Chapter 1700: 逐个击破

Transforming into a blue streak of light in the void, Xu Yang shot forth like a falling star, locking onto the aura of the foul soul body.

As expected, the opponent's soul body immediately panicked. Facing the ultimate attack of the divine artifact, which soared skyward, the soul lacked any confidence it could withstand the blow.

It decisively split into over a dozen sub-souls, attempting to evade Xu Yang's Cold Spring divine artifact. Unbeknownst to them, Xu Yang's true objective was not to annihilate them in a single strike; he was waiting precisely for this moment.

Xu Yang scoffed, noting how easily their combined form had been forcibly separated, concluding that their true strength was insignificant.

After speaking, Xu Yang rapidly condensed an immense power source in his palm. Simultaneously, the nine original energy vortexes within his body activated, unleashing powerful energy storms from his hands. Each burst of power was capable of effortlessly destroying the soul essence of an ancient human prodigy.

With a thunderous roar, explosive blasts shattered the void. The dispersed soul bodies were individually defeated by Xu Yang, making it impossible for them to ever recombine.

Simultaneously, under the command of Xu Yang's mental power, the Cold Spring divine artifact continuously maneuvered, relentlessly pursuing the remaining souls of the ancient human prodigies, who now resembled stray dogs.

The souls cried out, begging Xu Yang not to slay them. They claimed to have been dormant for hundreds of thousands of years, awaiting resurrection, and warned that their complete annihilation would be an indelible sin for him.

Xu Yang sneered, stating that he never trusted such empty words, only his own strength. He reminded them that they had previously attempted to seize his body, and only now, after feeling his power, were they acting subservient. He scoffed at the idea of falling for their deception and declared that they would all perish.

With a furious roar, Xu Yang instantly activated his tenth external Heavenly Eye vortex. An incredibly powerful devouring force aimed into the void, drawing all remaining scattered souls into the Heavenly Eye. There, they were refined into pure soul essence and ultimately consumed by Xu Yang.

From that moment, all remaining ancient powerhouses in the forbidden domain of the Tongyuan Royal Clan perished at Xu Yang's hands. Their plot to seize his physical body naturally collapsed. As the evil souls within the dozen statues were completely annihilated, Xu Yang calmly retrieved the Cold Spring divine artifact.

This time, however, he decided against aimlessly pushing forward. Instead, he stood still, exerting his mental power to its fullest extent, attempting to communicate with the auras of Long Kun, Ling Yao, and Goddess Yanxia.

The entire process lasted approximately three hours. Xu Yang extended his mental power to its limit, sweeping across every corner of the forbidden space. He finally discovered a clue: at the northernmost end of the forbidden zone, the faint aura of Goddess Yanxia flickered in and out of existence.

To prevent further danger and to reach his three teammates directly, Xu Yang activated the laws of space-time, cleaving the void before him with a single strike. He entered the rift and reappeared thousands of miles away, at the extreme northern edge of the forbidden area.

As Xu Yang landed steadily, he looked up to see three figures sitting cross-legged atop a massive stone mountain. A closer look confirmed they were indeed Long Kun and his two companions.

He observed that they appeared to be unharmed, having calmly entered a state of cultivation.

However, Xu Yang soon noticed something was amiss.

A wave of concern washed over him as he recalled Long Kun's initial disorientation. He tried calling out their names, and just as he suspected, despite their calm expressions, their true selves—their very souls—appeared to have been forcibly put into a deep slumber by a unique cultivation technique, now trapped in a state of soul confinement.

Suddenly, an incredibly ancient and profound voice spoke, welcoming him to the forbidden land of the Tongyuan Royal Clan. At the same time, an old man with white hair and beard, also a soul body, materialized out of thin air behind Xu Yang.

Undoubtedly, this old man was the Supreme Living Fossil of the Tongyuan Imperial Lineage.

To Xu Yang's surprise, this elder differed from the Supreme Living Fossil of the Misty Rain Royal Clan. The latter had used his physical remains to guard a sealed space, whereas this elder was using his soul essence to protect the forbidden area, his physical body nowhere in sight.

Xu Yang chuckled, remarking that the old man was quite interesting, as he had assumed all Supreme Living Fossils were bound to guard the will of the Supreme God. He mused that their situations seemed to differ from one another.

The elder smiled and nodded slightly. He admitted he found it hard to believe that Xu Yang had single-handedly annihilated the dozen ancient luminaries.

“It seems you are indeed qualified to stand before me, at the foot of this massive stone mountain behind me.

I can even tell you precisely what you are seeking. The most powerful source of energy, representing power beyond my Tongyuan, is hidden within this stone mountain. Your three companions were actually drawn by this very power source and voluntarily entered a state of cultivation.

However, I must warn you: if they lack sufficient fortune or cultivation, and if they harbor greedy thoughts, then this dream realm could inflict endless punishment upon them. Their souls, along with their very being, would face ruin.”

Xu Yang's interest was piqued by the elder's words. He inquired if the Tongyuan Royal Clan's power source was essentially a soul trial for cultivators. The Supreme Living Fossil nodded slightly.

“Exactly,” the elder confirmed. “Within the entire Kunlun Divine Path, no one—aside from the Supreme God's consciousness and myself, the Supreme Elder—has ever survived the trial of this power source. Your three friends, too, likely stand little chance.”

Upon hearing this from the old man, Xu Yang's expression immediately turned cold.

Xu Yang declared that he would first swiftly deal with the elder, then ascend the mountain to awaken his companions, and finally personally retrieve the power source from within the stone mountain. Only then, he stated, would he consider the Tongyuan Royal Clan's forbidden land's exclusive trial complete.

The elder, with a disdainful sneer, asked if Xu Yang was always so confident in his abilities. He conceded that such confidence might be understandable against other opponents, but insisted that before him, Xu Yang had no right to be so presumptuous.