In an instant—
The world collapsed again.
The ground beneath Yang Fan vanished into an endless abyss. His body plummeted—only to land in a soul beast forest.
A thundering waterfall. The Woolly Mammoth corpse half-submerged in the pool…
Yang Fan recognized it immediately.
This was where he'd killed Huyan Hai with Yao Lao's power.
The next second—Elephant Armor Sect members, led by Huyan Zhen, surrounded him.
Yang Fan knew it was all fake—a hallucination crafted by Shi Nian from his deepest fears.
But he'd also heard another truth: Those who die in illusions never wake up.
Facing the entire Elephant Armor Sect alone? Impossible.
Even the Breaking Clan combined couldn't match them.
His only way out: shatter the Nightmare!
Ignoring the suffocating pressure of the illusion—and Huyan Zhen's taunts—Yang Fan repeated like a mantra:
"This is all fucking fake!"
Then he spoke:
"Shi Nian! Where'd you get that head bone?"
"Stole it, didn't you?"
As he spoke, he pulled a Crimson Blood Spirit Fruit from his storage soul tool and devoured it raw.
Even unrefined, this spirit-type herb briefly boosted his mental fortitude.
Shi Nian froze in shock. "How do you know my name? And my soul bone?!"
He'd revealed nothing about his identity.
If his name was known (as Canghui Academy's leader), the soul bone?
He'd never told a soul—not even Canghui's headmaster!
Shi Nian's emotional ripple destabilized the Nightmare realm—just enough for Yang Fan to strike.
Flame Splitting Tsunami!
The Heavy Xuan Ruler materialized in his hand. He cleaved forward—
The energy wave tore through the illusion, slamming into Shi Nian.
The Soul Saint hadn't expected a child to break his Seventh Soul Skill—let alone counterattack from within the Nightmare. Even fellow Soul Saints struggled to escape unless their spirit strength surpassed his.
Before Shi Nian recovered—Yang Fan struck again.
Heavy Xuan Ruler—thrown!
Instinctively, Shi Nian swatted at the incoming black ruler. The moment his palm touched it, his soul power suppressed.
Next—Yang Fan's fist arrived.
"Octane Blast—!"
As a Dou Shi, Yang Fan now perfectly executed this Xuan-tier high-grade technique.
One punch—Yang Fan recoiled from the backlash, but the true damage struck Shi Nian: eight layers of hidden force ravaging his body.
"You brat—who are you?!" Shi Nian snarled.
Though a spirit-type soul master, his Soul Saint physique resisted lethal injury.
But he no longer dared underestimate Yang Fan.
"Who I am doesn't matter," Yang Fan coldly replied. "What matters is you're about to die."
He summoned the Heavy Xuan Ruler back into his palm and swung horizontally.
Shi Nian was a Soul Saint—but his skills were all spirit-based.
If his Nightmare couldn't trap Yang Fan, his other techniques were useless.
The Crimson Blood Spirit Fruit's boost, combined with Yang Fan's freakish soul strength, instantly nullified Shi Nian's minor skills.
Now, Shi Nian split his focus: resisting the eight hidden forces internally while fending off Yang Fan's relentless assault. He was overwhelmed.
"Die!"
Shi Nian's spirit attacks couldn't harm Yang Fan, but his raw Soul Saint power sent a fist crashing into the ruler.
The impact hurled Yang Fan backward, carving a deep trench in the earth.
"You old turtle—you're dead!" Yang Fan roared.
He planted the ruler in the ground and raised his hands:
Left palm—Dou Qi. Right palm—soul power.
The energies began to merge.
As they neared, the air warped violently from their collision.
"No!"
Shi Nian didn't know why—but as the spheres fused, primal danger screamed in his Soul Saint instincts.
He lunged to stop it—too late.
At five meters, Yang Fan thrust forward the perfect fusion: a white-hot energy orb.
No bigger than a bowl, its surface crackled with irregular orange-red veins.
It struck Shi Nian's chest dead-center.
Scorching heat!
Shi Nian's face contorted in agony. Before he could react, the orb detonated—like swallowing molten lava.
A terrifying shockwave erupted toward Yang Fan—
Yao Lao materialized!
His soul shielded Yang Fan, absorbing the blast.
Yang Fan stood unharmed.
But the surroundings? Trees, rocks, flora—annihilated.
Where Shi Nian stood, only a head bone remained, glowing with an eerie halo.
He'd killed a Soul Saint?
"Huh—" Yang Fan stared, stunned.
Dou Qi and soul power fused… and created this?
Sure, Shi Nian was spirit-type—but he was still a Soul Saint!
"Huh my ass!" Yao Lao smacked Yang Fan's head—a slap laced with exasperation. "Run, you idiot!"
"Right, right! Let's go!"
They were outside Tian Dou City—but still within its jurisdiction.
With the tournament nearing, sects were hyper-alert. Any disturbance would draw attention. Discovery by any major faction? Catastrophic for him.
Yang Fan snatched the soul bone and fled—not daring to linger a second longer.
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