Chapter 188: The Devil
Chapter 188: The Devil
Fang Ruohua released a sky-shaking roar as the giant eagle behind her spread its wings and claws, lunging toward the Colossal Snake behind the man in the yellow shirt.
Eagles and snakes were natural enemies. Their life-and-death struggle churned time and space, triggering violent explosions.
Fang Ruohua’s Movement Technique flashed like lightning. Despite facing a peak Soul Martial expert, she pressed forward with relentless attacks.
“Bold for a brat, but your cultivation level’s too weak.”
The man in the yellow shirt smirked, meeting her head-on. His palms flickered with brilliance as they tore through her assault effortlessly.
“Six Wings Soaring!”
Fang Ruohua unleashed her ultimate attack. The giant eagle behind her unfurled three pairs of wings, shredding the void and radiating an unstoppable aura.
The man in the yellow shirt’s expression tightened. His hands blurred, souls morphing into soul fire to form a flaming vortex before him.
Behind him, the Colossal Snake transformed into fire serpents, three blazing heads surging toward the eagle.
A deafening roar echoed as light cascaded. Against all odds, Fang Ruohua held the advantage.
“Not bad, but your realm’s still lacking.”
The man in the yellow shirt retreated from the blast zone, raising his hands slowly. The void rippled like stormy seas, countless souls igniting into soul fire that flooded time and space.
Fang Ruohua’s giant eagle swelled rapidly to resist the onslaught.
“Spirit Communication belongs to the Seven Levels of Soul Martial Arts. Your Soul Martial Fifth Realm can’t handle this.”
The man clapped his hands above his head, shaking time and space. Shockwaves warped the void, hurling Fang Ruohua backward.
Nearby, Lan Xiaozhu was blasted hundreds of yards away.
Cheng Lingyu turned calmly, vanishing through the void to catch the injured Fang Ruohua midair.
Landing softly, he released her and scanned the crowd. “You’ve lingered here long enough.”
The man in the yellow shirt sneered, “Some waited decades, others years. Why ask?”
“You should leave. No point waiting further.”
“Because you’ve come?”
Cheng Lingyu laughed. “Exactly. You’ve wasted years waiting blindly. Pathetic, isn’t it?”
“A mere Soul Martial Fourth Realm dares lecture us? That arrogance will be your downfall.”
“We’ve no feud. Leave now, and I’ll show restraint.”
Cheng Lingyu stepped forward, light coalescing beneath his feet. Swirling engraved formations wove a special defense around him.
The man in the yellow shirt raised an eyebrow. “Engraved formations? Ambitious for a Soul Martial Fourth Realm. Most cultivators wait until Blood Martial Realm to study such arts.”
“I started during True Martial Fourth Realm. Half a year’s practice.”
Cheng Lingyu’s tone remained casual, as if discussing the weather.
“Half a year?” The man’s face darkened. “Arrogance or mockery?”
Around them, onlookers burst into scornful laughter.
Lan Xiaozhu returned to Fang Ruohua’s side. The two women gazed at Cheng Lingyu’s ethereal and illusionary figure surrounded by luminous rings, their lips curling into expectant smiles.
“Respect must be earned through strength. I could lecture you endlessly, yet you’d still scorn me. Why waste breath?”
Cheng Lingyu’s steps remained unhurried as he approached the man in the yellow shirt. The rocks beneath his feet cracked and disintegrated – telltale signs of a supergravity field reaching devastating intensity.
The yellow-shirted man, a peak Soul Martial expert, tensed with alarm. His probing gaze failed to pierce Cheng Lingyu’s mystery.
“One more step crosses into peril, boy. Reconsider.”
Cheng Lingyu’s casual smile infuriated the man, whose pride burned at being disregarded.
“Insolent! I’ll… wait… you…”
The man’s body shuddered as invisible force crushed downward, nearly buckling his knees.
“A supergravity field?! You wretched…”
Blood sprayed from his mouth as his legs trembled violently. Cheng Lingyu maintained his glacial advance, smirk unwavering.
With each approaching footfall, hatred blazed in the man’s eyes. His garments exploded into shreds, blood vessels bursting under the crushing field.
“No! Damn you!!”
Tendons snapped like lute strings. Bones cracked like dry twigs. The man collapsed face-first, howling through gritted teeth as humiliation and fury consumed him.
“What sorcery is this?!”
Seven peak Soul Martial experts nearby gaped in horror.
Cheng Lingyu strode past the fallen man like an emperor surveying subjects. Moonlight glinted in his tranquil eyes.
“Leave now. My pace stays measured, yet blood marks every footprint.”
His detached tone suggested he spoke of another’s affairs.
“Blusterer! Your trick only worked by surprise!”
Cheng Lingyu continued walking, deaf to protests. His footsteps echoed rhythmically toward the next cultivator.
“You think me weak?!”
A cultivator lunged, clawed hands ripping the sky. Spectral souls swirled in his palms, morphing into shimmering divine weapons aimed at Cheng Lingyu’s crown.
The attacker froze mid-air as unseen forces yanked him earthward. His skull cracked against stone just as Cheng Lingyu’s boot descended.
Crunch.
Scarlet pools spread beneath the twitching body.
“Woo! That’s my elder brother!”
Fang Ruohua’s glee contrasted starkly with the crowd’s ashen faces. The second victim’s vigilance proved as futile as the first’s surprise.
“What’s your game, boy?!”
The third cultivator’s face darkened as Cheng Lingyu strode toward him.
Under the crowd’s gaze, retreating would mean humiliation. Staying meant sharing the same fate as the others.
Cheng Lingyu moved like a ghost, indifferent to the world, his silent actions louder than any words.
“Damn it! You can’t be unbreakable! Thousand Soul Annihilation!” The third cultivator roared, unleashing his fiercest spiritual attack—a common Spirit Communication stage tactic, amplified by Soul Gathering Valley’s energy.
Cheng Lingyu’s Dreamy Magic Eyes rippled faintly, weaving time and space until the attack vanished without a trace.
Everything seemed unchanged, but the third cultivator trembled in terror. “Why… how?”
Before he could react, Cheng Lingyu’s supergravity field crushed him, bones snapping and blood vessels bursting. The heart-wrenching scream horrified onlookers, yet Cheng Lingyu remained eerily calm.
“He’s not human—he’s a demon!” One cultivator fled, sparking panic. The remaining five peak Soul Martial experts scattered instantly.
Cheng Lingyu gazed at the three wounded men. “Those who defy fate court disaster.” A tap of his foot sent a shockwave hurling them skyward. With a flick of his left hand, they vanished miles away.
“Elder brother, you’re amazing!” Fang Ruohua rushed over, beaming.
Cheng Lingyu laughed. “It’s the engraved formations’ power—they channel the power of all things.”
Lan Xiaozhu urged, “We must leave Feixing Ridge quickly.”
Nodding, Cheng Lingyu sent the women away and approached the Dead Tree. Suppressing his true essence, he activated his Dreamy Magic Eyes. His body grew still as autumn leaves, decay lingering in the air.
The Dreamy Magic Eyes shimmered with dreams and sorrow, merging the Dreamy Thousand Tear Bamboo’s essence into a haunting legend. The Withered Dream Butterfly’s wings could shatter joy into desolation—a kinship Cheng Lingyu exploited.
Resonance, not force, was key. The strange butterfly rejected domination, demanding subtlety. Cheng Lingyu sought its flaw, patient as silence itself.