Chapter 1926: Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

This was his temporary combat method, a powerful vortex he created by absorbing surrounding wind-attribute energy. After trapping Xu Yang, it tightly bound his body to its outer perimeter.

"Winter's Annihilation Intent! Silence Descends!"

This was the green-robed old man's true ultimate technique, his most powerful single-target devastating ability. The moment his voice rang out,

with his hands clasped together, a pair of enormous soul pupils suddenly materialized behind him. A continuous stream of martial energy erupted from these pupils, flowing swiftly along the vortex that bound Xu Yang's body and into his head.

The most terrifying aspect of this technique was its ability to inflict a dual blow on both the opponent's soul and physical body. On one hand, it attacked the target's soul world by overwhelming it with infinite dark consciousness, while on the other, it used incredibly biting wind and frost to tear apart their physical form.

From this vantage point, it appeared Xu Yang had no way to break free from this ultimate technique; his body remained completely motionless.

"Oh no, Sir Xu Yang is in danger. We should all intervene to stop this old man."

Lan Ling'er seemed to lose her composure, as the opponent's murderous intent was indeed unmistakable. This was the ultimate power of a living fossil from the late Martial God level, and probably few martial artists in the world would dare to confront it directly.

Furthermore, with the external vortex present, Xu Yang was now in a passive state. Even if he wished to resist with all his might, he likely couldn't act freely.

However, Nangong, who was standing nearby, suddenly calmed the man's agitated emotions, a serene smile gracing his face.

"You have no need to worry. Sir Xu Yang's true power is only just beginning to emerge." Nangong said this because, at that moment, he saw Xu Yang's brilliant eyes open once more.

In the void, the trajectory of the Ghost Valley Qimen Array materialized beneath Xu Yang's feet. The moment the array's power surged, Xu Yang's body completely vanished. When he reappeared, he had astonishingly swapped places with the old man who had unleashed the destructive ultimate technique.

"How is this possible! It's a spatial transposition technique that can also lock onto the opponent's physical essence. This is simply incredible!"

All observers were utterly stunned by Xu Yang's miraculous technique. However, for the green-robed old man, true despair had only just begun to descend.

That was the very technique imbued with his most powerful killing ultimate, and now, this power, having escaped his control, was locked onto himself.

Then came a thunderous boom!

The full force of the Annihilation ultimate technique struck the old man's body. Had he not possessed his most powerful ultimate trump card, his soul world would likely have been torn to shreds by that very power. The dark pupil behind him, which seemed to perceive everything, completely vanished.

More precisely, he sacrificed his totem as a cost to preserve the integrity of his soul world. However, his body was now already riddled with wounds from the biting frost energy.

He appeared utterly disheveled, having completely lost the demeanor of a grandmaster, especially in front of his companions and the younger martial artists below. The old man had thoroughly lost face.

"Well played! What a brilliant 'Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell' move! Sir Xu Yang is indeed the most powerful being in this world." The onlookers below immediately erupted into cheers, praising Xu Yang's strength. This also stripped the disheveled old man of his very last shred of dignity.

Xu Yang simply met the opponent's gaze with a smile, not pursuing with any further powerful attacks. He then suddenly made a thoughtful gesture.

"Wait a moment, let me calculate. How much time is left until one *shichen*?"

Xu Yang's gesture of counting on his fingers infuriated the old man before him to no end.

"Stop playing tricks here. Let me show you the true power of my soul-bound divine artifact!"

The old man hesitated no longer. His soul-bound divine artifact was astonishingly released directly from his soul world.

It was a bottle imbued with immense soul power, which the green-robed old man held in his palm.

"Oh no, it's the legendary Soul-Sealing Bottle!"

The moment the bottle appeared, the fiend below immediately revealed an expression of profound shock.

Based on his shared information, the other companions finally understood the bottle's true origin. Legend had it that it was the strongest soul artifact, crafted from the skull of an ancient, immensely powerful Martial God-level expert.

Of course, even the "strongest" has its limits. However, among all soul artifacts within the empire, this bottle could undoubtedly claim the top spot.

Its most terrifying function was its ability to lock onto an opponent's soul essence, extract it from their soul world, and eternally imprison it within itself.

If the old man succeeded in casting his spell, the soul essence imprisoned within the bottle would forever be under his complete control. Life and death would be decided by his mere whim.

The information shared by the fiend was naturally gathered by Xu Yang's soul world. After fully grasping the bottle's true function, the smile on Xu Yang's face broadened even further. Clearly, he intended to give everyone an even greater surprise.

"Hehehe, I just calculated. You have about half an incense stick of time left before your demise. That means you have one final opportunity to attack me. Unleash whatever hidden skills you possess, because if you miss this chance, you'll be saying goodbye to everything."

However, at this moment, the green-robed living fossil completely disregarded Xu Yang's words. He was utterly confident in the power his bottle could unleash.

"Hahaha, you truly won't shed tears until you see the coffin, will you? Since you're so confident, then I'll let you fall into despair at the very peak of your self-confidence!"

The moment he finished speaking, the old man began to continuously inject his spiritual power into the bottle, fully activating its devouring capabilities. In just an instant, the bottle's outline began to expand rapidly!

A continuous stream of black energy emanated from the bottle, locking onto Xu Yang's physical location. However, Xu Yang then made a move that utterly astonished everyone present.

To the opposing faction, this act was sheer recklessness, a blatant overestimation of his own abilities. To his companions below, it looked undeniably like an act of suicide.

"My heavens! What exactly is Sir Xu Yang doing? Does he not understand the bottle's power?"

Everyone shook their heads in disbelief.