Chapter 968 Soul Searching
Ding ding ding ding!
It was as if four terrifying nails that were as ma.s.sive as pillars fell from the sky, defining the boundaries of the dark s.p.a.ce. This allowed the s.p.a.ce to solidify, blocking off any spiritual influence and cutting off all rules! At the same time, four pitch-black dragons appeared with ferocious howls. In an instant, their powerful bodies with dazzling black scales tied up w.a.n.g Zhong tightly!
Soul Secret Technique —— Divine Binding!
Not only could it bind one’s spirit, it could also trap deities like him!
This was one of the three legendary secret techniques of the Mystic Sect and Sophia’s strongest ultimate technique. This legendary technique had spread among the ma.s.ses like a fable. At that moment, it had appeared in front of everyone’s eyes without any warning.
The attack had appeared too quickly and the binding had occurred too rapidly. They could not even react to this. The countless spectators who had their eyes wide open could not even see the entire process clearly! They only felt the binding effect taking place as the world changed in color. The new Heavenly Soul who seemed extremely powerful did not even have the leeway to resist. He could not even think of resisting before he was brought under control!
The exploration team leaders that felt dejected because of w.a.n.g Zhong would not have been able to control themselves and would have praised her if they did not feel ashamed. On the other hand, the expressions of the Wanderl.u.s.t Team members changed. Their mouths were wide open, but before they could shout in shock, they heard another voice from the other side that was on the verge of collapse.
“w.a.n.g Zhong!”
Lan Daier could not help but shout out loud. In the short span of a few months, a great distance seemed to have formed between her and w.a.n.g Zhong. Their relations.h.i.+p was completely different from the short, yet unforgettable time in the Holy City. Although she had willingly accepted this, this did not mean that she had given up. She only hoped that the person she cared about could live happily and with more freedom.
w.a.n.g Zhong’s frequent disappearances during the Holy Battle caused Lan Daier to grow anxious. She said that she would not care about him, but she could not help but secretly pay attention to him. His recent disappearance had been the most dangerous. When she saw that he had returned, she felt relieved. But she did not expect to see that he had fallen into the hands of a demon in the blink of an eye.
Lan Daier was typically someone who knew her own limits. She clearly knew what it meant for someone as vicious as Sophia to be in the Holy City. Typically, in order to protect herself and her family members in the Holy City, she would not show any sign of animosity in front of people like Sophia. But at this moment, it was hard for her to practice self-restraint.
Sophia looked out of the corner of her eye and saw her. She recognized Lan Daier and knew that she had been searching everywhere for information on her. At first, she had thought that she was a busybody. When Sophia considered the abilities of the people she interacted with, she did not plan to make a big fuss out of this with Lan Daier. After all, Lan Daier could not do much either.
But looking at things now… Tsk tsk!
“Where are you looking at? Fool!”
An ice-cold and calm voice sounded in the sky, interrupting Sophia’s train of thought. At this moment, she was shocked.
It was w.a.n.g Zhong’s voice. He had been bound by her powerful technique, and his spirit should have been stuck, unable to struggle. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d should have been shared among the black dragons and be in great pain! But he had actually…
Sophia did not see any signs of being trapped or pain from his spirit being tortured on w.a.n.g Zhong’s face. She did not even see a trace of panic. His face was as calm as water, as if he was mocking her that anything she did would be useless. Furthermore, he could even speak and clearly see the real world. He could even notice that Sophia had been distracted by looking at what had happened out of the corner of her eye.
This… How was this possible?!
Sophia did not dare to believe this and could not believe this.
The world grew even more brutal. Dark clouds churned in the sky, and dense lightning struck. She activated the spiritual influence in the heaven and the earth, strengthening the spirit ward. However, there seemed to be no change in the cold expression.
There was contempt in w.a.n.g Zhong’s face. He wanted to trample on Sophia, no matter whether it was her body or her spirit! He would start with the strongest place that she cared most about! He was going to make this crazy grandma pay hundreds or even thousands of times more than she had done!
Had she actually used her secret soul technique? Didn’t she know that his soul was the strongest? To him, he could not even feel the black dragons nibbling on him!
Meanwhile, this trapping ward was rather interesting as it had the aura of a domain. To an ordinary Heavenly Soul, or even a peak Heavenly Soul, as long as they did not understand the rules of domains, they would not be able to understand this as it had nothing to do with strength. On the contrary, it felt as if this could not be decoded. They would not know where to start.
However, it was a pity that she had encountered w.a.n.g Zhong.
Heavenly Souls who had mastered the power of a domain and those who had not were like creatures from two completely different worlds!
“Is that your strongest ultimate attack?” w.a.n.g Zhong laughed coldly. “It’s barely acceptable!”
A powerful domain was still a domain. However, there was a world of difference between imitating domains and truly understanding them. The black dragons that were trapping w.a.n.g Zhong did not even seem to exist. When w.a.n.g Zhong stretched out his hand, his hand easily pa.s.sed through the thick body of the black dragon. It was as if he had just pa.s.sed through an illusion and was not bound by anything at all. At the same time, a dazzling divine sword appeared in his hands.
Everyone who saw this was stunned. Lan Daier’s anxious expression froze, while Ella beside her covered her mouth. Meanwhile, the members of the Wanderl.u.s.t Team felt as if their eyeb.a.l.l.s were about to drop out. The situation had changed so quickly that it felt uncomfortable. Furthermore, the exploration team leaders who were about to shout praises feeling as if the heavens still cared about them covered their mouths in time…
“Sword One.”
w.a.n.g Zhong spoke in a cold voice.
Humm!
The Nebula Sword only shook slightly. Then, the large nails that seemed to be firmly hammered into the ground suddenly loosened slightly.
Hum! Hum! Hum! Hum!
There was the rumble of the sword. Every time it rumbled, Sophia felt as if she had suffered a blow to the heart! This caused her to feel dizzy and be unable to stand steadily!
The four large nails that were made out of the spiritual influence from the world and hammered into the ground were shaken and broke away from the ground. Closely after, they rapidly disappeared in the sky. The darkness disappeared, and the gloomy atmosphere dispersed. The sky was clear again. w.a.n.g Zhong held his sword in his hand, his light and graceful posture making him seem natural and unrestrained. Meanwhile, opposite him, Sophia’s face was full of wrinkles. She vomited a large pile of blood and collapsed to her hands and knees on the ground!
She could not possibly be defeated in one strike, but a serious problem had occurred recently. Furthermore, once the soul technique was rendered useless against her enemy, she would receive a backlash. This was the most terrifying counterattack, and her enemy did not even need to attack her again.
w.a.n.g Zhong looked at her coldly, but there was no empathy in his eyes. He simply repeated himself coldly. “Where is Scarlet? This is your last chance!”
Even though at least several thousand people were gathered in the distance, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. It was completely silent. Everyone could only tremble and look on blankly.
That was Sophia, one of the top Heavenly Soul experts in the Holy City who was said to be the closest to becoming a Sacred Teacher. Even if it could be seen that there was a problem with her body, she could not even fight back against w.a.n.g Zhong. She did not even need to think about fighting back. This feeling simply felt as if she was being casually played with by w.a.n.g Zhong. He was completely controlling her! Was this a fight? This was simply abuse!
A few months ago, before he had disappeared, he was only a Heroic Soul Teacher. However, there had been an earth-shaking change in his combat power within the span of a few months. This simply surpa.s.sed the understanding of the humans in the Holy City.
They could not imagine this! If they had not seen this for themselves, no one would dare to believe that this was the reality! Just how was he able to do it?
The Holy Disciples were all flabbergasted, no matter whether they were close to w.a.n.g Zhong or not. The Great Teachers were likewise dumbstruck, regardless of whether they recognized w.a.n.g Zhong. Even the Great Teachers who stood in the distance and only dared to look on had shock and powerlessness on their faces.
Rationally, if a Great Teacher who was established in the Holy City and had a very high position as a core member was going to be killed in the north base right in front of their eyes, they should step up and stop the killer. But could they really stop this? When they saw the murderous intent on the young man’s face, they could also feel the brilliant and heavenly might from his body…
Who dared to stop him?
The Great Teachers only felt themselves trembling from his might. They did not even dare to move, let alone stop him! d.a.m.n… Whatever! There was something wrong with their eyes! They! Saw! Nothing!
Ella suddenly felt slightly gloomy. In the past, she thought that w.a.n.g Zhong did not deserve Lan Daier, but now… There was something wrong with her insight and standards. Thus, Teacher Lan Daier was still Teacher Lan Daier; a.s.sistant Ella was still a.s.sistant Ella, and w.a.n.g Zhong was much more powerful than them…
Sophia knew that she was done for. The moment she saw no expression, much less pain, on w.a.n.g Zhong’s face when his spirit was bound, she had faintly predicted the outcome of today. Not only had this b.a.s.t.a.r.d controlled her domain, his attack had also surpa.s.sed her understanding of Heavenly Soul experts! He had just advanced to the Heavenly Soul Stage. How was this possible…? Was it because he had conquered a Tempering Soul Calamity that was three times more powerful than usual? The Tempering Soul Calamity might not even be as terrifying as this!
She coughed up blood and did not reply to w.a.n.g Zhong’s question. Unexpectedly, she could not help but ask, “Just how many Soul Guards do you have?”
w.a.n.g Zhong coldly said, “I am asking you now. You had better understand what situation you are in now!”
“Ha, ha ha ha ha! Cough, cough!” Sophia recovered from her dazed state. At that moment, her appearance was extremely frightening. Not only was her face full of wrinkles, it was also as if her entire body was dehydrated. It was not an exaggeration to say that her skin covered her bones. She was like a skeleton wearing an empty and wrinkly layer of skin.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” She regained her fierce and tough demeanor. She continued to pant heavily. “You’re asking me? What right do you have to ask me?! Cough, cough… That is my disciple. If I want her to live, then she will live. If I want her to die, she will die! So what if you are more impressive than I am?”
w.a.n.g Zhong furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Sophia go completely berserk. It was evident that the decline of her body was very serious. Indeed, there was no love that occurred for no reason in the path of cultivation.
“I have lived for over 300 years and enjoyed the joys of life. My blood-stained hands can make b.a.s.t.a.r.ds like you p.i.s.s your pants from shock! What have I not seen? Are you threatening me? You can kill me, but if you want to find your little lover, ha ha ha ha ha!” She had gone crazy. “Dream on!”
w.a.n.g Zhong’s gaze was as calm as water. He glared at her coldly.
There was no fear on Sophia’s face. She was about to die but had a lot to say. She looked frenzied and overly excited. “Disciples are all money-losing commodities! Has that b.a.s.t.a.r.d told you where Scarlet is? Heh heh, that idiot. Even after revealing everything, he still died anyway! She is in my fragment world, but so what? Can you find it? Ha ha ha ha ha!! Don’t even think of finding it in this lifetime!”
At this moment, the crowd of observers all understood the situation. It was said that Sophia could seize bodies, but they never thought that this was true. This was not a major matter in the Holy Land, but neither was it a minor manner. However, when Sophia openly talked about this, it probably meant that she had failed. People would not care about a Great Teacher who was about to fall. Instead, they cared more about w.a.n.g Zhong, who was rising rapidly and was seemingly invincible. Although combat types would become extremely impressive after advancing to the Semi-Heavenly Soul Stage, w.a.n.g Zhong’s strength was unprecedented.
Red Widow and the rest were all watching. Grai and the rest were also present. After all, this was more important. It could be said that w.a.n.g Zhong had completely set aside these people who were full of pride and resentment. Even if Red Widow and the others advanced to the Heavenly Soul Stage, they would not possess such might.
When Sophia saw that w.a.n.g Zhong seemed to be helpless, she suddenly became extremely happy. But before she could be happy for long, she saw w.a.n.g Zhong stretch out his left hand and press it against her forehead. She felt a wave of spiritual influence flowing into her body, supporting her heart for her.
“Are you trying to save me? Do you not want me to die? Heh heh!” Sophia laughed wildly, and an ominous glint appeared on her face. “It’s useless… Are you trying to torture me? I’m afraid…”
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly stopped. w.a.n.g Zhong had no intention of torturing her. After using spiritual influence to support her heart, a blue light dazzled on w.a.n.g Zhong’s forehead.
Sophia’s expression changed. The Great Teacher from the Mystic Sect immediately felt that something was wrong. His divine intention shot out from his forehead and entered Sophia’s mind.
Soul Searching Technique!
This was a gift from Sauron, who was best at soul searching. Furthermore, w.a.n.g Zhong had found more uses for it. Although w.a.n.g Zhong had no confidence that it would be of any use, he still remembered how to activate it. However, this technique was overly sinister. If this did not concern Scarlet’s safety and life, w.a.n.g Zhong would have been more than willing to kill Sophia in one strike.
But how was this possible?!
Sophia felt as if her soul was being ripped apart. This ability did not exist in the Mystic Sect. Humans had not done research on souls for a long time and were not capable of doing so. But this fellow in front of her… Was he human, or was he a ghost?
To w.a.n.g Zhong, he had the Soul Core and had experienced extreme soul scattering. Thus, a vast majority of soul techniques were all very easy for him. However, he did not care about this. If anything happened to Scarlet, he would feel extremely remorseful.
Sophia suddenly felt a sense of extreme annoyance and remorse. She finally realized where she had lost.
She definitely should not have been compa.s.sionate to Scarlet back then. She really liked this disciple, no matter which aspect it was. She liked Scarlet’s personality of meekly submitting to oppression and loved her body. Either way, she was so fond of Scarlet that she could not let go.
Thus, back then, after she returned to the Holy City and saw the worry on Scarlet’s face, it was the first time she was compa.s.sionate in her entire life. She allowed the relations.h.i.+p between Scarlet and w.a.n.g Zhong as she wanted to allow her disciple to have some pleasant memories before her death. Back then, she did not think that it was a big deal as everything was under her control. But looking at things now…
Sophia’s mind was full of various complex thoughts. She could sense the divine intention that had entered her soul. She did all she could to pull away from the divine intention, but she was already on the verge of death and had no strength to fight back.
A string of void coordinates appeared in w.a.n.g Zhong’s mind, and a dim ring appeared in front of his eyes. It was the ring he had seen on Sophia’s finger.
It would be fine as long as he found the ring. w.a.n.g Zhong held the ring and fiddled with it for a while, as if he was carefully feeling it. Right after, he waved his hand and accurately severed the spiritual connection between the fragment world and Sophia.
At this instant, it was as if Sophia had been sucked dry of all her power. She instantly listlessly fell. It was impossible to imagine that a Great Teacher had fallen to this extent.
The pathway was in his hands. w.a.n.g Zhong jumped and disappeared into thin air. Then he entered the fragment world. The fragment world which had just lost its owner was rather chaotic. Faint spiritual influence was flowing and swirling wildly in the air, but it was not obvious. This was different from the Mizobudapi ownerless world he had been in. After all, he had just severed the relations.h.i.+p between this world and Sophia. It would take a very long time before a fragment world truly collapsed.
A solitary island appeared in front of him. There was a lake in the island that was filled with many different objects visible to the naked eye. It was shrouded in a dense layer of fog. w.a.n.g Zhong immediately saw Scarlet, who was sitting in the middle of the lake. However, her terrible condition caused w.a.n.g Zhong, who clung on to a thread of hope, to feel as if his heart had sunk.
Losing one’s sanity was definitely a terrifying phrase to a pract.i.tioner, but it could not be avoided. No matter what kind of cultivation one experienced, they could not avoid the operation of Soul Power in their bodies. Furthermore, Soul Power was controlled by their intention. Thus, if one felt flighty and impetuous during cultivation and was filled with distracting thoughts, the Soul Power that operated in their bodies would go astray to somewhere it was not supposed to go. It was like water entering a box of petrol, or petrol entering a box of water. There was always the risk of losing one’s mind.
This was risky, but if someone intentionally wanted to lose their mind, it would be much easier. Scarlet was in this situation.
She had tried countless ways to release herself from this difficult situation, no matter whether it was begging her teacher, dropping hints, resisting, or finding her own exit.
But when she was faced with Sophia’s fragment world and her ruthless teacher, she was at her wits’ end. She was just no match for her teacher. Yesterday, when Sophia left, the frustration in her eyes that finally could no longer be controlled caused Scarlet to be in despair.
Losing her sanity was the last method she could think of. Scarlet was very clear of what Sophia wanted. What if she became useless to her?