The ghostly blue flames, though they touched the Ice Dragon Sword, were effortlessly dispelled with a light flick from Ling Xiao, causing him no harm whatsoever.
But Hei Suo was clearly not satisfied with letting this attack end there. After Ling Xiao blocked his strike, his next attack came swiftly.
“Ghost Flame Triple Form, Flame Rush.”
A cold glint flashed in Hei Suo’s eyes, and his whip shot up from the ground at a bizarre angle, a burst of fiery energy erupting from the whip, aimed at Ling Xiao’s abdomen.
“Wind Phenomenon, Melting Water!”
The same sword technique, now infused with the power of the elements, produced an entirely different effect.
The originally viscous, rippling true essence began to spin fiercely, like a raging tornado.
The ghostly blue flames, like fireflies in a storm, were swept into it and vanished without a trace.
The sword energy continued its assault, forcing Hei Suo to retreat two or three steps.
This series of attacks and defences ended with Ling Xiao slightly gaining the upper hand.
Hei Suo froze for a moment, his heart filled with anger, and he said coldly, “Fine! Ling Xiao, I admit you’re stronger than Wanyan Jun, you’re indeed qualified to face me, but that’s all you are, just qualified! That was still just a test!”
As he spoke, Hei Suo flicked his black whip.
The whip swept through his ghostly flame martial soul, splitting it into seven parts.
These seven points of ghostly flame, like seven eerie lanterns, flickered with an unsettling light, alternating between chilling cold and searing heat.
It felt as if one had stepped into hell, every hair standing on end.
“Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns!”
“Didn’t expect Ling Xiao to force Senior Brother Hei Suo to use the Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns, now Ling Xiao’s in trouble!”
“Yeah, once Senior Brother Hei Suo uses the Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns, he’s getting serious, he was just playing around earlier!”
The inner sect disciples began discussing again. After all, even in inner sect spars, Hei Suo rarely used the Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns, and once he did, his opponent was destined to lose.
Ling Xiao smiled faintly, “Senior Brother Hei Suo’s Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns are dazzling, but I wonder if they’re actually effective! Flashy but useless things aren’t very interesting.”
“You’ll find out when you try!”
Hei Suo snorted coldly.
“Is that so? Looks like I, your junior brother, need to get serious too, otherwise, wouldn’t it be too dull?”
As he spoke, another phantom appeared behind Ling Xiao.
It was a black leopard, crouching atop the glacier, its eyes gleaming with alertness.
Ling Xiao’s aura suddenly surged, the combined power of two martial souls was indeed extraordinary.
That unstoppable aura matched the might of the Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns.
The terrifying clash of their auras affected the surroundings. The four elders were unfazed, but the elite inner sect disciples felt their bodies alternating between cold and hot, extremely uncomfortable.
Yet, at this moment, they were unwilling to leave, the more intense the fight, the more thrilling it was.
How could they bear to walk away?
“Interesting, now I admit, you’re indeed qualified to make me get serious, you can barely make me use fifty percent of my strength! If you die too quickly, it’d be too boring, I want you to fall in agony!”
“Too much talk!”
Ling Xiao looked at Hei Suo calmly, “Instead of wasting time with nonsense, why not think about how to win, otherwise, dying miserably on the spot won’t look good for Elder Jin.”
This Hei Suo was truly arrogant. Just an early Mortal Realm Fourth Layer cultivation, acting as if he’d already reached the Celestial Realm, constantly talking about who’s qualified or not, as if he controlled everything.
Utterly laughable.
Even with his Mountain River Martial Soul, Ling Xiao didn’t dare claim he could control everything, after all, many warriors had desperate, last-ditch moves that were impossible or hard to predict.
Hei Suo’s arrogance truly disgusted Ling Xiao.
“Relax, I won’t let you die so quickly! I’ll make sure to torment you thoroughly! Your mouth will only be good for begging!”
Hei Suo’s voice trembled with rage, his cold words coming out one by one, “Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns, Black Veil!”
As his voice rang out, the underground palace, which still had some light, suddenly plunged into darkness.
Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop!
Seven consecutive sounds, as the seven ghostly flame lanterns lit up one after another, forming the shape of a ladle in the sky.
Then, with a flick of Hei Suo’s whip, the seven lanterns vanished again.
But Ling Xiao could sense they hadn’t disappeared, they were rapidly approaching him within the black veil.
“Gulp!”
The watching inner sect disciples swallowed hard.
This oppressive, terrifying feeling was unbearable, the pitch-black battlefield where they could see nothing felt like being swallowed by a monstrous beast.
Ling Xiao stood there, perfectly still, his aura undetectable.
It was as if he had suddenly vanished.
The sword in his hand remained still, without any movement.
But suddenly, within the black veil, seven points of flame appeared, carrying fierce killing intent and terrifying power, targeting seven of Ling Xiao’s vital points.
Ling Xiao’s sword, at that moment, suddenly struck.
“Rain Phenomenon, Condensed Water!”
With this sword, as Ling Xiao swung, torrential rain poured down.
Before the rain could hit the ground, it condensed into tiny ice beads, and under the guidance of the Ice Dragon Sword, they enveloped the seven ghostly flame lanterns with overwhelming force.
Bang bang bang…
The ghostly flame lanterns shattered one by one, and the black veil suddenly brightened, the ice beads, with unstoppable momentum, accompanied by the Ice Dragon Sword’s shrieking, pierced toward Hei Suo.
A flicker of shock passed through Hei Suo’s eyes.
But the shock quickly faded.
Then, the seven ghostly flame lanterns reappeared, but this time, not in front of Ling Xiao, but in front of Hei Suo.
The seven lanterns formed a ring, spinning faster and faster, the ghostly blue flames creating a massive fireball that enveloped Hei Suo, the air sizzling with a faint burnt smell.
Ling Xiao’s Condensed Water Sword and countless ice beads struck the fireball of ghostly blue flames, producing crackling sounds, but the ice beads shattered, unable to penetrate the fireball.
“The Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns aren’t so easily destroyed! Their attack power is immense, and their defence will make you despair!”
Hei Suo revealed a smug sneer, “It’s useless, with the defence of the Seven Star Ghost Flame Lanterns, I’m invincible, today, you’re doomed!”
Even now, Hei Suo still believed he could control everything, able to take Ling Xiao’s life at any moment, never considering the possibility of his own defeat.
