227: Soul body!

Boom!!

As the Gaunt Man pressed down with his hand, a shocking sound, as if the air was exploding, reverberated in all directions.

This was an invisible attack, unseen by the naked eye.

The shadowy giant, which had been furiously attacking, instantly halted its movements under the Gaunt Man's single press.

Crack! Crack!

Cracks rapidly spread from the shadowy giant's forehead.

Once these cracks covered the entire head of the shadowy giant, boom!

The shadowy giant's head instantly exploded, revealing the six figures within its skull.

These six figures… were none other than the Palace Lord of Shadow Flash Palace and the five Elders.

At this moment, all six of them were pale-faced and in pain.

Although there were no visible injuries on their bodies, they seemed to have suffered severe internal damage.

Especially the Palace Lord of Shadow Flash Palace.

His aura was weak, and his already aged face now appeared even older, as he clutched his head in immense pain.

The Gaunt Man was also not well.

The same condition that appeared on the six people opposite him also appeared on him.

A gash had even opened on his glabella.

Evidently, unleashing this attack also caused him significant self-inflicted damage.

However, after injuring the Palace Lord of Shadow Flash Palace and the five Elders with this strike, the Gaunt Man immediately had the time and opportunity to escape.

He endured the pain of his seemingly splitting brain, quickly controlled the flying bird beneath him, and fled into the distance.

The strength of Rapid Shadow Palace far exceeded his expectations.

He had initially believed that with his own strength, he could sweep through the entire Rapid Shadow Palace.

However, he never expected… that such a powerful hidden foundation existed within Rapid Shadow Palace.

But he also knew that powerful methods like the shadowy giant could not be used casually.

Rapid Shadow Palace must have paid a considerable price for using such a method this time.

In a short period, they would certainly not be able to use it a second time.

Coupled with the fact that the Shadow Master of Rapid Shadow Palace was severely injured by him, the strength of Rapid Shadow Palace would undoubtedly be greatly weakened in the future.

He could retreat first and then look for another opportunity.

Whoosh!

Everyone could clearly see that the flying bird beneath the Gaunt Man's feet was like a falling meteor, plummeting directly into the distant mountain forest after leaving the range of Five Shadow City.

Evidently, under the immense injuries, this flying bird could no longer maintain flight.

“He seems to be very seriously injured…” Xiao Shi's eyes flashed with a cold glint.

A natural urge to go and finish him off surged within him.

Under normal circumstances, he was naturally no match for this Gaunt Man.

Although this person was also a Martial Soul Realm practitioner, he was completely different from the Martial Soul Realm practitioner he had killed before.

He could almost be regarded as another, more powerful realm.

However, now that this person was severely injured, this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity!

It was just that Xiao Shi did not know the exact extent of this person's injuries, nor did he know how much combat power this person still had under such injuries.

As the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

He was afraid that even if the opponent was severely injured, he would still possess an insurmountable power.

Xiao Shi needed to weigh the risks involved.

After a brief period of thought, a decisive and resolute glint flashed in Xiao Shi's eyes.

“Let's do it!”

His figure instantly shot out, heading straight for the direction where the Gaunt Man had fallen.

He thought very clearly: with his current life-saving abilities, even if he was no match, he could still save his life.

After all, with the Martial Emperor War Boots, his speed had once again greatly increased.

Xiao Shi immediately burst with speed.

At the same time, as he moved, he used the martial emperor mask to conceal his aura fluctuations, silently pursuing the direction where the Gaunt Man had fallen.

Boom!

The enormous flying bird crashed heavily into the mountain forest, knocking down a patch of trees.

A crater was also created in the ground.

The Gaunt Man vomited blood.

His entire body was like porcelain glued together.

His injuries were far more severe than he had imagined.

When he took out a few pills and shoved them all into his mouth, his injuries showed no sign of improvement.

“Damn it!” the Gaunt Man's expression was grim.

His injuries were so severe that even the pills in his possession could not heal them.

He took a deep breath.

While taking the pills, he also activated a healing cultivation technique, performing a double treatment.

The originally not-so-quiet mountain forest became silent with the arrival of the Gaunt Man.

At least in the Gaunt Man's immediate area, no insects or beasts dared to approach.

Pfft!

The Gaunt Man vomited blood again.

“No!”

“The injuries are too severe; if this continues…”

Suddenly, the Gaunt Man's pupils contracted.

His entire body immediately sprang up from the ground, leaping into the air.

Almost at the moment he ascended, a bloody light suddenly flashed rapidly from his previous position.

Although the Gaunt Man had jumped into the air, his legs could not escape, and they instantly exploded as the bloody light flashed past.

“As expected, a sneak attack can no longer kill a Martial Soul Realm expert.” Xiao Shi sighed.

If it weren't for the opponent's severe injuries, he wouldn't even have been able to wound him.

Facing an expert of this realm, he could no longer rely on the aura concealment provided by the martial emperor mask to kill through sneak attacks, as he had in the past!

However, through this strike, Xiao Shi had also realized that the opponent's current state was very poor.

Even when aware of his attack, he could only dodge and was unable to retaliate.

Under normal circumstances, with the opponent's powerful strength and cultivation, he would probably have been slammed to the ground and hammered the moment he detected an attack.

Now, only being able to dodge… indicated that his injuries were extremely severe.

However, to be cautious, Xiao Shi still decided not to engage in close combat, lest the opponent become desperate.

The Gaunt Man looked at the person who had ambushed him, filled with shock and anger.

He had not considered that Rapid Shadow Palace might send people to hunt him down and eliminate him completely.

But he thought that even if Rapid Shadow Palace were to send people, firstly, it wouldn't be this fast!

Secondly, they would definitely send Martial Soul Realm martial artists to kill him.

If they sent Blood Martial Realm practitioners to hunt him down, that would surely be a futile effort.

Therefore, the Gaunt Man was not panicked during his healing process.

Through the previous battle, he had already ascertained that Rapid Shadow Palace only had those six Martial Soul Realm practitioners in total.

And he had injured all six of them earlier.

They couldn't possibly have the remaining strength to pursue him.

He never expected… that the one coming to hunt him down would be a Blood Martial Realm practitioner with combat power comparable to a Martial Soul Realm expert!

And he was also someone… extremely terrifying in terms of speed.

At this moment, his injuries were severe, and his condition was extremely poor; if he were to retaliate, his entire body would shatter and explode.

Just as the Gaunt Man was constantly pondering how to resolve the current situation, a hum!

Suddenly, a powerful pressure permeated this area.

“This is…” The Gaunt Man was greatly alarmed.

This was a pressure he had never encountered before.

With his realm and cultivation, ordinary pressure would have long been ineffective against him.

But this kind of pressure could ignore realm and cultivation!

Not to mention that he was in the Martial Soul Realm, even if he were in the Martial Demon Realm, or even the more powerful Saint Realm, he would still be affected by this pressure.

Because this was… the pressure domain originating from the Martial Emperor Shoulder Armor!

The pressure of the Martial Emperor Shoulder Armor could not only condense pressure onto one's body, giving oneself astonishing weight, but also spread the pressure to the surroundings, thereby forming a pressure domain!

Within this domain, every spot was filled with extremely terrifying pressure.

Vegetation was pulverized, and the earth cracked and caved in.

Under this astonishing pressure, the Gaunt Man's already nearly shattered body could no longer bear it.

“Die for me!!” Xiao Shi roared in his heart.

His palm pressed down mercilessly, concentrating all the pressure within this domain onto the Gaunt Man.

He knew well that with the opponent's strength, if he attacked in close combat, and the opponent, desperate, unleashed a powerful strike, he would surely be in great danger.

Since he had detected the opponent's severe injuries, Xiao Shi naturally wouldn't take risks.

He would directly use the pressure domain from a distance to disintegrate and crush the opponent's body.

Crack! Crack!

Under Xiao Shi's pressure domain, the cracks on the Gaunt Man's body continuously increased.

In less than a second, his body was completely covered with numerous cracks.

“You…” He looked at Xiao Shi with shock and anger.

Before he could finish his words, crack!

His entire body shattered under the immense pressure.

“Success!” Xiao Shi breathed a sigh of relief, his heart greatly invigorated.

This person could be said to be the most powerful among all the martial artists he had killed so far.

Moreover, it was his first time eliminating an existence far more powerful than himself, with a huge disparity in strength.

“This kind of finishing blow is truly satisfying…” Xiao Shi thought with satisfaction.

Through this person's previous battle in Rapid Shadow Palace, he realized that the opponent was very likely one of the strongest types of Martial Soul Realm experts.

He wondered what kind of items such a Martial Soul Realm expert would drop after death?

Xiao Shi was filled with anticipation.

He immediately began to pick up the items that had fallen after the opponent's death.

However, just as he took a step forward, his footsteps suddenly halted.

“No!!”

He seemed to have discovered something terrifying, his expression drastically changed, and his entire body rapidly retreated.

“Hmm?” A soft exclamation emanated from the Gaunt Man's shattered corpse, followed by the ascent of a soul body.

The entire soul body was identical in form and appearance to the Gaunt Man!

However, there was a gash in the glabella area.

The Gaunt Man, now in his soul form, looked at Xiao Shi with great surprise.

He had intended to suddenly appear and kill Xiao Shi when he came to search his storage bag.

However, he never expected that the other party would see through his intention, forcing him to reveal himself.

He took a deep look at Xiao Shi.

“Although my previous injuries had brought me to the brink of abandoning my physical body, I felt I could still be rescued…”

“You destroyed my physical body; I will dismember you and make your body and soul perish!”

As soon as the Gaunt Man finished speaking, whoosh!

His figure flashed, appearing directly in front of Xiao Shi as if teleporting, blocking Xiao Shi's path.

His eyes, cold and merciless, stared intently at Xiao Shi, filled with a wild killing intent.

Even if Xiao Shi continued to use the pressure domain, it would have little effect.

It seemed that after the opponent transformed into a soul body, his previous injuries had all recovered.

No! More accurately, his previous injuries were only physical injuries.

Now that he no longer had a physical body, his state was naturally different.

However, the strike he took while escaping from Rapid Shadow Palace had also severely injured his soul.

The gash on his glabella after transforming into a soul body was the injury to his soul body.

However, a soul body is different from a physical body.

Even if his soul body was injured, he could still attack and would not risk his soul dissipating due to the exertion.

He had more than enough residual power to kill Xiao Shi.

“A mere Blood Martial Realm practitioner, yet possessing such astonishing speed, capable of releasing pressure that ignores realms, and even knowing about the Life Soul… you are no ordinary Blood Martial Realm practitioner.”

The Gaunt Man floated up from the ground, opened his palm, and aimed his entire palm at Xiao Shi.

“I believe killing you will yield good gains.”

In an instant, an indescribably terrifying crisis, like surging waves, threatened to engulf Xiao Shi.

This crisis was unprecedentedly intense, making Xiao Shi feel that no matter how he struggled or what methods he used, it would inevitably be a dead end.

In fact, he did not know that after reaching the opponent's realm, even if the physical body died, the soul body would still exist.

If he had known this earlier, he would not have thought of coming to finish him off.

The reason he was able to sense that the opponent was not dead was because he had not seen any items drop from the opponent!

If this happened, there could only be one possibility: the opponent was not dead!

Therefore, he decisively retreated at the first opportunity.

But he never expected… that even though he had sensed something was wrong at the first moment, he still found it difficult to escape from the opponent's grasp.

Previously, the physical body's constraints prevented the Gaunt Man from attacking.

Now, without the physical body, he was able to attack without any reservations.

Hum!

The Gaunt Man raised his hand and pressed down towards Xiao Shi below, emitting a sharp shriek that compressed the air.

Although the attack he unleashed was not the killing move that had injured the six people from Rapid Shadow Palace, this strike… was already enough to kill Xiao Shi!

He was not afraid of Xiao Shi defending against it.

Ultimately, even if Xiao Shi had decent strength, he was only in the Blood Martial Realm and did not possess soul-related powers.

No matter how strong his physical defense was, it could not withstand attacks on the soul level.

Even if Xiao Shi tried to touch and neutralize it with his own attacks, he would be unable to touch his soul attack due to the difference in power levels.

At the same time, he was not afraid that Xiao Shi would dodge with his speed.

Once a soul attack locks on, it cannot be dodged.

It could be said that under his soul attack, even if Xiao Shi was a versatile warrior with decent offense, defense, and speed, he would still only face death.

This was a difference in realms!

Boom!

A low, muffled sound exploded between Xiao Shi and the Gaunt Man.

The Gaunt Man's expression changed.

He found that his soul attack had not hit the opponent!

Instead, it had struck a massive figure that had appeared out of thin air between him and Xiao Shi.

This was a huge soul body, covered in blood-red armor, wearing a helmet with a cross mark, and with darkness within the helmet where a face would be.

Beneath it was a tall warhorse, also completely covered and wrapped in blood-red armor.

This suddenly appearing soul body left the Gaunt Man completely stunned.

His unleashed soul attack had struck the blood-red armor of this soul body in front of him.

Although it pushed it back a few steps, Xiao Shi, who was behind the blood-armored soul body, was completely unharmed.

At the same time, the soul body covered in blood-red armor slightly raised its head.

Although the blood-red helmet was dark and lacked a face or features, it directly locked onto the Gaunt Man's soul body in front of it.

It raised its hand, and streaks of black energy continuously roared out from its hand, gathering on its raised palm, thereby condensing into a gigantic, pitch-black long spear!