435: Soul duck, soul dove!

"Now is the time!"

Yao Delong's eyes erupted with unprecedented brilliance!

Enduring the agonizing pain of his Divine Soul tearing apart and the weakness of his body, he took a sudden step forward!

"Collect!"

His hands formed seals like lightning, and the Blazing Sun Origin in his Sea of Consciousness spun wildly.

A pure and vast suction force, carrying the aura of a majestic sun, erupted from his palm, instantly shrouding the restless Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire!

Hum—!

The Earth Core Blazing Flame Fire seemed to sense the attraction of a homologous power, or perhaps it was subdued by the incomparably domineering Blazing Sun Origin; it struggled violently, and the incandescent light at its core shrank suddenly!

The next moment, that dark red lava, resembling a beating heart, turned into a scorching stream of light and was forcibly pulled into Yao Delong's palm!

It was scalding hot to the touch! A terrifying heat capable of incinerating all things surged instantly!

Yao Delong let out a muffled groan, the flesh of his palm instantly turning charred black!

But his gaze was incomparably firm. The fire control method of the Void Derivation Pill Transformation Art within his body operated at an unprecedented speed, and the Blazing Sun Origin, like a greedy giant beast, frantically devoured and refined this Essence Fire of heaven and earth!

Sss, sss, sss!

Scorching white Qi sprayed from every pore on Yao Delong's body, and his skin turned crimson, as if it were about to ignite!

But he gritted his teeth, sat cross-legged in the air, and exerted all his strength to suppress and refine it!

"Roar...!"

The dying Lava Earth Core Scorpion let out one last unwilling hiss. Its massive body collapsed with a boom, crashing into the scalding lava lake, splashing up monstrous waves, and completely losing its life force.

"Big Brother!"

Qiong Shuang saw this, immediately shrank her form, turning into a foot-long Little White Flood Dragon, and nervously circled around Yao Delong, vigilantly acting as his Protector.

She knew that this was the most dangerous moment for refining the Essence Fire!

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away.

Above a primeval forest shrouded in eerie gray-white thick fog.

Several sharp Sword Qi rays broke through the fog, but their speed slowed down significantly.

The leader was none other than Myriad Sword Valley Elder Ling Xuzi. He stepped on a simple Flying Sword, his brows locked in a frown.

His powerful Mid-stage Soul Transformation Divine Thought spread outward like ripples in water, but it was as if it had fallen into a quagmire, barely able to probe a few miles before being interfered with and distorted by an invisible force.

"Stop!" Ling Xuzi shouted in a deep voice, his tone heavy.

The five Sword Qi rays behind him stopped instantly, revealing the figures of Han Ruyan, Lin Feng, and three other elite Nascent Soul Stage Disciples.

All five had vigilant expressions on their faces, evidently having noticed the eeriness of this place.

"Elder, this place..."

Han Ruyan's cold voice rang out. Her delicate brows were slightly furrowed, and her silvery-white hair floated gently in the mist. A faint, icy Sword Qi radiated from her body, dispelling the cold, encroaching mist.

"It is a maze Formation, and not of a low grade."

Ling Xuzi's gaze was like lightning, sweeping over the deathly silent forest and the churning thick fog below.

"Divine Thought is severely suppressed, and vision is obstructed. Be on your guard; this is highly likely the area where those Cultivators went missing, and it is nine times out of ten a trap set by Devil Cultivators!"

He was experienced and seasoned; as he spoke, he carefully sensed the subtle fluctuations in the surrounding space.

Suddenly, his gaze narrowed, locking onto an area ahead that looked ordinary and where the fog was slightly thinner.

"There is another Formation fluctuation ahead! It is a trap Formation! It is hidden very deeply!"

Ling Xuzi's expression changed, and he immediately issued a warning, "Form a defensive Formation, do not get close!"

However, the moment his words fell—

"Hehehehe... Old thing, your nose is quite sharp! Unfortunately, it is too late!"

A hair-raising, strange laughter, like the cry of a night owl, came from the thick fog in all directions, flickering and uncertain, filled with mockery and cruelty!

Swish! Swish!

Two ghostly figures, like weightless phantoms, appeared silently atop a dead, massive ancient tree to the side of the group.

The person on the left was tall and thin like a bamboo pole, wearing a pitch-black cloak that seemed to be stitched together from countless broken souls. Under the cloak was a face deathly pale without a trace of blood, with deep-set eye sockets in which two points of faint, emerald ghost fire burned. His lips were as thin as blades, and the corners of his mouth were stretched into an exaggerated arc, revealing bone-white teeth.

He held a hideous-looking small black banner in his hand. The banner surface was pitch black, and vaguely, countless painful, twisted faces were silently wailing and struggling on it, emitting a heart-palpitating soul-absorbing power.

This was the Early Stage Spirit Transformation Devil Cultivator—Hun Ya!

The person on the right was slightly more robust in build, also wearing a pitch-black soul robe, but on his face, he wore a hideous evil ghost mask, revealing only a pair of scarlet-as-blood eyes full of tyranny and obscenity.

He held a long spear in his hand, crimson throughout, as if forged from congealed blood. The spear tip spat out a foot-long blood-colored edge, emitting a strong aura of blood and slaughter.

This was the Mid-stage Soul Transformation Devil Head—Hun Jiu!

"Little brats of Myriad Sword Valley, and two tender little beauties... What truly fat sheep delivered to our door!"

Hun Jiu's scarlet eyes greedily swept over Han Ruyan and another beautiful female Disciple of Myriad Sword Valley. He stuck out his scarlet tongue and licked his lips, his voice raspy like sandpaper rubbing together.

"Brother Duck, proceed according to the plan! The one with silver-white hair is mine, and the one next to her is yours! As for the others... they are all nutrients for the soul devouring banner! Do it!"

"Hehehe, Big Brother, you cannot hog the food for too long this time!"

Hun Ya grumbled discontentedly, but his movements were not slow in the slightest.

He let out a strange laugh, and the small black banner in his hand—which emitted a terrifying suction force, a replica of the Dao Artifact Myriad Soul Banner, the soul devouring banner—was shaken violently!

"Myriad Souls Devour the Heart!"

Woo—!

A sound of incomparably shrill ghost wailing and wolf howling instantly resounded through heaven and earth!

The soul devouring banner expanded in the wind, turning into a massive black banner that blotted out the sky and sun!

Countless twisted, painful, and venomous black soul shadows, like a black torrent breaking a dam, carrying bone-chilling cold and the terrifying power to devour Divine Souls, rushed madly toward the five Nascent Soul Disciples behind Ling Xuzi!

The target was aimed directly at their Divine Souls!

"Form up! Five Elements Rotating Sword Wall!"

The leading Nascent Soul Perfection young Disciple, Lin Feng, reacted the fastest and shouted sternly!

The five Disciples instantly stood back-to-back, their Flying Swords shining brightly. Gold, cyan, blue, red, and yellow five-colored Sword Qi soared into the sky, rapidly weaving into a massive, slowly rotating Five Elements Sword Wheel, firmly protecting the five of them within it!

Sss, sss, sss!

Countless black soul shadows collided with the Five Elements Sword Wheel, emitting a teeth-aching corrosive sound!

The sword wheel vibrated violently, its light flickering and unstable!

The five Disciples' faces instantly turned deathly pale, their Divine Souls feeling as if they were being pricked by countless steel needles, causing unbearable pain!

This soul devouring banner had absorbed the souls of hundreds of Cultivators, its power was extremely terrifying, and it was absolutely not something Nascent Soul Cultivators could easily resist!

"Devil Head, how dare you!"

Ling Xuzi's hair and beard stood on end, and he roared like thunder!

How could he watch helplessly as his Disciples were devoured by a demonic artifact?

The simple Flying Sword in his hand erupted with heaven-piercing Sword Qi, turning into a ribbon of light that tore through the mist, striking directly at Hun Ya!

"Old thing, your opponent is me!"

Hun Jiu grinned grimly, his figure shifting sideways like a phantom. The dark red blood spear in his hand, carrying a shrill sound of breaking through the air, struck precisely at Ling Xuzi's Sword Qi like a venomous Dragon emerging from its lair!