Chapter 1143: Releasing Heaven's Path Resistance

It was not a true spirit beast tiger, yet it possessed a complete soul identical to that of a genuine one. The fact that he could forge such a realistic and complete soul through his own cultivation power demonstrated Shi Tiandao's extraordinary talent in cultivation—he was truly a peerless genius, rarely seen in ten thousand years!

In other words, compared to the members of the Glorious Dragon Riders, Shi Tiandao had a better starting point and was fundamentally beyond reproach. Unfortunately, he made a wrong choice at the outset of his journey.

One could also say that fate played a trick on him by leading him into the Imperial Soul Legion. Had destiny brought him to Sal City-State, perhaps he would already be a member of the Glorious Legion today. However, as Xu Yang had said, there was still a chance to make new choices.

The immensely powerful tiger qi repeatedly struck the three old men before him. The entire ornately decorated hall, more than once, fell into extreme trembling under this violent pressure. The surrounding buildings began to collapse extensively, causing Shi Tiandao immense pain, as if his heart were bleeding.

He knew that everything he was doing now was destroying his former beliefs with his own hands. "Heh heh heh, your growth speed is truly astonishing. Given time, you would surely break through the peak of the spiritual power cultivation system and create your own realm. Unfortunately, everything you possess will come to an abrupt end today!"

Finally, after calmly observing for a long time, the three elders acted simultaneously. Each of the two elders on the left and right released a stream of incredibly pure purple light from their palms, locking onto Shi Tiandao's arms. This completely imprisoned the circulation of all meridians in both his arms.

After the two purple lights converged on the corresponding points of his arms, Shi Tiandao found that he gradually lost sensation and intuitive control over them, let alone the ability to channel his power through them. This was the first time Shi Tiandao had encountered such a method, indicating that these elders had always been hiding their true strength.

Shi Tiandao himself had never truly entered the core of the Imperial Soul Legion. "Hahaha, very good, truly very good! So, only today have I finally seen your true strength and appearance. For me, today is truly a pleasant day. Even if my life is destined to end today, being able to see your true selves means I have no regrets!"

Feeling his arms gradually go numb, and even begin to melt, Shi Tiandao did not continue to resist, as he understood that this power had surpassed the limits of what he could withstand.

However, he did not give up. Instead, he wanted to witness the true strength of the old man in the middle before he completely lost his cultivation power.

He finally began frantically searching for the powerful energy originally condensed within his arms. Through special cultivation methods, he wildly compressed his most potent power within his body, ultimately gathering it back into his soul realm. The only possible exit for releasing power from his soul realm was through his eyes.

Shi Tiandao continued to gaze fixedly at the old man in the middle, the instigator of all these conspiracies, finally revealing a slight smile at the end.

"Old geezer, let me give you one last surprise!" Shi Tiandao thought. Then, in an unwitting moment, he exploded with all his energy. Under his pupils, his two eyes instantly shattered, and two lightning-like beams of energy whistled forth, fiercely rushing towards the decrepit old man standing in the middle.

However, what Shi Tiandao never dreamed of was that the moment his full-powered, desperate killing blow touched the old man, it completely vanished without a trace!

Not only did these two energy sources disappear, but the outline of the decrepit old man in the middle also vanished. What truly panicked Shi Tiandao was the old geezer's flawless control over the strength, distance, and timing of his unleashed power.

In other words, the old man must have been fully prepared the moment Shi Tiandao even conceived of such a thought. Such an existence had already exceeded the limits of Shi Tiandao's comprehension; he could no longer contend with it.

"Little one, you know nothing about me. My ability allows me to see through your heart. Don't play such pathetic tricks in front of me."

As his voice fell, the old man's outline reappeared. He gently tapped the scepter in his hand, and two black beams of energy rapidly converged in his palm. Unbeknownst to Shi Tiandao, these two black, pupil-like rings were identical to the energy bodies that had suddenly appeared from the Soul-Devouring Heavenly King's pupils.

"It seems you won't be crawling out of here alive. Of course, I don't want you to perish just yet. You will replace the Soul-Devouring Heavenly King and become the puppet for the new generation of the Imperial Soul Legion. Your upcoming mission is to kill everyone who participated in the Seven Star Valley Alliance and completely seal off all information about our pupil cultivation plan."

Shi Tiandao felt despair for the first time—a deep sense of powerlessness against the insurmountable force before him, and sorrow over his tragic fate, which had now completely devolved into being a tool under his opponent's control. He understood that all his past efforts had lost their meaning. In this world, only by possessing the greatest power and standing at the peak of the world could one avoid having their destiny controlled by others.

"Heh heh, are you giving up on yourself so easily? A Shi Tiandao fallen into despair really doesn't look like a leader at all!"

Suddenly, at that very moment, a slightly teasing voice emanated from outside the hall. Following it, seven distinct figures emerged as shadows from where light shone on the periphery. The seven walked forward effortlessly, shoulder to shoulder, and the aura they released finally brought immense hope to Shi Tiandao, who had been on the brink of despair!

"Glorious Dragon Riders, why are you here?" Shi Tiandao's heart was filled with bitterness. The very people he had always considered his archenemies had rushed to his aid at the moment he lost all hope for life! Meanwhile, the Imperial Soul Legion's old men, whom he had always regarded as his faith and life, had turned out to be the bringers of despair.

"I have to say, fate is truly ironic. But it's good to have you here!"