Chapter 348

Chapter 348: Chapter 347: "You’re Bleeding!"The Skull Killing Skill" had undergone blood mist and twenty years of tempering, slaughtering ninety-nine innocent people. The birth dates and hours of these ninety-nine people all belonged to the yin. At the very moment of killing these individuals, the blood mist would extract the essence blood from their hearts using a secret technique to refine it, which was utterly cruel. The essence blood in the heart of every person is where the soul is most concentrated; this was essentially imprisoning a person’s soul, never allowing them to be freed, forever unable to escape, and even in death, they would find no peace.

Humans have souls, but they are not as exaggerated as the legends describe. Every person’s soul exists within their flesh and blood; it gradually dissipates at the moment of death. The few who can gather their souls together after death can extend their days in this world a bit longer.

While Ye Tianchen was constantly dodging the blood-red skull, he pondered how to restrain it. If he couldn’t break the skull, he wouldn’t be able to get close enough to kill the blood mist, and he would definitely be the loser in this battle.

The blood-red skull kept screaming and howling. Ye Tianchen could even feel the ninety-nine people who were slaughtered by the blood mist, their anger, their unease, their sorrow for not being able to rest in peace after death. But they had no choice; having their hearts’ purest blood killed and refined, they were controlled by the blood mist. Unless the blood mist died, it was impossible for them, with only a trace of their soul’s energy left, to kill the blood mist.

The aura that stripped away life force kept expanding, and Ye Tianchen had reached the point where he could no longer avoid it. Suddenly, he noticed the Buddha beads on his body. Whether gods, ghosts, or monsters existed in this world was something no one could articulate clearly. Perhaps one object could overcome another, and without hesitation, Ye Tianchen threw the Buddha beads his grandmother had left him.

Unexpectedly, those Buddha beads were incredibly powerful, instantly blocking the blood-red skull and significantly dispersing the life force-stripping aura around it, startling the blood mist into a panic. After more than twenty years of hard work, it was just one person short, a person born on a yin day and hour, from achieving Great Perfection. At that time, the power of "The Skull Killing Skill" would no longer be the same, and even the blood mist itself might not be able to control it.

The magic of the Buddha beads was something Ye Tianchen had not anticipated. He merely wanted to give it a try, yet the beads not only stopped the raging blood-red skull but also instantly purified the terrifying aura that stripped away life force. At this moment, the blood mist certainly didn’t want its efforts to be in vain and couldn’t just watch as its blood-red skull, painstakingly tempered over twenty years and just short of Great Perfection, was defeated. It immediately bit its left thumb, spraying a trace of blood onto the obstructed blood-red skull.

Roar!

A piercing scream, like the furious roar of a vengeful ghost, filled the air as the blood-red skull abruptly expanded more than tenfold. It loomed over Ye Tianchen from above, like a blood-soaked skull falling from the heavens, with eyes nearly larger than Ye Tianchen himself. The sense of oppression and fear was indescribable; any ordinary person faced with such a sight would have likely fainted from terror, helpless to do anything but be devoured by the blood-red skull.

"Roar!"

The thunderous roar shook the sky; with a stream of Blood Mist infusing it with fresh blood, the blood-red skull grew immensely large and exuded an even more severe life-draining aura, forcefully suppressing the glowing Buddha Beads. Ye Tianchen couldn’t help but frown -- the evil techniques within the Blood Mist were not to be underestimated.

In truth, many ordinary people believe that evil can never overcome good, a truth they consider eternal. But Ye Tianchen, having become a Divine-level Superpower Expert during the apocalypse, understood deeply that this belief was absolutely erroneous. It was merely a psychological comfort sought by those who might stand on the side of justice, powerless against the formidable and wicked Black Force, seeking solace for their souls.

The blood-red skull, whose terrifying aura of slaughter had surged several-fold, had managed to suppress the shining Buddha Beads. Ye Tianchen was startled, his fists clenched tightly, ready to take action. In such a passive situation, he would only be in danger of being killed; he had to attack proactively. He did not summon the Taie Sword, even as it quivered continuously, longing to lend him aid. He knew that the Taie Sword needed to be reserved for the moment when he would strike against the Blood Mist. Otherwise, if he were to wield the Taie Sword now, he would lose even more energy, and by then, he wouldn’t even be able to lift the Taie Sword, let alone think about defeating the Blood Mist.

Just as Ye Tianchen was about to unleash his "Handsome Punch," the strand of Buddha Beads suddenly emitted a beam of light. It was not an overwhelmingly powerful radiance and did not destroy the blood-red skull in an instant. Rather, it was incredibly gentle and tranquil. The light slowly wrapped around the massive blood-red skull, confining its movements without any aggressive maneuvers or destroying it, merely entwining it like so.

The blood-red skull, entangled in golden light, struggled and roared incessantly, nearly breaking free several times, but it was always just short of escaping. Ye Tianchen and the figure within the Blood Mist both furrowed their brows, watching from below. The battle between the Buddha Beads and the blood-red skull had slipped from their control and was unfolding autonomously: one embodying righteousness, the other evil, both tremendously powerful, with no clear victor emerging. They only continued to confront each other doggedly. The blood-red skull could not escape the golden light’s confinement, nor could the Buddha Beads fully annihilate the skull. That was the stark reality. If good always triumphed over evil, then evil would have long since vanished from the world. The notion was just a consolation for those standing for justice, but powerless against the overwhelming evil forces.

Whoosh!

The blood-red skull, naturally unwilling to be restrained by the Buddha Beads, may not have been in control, but the savage aura of slaughter it emitted had been tempered over twenty years, astonishingly potent. With one strike, the blood-red skull wielded a blood-red great saber, hacking down on the golden light enveloping it. Yet it had no effect, the saber dissipating instantly along with the life-stealing energy it carried. It made no impact on the golden light, and the light did not attack the blood-red skull, infuriating it even further. It was as if the Buddha Beads were content simply trapping it, disdainfully refraining from destroying it outright.

"Your Skull Killing Skill is trapped, now it’s time for us to settle the outcome!" Ye Tianchen glanced at the Blood Mist, smiling as he spoke.

"I never expected you to have such a thing on you; otherwise, you would be dead today!" Blood Mist said, clearly frustrated.

"In this world, nothing happens by coincidence. What seems coincidental is often destined!" Ye Tianchen continued calmly.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The next moment, both Ye Tianchen and Blood Mist moved. Almost at the same time, they charged at each other. The battle between them had lasted far too long, and neither wanted to delay any further. They intended to defeat the other as swiftly as possible. Ye Tianchen gave it his all, and Blood Mist used his most powerful moves, yet neither could kill the other instantly. A tough fight was ahead.

Whoosh!

The dagger in Blood Mist’s right hand suddenly elongated into a sword, emanating an aura that swept through everything. Ye Tianchen could feel it, and he knew from Lin Duan that the Fish Intestine Sword was a Divine Sword no less powerful than the Taie Sword. It could even be said that among the ancient top ten Divine Swords, none was weaker than the others; it was just that they commanded different domain powers. The Fish Intestine Sword was a heaven-defying blade, a sword that defied human nature, crafted for the specific purpose of regicide and patricide. In the face of that sword, there would be only one word — kill.

Ye Tianchen had not expected that Blood Mist’s weapon this time would be the Fish Intestine Sword. No wonder it remained unscathed after clashing with the Taie Sword. As it was also one of the ancient top ten swords, none was weaker than the other, and probably only swords of the same Divine Level could withstand such a clash without being destroyed.

Thud!

As Blood Mist, holding the Fish Intestine Sword, approached Ye Tianchen, the blade suddenly extended, its sweeping aura surged, and Ye Tianchen frowned. Faced with such a slash, he did not evade but chose to meet it head-on with a punch.

Boom!

Splat!

Blood sprayed from both Ye Tianchen and Blood Mist. Blood trickled from the corner of Blood Mist’s mouth, surprised that Ye Tianchen dared to confront the Fish Intestine Sword directly without dodging. As his sword pierced Ye Tianchen’s left chest, Ye Tianchen’s fist smashed into his chest, punching straight through and causing blood to spurt out.

"You’re bleeding!" Ye Tianchen, smiling, said to Blood Mist, completely unconcerned about the wound in his own left chest.

"Is that so? As long as I can kill you, this counts for nothing..."

Blood Mist roared loudly, continuing to advance. He was fighting as if his life didn’t matter. When he stabbed at Ye Tianchen, he thought Ye Tianchen would dodge, but Ye Tianchen did not and counterattacked with a punch. Therefore, in this exchange of blows, his injuries were more severe than Ye Tianchen’s. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)