At that moment, Zhao Mu’s voice came from above Han Lie’s head: “Be careful!”
Han Lie jerked his head up, only to see Zhao Mu forming seals with both hands. Soul mist roiled around him, condensing into countless black soul needles that shot towards Han Lie like a storm.
Han Lie did not dare to be careless, swinging his saber to create a wall of fire.
The soul needles collided with the fire wall, producing a sizzling sound. Most of the soul needles were burned away by the flames, but a few still penetrated the wall, shooting towards Han Lie.
Han Lie hurriedly channelled his spiritual power to protect his entire body. The soul needles struck the spiritual power shield with soft bangs, failing to break through but causing his spiritual power to become disordered.
“Soul bodies are indeed tricky!”
Han Lie gritted his teeth and took the initiative to attack. He leaped high, gripping the saber with both hands, slashing towards Zhao Mu’s position: “Crimson Flame Saber Technique, Third Form, Flame Dragon Emerges from the Sea!”
The instant the saber fell, the flames condensed into a massive fire dragon that pounced towards Zhao Mu with bared fangs and claws. Zhao Mu remained unhurried, his figure swaying as he turned into an afterimage to dodge the fire dragon, while forming seals with both hands: “Soul Lock!”
Countless black soul chains surged from the soul mist, wrapping towards the fire dragon like venomous snakes.
The fire dragon let out a roar, trying to break free from the soul chains, but found them clinging like maggots on bones, tightening more and more.
Soon, the fire dragon’s struggles grew weaker, until it was completely bound by the soul chains, dissipating into sparks in the air.
“What?”
Han Lie’s pupils contracted sharply, his face showing disbelief.
Flame Dragon Emerges from the Sea was his proud ultimate technique, yet Zhao Mu had cracked it so easily.
Zhao Mu’s voice rang out again: “Fellow Daoist Han Lie, your saber technique is fierce, but it’s useless against me. You should concede, to avoid humiliating yourself.”
“Concede? Impossible!”
Han Lie roared angrily and charged towards Zhao Mu once more.
This time, he no longer used wide-range attacks, but concentrated his spiritual power on the saber edge, executing the most exquisite move in the Crimson Flame Saber Technique, “Point Flame”.
The tip of the Crimson Flame Saber condensed a brilliant point of flame, shooting towards Zhao Mu like a meteor.
This move was extremely fast, with concentrated power, making it hard for even a soul body to evade. A hint of appreciation flashed in Zhao Mu’s eyes, yet he remained composed, waving his right hand as the soul mist around him condensed into a soul shield.
“Puff!”
The flame struck the soul shield, causing it to dent instantly, but it did not shatter.
Zhao Mu’s body swayed slightly, clearly affected by the impact, but he quickly regained his calm.
“A good move, but unfortunately still not enough.”
As soon as Zhao Mu spoke, his figure suddenly disappeared again.
Han Lie’s internal alarm blared, and he hurriedly looked around, but he could not find any trace of Zhao Mu.
At that moment, he suddenly felt a chilling aura from behind, inwardly crying out in alarm as he hurriedly turned to swing his saber.
However, it was too late. Zhao Mu’s palm had already pressed against Han Lie’s back, a surge of cold soul power instantly flooding into his body.
Han Lie felt his whole body stiffen, his spiritual power becoming chaotic in an instant. The Crimson Flame Saber clanged to the ground. He wanted to struggle, but found his body no longer obeyed him, only able to watch helplessly as Zhao Mu raised his palm again, aiming at his head.
“Han Lie!”
The cultivators on the mountainside let out exclamations of shock. Wu Hao even stood up abruptly, wanting to rush forward to help, but was stopped by Chen Ping.
“Lord, this is their duel. We cannot interfere.”
Chen Ping’s voice was low, yet a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.
He knew Han Lie had already lost. Even if they interfered, it would be futile, and it would instead breach trust with Shi Hun Zun, making the situation even more unfavourable.
Han Lie looked at Zhao Mu’s cold gaze, his heart filled with unwillingness.
He had battled throughout his life, never in such a sorry state, but against the soul body Zhao Mu, his saber technique was restrained at every turn, leaving him without even the power to fight back.
