NOVEL WEB Chapter 54 - “Too Much Talking!”
Chapter 54: “Too Much Talking!”
Xiao Yu stood defiantly on the battlefield, his figure resolute despite the chaos surrounding him.
“Lightning Shield!”
“Flame Shield!”
“Earth Shield!”
In the blink of an eye, Shangguan Ce conjured three layers of defensive barriers, each glowing with distinct elemental energy.
These shields—crackling with lightning, roaring with fire, and solid as stone—formed a near-impenetrable wall before him. For a Nascent Soul cultivator like Shangguan Ce, cautiousness and preparedness were second nature, traits that had kept him alive through countless life-threatening situations.
“Activate!”
Xiao Yu flicked his fingers, sending a thin strand of spiritual energy into the talisman hovering before him.
Hum!
The talisman burst into life, emitting brilliant golden light that illuminated the heavens. For a moment, it seemed as if another sun had risen in the sky.
From the blinding light, a solemn visage materialized in the sky. The figure was of an elder with flowing white hair and brows, his presence exuding unmatched authority. His sharp gaze pierced through the clouds, locking onto Shangguan Ce with chilling intensity.
“Master!”
Xiao Yu looked up with a mixture of awe and reverence. His master had once told him that this talisman carried a fragment of his power, enough to deal with even the most formidable foes.
“It’s him!!”
Shangguan Ce’s face turned ashen.
The moment he recognized the apparition, terror gripped his heart. The Nascent Soul elder, who had moments ago radiated arrogance and invincibility, now stood frozen, his knees trembling under the gaze of the great Han Su Zhenren.
A single strand of the elder’s aura, projected through the talisman, bore down upon Shangguan Ce like the weight of the heavens. His body convulsed uncontrollably, and blood gushed from his mouth as his internal organs suffered under the crushing pressure.
“Shangguan Ce, as the Grand Elder of Burning Heaven Valley, instead of guarding your sect, you’ve stooped to chasing after my disciple. Do you realize your crimes?”
The voice of Han Su Zhenren echoed like thunderclaps across the heavens, shaking the earth below.
“Forgive me! I was blind and ignorant! Please spare me!”
Shangguan Ce dropped to his knees midair, kowtowing desperately. The once-proud elder now resembled a pitiful beggar, stripped of his arrogance and dignity.
“Since you acknowledge your sins, I will spare your life. But you cannot escape punishment. Consider this strike your penance.”
The elder’s voice was merciless as a colossal golden hand descended from the heavens.
The golden hand stretched toward Shangguan Ce, obliterating his layered shields—lightning, flame, and earth—like brittle twigs.
Bang!
The hand condensed into a single sword finger, piercing Shangguan Ce’s brow.
“Ahhh!!”
Shangguan Ce’s screams echoed across the battlefield. His physical body disintegrated, turning to dust as the golden light consumed him.
But before his life was completely extinguished, a Nascent Soul projection burst forth from his shattered form. The diminutive figure, bearing Shangguan Ce’s likeness, fled toward Xiao Yu in desperation.
[Nascent Soul (元婴): The ultimate projection of a cultivator’s essence and consciousness. It can survive the destruction of the physical body and temporarily exist outside as an independent entity.]
“So, you intend to possess me?”
Xiao Yu sneered, swiftly retrieving the Ten Thousand Beasts Cauldron from his storage pouch.
The cauldron’s mouth opened wide, drawing in Shangguan Ce’s Nascent Soul like a vacuum.
Inside the cauldron, the Nascent Soul projection cursed venomously, its voice dripping with malice:
“Xiao Yu! I am the Grand Elder of Burning Heaven Valley! Release me now, and I will forget your crimes. Aid me in finding a new vessel, and I will even reward you generously!”
“Dream on.”
Xiao Yu’s expression was cold as he flicked his fingers, summoning a strand of Core Flame into the cauldron.
Boom!
The flame erupted, engulfing the Nascent Soul in excruciating heat. The soul’s agonized screams echoed within the cauldron, each cry more harrowing than the last.
“Xiao Yu! If you dare kill me, my sect will hunt you to the ends of the earth! Mark my words, you will die a thousand deaths!”
“Still talking?”
Xiao Yu’s patience had reached its limit. With another flick, three more strands of Core Flame ignited within the cauldron.
The fiery inferno burned relentlessly, silencing Shangguan Ce’s threats as his Nascent Soul was reduced to ashes.