Chapter 537: Listening to the Judgment

With all previously unfair combat factors eliminated, Xu Yang finally stood on equal footing with his opponent once more. This was undoubtedly good news for Xu Yang's side.

"My lords, is there anything I can do?" the Mermaid Queen asked, her voice sincere. "This is a catastrophe for our mermaid race, yet Lord Xu Yang is bearing the burden of this sin for us. The mermaid race owes you both far too much. The Abyssal Demon Lord is immensely powerful; it's unfair for Lord Xu Yang to face him alone."

The Mermaid Queen's words were indeed heartfelt, but Ling Yao merely chuckled. "Don't overthink it," she said. "Now that our boss has dragged that fellow into the Soul Battlefield, it's tantamount to a pre-declared demise for him. On equal ground, my boss has never lost to anyone. The only question you should be pondering now is how to repay him."

Ling Yao's blunt reply was practical; indeed, mere words of gratitude were useless. It was better to offer some tangible compensation and reciprocation. The Mermaid Queen, too, undoubtedly fell into deep thought regarding this matter. To put it mildly, if Xu Yang resolved this battle as well, the mermaid race, even if they sacrificed everything, would be unable to repay such an immense favor.

"Let's go," Ling Yao urged. "Since those two have entered the Soul Battlefield, the rest is beyond our involvement. Rather than waiting idly here, it would be better to return to the mermaid territory and purge the traitors first. Let's stabilize the situation there."

Ling Yao's words resonated with the Mermaid Queen, who immediately nodded and led the two goddesses back to the mermaid territory, initiating a swift and decisive purge of traitors.

Meanwhile, within Xu Yang's Soul Battlefield world, no external factors remained to hinder the climactic battle between the two.

Boom!

That magnificent opening move exploded in an instant, as both simultaneously unleashed an incredibly powerful offensive strike against the other. The soul-form Abyssal Demon Lord had assumed a human silhouette, now holding a demonic bone sword. This sword was a bone extracted from his own body, capable of resisting mental suppression to some extent. Because it contained fluctuations of divine power, this bone sword was in no way inferior when clashing directly with the keen edge of the Asura Sword.

"Do you know," the Abyssal Demon Lord began, "the most enviable talent in this world is to possess a soul with color. Even our demon race, possessing divine power, has not been granted such an honor. To think that you, a lowly human, have received such a gift—what a waste!"

Xu Yang sneered in response, "Do you know what I hate most? It's your condescending attitude when facing humans. Are kings, lords, generals, and ministers born into their roles? Humans will one day stand as equals with all you so-called higher-dimensional beings!"

The Abyssal Demon Lord chuckled disdainfully. "Is that the goal you've striven for your entire life?"

"Precisely," Xu Yang affirmed. "I want to make people like you understand that humanity is never weaker than any other race. We can break through all obstacles with indomitable spirit and stand at the pinnacle of the world!"

"Dream on!" the Abyssal Demon Lord scoffed, as if he had just heard the most absurd joke. Without another word, he vanished from his spot and shot into the air, blood-red soul-light wings coalescing on his back. He seemed to be praying, muttering a highly obscure and incomprehensible incantation.

Soon, the moment the incantation erupted, the sky above the Soul World also dimmed considerably.

Boom! Boom!!

Terrifying purple light waves continuously slammed down from the sky. Each wave that struck the ground of the Soul World created a massive crater, and Xu Yang, caught within, felt violent soul tremors erupting repeatedly! This force was irresistible; he could only evade it through constant movement, which quickly exerted a significant amount of mental pressure on Lord Xu Yang.

"As expected of a fully formed Abyssal Demon, even starting on equal ground, it can still display such transcendental battlefield dominance!" Xu Yang muttered to himself. "I truly cannot let my guard down in this battle."

As he muttered this, Xu Yang simultaneously pushed his soul power output to its limit, and his movement speed surged to an unprecedented level.

Whoosh!! In an instant, Xu Yang flashed behind the Abyssal Demon Lord's soul form. His Asura Sword erupted with a grey-white crescent sword beam. The very moment he unleashed his sword energy, the surrounding space-time seemed to become sluggish. Clang!! A terrifying sword clang erupted, causing the astonished space-time to halt. Only Xu Yang and the sword beam from his Asura Sword remained capable of movement.

The sword beam irresistibly pierced from left to right. The Abyssal Demon Lord's soul form, trapped in relative stasis, was undeniably struck by the blow. A transparent void was clearly visible, having been torn through the center of its soul body.

"Heh, I truly underestimated you," the Abyssal Demon Lord scoffed. "To be able to control the power of the void to some extent, and to have achieved what you have today, you are indeed no simple character."

Xu Yang pursed his lips and shook his head. "I've heard too much flattery like that. I don't want to see you grovel. I only hope that, in the final moment, you will fall gloriously and with dignity."

"Hahahaha!" the Abyssal Demon Lord roared with laughter. "Perhaps you don't want to admit a truth: your incredibly potent sword strike just now caused me no real damage. Furthermore, I am far from having unleashed my full power in this battle. Take this, fellow!"

Boom!

In the next instant, the Abyssal Demon Lord's blood-colored soul form spread the wings of light from its back, slowly ascending into the air. Simultaneously, three massive, purplish-black ice shards materialized one after another. Unbeknownst to Xu Yang, each of these purplish-black ice shards sealed a terrifying, exclusive soul imprint, like individual time bombs released into the Soul Battlefield.

"You'd best be careful, friend," the Abyssal Demon Lord said, "that sound is truly delightful!"

The Abyssal Demon Lord snapped his fingers, and booming explosions immediately reverberated. Each shattering ice shard was accompanied by a violent, eruptive tremor within the soul space... Awkwardly, Xu Yang was unable to decipher the unique runic patterns within these ice shards in a short amount of time, thus preventing him from perfectly neutralizing them instantly. He could only brace himself, waiting for the ice shards to shatter and enduring their terrifying explosive force.

The violent fluctuations from the Soul World's tremors momentarily disoriented Xu Yang. It was during this brief window that the Abyssal Demon Lord finally attempted a close-quarters attack for the first time, transforming into a strange black light and appearing behind Xu Yang.

"Hear the judgment!"

Boom!

The blood-red light wings slashed down from seemingly nowhere, unleashing an astonishingly fierce power. It struck Xu Yang's recently recovered soul form squarely, and a sense of grave danger instantly descended...