96: Chapter 94 On This Mission to Kill! (Part 2)

Night had fallen deep. Inside the camp of the Northwest Army Corps, aside from the soldiers on watch duty, everyone else had long since fallen fast asleep.

However, under this heavy shroud of night, a lone figure silently bypassed every guard post and quietly appeared outside the military camp.

This person was, naturally, Lin Yan.

The moment he exited the camp, the Thunder-Fire Wings suddenly unfolded behind his back, and his figure turned into a blurry stream of light, speeding off in the direction of the Mingdou Mountain Range.

Lin Yan did not disturb anyone or mention this outing to a single Soul.

And his purpose for this trip was singular: to kill!

During the day, when Death God Envoy was crushed into paste by Elder Xuan, Lin Yan had quietly intercepted his Soul using necromancy magic.

Afterward, through Soul searching, Lin Yan discovered that this "Death God Envoy" was not some solitary rogue, but a member of the Holy Spirit Cult.

Furthermore, hidden deep within the sprawling Mingdou Mountain Range was a fair-sized branch of the Holy Spirit Cult!

And the strongest experts stationed there were merely two Evil Spirit Saints!

Since that was the case, there was nothing to hesitate about!

Tonight, he would start collecting interest for his parents' deaths from them!

...

The Mingdou Mountain Range was formed back when the Douluo Continent and Sun Moon Continent collided and uplifted; it stood like a natural barrier dividing the two continents.

Speeding through the starry night, Lin Yan arrived at the southwestern end of the Mingdou Mountain Range by the late hours of the night, not far from the ocean.

After verifying his bearings, Lin Yan slowly hovered in the sky above a massive valley.

Looking down, ancient trees towered within the valley, and rolling seas of foliage stretched across the landscape, yet under the dark night, it exuded a dead silence.

As his Mental Energy swept over, dense, visible clouds of poisonous mist and miasma pervaded every corner of the lush forest.

According to the intelligence Lin Yan extracted, the Holy Spirit Cult branch was hidden right beneath this toxic forest miasma.

At the same time, according to Death God Envoy's memories, this branch relied on the complex terrain of the Mingdou Mountain Range to operate mainly along the border between Sun Moon and Star Luo, flitting back and forth between the two nations.

Abducting people, inciting war, spreading plagues... there was no evil they left undone!

The night wind swept over the treetops, stirring up gusts of foul, pungent toxic mist so thick it almost condensed into solid form.

In the next second, Lin Yan's Mental Energy silently surged in like a tide, sweeping layer by layer, until it finally locked onto a crooked complex of buildings deep within the forest slightly west of the valley's center.

Stone huts, poison dens, corpse pits, bone halls... the structures were of all kinds and arranged chaotically, yet every single one was suffused with a nauseating stench and deathly aura.

At this moment, Lin Yan's eyes turned icy to the extreme, looking down as if gazing upon a graveyard that had already been sentenced to death.

"Then let's start with a greeting gift for you all..."

With a thought, he slowly raised his right palm, and the Force of Emperors Descent, Life Spirit Fire, and Extreme Cold Mysterious Ice Fire surged forth simultaneously.

In an instant, a fist-sized, exquisitely glass-like Buddha Wrath Fire Lotus swirling with blue-green colors rapidly condensed and formed in his palm!

Gazing at this Buddha Wrath Fire Lotus, which consumed thirty percent of his Soul Power, Lin Yan loosened his fingers slightly, allowing the delicate fire lotus to spin and drop into the churning sea of miasma and forest below.

It descended silently and trace-free all the way until it drifted into the center of the Holy Spirit Cult stronghold, where strands of suppressed, highly destructive aura suddenly began to spread outward.

And it was at this exact moment that its presence was finally discovered!

At the westernmost end of the stronghold, inside a vine house built of thorns and bones, a pair of gloomy eyes suddenly snapped upward, seemingly penetrating the roof to stare in horror toward the direction of the destructive aura.

In the next instant, he opened his mouth, wanting to sound the alarm—

—but it was already too late!

"BOOM—!!"

Dazzling, blinding flames erupted in the depths of the valley accompanied by an earth-shattering roar!

At this moment, the entire valley trembled and groaned violently!

Blue-green flames shot skyward, painting half of the night sky in brilliant blue-green colors.

A terrifying wave of destruction frantically expanded outward in all directions from the point of impact!

Thousand-year-old trees were uprooted and instantly vaporized. The miasma, so dense it seemed impossible to disperse, was ripped open into a massive void like morning mist meeting a blazing sun!

When the blinding glare receded slightly, a lava crater several fathoms deep, its edges still churning with dark red lava, was left stamped onto the earth.

Lava roiled along the crater's edge, sending scorching heatwaves steaming upward that burned and distorted everything around.

With the lava crater as its center, concentric rings of charred ruins radiated outward.

All buildings at the center of the explosion, along with the Evil Soul Masters inside, were annihilated before they could utter a single scream, turning completely into nothingness!

And as this destructive flame wave swept across, not a single intact building could be found anywhere in the stronghold, which spanned over eight hundred meters in diameter.

Broken wooden beams blazed with fierce fires, and ruined walls were stained pitch black by smoke. The stronghold, once steeped in stench, had instantly turned into a messy expanse of scorched earth!

"Ah—!"

"Who is it!!"

"No—!!"

Furious roars and bloodcurdling screams followed, echoing endlessly across the scorched earth.

The Evil Soul Masters who miraculously survived looked up through the blasted canopy of the forest and finally saw that figure hovering high in the sky like a Death God.

"What petty scoundrel dares invade our Holy Spirit Cult stronghold?!"

Two majestic surges of Soul Power, sweeping with waves of evil malice, shot out from the ruins in an instant like cannonballs!

Enraged shouts carrying monstrous hatred shook the entire valley, making it echo with sound.

One of them was as thin as a matchstick, wearing a blood-red robe that fluttered loudly in the night wind.

Swirling around his body were crimson thorn vines, their stems covered in dense, pale bone spikes that gleamed with a nauseating dark-red blood light.

Wherever the vines passed, even the air was corroded, releasing sizzling white smoke.

As the other person charged forward, a ferocious and twisted image of a toxic toad vaguely materialized behind him.

Then, as his Spirit Possession completed, his originally stooped body suddenly became bloated and grotesque, his skin turning a sickly blue-gray.

Terrifying pustules swelled across his body, and dark green corpse poison mist leaked constantly from his bulging throat sack.

Spirit Saints!

Two Spirit Saints!

And they were precisely the two Evil Spirit Saints from Death God Envoy's memories!

The Withered Soul Saint rushing from the west was Rank 76, possessing the Blood Fiend Withered Bone Vine, a plant-type evil Spirit that fed on blood and bone.

The Bloated Soul Saint charging from the south was Rank 71, possessing the Corpse Poison Toad, a disgusting Beast Spirit that cultivated by devouring rotting corpses.

However, when Lin Yan clearly saw the spirit rings floating over their bodies after their Spirit Possession, his eyes narrowed slightly.

That Corpse Poison Toad Spirit Saint was relatively normal: two yellow, two purple, three black—the optimal spirit ring configuration.

However, the Blood Fiend Withered Bone Vine Spirit Saint's seven spirit rings were configuration-wise shockingly: one yellow, two purple, four black!

A Genius?

Or perhaps a ring-upgrade method of the Holy Spirit Cult?

As these thoughts crossed Lin Yan's mind, the two Evil Spirit Saints had already charged right up to him.

The Withered Soul Saint, who arrived first, felt a subconscious sigh of relief upon sensing Lin Yan's exposed Soul Power Rank.

Immediately after, a fire of rage burning to devour a man erupted in his eyes. Staring fixatedly at Lin Yan, he growled sinisterly.

"Kid, you've got nerve!"

"To dare destroy our Holy Spirit Cult stronghold!"

"Today, I shall make sure you wish you were dead!"

Hearing this, Lin Yan cast an indifferent glance at him, his gaze so icy it was as if looking at a dead man.

In the next instant, without wasting words or waiting for the Withered Soul Saint to bluster further—he moved!

Four brilliantly glowing spirit rings, accompanied by the intertwined blue and green Emperor Flame, instantly surfaced in the night sky!

At the same time, the first three spirit rings flared brightly all at once!

"First Spirit Ability—Flame Swallowing!"

"Second Spirit Ability—Flame Spirit!"

"Third Spirit Ability—Withered Glory Tribulation Flame Domain!"

"BOOM—!!"

Just as the two Evil Spirit Saints were still stunned by the gorgeous colors of those spirit rings, a suffocating and terrifying pressure burst outward with Lin Yan at its center!

Immediately after, the sky suddenly darkened, and dark red tribulation clouds gathered and tumbled wildly over the valley!

Looking at Lin Yan—clad in Flame Spirit Armor, holding the ice-fire war halberd, his aura surging skyward—and feeling the merciless suppression of the Withered Glory Tribulation Flame Domain upon them, the pupils of both Evil Spirit Saints violently contracted.

Their furious faces instantly filled with an unprecedented solemnity.

"Th-This is a Domain?!"

But right after, the two exchanged a glance, a ferocious expression flashing across their faces, and chose without hesitation to strike first!

"Attack together, kill this kid!"

Following the loud shouts of the two Evil Spirit Saints, a large number of surviving Evil Soul Masters on the ground also surged forward frantically from all directions, various sinister Spirit lights illuminating the scene!

Blood Fiend Withered Bone Vines frantically spread out from the Withered Soul Saint, countless vines covering the sky like a blood-red tide, sweeping towards Lin Yan!

Meanwhile, the Corpse Poison Toad Spirit Saint opened his mouth and spat out a dark green torrent of corpse poison, coming crashing down together with the bone vines!

Facing the joint assault of two Spirit Saints and the surrounding Evil Soul Masters closing in from all sides, Lin Yan remained indifferent, without a ripple of emotion in his eyes.

He swung the ice-fire war halberd fiercely; wherever the blade passed, Ultimate Ice and Ultimate Fire exploded in an intertwined frenzy!

The Blood Fiend Withered Bone Vines winding toward him froze inch by inch and burned to pieces inch by inch the moment they touched the Ultimate Ice and fire, bursting into a sky full of ash!

As for the dark green corpse poison torrent, facing the soaring sea of Emperor Flame, it was directly burned and purified, unable to come within three feet of his body!

Lin Yan moved like lightning, taking one step and abruptly cutting right between the two!

He thrust the ice-fire war halberd upward from below, the halberd momentum fierce as thunder, shattering the blood-vine shield frantically raised by the Withered Soul Saint!

With undiminished momentum, the blade swept sideways, forcing the Bloated Soul Saint back several steps and severing the poison mist churning in his throat with a single strike!

The Withered Soul Saint counterattacked first; the Blood Fiend Withered Bone Vine shook violently as three wrist-thick bone-spiked vines shot out from behind, aimed straight for Lin Yan's heart!

Without even looking back, Lin Yan twisted his left foot in midair, his Thunder-Fire Wings executing a half-spin sideways as he thrust the ice-fire war halberd upward from under his arm.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

With three consecutive clangs, the three vine tips were completely frozen, shattered, and snapped off by the Extreme Cold Mysterious Ice Fire bursting from the halberd blade, broken ice and sparks showering across his shoulders.

Before the Withered Soul Saint could switch moves, the Bloated Soul Saint opened his mouth and spat an arrow of dark green corpse poison, shooting along the ground toward him!

Facing this, Lin Yan did not retreat; he slammed the halberd into the ground, sending ice-blue flame light sweeping out along the shaft, burning the corpse poison arrow into wisps of green smoke in midair before it could approach.

In the next moment, his wrist flipped, and the halberd was thrust upward from the ground, its point streaking directly toward the Withered Soul Saint's throat!

The Withered Soul Saint retreated frantically, but the halberd wind still grazed the side of his neck, leaving a streak of blood that instantly froze into frost.

Seeing this, the Bloated Soul Saint roared in anger as his bloated body suddenly expanded, exploding into a cloud of thick poison mist that blanketed Lin Yan's view!

With an icy glint in his eyes, the Emperor Flame burst violently from Lin Yan's body, the blue-green fire waves incinerating the poison mist in a split second.

The moment the poison mist cleared, he used the propulsion of the fire waves to close in, sweeping his halberd around and smashing it hard into the Bloated Soul Saint's pustule-covered arms!

"Crack!"

The sound of fracturing bones was clearly audible!

The Bloated Soul Saint felt severe numbness in both arms as the terrifying force carried by the halberd sent him falling back seven or eight fathoms, crashing heavily through a broken pillar.

Taking advantage of the moment, the Withered Soul Saint ambushed from behind, five bone vines coiling toward him like five venomous vipers!

Lin Yan suddenly dropped his stance, sweeping his halberd horizontally low to the ground!

Ice-blue cold air rapidly spread along the ground, freezing the five bone vines stiff before they could reach him. Immediately after, the power of ice and fire exploded from the blade, burning the stiff vines to pieces inch by inch from their roots!

Spinning with the momentum, Lin Yan launched another strike upward that sent the Withered Soul Saint's parrying vine whip flying, launching himself into the air to deliver a heavy downward chop from above!

In haste, the Withered Soul Saint swelled the bone vines in front of him into a shield. With a dull "bang," the shield burst apart instantly, sending him retreating wildly while coughing up blood.

Though it takes long to describe, this lightning-fast clash occurred in mere moments.

And right at this instant, the swarming Evil Soul Masters charged in from all directions, raining various sinister Spirit Ability lights down upon Lin Yan!

Faced with this scene, Lin Yan didn't even bat an eyelid.

With a mere thought, the Azure Phoenix resting on the tree of life within his Spirit Sea flapped its wings, instantly shooting out from between his brows like a stream of jade-green light!

"Creee—!"

Life Fire burning through Spirit Ability, the Azure Phoenix hovered high above, its teal-gold Phoenix eyes coldly looking down on the crowd rushing below.

In the next moment, it elegantly flapped its wings, and a prolonged, majestic Phoenix cry instantly echoed through the whole valley!

In an instant, over a hundred Flame Spirits roared out from the Nine-Colored Emperor Flame surrounding Lin Yan!

Molten Scaled Lizards, Flame Feather Fire Sparrows, Burning Rock Molten Bears, Withered-Prosperous Fire Dragons... various Flame Spirits of distinct shapes swept down beneath the Azure Phoenix's lead, swarming over the attacking Evil Soul Masters!

Flame light intertwined as a raging sea of fire ravaged the field!

These Evil Soul Masters, whose stats had already plummeted and whose lifeforce was rapidly draining under the suppression of the Withered Glory Tribulation Flame Domain, were instantly routed when pitted against the hundred-plus violent Flame Spirits led by the Azure Phoenix.

Miserable screams began echoing one after another—!

"Ah—!"

"Ah! Help—!"

"No... Ah!!"

Figure after figure disintegrated into flying ashes within the intertwining firelight before they could even attempt to flee!

Seeing the Azure Phoenix leading the Flame Spirits in pursuit, Lin Yan pulled back his gaze and looked toward the two Evil Spirit Saints struggling to get back up nearby.

"Damn it! What kind of monster is this kid?!"

The Withered Soul Saint was both shocked and enraged, his voice trembling involuntarily.

After exchanging only a few blows, he profoundly felt the horror of Ultimate Ice and fire!

Under the dual erosion of extreme cold and extreme heat, his Blood Fiend Withered Bone Vine was as brittle as paper, unable to withstand a single blow!

Furthermore, the Domain covering the entire battlefield was like maggots on bone, robbing him of lifeforce and Soul Power every moment and weakening him continuously.

Meanwhile, he had thought these were all of the youth's capabilities.

Who could have expected this monster to raise his hand and summon over a hundred Flame Spirit Beasts, scattering his subordinate Evil Soul Masters in panic within a single instant!

Looking at Lin Yan, whose aura was not disrupted at all and who wasn't even breathing heavily, both the Withered Soul Saint and the Bloated Soul Saint felt a chill run deep into their hearts!

They had to risk everything!

If they didn't go all out now, they would surely die today!

"Martial Soul True Body!"