Chapter 1901: Soul Roaming Freely

Even the wisest of people can make a mistake. No matter how powerful an expert, oversights are inevitable during real combat. Even Xu Yang, the Ninth Human Emperor and the mightiest among humans, found it difficult to account for every possibility.

After all, this group of enemies had long been hidden in the shadows. Xu Yang had no idea what other tricks they might have up their sleeves, especially since every inch of the imperial capital had already become their home ground.

In fact, their sudden appearance at this location, blocking Xu Yang's team, was entirely premeditated.

The moment Xu Yang shattered the gold-robed believer's body with a palm strike, the scepter in the believer's hand finally came into use.

He immediately threw it over ten meters away. Upon landing, the scepter instantly adhered to the ground and simultaneously emitted an intensely pure essence of martial power. This energy condensed into a light barrier that completely isolated Xu Yang, Lan Ling'er, and the now-conscious Nangong on one side of the battlefield.

On the other side, Po Xiao, Long Kun, Ancient Great Snake, and the others lacked Xu Yang's powerful mental strength as support. Breaking free from the dream after entering it was not so simple for them, and they were currently still immersed in their respective dream battles.

However, with the appearance of this light barrier, Xu Yang and his two companions were unable to immediately help their teammates break free from the dream, thus giving the silver-robed disciples, who had conjured the dreams, an opportunity to strike.

"Hahaha, Xu Yang! Trading just my life for the freedom of so many of your teammates is an absolute bargain!"

Although the gold-robed believer's physical body was shattered by Xu Yang, his damaged soul essence perfectly triggered the latent martial power within the scepter, granting his silver-robed disciples a longer window of opportunity to act.

Xu Yang's actions were incredibly swift; almost the instant the light barrier formed, his power followed. With a thunderous *crack*, the barrier shattered instantly, and the scepter that had unleashed its power was simultaneously crushed to dust by Xu Yang.

Yet, the moment this isolating power vanished, Long Kun and the others had completely disappeared, along with the silver-robed disciples who had woven their dream battlefields.

Ordinarily, their abilities wouldn't have allowed them to escape Xu Yang's perception in mere seconds. However, the area had already been secretly embedded with teleportation arrays. This entire situation was a meticulously planned, interconnected scheme.

Even someone as formidable as Xu Yang couldn't have detected the details of every trap they had laid in advance.

"This is outrageous! We were so careful, yet we still fell into their trap. They're truly impossible to guard against!" Lan Ling'er stamped her foot in frustration. It was now clear that she was inextricably linked with Xu Yang and his team; she needed his strength to rescue the elders of the Changyun Tianzong, who were currently in the disciples' clutches. Nangong sighed remorsefully, turning his gaze back to Xu Yang.

"My sincerest apologies, esteemed Xu Yang. Far from assisting you, we've only proven to be a hindrance."

Xu Yang smiled and shook his head. "Honestly, there's no need for you to feel any self-reproach. In this grand game of chess, everyone plays the role of a pawn. No one can truly disrupt the overall progression. As long as the priest hiding deep within the imperial palace doesn't reveal himself, we will always be playing by his rules."

Hearing Xu Yang's words, Lan Ling'er immediately deflated. "Are you saying we truly have no recourse, and must simply be led by the nose by that wretched High Priest?"

Xu Yang chuckled. "You, young lady, certainly have the fiery temper of a spoiled young mistress. While the game was indeed set by that priest, even as pawns, each of you has the right to control your own actions and defy those who call themselves strategists.

Remember my words: your destiny is always in your own hands. You only truly surrender to fate if you choose to do so the moment before reaching the shores of victory.

From my perspective, those pulling the strings from behind the scenes have only two objectives: first, to capture the old emperor, their most crucial bargaining chip. Second, to seize this opportunity and eliminate me by any means necessary, which would simplify their subsequent plans significantly.

Until they achieve these two objectives, none of the hostages they hold will easily lose their lives. If anyone from my team loses their life at their hands, I will not hesitate to raze the entire imperial capital. Compared to such an uncontrollable outcome, those who consider themselves cunning will never burn their bridges unless absolutely necessary."

For some reason, hearing Xu Yang speak, both Nangong and Lan Ling'er felt a surge of confidence. At the very least, Xu Yang's words just now proved that he was far from unleashing his true power, and that he possessed ample means to directly confront those who thought themselves masterminds.

In short, Xu Yang was clearly a formidable ally. Having already committed to joining him, Lan Ling'er and Nangong now had no choice but to continue relying on his strength. Nevertheless, as the foremost sect under the empire, their Changyun Tianzong now owed Xu Yang a significant debt of gratitude that would be impossible to repay anytime soon.

Watching all their teammates vanish, Lan Ling'er approached Xu Yang, head bowed, spreading her hands in an expression of resignation. "We know you're powerful, but in this situation, they're hidden in the shadows while we're exposed. And now, we've needlessly lost several of our people. What should we do next? We don't even know where they're hiding."

Xu Yang showed no sign of blind panic; he remained entirely confident. Without uttering another word, he simply pointed a finger towards his chest, and a vast, powerful surge of mental energy instantly erupted from him. Like an immense net enveloping the entire imperial capital, it rapidly expanded outwards with Xu Yang's body as its core.

"Soul's Traverse!" Xu Yang let out a low growl. Two crisscrossing, materialized streams of mental energy rapidly condensed and swiftly moved through the surrounding space in the dark night, like two dragons weaving through the air.

Soon, Xu Yang detected the lingering auras of the dark force disciples in the air.

"Holy hell, no way! Is that even possible? They've vanished without a trace! How can you possibly track them down?" This incredible method of tracking enemies utterly stunned both Nangong and Lan Ling'er.