320: Chapter 320 Shadow Demon Clan Battle Soul

Countless cracks appeared on the altar. The cracks grew larger and deeper, as if it would collapse at any moment.

The magma beneath the altar began to boil, bubbling up and emitting terrifying heat waves.

Gao Feng's expression changed, and he quickly leapt off the altar.

The moment he landed, the altar collapsed with a roar! Countless flame crystals tumbled into the magma, splashing sparks into the sky.

Beneath the collapsed altar, a massive teleportation Formation slowly emerged, emanating a silver light.

That was the entrance to the seventh level.

Gao Feng glanced back at the collapsed altar, then turned and strode toward the entrance of the teleportation gate.

When he returned to the group, everyone gathered around him.

"Senior Brother Gao Feng, did you succeed?" Luo Li asked.

Gao Feng nodded and said, "I succeeded. I have already mastered the Demon Flame Scripture."

He raised his right hand, and a ball of crimson flame condensed in his palm once more. The flame danced and burned, emitting a terrifyingly high temperature, yet in his hand, it was like a docile pet, obeying his every command.

Looking at that ball of flame, everyone's eyes were filled with amazement.

Chu Lan said, "The power of this flame is probably even stronger than those battle Souls of the Demonic Flame Clan, right?"

Gao Feng nodded and said, "Pretty much. Furthermore, I have integrated the power of the Demon Flame into my fist techniques, creating the Demon Flame Tyrant Fist."

He looked at the teleportation gate that had just appeared and said in a deep voice, "The entrance to the seventh level has appeared. Next, it is time to go to the seventh level."

Upon hearing this, a look of anticipation flashed in everyone's eyes.

The group passed through the teleportation gate that had emerged from beneath the collapsed altar. A flash of light appeared before their eyes, and the next moment, they found themselves in total darkness.

The darkness was so thick it was almost tangible; they could not even see their own fingers. Although they were all Cultivators with eyesight far exceeding that of ordinary people, in this darkness, they couldn't even see their own palms.

Not only that, but even their spiritual sense could not probe. The spiritual sense that Cultivators usually relied on to perceive their surroundings was swallowed by the darkness the moment it left their bodies, as if a stone had sunk into the ocean, leaving no trace.

"This is..." Luo Li's voice rang out in the darkness, carrying a hint of unease.

Su Ning immediately cast a spatial Spell, attempting to use the power of space to perceive their surroundings. But the moment her spatial power expanded, she felt a powerful resistance; it was a barrier woven from the power of darkness and the power of the Soul, firmly locking down her perception.

"My spatial power has also been suppressed," she said in a deep voice.

Chu Lan crouched down and reached out to touch the ground. The ground was cold and smooth, as if paved with some kind of black jade. She attempted to stimulate the growth of spiritual plants, only to find that the seeds lost their vitality the moment she activated them, as if their life force had been swallowed by the darkness.

"The power of darkness here is too strong; my spiritual plants cannot grow," she said, frowning.

Tianxin took out a few Talismans, wanting to ignite them for illumination. But as soon as the Talismans were taken out, the runes on them began to dim, as if eroded by some force. She quickly put the Talismans away, not daring to act rashly again.

Yaoguang clutched the sleeve of the person beside her tightly. Her healing power was also suppressed here; although it could still function, it was several times slower than it would be in the outside world.

Lin Yue and Lin Jingyu stood back-to-back, vigilantly watching their surroundings. Although they could see nothing, they maintained their combat stance, ready to deal with sudden danger at any moment.

Only Gao Feng stood steadily in place. He activated his Star Battle Body, and a faint golden light bloomed around him, appearing particularly striking in the darkness. However, even his Star Battle Body could not completely dispel the dense darkness, only illuminating a three-foot radius around him.

"Everyone, be careful," he said in a deep voice. "There is something approaching."

Just as he finished speaking, a faint sound suddenly came from the darkness.

The sound was like wind blowing through withered leaves, or like a snake slithering—rustling, faint and elusive. Everyone's hearts tightened, and they quickly formed a circle, back-to-back, vigilantly watching the darkness all around.

Suddenly, a black shadow darted out from the darkness and lunged at them!

The black shadow moved extremely fast, its trajectory almost impossible to see. But Gao Feng's reaction was faster; he threw a punch, and the golden light of his fist illuminated the surrounding space, blasting the black shadow backward!

Only then did everyone see clearly that it was actually a Shadow Demon Clan battle Soul! Its form was illusory, its face ferocious, and it was surrounded by dense power of darkness. Those blood-red eyes were staring fixedly at them, emitting an icy, sinister light.

"A Shadow Demon Clan battle Soul!" Lin Jingyu exclaimed.

No sooner had he spoken than more rustling sounds came from the darkness. Black shadows emerged from all directions—more and more, thick and dense—surrounding the group in the blink of an eye!

Each of those Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls emitted a powerful Soul fluctuation, and their strength ranged from the Foundation Establishment Third Layer to the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer, with as many as twenty or thirty of them!

"Attack!" Gao Feng roared.

Luo Li reacted immediately. She sat cross-legged, took out the flowing sound zither, and her slender fingers plucked the strings fiercely!

The Pure Heart Melody's clear and melodious zither sound rang out instantly, echoing in the darkness. The music was like a stream of clear spring water, washing over everyone's minds and instantly clarifying their spiritual sense, which had been eroded by the darkness!

At the same time, the zither music also had a suppressing effect on the Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls. The movements of those battle Souls faltered slightly, and the power of darkness on their bodies dimmed a little.

Tianxin seized this opportunity, waving her hands repeatedly as Talismans of Exorcism shot out from her hands! The Talismans bloomed with a faint light in the darkness, and wherever they passed, the dense darkness was purified, creating areas of clarity!

Those Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls struck by the Talismans of Exorcism let out shrill screams, their forms becoming even more illusory!

Su Ning formed hand seals, and layers of spatial barriers expanded around the group, forming a massive protective shield. Although the spatial barriers could not completely isolate the attacks of the Shadow Demon Clan, they could at least block a portion of them, buying the group time to react.

Although Chu Lan could not stimulate the growth of spiritual plants, she was not idle. Using the techniques of Formation Sword Art, she laid out defensive Formations beneath everyone's feet; although they were not as powerful as they would be in the outside world, they were better than nothing.

Yaoguang exerted her full strength to activate her healing power; although slow, she was still bestowing life force upon everyone, ensuring they would not be easily defeated by the Shadow Demon Clan's Soul attacks.

Lin Yue cast the Rock Demon Prison-Suppressing Array, and a massive Rock Demon phantom appeared in the darkness, shielding him and the others behind it. Although the Rock Demon phantom could not attack, its very existence gave everyone a great sense of security.

Lin Jingyu drew his sword, and although he could not see the enemies, he relied on his intuition of the Dao of the sword to thrust repeatedly at the approaching Shadow Demon battle Souls, actually managing to slay a few.

As for Gao Feng, he stood at the very front, meeting the Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls head-on!

He threw punch after punch, the golden light of his fists illuminating the darkness and shattering the approaching Shadow Demon battle Souls into fragments. But whenever his fists passed through those battle Souls, he could feel an icy force invading his body along his arm; it was the Shadow Demon Clan's Soul attack, attempting to erode his mind!

But his mind was as firm as a rock; the Soul attack that invaded his Sea of Consciousness was instantly crushed by his powerful will!

"There are more and more of these battle Souls!" Chu Lan said anxiously. "This cannot go on!"

Gao Feng's heart tightened. He knew Chu Lan was right. Those Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls seemed endless—kill one batch, and another would come—while their own spiritual power was being consumed rapidly. If this continued, it would be exhausted sooner or later.

Just then, he remembered something—the Battle Soul Token!

He quickly took out the jet-black token and injected his spiritual power into it. The Battle Soul Token immediately burst forth with a brilliant golden light, and within that light, ten phantoms slowly emerged!

Those were the ten battle soul projections he had subdued on the third level!

These ten battle soul projections included the Demonic Flame Clan's flame battle Soul, the Rock Demon Clan's defensive battle Soul, the Shadow Demon Clan's assassination battle soul, and the Star Clan's space battle Soul... The moment they appeared, they sensed the surrounding Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls and immediately roared as they charged forward!

The ten battle soul projections and the twenty or thirty Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls engaged in a fierce battle in the darkness! Fire collided with darkness, space intertwined with Soul, erupting in waves of roaring booms!

The pressure on the group reduced sharply, and they all panted, recovering their spiritual power.

Just then, an aged voice suddenly came from the darkness.

"Interesting... to actually be able to summon battle soul projections."

The voice was low and hoarse, as if coming from the endless darkness, carrying an indescribable sense of eeriness.

Everyone's hearts tightened, and they quickly looked toward the source of the sound. In the depths of the darkness, a more solid and powerful phantom slowly emerged. This phantom was different from the surrounding Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls; its figure was slender, its face aged, and its eyes were like two deep black holes, emitting a heart-palpitating light.

This was a Shadow Demon Clan remnant Soul, and furthermore, the inheritor of this level!

Upon seeing this remnant Soul, those Shadow Demon Clan battle Souls stopped attacking and respectfully retreated to the side. Even the ten battle soul projections summoned by Gao Feng stopped their movements under the pressure of the remnant Soul's aura, watching it vigilantly.

The remnant Soul drifted slowly in front of the group, its gaze sweeping over them one by one. When it saw Tianxin, a strange look suddenly flashed in those deep eyes.

"Interesting... interesting..." it muttered. "Among the Human Race, there is actually someone who possesses a dark Bloodline."

Tianxin's expression changed. She had a trace of a dark Bloodline within her, a secret she had never told anyone. But at this moment, it had been seen through at a glance by this Shadow Demon Clan remnant Soul.

The remnant Soul looked at Gao Feng and said, "To be able to reach the seventh level with the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment Fourth Layer Peak is truly not simple. Furthermore, you possess the Battle Soul Token, which means you have already obtained the Legacy of the third level."

Gao Feng said in a deep voice, "Is Senior the inheritor of this level?"

The remnant Soul nodded and said, "This old man is an Elder of the Shadow Demon Clan, named Shadow Nether. I fell here years ago and left behind this wisp of a remnant Soul for the purpose of finding a successor who can inherit the Shadow Demon Assassination Art."

It looked at Tianxin and said, "The Shadow Demon Assassination Art requires someone with a dark talent to Cultivate. This girl has a trace of a dark Bloodline in her body; although it is thin, it is sufficient. She is the most suitable candidate to receive the Legacy."