Chapter 399: The Fearsome Might of Saint Yao Chen—Unbeatable Even at Full Strength
The moment his wrist was seized, Bone Ghost's expression changed drastically. To his shock, his Dou Qi had come to a complete halt!
Such a scene sent a wave of dread through his heart. He sharply looked up—only to see a white-haired figure suspended in mid-air behind Xiao Yuan. That familiar face caused him to cry out in disbelief:
"Yao Chen? Impossible!"
With a single glance, Bone Ghost could tell that Yao Lao no longer had his previously ethereal, ghostlike form. Not only had he regained a physical body, but he appeared even younger than before. What made Bone Ghost's heart sink further was the overwhelming aura radiating from Yao Lao—so powerful that even he was stunned.
"Master, looks like everything went smoothly."
As Bone Ghost's attack was halted, Xiao Yuan flickered forward and protectively placed himself before Yao Lao, smiling.
Yao Lao returned the smile and calmly replied,
"Go help the others. These two are mine."
Xiao Yuan nodded. With his refined soul sense, he had already noticed Yao Lao's terrifying presence. Even the likes of Bone Ghost and the Third Heaven Venerate were no match. Without question, thanks to the Dou Saint skeleton and the ancient Heavenly Phoenix essence blood, Yao Lao had stepped into the realm of Dou Saints!
Relieved, Xiao Yuan withdrew under Bone Ghost's shadowed gaze.
"You think regaining your strength lets you stand against Soul Hall?"
Though Bone Ghost was desperate to stop Xiao Yuan, he knew—Yao Lao had returned to his prime, perhaps even beyond. Like himself, Yao Lao had become a high-level Half-Saint!
"Soul Hall is not the strongest force in the world," Yao Lao replied coldly. "Some of your powerhouses are tied up elsewhere and dare not act rashly. As long as they stay out of this… you? You're nothing to this old man. You injured my disciple today. It's time to settle that debt."
"Hmph! You think I fear you?"
Bone Ghost sneered hoarsely. But in his eyes, a flicker of dread remained. He slammed his skeletal staff into the void, summoning roiling black mist that quickly darkened half the sky. The freezing energy it contained chilled even the scorching battlefield.
From the black mist emerged a massive skeletal construct—a thousand-foot tall Black Skeleton King, like a demonic god. Green fire glowed in its eye sockets, and the chilling aura that spread from its body numbed the very souls of those who beheld it.
"So Bone Ghost brought out the Skeleton King right away… Clearly, even he dreads Yao Chen deeply."
The Third Heaven Venerate muttered to himself. The Skeleton King was a rare low-tier Heaven-rank Dou Technique, and in the hands of a Half-Saint, it was devastating. Not only impervious to water and fire, but its attacks also directly targeted the soul.
Bone Ghost mounted the Skeleton King and pointed his staff at Yao Lao.
With a thunderous stomp, the Skeleton King instantly appeared in front of Yao Lao. Its colossal skeletal palm ripped through space and slammed downward.
Yao Lao showed no fear. He raised his hand, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame erupting around him and clashing directly with the skeletal palm.
Zzzzz!
Ice and flame screamed as they collided. A thick white mist, acrid and heavy, spread in all directions.
Yao Lao had not even used a Dou Technique—just his Heavenly Flame—and still blocked the strike.
Bone Ghost's heart sank.
"Roar!"
With a strange incantation, Bone Ghost's Skeleton King trembled and began spewing massive clouds of black mist—composed of countless screaming souls.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The souls self-destructed, generating a terrifying explosion that even Xiao Yuan found daunting.
But he noticed something critical: part of the soul energy was being absorbed by the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.
Meanwhile, the Skeleton King rapidly shrank, compressing to just ten feet in height. Its energy became far denser, its body turning pitch black.
"Let me see what you've got, new Half-Saint!"
Bone Ghost's voice came not from his body—but from within the Skeleton King itself.
He had fused his soul with it!
From afar, Xiao Yuan noticed Bone Ghost's real body, now a soulless shell. His eyes narrowed.
"If I move now…"
Xiao Yuan grinned and launched toward Blood River, the Fourth Heaven Venerate. His two soul clones joined him—their targets, the now-dead Soul Hall Heaven Venerates they had slain earlier.
Back on the battlefield, the compact Skeleton King reappeared in front of Yao Lao, sending out a horrifying soul-crushing palm strike that shattered the sky.
Yao Lao merely raised his gaze. Compressing his Bone Spirit Cold Flame into a crystalline glove, he countered lightly.
Crack!
The Skeleton King's arm cracked, and it was sent flying hundreds of meters, groaning in pain.
"Old Third, with me!"
Bone Ghost's voice rang again, desperate now.
The battle had drawn attention from all observers. And those who recognized Yao Lao gasped in disbelief.
"Yao Chen?! He's… alive?!"
"And he's a Half-Saint? I thought he lost his body and his strength!"
"Starfall Pavilion is saved! With a Dou Saint-level alchemist on their side, even Soul Hall will struggle!"
Indeed, Yao Lao—once known across the Central Plains—had returned. He wasn't just Yao Chen the Alchemist Sage anymore.
He was now Saint Yao.
Many onlookers were already regretting their neutrality.
If Yao Lao reached the Ninth-Tier Alchemist level with his newfound strength, he would become one of the rarest treasures of the continent!
Meanwhile, Blood River sneered as he fought off Xiao Yuan's two clones.
"Out of Dou Qi, are you? That last move took too much from you."
He summoned a storm of blood energy, raising his power to the peak of Three-Turn Dou Zun.
Xiao Yuan remained evasive, seemingly weakened.
But Yao Lao, who understood his disciple perfectly, smirked.
"He's acting."
Xiao Yuan was biding his time.
"Let's try this one!"
Blood River unleashed Blood Fiend Heaven Demon Palm, a terrifying thousand-foot blood-red strike from the clouds.
But Xiao Yuan didn't resist—instead, he smiled, just like before.
Blood River panicked. That smile meant something.
He looked up—
Xiao Yuan's real body had appeared behind Bone Ghost's shell.
In a flash, his soul pierced into it.
Bone Ghost, inside the Skeleton King, screamed in horror as the soul-body link was severed.
He turned and saw Xiao Yuan smirking, refining his body with Heavenly Flame and erasing the soul imprint. Then—
he put it in his storage ring.
"You little…!"
Bone Ghost cracked. He'd been fighting Yao Lao to the death—and now this brat had stolen his body?
"Give it back!"
The Skeleton King went berserk, charging to kill Xiao Yuan.
But it was too late.
Yao Lao had fully adapted to his Dou Saint power.
"Freeze."
He uttered a single word.
And all of Soul Hall and Heavenly Underworld Sect's powerhouses were instantly immobilized—as if time had stopped.
Yao Lao raised his palm toward the raging Skeleton King.
"Since you still dare to threaten my disciple... stay here."
CRACK!
Space collapsed. The Skeleton King was crushed into a ball of bone—then shattered into dust.
Such is the terror of a Dou Saint.
(END CHAPTER)
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