Chapter 157: Mending the Soul

Watching the soul of Shadow, cleanly severed in two by Li Ren in mid-air, Landis and the others who had followed them out were completely dumbfounded.

One had to know that the soul was the most difficult entity to master. Any minor injury could lead to irreversible consequences, yet ordinary people treated the protection of the soul's origin with utmost care, unlike Li Ren's "barbaric" direct slash!

Such a blow could be somewhat understood if directed at an enemy, but obviously, the relationship between Li Ren and Shadow could by no means be compared to that of enemies!

Under the incomparably sharp Purple Gold Winged Deity, Shadow's soul was instantly and resistlessly cleaved into two halves. The separated parts appeared somewhat illusory within the golden chains.

If this were allowed to continue unchecked, Shadow's soul would undoubtedly truly vanish between heaven and earth, leaving not a trace behind!

Since Li Ren's original purpose was to save Shadow, how could he possibly commit such a foolish act that would hasten Shadow's death?

If one looked closely, there was indeed a distinct difference between the two halves of the soul!

One half of the soul pulsated incessantly, with a faint ray of light connecting it to his body, and the soul fire truly originated from there. The other half was a soul in its normal state—pure and flawless.

Seeing that both halves of the soul had been separated, Li Ren instantly put away the Purple Gold Winged Deity. With a wave of his bony arm, he struck the other half of the soul—the one carrying the flame—causing it to scatter in all directions. After scattering, the soul flame also gradually dissipated due to the lack of energy to support its burning.

As the soul flame gradually extinguished, Shadow's frail body lay quietly where he was. Having lost the envelopment of those soul flames, he now looked as though he were merely sleeping, posing no threat whatsoever to them.

Seizing this opportunity without a moment's hesitation, Li Ren guided the remaining half of the soul with the golden chains and poured it back into Shadow's body.

Being able to achieve this step could truly be considered a miracle!

Since ancient times, not a single person who had burned their soul had ever survived!

No matter how powerful one might have been in life, the outcome after death was always the same. Burning the soul meant completely giving up even one's final trace of identity to achieve an extremely terrifying destructive effect.

The reason for such terrifying destructive power was naturally because this was, in essence, truly an insoluble act. Burning away everything a person possessed, how could it not exchange for such a terrifying ability?

Fan Yunshan stared in utter astonishment as Li Ren put the remaining half of the soul back into Shadow's body. No matter what, this was indeed a miracle.

Of course, the realization of this miracle could not be separated from that incomparably yearning Nether Magic! According to legends, it was a truly powerful forbidden art that only a very few individuals could wield!

Because of the harsh conditions required for its use, this Nether Magic was not widely spread. Almost every forbidden art had different requirements, which conversely provided information about those who used such forbidden arts!

Among these Nether Arts, the most mysterious and forbidden one—the Nether Magic that could directly target the soul—could possibly be mastered by only one person! And only this person was qualified to use such a forbidden art!

That was—the Nether Lord!

From this moment on, Fan Yunshan and Moran truly confirmed that Li Ren was the one they had been waiting for over thousands of years. For the person before them, even if they were shattered to pieces, they would absolute not let him suffer even the slightest harm!

Fan Yunshan turned his head to look at the somewhat panting Skeleton King nearby. When Li Ren was extracting Shadow's soul, the Skeleton King originally had a chance to escape. However, having also inherited the original memories of the Nether Lord, he knew very well how terrifying the consumption would be after Li Ren released such a forbidden art!

He was also waiting—waiting for the exact moment Li Ren completed the process! As long as he devoured the other half of Li Ren's soul fire, he was confident that he would eventually evolve into an entity at the absolute peak, akin to the purple skeleton holy fire!

For the realm that every member of the skeleton race dreamed of, he stayed behind.

From his perspective as well, among the remaining people, only Shadow had previously been able to slightly hinder him after unleashing his full strength. As for Fan Yunshan, if he were at the peak of his abilities from the Nether Realm, he might have been a bit troublesome to the Skeleton King, who had already evolved to blue soul fire; but now, he could truly only be considered a martial expert—an ordinary expert at that.

Such a level had already become like that of mere ants in their eyes. The two were simply not on the same plane, so how could they possibly regard each other seriously?

As for the rest of the people, needless to say, although their strengths were all considerable, they were still far inferior to reaching this realm.

It was akin to the difference between an adult and a child. Crossing the karmic dividing line of the skeleton race brought an enhancement that ordinary people could never imagine, not even by the slightest margin!

Sustained by sufficient strength and brimming confidence, the Skeleton King stayed behind. He looked at the golden chains in Li Ren's hand, raw greed flashing in his eyes.

Although he knew how this forbidden art was cast, given his current state, he was completely incapable of releasing it. His own intrinsic conditions limited his ability to use forbidden arts.

Li Ren was somewhat aware of the Skeleton King's greedy gaze, but this was the critical moment to save Shadow. The slightest distraction could ruin all previous efforts, and the consumption of this Nether Magic on his own body was by no means negligible!

His fierce battle with the Skeleton King earlier had already drained much of his power. Although the sliver of Annihilation Death Light had subsequently successfully activated the creation power within his body, the newly born creation power could not instantly restore the meager strength he had left.

A wave-like sensation of weakness continuously assailed his body. Li Ren could only grit his teeth and hold on tenaciously. If the Skeleton King were to discover even a trace of his fatigue, that fellow might desperately rush over.

The reason the Skeleton King was still standing there watching was due to the immense deterrence Li Ren had exerted earlier. Having lost the projection of the Annihilation Death Light and facing true creation power, the Skeleton King was practically helpless to resist.

Both sides were waiting. Undoubtedly, judging from the situation, Li Ren's condition was much worse; dragging the time out would naturally be more favorable to the Skeleton King.

But could he give up at this moment?

Impossible!

Li Ren tried his best to calm himself down. Soul division had already consumed the majority of his energy. Whether the remaining half of the soul—extracted through the Nether Magic: Soul Deprivation—could successfully return to its original body depended entirely on him!

Even the slightest tremor would cause Shadow's soul to scatter from this moment on, ceasing to exist entirely!