Chapter 883: Soul-Evading Bell Soul Anomaly

The Giant One Finger (Huanmie Yizhi, Charge Value: 10.22).

A flash of soul-blue light streaked through the air from the Giant's finger.

It was as unremarkable as the Passive Fist, offering no extravagant visual spectacle.

In fact, it was even more subtle.

Because this was an attack on the soul level, invisible to the naked eye.

To outsiders, the battlefield simply showed the rampaging Giant extending one finger.

The cluster of flesh and blood from Yi was slightly stirred by the linear shockwave caused by the sword finger's physical properties.

Yet, the part of Yi's flesh and blood directly hit by Huanmie Yizhi showed no physical reaction at all.

It simply fell straight downward, pulled by gravity.

Falling endlessly...

Immediately after, within everyone's spiritual perception, the soul aura emanating from Yi in the arena rapidly weakened and dissipated.

"Dead?!"

Wu Ji Laozu nearly popped his eyes out in shock.

He had just been thinking that even if Xu Xiaoshou's methods were extraordinary, challenging Taixu with the cultivation of a Grandmaster—relying on his famous swords and fierce swords—was nothing short of an ant trying to shake a tree or a mantis blocking a chariot.

But in the next second, the Giant's soul-based finger strike landed from afar, slapping him across the face and leaving him stunned.

"How could there be such a powerful soul attack technique?"

"Isn't this kid focused on body cultivation?"

"His physical body, swordsmanship, alchemy, and even the ways of destiny are already so formidable. How does he have the spare time to cultivate mental attacks to such an abnormal level?"

In his mind, the image of that soul-blue light cutting through the sky kept replaying.

While others couldn't see it, Wu Ji Laozu had witnessed it clearly.

He was certain that even for Taixu, if struck by this terrifying move, they would suffer severe injury even if they could save themselves.

And injuries to the soul were almost impossible to heal.

This could affect a spirit refiner's fate and foundation.

If the damage was severe enough, it could turn someone into a vegetative state, or cause memory loss and gaps in their comprehension of the Dao principles.

Wu Ji Laozu had all his backup plans in place, waiting to use the great formation of destiny to erase the troublesome Yi right here.

But he never expected that Xu Xiaoshou's single strike seemed on the verge of achieving his goal.

Beside him, Lei Xi'er stirred her divine-demon pupils, as if glimpsing another hidden scene on the soul level that no one else could see.

She furrowed her brow slightly.

Just then.

"Dong—"

A deep sound, like the toll of a grand ancient bell, rang directly in everyone's hearts, cleansing their spirits.

Several people in the arena felt their souls tremble, and their scalps tingled.

Even Xu Xiaoshou, transformed into the rampaging Giant, was no exception—his frenzied eyes flashed with a hint of surprise.

"How could there be a sound?"

Xu Xiaoshou had tested the capabilities of Huanmie Yizhi before.

Even a cloud beast without a fixed form would be completely erased on the spot under about one percent of its damage.

This erasure happened silently, with no unusual fluctuations.

But now, what he had unleashed on Yi's soul was Huanmie Yizhi with a charge value of 10.22.

Theoretically, no matter how strong Yi was, he shouldn't have withstood this strike.

After all, when the Passive Fist had hit Gou Wuyue, the charge value was only 8.64, and it had blown his head apart.

If not for Ai Cangsheng's arrow crossing two realms at the last moment, giving Gou Wuyue that extended recovery time, the Passive Fist alone would have sealed the victory.

And that was merely physical damage, easier to defend against and recover from, targeted at one of the Seven Sword Immortals.

Yi might be strong, but could he surpass a Sword Immortal?

With Huanmie Yizhi's charge value exceeding 10 and dealing soul damage...

How could Yi possibly have any surprises left?

Xu Xiaoshou felt a twinge in his heart, sensing that something was amiss.

A move that should have silently obliterated the enemy had produced this abrupt sound when striking Yi's soul.

Was this Yi's trump card?

"Buzz buzz buzz..."

The fragments of flesh hit the ground, falling silent.

Yet, the space between heaven and earth began to hum and shake.

Then, in the spot where Yi had stood, the outline of a phantom ancient bell emerged.

The bell was bronze-colored, its surface covered in rust, exuding an aura of ancient desolation, as if it belonged to a bygone era and shouldn't exist in this time.

"Bi Hun Zhong?!"

Wu Ji Laozu exclaimed in shock.

Lei Xi'er turned her gaze toward him.

Without waiting for her question, Wu Ji Laozu explained aloud, as if addressing Xu Xiaoshou:

"Bi Hun Zhong is one of the lost divine artifacts recorded in the ancient Yi Wen Bei. It only activates passively when the soul is on the verge of complete extinction, preserving the host's true spirit and consciousness to prevent the three souls and seven spirits from fully dispersing."

"This thing requires feeding with countless soul treasures on a daily basis and can only be triggered once in a short period..."

Wu Ji Laozu paused mid-sentence.

He was astonished that Yi possessed such a life-saving method, but also shocked by the devastating power of Xu Xiaoshou's strike, which could truly extinguish even Taixu.

At the same time, he fully realized that Yi had been forced to reveal his final trump card.

Perhaps, against a normal opponent...

Even in a fierce battle with Taixu, they wouldn't push Yi, the head of the Yi Department and an expert in spirit and soul matters, to use such a desperate measure.

But Xu Xiaoshou's inexplicable finger had struck Yi's weak point!

While spirit attacks were Yi's proudest strength, soul defense was a vulnerability for everyone, regardless of who they were or how high their cultivation—unless they were true soul-based cultivators, defenses in this area were woefully inadequate.

As long as the soul attack was strong enough, Xu Xiaoshou's strike wasn't exactly cross-tier killing.

At most, he had nearly slain an enemy of the same level on the soul plane.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

After snapping out of it, Wu Ji Laozu urged anxiously, "Do you have a second finger? If you do, Yi is as good as dead!"

Wu Ji Laozu considered himself the second-best in destiny arts on the continent.

But in terms of spirit and soul attacks, he had to admit that Xu Xiaoshou had surpassed him—and even Yi, the head of the department.

Huanmie Yizhi, upon its debut, had reached the pinnacle in this era lacking soul offense and defense techniques.

On the other side of the battlefield, Bi Hun Zhong had preserved Yi's true spirit.

However, as Wu Ji Laozu had said, after the phantom outline of the ancient bell was struck by Huanmie Yizhi and became visible, it grew faint and eventually vanished completely.

What it revealed was Yi's soul form.

His soul body, naturally stronger than most, was now battered and broken, like that of a dying man.

If a typical spirit refiner at Taixu level would have a soul body that grew from an infant state to at least adolescence through cultivation,

Then Yi's soul body, through relentless training, had developed into a burly adult like a bull.

But now, a ferocious hole gaped in the chest of that adult form.

His entire body had been pierced like a beehive by the residual energy of Huanmie Yizhi.

Without Bi Hun Zhong's intervention, it would have dissipated entirely, like mist in the wind.

"Yi Wen Bei, a lost divine artifact?"

The Giant that Xu Xiaoshou had transformed into stared intently at the void before him.

Normally, ordinary spirit refiners couldn't see a soul body like this, but his Throne-level perception provided a vague outline of the figure in that direction.

The outline was ethereal and unstable, appearing and disappearing.

Yet, Xu Xiaoshou knew.

This was Yi's soul body!

His heart sank.

Yi, the head of the department, truly lived up to his reputation as a super veteran who had survived for so many years—he even had access to something like Bi Hun Zhong for soul defense.

Xu Xiaoshou knew that the ancient Yi Wen Bei recorded divine items that were genuine treasures transcending eras.

In simpler terms,

These treasures weren't meant for the current age; each required special unsealing methods.

Just like the four fierce swords and the famous sword Yanmang in his possession.

If he died, and these two swords lay dormant through several eras, they could still be found by later generations.

Due to the self-concealment of treasures, their powers would be permanently sealed.

Then, on the Yi Wen Bei, their names would be added to the list.

Though the powers of the fierce swords and famous swords were sealed, they wouldn't vanish.

In fact, after prolonged nurturing by fame and the heavenly Dao, they would only grow stronger.

Then, in future eras, if someone found these swords and unsealed these "lost divine artifacts" with contemporary methods, they could unleash even greater power.

Xu Xiaoshou had previously fought Teng Shanhai, the head of the War Department, and used sacred statue power to seize the opponent's lost divine artifact from the Yi Wen Bei—the Xiao Shen Spear.

Now, the Xiao Shen Spear was still resisting and struggling in his Yuanfu world, not yet fully suppressed.

This thing, like Bi Hun Zhong, was on par with the famous sword Twenty-One in its own era.

And now, Yi had clearly unsealed Bi Hun Zhong and used this lost divine artifact at the critical moment to save his life.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

On the other end, Wu Ji Laozu was still calling out anxiously.

The entity entangling him in the Destiny World had unexpectedly mastered the intricate use of destiny arts, far beyond what Liu Changqing had encountered before.

Its abilities completely exceeded Wu Ji Laozi's expectations.

At that moment, Wu Ji Laozu couldn't free himself to lend a hand.

He had to ensure that when Yi died, control of the Cloud Realm World remained in his hands.

Otherwise, even if Yi was dead, if any footage of the battle leaked out, Yao Yao would come with her sword, and everyone present would be doomed.

Wu Ji Laozu had to handle the final logistics.

He only wanted to settle his personal grudge and didn't intend to die with Yi.

More crucially...

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't die here!

Otherwise, Wu Ji Laozu feared that even his soul wouldn't escape the wrath of the White Vein Three Ancestors or the swords of the Eight Venerables.

"Shut up!"

Faced with Wu Ji Laozi's urging, the rampaging Giant didn't even turn his head, his voice deep as he barked the words, making the heavens rumble.

Wu Ji Laozu was surprised.

Xu Xiaoshou still had his wits about him?

Xu Xiaoshou did indeed still have his wits; his mind raced once more, pondering how to deal with Yi's remaining soul body.

Huanmie Yizhi was out of the question.

This special passive skill, like the Passive Fist, cleared the charge value each time it was used.

But even if he could control it, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't dare hold back against Taixu.

He wished he could shatter every bit of this guy's soul with one finger, so how could he not go all out?

The vague outline of Yi's soul body in front of him seemed to regain a bit of consciousness after the heavy blow and began to move.

It looked like he was pulling something out.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't see clearly.

But Wu Ji Laozu, behind him, saw it all too well.

"Xu Xiaoshou! That guy has pulled out the 'Fu Shen Ling Hua'! He's trying to repair his soul body. Once that's done, the next step will be to restore his physical form."

"Taixu are hard to kill, and this guy has too many trump cards. If he fully restores his body, he'll recover to three or five tenths of his peak strength!"

Xu Xiaoshou grew anxious upon hearing this and recalled his four fierce swords, slashing fiercely toward the location of Yi's soul body.

He thought the fierce demonic energy of the four swords might corrupt and destroy Yi's will.

But Yi's ethereal soul body didn't even bother to dodge the strike.

Xu Xiaoshou's sword passed through as if cutting empty air, with no effect whatsoever.

"Damn it..."

He was furious.

As expected, physical attacks were useless against a soul body...

Wu Ji Laozu watched that sword strike and felt a headache coming on.

He finally saw a bit of the reckless behavior typical of a Grandmaster in Xu Xiaoshou, but he didn't dare mock him and instead explained loudly:

"Only a soul weapon can affect a soul body at all! Your sword is the fierce sword with four blades, not 'Hun Jie'. If you had a soul weapon..."

He still held out hope that Xu Xiaoshou had other trump cards.

After all, this young man had shown abilities far beyond the norm.

But at that moment, the Giant that Xu Xiaoshou had become suddenly whipped around, his frenzied eyes full of savage fury: "What's the point of you if you're useless? Weren't you supposed to deal with Yi? All you do is yap here!"

Wu Ji Laozu was at a loss for words.

He had his grievances but couldn't voice them.

The Cloud Realm World, as planned, shouldn't have allowed anyone to crack the puzzle and reclaim control so quickly without Dao Qiong Cang's involvement.

But on Red Clan's side, Si Tu Yongren seemed to have gone berserk, suddenly becoming so aggressive.

If Xuan Wu Ji didn't hold the line against the destiny pressures, this place would be exposed, and everyone would die!

Besides, the great formation to slay Yi required time to set up.

According to his original plan, he could have completed it all.

But now, with a master on Red Clan's side, he, Xuan Wu Ji, was fully occupied dealing with the rampaging Si Tu Yongren—where would he find the time to arrange the slaying formation?

Wu Ji Laozu was indeed powerful.

Yet, the limitations of a ghost beast possessing a spirit refiner bound him just as they had Feng Yu Jin.

Even Feng Yu Jin was restricted by Mo Mo's cultivation level, and he, Xuan Wu Ji, couldn't fully unleash his strength beyond Liu Changqing's mere Dao Cutting realm.

"Laozu, I can at least let you see..."

Wu Ji Laozu pondered for a moment, barely freeing a hand to construct destiny Dao patterns.

Instantly, Xu Xiaoshou felt the world before his eyes become clearer.

Yi's shattered soul body was holding the Fu Shen Ling Hua in one hand, frantically absorbing its soul energy.

In such a short time, his injuries had already been repaired by seventy or eighty percent.

"Hee hee hee..."

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou look over, Yi lifted his gaze and gave a ghastly laugh, saying coldly:

"Little guy, you've got quite a few trump cards, huh?"

"But in this place, do you dare risk using the sacred statue?"

If the sacred statue moved, even if Yao Yao couldn't see the Cloud Realm World's scenes, she could track the sacred power fluctuations and rush here with her sword.

This was also why Xu Xiaoshou had only dared to use sacred blood to heal Mu Zixi and not to activate the sacred statue!

Yi clearly understood his opponent's hesitation and threw his head back in wild laughter, utterly arrogant.

"Without the sacred statue, do you think my lifelong accumulation can't match a young pup who's only been around for two or three years?"

"Do you really think you're invincible just because you have the four fierce swords and got your hands on Yanmang?"

Yi spread his hands, and from his soul body, many divine items floated out and arrayed themselves in the air.

Soul cauldrons, ancient bells, spirit towers, weapons...

He clutched his chest, like a deranged madman after being beaten, his tongue lolling as he laughed ferociously, full of provocation.

"No soul weapon, right?"

"Oh, maybe with your level of knowledge, you've never even heard of a soul weapon before?"

Yi pointed to a dagger-shaped soul weapon in front of him, as if tossing scraps to a dog, and beckoned with his hand.

"Come on, if you want it, come and take it!"

"If you can grab it, I'll even give you one for free!"