Chapter 270: Chapter 257: Soul Dao
The moment the voice sounded, a cataclysmic force plunged down from the sky. The seawater, struck by this immense power, spun into a waterspout and charged straight for Qii Yang.
"What?"
Sensing the might of this force, Qii Yang knew he had encountered a supreme expert. His pupils contracted, and in a flash, he ducked behind Ouyang Cheng.
"Save me!"
"Hmph!" Ouyang Cheng let out an angry snort. He clearly hadn’t expected Young Master Qii Yang to be so shameless. But this was no time to sulk. He clapped his palms together. "Seal!"
The surrounding seawater instantly formed a barrier in front of them, blocking the charging waterspout.
This was the Soaring Water Master’s ability to control the sea!
"Soaring Water Master, so it is you! I’ll kill you!"
Things might have been fine if Ouyang Cheng hadn’t acted. But the moment he did, the voice from above grew even more furious, roaring with rage. True Qi assaulted them like a tempest, wave after wave, and even Ouyang Cheng, a Soaring Water Master, was starting to struggle.
"They’re here..."
Seeing Ouyang Cheng and his opponent locked in a furious battle, the corner of Nie Yun’s mouth curled into a smirk as he slowly rose from the stone platform.
’I didn’t even have to think about it. I successfully lured the Seventh Prince and his men here!’
The Seventh Prince had been set up by a Soaring Water Master, leaving him with a bellyful of rage and nowhere to vent it. Now, seeing Qii Yang and that very same Soaring Water Master, he was naturally incensed and launched a frenzied attack!
"Baihua Xiu, I’ll heal your injuries first so you can recover your strength!"
Nie Yun walked over to Baihua Xiu, placed a palm on her, and channeled his Healing Qi into her.
"You..."
Baihua Xiu was stunned. She never expected that the youth, who had seemed to be on death’s door just moments ago, would possess such abundant True Qi. She then felt her injuries healing with astonishing speed as her stamina gradually returned to its Peak.
"You weren’t injured?"
It all clicked for Baihua Xiu at that moment, and she was overcome with joy.
’I thought I was going to die here, but it turns out there’s a way out! This young man was just pretending!’
"You..."
Standing to the side, Mu Qing also realized what was happening, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Heh!" Knowing this wasn’t the time for explanations, Nie Yun gave a faint smile and looked toward Qii Yang’s group.
By this point, the two sides were locked in a blazing battle. Qii Yang, having recognized his attacker, roared repeatedly.
"Seventh Prince, what are you doing here? Why are you attacking me?"
Qii Yang was incredibly aggrieved. Although he and the Seventh Prince didn’t get along, the prince had always cared about his reputation and never dared to be so blatant. ’But now he’s attacking so unscrupulously, so frantically... what’s gotten into him?’
’Did I steal his wife? Kill his father? I don’t think so!’
"Why am I attacking? Give me back my Nine-Heart Demon Fruit!"
The Seventh Prince’s face flushed red with anger, as if he were about to explode. With a flick of his hands, a Ghost Head Saber appeared in his palm, and he brought it cleaving down, parting the waves and splitting the currents.
The moment the saber’s light appeared, the condensed True Qi morphed into countless phantoms. They linked together to form a long, sinister bridge. The seawater atop the bridge seemed to burn as if boiling, giving off an oily, emerald sheen.
"The Soul-Catching Seven-Life Bridge? Seventh Prince, what kind of deep-seated hatred do you have for me that you’d use such an ultimate technique? Damn you! I was saving this Elixir for when I had to deal with the Secret Realm corpse, but you’ve forced my hand! I’ll take this Mad Demon Heart Refining Pill!"
Seeing the long bridge created by the Seventh Prince’s Ghost Head Saber, Qii Yang felt he was about to lose his mind. He took out an Elixir and swallowed it. His aura, which had been weak from his injuries, suddenly flared up as if doused in oil, growing wildly. In the blink of an eye, it surpassed the strength he had at his peak!
’The Mad Demon Heart Refining Pill? An Elixir from the Floating Heaven Continent’s Demon Nether Sect... How did he get his hands on one of those?’
Nie Yun’s brow furrowed as he heard Qii Yang’s roar.
The Demon Nether Sect was not one of the Floating Heaven Continent’s Eight Great Sects, but its overall strength was no less than any of them. It was even more mysterious, rumored to be a Sect founded by a powerhouse from the Demon Race, and its disciples all studied the Secret Techniques of demons.
The Mad Demon Heart Refining Pill was one of their most prevalent elixirs. Once consumed, it could instantly unlock a person’s potential, allowing them to erupt with double their normal combat strength. However, this power came at the cost of their own blood and life force.
In other words, taking the pill not only drastically reduced one’s lifespan but also left the body in a depleted state that was nearly impossible to fully recover from.
’It seems Qii Yang was looking for the Nine-Heart Demon Fruit to counteract the depletion caused by this Elixir!’
Knowing the terrifying nature of the Mad Demon Heart Refining Pill, Nie Yun finally understood Qii Yang’s reason for seeking the Nine-Heart Demon Fruit.
The Nine-Heart Demon Fruit was incredibly nourishing, making it the perfect antidote for the Mad Demon Heart Refining Pill’s life-draining effects.
"The Soul-Catching Seven-Life Bridge is one of the ultimate Martial Arts of the Divine Holy Empire Royal Family,"
Seeing the youth’s furrowed brow, Baihua Xiu assumed he was shocked by the Seventh Prince’s Martial Arts and offered an explanation. "A single strike can attack the soul, making it impossible to defend against!"
’An attack on the soul? It seems the Divine Holy Empire Royal Family has studied the soul extensively!’
To be able to attack the soul with a Martial Art meant their research on the subject must be incredibly thorough. Otherwise, a failed attack could result in a backlash that could turn the user into a raving lunatic or a drooling idiot.
"Yes. The ancestor of the Divine Holy Empire, the most powerful Secret Realm Powerhouse in all of the Qi Sea Continent, comprehended the Soul Dao. It’s said he was the one who created the Soul-Catching Seven-Life Bridge. Once struck, the victim’s soul must experience seven lives and seven deaths, suffering all the hardships of the world with no hope of transcendence! The only way to end the torment is to cross the bridge to the other side. But doing so means surrendering control of your soul and becoming the attacker’s Puppet!"
"The Soul Dao? Experience seven lives and seven deaths? Suffer all the hardships of the world?" Nie Yun’s expression turned grave, a look of apprehension appearing on his face.
For an Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse to advance to the Heaven-Seizing Creation Secret Realm, they first had to comprehend a Great Dao. The specific Great Dao one comprehended would determine their future strength. Though any Great Dao could lead to the Secret Realm, the paths were not all equal, and their difficulties varied greatly.
The Soul Dao was one of the most arduous paths one could take to enter the Secret Realm. The fact that the Divine Holy Empire’s ancestor had succeeded was a testament to his terrifying power.
BOOM!
While Nie Yun was lost in thought, a world-shaking roar erupted from ahead. He looked up to see both Qii Yang and the Seventh Prince sent flying backward, spewing torrents of blood.
The clash between the Soul-Catching Seven-Life Bridge and the Martial Art empowered by the Mad Demon Heart Refining Pill had ended in a stalemate. The two were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand, and both ended up severely injured.
"Seventh Prince, it’s true that I support the Eldest Prince, but we’ve always stayed out of each other’s way! We have no conflict of interest, so why are you being so ruthless?"
Struggling to his feet, Qii Yang looked at the Seventh Prince lying on the ground not far ahead. His face was a mask of rage as he let out a furious roar.
He just couldn’t understand it. Why had the Seventh Prince come here? And why, the moment they met, had he pounced like a wolf on a lamb, hell-bent on killing him?
