Soul Emperor Awakening

Fourth Layer Soul Limit Possession. The possession of four Spirit Pill Stage Level souls truly elevated the Control Power he could wield to the level of the Core Formation Stage!

This was an absolutely Heaven-Defying level of Control Power, even more astonishing than before. His aura, however, didn’t grow stronger. Instead, it grew weaker and weaker until the energy he released was completely imperceptible, thoroughly restrained within.

Though Lin Xuan was clearly standing right there, many present felt as if he wasn’t there at all, his presence almost undetectable. This led them to wonder if Lin Xuan had finally exhausted his strength, unable to release even a hint of an aura. He had even deactivated his Godslaying Domain, no longer maintaining it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to maintain it; his Elemental Power was simply running dangerously low. If he kept it active, he truly wouldn’t be able to last. Thus, he deactivated all his abilities. All that remained was his extremely restrained Elemental Power, making his presence incredibly faint. It was as if he had completely merged with his surroundings. He was the heavens and the earth; he was this very space.

Even the Spiritual Sense of a Spirit Pill Stage expert couldn’t detect his presence. This was a state of absolute fusion, a state of perfectly restrained aura.

"This ability to restrain one’s aura... isn’t it a little too freakishly strong?" Qing Piaoyun said, stunned.

"How do I get the feeling that Lin Yunlong has actually gotten stronger? That’s impossible, isn’t it? He just gets tougher the longer he fights. It looked like he’d reached his absolute limit, but now he’s changed again. Don’t tell me my senses are deceiving me?" Qingyu stared, dumbfounded, completely floored by Lin Xuan’s condition.

Those with low Cultivation couldn’t tell, but those with high Cultivation understood exactly what an incredible state Lin Xuan had achieved.

Ling Tian also couldn’t sense any of Lin Xuan’s aura. If he couldn’t see Lin Xuan standing before him with his own eyes, he would have thought the man had vanished.

"Interesting. If you weren’t this capable, this wouldn’t be any fun at all!"

Ling Tian let out a wild laugh and swept the Black Abyss Sword to his side. A streak of black light surged from the blade and into his body. Instantly, his own aura was restrained. His posture holding the sword remained unchanged, yet he suddenly felt profound and inscrutable. His eyes flickered with a black light that seemed capable of devouring everything!

’From Lin Xuan’s perspective, it looked as if Ling Tian had completely merged with the soul inside the Black Abyss Sword. ’Is this a form of Soul Possession in disguise?’ No, in reality, it’s an extremely profound state of Human and Martial Unity. When a weapon contains a soul, it’s practically no different from Soul Possession.’

As a result, Ling Tian seemed like a completely different person, his entire Realm having been elevated.

Meanwhile, Lin Xuan gripped his White Pupil Rod tightly, mobilizing every last bit of Elemental Power in his body and concentrating it into the staff. The entire White Pupil Rod began to glow with various lights—the effect of the different souls infusing it.

The White Pupil Rod hummed, the vibration far more intense than ever before. An ordinary weapon would have shattered long ago under such strain. The true purpose of a Spiritual Artifact was its ability to withstand the immense Elemental Power an expert could pour into it. If it couldn’t even do that, inflicting any real damage was out of the question.

He was ready. It was time to unleash his strongest attack!

Even though neither of them was releasing any discernible aura, the atmosphere in the arena solidified. It became so oppressive that the surrounding disciples found it hard to breathe.

This no longer felt like a match between Inner Hall Disciples, or even Core Disciples. It was more like the final battle between two peerless masters!

"Black Abyss Soul Breaker!"

Ling Tian attacked first. Holding the Black Abyss Sword, he tapped his foot lightly. In an instant, the area around him transformed into a space of absolute, lightless black. With a single step, as if using Instant Teleportation, he appeared just a short distance from Lin Xuan.

The blackness that enveloped Ling Tian was now spreading toward Lin Xuan, forming a void that threatened to swallow him whole. No one knew what the outcome would be, but the aura emanating from it made one thing clear: this was an absolute killing blow!

"This... this is the Black Abyss Elder’s Ultimate Skill!" Qing Piaoyun exclaimed in shock. "I’ve long suspected Ling Tian received the Black Abyss Elder’s true inheritance, and now it seems he really is his successor! One might be able to obtain the weapon, but a top-tier Celestial Level Martial Arts technique isn’t something that’s passed down casually!"

"Black Abyss Soul Breaker... the moment it’s unleashed, a soul is broken! If we don’t intervene, will he really be alright?" Qingyu murmured, dazed. She didn’t know whether to step in or to stay and watch.

The Black Abyss Elder was a legendary expert. His Cultivation had reached the Core Formation Stage Level, and perhaps even higher. Black Abyss Soul Breaker is a top-tier Celestial Level Martial Arts. According to legend, once unleashed, it shatters the soul, leaving no chance of survival!

Ling Tian had obtained his true inheritance. He had truly experienced his own fortuitous encounters. Behind every supreme genius lies a series of such opportunities.

These opportunities don’t just fall from the sky. They require infinite courage and wisdom to seize! Luck is a form of strength in itself. Sometimes, an opportunity is laid bare before you, but it takes courage to claim it. Behind every one of these encounters lies immeasurable danger!

Lin Xuan was able to obtain the Soul Pearl; had he not lost his sight, he likely never would have even perceived it.

"Let’s just watch for now. I have a feeling Lin Yunlong can withstand this..." Even as Qing Piaoyun said this, he couldn’t quite believe it himself. But seeing the firm resolve in Lin Xuan’s posture, he didn’t intervene.

Interrupting this battle would be a great insult to them. They would rather risk losing life and limb than back down! A true coward would have conceded long ago, not prepared for a final, decisive clash.

Facing the encroaching darkness, Lin Xuan’s pupils flickered with light. He saw not only the devouring void but also Ling Tian lunging through it. The Black Abyss Sword itself seemed to have vanished, transforming into the very darkness that sought to consume him.

If he were truly swallowed by this darkness, what awaited him was just as the attack’s name implied: a shattered soul!

But he felt no fear, no dread. The image of himself cultivating by the lakeside surfaced in his mind. ’Everything started there. I don’t want to go back to that place. I don’t want to stagnate. And I absolutely do not want to lose!’

’I want to win. I’ve always wanted to win. I believe my efforts are second to none. All I need is a stage on which to soar! Now I have it. I refuse to lose. I will only charge forward!’

"Lin’s Staff Technique, Sixth Form—Cane Shatters the Heavens!"

The instant the darkness threatened to consume him, Lin Xuan finally swung the White Pupil Rod, thrusting it forcefully toward Ling Tian. All of his Elemental Power erupted forth. In an instant, the White Pupil Rod unleashed a dazzling white light that began to devour the encroaching darkness in turn. The two forces were evenly matched, locked in a struggle of mutual annihilation.

At the intersection of the two forces, the crowd could finally see the Black Abyss Sword lunging forward, its tip meeting the end of the White Pupil Rod. The two were locked in a stalemate, neither able to overpower the other.

"You’ve lost!" Ling Tian snarled, pressing the Black Abyss Sword forward.

"Shatter these heavens!"

Lin Xuan roared, and an ultimate white light erupted from his pupils. He thrust forward with all his might, as if pouring every last ounce of his life’s strength into the blow!

BOOM!

An explosion of black and white light erupted. A thick beam of white light pierced through from Ling Tian’s position, shattering the endless darkness. At the same time, a wave of black light surged toward Lin Xuan, devouring everything in its path!

The titanic explosion of black and white light blinded everyone. Who had won, and who had lost?