Chapter 527: Soul Breaking Forbidden Technique

Under the gaze of countless eyes, the silver orb, permeated with chilling energy, shrank at an astonishing speed, with Zhou Yuan's figure at its very center.

From a distance, disciples from various peaks gasped in alarm. They knew that the "Heavenly Frost Sealing Art" could suppress Genesis Qi, and once it touched the body, it would directly invade, sealing off all the Genesis Qi within.

Even if Zhou Yuan could resist, his own Genesis Qi would be weakened, undoubtedly putting him at a severe disadvantage when facing Baili Che afterwards.

This made them sigh in admiration, realizing that Baili Che truly possessed considerable skill to become the chief disciple of Sword Cometh Peak. This Heavenly Frost Sealing Art would surely be a nightmare for many opponents.

And now, Zhou Yuan might just become one of them.

*Buzz!* Inside the silver orb, Zhou Yuan's body erupted with powerful Genesis Qi. Golden light surged, clashing with the continuously shrinking orb. However, each time they touched, the surging chilling energy would force the golden Genesis Qi back.

Once successfully cast, the Heavenly Frost Sealing Art would suppress Genesis Qi. To resist it with sheer Genesis Qi, one's foundation in Genesis Qi would need to be far superior to the opponent's.

Baili Che, at this moment, was practically halfway into the Ninth Layer, with a stronger Genesis Qi foundation than Yuan Hong. Although Zhou Yuan's Genesis Qi had also improved during the Trial Mountain Path, it was still quite unlikely for him to reach a level far surpassing Baili Che's.

Therefore, it appeared Zhou Yuan had fallen into a perilous situation.

Baili Che stood suspended in the air, his arms crossed, watching Zhou Yuan trapped within the orb. With a faint, knowing smile, he said, "Chief Zhou Yuan, I told you, while your talent is decent, you are ultimately still too green."

Had his opponent been more cautious, he wouldn't have been able to trap Zhou Yuan so smoothly with the Heavenly Frost Sealing Art.

Although this Heavenly Frost Sealing Art was formidable, it first required the target to be ensnared within it to be effective.

Inside the light orb, Zhou Yuan also looked up, his gaze piercing through the silver sphere to fix on Baili Che. He chuckled faintly, "It seems Chief Baili believes victory is already secured?"

"Still talking tough at a time like this?" Baili Che shook his head, no longer bothering with Zhou Yuan, and formed a hand seal with one hand.

As the seal formed, the silver orb's contraction speed instantly surged. Within mere breaths, it shrank to only a few feet in diameter, inches away from Zhou Yuan's body.

And with just a slight touch to Zhou Yuan's physical body, it would take root, sealing off the Genesis Qi within him.

"It's over," Baili Che sneered, abruptly bringing his palms together. The silver orb shrank once more, about to make contact with Zhou Yuan's body.

Countless anxious gazes were fixed on the scene.

The silver orb rapidly approached Zhou Yuan under those gazes. However, just as the chilling rays of light were barely half a foot from Zhou Yuan's body, the orb suddenly froze.

The sneer on Baili Che's lips stiffened slightly, and his brows furrowed deeply. At that moment, he detected an immense force resisting from within the orb, preventing his Heavenly Frost Sealing Art from advancing even a single step further.

"What's going on? Zhou Yuan isn't even circulating his Genesis Qi to resist! And this art suppresses Genesis Qi; with his Genesis Qi foundation, it's impossible for him to resist!" Perplexity and doubt filled Baili Che's mind.

He peered into the orb, where Zhou Yuan stood with his hands lowered, his expression calm and unperturbed.

Yet, between his brows, an invisible yet powerful fluctuation seemed to be gradually converging.

Zhou Yuan raised his head, looking at the astonished Baili Che, and slowly said, "Your Heavenly Frost Sealing Art does suppress Genesis Qi, but did you perhaps think that Genesis Qi is all I have?"

The instant his voice fell, a vast and mighty torrent of Spirit energy roared forth from between his brows. It appeared formless and intangible, yet it pulsed with mysterious fluctuations.

The light orb, which had shrunk to only about ten feet, now began to expand at an astonishing rate. It ultimately reached several hundred feet, emitting a cracking sound as if unable to bear the strain.

Finally, the silver orb was forcibly burst open by the surging Spirit energy, transforming into countless shimmering silver specks scattered across the sky.

Gasps of astonishment erupted from the disciples of various peaks in the distance.

No one had expected Baili Che's Heavenly Frost Sealing Art to be forcibly broken by Zhou Yuan in such a manner!

Baili Che's face also grew somber. He had calculated everything, yet he hadn't anticipated that Zhou Yuan's Spirit had unknowingly become so formidable.

Zhou Yuan rarely revealed his Spirit cultivation in the Cangxuan Sect, which led many to forget that he was a dual cultivator of both Genesis Qi and Spirit.

With one hand behind his back, Zhou Yuan unleashed Spirit energy from between his brows.

The sea below suddenly roared, as countless waves of seawater surged upward, as if encircled by an unseen force. They coalesced into a gigantic water orb, roughly ten thousand feet in diameter, which gradually hovered beside Zhou Yuan.

The surface of the water orb shimmered, emanating mysterious, invisible fluctuations—the power of Spirit.

Zhou Yuan flicked his sleeve, and the water orb, imbued with Spirit energy, directly shot forth with a sharp whooshing sound, hurtling fiercely towards Baili Che.

"Hmph!" Baili Che's eyes darkened. His Nine-Scaled Sword pulsed with sword-light, and with a downward swing, a sword-light about a hundred feet long cleaved directly onto the water orb.

*Swoosh!* The sword-light swept through, instantly splitting the water orb in two.

However, just as the water orb split, it suddenly exploded, sending countless droplets of water raining down, covering the sky as they shot towards Baili Che.

Silver Genesis Qi surged forth from Baili Che's body, enveloping him in protection.

*Pfft! Pfft!* Although the silver Genesis Qi fended off most of the water droplets, some still struck Baili Che's body. The instant they made contact, Baili Che's face abruptly contorted.

These water droplets contained no lethal power, but they were imbued with Spirit energy. This energy directly penetrated his physical body, affecting Baili Che's Spirit.

Consequently, the moment of contact brought a sharp stinging pain from within his brows, nearly causing Baili Che to faint on the spot.

Fortunately, his reaction was swift. He abruptly retreated, his Nine-Scaled Sword transforming into layers of sword-light, deflecting all the water droplets. He no longer dared to make physical contact with them.

"Your Spirit has actually reached the late Solid State?!" He stabilized himself in mid-air, his face grim as he stared at Zhou Yuan. From the previous Spirit invasion, he had already sensed the formidable strength of Zhou Yuan's Spirit; it had indeed reached the late Solid State.

Zhou Yuan looked at Baili Che and said, "It seems Chief Baili miscalculated."

"It's too early to say that! So what if it's late Solid State? You're biting off more than you can chew. When it comes to Genesis Qi, I can simply crush you!" Baili Che declared with sharp, cold eyes.

He had always disdained the so-called dual cultivation of Genesis Qi and Spirit.

The Nine-Scaled Sword in his hand pulsed with sword-light, and the Genesis Qi within his body erupted without reservation. The next instant, his figure vanished into thin air, reappearing directly in front of Zhou Yuan.

*Buzz!* Sword-light whistled, and countless sword-shadows appeared, overwhelming the sky, enveloping Zhou Yuan's vital points.

Clearly, after seeing the Heavenly Frost Sealing Art fail, Baili Che had changed his strategy, intending to launch a direct assault.

Zhou Yuan's eyes also gleamed with a cold intensity. The snow-white tip of his Heavenly Yuan Brush turned inky black, and golden Genesis Qi roared forth, pushing his own Genesis Qi to its absolute limit.

Jade-like light bloomed on his skin.

Deep within his flesh and blood, silver light flashed across his bones.

*Clang! Clang!* Above the void, the two figures intertwined like lightning. In just a few minutes, they exchanged thousands of blows. Each collision of sword and brush shadows erupted with astonishing fluctuations.

This kind of confrontation was intense to the extreme.

Many observers watched this scene, secretly clicking their tongues. Everyone could see that in this clash, Zhou Yuan was actually matching Baili Che blow for blow, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage.

Many had initially believed that Zhou Yuan couldn't possibly be a match for Baili Che.

But now, it was clear that Zhou Yuan's strength had progressed even further during these past two months.

Amidst the fierce engagement, Baili Che's face grew increasingly grim. In this head-on clash, he clearly felt that he didn't hold much of an advantage.

What he found most troublesome was Zhou Yuan's hidden Spirit energy during his attacks. Even a slight carelessness would lead to it touching his physical body and directly attacking his Spirit, causing him considerable headaches.

Only at this moment did he truly understand that this chief disciple of Saint Genesis Peak, whom he had always looked down upon, was not as weak as he had imagined.

After another powerful clash, violent Genesis Qi raged outwards, shaking the void, and the two figures shot backward.

Baili Che waved his sleeve, steadying himself. He stared expressionlessly at Zhou Yuan and slowly said, "No wonder you were so arrogant earlier; you truly do have some skill."

Zhou Yuan held his Heavenly Yuan Brush, its bristles now soft and swaying gently in the wind.

"Chief Baili's strength, however, seems a little mismatched with your previous arrogance," he said with a faint smile.

Baili Che's face twitched slightly. He was silent for a moment, then a hint of disdainful laughter appeared at the corner of his mouth. He shook his head and said, "Why am I wasting words with you..."

"It's time I showed you what a true chief disciple is capable of."

"...Just try not to let your legs turn to jelly!"

Baili Che took a deep breath, his eyes cold as he disdainfully stared at Zhou Yuan. Simultaneously, an extremely dangerous aura slowly began to emanate from his body.

"Now, in front of Sword Cometh Peak's strongest art... fear and tremble!"