However, the Precipice Blades not only locked onto space but also his very "coordinates" of existence!
No matter how he twisted or maneuvered, that colossal brownish-red sword that had cleaved through the earth seemed to ignore the laws of physics. Its tip remained precisely aimed at him, moving with an unimaginable speed.
In just a single breath, the ferocious, lava-surging blade exuding an apocalyptic aura was already within striking distance.
The scorching heatwave instantly incinerated all his hastily deployed defensive soul skills, and the shadow of death enveloped him completely!
"No—!"
Zhang Geyang let out a desperate and resentful roar. He couldn't understand it, wouldn't understand it even in death! Who possessed such a level of power? And why did they have it out for him? When had he provoked such a formidable enemy?
But still, he struggled, beginning to burn the essence of his martial soul, his speed surging further as he raced forward.
The Precipice Blades indeed had a drawback in speed; without Gu La's temporal power-enhanced locking effect, it would have been useless against a moving target.
At this critical moment.
Zzzt—!
A blinding, violent streak of purplish-black lightning erupted from Zhang Geyang's body without warning.
It wasn't something he had actively triggered—it was his spirit beast, the Thunderclap Nether Vine!
This powerful plant-based spirit soul, imbued with a trace of the Thunder God lineage, was now completely beyond Zhang Geyang's control.
Its massive vine-like phantom thrashed violently, and the purplish-black lightning carried a strong will of resistance and betrayal, furiously battering the equal contract binding it to Zhang Geyang.
"How dare you?!!"
Zhang Geyang's eyes bulged, his mind reeling.
But the Thunderclap Nether Vine sensed a pure and highly attractive natural aura, like the sweetest bait, which flickered nearby for just a fleeting moment.
It was this aura that instantaneously ignited the long-suppressed resentment of the Thunderclap Nether Vine toward Zhang Geyang, who had broken his promise and failed to provide a sufficient thunder environment to help it grow to the ten-thousand-year stage.
With the backlash of the contract minimized by the soothing force of nature, the Thunderclap Nether Vine decided today to choose a new master!
"Traitor!" Zhang Geyang tried to forcefully suppress it, but the overwhelming pressure of impending death from the Precipice Blades left him unable to focus.
Boom!!!
The phantom of the Thunderclap Nether Vine violently broke free from the contract's bindings, shooting off like an arrow released from its bow, heading towards an inconspicuous shadowy corner on a nearby barren mountain.
There, Bo Xi's figure flickered briefly as he swiftly stowed away a soul-guidance device emanating a gentle green light, dissipating the natural aura.
"No—!"
Zhang Geyang's last line of defense had completely collapsed. His soul power dropped to ninety-seven levels, proving to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Despair utterly consumed him.
He watched helplessly as the Precipice Blades, representing divine punishment from the earth, surged forth with burning lava and crushing gravity, ignoring his futile defenses and piercing through his body.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, just a muffled sound, like a heavy object sinking into a swamp.
The blue flame battle armor's glow flickered out like a candle in the wind. The once-powerful phantom of the dark flame beast emitted a mournful wail before collapsing entirely.
The instant Zhang Geyang's body touched the tip of the Precipice Blades's brownish-red blade, it was completely disintegrated and vaporized by the terrifying divine power of the earth and the extreme heat of the molten rock. Not a speck of ash, not a drop of blood remained.
Zhang Geyang, the Level 98 Super Douluo and highest authority of the Star Luo Spirit Pagoda, had vanished from the face of the earth, body and soul obliterated!
Rumble...
Having lost its target, the Precipice Blades slowly sank back into the earth, leaving behind an enormous, bottomless crater filled with molten rock. The pit walls were smooth as mirrors, retaining the horrific high temperatures and devastating energy fluctuations, declaring that a transcendent annihilation had just occurred here.
In the shadows of the barren mountain, Bo Xi's figure emerged. His face was somewhat pale, evidently shaken by witnessing and confronting Zhang Geyang's final retaliation up close.
He opened his palm, revealing a tiny vine wrapped in purplish-black lightning, coiling docilely and emanating a post-calamity tremor mixed with a hint of naive curiosity.
It was the miniature form of the Thunderclap Nether Vine spirit soul, greedily absorbing the natural child aura emanating from Bo Xi, which belonged to Gu La, showing remarkable docility.
Bo Xi quickly retrieved a specially-made Spirit Soul Orb and carefully stored the invaluable spirit within. The mission was complete.
From a higher-dimensional perspective, Gu La's "gaze" shifted away from the spot where Zhang Geyang's presence had been utterly annihilated, scanning over the massive molten crater below, the few pieces of soul bones inside, and finally landing on Bo Xi and the Spirit Soul Orb in his hand. Target eliminated, spoils recovered.
His consciousness receded like the ebbing tide from the higher dimension.
On the peak of the barren mountain, Gu La slowly opened his eyes. The temporal anomalies and divine radiance swirling in his pupils rapidly faded, returning to their usual depth.
The night breeze blew past, carrying the distant city's scent, along with a lingering sulfurous heat from deep within the earth.
As if he had merely done some trivial task, he brushed off imaginary dust from his sleeves. Silently, his figure merged into the night, disappearing without a trace.
At the top floor of the Star Luo Spirit Pagoda headquarters, shattered glass windows lay before several late-arriving powerful individuals who had been startled by the commotion. They saw only a chaotic office, sensing the residual turbulent soul power fluctuations and… a lingering, heart-stopping aura of destruction.
Several days later, they finally confirmed that Zhang Geyang had disappeared. Along with his presence, he had vanished completely, as if he had never existed.
No enemies, no traces of battle.
Only in the direction of the western suburbs, there was a towering inferno and faint rumblings from deep within the earth.
An event that occurred beyond everyone's perception, clean and swift, incomprehensible, akin to divine retribution.
The shocking news of the mysterious demise of Zhang Geyang, the highest authority of the Star Luo Spirit Pagoda, swept through the continent's upper echelons like a hurricane, culminating in an ambiguously-worded urgent report that landed heavily on the desk of the Spirit Pagoda headquarters' Master Tower.
"Dead? Zhang Geyang... dead?"
Qiangu Dongfeng held that thin yet weighty report, his knuckles turning white from the strain. His first reaction was disbelief.
Level 98 Super Douluo, Hell Flame Beast martial soul, Three-Word Battle Armor master, stationed at the Star Luo Spirit Pagoda headquarters... who could kill him? Who dared to kill him?
And outside Star Luo City, dying without a sound, not even leaving behind remains, with only a giant crater at the scene?
Doubts coiled around his heart like cold vines, only to be incinerated by a rising tide of fury!
"Bastards!"
A roar, suppressed to the utmost, squeezed out from Qiangu Dongfeng's throat. His raging soul power burst forth like an uncontrolled flood.
Precious documents piled high on the desk instantly turned into flying shreds, the sturdy soul-guidance alloy walls cracked under invisible shockwaves like a spiderweb, expensive soul-guidance ornaments exploded, scattering fragments everywhere.
The entire office was instantly in chaos, as if ravaged by a colossal beast.
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