The fire qilin stood in the void and spewed bursts of flames at the spatial rift. Just then, a pale, skeletal hand suddenly emerged from the rift, grabbing the flames and causing black mist to surge and instantly vanish into nothingness.
"Cough cough, such powerful flames! These must be strange flames! And there's more than one kind..."
As the pale, withered hand emerged, a hoarse, coughing voice slowly emanated from the spatial rift. Then, an old man dressed in greyish-white robes stepped out of the rift and appeared before everyone's eyes.
The old man was hunched over, leaning on a skull cane. His eyes were sunken, and two eerie green lights flickered in them, giving him a sinister and eerie feeling.
Chapter 169 Fire Kirin and Skeleton King
The appearance of this skeletal old man was like a background music play: a chilling wind blew, eerie cries filled the air, and the skull-covered cane he carried emitted a series of cackling laughs, as if he were still alive.
The old man looked down at the crowd and laughed, "I am Gu You. Of course, you can also call me the Second Heavenly Venerable. Perhaps you are more familiar with this somewhat old title."
"The Second Heavenly Venerable? He is the Bone Nether Saint of the Soul Palace!" Yun Yun had obviously done a detailed investigation of the Soul Palace, and said, "This person has the cultivation of a half-saint, cultivates the Yin Battle Qi, and is most skilled at summoning a giant skeleton to fight!"
"Oh! A necromancer in the form of fighting spirit!" Jiang Liu looked at the old man, moved his fingers, and a pure white jade ruler shot out from his sleeve.
How could he let Jiang Liu summon this magic weapon back so easily? The Bone Nether Saint immediately grabbed at the "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler," and a black aura enveloped it, with the Yin Battle Qi blocking it heavily.
In an instant, nine golden flowers bloomed from the black mist, and a purple mist connected the golden flowers like roots.
The golden flowers bloomed, which was something that these evil fighting energies could not withstand. Moreover, with Jiang Liu's primordial spirit controlling them, how could the Bone Nether Saint stop them with such an easy grab?
The Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler broke free of its restraints and fell shakily into Jiang Liu's hands.
Seeing the treasure slip through his fingers, the Bone Nether Saint was slightly taken aback. Then, his green-glowing eyes looked at Jiang Liu, and a strange smile appeared on his dry face: "What a strange power. You're controlling it with your soul, hehe... a soul body. Don't you know that our Soul Palace's greatest strength is capturing souls?"
Jiang Liu handed the "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler" to Yun Yun, ignoring the Bone Nether Saint's clamor, and said, "Yun Yun, Green Robe, rescue Medusa. I'll handle this necromancer!"
Not knowing what Jiang Liu meant by "necromancer," Yun Yun took the "Nine Heavens Primordial Yang Ruler" and didn't feel much pressure from Jiang Liu, so her heart calmed down.
The Bone Nether Saint glared with his eerie green eyes, his expression ferocious, and said in a hoarse voice, "In all these years, this is the first time I've seen such an arrogant brat. Even if you possess several different kinds of strange flames, you can't escape death. Today, this old man wants to see just how capable you are..."
"I think it's because your Soul Palace is used to being arrogant and domineering, hehe... play with my Fire Qilin first!" Jiang Liu said, and the Fire Qilin roared again, the flames it spewed out covering the Bone Nether Saint like a tide.
Just then, the skull on his staff let out another chilling laugh, and billowing black mist suddenly surged from its gaping, pale mouth, not only blocking the flames spewed by the fire qilin but also covering half of the sky.
It should be noted that the flames on the summoned fire unicorn are extraordinary flames, formed by the fusion of "Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame", "Sea Core Flame", and "Fallen Heart Flame", which is called "Burning Heaven Flame Sun".
This fire qilin also possessed the power to burn the heavens, but it was utterly helpless against the Bone Nether Saint. Soon, black mist filled half the sky, and this black mist was filled with extremely cold energy, so even the extremely high temperature of the flames spewed by the fire qilin could be resisted. Under the control of the Bone Nether Saint, this extremely cold energy quickly condensed into a huge black skull.
Jiang Liu stood before the main hall, as steady as a mountain. His true body remained hidden within the volcano, showing no intention of revealing itself. His primordial spirit looked at the sky and chuckled, "So you really are a necromancer! You've even summoned skeletons!"
Inside the main hall, Venerable Wind stared at the sky in shock, muttering, "The Dark Skeleton King! This is the Dark Skeleton King! He once destroyed a city with a single blow, and no one survived..."
The Dark Skeleton King, as described by Venerable Wind, took shape in a few seconds. It was nearly a thousand feet tall and stood in the sky like a skeletal evil god. Rolling black mist churned around its body, and a chilling pressure swept out from within the skeleton, making the souls of most people present feel as if they were in a freezing pool, appearing exceptionally cold.
The oppressive aura of a demigod, and the corrosive influence of the most yin and evil energy, swept over them instantly.
"Are we going to die here?" Hu Chi, the leader of the Bone Transformation Sect, was terrified. His legs went weak, and he knelt down on the ground, bowing to the Bone Nether Saint.
This Dou Zong three-star expert was now as frightened as a mouse.
Jin Shi, the patriarch of the Gold-Eating Rat Clan, though trembling, still roared at his two juniors who were almost lying on the ground behind him: "Get up! The Abbot will not let us get hurt."
"That's a half-saint level expert!"
"The Second Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Palace..."
Who can withstand it?
Gu He looked at his disciple Liu Ling, who was nearly unconscious but still struggling to hold on, and nodded in satisfaction. This oppressive aura was also a test of the mind. Gu He then looked at Nalan Yanran and was surprised; she seemed to be handling it with ease. He also looked at the snake-people experts, who were also gritting their teeth and persevering.
Jiang Liu chuckled lightly, waved his hand, and a burst of pure yang energy emanated, resisting the chilling yin energy and protecting the people behind him. In an instant, it was like a gentle spring breeze, and the oppressive aura and coldness were all blocked outside the hall.
Everyone involuntarily let out a sigh of relief, as if they had been granted a pardon.
"Large but ineffective! All show and no substance!"
Jiang Liu uttered eight words, and the flames on the fire qilin suddenly expanded, one black and one red, one yin and one yang, confronting each other. At the boundary between black and red, a sharp hissing sound suddenly erupted, and the extreme cold and extreme heat collided, bursting out bursts of slightly foul-smelling white mist, which finally spread out.
"Master, what exactly is this Dark Skeleton King you're talking about? I almost suffocated just now," asked the female disciple named Mu Qingluan behind Venerable Feng.
Gazing at the colossal black skeleton standing high in the sky, and then at the equally formidable fire qilin confronting it, Venerable Feng recovered from his shock. He pondered for a moment, then said, "This Dark Skeleton King is a relatively rare low-level Heaven-rank combat technique. It's formed by condensing one's pure Yin and extremely evil combat qi along with vast energy. This skeleton king is as hard as diamond, impervious to water and fire. More importantly, every part of its body contains extremely cold and Yin energy. If one is struck by this Yin wind, an ordinary expert might not suffer physical harm, but their soul will be instantly eroded. Twenty-three years ago, this Bone Nether Saint was still at the Dou Zun realm, and with this one move, he slaughtered an entire city, killing every single life within!"
Hearing this, Gu He scoffed, "With the current strength of this Bone Nether Half-Saint, if he were to unleash this fighting technique at full power, the so-called Dark Skeleton King he summons would surely be several times stronger than it was twenty-three years ago. But look, my lord hasn't even made a move yet, and he's already held off this so-called Skeleton King with a giant fire beast!"
"Just as the abbot said, it is grandiose but impractical, all show and no substance!"
Chapter 170 Blazing Sun
"A mere inanimate object is no match for me!"
Based on the strength of the Bone Nether Saint, he could naturally see that this fiery behemoth, the "Fire Qilin," was merely composed of strange fire and the five elements' energy, and could not be considered a true living being. With a deafening roar, he pointed his skull staff at the "Dark Skeleton King," and two eerie green lights immediately surged from the empty pupils of the huge, dark skull.
It throbbed violently, like a soul fire!
This strange phenomenon appeared in the terrifying head of the Dark Skeleton King, and it immediately seemed to have gained sentience. Then, a black mist filled with extreme yin and coldness tore through space along with the skeletal hand, and then slammed down hard on the Fire Qilin's body.
Faced with that terrifying attack, Jiang Liu still calmly looked at the sky. Although he remained calm, the "Haotian Mirror" had already appeared in his palm, clearly showing that he did not underestimate this Bone Nether Saint.
He secretly compared and analyzed the situation in his mind. This was his first battle against a Dou Sheng from the Dou Qi Continent, so he naturally wanted to understand the situation thoroughly. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated." This Gu You was only a half-saint, with one foot just stepping into the Dou Sheng realm and the other half still outside. It was a good opportunity to study him carefully and estimate the strength of a Dou Sheng.
Legend has it that powerful warriors, with a mere gesture, could cause mountains to crumble, the earth to split, and space to shatter. They could carve out a habitable space from the void, and possessed supernatural abilities such as spatial displacement and bloodline mutation.
"A Battle Saint is roughly equivalent to an Earth Immortal in strength. If we compare this Bone Nether Half-Saint, he should be a ghost cultivator who has stepped into the Earth Immortal realm, except that he doesn't cultivate his primordial spirit or refine magic weapons... With a celestial artifact in hand, I am invincible from the start!"
With this thought in mind, he unleashed all the energy contained within the Fire Qilin, and a dazzling white flame erupted from its body, like a radiant sun, shooting out blinding rays.
Everyone watching the battle involuntarily closed their eyes; those who were slightly weaker even shed tears.
"broken!"
A hoarse, guttural voice echoed through the valley. Several stronger individuals slowly opened their eyes, unwilling to miss this spectacular battle. They saw the enormous skeletal hand slam down towards the Fire Qilin.
"Blazing Sun!"
At the same time, Jiang Liu roared, and the bluestone ground within three zhang around his body cracked inch by inch, then turned into rubble, and was finally crushed into dust by a terrifying pressure.
But the blazing sun shone brightly.
"Bang!"
Darkness and light finally collided, and an overwhelming black mist swept in, while a giant bone palm slammed down on the blazing sun.
Instantly, the space trembled, and clearly visible ripples erupted from the point of contact...
"Burning the Heavens!"
Jiang Liu roared again, and countless scorching flames shot out from the void. In an instant, the blinding white flames burned fiercely, seemingly about to incinerate the sky. The huge black skeleton was then engulfed in the blazing sea of fire.
"What terrifying flames!" Venerable Wind slowly exhaled after holding his breath.
Then, all around were the sounds of panting.
The Bone Nether Saint's expression changed drastically as he looked at the flames in the sky. He gritted his teeth and said, "What kind of strange fire is this? It has such power! Even the Golden Emperor's Heaven-Burning Flame of the ancient clans is no more powerful than this!"
Within this "Burning Heaven Sun", even a peak Dou Zun expert with a strength reaching the ninth level would probably not be able to withstand it for more than a minute!
The rank of Earthly Immortal is actually higher than this!
"roar!"
The Dark Skeleton King roared repeatedly amidst the flames. Faced with the extremely yang and powerful flames, the extremely yin and evil black mist quickly dissipated. Even the Dark Skeleton King's bones began to appear somewhat ethereal at this moment.
No matter how strong Gu You is, he cannot ignore Jiang Liu's "Burning Heaven Flame Sun" attack.
This is not merely the fusion of three different flames, but the divine power of an Earth Immortal.
If the Bone Nether Saint had no other means, this enormous Skeleton King would surely have been refined within the "Burning Heaven Sun." Just as Jiang Liu had said before, this thing was "all show and no substance, large but useless!"
Gu You's heart sank. His eerie green eyes were fixed on Jiang Liu, who was still standing quietly in front of the main hall. He couldn't deny that he had indeed underestimated his opponent.
"You think you can win with this strange fire? Haha... You forced me to use this move, I will devour the souls of everyone in your entire Qianlong Temple..." Its eerie green eyes flickered, and then its withered hands formed a strange hand seal. At the same time, a strange chant came from its mouth.
"Souls?! And so many of them. Indeed, the Soul Palace is not to be underestimated! This method of controlling souls is truly extraordinary!" Jiang Liu frowned, and then saw the black skeleton in the sea of fire suddenly tremble, and streams of black mist surged out of its body.
The black mist continuously transformed, forming countless human faces with contorted expressions of pain and agony, their gaping mouths emitting piercing screams. This black mist was actually formed from the convergence of countless souls.
"Perhaps it shouldn't be called a soul, but a vengeful ghost!"
As soon as these vengeful spirits appeared, they plunged headlong into the raging flames, but instead of exploding, they were continuously annihilated.
The enormous dark skeleton king was shrinking at a visible rate, shrinking from a thousand feet to a mere ten feet in the blink of an eye. As the saying goes, good things come in small packages, and this skeleton king now looked terrifyingly sinister.
"Hehehe... This is my true method!"
The skeleton slowly raised its head, and as it chewed its jaws, it actually let out a strange laugh. It was the voice of the Bone Ghost. This old guy was actually able to merge his soul with this skeleton.
"As expected, it's a ghost cultivator! That body is just a shell." Jiang Liu turned to the direction where Gu You had been. An old figure stood there, motionless, with empty and lifeless eyes, clearly just a shell.
"crack!"
In an instant, the Skeleton King tore open a spatial rift, devouring the remaining blazing fire. From its sunken eye sockets, two eerie green lights flashed, and it exhaled a breath of black gas.
"Ten Thousand Souls Bone Armor!"
That black aura was clearly composed of countless souls. This Bone Nether Saint, cultivating this divine power, must have committed countless atrocities.
As these vengeful spirits appeared, they emitted a piercing howl, then seemed to be bound by a force, all clinging to the skeleton of the Bone Saint. With these countless souls adhering, a surge of black light erupted, eventually forming a set of bone armor gleaming with a black sheen.
This bone armor was the "Ten Thousand Souls Bone Armor" he had spoken of! The bone armor was covered with countless hideous faces, which, from a distance, coalesced into a gigantic face. This face was filled with pain, sending chills down one's spine.
"I'd like to see if your strange fire can break through this Myriad Souls Bone Armor!"
Chapter 171 Capturing the Bone Demon
Jiang Liu chuckled and said indifferently, "That's about enough. This is all a half-saint is capable of! Watch closely, I'll break your soul armor!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the bronze mirror in his hand, gleaming with a bluish light, hovered in mid-air. In the mirror, flowers rained down, golden clouds shimmered, and wind, clouds, water, and fire shifted and changed endlessly.
As soon as Jiang Liu's primordial spirit moved, a strong white light burst out from the mirror, shooting straight towards him like a searchlight.
"ah!"
Immediately, the Bone Nether Saint let out a series of shrill screams, and then the "Ten Thousand Souls Bone Armor" gradually shrank, or rather, dissolved.