Douluo: A Person in Peerless, Fake Gods Chapter 40

Just as the leader in black was about to close the distance, Ran Yuming suddenly flipped his wrist and produced a small, silver-white soul cannon.

"Damn it, it's you!"

The power of this soul cannon was only about seventy percent of a standard model, but it had the advantage of a shorter range and ease of concealment; it was more than enough to heavily wound an unsuspecting Soul Emperor and render him combat-ineffective.

"BOOM—"

Just as the leader in black was less than half a meter away from him, a scorching ball of light suddenly flew from his hand, erupting with a violent, shuddering blast.

The masked leader's pupils constricted sharply as he realized something was wrong.

But by the time he saw the muzzle and tried to dodge, it was already too late. The scorching orb blasted him backward, tearing a fist-sized bloody hole directly through his chest, and the archer behind him was unable to escape the same fate.

This was his trump card.

He knew his physical condition wouldn't allow him to escape the two men's pursuit, so he had planned this counter-kill while fleeing, even using the obstruction of the arrows as part of his ruse.

"..."

The young man in black put away the soul cannon and stepped forward, harvesting their lives one blade at a time.

With a flash of steel, blood sprayed everywhere; the two heavily wounded men had no power to resist and were finished off instantly.

One against two, a successful counter-kill!

Adding the three from the beginning, he had achieved a pseudo-penta-kill this time.

"Pfft—"

Suddenly, the young man's expression shifted. A metallic, fishy sweetness surged into his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His once-straight posture slumped, and he had to lean on his long blade to barely remain standing.

Clearly, using this soul tool was a burden on him as well.

He had been forcing himself while killing those two, and now that his adrenaline had faded, his spirit and energy visibly withered in an instant.

"Cough, cough—"

"No, I can't stay here..."

He mustered his remaining soul power and staggered away from the scene.

In the dense forest, a stumbling figure dragged his battered body, walking slowly.

"Can't..."

"Is this... it..."

He did not know how much time had passed. His body felt drained, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, making it impossible to take another step.

"Thud—"

With a muffled sound, the young man in black collapsed to the ground.

He struggled to lift his head and look around; at first, his vision was blurry, but then his sight was replaced by total darkness.

A wave of dizziness followed, and the next moment, he lost consciousness completely.

Meanwhile, the sky was growing dark.

Night had fallen, gradually shrouding the entire forest.

In the woods, Su Luoheng was still absorbing his second soul ring. From the bright light of dawn to the sparse stars of the night, three full hours had passed, yet he remained sitting cross-legged, motionless.

The pale purple soul ring emitted wisps of energy, all of which flowed into the martial soul projection behind him.

Although the absorption process had not yet concluded, his aura was steadily rising.

"Hum—"

Just then, the pale purple soul ring shuddered violently!

"Ah—"

The next moment, the soul ring vanished on the spot as its final essence surged into his body. The impact, which he had already grown accustomed to, suddenly doubled in intensity. Even with his prior preparations, he couldn't help but let out a painful groan. Cold sweat instantly covered Su Luoheng's forehead, his brows furrowed, his face twisted in agony, and his body began to tremble violently once more!

Clearly, the intensity of this scorching pain was extraordinary.

Even Su Luoheng, who had endured for nearly three hours, had almost failed to hold on!

Yet, he persisted.

His three hours of effort had not been in vain.

This was the final, critical moment of absorbing his second soul ring. A thousand-year-level second soul ring was beckoning to him, provided he could endure.

"Luoheng, hold on..."

Ran Yuming, who was guarding by his side, prayed silently for Su Luoheng.

However, sometimes, the heavens simply do not cooperate.

"Rumble—Rumble—"

At this moment, thunder roared across the sky without warning. The sky, which had been perfectly clear just a moment before, suddenly darkened as thick, heavy clouds gathered rapidly to shroud the bright, full moon. The drizzling sky was instantly cast into gloom, and amidst the flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, it felt as though a torrential downpour was about to unleash at any second.

"..."

Ran Yuming looked up at the sky, unable to stop his brows from knitting together.

Why did it have to happen at a time like this?

There had been no signs of such weather before. Just as success was within reach, the heavens had to go and throw a wrench in the works.

The greatest taboo when absorbing a soul ring is external interference. If a torrential downpour were to start now, it would be anything but good news for Su Luoheng, who was in the middle of his absorption!

"BOOM—"

Another thunderclap exploded overhead.

The rain instantly turned into a downpour, the droplets cascading down like a dense curtain of water.

It really did rain in the end.

"Sigh..."

At the thought of this, even Ran Yuming couldn't help but let out a soft sigh, thinking to himself: Su Luoheng, this child, truly has a rough road ahead of him while absorbing this second soul ring...

With the rain curtain already upon them, he naturally wouldn't just stand by idly.

Since he could not change the weather, he could only do his best to minimize its impact.

He flicked his wrist, and a bright silver disc appeared in his palm.

Ran Yuming gently tossed the disc into the air, where it hovered and spun rapidly. At the same time, it cast a soft, golden halo that centered on Su Luoheng, expanding a transparent, cicada-wing-thin protective barrier outward until it completely covered the two-meter radius around him.

The pouring rain slid right off the barrier. Su Luoheng remained unaffected, sitting cross-legged on the grass in silence as he continued to absorb the energy contained within his second soul ring.

Seeing this, Ran Yuming finally felt a little more at ease.

He continued to stand guard outside, ensuring that Su Luoheng would not be disturbed.

Although the space inside was large enough to hold them both, it was more prudent for him to protect from the outside. In the event of a sudden soul beast attack or some other crisis, it would be easier to resolve the situation immediately from the exterior.

"BOOM—"

Another thunderous roar echoed through the high heavens.

In that instant, a massive, suffocating pressure descended from the sky.

Ran Yuming's expression turned grave, his entire body tensing up.

A soul guidance cannon, nearly two meters long and about twenty centimeters in diameter, was already hoisted onto his right shoulder. With a mere thought, various long-range soul guidance devices deployed from his waist, arms, legs, and every other part of his body simultaneously, turning him into something akin to a metal fortress.

Under this pressure, Ran Yuming dared not be careless and immediately unleashed his full combat strength.

The moment he detected a crisis, every shell would be unleashed in an instant!

Yet Su Luoheng seemed completely unaware. He remained sitting on the grass, eyes closed, calmly and diligently absorbing the remaining power of the soul ring.

"..."

Time ticked away, second by second.

Under the extreme tension and high pressure, beads of sweat began to trickle down Ran Yuming's forehead.

Still, he dared not slacken in the slightest, maintaining a state of high alert.

Every moment felt like a year.

Come to think of it, I shouldn't have chosen this location. All the common problems one encounters while absorbing a soul ring have piled up at once this time. If it weren't for the fact that my disciple is at a critical juncture in absorbing his second soul ring, I would have already grabbed Su Luoheng and fled this godforsaken place!

But he couldn't leave now; he could only hope that this pressure would pass them by.

However, sometimes the things you fear most are exactly what come to pass!

"BOOM—"

Another thunderclap struck.

Ran Yuming instantly braced himself as if facing a formidable enemy. Although there was nothing unusual to be seen, he could feel a terrifying pressure closing in!

"It seems there's no avoiding this!"

A cold glint flashed through Ran Yuming's deep, dark eyes as he gripped his weapon and whispered to himself.

No matter what, as long as he was standing here, he had to protect his disciple. This was his duty as a master.

However, just as he prepared to engage in battle, the powerful sense of oppression suddenly vanished without a trace. It disappeared as completely as if it had never existed, leaving him no time to react.

"Hm?"

Ran Yuming stood frozen in place, looking around suspiciously.

Yet, aside from the pattering of the light rain, where was the pressure from just a moment ago?

Ran Yuming frowned and pondered: Could it be... that my senses were wrong?

After another thorough search, he still found nothing.

"Perhaps I sensed it wrong. I really am losing my touch as I get older..."

Ran Yuming rubbed his temples in suspicion. Perhaps he truly had misperceived it; otherwise, how could that sense of oppression have vanished without a trace so suddenly?

Regardless, the disturbance had passed, so Ran Yuming did not dwell on it further.

He deactivated the combat mode of his soul guidance device and continued to stand guard beside Su Luoheng.

Yet, Ran Yuming failed to notice!

At the very moment the pressure vanished, a wisp of dark gray energy arrived before the protective barrier. The soul guidance shield, capable of withstanding the assault of a ten-thousand-year soul beast for a quarter of an hour, proved completely ineffective against it. The hazy shadow, as if possessing a spirit of its own, passed through the barrier with ease and merged into Su Luoheng's body without a moment's hesitation.

The entire process was silent and soundless, remaining completely undetected by anyone.

Meanwhile, within the sea of consciousness.

Su Luoheng was unaware of everything occurring in the outside world; he was still locked in a struggle against the lingering remnant of the Red Gold Bear.

Although the remnant of the thousand-year Red Gold Bear was not weak, it lacked stamina and could only vent its fury for a short time.

Once Su Luoheng withstood its first wave of impact, the remnant of the thousand-year Red Gold Bear no longer posed any threat to him; instead, it became nourishment for enhancing his mental power.

"Roar!"

The remnant of the Red Gold Bear let out a roar of unwillingness.

However, the outcome remained the same as it was shattered by Su Luoheng once again, with portions of the remnant converting into pure mental energy, continuously strengthening Su Luoheng's mental power.

As time passed and the tides turned, the scales of victory had already begun to tip.

Yet, just as everything was developing in a direction favorable to Su Luoheng, a massive pressure quietly descended upon the sea of consciousness.

By the time Su Luoheng realized something was wrong, the entire sea of consciousness was shrouded in a layer of gray mist! This pressure was far beyond anything the previous impact of the thousand-year Red Gold Bear's remnant could compare to. Both his own mental power and the Red Gold Bear's remnant were suppressed, unable to move, and he found himself powerless to drive them out.