Chapter 347

Chapter 347: Chapter 346: Facing the "Skull Killing Skill" of the Blood Mist, Ye Tianchen did not show the slightest sign of contempt. On the contrary, his expression was extremely grave. He could feel the murderous aura, especially from the blood-red skull head, which was terrifying and fierce. It seemed to be screaming in agony as if it had burst forth from the Nine Netherworld, craving blood, craving life, seeking to break free from the control of the Underworld, to escape the ranks of ghost monsters.

Named "Skull Killing Skill," it was clear that once this move was used, if the blood-red skull head could not sate its bloodlust, then it was very likely that it could no longer survive.

"Roar!"

The grating sound caused Ye Tianchen’s eardrums to ache, nearly deafening him, but at this moment, he could not afford to be concerned about that. In an instant, the blood-red skull head charged towards him. In its hands, a blood-red broadsword materialized, as though forged from coagulated blood. The blade cleaved towards Ye Tianchen with an aura of decay. As soon as the blood-red broadsword appeared in the blood-red skull’s hands, Ye Tianchen felt the plants around him weaken, their life force ebbing away. The little grasses and flowers immediately withered, robbed of their vitality.

This technique was incredibly eerie and unfathomable. Ye Tianchen had witnessed many strange superpower skills in the apocalyptic world and had mastered not a few formidable Superpower Skills himself, but this move used by Blood Mist genuinely left him feeling both troubled and astonished. Using Inner Strength, he managed to produce a blood-red skull head at the tip of the index finger on his left hand. This skull, as though alive, broke free from Blood Mist’s left hand and flew at him. The skull, consisting only of a head and two arms—all appearing to have been condensed from fresh blood—kept howling, radiating an aura of torment.

With a splash, the dagger came down, but Ye Tianchen did not dodge. Instead, he met it with the Taie Sword. How formidable was the Taie Sword? It split the blood-red broadsword in the skull’s hand in an instant. However, the blood-colored aura touched the hem of Ye Tianchen’s garment, immediately melting it away to reveal his shoulder. The corrosive aura seemed to be everywhere. Lacking any trace of life, it seemed specifically tempered to rob life force, tremendously terrifying. It wasn’t substantial, but instead, it was an invisible aura that filled the space bit by bit. If this continued, Ye Tianchen would have nowhere to escape and would certainly die.

Just after Ye Tianchen had scattered the blood-red broadsword with the Taie Sword, another blood-red broadsword condensed in the skeleton’s right hand and cleaved towards him again. This time, Ye Tianchen did not dare to take it head-on and retreated to dodge. This blood-red skull head was too strange, seemingly indestructible like a cockroach. If this kept up, he would only be acting passively. Using too much Superpower against the blood-red skull head would leave him exhausted, and Blood Mist would easily kill him. At this moment, he found himself in dire straits. The power of Blood Mist was beyond his imagination, especially the blood-red skull head, which was unexpectedly formidable.

The Blood Mist settled on the ground, Blood Mist himself stood with his left hand behind his back and the dagger in his right hand held across his chest, watching all this with a cold sneer. Seeing Ye Tianchen helpless against the blood-red skull only increased his smugness, yet he was also somewhat surprised internally. The "Skull Killing Skill" was a grand slaying technique created by Blood Mist in his earlier years. Even the young lord of the Dragon Rising had said that if the "Skull Killing Skill" were to be completely perfected, it would be unimaginably powerful, and Blood Mist’s strength would exponentially increase. For decades, Blood Mist had been refining the "Skull Killing Skill," but it was an extremely malevolent technique and very difficult to master completely. Despite his efforts, he still hadn’t achieved true Perfection; otherwise, Ye Tianchen’s opponent would not merely be a skull with a head and arms.

"No need to struggle; you’re definitely going to die. Let my skull devour you. Every time it emerges without tasting blood, it’s bound to die, and I believe it would relish your fresh blood!" Blood Mist sneered coldly.

Ye Tianchen did not speak but kept dodging, thinking hard about a way to break the technique. He believed that in this world, no matter how powerful the technique, there was always a method to break it. It was just that the "Skull Killing Skill" was too bizarre, and it was his first encounter with it, so finding a way to break it on the spot was extremely difficult, requiring time to ponder.

Seeing Ye Tianchen constantly dodging, Blood Mist grew increasingly confident and pleased because, simply put, with every swing of the blood-red skull’s blade, the aura that plundered life force would fill space. When such an aura pervaded the entire space, everything would decay and die. It wasn’t a technique but an aura, like air, unavoidable. Ye Tianchen was doomed.

Even if Ye Tianchen found a way to break the "Skull Killing Skill," by then he would likely have used too much Superpower. Given Blood Mist’s strength, killing Ye Tianchen would be easy. Regardless, from the moment he executed the "Skull Killing Skill," Ye Tianchen’s fate was sealed. No one had ever escaped from his "Skull Killing Skill," and Blood Mist was quite satisfied with his lethal technique. It was just a pity that it hadn’t reached Great Perfection. If it had, the skull head would be even more formidable than Blood Mist himself.

Thud!

The clothing on Ye Tianchen’s right arm was also shattered, not from being hit by the blood-red skull head but from the life-draining aura. That kind of aura filled the surroundings, and one had to be careful not to get contaminated. Fortunately, Ye Tianchen’s movements were swift, otherwise his hands would have been destroyed. His expression grew increasingly serious. If he didn’t find a way to kill this blood-red skull head soon, Ye Tianchen’s life would truly be in danger.

Throughout the ordeal, Ye Tianchen fought the bloody red skeleton barehanded from start to finish, never taking up the Taie Sword. He had his own plan, and as the Taie Sword stuck in the ground kept trembling, it recognized Ye Tianchen as its master. Its trembling, the Power of Might surging from within the blade, was because it too sensed that Ye Tianchen was in mortal danger, wanting to fly to his aid, but Ye Tianchen never called, leaving the Taie Sword unable to soar to his side.

"Realize this, you can’t escape the Skull Killing Skill. I spent twenty years refining this move, finally reaching this level with great difficulty. If you were to easily break it, wouldn’t my twenty years of effort be in vain?" Blood Mist laughed heartily.

Seeing that Ye Tianchen didn’t respond, but only continued to muster his strength to fend off the bloody red skeleton, dodging the life-draining essences, Blood Mist kept laughing: "With the Skull Killing Skill, it took me twenty years to find ninety-nine people born at yin hours on yin days, and after killing them and using the fresh blood from their hearts to continuously temper it, I created this bloody red skeleton. If it doesn’t serve me well, then wouldn’t my twenty years of effort be for nothing?"

Boom!

A dazzling light burst forth from Ye Tianchen’s fist as he punched the bloody red skeleton away, looking coldly at Blood Mist and said, "Doesn’t that mean you spend every night with the ninety-nine innocents you murdered? Are you not afraid their restless souls will one day devour yours entirely, exacting their revenge?"

"Hahaha, what a joke. They are already dead, what can they do to me?" Blood Mist burst out laughing.

"Who can truly say whether ghosts and immortals exist in this world?"

At that moment, Ye Tianchen suddenly became incredibly powerful, as if he could hear the crying of the ninety-nine wronged souls within the bloody red skeleton. Their blood had been taken from their hearts by Blood Mist to craft this skeleton, bonding and trapping their souls with no hope for freedom, imaginable was their agony. It was at this moment that Ye Tianchen thought of a method to subdue the bloody red skeleton.

Swoosh!

Just as the bloody red skeleton opened its huge maw and tried to devour Ye Tianchen, a string of Buddha Beads flew out, blocking the bloody red skeleton and enveloping it in a soft glow that surprisingly calmed the rampaging skeleton into a semblance of gentleness. This shocked Blood Mist, who had not expected Ye Tianchen to have such an artifact—was this the so-called ’a thing born to tame another’?

No one can clearly say whether immortals and ghosts exist in this world. After all, the perspective of ordinary people is limited, as is humanity’s understanding of the universe’s mysteries, of which we have uncovered very little. Perhaps there are many more unbelievable entities out there.

These Buddha Beads were given to Ye Tianchen by his grandmother when he and his mother Luo Yan returned to the Luo family. They were said to be the personal possession of a high monk from Shaolin, possessing such a strong and magical force that it stunned the ferocious and screaming bloody red skeleton. It seemed these beads were no ordinary item, capable as they were of restraining the bloody red skeleton. Even the life-force-stealing essences were slowly diminishing and disappearing. Blood Mist fiercely furrowed his brow, for he thought Ye Tianchen was as good as dead, only to be foiled by these divine Buddha Beads, which, while not destroying it, had calmed the bloody red skeleton, halting its attack.

"Die!"

Suddenly, Blood Mist let out a roar, biting his own left thumb and smearing the blood on the bloody red skeleton, which instantly grew many times larger, now covering the whole sky, ominously staring down at Ye Tianchen, ready at any moment to swallow him whole...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please vote with a recommendation or monthly ticket on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)