Chapter 258 A strong move
Seeing that terrifying energy wave finally dissipate, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. The power of that energy wave just now was too shocking. If there were a few more waves of such impact, I'm afraid the entire Black Mountain Fortress and the surrounding area would be completely destroyed.
As the energy fluctuations dissipated, the strong winds and rolling clouds in the sky began to slowly subside. Xiao Ling's eyes turned to that area again, and he saw a ball of black mist quietly suspended in the air, motionless, and it was obvious that it had suffered a lot of injuries.
Seeing that the Iron Protector had been subdued, Xiao Ling quickly took out a specially made jade bottle from his ring, and then flew quickly towards the black mist floating in the air.
As if sensing Xiao Ling's approach, the black mist began to slowly retreat. As it moved, a weak and threatening voice came from the mist: "I am from the Soul Palace. If you dare to kill me, the Soul Palace will never let you go!"
At this time, the black mist on the Iron Protector's body had become extremely thin, and his breath had also weakened to the extreme. It was obvious that Xiao Ling's previous Emperor Seal Technique had dealt him a heavy blow, causing him to be in a very bad condition now.
However, Xiao Ling was reserved when attacking, because his goal was to capture the Iron Protector alive, not to destroy him directly. After all, such a high-quality soul body cannot be wasted.
The Emperor's Seal Technique is the best among the high-level earth-level fighting skills. It is a secret skill passed down within the ancient clan. It is extremely powerful. When all five seals are released, it can be comparable to a heaven-level fighting skill.
With Xiao Ling's current strength of a six-star Dou Zong, if he uses the Emperor Seal Technique with all his strength, even a Dou Zun-level warrior will be harmed.
As for a three-star Dou Zong like Iron Protector, if he were to be hit by Xiao Ling's full-strength attack using the Emperor Seal Technique, I'm afraid not even a trace would be left.
Facing such a threat, Xiao Ling's eyes did not show any fear, but a hint of contempt. He looked at the Iron Protector coldly, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said disdainfully: "You are already at the end of your rope, and you are still bluffing here. Soul Palace? You are just a bunch of dead bones in a tomb. I am fighting against the people of your Soul Palace."
"Okay, okay, since you refuse to let go, then this Dharma Protector will fight you to the death!" After being ridiculed by Xiao Ling, the Iron Dharma Protector roared angrily, and then the black mist in his body quickly surged out. However, just when everyone thought that this guy was about to launch the final attack, he turned his body suddenly, and with the cover of the black mist, he fled to another part of the sky.
Looking at the fleeing Iron Protector with a mocking look, Xiao Ling shook his head slightly, then clenched his slender hands, and an extremely strong suction force suddenly burst out from his palms. Under this suction force, the former's escape speed suddenly slowed down. Xiao Ling moved his body and appeared directly behind him, and slapped him hard on the back.
After being hit by a palm, the Iron Guardian staggered again, and the black mist on his body became thinner. Now, even a Dou Wang strongman could easily deal with him.
After severely injuring the Iron Protector, Xiao Ling sneered, stretched out his white palm, and released the invisible and colorless Falling Heart Flame, which wrapped up the Iron Protector like an energy shield.
With a clenched hand, the energy membrane formed by the Fallen Heart Flame suddenly shrank rapidly, and finally adhered to the body of the Iron Protector. Suddenly, a hissing sound was heard, and a series of shrill sounds came from the mouth of the Iron Protector.
"Damn it, what kind of flame is this? It can actually cause direct damage to the soul?"
With the erosion of the Fallen Heart Flame, the black mist on the Iron Protector's body became thinner and thinner. After a moment, it finally dissipated completely. As the black mist shrouding him dissipated, the Iron Protector's true body was finally revealed!
In the energy membrane, a slightly illusory soul slowly floated, but now this soul was so thin that it seemed transparent, and seemed to have entered a state of serious injury...
Under the burning of the Fallen Heart Flame, the already seriously injured Iron Protector was even more injured. His soul was almost transparent, and it seemed that he would turn into nothingness at any time.
Seeing the Iron Protector who was about to turn into nothingness, Xiao Ling waved his hand, and the ball of Fallen Heart Flame slowly dissipated. He then took out a jade bottle from the storage ring, and with a wave of his hand, a suction force directly stuffed the Iron Protector's soul into the jade bottle. Then an invisible fire rose above his fingers, circling the surface of the jade bottle, and finally he sealed the bottle mouth with flames.
After Xiao Ling properly put away the soul body of the Iron Guardian, he turned his gaze to the place where the black mist was before. There, a black ball of light was now quietly suspended, emitting weak soul fluctuations. When Xiao Ling approached, he could hear waves of miserable cries, which seemed to be telling of endless pain.
Xiao Ling didn't need to guess, he could understand the origin of this black light ball. This was the soul body that Iron Guardian had collected over the years, and each soul might be a life that he had harmed. Xiao Ling thought to himself, the people in the Soul Palace really did a lot of evil, they had hurt countless innocent people for their own selfish interests.
With a slight wave of his hand, the black ball of light was sucked into Xiao Ling's palm. His movements were gentle and swift, just like when he collected the soul of the Iron Protector before, this black ball of light was also properly collected by him.
Although Xiao Ling possessed a magical weapon like the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, he would never do anything to harm innocent people to collect souls. However, since these souls had already been collected by the Soul Palace, he would not waste them.
Although Xiao Ling's appearance was accompanied by a huge commotion, and he quickly dealt with a Dou Zong-level Iron Guardian, only less than three minutes had passed since he appeared. When the battle here subsided, everyone on the battlefield turned their attention to Xiao Ling again.
On the wall of the Black Mountain Fortress, Mu Tie stared at the figure, his eyes flashing with surprise. He almost shouted: "That's Master Xiao Ling!"
"Master Xiao Ling?" This name caused a murmur among the crowd. After hearing Mu Tie's words, the strong men focused their attention and carefully observed the figure in the sky.
Their eyes were filled with curiosity and awe as they tried to identify the familiar figure from the distant figure.
Not everyone had seen Xiao Ling in person, but his portrait was widely circulated in the Jia Ma Empire, so after careful identification, many people finally confirmed Xiao Ling's identity.
"It's really Master Xiao Ling!" someone exclaimed.
"Haha, with the joining of Master Xiao Ling, our Gama Empire is stable this time!" another soldier said excitedly.
The strength Xiao Ling had just demonstrated undoubtedly proved his strength. This made the soldiers of the Jia Ma Empire feel extremely excited. They knew that with such a strong man on their side, the balance of the battle had already tilted.
In sharp contrast to the jubilation of the Gama Empire, the atmosphere on the side of the Three Kingdoms coalition seemed a little heavy. They realized that the sudden appearance of such a powerful figure on the battlefield was undoubtedly a huge threat to them.
Xiao Yixian, Qinglin, and Ziyan all showed relaxed smiles on their faces. The tension and solemnity in the previous battle had disappeared. They approached Xiao Ling and surrounded him. The tacit understanding and trust between them were transmitted silently.
Zi Yan held Xiao Ling's arm affectionately, with a happy smile on her face, and said mischievously: "Xiao Ling, you are finally out of seclusion, I missed you so much."
Qing Lin also smiled and agreed: "Master, you have worked hard in seclusion. It seems that your cultivation has improved. It is really gratifying."
Although Xiao Yixian didn't say anything, her eyes were full of tenderness and affection, as if silently conveying her care and longing.
Xiao Ling smiled and briefly talked to everyone, then said seriously: "Okay, let's deal with the business first, and we can talk about other things later."
After hearing this, everyone nodded seriously and stopped chatting. They all understood that the battlefield was not a place to reminisce about the past, and there were many urgent matters that needed to be dealt with. Then, Xiao Ling smiled and looked at Jia Xingtian, Hai Bodong and Yunshan who were walking towards them.
Jia Xingtian floated forward, politely bowed to Xiao Ling, and said gratefully: "Thank you Master Xiao Ling and everyone for your help, otherwise the Jia Ma Empire might really be in big trouble this time."
However, when he said this, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes. He once thought that Xiao Ling was just a Douhuang-level warrior, but now it seems that the strength displayed by Xiao Ling is far beyond the scope of an ordinary Douzong, at least at the level of a five-star Douzong.
Jia Xingtian thought to himself that he had not been able to see through Xiao Ling's strength a year ago, so Xiao Ling should have been a Dou Zong at that time. As for Xiao Ling's leap from Dou Huang to Five-star Dou Zong within a year of seclusion, this seemed almost impossible to him.
The speed at which Xiao Ling's strength improved shocked Jia Xingtian, and at the same time, it also gave him a new understanding of Xiao Ling. He realized that Xiao Ling was not only powerful, but also had unlimited potential, and his future development was limitless. The royal family must re-plan the relationship between them and the Xiao family.
Hai Bodong had always had a good relationship with Xiao Ling, and he had known that Xiao Ling had made a breakthrough. Therefore, he was not particularly surprised by Xiao Ling's improvement in cultivation after a year of seclusion.
He walked up to Xiao Ling with a smile on his face, patted Xiao Ling's shoulder affectionately, and said with a joking and relaxed tone: "Haha, kid, your strength has improved a lot. I originally thought that after I broke through to Dou Zong, I might be able to compete with you, and maybe even beat you with a move or two. Now it seems that I don't have that chance."
Hai Bodong's words revealed his recognition of Xiao Ling's strength and his confidence in his own strength, but also a hint of regret.
Xiao Ling's strength has reached a height that is difficult for him to reach, but this regret did not make him feel frustrated. Instead, it inspired him to continue to improve himself.
After hearing this, Xiao Ling smiled slightly and responded, "I haven't had time to congratulate Mr. Hai for breaking through to Dou Zong yet. Now he looks a lot younger. We will have plenty of opportunities to learn from each other in the future. But now, let's focus on solving the problem at hand."
After the conversation with Jia Xingtian and Hai Bodong came to an end, Xiao Ling's gaze slowly shifted, and finally fixed on the figure behind them. Although this was the first time he saw this person, Xiao Ling already had some guesses in his mind.
Who else could it be if not the legendary Yunshan, the former leader of the Yunlan Sect, who has that aura that far exceeds that of other Dou Zongs?
Yunshan's face was very fair. Perhaps it was because he had broken through to the Dou Zong realm that his appearance became a lot younger. He seemed to be only around 30 years old.
His hair is long and straight, silvery white, and looks very smooth. His hair is simply tied up without too much decoration, showing a capable temperament. His eyes are deep and mysterious, his eyebrows are thick, his nose is high, and his mouth is small and delicate. His face has clear contours and his skin is as white as snow, revealing an innate noble temperament.
She is wearing a light grey robe, the material looks soft and comfortable, and has a good drape. There are some elegant patterns on the robe, which adds a touch of refinement. She is wearing a black belt around her waist, inlaid with an emerald green jade, which adds a touch of bright color to the overall look. The belt is simple yet stylish, which complements the robe. She is wearing a pair of floor-length blue pants, which is in sharp contrast to the upper body. The fabric of the pants is smooth, and it flutters gently in the wind when she moves, giving her a sense of ease and freedom.
Indeed, after looking carefully, Xiao Ling found that the Yunshan in front of him was almost exactly the same as the image he had imagined in his mind.
When Xiao Ling's eyes inadvertently swept over Yunshan, Yunshan immediately responded with a salute, his gratitude overflowing with words: "Master Xiao Ling, your Breaking Sect Pill helped me break through to the Dou Zong realm, and I will remember this kindness in my heart. If it weren't for your pill, I might have turned into a handful of yellow earth long ago. If Master Xiao Ling needs anything, just let me know, Yunlan Sect will definitely do its best to help you."
Xiao Ling smiled slightly, with a hint of deep meaning in his tone: "Master Yunshan, there is no need to be so polite. The transaction between us is mutually beneficial. However, I still want to remind you not to take the wrong path again, so as not to go astray."
Xiao Ling's words confused everyone present. They exchanged puzzled looks, not understanding what Xiao Ling was referring to. However, Yun Shan's heart was in turmoil. He was secretly shocked: "What does Master Xiao Ling mean by this? Could it be that he knows the secret of my previous contact with the people of the Soul Palace? But how could he know this?"
Although his heart was in turmoil, Yunshan's face remained calm. He smiled and responded, "Thank you Master Xiao Ling for your reminder. I will keep your advice in mind and will act with caution in the future."
Xiao Ling nodded gently and said nothing more to Yunshan. At this moment, Queen Medusa finished her condolences to the snake warriors and slowly floated towards them.
When Zi Yan saw Medusa coming over, she enthusiastically pulled her over to chat, and the two seemed to be having a good conversation. Xiao Ling took the opportunity to glance at Medusa, and their eyes met in the air, and they nodded in tacit understanding, completing a silent communication.
Then, Xiao Ling turned his sight to the distance. There, the top fighters of the Three Kingdoms Alliance gathered together, and Xie Biyan, Yan Luotian, and Mulan Sanlao and other leaders of the three countries were standing in the front.
When Xiao Ling's eyes swept over the strong men of the Three Kingdoms Alliance, they all felt an invisible pressure. Xie Biyan and others couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts. The strength Xiao Ling had shown before was still fresh in their memory. They asked themselves if they were confident enough to compete with such an opponent.
Xie Biyan was even more deeply touched. He could clearly sense that Xiao Ling's current strength had reached a level that was beyond the reach of others. He knew in his heart that the gap between him and Xiao Ling was not just a little bit, and this realization made him feel a little powerless.
At this time, he was secretly cursing those intelligence spies in his heart. The information they provided was completely unreliable. "Who said that there were no top-notch experts in the Jia Ma Empire? And they also said that Xiao Ling was only a Dou Huang-level figure. Now it seems that he is at least a five-star Dou Zong-level expert. What are these intelligence people doing for a living?"
If he had known earlier that there was such a powerful master hidden in the Gama Empire, even if Xie Bi Yan had a hundred courages, he would not dare to lead the armies of the Luoyan Empire and the Mulan Empire to invade the Gama Empire.
Xie Biyan knew that Xiao Ling's strength far exceeded his expectations. He could easily deal with the Soul Palace guardian that he was very afraid of. Such an opponent was definitely not someone he could easily provoke. What he wanted to do most now was to evacuate this place as soon as possible.
Having made up his mind, Xie Biyan managed to force a smile on his face. Although it looked a little distorted, he used a hoarse voice, trying to make his tone sound gentle: "Master Xiao Ling's name has long been known throughout the surrounding empires. Seeing him today, it is indeed well-deserved. It is really admirable that he has such a high level of cultivation at such a young age."
He paused and continued, "Today, I, Xie Biyan, will give you a favor. Our three-nation alliance will no longer attack the Jia Ma Empire, and I promise that there will be no more actions to invade the Jia Ma Empire during my lifetime."
After that, he ordered loudly: "Sound the horn, retreat!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Biyan planned to leave quickly, but he had to stop abruptly after flying a short distance. Standing in front of him was the woman in white who had just fought with him, and there was a dangerous light in her eyes.
Xie Biyan's expression suddenly became extremely ugly. He looked at Xiao Ling warily, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice: "Master Xiao Ling, what do you mean? I have already ordered a retreat, what else do you want? Are you planning to keep me here by force?"
There was a hint of threat in his words, but more of uneasiness. He knew that if Xiao Ling really decided to keep him, it would be difficult for him to leave safely. The air around him seemed to solidify because of his nervousness.
(End of this chapter)