Across the battlefield, chaos multiplied. The Vermilion Demon Lord unleashed his hundred-foot demonic form. It had three heads and six arms. Each arm held a demonic weapon. He fought Bonefiend.
Meanwhile, Lyndon and Ethan fought with the cultivators of Malevolent Path Hall. Each arrow from Lyndon killed one enemy. Ethan wielded his hammers to smash the enemies into pulp. Unfortunately, there were too many members of the Malevolent Path Hall. Lyndon and Ethan were covered with wounds, bleeding non-stop.
Earthfire Pavilion red shield was weakening after countless attacks from Malevolent Path Hall and the spirits. The shield was covered with cracks.
“Elder, we can’t hold much longer!” A disciple coughed up blood and collapsed. The shield dimmed again.
Ferdinand ground his teeth, crushed a red device, and sent a red flare to the sky to call for help. However, they were far from Crimson Flame City. Reinforcements needed time to reach them.
“Stand your ground!” Ferdinand roared. “We can’t die here!”
The reality was harsh.
Crack!
The Earth Fire Mystic Array eventually broke. The cultivators of Malevolent Path Hall and hundreds of malicious spirits rushed toward the disciples.
Painful cries filled the air.
Three disciples were killed while another two disciples’ consciousness field was attacked and became lifeless. Two enforcers from the Malevolent Path Hall noticed Lindsay’s status. They tried to catch alive.
“Your Highness, watch out!” Elliot stood before Lindsay and attacked the two enforcers with his crimson sword.
His movements looked weird because his sword never harmed the enemies, while the two enforcers did not hurt him. He always found the right opening to dodge the attacks.
Jared noticed the scene and felt suspicious. He had no time to dig for answers.
Bennett had already shaken off the last exchange and charged again, murderous aura rolling toward Jared like a black tide.
“You surprise me, boy,” Bennett rasped, wiping dark blood from the corner of his mouth. “But the game ends here. Almighty Soul Devourer! Full power!”
He flung both arms to the sky and began chanting spells. The green light shone brighter, and the runes started burning in fire.
A green light orb appeared at the center of the array filled with ghost faces.
“Ghost King of Devouring, arise!” Bennett spat a mouthful of blood and vanished into the light orb.
Roar!
The light orb burst with a deafening crack, and from Its blazing debris stepped a ghost king, ten stories high, three snarling faces, six arms, each tusked jaw frozen in a snarl.
All six eyes flared open at once. The green light swept across the crowd.
The cultivators felt their souls were leaving their bodies.
This was the ultimate attack of the Almighty Soul Devourer, an eldritch technique that forged a Ghost King from ten thousand ghosts, designed to assault nothing but the soul. Even a cultivator at Heavenly Immortal Realm Level Nine would suffer grievous wounds the Instant that baleful gaze locked onto the soul.
The Ghost King raised all six arms together, unleashing six green rays that speared toward Jared.
Bennett was aiming to destroy Jared’s soul.
Jared’s face drained of all color. In that desperate heartbeat, the Dragon Bell hanging on his chest flew free on its own, spinning above his crown.
Clang!
Golden light rolled from the bell, shielding Jared. Within that light, the faint silhouette of a dragon coiled and wove, weaving a barrier for his soul.
The six green rays slammed into the golden ward. Light exploded, blinding and wild, yet the barrier held.
The Dragon Bell shuddered so violently that thin cracks appeared on the surface.
“Another treasure? Very well! They’re all mine!” Bennett snarled with greed. He then activated the array to fire more green rays toward Jared.
Shielded by the Dragon Bell, Jared withstood the attacks, yet his face grew chalk-white. Blood trickled from his orifices. The barrier deflected the green beams, but their brute force still slammed straight Into his consciousness field, sending shockwaves.
Across the field, Vermilion Demon Lord was cornered by Bonefiend and three Malevolent Path Hall enforcers. His demon form was pitted and cracked in a dozen places.
Lyndon had used every arrow, and his bow snapped. The demonic cultivators all stabbed him. He activated the explosive talismans to kill the enemies before died.
Ethan, drenched in blood, fought on with shattered hammers until Bonefiend drove a bone spear straight through his heart. He died standing, defiant.
There were only five disciples left at the Earthfire Pavilion, heavily wounded. Dozens of the Malevolent Path Hall members surrounded them.
Ferdinand fought with three enforcers. Although managed to kill one, the other two stabbed his chest, causing two deep wounds.
Lindsay, shielded by Elliot, was unharmed, but cried seeing people fall. Despair draped the battlefield like a winter shroud.
“Jared… It seems this place will be our grave.” Vermilion Demon Lord’s feeble voice reached through telepathy.
Jared ground his teeth, staring at the fallen companions, the heavily wounded Ferdinand, and the sobbing Lindsay.
l can’t die here… I have promises to fulfill… I have enemies to kill!
A guttural scream, ragged and deafening, ripped from Jared, echoing into the sky. He felt the very last drops of life source and celestial energy ignite inside him, roaring through his veins like a flood of molten stars.
He gripped the Dragonslayer Sword while forming a seal with another hand. He muttered the ancient Draconian, “By my blood, awaken the dragon’s soul. By my life, unbar the gate of heaven! Forbidden Technique! Dragonblood Inferno!”
Jared obtained this forbidden technique from the Golden Dragon Bloodline, which required to use his blood essence and life source in exchange for immense power in a short time.
As the chant continued, golden fire erupted around him. It was a true fire that burned from his Golden Dragon’s blood essence.
