Chapter 698: Destiny Soul Fire

Yun Xiao's brows furrowed deeply.

Lu Fan, revered as the Greatest War God of the Celestial Court, commanded vast authority and was notoriously difficult to handle.

And now, he had drawn Yun Xiao into this eerie place!

The short, poor youth in front of him, his student ID badge deceptively plain, was just a facade. After years of development under the Celestial Court, a deep and vast soul force surged beneath his unassuming exterior.

This was the strongest Anima Immortal!

He didn't waste words with Yun Xiao. After speaking briefly, he stretched out his arms, bowed his head slightly, and chuckled.

"Though you've merged with the power of devils and demons, enhancing your combat abilities, your spirit still seems rather frail…" Lu Fan whispered with a sinister laugh.

As he laughed, his pupils transformed into two lotuses—one gold and one black.

The lotuses bloomed at a visible rate from their bud forms.

Then, breaking the confines of his eye sockets, they collided.

BUZZ!

Lu Fan's body twisted, the point of collision between the two lotuses becoming the core from which a fierce black and gold fire blazed.

BOOM!

With the impact, the fire spread, and amidst the light and floral haze, Lu Fan's form vanished, replaced by an eerie lotus intermingled with gold and black petals.

This gold and black lotus spun before Yun Xiao, its ghostly flames growing boundlessly, becoming the focal point of the entire void. It loomed like a mountain of 10,000 souls, oppressive before Yun Xiao.

It was the most terrifying display of soul power Yun Xiao had ever witnessed.

Without a doubt, this was Lu Fan's spirit!

As a pure Anima Immortal, his spirit transcended his body, enveloping it.

Where others used their bodies to protect their spirits, he did the opposite—his spirit was his indestructible strength!

Even so, his fleshly body could effortlessly send Yun Xiao flying thousands of feet just days ago!

Before this lotus spirit, Yun Xiao felt as insignificant as a flea on its petals…

"The gap is much larger than I imagined," Yun Xiao concluded.

In truth, he had no real grasp of Lu Fan's true power.

Experience was necessary before forming conclusions.

Now, a conclusion was apparent; Lu Fan was far stronger than the other Sovereigns, not by a small margin but significantly so. Yet, such strength also brought him to the brink of life and death.

In other places, one might flee, but how could one escape within this spectator mode?

"The Dao is high, but the devil is higher. Yun Xiao, your native talent truly defies the heavens, but unfortunately, you've met someone who cheats." The dark gold lotus spirit chuckled.

While laughing, it began its move.

"Chaos Emperor Lotus! Destiny Soul Fire!"

The former was the name of its spirit, and the latter a soul technique that pierced through heaven and earth.

BUZZ!

The Chaos Emperor Lotus Spirit whirled to position itself above Yun Xiao.

WHOOSH!

Gold and black petals collided in their dance, sparking pale flames.

This was the Destiny Soul Fire, embodying a high and untouchable power like a river dictating each person’s fate.

Each strand of the Destiny Soul Fire contained countless faces—dazed, fallen, laughing, cursing—their numbed spirits now part of the fire's power.

"These are the souls of those who've died by my hand, submitting to fate, becoming part of the Destiny Soul Fire. The more I kill, the stronger it becomes," the Chaos Emperor Lotus murmured with a cold laugh, tinged with pride.

"Then I am somewhat more merciful than you, for at least I liberate, not imprison," Yun Xiao responded.

"But you, too, will become a part of my

fate

!" Lu Fan couldn't help but laugh, "Sorry, I'm not one for playing by the rules. Starting with a big move often catches others off guard and proves very effective."

Yun Xiao looked up at the terrifyingly amassed Destiny Soul Fire on the Chaos Emperor Lotus and said calmly, "Come then."

"You asked for it!" Lu Fan's laughter ceased, his voice sinking into a chilling cold.

BUZZ!

The Destiny Soul Fire transformed into a white torrent composed of human faces, cascading down upon Yun Xiao like a waterfall!

In this torrent of flames, each face, submissive to fate, twisted and murmured in a dreamlike stupor, reaching out into the void, grasping at nothing, as if drowning.

Most terrifyingly, in this Chaotic Spirit World, the Destiny Soul Fire completely disregarded Yun Xiao's physical existence.

BUZZ!

This endless torrent of flames, like a sea of people, engulfed Yun Xiao, rushing into his body and surrounding his Dantian, trapping his spirit in an inescapable encirclement.

"Life and death are fated; wealth and honor are in heaven!"

In the surging tide of people, faces obsessed with Yun Xiao's spirit shouted the mantra, then lunged at his spirit!

"Stop struggling; your fate is already sealed."

"Accept your fate! Accept it!"

"Fate is preordained by heaven; life and death are destined, misfortune is unavoidable, lie down to keep safe!"

For a moment, it seemed 1,000,000,000 hands grasped at Yun Xiao's spirit, seizing his hair, arms, legs, even his mouth, and his viscera, pulling madly with burning, scorching hands.

In an instant, his spirit endured unimaginable pressure, scorched black and decaying by the soul fire, while the tearing force of the crowd's hands threatened to rip Yun Xiao’s spirit into pieces!

"So powerful..." Yun Xiao felt a tingling in his scalp.

Lu Fan's massive move was far more terrifying than Yun Xiao could have imagined.

The trickiest part was that such a power was hard to dodge; one could only withstand it.

And to withstand was to die!

"Your fate is to become the greatest puppet between heaven and earth."

"You cannot escape this destiny; you might as well die sooner and end it."

"Yun Xiao, stop wasting your effort. What you see is but the dream of a sixteen-year-old Emperor on his deathbed..."

"Jiang Yue rises to greatness, Ye Guying reaches the summit, Zhao Xuanran becomes his plaything; the Divine Continent is overrun by the Demon Continent, the War Princess dies at the age of eighteen, and all beings are like insects offering up their lives as incense. This is reality, there was never a mere mortal like you who could defy fate and change it."

"Your deathbed dream is fascinating, but now, it's time to wake up."

More destructive than the burning of soul fire was the tearing apart of belief. When these chaotic jeers filled his ears, Yun Xiao knew the power of the Destiny Soul Fire had invaded his spirit, shaking his moral core.

"Hahaha..." Yun Xiao suddenly laughed, murmuring, "Lu Fan, if I am but a fleeting dream, isn't your journey in this strange world also nothing more than a fleeting illusion?"

"You don't know a damn thing. When I was exploring those celestial holes, the sheer thrill of it was something you could never comprehend." Lu Fan laughed. "Back in school, even touching the hand of a pretty classmate was tough. But now, Immortals 1,000 times more beautiful than any school girl kneel before me begging for favor. You can't grasp just how exhilarating it is."

What was real, and what was not? It no longer mattered. Because the Buddha's Treasure Spirit of Yun Xiao was purified at its core, unmoved as a mountain, unaffected by such irritations. His convictions wouldn't crumble, yet the inherent burning destructive power of the Destiny Soul Fire was still too potent for his current Golden Immortal spirit to handle!

"Seriously, you're still holding on?" Blue Star asked with a curl of his lips.

"I can't hold on any longer. So, let's pay to make this go away!" Yun Xiao declared.

Hearing it would cost them, Blue Star and Red Moon visibly winced, but clearly, it was a move of desperation.

At this moment, Yun Xiao indeed lacked the strength to take down the Greatest War God of the Celestial Court. This fellow might truly be stronger than the White Emperor, Crown Prince, and Great Mother!

The trouble was, Anima Immortals were tough to deal with!

Yun Xiao would rather engage in physical combat with the Great Mother than face such an opponent.

"Goodbye, local loser." Lu Fan chuckled, and the Chaos Emperor Lotus unleashed an even more vast torrent of white blazing fire, carrying countless faces, to burn and rip apart Yun Xiao's spirit.

"You're speaking too soon; the game has just begun," Yun Xiao suddenly said.

"Huh?" Lu Fan paused.

In the next instant, a streak of black light surged from Yun Xiao's chest, targeting the Chaos Emperor Lotus!

The recent bountiful gains had greatly empowered the ancient bronze coffin.

BOOM!

A dark bronze coffin, opening its

jaws

wide, engulfed the Chaos Emperor Lotus in the blink of an eye.

BANG!

The coffin lid slammed shut, not only imprisoning the Chaos Emperor Lotus but also severing the Destiny Soul Fire!

"Aaaaah!"

The crowd grasping at Yun Xiao's spirit through his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, twisted their faces in torment, as if drowning in the white flames, then fizzled away into the void.

In an instant, the tide turned.

"Not this coffin again..."

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