Chapter 593: A Desperate Breakthrough

Within the Soul Sea, Zhan Shang’s face was twisted in a savage expression as he once again lunged toward the depths of Ye Xuan’s Soul Sea. Although slowed by the Devouring Martial Soul and the Endless Molten Flame, he was still gradually closing in on Ye Xuan’s Soul Origin.

Ye Xuan’s heart sank. He was frantic.

’What do I do?’ Ye Xuan knew with perfect clarity that if this continued, he would undoubtedly be possessed by Zhan Shang.

But at this moment, he couldn’t think of any other way out.

Just then, Ye Xuan suddenly felt the Sword of Autocracy on his back begin to heat up again, growing so hot that the sensation against his skin became almost unbearable.

Meanwhile, outside Ye Xuan’s body.

"Xuan Ye, how are you doing?"

"Xuan Ye, say something!"

Ge Puzi and the others stared at Ye Xuan, who was hovering in mid-air with black lines crawling across his face, and called out to him anxiously.

Not far away, the green-robed young man sneered. "Haha, what do you think is happening to him? He’s definitely being possessed. I suggest you kill him now. Otherwise, you’ll be the ones who die in a little while."

Ge Puzi shot him a cold glare and roared, "You shut your mouth."

The green-robed youth’s expression darkened. "What did you say? A mere vice dean of some academy dares to speak to me like that? Do you have any idea who I am?"

Su Xiuyi flicked open his feathered fan, his gaze turning frigid. "One more word of nonsense, and I don’t care where you’re from. I will kill you today."

A terrifying aura erupted from his body, and an appalling pressure swept outward.

In the previous battle, both Elder Tianyi and the green-robed youth had been injured. Only Su Xiuyi had escaped major harm, retaining most of his combat strength.

As soon as he spoke, the green-robed youth immediately fell silent. But his eyes were terrifyingly dark, and he seethed internally, ’Su Xiuyi, is it? I, Qi Cheng, will remember you. A mere Martial Emperor dares to be so arrogant in my presence? Once I return to Infinite Mountain, I’ll kill you, even if you flee to the ends of the earth.’

After his furious declaration, Su Xiuyi’s gaze returned to Ye Xuan, his expression tinged with worry.

Ever since the black light had entered his body, Ye Xuan had been standing there blankly without any reaction. The only change was the black lines that continually surfaced on his face, writhing madly.

His eyes also appeared vacant and lost, but they lacked the demonic quality seen in Xie Li and the others after they were possessed. Because of this, Ge Puzi and the others still held out a sliver of hope that Ye Xuan had not been taken over.

But in this situation, they had no idea what to do and could only watch anxiously from the side.

Just then...

VMM!

A blue halo suddenly bloomed from the Sword of Autocracy on Ye Xuan’s back, drawing everyone’s attention.

Everyone stared intently and saw dense blue runes suddenly materialize all over the originally black Sword of Autocracy. These runes pulsed with an astonishing aura, and a heart-palpitating sensation filled the air.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

At the same time, the Little Purple Mink suddenly scampered out of the Spirit Pet Bag on Ye Xuan’s shoulder. Its small eyes, like purple Gemstones, stared at the Sword of Autocracy on Ye Xuan’s back with a mix of shock and doubt, but a trace of excitement actually appeared in its gaze.

Then, its little paws suddenly reached out and grabbed the Sword of Autocracy.

CRACKLE!

A bolt of lightning instantly flashed between the Little Purple Mink and the Sword of Autocracy.

Immediately after, a massive peal of thunder echoed between heaven and earth. Before anyone could react, a bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, striking the Sword of Autocracy on Ye Xuan’s back.

BOOM!

Lightning surged, and the spot where Ye Xuan stood was instantly transformed into an ocean of electricity. The turbulent bolts swept outward, their blazing light annihilating everything.

The terrifying power of the lightning forced Su Xiuyi and the others to retreat repeatedly, able to do nothing but watch as Ye Xuan was submerged in the light.

RUMBLE!

The sky thundered relentlessly as bolt after bolt of lightning poured down, disappearing into the Sword of Autocracy on Ye Xuan’s back.

The lightning was abnormally terrifying. Even a single stray wisp of it was enough to make Su Xiuyi’s expression turn grim, not daring to touch it.

He had no doubt that if he were hit by even that single wisp, he would end up like Elder Tianyi—gravely injured, or perhaps even killed on the spot.

"What in the world is happening to Xuan Ye?"

Everyone clenched their fists. Remembering how Ye Xuan had previously emerged unharmed from a lightning strike, they couldn’t help but pray silently.

But what no one saw was that within the lightning, a small purple mink was dancing with excitement, its fur standing on end. Bolts of lightning streamed into its body as if it were bathing in the thunder, its eyes filled with pure enjoyment.

Meanwhile, in Ye Xuan’s Soul Sea.

As the immense amount of lightning enveloped Ye Xuan’s physical body, countless bolts of lightning also appeared out of thin air within his Soul Sea.

The lightning, accompanied by flames and the churning Soul Sea below, created a breathtaking scene.

This lightning required no control from Ye Xuan. It swept directly toward Zhan Shang. CRACKLE! Countless bolts struck Zhan Shang’s body, and the black energy around him began to dissipate rapidly.

"AHH!"

Zhan Shang immediately let out a painful howl. His body shuddered violently as if he was going berserk. His demonic eyes filled with terror, and his form trembled uncontrollably as he stared at the lightning and screamed, "The Sword of Judgment! How does a brat like you have the Sword of Judgment?! Dammit, this is the Thunder of Judgment! Such a perfect body... are the heavens punishing me, Zhan Shang?! Dammit all!"

Ye Xuan was instantly overjoyed. Only now did he realize that the black greatsword on his back wasn’t called the Sword of Autocracy, but the Sword of Judgment.

Furthermore, this Sword of Judgment could actually draw down Celestial Thunder, and this Celestial Thunder seemed to have an extremely suppressive effect on Zhan Shang.

Ye Xuan immediately exerted full control over his Devouring Martial Soul and the Endless Molten Flame, coordinating with the lightning that had appeared in his mind to begin suppressing Zhan Shang’s movements.

HISS HISS HISS!

Under the assault of these three powers, Zhan Shang’s body gradually weakened. Wisps of black light transformed into pure energy and merged into Ye Xuan’s Soul Sea.

"AAAHHH! Dammit! You human brat are actually absorbing my energy! So what if you have the Sword of Judgment? With your current strength, you can’t even begin to unleash its true power! I am determined to possess you today! When I do, not only will I have a powerful new body, but I will also become the master of the Sword of Judgment! Haha, just the thought of it is thrilling!"

Zhan Shang roared savagely, demonic light flaring around him as he desperately lunged toward the Soul Origin at the center of Ye Xuan’s Soul Sea.

Ye Xuan’s expression was grim. He certainly couldn’t let Zhan Shang succeed. He continuously drove his three powers to fight back, and for a moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.

However, as the stalemate continued, the black light from Zhan Shang’s body was constantly being converted by the Devouring Martial Soul into rich Soul Power, which nourished Ye Xuan’s Soul Sea.

VMM!

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Xuan felt the Soul Power in his mind break through some kind of shackle. His entire Soul Sea began to boil violently, and a sensation of immense power filled his consciousness.

’My Soul Power broke through to the Seventh Grade! The energy from this Soul-devouring Race member is just terrifying, isn’t it?’

Ye Xuan cried out in his mind. The black aura on Zhan Shang had only weakened by a tenth—not even that—yet it had allowed his Soul Power to break through from the Peak of Sixth Grade to the Seventh Grade. He was utterly astonished.

From the Peak of Sixth Grade to the Seventh Grade, although it was only a single-tier difference in Soul Power...

Ye Xuan knew very well that this single-tier gap was as wide as the distance between heaven and earth, and the energy required to cross it was by no means a small amount.

Who would have known that just by absorbing a sliver of Zhan Shang’s energy, his Soul Power would achieve a breakthrough? It was so easy that he found it hard to believe.

But the current situation didn’t allow him much time for celebration. As soon as his Soul Power broke through to the Seventh Grade, he could clearly feel his control over the Devouring Martial Soul and the Endless Molten Flame strengthen significantly. He immediately began to suppress Zhan Shang with even greater force.

At the same time, Ye Xuan secretly activated his Nine Transformations Sacred Body, beginning to use the lightning in his body to temper himself.

Ye Xuan believed that if he could improve his own strength, his chances of preventing the possession would also increase dramatically.

CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE.

Countless tendrils of lightning roamed through Ye Xuan’s body. Driven by the Nine Transformations Sacred Body Cultivation Technique, they began to gradually reconstruct his physical form.

The Nine Transformations Sacred Body was exceptionally powerful. The breakthrough for each transformation required a terrifyingly vast amount of energy.

That was why after breaking through to the Fourth Transformation in the Sky Empire, Ye Xuan had been unable to advance further. But now, with this lightning, things were different.

This lightning was incomparably powerful; a single bolt was enough to annihilate a Tier Eight Martial Emperor like Su Xiuyi. However, because of the Sword of Judgment, Ye Xuan’s body was not destroyed by the bombardment. Instead, he was able to absorb the lightning’s power.

And so, under the operation of the Nine Transformations Sacred Body, a massive amount of lightning was converted into pure energy and integrated into every one of Ye Xuan’s cells.

Ye Xuan’s physical body was rapidly being reformed.

SNAP!

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Xuan felt as if something inside his body had cracked open. A powerful sensation emanated from his physical form.

Ye Xuan immediately understood. His Nine Transformations Sacred Body had broken through to the Fifth Transformation.

BOOM!

The enhancement of his physical body triggered a transformation in every part of him. His bones grew, his Profound Veins strengthened, and even the Profound Power within him gained a trace of lightning.

But it wasn’t enough. Although his physical body and Soul Power had broken through, he still couldn’t stop Zhan Shang’s advance. With a savage expression, Zhan Shang drew closer and closer to Ye Xuan’s Soul Origin.

’If this isn’t enough, then I’ll just have to break through again.’

Ye Xuan’s face was a mask of grim determination. He knew he had reached the most critical moment. If he couldn’t break through and stop Zhan Shang, he would become a mere host—Zhan Shang’s new body.

He immediately drove all the Profound energy in his body, making it circulate madly through his Profound Veins.

He was going to use the breakthroughs of his physical body and Soul Power, along with this terrifying lightning, to charge directly toward the realm of a Seventh-Tier Martial King.

If anyone knew what he was thinking, their eyes would pop out of their sockets. To think about breaking through at a time like this—wasn’t that just courting death?