Breakthrough
Xiao Xuan's lips curled slightly, and the moment his right hand reached out to grasp, the soul spear that was piercing through the air with a sharp whistling sound froze in mid-air.
With a flick of his wide sleeves, the spear suddenly turned, and a ghostly blue flame suddenly rose from the tip—a phenomenon clearly the burning of the Soul Origin, carrying an even more ferocious power than when it came, transforming into a stream of light that tore through space and stabbed back out.
"Laugh--"
The moment the flaming spear pierced the sky, the flames on its shaft suddenly surged like wildfire.
The colossal, sky-covering face of the soul let out a shrill roar, and the flames, upon touching it, spread wildly across its surface like boiling oil poured on snow, at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This burning, originating from the Soul Origin, is nothing short of the most deadly poison for the Soul of the Sky Tomb, which is composed of pure energy.
Above the heavens, the giant face twisted violently in the dark blue sea of fire, and the space within a radius of a thousand miles rippled due to the violent surge of the Soul Origin.
Countless energy entities fled in panic, and those wandering soul points scattered like frightened fireflies in the raging Soul Storm.
Only the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame surrounding Xiao Yan formed a barrier, completely isolating him from the oncoming soul impact. He stared intently at the surging sea of fire.
At this moment, the soul pressure emanating from Xiao Xuan had broken through a certain critical point. Even with his perception, he could not reach the end of this power.
"Xiao Xuan! How dare you..."
A furious roar came from the flames from the Soul of the Sky Tomb. Its distorted face gradually collapsed into a human shape, and its scarlet eyes shot out a tangible killing intent.
But it was met with an even fiercer attack. Xiao Xuan's hands formed hand seals so fast that they were just afterimages. Streams of fiery runes burst forth from his fingertips, weaving together in the void to form a massive, hundred-foot-diameter Heaven-Burning Formation.
The moment the array patterns took shape, countless fire lines fell like a reversed Milky Way, instantly piercing through the energy core of the Soul of the Sky Tomb.
"Sizzle--"
The sound of the fire piercing through the soul was teeth-grinding; the black mist surging around the Soul of the Sky Tomb vaporized and dissipated the moment it touched the fire.
It frantically urged its Soul Origin to break through the seal, each soul fluctuation enough to tear space apart. Yet those seemingly slender fire lines were like the most resilient shackles, remaining unmoved no matter how it was attacked, instead devouring all the raging soul energy.
"How dare you speak so presumptuously, you mere remnant soul?" Xiao Xuan stood at the center of the formation, his robes unmoved by the Soul Storm. His gaze swept over the enemy bound by fire chains. "What could suppress you for a thousand years back then, I can make you vanish completely today."
His voice was calm and unhurried, yet it carried a chilling majesty. Even though he was just a wisp of a soul, this powerful figure who had once stepped into the Dou Emperor Domain still exuded an air of dominance over the world in every gesture.
Xiao Yan stared at the increasingly illusory figure amidst the sea of fire, his clenched knuckles turning white from the force.
He knew better than anyone what this state meant—when the Soul Origin was burned out, that would be the day Xiao Xuan completely vanished from the world.
At this moment, Xiao Xuan was surrounded by profound soul runes, and with each breath he drew upon the energy of heaven and earth, as if he were recreating the unparalleled style that had dominated an era.
"Xiao Xuan! Stop! We have no blood feud!"
The roar of the Soul of the Sky Tomb suddenly turned into a rapid howl, and its face, pierced by the fire line, twitched violently.
It knew that Xiao Xuan had burned his Soul Origin to its limit at this moment, and that power beyond the peak was something it could not contend with. But as long as it could endure this moment and wait for Xiao Xuan's soul fire to burn out, the outcome would be reversed.
"Want to negotiate?" Xiao Xuan's lips curled into a cold smile, and his hand seals suddenly changed.
As the void trembled, thousands of fire lines suddenly burrowed into the Soul of the Sky Tomb like venomous snakes, each fire line ending with a scarlet dot of light.
With a teeth-grinding tearing sound, a glass halo about ten feet in diameter was forcibly ripped from its soul. Before the starlight flowing around the edge of the halo had dissipated, a vast, ocean-like pressure of soul power poured down.
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted sharply, and his fingertips involuntarily reached out towards the floating halo of light.
A warm current, like melting snow in spring, seeped into the Soul Origin, and in a trance, one could almost hear billions of souls cheering and leaping for joy—the purity of this essence was truly terrifying!
"This is the core that has suppressed the Sky Tomb for ten thousand years...?" His Adam's apple bobbed, and the moment his fingertips lightly touched the halo, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame around him spontaneously swirled into a lotus platform, as if paying homage to some supreme being.
"Xiao Xuan! The Sky Tomb Origin is yours! I'll even give you my original soul crystal!" The Soul of the Sky Tomb roared, its voice trembling with tears, and spiderweb-like cracks began to appear on its surface. It finally saw the determination in Xiao Xuan's eyes—this madman had no intention of sparing its life!
However, it was met with an even more ferocious devouring force.
The line of fire tightened abruptly, tearing the shimmering light wheel more than three inches out. The Soul of the Sky Tomb's scream instantly transformed into a dying beast's howl. Countless fragments of memory scattered as its origin was stripped away: how it devoured tomb raiders of past generations, how it constructed its soul labyrinth, how...
You deserve to die.
Xiao Xuan suddenly pointed his fingers together to form a sword, and the flames that burst from his fingertips scorched the void.
A ghostly blue flame suddenly ignited deep within the soul of the Soul of the Sky Tomb —this monstrous creature was actually forced to spontaneously combust its Soul Origin!
"Too late."
Before the indifferent words had even finished, a colossal hand that blotted out the sky had already slammed down.
The soul pressure contained in the palm strike extinguished the flame directly, and the glazed light wheel emitted a crisp hum, completely breaking free from the shackles of the Soul of the Sky Tomb.
"Give me back to my original self!!!"
The soul suddenly collapsed into a black shadow about ten feet long, Soul of the Sky Tomb used its last strength to rush towards the light wheel.
But what greeted it was Soul Storm stirred up by Xiao Xuan's flick of his sleeve. The remnant soul plummeted to the ground like a kite with a broken string. Before the fragments of soul power scattered along the way could even land, they were frantically torn apart and devoured by the energy bodies watching from afar.
"Why...?"
The dark figure twisted and contorted in the torrent of energy, eventually transforming into a semi-transparent humanoid who knelt and roared.
Xiao Xuan had already turned around, and the glazed light wheel slowly rotated in his palm. With each rotation, countless soul runes appeared, and the light wheel suddenly burst forth with ten thousand feet of golden light.
Those remnant souls imprisoned by the Soul of the Sky Tomb for ten thousand years surged out from the golden light, transforming into countless arrows of light that pierced through the shadows.
Amidst the mournful howls, the Soul of the Sky Tomb crumbled layer by layer like a sandcastle, eventually turning into stardust and dissipating into the void.
As Xiao Yan gazed at the pulsating light wheel in his palm, he suddenly heard countless whispers of souls in his ear.
He turned to look at Xiao Xuan, only to see the latter's figure blurring at a visible speed, with only the relieved smile on his lips becoming clearer.
"No--!!!"
A mournful wail shattered the void, and the tattered soul of the Soul of the Sky Tomb trembled violently in the torrent of energy.
Countless energy entities tore at its body like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey. The remnant souls that it had once devoured were now transformed into the sharpest blades, dismembering this overlord who had suppressed the Sky Tomb for ten thousand years.
In the end, a wisp of remnant soul flickered like a candle in the fierce wind, and in an instant turned into green smoke and dissipated, leaving not a trace.
The world suddenly fell silent.
Those energy beings with bloodshot eyes suddenly froze in place, the blood-red light in their eyes receding like a tide.
They stared blankly at the remaining fragments of soul power in their palms, then looked up at the figure in green robes in the sky. They all knelt down in unison, and countless soul lights converged into a river, weaving a dazzling star path in the void.
Xiao Xuan, however, seemed oblivious to this magnificent sight. A glass halo, about ten feet in diameter, floated in his palm, its inner swirling galaxy seemingly containing the souls of countless living beings.
He looked down at the tall, spear-like figure, a smile playing on his lips, "Little guy, you've done what you were supposed to do. The rest... well, let's see how far you can go."
"This is the Myriad Souls Crystal, keep it safe." Xiao Xuan's voice carried a hint of relief, but his figure became increasingly ethereal. "The Emperor Realm that I failed to break through back then, perhaps... can be seen in you."
Xiao Xuan sat cross-legged outside the halo of light, his green robe fluttering in the strong wind.
His gaze swept over the restless energy bodies below, and the spirits scattered and fled like startled birds.
He chuckled and shook his head, but his fingertips quietly formed a profound hand seal—around the Myriad Souls Crystal, an invisible barrier quietly appeared, blocking all covetous gazes.
Chaos as dark as ink, the roar of the waves shakes the soul.
Xiao Yan in the void, looking at the surging Soul Sea beneath his feet, his heart trembling violently.
This isn't the interior of a halo at all; it's clearly a vast ocean constructed from the pure Soul Origin!
Every wave contained the remnant soul of Dou Sheng Expert, and every vortex carried a gale powerful enough to tear apart the soul of the Heaven Realm expert.
"What Soul of the Sky Tomb ..." he murmured to himself, his fingertips lightly touching the surface of the sea.
In an instant, millions of soul sounds exploded in the sea of consciousness, and the obsessions of countless powerful beings before their death surged forth like a torrent.
There was the sword intent of a sword cultivator's unwillingness before death, the resolute determination of a pill saint to burn his pill and self-destruct, and even... there were a few familiar auras, clearly belonging to the ancestors of the Xiao Clan!
"Emperor-Realm Soul..." Xiao Yan took a deep breath, and the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame around his body suddenly surged.
He leaped into the Soul Sea, letting the fierce winds, powerful enough to crush ordinary souls, lash his body.
The excruciating pain felt like a thousand ants gnawing at his heart, yet an unprecedented light shone in his eyes—this kind of tempering was the only chance to break through!
From the depths of the Soul Sea, the faint sounds of dragons roaring and phoenixes singing could be heard.
Xiao Yan's Soul Origin floated and sank in the waves, sometimes transforming into towering mountains, sometimes condensing into ferocious beasts, and finally slowly gathering into a golden figure that reached the heavens and the earth.
The moment the figure opened its eyes, the entire Soul Sea suddenly calmed down, and billions of remnant souls bowed their heads in unison, as if paying homage to a new ruler.
In the sky, Xiao Xuan gazed at the golden light that pierced the clouds, a smile deepening on his lips.
He looked down at his increasingly transparent palm, then suddenly raised his hand and lightly tapped the void. "... It's time to rest." Before he finished speaking, his figure had already transformed into a shower of light, all of which disappeared into the dazzling halo.
"So it turns out that our ancestor ignited his soul fire... just to break through this desperate situation."
Cold sweat beaded on Xiao Yan's palms, his knuckles turning white from the force. Only now did he truly understand why Xiao Xuan had risked his life the moment he appeared—when the Soul of the Sky Tomb manifested that day, the entire void was twisted into a vortex under its pressure, and even the soul of Dou Sheng Expert was as fragile as an ant in front of such an existence.
"Soul Sea accumulated over millennia..." His Adam's apple bobbed as he gazed at the surging tide of souls around him, a scorching fire burning deep within his pupils.
If such secrets were to leak out, not only would the various tribes of Central Plains go mad, but even the ancient monsters of the Ancient Eight Clans who had secluded themselves in seclusion would go crazy.
It is said that the Emperor-Realm Soul expert can glimpse the laws of heaven and earth, and this vast ocean of soul power before us is clearly a path to that realm!
"An opportunity that our ancestors risked their lives for..." Xiao Yan bit his tongue, the metallic taste exploding in his mouth.
He knew all too well the price Xiao Xuan paid for burning his very essence—not only would his soul be scattered, but he would also be condemned to eternal damnation.
Somewhere in the void, he seemed to see that green-robed figure melting away in the sea of fire, yet still using the power of her remnant soul to hold up this barrier for him.
Xiao Yan suddenly looked up, his fingertips creating ripples as they swept across the void. The tides of his Soul Sea rose and fell at a snail's pace, and even the sound of waves crashing against the shore had a sluggish rhythm.
This space is clearly a condensed Soul Domain of the Sky Tomb's core, and the distortion of the laws of time means that he has a refining opportunity that is a hundred times greater than that of the outside world!
"The Sky Tomb..."
Xiao Yan chuckled softly, but his eyes were bloodshot.
He suddenly shattered the void, his figure falling into the Soul Sea like a meteor, instantly stirring up a towering white wave.
At the center of his brow, the golden Soul Origin exploded, transforming into a towering golden body thousands of feet tall. Emperor Flame surged from the seven orifices of the golden body, instantly dyeing the entire sea area with a magnificent color.
"Boom!"
A dragon's roar echoed from the depths of the Soul Sea, and nine thousand-foot-long vortexes rose from beneath the golden body's feet.
A torrent of soul power, formed from the remnants of countless powerful beings, surged against the heavens, transforming into a hundred-foot-tall water column that crashed into the golden body.
But when the pitch-black soul water touched the demonic fire, it melted away like snow meeting the morning sun, turning into wisps of green smoke that rose up and then condensed into a sky full of stars in mid-air.
"Too many impurities..."
Xiao Yan frowned slightly, and his golden body formed profound hand seals.
In an instant, the Emperor Flame transformed into countless chains of fire that pierced through the Soul Sea, with each chain ending in a dazzling Fire Lotus.
Where the Fire Lotus bloomed, the pitch-black soul water, like boiling water poured onto snow, was instantly refined into a clear, crystalline stream, flowing back into the golden body along the fire chains.
Xiao Yan's mind stirred slightly, and a flame mark suddenly lit up between his brows.
Huo Ling the size of a palm leaped out of the seal and swallowed the crystalline stream that filled the sky.
The flames around its body suddenly surged threefold, transforming into a dazzling inferno that blotted out the sky. Each flap of its wings caused the Soul Sea to surge, drawing all the soul power within a radius of ten thousand miles into the refining vortex.
"Not enough..."
Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes, and his golden pupils burst forth with a golden light that was several feet long.
He raised his hand and tore open the void, forcibly pulling the torrent of soul power from the outer layer of the Sky Tomb into this realm.
In an instant, the Soul Sea surged more than tenfold, with pitch-black waves obscuring the sky and the sun. Within it, the faint phantom of the remnant soul of an ancient Dou Sheng could be seen roaring and struggling.
"Good timing!"
Xiao Yan let out a long roar, and his golden body exploded into billions of points of light. The Emperor Flame transformed into a sea of fire that swept across the eight wastelands, and each flame became a miniature alchemy furnace, devouring all the overwhelming soul power.
Deep within the Soul Sea, Xiao Yan's Soul Origin has transformed into a crimson-gold sun.
With each inhalation and exhalation, countless torrents of soul power flow into it, and the Emperor Runes flowing on its surface are spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye.
When the ninth layer of Emperor Runes completely solidified, the entire Soul Sea suddenly fell silent, with only Xiao Yan's clear laughter echoing in the void:
"Emperor-Realm Soul... So that's how it is!"
A colossal phantom of a soul sat cross-legged on the ocean, with thick clouds obscuring the entire world. The phantom of the soul became increasingly solid, eventually transforming into a real giant hundreds of feet tall, resembling a magnified version of Xiao Yan!