Han Yu gave his forehead a light shake. Thanks to his powerful mental strength, he quickly recovered from his dizziness.
He took a deep breath, met Qian Renxue's gaze head-on, and slowly stepped forward.
Qian Renxue's face was full of confusion, her lips pursed slightly.
She didn't understand.
Was Han Yu really not afraid of dying? What was wrong with following her? The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could offer him, and so could Spirit Hall.
Her heart was torn. As Han Yu drew closer, the irritation on her face grew, and she raised the Angel Holy Sword and swung it at him.
Clang—.
The Angel Holy Sword was stopped by a hard object.
Qian Renxue's head snapped around. Her eyes fixed on the azure sword in Han Yu's hand, and her lips parted slightly in shock. Her voice trembled as she said, "You have Twin Martial Souls."
The corners of her mouth twitched upward, and she laughed with delight. "Haha, that explains it. That's it. So that's how you cultivated your sword intent."
She watched Han Yu with burning eyes. Her throat bobbed, her breathing quickened, and she looked at him as if he were a priceless treasure.
Han Yu's gaze sharpened. He turned his wrist, and Evil-Warding Divine Thunder flared around the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords. His body became a golden arc of lightning, and in almost an instant, he darted into the opening of Thunder Escape.
Boom—.
Qian Renxue's laughter abruptly stopped. A heavy blow struck her back, scorching several patches on her Six-Winged Angel. She crashed through several giant trees before finally steadying herself.
"Han Yu, I recognize you as my opponent now." Qian Renxue's eyes gleamed. A faint flush rose on her face, making her look unusually exhilarated as she spoke with delight.
Her Martial Soul was the divine-grade Six-Winged Angel. Upon awakening, she had reached innate full Soul Power at rank twenty. She had grown up under the guidance of several enshrined elders, choosing the best Soul Skills for her Soul Rings according to her family's legacy. She had even absorbed several Soul Bones, each 99,999 years old, known as the Angel God Bone set.
The first half of her life had been dull. None of her peers could match her or stir even the slightest interest in her.
Only Han Yu—a sword genius with Twin Martial Souls who had frustrated her again and again, and now revealed his true strength—had stirred her blood for the first time. He let her throw herself into battle, meet a worthy opponent, and savor the fight.
"Han Yu, I am Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden and the granddaughter of the Great Enshrined of the Worship Hall. Join Spirit Hall, and you'll become its Holy Son, revered by every Soul Master on the continent," Qian Renxue said quickly.
She revealed her identity, eagerly awaiting Han Yu's agreement.
Han Yu simply shook his head. In silence, he raised the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords upright, pointing them toward the sky.
"Killing Sword Intent, Giant Sword Technique."
He sent the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords soaring into the air, where they transformed into countless sword images.
Countless azure sword images converged, forming a huge, brilliant sword of interwoven gold and azure that hung in the sky before crashing down toward Qian Renxue.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Holy Sword."
The phantom behind Qian Renxue formed a golden sword in its hand. Wreathed in Holy Fire, it slashed at the azure giant sword.
Boom—.
The giant trees all around fell as the two attacks canceled each other out.
"It's useless. Give up. Your Soul Power is too low; you can't defeat me. Come back to Spirit Hall with me." Qian Renxue smiled confidently and strolled toward Han Yu as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard.
Han Yu gave a soft snort and said with a teasing lilt, "Is that so?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Martial Soul of the Mystic Array Disk appeared in his left hand and began to turn slowly, drawing the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords closer.
Countless azure phantoms scattered around them, seemingly without any pattern.
An array abruptly took shape, centered on Han Yu and enveloping Qian Renxue.
All the azure phantoms solidified at once, splitting apart again and again until they became a vast expanse of azure sword images, their tips all pointing at Qian Renxue.
"What!?" Qian Renxue cried out.
The next moment.
Clang, clang, clang—.
Every sword image in the array shot toward Qian Renxue, easily shattering her golden shield.
Deep wounds appeared across her body and Six-Winged Angel. She dropped to one knee, staining the ground with a large pool of gold. Her eyes filled with horror as she stared at Han Yu in disbelief.
She couldn't understand it. Han Yu was only a Soul Elder, so how could he possess a Soul Skill with such terrifying destructive power? Why did he have one method after another, making her stumble time and time again?
What she found hardest to bear was Han Yu's earlier contempt. He had toyed with her using only one Martial Soul.
"Did you look down on me that much before?" Qian Renxue asked, her expression stricken with grief and anger, a trace of hatred in her voice.
Han Yu didn't answer. He turned, scooped Ye Lingling into his arms, and beat his Wind-Thunder Wings, soaring into the air.
Suddenly, a burly figure shot toward them from afar.
Golden Crocodile Douluo charged at full speed, his face furious, leaving Chen Xin far behind.
He stared at Han Yu as he rose into the air, raised his massive hand, and brought down a gigantic golden palm.
"No! Don't kill him!" Qian Renxue shouted, her voice cutting short.
But it was too late. The golden palm was already before Han Yu. Its terrifying pressure left him unable to move, and the space around him was locked down. He couldn't use Thunder Escape to travel through it.
"Die!" Golden Crocodile Douluo roared.
Han Yu remained calm and let out a soft sigh, ready to face death without flinching.
Then he suddenly sensed an unknown spatial node within the stormcloud above his head, a place where he could use Thunder Escape.
His eyes flickered. Under normal circumstances, space was always stable, but hidden, unknown spaces could become chaotic. Even a Titled Douluo who accidentally stumbled into one could be instantly torn apart by spatial forces.
But he had no choice. Feeling the Soul Power fluctuations at arm's length, he glanced at Chen Xin approaching on his sword and smiled faintly. Then he turned and darted into the golden opening, traveling into the thunderstorm.
The giant golden palm crashed down.
Han Yu and Ye Lingling vanished.
Qian Renxue pressed her red lips together, her nails digging into the dirt as she stared blankly at the place where Han Yu had disappeared.
In an unknown space.
As soon as Han Yu emerged from the opening, he immediately took Ye Lingling and escaped through another one.
After darting through several times without finding any danger, he steadied himself in midair and stared around with wide eyes.
Boundless silver thunderclouds hung low overhead.
Below them stretched a scorched, glassy wasteland, riddled with cobweb-like cracks and dotted with the remains of countless giant trees. Not a living creature could be seen.
Only a few bizarre plants survived.
Their skins bore eerie, deep-purple patterns. Vines bristling with sharp thorns floated in the air, catching scattered lightning. Each time they stretched and recoiled, sparks crackled around them.
At the very center of the space, the thunderclouds hung lowest and thickest, gathering into a roiling Thunder Pool.
Bright silver lightning poured down from the clouds like waterfalls, endlessly feeding into the pool.
A single plant there was the thickest of them all. Its entire body was streaked with gold, and it swayed gently amid the raging lightning, silently waving its vines as it absorbed the energy around it.