Chapter 1037: Another Development
Above the frozen sea of blood, the body of the Soul Eater True Devil crumbled into mere smoke and ash, dissipating into the wind as the world fell silent.
Those who had previously succumbed to the manipulation of the True Devil Other started dropping from the sky like birds with broken wings. The crimson tinge in their eyes subsided.
Qin Yi lifted her slender hand, summoning a gushing spring in the air to catch everyone safely.
Then she looked in the direction where the Soul Eater True Devil had disappeared, muttering to herself in disbelief, "Exterminated in a single strike?"
Qin Yi was well aware of how difficult it was to kill an Other, but Li Luo's Sword Phantasm seemed to contain an extremely terrifying power that had extinguished the Other's existence directly.
As she looked at the mysterious sword formation that was gradually dispersing above Li Luo's head, the fluctuations emanating from it caused her to feel a piercing chill deep in her bones. Despite simply glancing at it for a couple of seconds, her eyes were starting to hurt due to the dissipating aura.
"That sword formation has to be an extremely high grade Duke Art!"
Qin Yi sighed as she recalled the battle at Dragon Lake just a few months ago. Although Li Luo had the help of the Green Nether Banner, his own resonant power level was lagging behind his peers. Now, however, Li Luo was not any weaker than the rest of them.
This unfathomable progression speed was mind-boggling.
Li Luo had only been at the Dragon's Fang Lineage for one year. If he had arrived a year prior to that, even the geniuses of the previous two generations may not have been able to match him, let alone his peers.
The events that transpired in the Spiritual Resonance Cave would definitely raise great attention in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, and Li Luo's reputation would consequently rise.
While Qin Yi's mind was still reeling from the sheer shock of the situation, Li Luo exhaled heavily. His eyes were still crimson and his heart was flooded with murderous intent, an aftereffect of housing the ferocious and untamed power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf.
Compared to utilizing Harmony with the Green Nether Banner, the power of the Three-tailed Wolf was much more domineering. Although the eight thousand banner members had their power condensed into one, they were still composed of different entities. The wolf, however, was solely its own.
Thankfully, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf had reached an agreement with Li Luo. If it willed itself to rebel against him, the residual effects would be much more serious.
"It's finally over," Li Luo muttered to himself, eyes clearly fatigued.
"No, it's not dead yet!" Li Lingjing suddenly shouted from behind him.
The color on Li Luo's face drained when he heard her warning. He had clearly felt that the presence of this Soul Eater True Devil had been completely exorcized. How could it not be dead yet?
Li Lingjing said nothing as her eyes scanned the surroundings. Whilst the physical body of the Other had indeed been destroyed, there were still trace remnants of its aura lingering in the vicinity.
If it wasn't for the fact that she was familiar with the Others, she would not have been able to detect it.
Li Lingjing moved forward. Li Luo hurriedly followed suit. Although he had originally planned to disperse the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, he could only grit his teeth and hold on for a while longer.
The two of them covered some distance before Li Lingjing lowered herself and landed on the frozen sea of blood.
Her eyes then glanced intently into the depths of the ice before landing on a twisted, skeletal figure that was completely frozen. It didn't seem like there was anything out of the ordinary.
Nonetheless, Li Luo didn't hesitate to slash downwards with his sword. The crimson energy sliced through the ice, approaching the skeleton rapidly.
However, just as his attack was about to hit, the skeleton suddenly trembled and a bloody light swiftly shot out of it, bursting through the air at an astonishing speed.
Li Luo cautiously watched what seemed to be a palm-sized, blood-soaked ball of flesh within the bloody light. A strangely sinister visage emerged on the surface of the fleshy ball, emitting a shrill cry that caused one's heart to palpitate.
The ball of flesh tried to escape, but Li Luo was prepared. Fiendish energy swept out of him, forming an solid cage and imprisoning the ball of flesh.
The face on the ball of flesh started to breathe out dark plumes of black smoke from which countless miserable howls echoed. The smoke slowly eroded the energy of the prison as it attempted to escape.
This was but a futile effort since the Soul Eater True Devil's physical body had been eliminated and its power was greatly diminished. If this remnant had not been discovered, it could have quietly slipped away to recuperate. Unfortunately, it had been weeded out by Li Lingjing.
"It seems this is the end of the line for you." Li Luo looked at the wildly thrashing Soul Eater True Devil indifferently before directing a stream of energy towards the ball of flesh.
Exposed to the might of Li Luo's power, the face on the ball of the flesh gradually vanished.
A moment later, the ball ceased its struggle and floated silently in the air.
Li Luo took one last look at it as he raised the Gilded Onyx-Elephant Blade, preparing to annihilate every last trace of the Other.
But Li Lingjing suddenly cut in. "Li Luo, perhaps I should handle this."
Li Luo gave her a blank look, replying plainly, "Cousin Lingjing, this thing is too evil. It's too dangerous to keep in your hands."
A glimpse of hesitation surfaced in Li Lingjing's eyes.
Seeing this, Li Luo directly slashed at the blood-red ball of flesh. He could surmise Li Lingjing's intentions, but the Soul Eater True Devil was too malicious, and he didn't want his cousin to have anything to do with it.
However, just when Li Luo's blade was about to make contact with the fleshy ball, it suddenly cracked open and a withered palm suddenly emerged from the gap, lightly clashing with Li Luo's savage strike.
Bang!
The blade that contained the full force of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf's energy was shattered completely, and the Golden Onyx-Elephant Blade was sent flying backwards, emititng a shrill, ear-splitting wail.
Li Luo was shaken to his core as he hastily retreated. All of the energy within his body swept outwards as if he was preparing for something.
Within the crimson bracelet, the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf fiercely stood up in agitation from its previously redolent state. All of its fur was standing on end as a low growl passed through its fangs and sharp snout.
It had detected an indescribably dangerous aura.
"Something's wrong, get back!"
Li Lingjing grabbed Li Luo's wrist as she hurriedly took a few steps back, unease painted on her face.
Li Luo stared incredulously at the withered palm sticking out from the fleshy ball.
"How did this thing resist the power of the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf so easily? What in the world is it?"
As Li Luo and Li Lingjing retreated, a low, raspy voice echoed from within the ball of flesh as if from the netherworld. "She's right, just hand this thing over to her."
Following the sound of the voice, another withered palm emerged from the ball. The two hands pushed outwards slowly, and Li Luo was horrified to see a dark silhouette emerge.
The figure was clad in gloomy robes engraved with a blood-red eye. The eye moved as if it was a living thing, constantly spinning around with lucent rays of evil light. Just being within its view would cause negative thoughts and emotions to run rampant within one's mind.
The person was hunched over and he resembled a kind old man, but something about him caused Li Luo to feel a foreboding sense of dread.
How could a being that had emerged from the Soul Eater True Devil be benevolent or friendly?
Moreover, based on the previous attack, Li Luo understood that the old man in front of him was by no means an existence that they could hope to fight against!
Li Luo was mortified. At the same time, he silently cursed at the elites from the major forces that were guarding the entrance of the Spiritual Resonance Cave. What were they doing and how was everything just getting past them and entering this place? While Li Luo felt a hint of panic, the bizarre old man clad in robes raised his head. He didn't actually care about Li Luo, instead focusing his gaze on Li Lingjing. His eyes were filled with sinister joy.
"Remember me No.3?" asked the creepy old man with an ominous grin.
Li Lingjing stared at the old man in front of her. Her mind churned as some long-forgotten memories were unearthed.
It was from a long time ago, when she was training in the Western Region's Dark Domain. Back then, she was still an elite with unlimited potential and a bright future ahead.
She had been embroiled in a battle to the death with an Other, and just when she had managed to decapitate it, the same old man had reached out from within that Other's body, emerging right before her eyes in the same macabre way.
She remembered the old man smiling at her with extreme benevolence.
Then her vision had faded into darkness, and when she came to her senses, everything had changed.
The elite with a boundless future had turned into a catatonic existence waiting for death.
Li Lingjing's eyes turned bright red at that moment.
The man before her was the cause of everything!
Seeing Li Lingjing's scarlet eyes, the old man grinned and said in a gentle voice, "Allow me to introduce myself. I hail from the Origin Reversion Institute. You may call me...
"The Spirit Eye Other King."