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"Evil Spirit Masters are as troublesome as they say."
Su Wen remarked with a sigh, looking at the black-robed man who had been smashed into a pulp by Hurricane.
Even with the Bloodrage technique increasing all of his puppet's attributes by one hundred percent, and with his own support, it was still a difficult fight. After all, the strength of his Spirit Saint-level puppet was somewhat inflated; it was closer to a peak Spirit Emperor. Furthermore, it couldn't use a Martial Soul True Body like a living person, so its power was severely restricted. This was why the victory was so hard-won.
It seemed that once one crossed the bottom line of human morality, their strength truly did increase at a terrifying pace.
"…"
Not far away, Yan Feng, who was trapped within an ice sculpture, watched this scene unfold.
His expression grew increasingly terrified.
What kind of monster had he provoked?
And… troublesome?
He had fought across a gap of nearly twenty spirit ranks, yet the one who died was the expert from the Holy Ghost Cult sent to protect him. And all this earned was a single word: "troublesome"?!!
For the first time since becoming Zhongli Wu's disciple, he felt the chilling breath of death. As he watched the figure slowly approach, his heart began to pound wildly. He didn't want to die! He didn't!
"Sigh~"
A soft sigh echoed through the air.
Su Wen's pupils abruptly contracted, and he whipped his head to look beside Yan Feng.
Rustle~
Several black crows had landed atop the ice sculpture's head and arms at some unknown point. Their ink-black eyes were fixed on him. The bizarre scene made Su Wen's scalp tingle, and the sigh from a moment ago had come from one of them.
"Young man, I see your talent is extraordinary. Why not join my Holy Ghost Cult? I guarantee you will become a Holy Son within ten years," one of the crows said, its beak opening and closing while a human voice emerged.
"The Holy Ghost Cult? I'm not an Evil Spirit Master, so why would I go there?" Su Wen replied with a grin, but his body tensed up. Faced with a supreme expert of such inscrutable power, his only option was to flee. No, even escaping was an extravagant hope.
"Gagaga, you are a truly interesting boy. But did you know that when your hands are stained with enough blood and you bear a heavy burden of resentment, your martial soul can also undergo a mutation? Paired with my cult's unique secret methods, your combat power could even double!" the calm, middle-aged man's voice continued.
The fact that it was coming from a crow's mouth made it seem all the more absurd and eerie.
"This space has already been sealed. Before the secret technique is dispelled, any human inside who wants to break through would need the power of a Limit Douluo at the very least."
"How long can the secret technique last?" Su Wen asked with great interest.
"About… three days, I suppose."
Seeing his reaction, the crow's voice carried a hint of amusement.
"Oh," Su Wen said, as if in sudden understanding.
A few more black crows flew over from the distance and coalesced into the figure of a man in a black robe. His eyes stared at Su Wen with a playful expression, as if he were looking at a piece of prey. He seemed to have less interest in the Auspicious Beast standing nearby.
A gentle breeze swept by.
It lifted the mysterious man's hood, revealing a face that was largely what Su Wen had imagined: a handsome and elegant middle-aged man, who even carried a trace of grace. If they had met in a different setting, perhaps at a noble's banquet, he would not have seemed out of place at all.
Su Wen's heart sank to the pit of his stomach.
Although he had anticipated that the Holy Ghost Cult might send a Consecrated-level expert like Zhongli Wu—a being just a step away from a Super Douluo—he would have much preferred to face the three Zhongli brothers over this man, Wu Yun…
Hiding in a Spirit Ball was his ultimate trump card.
Its drawback was that no matter how much time passed, when he came out, he would reappear at the exact location he had entered.
If he were ever in a chase scenario, an opponent who knew this could simply wait for him, trapping him until he died. Therefore, he wouldn't use it unless it was a matter of life and death.
But now…
It seemed that the life-and-death crisis had arrived.
The Auspicious Beast, blessed with good fortune, could likely escape this predicament, but what about him?
That was far from certain…
"Are you trying to stall for time?"
Wu Yun raised his arm with great interest and glanced at his watch. "There are still three full days before the secret technique disappears. If you're hoping for rescue from the experts at your Shrek Academy, I'm afraid that old Xuan Zi is probably still eating grilled fish. He won't have time for you… Oh~"
"You're waiting for those fellows from the Great Star Dou Forest."
A smirk lifted the corners of Wu Yun's mouth.
"That's right. It has only been three hours since the Auspicious Beast disappeared. Those slow-witted creatures might not have noticed anything unusual yet, but as time passes, the probability of them noticing increases with every minute, doesn't it?"
Su Wen remained silent.
"Since you are unwilling to join the Holy Ghost Cult…"
Wu Yun chuckled softly.
"Then you can die."
Rustle~
His figure dissolved into a flock of black crows that scattered in all directions.
Su Wen was startled and retreated explosively. His physical body, which had once been his advantage, was now being thoroughly and completely overpowered for the first time.
"Switch!"
The black crows converged around him with a speed that made Su Wen's eyelids twitch and his adrenaline spike. Daring not to hold anything back any longer, his figure teleported to Hurricane's side in the distance.
As long as it was one of his pets, he could use their Spirit Balls as a link to teleport to each other. Unfortunately, he couldn't swap places with them; otherwise, it would have been like Xu Sanshi's divine skill, the Mysterious Underworld Displacement, that shone so brilliantly in the tournament.
"Auspicious Beast!"
Su Wen shouted in a low voice.
As the words fell, the creature vanished from its spot.
Seeing no unusual activity from the Spirit Ball containing the Auspicious Beast, Su Wen breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed a fragile bond of trust had finally been established.
"Oh? Interesting."
Wu Yun's expression became even more astonished, and the smile on his face deepened.
"You really do have more tricks up your sleeve."
To be able to completely shield the Auspicious Beast's aura and make it vanish into thin air, to the point where even he couldn't detect a trace of it… The secrets this boy held were indeed far greater than he had imagined. He absolutely had to be brought back to the Holy Ghost Cult, or he must be executed on the spot.
Anyone familiar with Wu Yun would know that the Consecrated Lord was now getting serious.
"But where will you run to now?"
Watching Su Wen leap directly toward another ancient tree, his figure moving so fast it became a blur, Wu Yun grinned.
"Crow Clones!"
A faint purple spirit ring pulsed up from under his feet.
Rustle~
Countless crows surged from within his body, then converged to form three identical versions of Wu Yun, which all shot off in Su Wen's direction.
…
A figure dashed across the towering ancient trees, leaping through the dense canopy of branches and leaves.
There were no pursuers visible around him, yet he pushed forward with all his might.
Su Wen knew in his heart.
He couldn't escape like this.
Against a top-tier expert who specialized in tracking and possessed unfathomable techniques, all clever tricks were futile without sufficient strength. The only thing he could do was delay for as long as possible, until Di Tian noticed the anomaly and tore apart this so-called secret space.
But could he really hide inside a Spirit Ball, waiting for a duration that Wu Yun might have just mentioned casually?
He was unwilling to accept that.
Is he just toying with me, like a cat with a mouse?
Su Wen couldn't resist glancing back. The man was gone, as if he had vanished, but Su Wen knew that with his power, there was no way he could have been shaken off if he truly wanted to give chase.
And in the next instant.
"Boom!"
Su Wen's figure was sent flying backward.
He crashed through a series of nets woven from leaves and snapped countless roots and branches before finally slamming into the thick trunk of an ancient tree with a deafening thud, sending splinters flying everywhere.
Su Wen violently spat out a mouthful of blood. His left arm, now massive and covered in golden fur, had been mostly shattered. Sharp shards of bone pierced through his flesh, exposed to the open air.
His entire body was embedded in the tree trunk, and the intense pain caused beads of sweat to cover his forehead, his face deathly pale.
Wu Yun's speed was still overwhelming.
What looked like a single strike was actually the result of him losing a strategic exchange with Wu Yun.
That's right, the moment he sensed danger, he had teleported to Hurricane's side, only to find one of Wu Yun's clones lying in wait. So, in the instant he recalled Hurricane to its Spirit Ball, he summoned Xiao Jin and teleported to Xiao Jin's side.
But Wu Yun's speed was despairingly fast.
Even with his perfect execution, his opponent merely let out a soft exclamation of surprise, and then the third clone appeared and delivered a devastating blow.
In the face of absolute speed, Xiao Jin was completely unable to protect Su Wen.
It could only watch helplessly as he was sent flying.
Then, it let out a furious roar.
"Roar—!!"
The bear's roar echoed through the mountain forest, but it held no threat for Wu Yun.
Instead, he studied Su Wen with growing curiosity.
"Still have more tricks?"
He knew how powerful that last strike was; many Spirit Emperors and Spirit Saints would have been killed instantly, yet Su Wen had only lost his left arm while the rest of his body remained intact. Truly a monster!
He had clearly sensed it at the moment his clone attacked.
Su Wen's left arm had swelled in an instant, carrying with it a sliver of the ultimate power of a spirit beast's bloodline, an aura even more potent than that of a pure-blooded dragon! It was as if some terrifying creature from ancient times had awakened, making even him feel a momentary palpitation.
"A spirit ability? Then there should be a spirit ring…" Wu Yun's eyes narrowed. His interest in Su Wen was growing ever stronger.
And then there was the roaring Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear not far away.
The massive beast landed beside Su Wen, its eyes filled with a mixture of shock, anger, and worry.
Roaring, it lunged toward the levitating Wu Yun.
But in the next moment, its massive body was sent flying back, crashing into a distant ancient tree.
"Roar—!!!"
Its left arm emanated a terrifyingly ferocious aura. The power it wielded was on a completely different level from when Su Wen used it. The Behemoth bloodline within Xiao Jin had reached its peak. Being knocked back by Wu Yun's strike, it only shook its dizzy head and let out a heaven-shaking roar.
"A Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear… No, that's not right."
Wu Yun shook his head.
"It seems to contain another bloodline as well. This boy… what the hell is his background? Can Shrek Academy really cultivate a monster like this?"
Unconsciously, even he was shocked by the boy's monstrous talent.
The Auspicious Beast was now a secondary concern.
He absolutely could not be allowed to leave here alive!
Wu Yun's expression became grave.
"Eh… a Behemoth bloodline?"
Just as Su Wen was being driven to despair by Wu Yun and was about to use his final trump card, a surprised voice sounded in his spiritual sea.
"Elder Yi?"
Su Wen said quietly, his expression unchanging.
"Why have you woken up?"
"Hehe, I was awakened by this aura. The Behemoth… it has been a long time since I have seen one," Electrolux's voice was calm and leisurely as he chuckled. "How did you get yourself into such a wretched state? I have never seen you look like this before…"
"Please, Elder, don't tease me," Su Wen said with a bitter smile.
But his heart had settled considerably.
The real powerhouse had arrived!
The two of them had never exchanged more than five sentences, but their mutual understanding was sufficient.
"I need to get the Auspicious Beast out of this space. As long as I can let the rulers of the Great Star Dou Forest know its current situation, this will all resolve itself. But the prerequisite is escaping this space…"
Within his spiritual sea, Su Wen looked at the black mist that was Electrolux's form.
"Can you help me?"
"Hmm… Hahaha, of course, of course, no problem. To have a genius like you ask for my help is my honor, hahahaha…"
Electrolux laughed heartily, his tone filled with satisfaction.
"As the Scourge of the Dead, this remnant of my consciousness still records some necromantic magic and formations from my past life. It will be enough to help you break through this grand formation. However, I will need to borrow your body for a while."
"Okay!"
Su Wen nodded.
Outside.
Xiao Jin was covered in wounds and had already lost the ability to fight.
Wu Yun leisurely observed the drooping head of Su Wen, his arms crossed over his chest.
He was once a member of the righteous path, but because of his own dark energy, he was hunted down as an Evil Spirit Master. This led him to truly join the ranks of the Evil Spirit Masters, going door to door to annihilate the entire families of those who had hunted him.
Fate was just that laughable.
But now, he had encountered the descendant of those self-proclaimed righteous spirit masters who had chased him all over the continent. Perhaps soon, he too would stand at the pinnacle of the continent and repeat the actions of his predecessors, continuing to hunt down spirit masters like himself and force them down the wrong path.
Of course, right now, he stood on the side of the Holy Ghost Cult.
His eyes narrowed, gradually becoming more dangerous.
This boy was too dangerous. If he was allowed to grow, the Holy Ghost Cult would likely face a great calamity in the future…
His hand slowly rose, his eyes turning to ice.
He pointed a finger toward Su Wen.
The black crows flapped their wings and flew toward him, as if to peck his body clean, devour his soul, and hold a grand feast of death.
"Huh?!!"
Wu Yun didn't know how many times he had been surprised today.
But the boy who had been on the verge of death just a moment ago lifted his head in the next instant, his eyes staring at him with cold indifference.
His black pupils were gradually being dyed gray.
His entire presence seemed to have transformed.
"Hahaha, a young body, so full of vitality…"
An ancient voice came from Su Wen's mouth.
"He's been possessed?!" Wu Yun was stunned.
"No! There's a powerful entity residing within his body!"
Wu Yun's scalp went numb.
On the Douluo Continent, an expert capable of residing within another's spiritual sea would have to have been at least a demigod when they were alive…
After all, from what he knew, even a Limit Douluo couldn't achieve such a feat.
"What the hell is this?!"
Wu Yun's face turned completely black.
He had expected this boy to be hard to kill, but he never expected him to be this hard to kill.
Endless opportunities and trump cards, one after another. Could he be the legendary Chosen One?!!
"Damn it, no more talking." Wu Yun gritted his teeth, his resolve hardening.
He clapped his hands together.
A black spirit ring pulsed up from under his feet.
Countless black crows materialized and converged. "Crow's Silence!"
A dense black fog rose from his body, and terrifying dark energy fluctuated violently as it spread toward Su Wen. To be forced to use his eighth spirit ability, this boy could be proud of himself.
But the latter remained unhurried.
Like a spectator, he watched this scene with great interest, as if it had nothing to do with him.
"Dark energy, but unfortunately, it is not pure."
"Hahahaha, boy, today I will let you see what true darkness is."
As Electrolux's voice fell, a gray pillar of light shot up into the sky.
Cracks suddenly appeared in the azure sky. The entire space maintained by the secret technique held for only a few seconds before it… shattered with a deafening crack.
(End of Chapter)