Chapter 1394: Ninth Star Venerable

"When I enter the Great World and pass through its rules, I will undoubtedly lose this physical body. However, if I succeed in transforming into a true Yin Soul warrior, then we will have already won half the battle."

Xu Yang still appeared hesitant, yet he had to concede that while Xiao Hua's proposal carried immense risk, it promised an irreplaceable and profound impact on the entire conflict.

If she succeeded, the battle's progress would be significantly accelerated.

"If you've already made this decision, I suppose my opposition would be futile."

Xiao Hua chuckled, "You know very well that you, Xu Yang, are the only one in this world who can influence my will. But I genuinely desire to do this, to contribute my unique part to this battle. As for how I'll acquire my new physical body afterward, that task falls to you."

Xu Yang gazed intently at Xiao Hua. "If you truly undergo this forced transformation of your life form, then after this battle, I will secure the strongest physical body on Yingzhou Continent for you, and together we will return to the Great World."

Xu Yang was always a man of his word; he had never failed to fulfill a promise.

Xiao Hua offered Xu Yang a charming smile, a smile that seemed to achieve such purity and beauty only when it was meant for him.

"Don't worry, you're well aware of my capabilities. I've long surpassed the need for your protection. In this world, apart from you and the Sword Immortal, there is likely no one on the entire Yingzhou Continent capable of truly killing me."

Xiao Hua was indeed powerful enough to make such a claim; she genuinely possessed the strength and standing to support it.

Having made her decision, the girl wasted no time, vanishing from Xu Yang's side instantly.

To support Xiao Hua's decision, Xu Yang released a phantom soul into the battlefield below, seeking a sufficiently powerful Yin Soul warrior for Xiao Hua to replicate.

After all, her goal was to infiltrate the innermost core of the treasure vault. If the life form she replicated proved insufficient in power, her entire plan for life-form transformation would be rendered pointless.

After searching for half a day, Xu Yang finally pinpointed a new location. There, thousands of Yin Soul chieftain warriors were clustered around a colossal hero warrior who emerged from the depths of the treasure vault.

Unlike any Yin Soul warrior encountered previously, this one possessed an almost corporeal human form.

The essence of his Yin Soul life force was perfectly concealed. This single characteristic alone was enough to deduce his remarkably high status within the treasure vault's entire Yin Soul warrior legion.

"The optimal replication target has been found. This individual's life form is exceptionally unique, almost achieving a human-like state. I believe he is likely a being qualified to speak directly with the Fourth Prince's mother."

Guided by Xu Yang's phantom, Xiao Hua immediately moved swiftly according to the spiritual coordinates he provided, quickly appearing in that region.

To ensure her appearance wasn't too abrupt, Xiao Hua deliberately gathered several hundred cultivators from Yingzhou Continent to accompany her.

As Xiao Hua led her several hundred followers into the target area, the exceptionally powerful Yin Soul warrior superior before them erupted in maniacal laughter.

"Did Her Majesty the Empress send me forth simply to deal with such insignificant beings? My heavens, this is truly disheartening. I could crush these mere ants with a single finger; is it truly necessary for me, the Great Lord, to act personally?

I was the first to enter this grand battle. My original intention was to seize this opportunity to display my might, but to my disappointment, I've only encountered a swarm of these negligible ants. How utterly anticlimactic."

"Lord Ninth Star Venerable, your strength is, of course, beyond question, as there are only one or two top-tier Star Venerables in the entire Yin Soul legion capable of direct discourse with Her Majesty the Empress.

With tens of millions of Yin Soul warriors under your command, there's naturally no need for you to personally engage these ants. Please, allow us chieftains to handle them."

A chieftain-level lackey by his side obsequiously flattered the supreme expert, who had taken on an almost entirely human form.

Meanwhile, the information about the so-called "Twelve Constellations" was coincidentally intercepted by Xu Yang, Xiao Hua, and their companions. Just as Xu Yang had predicted, this individual indeed held a lofty position within the treasure vault's internal hierarchy. By perfectly replicating his life force, Xiao Hua would undoubtedly be able to infiltrate the very core of the treasure.

"Heh, don't put on such an arrogant display. Do you truly believe us human cultivators of Yingzhou Continent are weaklings?"

Among the warriors behind Xiao Hua, each was equally proud and unyielding. As the undisputed elites of Yingzhou Continent, none considered themselves inferior to another.

As they spoke, both sides immediately plunged into battle. Only Xiao Hua remained still, having almost completely concealed her aura fluctuations through special cultivation techniques.

While appearing to engage continuously among the hero warriors, her spiritual energy had long been locked onto the Ninth Star Venerable's true form, as she sought the opportune moment to act.

More importantly, Xiao Hua's objective in this strike was not to instantly kill her opponent, but rather to find an opportunity to seize his life force, effectively allowing her own soul to enter the Ninth Star Venerable's body and complete the possession.

If this maneuver were too obvious, and by chance a Yin Soul warrior managed to escape the battlefield, then Xiao Hua's identity as a replica of the Ninth Star Venerable would not be truly established. Xiao Hua could only proceed with the possession after every living enemy on the battlefield was utterly annihilated.

The battle was exceptionally fierce. Even Xiao Hua herself had not anticipated that, under the Ninth Star Venerable's subtle or direct influence, the chieftain-level experts around him would each unleash unimaginably terrifying combat prowess.

The several hundred Yingzhou Continent legion warriors, facing an encirclement by a force numbering tens of thousands, displayed no trace of fatigue or cowardice. On the contrary, they fought with increasing ferocity. This spectacle ultimately showcased the immense core combat strength of the hundreds of thousands of Yingzhou Continent cultivators under Xu Yang's leadership. In the face of peril and death, they knew no fear.

Never retreating, their only choice was to eliminate every opponent before them.

Propelled by this formidable spiritual energy, the tens of thousands of Yin Soul warriors before them were swiftly annihilated, leaving not a single trace.

In this localized battle alone, dozens of chieftain Yin Soul warriors perished.

From start to finish, the Ninth Star Venerable maintained an aloof demeanor, showing no inclination to intervene.

To an expert of his caliber, the fates of the Yin Soul warriors around him were utterly meaningless.

They were merely tools, serving to maintain order within Treasure Mountain.

The concept of life, to an existence like the Ninth Star Venerable, held little significance.

This allowed him to maintain an utterly detached demeanor, calmly observing the entire scene.