A massive energy handprint appeared amidst countless shocked gazes, colliding with the massive white beam of light in mid-air.
"Boom!"
A thunderous explosion resounded through the sky!
At the point where the Dou Techniques clashed, the entire space distorted, making it impossible to directly observe the situation inside.
"Who will win?"
"To confront Dou Ancestors head-on with just the power of a Dou King, it's still too much of a stretch, right?"
"Shut up! Mentor Yun won't lose!"
Under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, the energy storm that filled the sky finally began to subside, and the distorted space started to return to normal.
In the sky above, two figures reappeared in everyone's view, and when people looked closely, they couldn't help but be stunned.
At this moment, Yun Tianming's sleeves were torn, revealing his bare arms covered with fine cuts. His face was somewhat pale, with a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and the four wings behind him flickered, indicating that he was seriously injured.
On the other side, Yao Chen, lacking a physical body, showed no obvious injuries, but his Soul body visibly thinned and became transparent, and his aura grew weaker.
"Teacher!"
Seeing the dim Soul body of Yao Chen, Xiao Yan couldn't help but exclaim. The people of the Yan Alliance behind him also felt secretly shocked and looked towards Yun Tianming with increased fear. To confront a Dou Ancestor head-on and even cause mutual injury—such combat strength is truly terrifying!
"What a terrifying Dou Technique!"
Gold and Silver Elders exchanged glances, thinking that even if they defended together, it would be difficult to withstand Yun Tianming's attack.
"Yun Tianming, it seems I underestimated you in the end."
Yao Chen's voice was low. After a brief moment of adjusting his breath, he barely suppressed the turmoil in his Soul body. He looked at Yun Tianming with a hint of coldness in his eyes: "What you used just now was an Earth Rank High-Level Dou Technique, wasn't it? Normally, such a technique shouldn't be manageable by a mere Dou King. Forcing it, the consumption of Dou Qi must have been enormous. Can you still continue to fight?"
"So what if it was?"
Yun Tianming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze still resolute: "Do you think I'm exhausted, or will your Soul power deplete faster?"
Yao Chen remained silent. Without a physical body, he couldn't recover like normal people by operating a Qi Method. Soul Power, once used, decreases bit by bit, and recovery afterward is very slow. Therefore, the longer the fight drags on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for him.
Thinking of this, Yao Chen focused his Spirit and sent a message to Mo Tian Xing through Soul Power waves.
"Hmm? Is that true?" Mo Tian Xing's eyes lit up, weighing the pros and cons of the situation and quickly coming to a conclusion.
"This is not good."
Su Qian, already at a disadvantage in terms of strength, was heavily injured after being ambushed by Mo Tian Xing and was even less of a match. Mo Tian Xing suddenly unleashed his full power, successfully striking Su Qian down at the cost of some injuries to himself, rendering Su Qian unable to rise.
"Grand Elder!"
Seeing Su Qian defeated, the elders of Jia Nan Academy were thrown into disarray, rushing forward to protect him at all costs.
Mo Tian Xing did not pursue the critically injured Su Qian; instead, he suddenly turned his attention towards Yun Tianming.
"Boom!"
Yun Tianming, relying on his strong Soul Perception, anticipated Mo Tian Xing's attack in advance. However, due to Yao Chen's interference from the side, he couldn't completely evade the attack and was struck squarely on the back.
"Ugh!"
A mouthful of blood spewed out, and Yun Tianming's figure became even more unsteady.
"Hey! How shameless can you be! Two Dou Ancestors ganging up on a young Dou King!" Zi Yan shouted angrily in frustration.
"You won't get through!"
Xiao Yan blocked Zi Yan, using every means to hold her back.
Seeing this, the teachers and students of Jia Nan Academy became anxious, but they were helpless as they were restrained by the experts of the Yan Alliance.
"Huh? Still standing?"
"You're quite the exceptional Dou King!"
Mo Tian Xing looked at Yun Tianming with a face full of surprise. Despite taking a hit from his 4-Star Dou Ancestor strength, Yun Tianming was only injured and didn't collapse. If it had been someone else, not to mention a Dou King, even a Dou Emperor would have been knocked down.
"Cough, cough~"
"4-Star Dou Ancestor, and this is all you've got?"
"Feels like you're not even as good as that wandering ghost next to you."
Yun Tianming sneered contemptuously at the two Dou Ancestors in front of him.
"What did you say, boy!"
Mo Tian Xing's eyes narrowed in anger. As the Sect Master of the Black Emperor Sect and a top-tier expert in the Black-Corner Region, he was now being mocked by a young junior?
"Calm down, Sect Master Mo, don't fall for this kid's provocation."
"Don't be fooled by his appearance of having little Dou Qi left and being covered in injuries."
"In reality, he still has plenty of hidden cards. If we underestimate him, we might find ourselves in trouble."
Yao Chen, calm and experienced, spoke with the wisdom of someone who had lived for centuries and seen many battles.
Hearing this, Mo Tian Xing was secretly alarmed. Had the fight reached this point, and this kid still had something up his sleeve?
"Discovered, huh?"
Yun Tianming sighed regretfully, thinking that dealing with such a cunning old opponent was indeed troublesome.
"Hmph! Let's see what other tricks you have!"
Mo Tian Xing was still somewhat skeptical. Could a 9-Star Dou King really be that formidable?
With a flash, he stepped into the air, sending a surge of Dou Qi powerful enough to incapacitate a Dou Emperor towards Yun Tianming.
"——"
Yun Tianming formed a series of complex soul hand seals, releasing an invisible wave that silently neutralized Mo Tian Xing's Dou Qi attack.
"What?!"
"Is this... Soul Power?!"
Mo Tian Xing's eyes widened in shock. As the manager of the largest auction house in the Black-Corner Region, he had encountered some Seventh Grade Alchemists on the continent, all of whom possessed incredibly powerful Soul Power. Even as a Dou Ancestor, he had to show them respect. Yet, the Soul Power of Yun Tianming before him seemed even stronger than that of the Seventh Grade Alchemists he had met!
"It really is a Soul Technique! It seems the secrets you hold are even more than I anticipated!"
A rare look of envy flashed in Yao Chen's eyes. The rarity of Soul Techniques is comparable to Heavenly Flames, currently found only among the ancient eight clans and a few select superpowers. Even the Medicine Sovereign, who was once considered the continent's top Alchemist, didn't possess a Soul Technique.
(In the original story, Yao Chen did not use Soul Techniques; it's speculated that because his bloodline was not pure enough in the Yao Clan, he wasn't eligible to learn them. The Alchemist Association possesses Soul Techniques, but Yao Chen, who valued his freedom, refused to join the association, hence not obtaining any Soul Techniques.)
"If I had a Soul Technique, then even without a physical body, I wouldn't need to fear the Hall of Souls!"
****
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