As the Hand of Heaven descended, everyone except Jiang Shengyu felt their movements grow sluggish. Whether on the battlefield or not, all could feel from the depths of their hearts that overwhelming pressure — an unshakable, irresistible force!
Even Dai Hao felt his shoulders sink, an instinctive urge rising within him to bow in worship before that majestic divine hand in the sky. The soldiers beside him were worse off, collapsing directly to their knees without the strength to resist.
The pressure of the Hand of Heaven was like the wrath of the heavens themselves — untouchable, inviolable.
"This soul skill… it resembles one used before by a student of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy during the Soul Master Tournament, but its power is far greater…"
Dai Hao's brow furrowed. He recalled the Hand of Heaven Jiang Shengyu had used during the tournament. But no matter how he speculated, he could never have guessed that this far more terrifying Hand of Heaven had once again been unleashed — and by Jiang Shengyu himself!
He did not rashly intervene, instead standing atop the fortress walls, ever-vigilant over the defenses.
Gazing at the distant battle raging in the skies, watching those surging black-and-white flames, a troubling sense of familiarity stirred in his chest. That fire… it looked much like the flames that had once burned his own Duke of White Tiger estate.
Jiang Shengyu, of course, was unaware Dai Hao was watching, much less that he had recognized the flames. At this moment, he was bathed in the golden radiance of the Hand of Heaven, his very presence elevated, transcendent!
The black-and-white flame wings at his back beat powerfully, warping the air. As the Vacuous Devouring Flame and Pure Lotus Demon Flame intertwined, twin-colored fire lotuses bloomed one after another around him.
Each lotus brimmed with destructive force. With a flick, Jiang Shengyu hurled them toward the Body Sect Title Douluo.
Sensing the catastrophic power within the fire lotuses, the Douluo knew better than to try to receive them head-on. They scattered backward to evade.
But Jiang Shengyu instantly gave chase to one of them, fire lotus in his left hand and icy sword in his right. Each swing of his blade unleashed arcs of Ultimate Ice sword qi, and each movement of his hand cast forth another annihilating lotus of fire.
Within the field of the Hand of Heaven, only Jiang Shengyu could move freely. Everyone else was suppressed, their movements weighed down by its divine pressure.
The one he pursued had a martial soul of his own left hand, with techniques centered around hand-based skills. Yet under the dual assault of Jiang Shengyu's fire and ice, his defenses crumbled.
Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire — colliding, clashing, amplifying one another — erupted with even greater force!
The Douluo's soul power defenses shattered under the explosive impact. Even his vaunted left hand, his pride and martial soul itself, was split open, blood spraying forth.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao had already reached the Sun Moon Empire's fortress. Looking up at the battle raging above, his expression was filled with awe.
Within his mind, Tianmeng Iceworm and the Ice Empress were both utterly dumbfounded.
"How can he suddenly be this strong? Title Douluo — and he's facing five of them!"
"He can't be human!"
"Yuhao, your cousin must be a soul beast!"
"Even for a soul beast who rebuilt their cultivation, this is unbelievable!"
Yuhao nodded slightly, murmuring, "Yes… Cousin is truly strong…"
If only he himself could be this strong! If he were, he wouldn't need others to stand before him as his shield. If he weren't so weak, his cousin wouldn't be forced to face five Title Douluo alone!
It was all because he was too weak!
Clenching his fists, Huo Yuhao swore to himself: he would grow stronger! For his family, for Tianmeng and the Ice Empress, and for himself — he would grow stronger, no matter what it took!
In the sky, one of the Title Douluo was caught by Jiang Shengyu's Vacuous Devouring Flame and Pure Lotus Demon Flame. The black-and-white blaze spread rapidly across his body, burning with inextinguishable ferocity. No matter what methods he tried, he could not put it out.
These two flames were enough to make Kong Deming's heart quake. Empowered now by the soul force of rank ninety-four, how could a mere Title Douluo hope to extinguish them?
The pain of burning alive wrung a blood-curdling scream from the man's throat — a sound so terrible it seemed to come straight from hell. The wails carried far, reaching the ears of soldiers upon Yuming Pass, leaving their legs weak with terror.
A Title Douluo — screaming like that!
When had they ever seen one of those lofty, untouchable existences reduced to such misery? To these ordinary soldiers, Title Douluo were the very definition of invincibility. Yet now, before their eyes, one was crying out like any common man.
Dai Hao noticed the fear spreading through his troops. His voice was low, steady:
"Do not fear — I am here!"
At the same time, he released his own soul power, dispersing some of their terror. But under the oppressive weight of the Hand of Heaven, such effort was like pouring a cup of water onto a blazing fire — a meager comfort at best.
"Hurry! Retreat! Report to the Sect Master at once — this one is too strange! We must withdraw immediately!"
Hearing their comrade's miserable screams, the other four Body Sect Douluo wavered, fear rooting in their hearts.
Yes, they had been sent to recruit a talented youth for the sect. But that did not mean they did not value their own lives. The continent was vast — there would surely be other gifted body-type martial soul owners. But they themselves had only one life!
The Douluo engulfed in the twin flames struggled desperately, trying everything to snuff them out.
Yet the black-and-white fire clung to him like maggots gnawing bone, utterly unshakable. His once-proud martial soul, his left hand, had already charred, its flesh sloughing away to expose stark white bone. Clutching the ruined limb, he turned and fled into the distance.
Jiang Shengyu was about to pursue, but agony lanced through his meridians, forcing him to falter. At that moment, Ditian's voice spoke:
"You've unleashed your soul skills on too large a scale. Though their power is vast, the burden on your body is equally great. You won't be able to catch him."
Indeed, while Jiang Shengyu could now channel the strength of a rank ninety-four Title Douluo, his own cultivation was only fifty-first rank. Such immense power flooding through him strained his body to the breaking point. For a Soul King, it was nearly unbearable.
But to block the Body Sect, how could he not risk himself? Did they think they could come and go as they pleased?
Ever since witnessing the might of an Ultimate Douluo, Jiang Shengyu had resolved to climb to the very peak of the world. Naturally, he would not suffer losses here!
Truthfully, the Body Sect's goal was simply to take Huo Yuhao away. There was no deep enmity between them.
But so what?
Jiang Shengyu would not allow it!
He drew a deep breath, fixing his eyes on the fleeing Body Sect Douluo. Quietly, he murmured:
"In that case… let's take our chances and see what my fifth soul skill is."
Ditian's tone shifted to one of confusion:
"Your fifth soul skill? Hmph. Does your martial soul not have inherited abilities?"
Please drop some power stones supper me at my
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