Eternal Life: I Can Control My Essence Qi-Chapter 173 - 152: Victory or Defeat in an Instant

"Damn it! Divine Soul Dao Skill!!"

Old Man Zeng cursed angrily, but in that flash of lightning, he could only withdraw the concealing Daoist technique and fully operate his Divine Soul Dao Skill to defend against the attack.

Divine Soul and Divine Thought are the strongest points of a Soul Cultivator but also their fatal weakness.

Ordinary cultivators might struggle a bit if hit by an opponent's Divine Soul Dao Skill, but once a Soul Cultivator is struck by it, it's practically one foot in the grave.

"Swish!"

Among the ruins, a faint blue brilliance rose, seemingly containing spirit-like creatures evolving various wonders.

This pale blue brilliance was enough to shake one's heart and mind just by looking at it from afar.

"Sizzle..."

Forest-white light and pale blue brilliance collided, bursting into a rapid series of sparks as the two invisible and shapeless Divine Soul Dao Skills clashed.

This is a phenomenon caused by extremely powerful Divine Thought confrontation, perceived only by Foundation Establishment cultivators possessing similar Divine Thought.

"Not good! It's that old Soul Cultivator!"

"This is bad, Fellow Daoist Qingxu is only at the early stage Foundation Establishment, I'm afraid..."

The numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators of Haihe Association felt their faces turn slightly, a trace of unease rising in their hearts.

Faced with such a situation, they dared not rashly intervene, as Divine Soul Dao Skill confrontation is extremely dangerous, carelessly becoming entangled could lightly damage their Divine Thought or heavily implicate their Divine Soul.

"Old Ghost Zeng has taken action!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivators of Du Bu Alliance rejoiced greatly.

In their view, as long as Old Man Zeng took action, he could at least hold off the opponent, perhaps even counter-kill!

A newly ascended early stage Foundation Establishment Lord with such astonishing battle power is one thing, but his Divine Soul Dao Skill couldn't possibly be formidable enough to overpower a middle stage Soul Cultivator, right?

However, what they didn't expect was:

After a brief confrontation, Old Man Zeng's body unexpectedly went limp, his vision gradually darkening, a trace of despair appearing on his face.

Ultimately, he suffered severe injury, and the power of his Divine Soul and Divine Thought weakened considerably, unable to gain overwhelming advantage in direct confrontation, his subsequent efforts quickly faltered.

He could not compare to the thick-skinned Man Tian Sheng, but in such a dire state, having failed his surprise attack, he even lost his final chance to escape.

The next moment:

The pale blue brilliance flickered a few times, helplessly extinguished, while the forest-white light forcefully suppressed.

Hiding in the ruins, Old Man Zeng, drenched in blood, went blind, struck directly by the 'Desolate Soul-shaking Divine Light', losing consciousness and collapsing.

"Boom!"

The Taiyi Heaven-Shattering Hammer was released, swiftly descending, smashing that small patch of ruins into a thin wafer-like pancake.

At this critical moment, there was no need to leave any survivors; Zhang Yao naturally seized the opportunity, ending Old Ghost Zeng's life with one strike.

"Old Ghost Zeng is dead!"

"Oh crap...!"

"Go! Hurry up!"

The numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators of Du Bu Alliance saw this scene and immediately mourned as if bereaved, losing all courage, the final trace of luck in their hearts extinguished.

"Great! That old Soul Cultivator is dead!"

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu truly has astonishing strength!"

Peng Yue Xian, Master Cang'er, and others rejoiced and pushed their Spiritual Artifact and Daoist technique attacks even more fiercely.

Zhang Yao leaped, transforming into a stream of golden light, darting towards the depths of the Water Mansion ruins.

"Leave them to you, don't let anyone escape!"

"I'm going to support the Association Leader!"

While the sound of transmitting Divine Thought echoed, Zhang Yao had already vanished from sight, leaving only a faint shadow of Escape Light.

"Alright, then we leave it to Fellow Daoist Qingxu!"

Peng Yue Xian and others responded with Divine Thought, simultaneously intensifying their attacks, clamping down on Du Bu Alliance's numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators.

By the time the battle raged here, Du Bu Daoist and Lord Haihe still hadn't shown up, indicating that their fight was likely in a stalemate or both severely injured.

In this situation: a formidable Foundation Establishment powerhouse was sufficient to tip the balance of victory.

...

Deep in the ruins of Cangjiang Water Mansion.

A humble yet elegant cave mansion shimmered with light, still standing despite the pervasive destruction.

Inside this mansion spanning dozens of yards, chaos reigned: the remaining arrays were almost entirely destroyed by the aftermath of fierce battles, the study, quiet chamber, archive, and alchemy room were reduced to barren land.

"Huff, huff..."

Lord Haihe slumped to the ground, his hair crown askew, breathing heavily, wounds covering his body yet almost devoid of blood.

A few steps away, his Spiritual Flying Sword lay fallen, its light dim, with several rice-sized chips.

Opposite him:

"Quite impressive!"

Du Bu Daoist, wearing a ragged gray robe and drenched in blood, stood straight, holding a copper mirror now only half intact.

His aura was equally feeble, more so than Lord Haihe, yet he bore no visible wounds, nor showed much fatigue.

"You have more than one top-grade Spiritual Artifact, it seems your master truly dotes on you."

Du Bu Daoist spoke leisurely, his magical power rapidly recovering, his eyes gleaming with black light.

"Had it not been for those external items, you'd have perished at my hand long ago!"

Lord Haihe glared at him, deep-seated hatred flowing in his eyes, his voice hoarse:

"Du Bu, you've gone mad."

"...No, you've long become Yu Wen Tai's puppet, even losing yourself."

"Yu Wen Tai?"

Du Bu Daoist smiled mockingly and said nonchalantly:

"He and I are merely using each other; becoming his puppet? You're overestimating him!"

As he spoke, he took a deep breath, and the aura of his magical power surged even higher, but a few more strands of white hair appeared on his forehead.

"The time is almost up; it's time to send you on your way."

"To the nine springs of the Underworld, to reunite with your beloved disciple!"

As the words fell:

Du Bu Daoist dropped the broken copper mirror in his hand, reached out a hand, and strands of deep blue radiance rapidly converged, forming a spear as blue and crystalline as water itself.

"Die!"

The deep blue crystal spear shot out instantly, slow yet swift, storming towards its target.

Lord Haihe, slumped on the ground, witnessed this with a look of despair and unwillingness in his eyes, desperately trying to muster what little magical power he had left to make one last stand.

However, in the next instant:

"Clang!"

A golden light suddenly flashed, followed by a piercing metallic clash echoing, sending the deep blue crystal spear flying, only to flicker a few times and then dissipate as a stream of light.

"Buzz..."

The golden halberd that had been thrown pierced straight into the ground, still vibrating and humming rapidly.

"Who?!"

Du Bu Daoist's expression shifted slightly, a trace of malice flashing across his eyes.

"Boom!"

A golden meteor crashed down, and as the golden light dissipated, a mighty figure clad in golden armor was revealed.

"You are..."

Lord Haihe was momentarily stunned, but recognizing the familiar aura of magical power, a sense of relief washed over him:

"Qingxu, you've arrived."

He struggled to stand from the ground, panting twice, his voice filled with hatred:

"Be careful, he's completely lost it, becoming Yu Wen Tai's puppet, willing to burn his lifespan with forbidden techniques!"

"...I understand."

Zhang Yao responded, his peripheral vision catching sight of a somewhat familiar corpse, causing his expression to darken slightly.

Clearly, Lord Baihe still couldn't escape Du Bu Daoist's deadly grasp, dying in front of his own mentor.

"Crack!"

He pulled out the golden halberd, standing in front of Lord Haihe, speaking in a deep voice:

"Burning lifespan? I want to see how many years of life you can squander."

"Hahaha..."

Du Bu Daoist laughed loudly, flicking his sleeves, his voice icy cold:

"A mere early stage Foundation Establishment dares to act recklessly before me, I'll send you along the way too."

Before his words even fell, the aura around him erupted abruptly, the whole person floating mid-air, surrounded by layers of dazzling blue light.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...

In an instant, endless blue flashes burst forth, thousands of deep blue crystals descended from the sky like a deluge of hail.

Just a single piece of deep blue crystal 'hail' bore power comparable to a one-time-use Secret Treasure Thunder Bead, this terrible force descending like a raging waterfall, enough to make anyone's skin crawl.

At this moment, Du Bu Daoist's battle prowess in every gesture was actually comparable to Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Facing such terrifying Daoist technique, Zhang Yao's expression shifted, he rapidly swung the golden halberd in his hand, forming a golden 'light wheel' to shield himself and Lord Haihe:

"Clang!" "Clang!"...

After merely blocking a few strikes, Zhang Yao's arms went numb, almost losing grip on the halberd, even showing signs of cracks on the tiger's mouth.

"Bang!"

A gap in the defense appeared, a deep blue crystal broke through the golden light wheel, striking Zhang Yao's chest.

Zhang Yao grunted, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth beneath the golden faceplate, he staggered back two steps, nearly bumping into Lord Haihe behind him.

Affected by this, the speed at which he wielded the golden halberd inevitably slowed down, allowing more deep blue crystals to pierce through the golden light wheel, crashing into his armor like small meteors.

"Bang!" "Bang!"...

Zhang Yao's entire body shook like struck by thunder, retreating continuously, struggling more and more to resist Du Bu Daoist's Daoist techniques.

The previously impervious golden armor, that even Man Tian Sheng couldn't damage despite risking his life, now bore obvious cracks and damages, showing signs of being unable to hold.

"Qingxu!"

Seeing this scene, Lord Haihe's face changed, gritting his teeth, he forcibly mobilized his remaining magical power, casting a Daoist technique.

"Buzz!"

A sky-blue barrier emerged, streaked with arcs of lightning, protecting him and Zhang Yao within.

Zhang Yao immediately felt significantly relieved, seizing the moment to regulate his breathing and magical power, repairing the damages to his armor.

Just within two breaths:

"Pfft..."

The sky-blue barrier shattered, Lord Haihe spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura dwindling and his form swaying.

Already heavily injured, he suffered further backlash from the forced Daoist technique, risking damage to his cultivation foundation, completely losing the strength to fight again.

"Hahaha..."

Du Bu Daoist laughed heartily, his demeanor faintly showing signs of madness, the white hair behind his head growing more and more:

"Die! All of you, die!"