Success or Failure, in a Single Instant

A flash of Divine Power streaked past, flying dozens of yards away in the blink of an eye.

Three successive puffs rang out. The three Condensed Human Souls froze in midair, each bearing a gash that reached straight through to the human figure within.

"This is..."

Trembling thoughts spread out. Cyan Divine Power seeped through the souls, and the three Living Souls shuddered before collapsing inward and rapidly contracting.

"This man is only at Aperture Opening, yet he can already cast a Character Spell?"

"At the Soul-Projection Realm, memories and emotions have yet to contract and condense; they remain chaotic and scattered. And he still dares to split off fragments of his Living Soul to cast a spell?"

"How unwilling... We were just one step away from the appearance of an Earth Deity..."

As the three souls spoke, the cyan light traced an arc through the air and rushed over. It was Qiu Yan's Living Soul, wrapped in Divine Power.

This time, however, another Character Spell had appeared within that Living Soul—

Seize!

Qiu Yan's entire Living Soul began to spin, its power of absorption radiating outward through its Divine Power shell.

The cyan light swept past the three Condensed Human Souls like a passing typhoon, actually dragging the weakened Living Souls along with it. Strands of them were stripped away, turning into streams of soul power drawn over!

"Even if you gain the upper hand for a moment, what use is it? Human Souls contain the mind. Your realm is insufficient; in the end, you cannot swallow all three of us in one gulp. You might as well release us..." The human figures within the souls were dragged along as well, carried by the current without resisting, merely sending out their thoughts.

The three souls had already been weakened. Qiu Yan had taken the opportunity to pierce them with Divine Power, injuring their condensed Human Souls. It was like a normal person taking a crushing blow to the spine—the Central Pivot had been grievously damaged, and they had lost control.

They could not possibly recover in a short time, and Qiu Yan captured them all at once.

"Who told you I intended to absorb your Living Souls?"

Qiu Yan's Living Soul suddenly sent back a thought. Then the cyan light expanded, dragging the three Living Souls over. They twisted and changed, soon wrapping around the outside of the cyan glow!

In an instant, Qiu Yan's Living Soul was layered over and over. The outermost layer consisted of the three Condensed Human Souls, the inner layer was covered by Divine Power, and his own Living Soul lay at the very center.

"What is he trying to do? Oh no, Young Master has been swallowed by that demon!"

The three souls were terrified, yet they still worried over Tang Yi.

Ahead, Tang Yi, whose body was covered in rippling waves, was swallowed whole by the Wolf Demon. With a shake of its neck, the monster turned its huge wolf head, and a human-shaped bulge could clearly be seen on its throat, slowly sliding downward!

Blood-red light surged across its entire body!

Gradually, it gathered toward the human-shaped bulge on its neck!

"Ahhh!"

Tang Yi's miserable screams rang out from within.

"Grandfather's protective technique was actually broken? Not good! You audacious demon, you dare strip Young Master's soul! You're showing off before an expert! Hundred Beauties Portrait, take him in!"

Awoo!

The Wolf Demon howled. Wisps of white smoke rose from its body as it fell to the ground and rolled about!

"What a Wolf Demon. Under the City God's rule, you still dare run wild!"

A thought came from the ground once more. Cyan light flickered over the earth, and rocks and soil began to flow. The Wolf Demon's body rapidly sank downward, while surging Land God Divine Power shot out from the sand and dirt, passing through hide and flesh and deep into the wolf's body!

It struggled desperately, but it was useless. The rocks, once unable to withstand even a claw strike, had become hard and unbreakable, while the sand and soil coiled around the giant wolf like ropes.

"Using Divine Power through a deity's body means that Divine Power is unrestricted and unending. Even a Three Souls Wolf Demon cannot break free. I only wonder how far an ordinary person must cultivate before they can contend with a deity."

Cyan light flew over from afar. It was precisely the Divine Power wrapping Qiu Yan's Living Soul. Seeing the transformation in the ground, he knew that the great Land God had acted, but he had no intention of stopping.

"Hmm? There is a fluctuation of Divine Power? Which deity are you? State your name. I am the East City Land God under the Yuanning Metropolitan City God, ordered to suppress demons."

The Earth Deity controlling the mud, sand, and rocks also noticed the cyan light. But before he could finish speaking, the cyan light crashed straight into the Wolf Demon. Sharp as a blade, it tore through hide and flesh and plunged deep inside!

"You madman!"

The next moment, three panicked and scattered thoughts burst apart. The Wolf Demon's surging, violent blood and Yang Qi had begun battering the three Condensed Human Souls at the outermost edge of the cyan light, causing them to collapse and disperse!

Such dense blood and Yang Qi, mixed with the Wolf Demon's essence blood, were poisonous to Living Souls. Like blazing fire and freezing ice, they were deadly beyond measure.

Though the Living Souls condensed with Human Souls were a realm higher than Qiu Yan's, once carried by the cyan light into the Wolf Demon's body, they still could not endure it. Smoke rose from their soul bodies as they melted rapidly like snow beneath the Blazing Sun.

"You... you... You actually used us as shields! You..."

In the blink of an eye, the three condensed human soul figures were burned away by Yang Qi, turning into three wisps of smoke. Then Yang Qi struck the cyan Divine Power from every direction. Qiu Yan's Living Soul within it also began to melt faintly.

Had it not been for the outer layer of Divine Power, and the obstruction of the three Human Souls, he would likely have turned into smoke as well.

The melting of a Living Soul was like one's limbs melting away—excruciating pain arose directly within one's consciousness. Yet Qiu Yan seemed unaware of it. His heart grew ever calmer as his thoughts raced.

Time was limited. The slightest mistake, and his Living Soul would evaporate. But if he did not seize this chance to sever the Karma that had become entangled, then when it came back to haunt him later, it would not only be his Living Soul avatar that suffered; even the Liu Household would find it hard to escape unscathed!

The thought vanished in an instant, and Qiu Yan's Living Soul shot deep into the flesh along with the cyan light!

Tang Yi's screams pierced through from ahead.

At last, rings of rippling waves appeared before him. Yet several cracks had appeared within the ripples, and surging soul power poured out from them, only to be devoured by a coiling wolf soul nearby.

That wolf soul, however, was wrapped inside a scroll painting. Though it struggled, it could not break free.

Now! Success or failure would be decided in a single instant!

Outside.

Two streaks of cyan light flashed beside the rolling giant wolf, followed by the appearance of two short, faintly glowing figures.

"What is going on? Those Living Souls just now were actually dragged by a strand of Divine Power and charged into the body of this Three Souls Wolf Demon? Isn't that courting death? A demon that has refined its Three Souls possesses unimaginably powerful blood and Qi. Forget entering its body—even if a Living Soul were merely struck by its blood Qi, it would be like a person falling into the sea, sinking and vanishing!" One of them spoke in puzzlement.

The other glowing figure said, "Huang Jue, you are thinking too much. None of that matters. What matters now is learning the origins of the deity who used Divine Power to disrupt the City God's Human Domain of Law!"

As he spoke, he formed sword fingers and pointed ahead. The struggling giant wolf was completely buried beneath mud and sand. Dust flew into the air, blotting out the sky and moon.

Suddenly!

The dust settled!

"Hmm? What is happening? This demon has stopped struggling?"

Just as the two gods were bewildered, there came a bang. Dust and shattered stones burst outward, mixed with a thick stench of blood and bizarre demonic Qi!

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

A figure billowing thick smoke shot into the sky amid the rubble and dust. It turned sharply, plunged into the night, and vanished into the city.

PS: Thanks to brother "Da Zhou Imperial Clan" for the vote! Wishing all fellow readers a happy long holiday...