However, just as the Great Elder finished speaking those words, she suddenly raised her head and looked ahead, a trace of disbelief appearing in her eyes.
Amidst the surging currents, Lin Xiao's figure actually rushed out from that domain of death. The earlier explosion had torn his clothes to rags. Although his body was covered in wounds, the injuries were far from the severity the Great Elder had imagined.
She was not the Nightmare Douluo, so she naturally did not know the effect of Lin Xiao's sixth soul skill. Thus, she could not have guessed that the reason her injuries were so severe was not only because Lin Xiao had detonated the countless higanbana flowers, but also because, under the influence of Lin Xiao's sixth soul skill, Yellow Spring Crossing, she had effectively endured double the damage.
As Lin Xiao's figure gradually became clear, the Great Elder finally noticed that his appearance seemed to have undergone some change.
The higanbana flowers around him had vanished, replaced by a tall figure hovering silently behind him.
His right hand slightly raised, the phantom of Electrolux behind him mirrored the motion, lightly tapping the long staff in its hand. Along with the sole gray soul ring slowly pulsing around Lin Xiao, a solemn and majestic gate slowly emerged behind him.
The moment the gate was opened just a crack, an overwhelmingly rich aura of death poured out toward the Great Elder.
The Great Elder also possessed the death attribute, yet before this aura, the soul power within her body seemed to instinctively shrink back.
With an angry shout, the surrounding seawater surged once more, rolling forth with unconcealed malice, as if intending to completely bury Lin Xiao at the bottom of this deep ocean.
Yet before the Great Elder's attack could land, the inexplicable sound of hooves echoed from the gate behind Lin Xiao. A tall, majestic horse slowly emerged, and upon its back sat a knight clad in deathly gray armor.
The Great Elder's gaze was drawn to the knight. She glanced sideways and saw that its strength was merely equivalent to a human Soul Emperor. Just as she was about to relax, another thunderous sound of hooves rang out from within the gate.
That first knight was only the beginning. Following closely behind it was an entire army of the dead.
Countless undead creatures of varying types and cultivation levels swarmed out from the Gate of the Dead. They feared neither the seawater nor anything else, simply charging in all directions.
A faint gray light flashed in Lin Xiao's eyes, and his face grew slightly pale—a sign of excessive soul power consumption.
Yet he paid no heed to his own condition, only staring fixedly at the Great Elder.
Just as he had anticipated, the so-called domain was, at its core, sustained by the Great Elder's spiritual force and soul power. Although the undead summoned by Lin Xiao from the Gate of the Dead were not particularly strong—on any ordinary day, the Great Elder wouldn't even spare them a glance—at this moment, when an endless tide of undead charged toward the domain that had already suffered an explosion, the Great Elder could no longer suppress her internal injuries. She spat out a large mouthful of blood, her face turning deathly pale, and the surrounding domain shattered with a loud boom.
The surrounding seawater appeared unchanged, but as the heaven-and-earth vital energy poured into Lin Xiao's body, transforming into soul power that gently nourished his nearly depleted meridians, he knew the Great Elder's domain had vanished.
Gulping down mouthfuls of seawater at his lips—the taste of seawater mixed with blood filling his entire mouth—Lin Xiao looked at the now-withered Great Elder. Brilliant light suddenly flared from both his legs.
Soul bone skill, third stage: Return to Silence.
The last remnants of soul power within Lin Xiao were squeezed out, rapidly surging into his legs. The accumulated power seemed too much even for his own body to bear; blood lines cracked open from within, crimson patterns crawling across his entire face.
Although the Gold of Living Beings within him continuously repaired the damage, after unleashing the soul bone skill Return to Silence, his body still kept breaking apart, exceeding the repair speed of the Gold of Living Beings.
Return to Silence was, by its very nature, a soul skill meant to drag the opponent into dead silence together with oneself.
The phantom of Electrolux behind him slowly faded. Lin Xiao stomped fiercely with his left foot, and his figure vanished instantly. The higanbana flower bloomed above his head. When his figure reappeared, the tip of his foot was already stepping on that flower, leaving only an afterimage in place.
Another step, and his figure rose once more. In the span of a single breath, Lin Xiao left behind several afterimages, positioning himself high above and looking down upon the Great Elder's location.
The spiritual force in his sea of consciousness churned violently. The several souls he had previously released slowly dissipated, and his remaining spiritual force completely fused with what little soul power he had left.
Battle skill: Withering.
Soul bone skill: Flowers Wither and Fall.
The light from the leg bone shone through Lin Xiao's skin, illuminating the surrounding seawater. The numerous afterimages he left behind descended toward the Great Elder together with him, like a night owl diving to hunt its prey.
The Great Elder slightly raised her head. Yet she could no longer see Lin Xiao's figure; instead, it seemed as though a vivid higanbana flower gently swayed before her eyes, beckoning her toward the resting place she was meant to go.
"BOOM—"
With a deafening explosion, the Great Elder's body plummeted downward, crashing through the water and embedding itself into the seabed. Yet she felt no pain, nor any fear of the approaching death. Instead, a sense of peace arose in her heart.
Lin Xiao's figure also landed on the seabed. He held the charged soul guide device, and the soul power within surged into his body like a visible stream of light.
Looking down, half of the Great Elder's body had completely vanished. The seawater continuously washed away her shattered internal organs.
All color had long drained from her face, yet those vertical pupils stared fixedly at Lin Xiao.
"Siren… I have disappointed you… Lord… Mother…"
The Great Elder managed to spit out a few indistinct words. Before she could finish, her body suddenly went limp.
A blue hexagonal crystal fell from her body, covered in scorched black marks, its former luster completely gone.
In the depths of the uninhabited icy sea, a purple pillar of light suddenly pierced through the water and shot into the sky. Surging waves roared with tremendous noise, as if something were furiously howling.
Countless sea soul beasts scattered and fled in panic, yet before they could get far, they were uncontrollably drawn—along with the surrounding seawater—into a gigantic maw.
The soul beasts living in the Extreme North all stopped in their tracks, looking from afar toward the direction of the icy sea. In some human villages closer to the north, people also saw the strange phenomenon of the sky turning purple and excitedly shared it with those around them.
Deep in the ocean, the Sea Princess suddenly halted her actions, looking uncertainly in a certain direction.
"Mother?"
Beside her, Liya softly called out, bringing the Sea Princess back to her senses. "Mother, it was because I trusted that soul beast that the Heart of the Ocean was lost. I…"
"It's all right." The Sea Princess pulled Liya into her embrace, stopping her from continuing. "Protecting the Heart of the Ocean was my responsibility, not yours."
"Mm." Liya gently nodded, but her gaze gradually grew resolute, as if she had made some kind of decision.
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