Spikes kept surging from the ground.
For a moment, within this massive cage of roots, Ling Xiao had no place to stand, whenever he neared the ground, terrifying spikes would shoot up.
This was undoubtedly the ability of Iron Fir’s martial soul, it seemed quite troublesome.
“Hmph, I take back what I said earlier, I thought you could entertain me, but now it seems you’re just so-so, I overestimated you, with your measly strength, you dare oppose Senior Brother Meng Yuan? Purely seeking death!”
Iron Fir snorted coldly, releasing more true essence, the spikes on the ground went from appearing one by one to two, three, even four at once.
Ling Xiao’s body now bore several blood marks.
Though these marks weren’t severe.
But after days of slaughter games, this was the first time he’d been injured.
A seventh-level Mortal Realm martial artist was indeed far stronger than those others.
However…
“You say you overestimated me? That’s amusing!”
Ling Xiao snorted coldly, no longer dodging, he dropped straight towards the ground.
“Hahaha, you’re courting death, giving up already? Good, giving up is fine, with your strength, opposing me is utterly impossible.”
Iron Fir laughed maniacally.
He hadn’t expected Ling Xiao to make the dumbest choice, to clash head-on with his spikes.
Puff puff puff puff…
Seven or eight spikes pierced straight into Ling Xiao’s body.
“How boring, dead so quickly!”
Iron Fir looked at Ling Xiao standing on the ground, feeling a bit disappointed.
He couldn’t understand why someone of Ling Xiao’s strength could kill sixth-level Mortal Realm martial artists, it just didn’t add up.
“It is pretty boring, because your performance disappointed me too much.”
Suddenly, Ling Xiao’s voice rang out again.
“No, aren’t you dead?”
Iron Fir stared at Ling Xiao in shock, only now realising the spikes hadn’t hit Ling Xiao at all, but a layer of viscous liquid around his body.
Snow Lotus Sword Art · Water Melt!
This move was even more effective for defence than for attack.
“Good! Very good! I didn’t expect you, a mere early-stage fifth-level Mortal Realm cultivator, could block my spike attacks, you’re lucky, but also unlucky, because the next force will be something you can’t withstand, this fight is truly over.”
Iron Fir’s expression quickly returned to calm, no, perhaps there was even a hint of excitement in that calm.
Because he really wanted Ling Xiao to see his martial soul’s ultimate move before dying.
A one-hit kill combining martial technique and martial soul ability.
He was certain Ling Xiao couldn’t dodge it.
He dropped his defence.
It seemed to fully attack Ling Xiao, he couldn’t maintain his defensive state.
The moment he dropped his defence, the staff in his hand suddenly grew enormous.
At the same time, Iron Fir’s body also expanded, looking more like a mountain forest giant.
He swung the massive staff, a dull, thunderous roar escaping his mouth.
“Thousand-Jin Staff · Earth Split!”
As his voice rang out, the colossal staff, blotting out the sky, crashed down.
In that instant, Ling Xiao felt an immense threat.
“No choice, I have to remove the refining array stone, or I’ll really die!”
Sighing helplessly, he could judge the power of this strike, he couldn’t dodge or block it, in his current state, he’d surely die.
So he had to release the restraint.
Boom!
The moment Ling Xiao stored the refining array stone in the Mountain River World, a sky-piercing aura shot through the heavens.
A terrifying true essence storm reduced several towering trees around to dust.
Iron Fir stared at the kid in shock, hardly believing that this kid, without summoning his martial soul and while sealing most of his true essence, could fight him to this extent?
Human or demon?
Could the rumours be true, that this guy wasn’t human at all, but some kind of demon!
But, human or demon, you’re going to die!
Iron Fir had absolute confidence in his ultimate move, he didn’t believe Ling Xiao could withstand his terrifying strike.
The massive Thousand-Jin Staff crashed down.
Yet Ling Xiao seemed relaxed, a smile even appeared on his youthful, slightly innocent face.
“Sorry, Senior Brother Iron, I was just toying with you earlier, as you said, this fight should end, you’ve used your strongest attack, and I’ve achieved my goal!”
As he spoke, a massive phantom appeared behind Ling Xiao.
It was a humanoid flame monster.
A mutated martial soul seized from Hei Suo.
Ling Xiao named it the “Death Dark Flame Martial Soul”.
Admittedly, it wasn’t a true Death Dark Flame Martial Soul, as Ling Xiao hadn’t yet obtained the Death Dark Flame.
But Demon Flame Heavenly Sovereign was someone he was determined to defeat, and the Death Dark Flame he possessed, Ling Xiao would eventually claim.
When that time came, the Death Dark Flame Martial Soul would live up to its name.
So, naming it now wasn’t inappropriate.
The giant flame monster extended a blazing arm of dark flame, following Ling Xiao’s movements, grabbing towards the sky-blocking Thousand-Jin Staff.
Bang!
Flames shot and danced!
A wild gust surged!
The entire giant rock shattered completely in this collision.
The flame monster’s sky-covering hand grasped the colossal Thousand-Jin Staff, and the two forces locked in a stalemate.
Beasts within a hundred-metre radius fled in panic, they knew how terrifying these two were, staying here would only lead to being caught in the crossfire, dying without a burial place.
“Fool, my Thousand-Jin Staff isn’t something you can block!”
Beneath a ferocious expression, Iron Fir let out a thunderous roar.
“Oh, is that so?”
Ling Xiao just smiled faintly, then extended his right hand, lightly snapping his fingers.
“Boom!”
In an instant, flames surged along the staff straight towards Iron Fir.
Iron Fir’s massive body was engulfed in scorching flames.
The Thousand-Jin Staff lost control, crashing to the ground, smashing a long, deep pit.
“No—!”
A scream erupted from Iron Fir, he felt a terror he’d never experienced.
This was despair!
A despair he’d never known!
He thought he could kill Ling Xiao, but in the end, he didn’t even have a chance to escape.
“Collect!”
Ling Xiao raised his hand, forcibly extracting Iron Fir’s martial soul from his body, sending it into the Mountain River World.
On the vast wilderness, a towering giant tree appeared.
The martial artist’s body shrank instantly, falling to the ground, reduced to charred remains.
“Oops, I promised to leave you an intact corpse, but I got carried away in the heat of battle and completely forgot.”
Ling Xiao slapped his forehead, giving a wry, helpless smile.
Looking at the lifeless body.
Ling Xiao dug a pit nearby and buried it.
An enemy, true, but still a sect mate, since he’d already killed him, might as well bury him, it’s no trouble.
