Chapter 637: Divine Technique, Soul Extraction

Han Yi paced anxiously in an asteroid field adrift in the starry skies.

"The battle has started," she muttered, icy blue eyes drifting worriedly toward the nameless star in the distance. "Ying Yue, Pang Jian can kill You Kui, right? After all, he has the divine artifact of the Duke of Thunder in his possession.

"That divine sword of his also holds a Demon God within, and the artifact itself is not ordinary either. That gives him a significant advantage, doesn't it?

"Hey! Say something!" the Frost Crystal God snapped in frustration.

Ironically, before the battle, Han Yi held unwavering faith in Pang Jian, while Ying Yue harbored doubts.

Now, she restlessly questioned Ying Yue, seeking reassurance that Pang Jian could indeed kill You Kui.

The constant questions were starting to irritate Ying Yue.

Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she said shortly, "You Kui is no weaker than us. Although he's a God of the Ghost Race, and Thunder Gods counter him, that doesn't mean he doesn't have ways to resist lightning.

"There's just one thing you need to remember. That's not Pang Jian's physical body. He'll survive, even if he dies in battle against You Kui."

"At worst, Pang Jian will only lose that body and fall from the True God Realm. His physical body is elsewhere. He won't truly die, and you'll still have the chance to see him again.

"And as I said before, regardless of the outcome, neither of us can risk revealing ourselves," she said, toying with a set of flags inscribed with the images of the moon.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

You Kui shared a mental connection with Zi Mo of the Ghost Race.

Zi Mo would immediately sense when You Kui died and, through their connection, witness the final moments of his life.

The culprit of You Kui's death would be revealed at a glance.

If they joined forces with Pang Jian to kill You Kui, Zi Mo would undoubtedly recognize them and relentlessly hunt them down.

Worse still, she would know they had been working with Pang Jian.

If Pang Jian succeeded in killing You Kui, he could always retreat into the abysses within the bizarre mist to evade Zi Mo's retaliation.

However, they had no such luxury.

"I know," Han Yi said, lowering her head.

She clutched the crystal token that allowed her to communicate with Pang Jian, but refrained from sending a message.

It was not yet the right time.

***

Blazing lightning rampaged from the Thunder Pool, transforming the underground cavern into a vast sea of lightning.

You Kui's meticulously refined Ghost Rivers had been purged, and every spectral entity within them had since perished.

This sea of lightning had completely suppressed his soul-related divine techniques and rendered them ineffective.

The violent lightning surging from the Thunder Pool instantly obliterated any divine power or divine sense that leaked from You Kui's body, making it exceedingly difficult for him to inflict harm upon Pang Jian.

I'll do my best to restrict his divine sense and prevent it from escaping this star. Ying Yue and Han Yi are also standing guard outside to ensure his divine sense doesn't alert other Gods,

the Abyssal Demon said.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian's blinding sword light clashed against You Kui's ghostly blue one, detonating into dazzling bursts.

It was as if a torrential downpour was occurring within the cavern.

As the Abyssal Demon Sword and You Kui's blade collided, a sinister chill seeped silently into the inner world of the divine sword.

"Soul Extraction!"

The sinister chill surged from the sword's inner world and stabbed Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul!

Dozens of silver-gray chains, pulsating with a twisted power meant to imprison divine souls, simultaneously materialized inside the Abyssal Demon Sword and Pang Jian's body.

Suddenly, a scene from Pang Jian's memories resurfaced.

There was a rocky mountain in the Southern Gorge of the Abyss, where Gui Mu meditated in seclusion.

Rusted chains also bound that mountain, each echoing with piercing wails, as if imprisoning the vengeful souls of the Abyss.

According to ancient legends, the Ghost Sacrifice Sect's origins were said to trace back to the Ghost Race of the Abyss.

That mysterious mountain and its rusted chains were eerily similar to You Kui's divine technique, Soul Extraction.

The divine sense in the mind, chest, five viscera, and throughout the rest of Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul broke apart into flecks of golden radiance.

The eerie silver-gray chains drew the golden flecks in, as if trying to extract them for You Kui.

Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul was forged from the fusion of his divine soul and Fortune, refined by the myriad energies in his physical body, and perfected through the tempering of spiritual qi.

Thus, his divine sense was not confined to his sea of consciousness alone, but instead spread throughout his entire Immortal Divine Soul.

As soon as the chains of Soul Extraction took form, they started dragging the divine sense woven through every inch of his body.

The Abyssal Demon within the Abyssal Demon Sword was also affected.

Soul fragments, demonic flames, and demonic clouds drifted from the Abyssal Demon's demonic body, forcibly drawn toward the chains and pulled inexorably toward You Kui's cloaked body.

Pang Jian, retract the lightning outside!

the Abyssal Demon yelled urgently.

A portion of his soul, in the form of soul fragments, demonic flames, and demonic clouds, was on the verge of being ripped from the divine sword.

Outside the Abyssal Demon Sword, the underground cavern was saturated with lightning powerful enough to annihilate all ghosts and demons.

The raging lightning would obliterate any portion of the Abyssal Demon's soul that was dragged beyond the confines of the sword.

His soul, which he had painstakingly tempered through the terror, despair, and twisted resentment of the inhabitants of the Shadow Abyss and the Sacred Soul Continent, stood on the brink of annihilation!

The streaks of lightning were pulled back into the Thunder Pool.

Pang Jian held Five Thunder Annihilation in one hand and the Thunder Pool in the other, allowing the Abyssal Demon to wield the Abyssal Demon Sword independently.

Soul Extraction had ensnared both the Abyssal Demon's soul and Pang Jian's divine sense.

Pang Jian feared the lightning would backfire, inflicting severe damage on himself and the Abyssal Demon.

"Pang Jian, the divine sense of a true Thunder God contains the essence of lightning," You Kui mocked. "If you were a true Thunder God, my Soul Extraction would've been ineffective against you.

"In fact, I wouldn't have dared to entangle your divine sense at all.

"But as I said earlier, you're not a true Thunder God. You're just riddled with weaknesses waiting to be exploited.

"You thought wielding the divine artifact of the Duke of Thunder and using lightning would be enough to kill me? That's nothing more than wishful thinking."

Once the sea of overwhelming lightning dissipated, You Kui lifted his cloak to reveal his deathly white face.

His thin lips curled into a cold smile as he greedily licked the corner of his mouth.

"The divine artifact of the Duke of Thunder is an unrivaled treasure every Thunder God covets. It's a priceless artifact beyond measure.

"If I can get my hands on that Thunder Pool, between that and the Star Devourer, I'll be able to gather the divine crystals and materials needed to ascend as a high-ranking God!

"Perhaps I, too, will stand as an equal to Lady Zi Mo in the near future!

"She would surely welcome another high-ranking God for the Ghost Race."

Dozens of silver-gray chains shot from the tip of the Abyssal Demon Sword and Pang Jian's chest, each carrying fragments of Pang Jian's divine sense and the Abyssal Demon's soul.

Pang Jian dared not act rashly, even with Five Thunder Annihilation and the Thunder Pool in hand.

Some of his divine sense had already become entwined with chains. He feared destroying the chains would erase that part of himself as well.

While this would not kill him, it would undoubtedly deal him severe damage. It would be exceedingly difficult to heal from that injury in a short time.

What now?

As a mid-ranking Outer God, You Kui evidently had no issue holding his own against Pang Jian.

His body was in no way inferior to Pang Jian's Immortal Divine Soul. In some ways, it was actually more agile and elusive.

Even the Abyssal Demon Sword failed to pierce You Kui while he wore his black cloak, with many of Pang Jian's exquisite sword techniques simply being deflected.

If not for You Kui's wariness of the Thunder Pool and Five Thunder Annihilation, limiting his ability to unleash his soul-related divine techniques, Pang Jian would have already lost.

I have to sever the chains' pull on my divine sense. But how?

Pang Jian strained his mind for a solution.

The Primordial Demon Fusion Art!

A colossal furnace within his heart started to turn.

His Immortal Divine Soul trembled violently.

Strands of crimson lightning crackled wildly across the surface of the furnace, embodying the profound Dao of Fire.

The dense demonic energy within his Immortal Divine Soul surged into the depths of his heart and merged into the force fueling the rotation of the furnace.

A powerful suction came from Pang Jian's chest!

The silver-gray chains leaving his Immortal Divine Soul were suddenly locked in place, then forcefully yanked straight into the furnace!

When the chains entered the furnace, his divine sense, entwined with the chains, naturally dispersed back into his Immortal Divine Soul.

You Kui's divine sense and the profound mysteries of his Soul Extraction were completely unraveled under the might of the demonic cultivation method!

Come here!

Pang Jian shouted, eyes gleaming gold as he turned to the chains emerging from the Abyssal Demon Sword.

Leave it to me!

the Abyssal Demon called back.

I'm also proficient in the Primeval Demon Fusion Art!

A demonic realm rumbled into motion, manifesting as a vast expanse of churning magma, within which a maelstrom of molten rock took shape.

The chains, resembling serpents recoiling in horror, were violently sucked back into the Abyssal Demon Sword, only for the swirling magma vortex to devour them.

You Kui's strongest divine technique, Soul Extraction, was unraveled in the blink of an eye.