第35章 压制邪魂

The entire arena fell into absolute silence.

Everyone present widened their eyes, staring blankly at the stage, their breathing completely stalled.

A second spirit! A spirit-exclusive domain!

That scene was incredibly clear, imprinted into everyone's eyes without any obstruction.

Following closely behind, the power of the domain spread quietly, even more overbearing than when it had first awakened.

His Heartbroken Red Domain had not been this powerful before, but after his own obsessions and hatred were amplified several times by his spirit power, both the domain and his spirit had undergone invisible changes.

The stronger his emotions, the stronger the domain; the more he suppressed his desires, the less he could summon his spirit.

This was not only an advantage but also a flaw that could manifest at any time.

On the field.

The power of the domain permeated everyone's spirit layer by layer, hooking into the deepest desires within their hearts.

Ma Xiaotao, Gongyang Mo, and all the teachers present felt it most vividly and clearly.

The moment the domain unfolded, their minds seemed to sink together into this boundless ocean of red illusions.

Ma Xiaotao was young and had spent these years bitterly suppressing the evil fire within her body.

This time, relying on constant cultivation, she had finally shaken off the trouble of the evil fire's backlash, and her path of cultivation had been smoother than ever before.

Her spirit power progress had advanced by leaps and bounds, even faintly surpassing Yue Ling, and she had always been secretly proud of this, enjoying the recognition and admiration of her companions.

At this moment, she subconsciously raised her snow-white neck haughtily, thinking about comforting Yue Ling, whose spirit power was lower than hers, later on.

But the next second, endless scorching evil fire suddenly surged out from the depths of her spirit power, crazily burning her meridians and soul.

Excruciating pain swept through her entire body instantly!

Ma Xiaotao could not help but scream, her heart shrouded in extreme fear.

She desperately wanted to call for her teacher or her companions, but no matter how she tried to speak, she received no response.

She could only be alone, trapped in this scorching sea of fire illusion, endlessly enduring the pain of the evil fire devouring her heart.

On the other side, Gongyang Mo, who looked gentle and mild, was actually exceptionally resilient in character.

Since his spirit awakened, he had always hidden an obsession and unwillingness in his heart.

He envied those spirit masters who possessed assault-type spirits and could fight head-on.

Although his Rainbow Dragon was a noble and rare dragon-type beast spirit with extraordinary innate talent—for there were no weak dragon-type spirits in the world—he had always been just a support-type spirit master.

Here, his spirit had mutated into a formidable assault-type form, allowing him to experience the taste of controlling ultimate power and fighting wantonly.

During that time, he had fought alongside Yue Ling and Ma Xiaotao, winning the Freshman Elimination Tournament championship, being favored by countless teachers, and praised by fellow students.

Applause and praise followed one after another; he had once become flamboyant and confident, the pride in his heart reaching its peak.

But this highlight was fleeting, and his spirit eventually returned to its original support form.

Possessing it briefly and then suddenly losing it—this gap became the deepest obsession and regret in his heart.

The Heartbroken Red Domain that Yue Ling released at this moment was extremely special.

It could not be blocked by spirit power, could not be broken by spiritual skills, and would not imprison anyone's physical body. Everyone within the domain was incredibly clear-headed.

Yet, no one was willing to break free, nor could they bear to wake up.

This domain did not attack the body or destroy spirit power; it only precisely hooked out the purest obsessions and emotions hidden in the deepest parts of a person's heart.

If one had love in their heart, they would drown in the gentle illusion; if one had obsessions, they would sink into the illusion of perfection.

Until all the hatred, resentment, and regrets in one's heart surfaced, the illusory perfection was completely shattered, and the extreme sense of disparity instantly shrouded the whole body, turning into an invisible spiritual cage, locking tightly onto everyone's heart.

Sink...

Accept it...

Love and hate intertwined, truth and falsehood indistinguishable.

This was the true terror of the Heartbroken Red Domain.

Yan Shaozhe, on the high platform, felt it most thoroughly.

His pupils contracted suddenly, and his eyes widened sharply.

In the illusion, the young Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Feng Ling from their first meeting—the three figures he thought of day and night—slowly appeared by his side.

The three of them had gentle expressions, their eyes carrying a faint spring-like charm, their cheeks flushed with a light crimson. Their affectionate gazes fell entirely upon him, each with her own grace and peerless beauty.

Yan Shaozhe's mind completely lost its defense; he subconsciously dissipated his own spirit, his gaze fixed firmly on Xian Lin'er, unable to move away even a fraction.

He stepped forward slowly, his hands trembling slightly, carrying his full heart of guilt and remorse as he reached out.

"Lin'er, you... have you forgiven me?"

Xian Lin'er's face was as tender as water. She did not answer, nor did she reach out to respond; she only lifted her hand gently, hooking his chin as they gazed at each other.

The tenderness in her eyes struck the softest part of his heart.

Even though he knew everything before him was an illusion, his mind had already fallen, completely controlled by the domain.

Cai Mei'er and Feng Ling slowly approached, their gentleness lingering around him, the warmth wrapping around his body and mind, making him willing to drown in it, unwilling to wake up.

Everyone in the arena sank into the illusion, except for Elder Xuan, who stood in place from beginning to end, his mind as steady as a rock, not stirring a single ripple.

Nearly two hundred years of ups and downs, the world's love, hate, obsession, and resentment could no longer easily shake his heart.

Elder Xuan's gaze was sharp, staring unblinkingly at Yue Ling in the center of the black mist, not daring to relax for a moment, constantly guarding against any more extreme changes from the evil soul remnant.

No one knew that this Love-Sickness Heartbreak Red was born from the world's most extreme deep affection and obsession, naturally restraining all evil spirits, baleful energy, and resentment; it was the natural nemesis of all darkness.

Inside Yue Ling's spiritual sea.

The surging hatred, evil energy, and the evil soul's intent attached to the depths of his soul were all drawn out by the power of the Love-Sickness Heartbreak Red.

The immortal flower petals trembled gently, like a whale swallowing the sea, forcibly absorbing all the negative energy that was eroding his soul.

Those pitch-black baleful energies that could tear apart the mind and corrode the soul, carrying rich evil spirit power, were tightly wrapped by layers of crimson petals, settling and being continuously purified.

In the end, all the filthy evil power condensed and gathered, forming a spirit ring as fresh as blood around Yue Ling.

This spirit ring was completely different from the hundred-thousand-year spirit rings obtained by hunting spirit beasts.

Looking closely, one could clearly perceive that its color was richer, brighter, and shockingly red.

Elder Xuan had lived for nearly two hundred years and had seen all the wonders of the continent, but at this moment, he also widened his eyes, full of disbelief, completely unable to understand this heaven-defying phenomenon.

In the spiritual sea, the remnant soul that had been roaring wantonly, attempting to completely possess him, seemed to have collided with its innate nemesis.

All the hatred, baleful energy, and evil thoughts that supported its existence and growth were instantly drained by more than half at this moment!

"What?! Impossible! My power of hatred... my soul power is weakening! My spirit power... no--!!"

The evil soul's unwilling and shocked roar exploded in Yue Ling's spiritual sea.

It had been relying on absorbing the hatred and negative emotions in Yue Ling's heart to grow, and it was only one step away from completely possessing and controlling his body.

But no one expected that Yue Ling's Love-Sickness Heartbreak Red could use his own obsession to reverse-devour and suppress all the evil origins it relied on to survive!

Losing all supply of negative emotions, the power of the evil soul remnant plummeted like a cliff, and the nearly completed possession and erosion were forcibly interrupted.

Under Yue Ling's feet, the nine spirit rings—one yellow, three purple, and five black—that had just appeared out of thin air, flickered and faded rapidly, layer by layer, until they completely disappeared into his body.

The phenomena around him vanished, and his spirit rings returned to their normal appearance of one yellow and two purple.

The Love-Sickness Heartbreak Red, radiating a soft glow, hovered steadily, locking onto the remaining evil soul fragments, forcibly suppressing this strand of evil power that had nearly caused chaos, and driving it back into the deepest part of his spiritual sea, completely imprisoning it.

A weak, hoarse, and intermittent sound was squeezed out of Yue Ling's constricted, dry throat with difficulty.

"First spirit skill, One Inch of Lovesickness... One Inch of Sorrow, A Strand of Remnant Thought... Breaks One's Heart."

"Sorrow..."

The newly born blood-colored spirit ring lit up suddenly, and a brilliant crimson light bloomed from the depths of Yue Ling's soul.

Countless thin, fragmented petal phantoms drifted and spread slowly in his spiritual sea.

The power of extreme loneliness and extreme grief instantly permeated his limbs and bones, making Yue Ling feel as if his body were hollow and his soul drained, as if most of his soul had been instantly emptied.

He saw the moment the whole village was excited about his twin spirits awakening, the moment the village was slaughtered by the evil soul master, and the moment his parents fell.

All the scenes pierced into that bright red, beating heart like a shattered mirror.

This spirit skill never directly tore the evil soul apart violently, but it could turn into an invisible and intangible shackle with the deepest longing and the most painful obsession.

Under the blessing of the domain, every crimson petal here was incredibly precise, entangling and imprisoning the evil thought fragments fleeing in all directions.

It dragged all the evil power left by the evil soul master, as well as all the crazy obsessions of slaughter, resentment, and plunder deep in his heart, into the boundless illusion of sorrow.

The pitch-black evil thoughts that had been raging and surging instantly froze like ice, completely stopping and solidifying.

"No... impossible! How could you have a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring? This is impossible..."

The roar of the evil soul remnant became weaker and more muffled.

Layer upon layer of crimson petals tightened and wrapped, binding the struggling evil waves tightly, grinding away its power bit by bit.

Yue Ling's forehead was covered in dense cold sweat, his face as pale as paper.

His soul was enduring the extreme pain of the spirit skill's backlash; the despair and pain of losing his parents in childhood replayed over and over in his mind, crazily stinging his consciousness.

To hurt others is to hurt oneself; the price of this spirit skill was to bear the pain with one's own body.

He bit his teeth tightly, his jaw tensed until it trembled slightly, forcibly carrying the dual agony of his soul being torn apart, continuously urging the power of the spirit skill to tighten all the shackles.

The crimson petals filling the sky slowly gathered inward, converging to completely suppress the last strand of unwillingly struggling remnant soul and all evil obsessions into the deepest corner of his soul, leaving it completely silent and unable to cause any more chaos.

The pitch-black baleful energy raging in the spiritual sea dissipated, leaving only that strand of remnant soul.

The evil fluctuations that had just been on the verge of complete loss of control and possession faded and dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Yue Ling's figure trembled slightly, and the palpitating, cold, and terrifying evil aura around him vanished completely.

He held the blood-red Love-Sickness Heartbreak Red steadily in his palm, and that unique blood-colored spirit ring floated quietly beneath him, with a warm, flowing light circulating.

His eyes, which had been hollow and unfocused, gradually shed their confusion and regained their clarity and brightness.

Only his eyes were filled with fine red bloodshot lines, hiding the extreme fatigue and soreness after experiencing a life-and-death struggle.

His own consciousness finally returned to full control.

The endless torture in the illusion, the evil soul's constant whispering and bewitchment, the despair of being on the verge of complete sinking—all the scenes, all the pain, he remembered clearly and etched into his heart.

It was his own second spirit, this Love-Sickness spirit skill of saving oneself with oneself, that had forcibly devoured, purified, and suppressed the remnant soul.

The evil soul master had failed to possess him, failed to cause chaos in the world, and failed to harm anyone present.

The darkness dispersed, and the light returned.

Yue Ling was still Yue Ling.

On the high platform, Elder Xuan's body, which had been tensed to the limit, suddenly relaxed, and the heart that had been hanging in his throat finally landed.

The massive spirit phantom he had spread around his body slowly retracted into his body, and the terrifying pressure that had shrouded the entire arena dissipated bit by bit.

His eyes surged with overwhelming lingering fear, and even more, with extreme shock that could not be concealed.

Everyone was immersed in the aftertaste of the illusion, none of them awake.

No one had expected that in this life-and-death crisis capable of overturning everything, the one who finally saved Yue Ling and defeated the darkness was not someone else, but himself.