Chapter 155: Soul Flame

Hmph, quite a number of people have arrived. It seems your strength is truly formidable, to think you even managed to slip past my awareness. The Skeleton King cast a brief glance across Skull Mountain, where figures of the Falling Cloud Legion and skeleton monsters filled every corner. The battle between the two forces was extremely fierce, though judging by the scene, it could be considered evenly matched.

It was no wonder the Skeleton King reacted this way. Knowing that Li Ren possessed the destined spirit-grid, every single move of his should practically have been under his surveillance. Yet, such perception could hardly be classified as full-scale monitoring; at best, it was only a vague, hazy sensation. Even so, given the rapid pace of Li Ren's territorial expansion, it genuinely appeared somewhat terrifying!

How long had Falling Cloud City been established? Yet it had already brought the Yuxiao City under its banner, and its two major legions were truly formidable forces capable of rivaling the level-150 Skull Mountain.

Just imagine, to develop to such a degree in so short a time was enough to reveal the immense potential of Falling Cloud City!

It was precisely because of this realization that the Skeleton King slowly tightened his grip on Shadow's hand once again, having previously begun to loosen it. Seeing that Li Ren had already amassed such power, he felt even more pessimistic about his own escape.

If he did not find a way to resolve Li Ren once and for all here, his days ahead would undoubtedly be filled with hardship.

At this thought, the slight trace of ease that had previously lingered on the Skeleton King vanished entirely, replaced by a concealed, murderous intent.

Li Ren naturally noticed the subtle change in the Skeleton King. He had been waiting for the Skeleton King to release Shadow so that he could seize the opportunity to kill him on the spot; if no opportunity arose, he would simply have to let it go.

Generally speaking, such an opportunity was bound not to appear, and thus Li Ren's burning desire to kill the Skeleton King had already begun to fade somewhat. The twists and turns of fate were always so unexpected, which could also be considered predestined by the universe.

As the Skeleton King stared at Li Ren, Li Ren also gradually sensed something amiss, and the atmosphere instantly turned tense. Just as the two were locked in a standoff, Shadow managed to recover his composure. He looked at Li Ren standing not far away, his heart filled with unwillingness and bitter regret.

He knew very well that if the Skeleton King were allowed to escape today, there was no telling when he would ever encounter him again. Furthermore, whether they would ever cross paths in the future was doubtful. Having lost half of his blue spirit fire, Li Ren's future path of development would inevitably slow down to a crawl. After all, with his spirit fire incomplete, it was entirely possible that his cultivation would halt here for the rest of his life—a prospect he utterly refused to witness!

Now that he finally held the key to altering his destiny, how could he possibly allow it to be lost once more?

By this time, Shadow had grown genuinely calm. Even though he was still trapped in the Skeleton King’s grip, with thick, powerful skeletal joints binding him tightly, and the excruciating pain of flesh and bone being ruthlessly squeezed washing over him like a tidal wave.

He looked calmly at Li Ren, a trace of reluctance and a hint of liberation gleaming in his eyes.

Li Ren’s gaze had been entirely fixed on the Skeleton King, so he was naturally well aware of the changes in Shadow. The moment he caught the glimmer of unwillingness and the faint hint of release in Shadow's eyes, he knew something was terribly wrong. Heart tightening, he prepared to strike.

Before he could even manage to take a single step, Shadow smiled—a smile containing far too much, as if it carried the entirety of his hopes.

"No!!" Li Ren roared. The hard rock beneath his feet shattered into pieces instantly. Propelled by this powerful rebounding force, his body lunged forward rapidly in the direction of Shadow.

"Skeleton King! Even if I die, I'm dragging you down with me, you son of a bitch!" A faint layer of flames began to emerge over Shadow's body. The flames were a blazing white color, and upon their appearance, a new surge of power seemed to well up within him.

The Skeleton King had noticed that something was wrong from the very first moment. "You lunatic! You're actually burning your soul! Don't you know you'll actually die if you keep doing this? Damn it!" Even the Skeleton King was seized by a sense of dread at Shadow's insane action.

As someone originally from the Underworld, how could he not know just how terrifying this soul-burning flame truly was?

Countless Underworld warriors, with those roaring infernos blazing across their bodies, had once charged unflinchingly into the camp of the Heavenly Evil. Wherever the flames passed, everything turned to blinding white before finally drifting into nothingness.

These were Underworld warriors who, after experiencing boundless despair, chose a permanent path of no return solely to preserve their ultimate hope. Once they stepped onto it, they would be reduced to ashes and dust, their very existence erased without leaving even the tiniest trace of having lived in this world. Yet countless heroes still followed one after another with smiles on their faces, leaving behind that final expression directed at their comrades, ultimately perishing together with the Heavenly Evil.

If not for this, how could the Underworld have continued to exist for so long after losing the Underworld King, and how could it have accomplished such a miraculous defense!

With a wave of his massive hand, the Skeleton King tried to fling Shadow away, who was now entirely covered in flames. This kind of soul-burning fire was the most terrifying of all; using the soul as fuel, it consumed the soul itself!

Anyone entangled by these flames would ultimately have no other fate than to watch their own soul become fuel for the fire, reducing them to a heap of dust between heaven and earth.

"Weren't you trying to catch me? Come on, grab a bit tighter!" Acting like a madman, Shadow locked his arms tightly around the Skeleton King's left arm.

Once ignited by this soul-burning flame, the price to be paid was bound to be catastrophic.

Naturally, the Skeleton King would not allow such a thing to happen. A thin film seemed to exist between the soul flames burning on Shadow's surface and the Skeleton King's bones; no matter how fiercely the flames burned, they could never truly touch the bone.

Yet under the searing heat of the soul flames, that very film was trembling incessantly, as if it would shatter at any second.

Growing anxious, the Skeleton King formed his right hand into a fist and smashed it fiercely against Shadow's body. Struck by this immense force, Shadow instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his chest caving inward slightly as his entire body was knocked almost suspended in the air like a curled-up shrimp.

"Is... that all... the strength you have? Cough... ha... it really is... a bit... not enough!" Shadow muttered intermittently, his deep, hoarse voice echoing across the realm, carrying an inexpressible sorrow.

"Get the hell off me!" Although the Skeleton King had poured every ounce of his strength into that punch, driven by Shadow's desperate conviction, he failed to knock him off his arm immediately. At that moment, Li Ren was already extremely close to him, and the situation could truly be said to have reached a perilous extreme.