ghosts.