Chapter 638: The Essence of the Soul
"Heh, you are not the Heavenly Tomb, and your existence was not due to that Dou Emperor," Xiao Xuan said, always gentle with his junior Xiao Ze but far less accommodating when facing his enemies. "You were born from the countless residual soul imprints within this tomb; in a way, they created you!"
"Yet, not only do you fail to repay their kindness, you repay it with enmity. You've planted the seeds of devouring desire deep within their souls, subjecting them to constant pain and torment!"
Xiao Xuan's words twisted the giant soul face above, making it appear even more grotesque. The sight of such a terrifying face in the sky spread a climate of fear throughout the entire Heavenly Tomb. However, Xiao Xuan remained undisturbed by the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb's distorted face and continued, "Moreover, as you said, it was your 'master' who created you."
"How could such a prestigious Dou Emperor create such a mottled and monstrous soul as you!" Xiao Xuan's final words completely severed the last strands of rationality in the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb. A tremendous surge of soul power erupted above the firmament, even forming a spectacular visual of a soul tidal wave. To the energy bodies below, however, this terrifying spectacle resembled an apocalyptic scene.
"Xiao Xuan, since you are intent on seeking death, then I shall oblige!" the spirit boomed. "Once you are dead, I would like to see who in the Heavenly Tomb can oppose me! You owe your lives to me. I created you, and you must follow my rules!"
The thoughts of the Heavenly Tomb's spirit spread out, making its intentions clear to all energy bodies within. If what the spirit foretold was to happen, they saw no hope for the future. They had been enduring in silence because they harbored a sliver of hope hoping that Lord Xiao Xuan would agree to their pleas and slay the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb. If Xiao Xuan were to fall in today's battle, all hope would be lost. They would rather face complete obliteration than continue to endure this hellish existence of devouring their kin.
As these thoughts flickered through countless souls, prayers for Xiao Xuan to vanquish the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb grew desperate. Otherwise, their pleas would have only led Xiao Xuan to his doom, filling many energy bodies with guilt.
After broadcasting its intentions, the massive face in the sky suddenly opened its mouth, and a tremendous soul storm gushed out, aimed directly at Xiao Xuan like a spear. Yet, facing this fearsome soul storm, Xiao Xuan seemed unbothered, stepping directly towards the giant soul face. The storm hit him but passed through as if it couldn't even touch him.
This sight brought waves of joy to many energy bodies below. Xiao Xuan's apparent invulnerability to the spirit's wrathful attack showed his immense power.
The battle above did not change with the thoughts and emotions of the energy bodies below. After passing through the soul storm, Xiao Xuan approached the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb, his face showing a gentle yet surprised smile. Suddenly, a brilliant golden flame ignited in his palm, swiftly enveloping his entire body. This thin layer of flame transformed the vast and monstrous soul face's expression to one of shock. It felt its own soul power dissipating into nothingness upon contact with the flame a terrifyingly potent force that instilled a deep fear within it.
"What is this!?" the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb exclaimed in shock, as its immense soul power surged in a vain attempt to blow Xiao Xuan away. However, this soul impact, capable of obliterating mountains, merely caused the flames around Xiao Xuan to flicker like a gentle breeze.
Feeling the power of the golden flames, Xiao Xuan's face revealed astonishment. Such a destructive force capable of annihilating everything was truly beyond his expectations. He wondered how his junior managed to refine and control such a fearsome fire, as merely being near it would incinerate anything with its emanating energy.
At the same time, Xiao Xuan was certain about the origin of this flame. It had to be the legendary supreme flame listed on the Ancient Flames Index. Yet even with his vast knowledge, he had never known the true name of this pinnacle flame. Could it be that its existence was so mysterious that not a single record of it survived in the annals of the continent?
As Xiao Xuan pondered, the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb was in a state of terror. It understood that there was no escape. The Heavenly Tomb was both its birthplace and prison. Just as Xiao Xuan had said, it was a conglomerate of numerous remnants' soul imprints. If it left the Heavenly Tomb, it would dissipate completely, rendering it a mere shadow without substance.
Therefore, it had only one choice to kill Xiao Xuan. Yet as it transformed into a humanoid shadow to face Xiao Xuan, the latter merely smiled. Extending his palm etched with a golden tree, flames surged forth. Under his control, the flames transformed into countless fine threads, forming a vast array that pierced through the humanoid shadow, pinning it within the array.
"There's no need to struggle anymore. Hand over your soul essence," Xiao Xuan instructed as he altered the seals on his hands, causing the fine threads to move. A translucent ring slowly emerged from the humanoid shadow, shimmering with a brilliant light. Xiao Ze, standing below, reached out to touch the radiant light, feeling a warm sensation as if every particle of his soul yearned greedily to devour this brilliance.
However, Xiao Ze easily suppressed the deep greed arising from his soul and looked up at the fundamental essence of the radiant ring. "Is that the soul essence of the Heavenly Tomb's spirit? Indeed, it is pure and vast! If refined, reaching the Emperor realm is within reach!"
(End of Chapter)
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