Evil God Forbidden Zone

[The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's movements grew increasingly sluggish, and the wound on its belly continued to fester under the repeated erosion of the ice and fire mist.]

[The brutality in its dark red, slit pupils gradually faded, replaced by an almost human venomous hatred.]

[Watching it teeter on the verge of collapse, you did not dare let your guard down in the slightest.]

[Though the Blue Silver Grass covering the mountainside seemed to have pinned it firmly in place, breaking free by force would not actually have been difficult for it.]

[There was only one possible reason it had yet to flee-it was waiting for you to reveal yourself, waiting for you to expose an opening so it could kill you in a single counterattack.]

[With a slight shift of your thoughts, you decisively detonated six formation nodes in the valley.]

[In an instant, red and blue mist surged up, sweeping through the entire valley like a raging tide. The dense power of ice and fire instantly obscured its vision and disrupted its spiritual perception.]

[Third Soul Skill-Myriad Forms Mimicry.]

[Within the final formation node, a mimetic phantom identical to you slowly solidified. Its aura matched yours exactly, as though it were a real person.]

[Immediately afterward came the Fifth Soul Skill-Blue Silver Overlord Spear.]

[A blue-gold spear materialized beside the phantom. Cold light flashed at its tip before it became a streak of light, thrusting from afar toward the vulnerable flank of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.]

[The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's scarlet pupils abruptly contracted. Wind and lightning surged around it, and with a violent wrench, it snapped the Blue Silver Grass entwining its body, twisting sideways to narrowly evade the spearhead.]

[The next moment, a low growl rolled from its throat. It sprang into the air, trailing a pitch-black afterimage as it lunged over in an instant-]

[This was its innate straight-line charge-Sprint, so fast it rivaled teleportation.]

[At the same time, the Evil God Hook at the end of its tail abruptly straightened, stabbing out with a flash of pitch-black cold light aimed directly at the phantom's heart.]

[-Evil God Thorn.]

[The instant the hook's tip touched the phantom, a pitch-black vortex three meters across unfolded out of thin air, its edges churning with distorted spatial ripples.]

[-Life and Death Arena.]

[A terrifying suction locked firmly onto the phantom, attempting to drag it into that separate space for a duel to the death.]

[Just as it thought its strike had succeeded, you detonated the mimetic shell with a thought.]

["Bang!"]

[The scattered traces of ice and fire power contained within the mimetic shell exploded.]

[Caught completely off guard, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's tail hook bore the brunt of the blast and was corroded by the ice and fire spring water once more. Pitch-black evil blood spurted from the broken end.]

[It let out a pained howl, its hooked tail lashing wildly as it staggered several steps backward.]

[Before it could regain its footing, the countless strands of Blue Silver Grass that had long been poised to strike burst from the earth again. Like a rising tide, they wound layer upon layer around its limbs and torso, frantically draining its remaining evil power and Soul Power.]

[The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger roared in fury. The Evil God mark on its forehead flashed wildly, and its "Light Blades," woven from wind and lightning, swept out again, shredding vast swathes of vines.]

[But after using "Sprint," "Evil God Thorn," and "Life and Death Arena" in succession, it had already exhausted most of its Soul Power and stamina. With its tail hook severely injured as well, its movements were nowhere near as swift as before.]

[Using "Myriad Forms Mimicry," you conjured three more phantoms, positioning them on three sides of the valley. Their indistinct forms flickered within the remaining mist, making it impossible to distinguish the real from the false.]

[Having learned its lesson, it indeed dared not recklessly charge again. Dragging its battered body, it slowly backed away, its gaze sweeping between the three phantoms with a mixture of vigilance and brutality.]

[You hesitated no longer.]

[You curled your right hand around empty air, and Soul Power abruptly surged in your palm.]

[Self-Created Soul Skill-Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear.]

[A spear wreathed in a flowing blue-gold glow condensed in your palm. Bitter cold light gleamed along its edge, with the faint shadow of a dragon roaming within.]

[Second Soul Skill-Essence Devouring Absorption.]

[With a thought, you rapidly drained the surrounding plants of their vitality. The Blue Silver Grass covering the mountainside withered and yellowed at a visible rate, and vast life force rushed through your meridians.]

[You poured all the Soul Power accumulated throughout the battle, along with this newly absorbed plant vitality, into the Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear in your hand.]

[The spear trembled and hummed without cease, faintly releasing low dragon cries. An inky-black sheen gradually spread over its edge as its hardness and sharpness rose once more.]

[You took out the final half-bottle of spring water from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and guided it with your Soul Power, coating the spearhead with every last drop.]

[The red and blue spring water turned into swirling mist the instant it touched the spear's tip.]

[Your gaze flashed like lightning as you fixed your aim on the dark core in the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's chest-the focal point of its Evil God Power, and its most vulnerable vital spot.]

["Go!"]

[With a low shout, you hurled it with all your strength.]

[The Blue Silver Dragon-Devouring Spear became a streak of interwoven red, blue, and gold light, trailing scattered silver stardust. Like a comet, it tore through the ice and fire mist with a piercing shriek, driving straight toward the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's chest!]

[The moment the spear left your hand, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger finally pinpointed your true body.]

[It dared not use "Sprint" again. That skill could only propel it in a straight line, and recklessly lunging forward now would only send it headlong into that deadly spear, no different from courting death.]

[The next moment, the spearhead was upon it.]

[It was already gravely wounded, and after being worn down repeatedly, its Soul Power had long since run dry. Even its attempt to dodge was a fraction too slow.]

[At the brink of death, the Evil God mark on the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's forehead flashed wildly. A gray-black current streamed from its body, rapidly forming a sturdy energy shield before it.]

[-Evil God's Protection.]

[This was its core defensive Soul Skill, powerful enough at its peak to withstand a full-force strike from a Titled Douluo.]

[But now-]

[It was gravely wounded and near death, with less than a tenth of its Evil God Power remaining. The shield it formed was thin and dim.]

["Pfft!"]

[The spear's tip instantly shattered the shield. Without losing momentum, it pierced straight through its chest and struck precisely into that mass of dark core!]

[The power of ice and fire thundered along the spearhead, pouring into the depths of its chest before abruptly exploding. Blazing heat and extreme cold raged together, grinding that sinister essence to pieces!]

[The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger let out a shrill roar of defiance. Its massive body swayed twice before crashing heavily to the ground. Its dark red, slit pupils dimmed completely, not a trace of life left within them.]

[A pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly rose from the corpse, so deep and dark that it seemed capable of devouring all the light around it.]

[You leaned against a tree trunk, gasping for breath. Your Soul Power was almost completely depleted, and even your fingertips ached with exhausted weakness.]

[Though the battle had seemed brief, every step had held mortal danger, exhausting all your mental effort and calculations.]

[Suddenly, you caught sight of a gray-black pearl shooting skyward from its shattered forehead, wreathed in a sinister aura that made your heart tremble.]

[-The Evil God Pearl.]

[You forced yourself to focus and tried to intercept it, but the pearl seemed to be drawn by some higher-order power of laws. It shuddered strangely an inch from your fingertips, then slipped into the void and vanished.]

[You failed to capture the Evil God Pearl.]

[Though you felt some regret, you did not dwell on it.]

[You briefly regulated your breathing, suppressing the residual force within your meridians and the aching weakness throughout your body, then found a flat stretch of rock and sat cross-legged.]

[You focused your mind, steadied your breathing, and drew the Soul Ring into your body.]

[The instant the Soul Ring entered your body, a sinister energy a hundred times more violent than the Dark Thunder Scale Armor Dragon's surged into your meridians. The ferocity of wind and lightning, the corrosion of evil, and a sense of distorted space and time erupted simultaneously, as though countless blunt knives were churning through your flesh, intent on tearing you apart from the inside out.]

[Your bones and sinews groaned under the unbearable strain. Veins bulged beneath your skin, and strands of pitch-black evil power seeped from your pores, lingering around your body.]

[More perilously still, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's resentment transformed into a savage tiger phantom and charged into your Sea of Consciousness. It howled and roared, seeking to crush your consciousness completely.]

[Clenching your teeth, you drove the "Zhou Tian Star Dou Art" with all your strength, drawing Star Power from across the sky into silver chains that wound layer upon layer around the dark energy, attempting to suppress, refine, and absorb it little by little...]

[But you had forgotten that splitting your spiritual consciousness earlier had already severely wounded your soul, and it had never truly healed. Those fine, hidden injuries lay dormant deep within your Sea of Consciousness, silent in ordinary times, yet now they had become your most fatal vulnerability.]

[Under the violent assault of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's evil thoughts, your already fragile spiritual barrier was forcibly shaken open with a web of fine cracks.]

[Like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, its lingering resentment rampaged through the cracks, spreading its corruption. Wherever it passed, starlight crumbled inch by inch, and murky waves churned through your Sea of Consciousness.]

[The tearing agony made you bleed from all seven orifices, and your consciousness began to sink into a stupor. The radiance before your eyes was gnawed away and swallowed by darkness bit by bit, as though it would drag you into an endless abyss.]

["Was I... not going to hold on?"]

[The thought had barely flashed through your mind before boundless exhaustion surged over you like a tide.]

[Your consciousness kept falling through the darkness, deeper and deeper-]

[At the very instant your consciousness was about to sink into oblivion.]

[A wisp of gentle blue-gold light quietly flowed from deep within your heart meridian. Like that slightly chilly night many years ago, when a certain strand of Blue Silver Grass had quietly wound around your fingertip.]

[It flowed into your Sea of Consciousness and transformed into countless fine blue silver vines, tightly binding the savage tiger phantom.]

[The vines slowly tightened, dragging that resentment little by little into the depths of your Sea of Consciousness.]

[Beneath the starlight within your Sea of Consciousness, a mass of blue-gold light slowly gathered, tracing the outline of a slender, hazy phantom.]

[Her azure hair cascaded down like a waterfall, golden patterns faintly visible among the strands, flowing with a gentle luster in the starlight.]

[She stood barefoot upon the starlight, her form so illusory that it seemed a touch would shatter it.]

[It was Ah Yin.]

[She approached from behind you and gently wrapped her arms around your neck.]

[The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's resentment struggled wildly as she strangled it, but the blue-gold vines wound around it layer upon layer, dragging it deeper bit by bit, until it gave one final, defiant wail and was utterly ground away.]

[She simply held you like that, stayed with you, quietly resting in the Sea of Consciousness overflowing with starlight.]

[No questions, no words, merely a phantom.]

[Instinctively, you raised your hand, wanting to lay it over the back of her hand where it rested around your neck.]

[But where your fingertips fell, there was only gently cool starlight.]

[The phantom quietly dispersed, as though everything that had just happened had been nothing more than a dream steeped in starlight.]

[Your Sea of Consciousness returned to stillness, leaving only a sky full of starlight flowing quietly.]

[You abruptly opened your eyes, gasping for breath. Cold sweat had long since soaked your back.]

[You had succeeded.]

[Your Soul Power broke through to level sixty-five. Your strength and spiritual power soared, and your perception underwent a qualitative leap.]

[At the same time, you obtained your Sixth Soul Skill-]

[Evil God Forbidden Zone: Using your Blue Silver King Martial Soul as its foundation, it unfolded a Dark Evil God Domain covering a hundred-meter radius. Enemies who entered the domain would be completely deprived of sight while continuously subjected to fear-based spiritual suppression; your Blue Silver Grass transformed into "Evil God Blue Silver Grass," each attack carrying the dual effects of wind-and-lightning rending and evil corrosion. Those corroded would have their Soul Power recovery rate halved and their movements slowed. In addition, the effect of "Essence Devouring Absorption" within the domain would increase to three times its original strength.]

[You slowly stood and moved your stiff body.]

[The ice and fire mist in the valley had already dispersed. Moonlight spilled down once more, shining on the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's cold corpse.]

[You remained silent for a moment, stood up, and lowered your head to look at your palm.]

[There was nothing there.]

[You gently clenched your fist, then released it.]

["So... you were here all along too."]

[Your voice was very soft, dispersing in the night wind, so faint that even you could barely hear it.]

[You raised your head and gazed at the cold, clear moon on the horizon.]

[Moonlight spilled like water over your tightly furrowed brow, and shone in a certain direction far away.]

[After a moment, you finally withdrew your gaze, pressed all your surging emotions deep into your heart, gathered your belongings, and turned to walk into the boundless night.]