Chapter 26

"Roar!"

A roar of fury suddenly erupted, and the thick white mist instantly transformed into a giant skeletal hand, reaching out to grab Yang Qingtian. Beneath the giant hand, space distorted, and Yang Qingtian seemed to fall into hell in an instant, surrounded by mountains of bones and seas of corpses, with blood waves surging.

Facing the distorted space, Yang Qingtian’s eyes turned sharp like swords, and he let out a fierce howl. Instantly, sword light shone, and a brilliant sword aura illuminated the entire world, colliding with the incoming giant hand.

"Boom!"

The hand and sword collided, and a surge of energy exploded, immediately sending Yang Qingtian back to the ground.

Suddenly, the high tower was filled with hurried chanting. In an instant, blood light burst forth from the eight pavilions, shooting towards the central tower. The white mist in the Soul Valley rapidly gathered, surging towards the tower.

A grotesque giant skeletal face appeared above the tower, with the deep-set eye sockets burning like flames from hell. A roar echoed through the heavens, carrying a terrifying wave of sound, howling down.

"Roar!"

The terrifying sound waves created massive shockwaves, causing the surrounding mountains in the Soul Valley to collapse, and those with weaker cultivation were instantly shattered. Yang Qingtian, who was at the forefront, changed his expression and immediately surrounded himself with countless sword auras, firmly enveloping him.

However, the terrifying sound waves instantly penetrated the protective sword auras and struck Yang Qingtian, sending him into the ground in an instant.

After the roar, the giant skeletal face transformed into the "Shadow of the Nether God," whose terrifying aura was even more formidable. Clad in a golden sacrificial robe and holding a blood-red bone blade, the golden soul eyes glared down at the deep pit below the tower.

"Roar!"

The white jade skeleton roared, and from its center, waves of death rippled out. A pitch-black void suddenly appeared above the tower, emitting terrifying howls. The tower suddenly echoed with a thunderous chant, and the blood blade in the white jade skeleton’s hand glowed intensely. Instantly, countless powerful souls rushed out of the void, roaring as they surged into the blood-red bone blade.

Yang Qingtian had just rushed to the surface, and before he could catch his breath, he saw the white jade skeleton in the sky holding the blood blade and slashing down. The momentum was overwhelming, and countless sword lights burst forth, instantly forming a massive sword cage that descended from the sky.

"Ghost Spirit Sword Cage!"

Each sword light was a soul, roaring and transforming into layers of sword waves that slashed towards Yang Qingtian.

Facing the overwhelming sword cage, Yang Qingtian showed no fear. He slashed with his long sword, and a brilliant sword aura shot up, instantly dispersing the rolling sword waves. With a fierce howl, Yang Qingtian soared into the sky, charging towards the white jade skeleton on the tower.

"Roar!"

On the tower, the white jade skeleton roared, and a terrifying wave of energy rushed down, sending the just-arrived Yang Qingtian back to the ground. The two soul eyes of the white jade skeleton blazed with terrifying fury, and it slashed down with the blood-red bone blade again.

"Righteous Qi Technique!"

Yang Qingtian’s eyes shone like stars, and he swung his long sword, sword light shining brilliantly. Instantly, the sword and blade collided, energy exploded, and a deafening explosion sent both figures flying.

Before the white jade skeleton, who had been sent flying into the sky, could react, a terrifying sword aura appeared above his head. In a flash, the sword aura not only split him in two but also struck the tower with great force, causing a ripple of blood to spread.

After the sword strike, Yang Qingtian’s figure appeared above the tower, his expression extremely solemn as he looked down at the tower enveloped in blood light.

In the control room of the tower, the Soul Sect’s leader, sitting cross-legged, began chanting again. This was a sacrificial text to the Death God. As the chanting began, the Nine Abyss Soul Devouring Array slowly activated, and a spatial rift suddenly appeared above the Soul Valley.

This was a portal to a different realm, and a shadow of a death kingdom instantly appeared above the Soul Valley. Faintly, one could see a ruler in a grand palace, wearing a crown, suddenly opening his eyes.

Instantly, a terrifying beam of death shot from the portal, carrying overwhelming power, injecting into the tower and entering the Soul Sect’s leader’s body. Strange songs drifted from the unknown realm, making it seem as if the Death God was sighing. The Soul Sect’s leader’s power rapidly increased, reaching the peak of the Imperial level, and he suddenly charged towards the barrier, attempting to break through to the next realm.

Sensing the terrifying pressure from within the tower, the Yang brothers’ expressions changed. They exchanged a glance and simultaneously increased their power, preparing to use their combined sword technique again.

At this critical moment, Mu Qiu’s figure suddenly appeared in the control room. Looking at the blood-red crystal, he smiled brightly and swung his long sword, the whistling sword aura instantly striking the crystal.

This sudden change left the Soul Sect’s leader, who was sitting cross-legged, in shock.

"Bang!"

The already damaged crystal exploded, and the tower shook. The entire array suddenly stopped, and the portal to the different realm instantly closed and disappeared. This sudden event left the Soul Sect’s leader both shocked and furious, his eyes glaring at Mu Qiu, who had struck and was fleeing.

Just one step! Just one step! He could have broken through to the Imperial level and entered a terrifying realm. Communicating with the Demon Realm and summoning the Nether God for assistance was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, and even hundreds or thousands of attempts might not succeed. Although it would only be a brief possession, it would be enough to annihilate all his enemies.

Being forcibly interrupted and failing at the last moment, the Soul Sect’s leader was enraged. As he chased out of the tower, intending to tear the culprit to pieces, he suddenly felt a terrifying pressure from the sky, causing his face to change dramatically.

"Sword Moves Mountains and Rivers!"

Brilliant sword light shone, and a terrifying sword aura fiercely slashed down at the Soul Sect’s leader.

"Bang!"

A deafening explosion, and when everything disappeared, a sword pit hundreds of meters in diameter appeared, and the tower and the Soul Sect’s leader were nowhere to be seen. The Yang brothers’ faces showed a sense of relief. The terrifying aura just now was too shocking; if this guy had broken through, they would all be in grave danger.

"Brother, is it over just like that?"

"Yes, it should be."

"What happened just now?"

"I think Mu Qiu must have destroyed the array, interrupting the sacrifice, causing the Soul Sect’s leader’s breakthrough to fail."

As he spoke, a golden crown shot out of the sword pit, flying towards the distant sky. The two brothers chased after it without a word. In an instant, the crown left the Soul Valley, entered the Great Shen territory, and quickly disappeared into a canyon shrouded in demonic energy.

The two brothers stopped at the entrance of the valley, looking at the sinister and terrifying canyon before them. Yang Baitian said with great reluctance, "Brother, just let him go like that?"

Yang Qingtian shook his head helplessly and sighed, "This should be the legendary forbidden area. According to ancient records, passing through here leads to the ancient battlefield, where countless powerful souls are buried."

Yang Baitian frowned, "Brother, should we still chase him?"

Yang Qingtian said irritably, "Chase him to death! This place is a one-way trip. Remember, so many powerful warriors of the Battle Clan entered it, and none have ever come out. Any one of them could easily defeat us, and we would be pure suicide to enter."

Yang Baitian asked in confusion, "Then why can the Soul Sect people enter and exit freely?"

Yang Qingtian thought for a moment and said, "If I’m not mistaken, it must be because of that crown. It must be a supreme treasure that allows them to move freely through it."

Looking at the canyon shrouded in demonic energy, the two brothers sighed helplessly and turned to leave.