I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1558 - Chapter 1558 Chapter 39 The Ominous Aran Mountain_2

Chapter 1558: Chapter 39: The Ominous Aran Mountain_2 Chapter 1558: Chapter 39: The Ominous Aran Mountain_2 He Bidu only respectfully took his leave after escorting both Grandmasters into the cave dwelling.

And the same Grandmasters, who had been all smiles just a moment ago, now wore grim expressions as they entered the secluded room.

“Hmph, I didn’t realize this He was such a figure; not only did he condescend to welcome us, but he also called upon all the distinguished persons of Lanshan City to meet us. I believe by tomorrow morning, rumors that the Evil King Palace is the true controller of Lanshan City will have spread throughout the town. What a grand show of power this is!”

Looking at the table full of Spiritual Food, divine medicines, and treasured herbs, Duan Zhengyao snorted coldly and spoke angrily to Duan Siping.

“The Liu, He, and Nong families are following in the footsteps of the Longxi Alliance, abandoning the Mu Family by taking over seven cities along the upper and lower reaches of Lingjiang, and with the Bounty Guild, they now control Chaochang. It seems these three families want to reshuffle the power rankings of Longzhou amidst this great upheaval.”

Duan Siping spoke calmly, “But what does that have to do with us? Although I don’t know how Tang Luo managed to communicate with those completely irrational Heavenly Demons, facing such an unconnected Grandmaster, no one can expect peace. Once we return to the mountain, we’ll report this matter to the sect leader, then we’ll close off access to our sect.”

“Grandfather!!!”

Suddenly, Duan Zhengyao let out a wail and knelt down towards the eastern gateway, his forehead striking the ground, each thud harder than the last.

“Zheng Yao Grandmaster, restrain your grief… alas.”

Without further disrupting his old friend’s sorrow, Duan Siping left the secluded room, flew to the other side of the mountain, and began to recuperate within.

Just as Duan Zhengyao had said, He Budu was completing all formalities with utmost respect and also held a grand feast for the notables of Lanshan City, all for the sake of making a display of power.

And apart from this display, there was also a hint of seeking backing.

Once Void Grandmaster Tang Luo came back for revenge, He Budu could place all the blame on the Evil King Palace, and no one could find fault with that.

This little trickery was obvious to old Grandmasters like Duan Siping, who would not have bothered with it in the past.

However, after the battle on the Lin Chuan Plain, Duan Siping could not be so certain anymore. A Grandmaster without connections might be dangerous, but for an enormous power like the Evil King Palace, there was no need to fear it, even if it involved Xiehe’s first case of a Void Spiritual Body.

But with those eight Heavenly Demons added to the mix, they represented a force that even sects could not underestimate; after all, didn’t the Wuji Mansion cease their attempts to hunt down the Heavenly Demons after two fruitless campaigns?

At least until they found a way to prevent the Heavenly Demons’ resurrection, the sects of Longzhou would not rashly challenge those Heavenly Demons of Lin Chuan.

And how long would it take to find that method?

Such a matter was uncertain; it could take several months, years, or even decades.

By the time others found a method, perhaps all of Lin Chuan would have already turned into a desolate blood swamp, but what does that have to do with the Evil King Palace?

The best way to deal with an enemy is not to eliminate them but to help them find new attachments.

The current Void Grandmaster is fearsome because he has no ties and nothing to fear, but give him a few decades, or perhaps just a few years.

He’ll find new meaning in life beyond just his kin. By then, one could offer apologies and laugh away all grudges.

Just endure this period, and it will all be over–that’s what Duan Siping thought, and what he needed to do now was extinguish the Blood Fiend that was continuously eroding his Spiritual Body and then return to the Evil King Palace as swiftly as possible.

‘He Budu is smiling with a knife up his sleeve, not to be trusted. Aran Mountain is not a place to stay for long!’ With these thoughts in his mind, Duan Siping released his Divine Light to protect the path, quieted his spirit, and immersed himself in introspection to start purifying his Spiritual Body from the Evil Qi.

For a Grandmaster who employed the Mimicry Technique for Soul Casting, the Divine Light was not just a spirit but also a fighting companion.

Thus, at the Fierce Realm stage, a Grandmaster who uses the Mimicry Technique for Soul Casting possesses the greatest combat strength. This is why, even without the Human King to stabilize their fortunes, the Evil King Palace can still maintain its sect’s dignity.

The huge body of the dragon-shaped Xiang Liu’s Divine Light blocked the doorway of the secluded place, and its nine heads encircled the cliff, vigilantly scanning the area.

Though possessing dragon’s eyes, it belonged to the serpent category; the Spiritual Power perception of the dragon-shaped Xiang Liu was far superior to its vision, and it could only see things clearly from a distance. This vigilant behavior was less about defense and more about posturing.

Tang Luo stared intently at Xiang Liu from among the trees at the foot of the mountain for a long time, but the other party did not notice.

Of course, this was also because there was quite a distance between them; after all, years of seclusion in the Aran Mountain had allowed him to measure Aran many times over.

In such a familiar place, knowing which spots were suitable for observation, Tang Luo was clear about that. With the Retractive Breath Technique fully deployed, he either hid behind the boulders or in the shadows of the forest, constantly advancing toward the mountains.

His powerful control over his body made Tang Luo’s steps lighter than catkins, transitioning silently like shadow puppetry. Without stirring a whisper of wind, he had already reached the base of the mountain where Duan Siping was in retreat.

Facing the opportunity he had been waiting for so long, Tang Luo’s only requirement was not to mess it up due to carelessness.

He had to use the simplest, fastest method to capture Xiang Liu’s divine soul, grind it to dust, and then quickly kill Duan Siping.

“Phew… I can only use this move now.”

Tang Luo, who seemed to be hanging underneath the cliff with his back arched, let his right arm hang low. With the infusion of void energy, his arm stretched and swelled in the wind like a piece of dough.

The dragon-shaped Xiang Liu suddenly felt a strange fluctuation of spiritual power below and extended a snake head to look down the cliff, only to see a mountain-sized black palm reversing its grip upwards.

“Sssss~”

The snake head, sensing great danger, shot out divine light from its single horn, but it was extinguished by the giant hand. A black and white vortex appeared suddenly, with torrential suction power that swallowed the snake head whole.

Inside the retreat, Duan Siping, who was meditating to dispel evil qi, felt his divine soul cry out and opened his eyes suddenly, attempting to retract his soul, but it was a step too late.

The expanding Yin-Yang Grinding Wheel, large as the cliff face, emerged from beneath the cliff and closed over it, swallowing the enormous dragon-shaped Xiang Liu whole.

Though the Mimicry Technique souls were very tough, they were no match for the Yin-Yang Grinding Wheel, which was a nemesis for divine souls and spiritual bodies. To it, the difference was like that between a peach and an apple.

As the black and white grinding wheel rotated gently under the long rod formed by the Two Ambiguity Innate Qi, the formidable and unrivaled Xiang Liu’s surrounding heads were shaved off, and poisonous blood burst forth without harming the void spiritual body.

While the grinding wheel was turning to annihilate the divine soul, Tang Luo had already dashed into Duan Siping’s retreat cave, hurling a punch at the seated Evil King Palace Grandmaster.

Duan Siping wanted to mobilize his spiritual power to counterattack, but another severe shake in his Sea of Consciousness and spasms in God’s Residence made his Three Souls and Seven Spirits feel as if they were being stripped away. It was the intense pain of a broken soul, blurring his consciousness, so how could he launch any substantial counterattack?

In a trance, Duan Siping saw an encroaching black finger, wrapped in sinister evil qi, piercing toward him, and then he completely lost consciousness.

Lacking in void energy, Tang Luo had absorbed plenty of blood fiend qi when cleaning up the battlefield in Lin Chuan, and after his stealth attack on Duan Longting, there was still quite a bit left over; now was the perfect time to use it as a weapon to break through the spiritual body.

What a pity that the grand Evil King Palace Grandmaster, just like that, due to his divine soul being captured, hazed by a scare from the blood fiend finger, had his Sea of Consciousness stirred into oblivion.

Pulling out his finger and engulfing the continually eradicated spiritual body into the Yin-Yang Grinding Wheel, confirmed there were no traces of blood fiend left, Tang Luo silently departed, escaping to another mountaintop.

Longzhou Calendar Year 1792, 21st day of the first month

Duan Siping and Duan Zhenyao, two Grandmasters, mysteriously disappeared during their retreat on Aran Mountain, and henceforth, tales of malevolent spirits and ominous happenings started to circulate around Aran Mountain.

The rumors said that the restless souls of the powerful Tang Clan warriors who died in battle in Lanshan City had become fierce ghosts that sought vengeance specifically against the Evil King Palace.

This was considered market gossip, hardly credible, but after the disappearance of Duan Siping and Duan Zhenyao, the experts of the He Family who were in retreat behind Aran Mountain went astray one after another, causing people to take this rumor seriously.

Tang Luo, of course, knew nothing about these things. After killing Duan Zhenyao in the same manner, he avoided the Aran Mountain’s checkpoints and left Longzhou to return to Lin Chuan.

As for the Nine Phoenix Grandmaster, he was still very concerned. Without witnessing the opponent’s downfall, the affair was not yet complete.

No need to hide anymore, he sped away with a dazzling Black Light and in just half a day, returned to the Lin Chuan Plain. However, as soon as he arrived, Tang Luo felt a premonition and quickly hid in the grass, concealing his breath.