Chapter 624: Soul Breakthrough

Zi Kuang showed no trace of sadness on his face, only wild excitement. Yet, the moment he witnessed Zui Ye's complete annihilation, something inside him was finally stirred.

At the same moment, the Ice Crystal Scepter in Shi Lingyun's hand seemed to instinctively tremble, responding to Zi Kuang's emotional fluctuations. Shi Lingyun's perception, honed by her Nine Apertures Exquisite Heart, was astonishing; this brief tremor allowed her to perfectly grasp Zi Kuang's true inner world.

All things in the world are imbued with emotion, and even the deeply sinful Zi Kuang was no exception. Even if he were to kill everyone in the world, Zui Ye's place in his heart was irreplaceable.

The melody of "Nine Songs" was finally drawing to a close. Shi Lingyun's heart had been in a state of complex turmoil, but in that very moment, upon feeling a soul's pulsation from within the Ice Crystal Scepter, it was like a fleeting miracle that gave her immense spiritual guidance, allowing her to inadvertently comprehend the true meaning of life.

"Perhaps, only love is the true eternal theme of life. 'Nine Songs' speaks of all the world's sorrows and chronicles its myriad changes, yet it lacks the word 'emotion'! The original creator, it is said, never left the Eight Hundred Buddhist Sects his entire life; even having witnessed the world's ebb and flow, he ultimately never truly experienced emotion. Perhaps I now understand how to add an ending to this astonishing masterpiece."

Shi Lingyun's lips curved slightly, as if, in that instant, she had stepped into a completely new spiritual realm. She slowly closed her eyes, her slender, jade-like hands resting on the qin's strings. Each pluck was so natural, as if divinely crafted, and from her hands emerged an unprecedented, perfect masterpiece.

In an instant, boundless divine radiance from the Nine Heavens descended upon Xu Yang and the other three. This kind of blessing effect was unheard of even by Shi Lingyun herself; it was as if all the myriad cosmic energies were directly gathered around the four individuals.

"My heavens, Lingyun," Long Kun exclaimed, "what kind of technique is this? It's truly miraculous! I feel an inexhaustible surge of power filling my body, as if I am the sole master of this world!"

Long Kun was greatly astonished and quickly asked. However, this time Shi Lingyun was unable to answer him, only shaking her head with a wry smile.

"'Nine Songs' was the only regret in my heart," Shi Lingyun said. "Now it has finally been completed. Whether I live or die, I can face it with equanimity."

Hearing Shi Lingyun's words, Xu Yang glanced over and was pleasantly surprised to find that the girl had once again achieved a soul breakthrough. Now, Shi Lingyun's spiritual realm could rival that of a true deity; one could say she had already completed her path to godhood on a spiritual level ahead of schedule.

And seemingly influenced by her powerful amplification effect, the Heavenly Sword Totem on Ling Yao's back was also, at this moment, imbued with seven incomparably brilliant divine lights!

It's worth noting that before this, Ling Yao's Heavenly Sword had never brought her any significant breakthrough assistance. Even the secrets of the Nine Dragon Heavenly Tribulation from back then had always remained sealed within the sword, never revealing their true form.

However, this time, with a roar, Ling Yao poured all her strength into the Heavenly Sword Totem itself, unleashing an immense sword light that blasted open a colorful rift.

"How can this be?"

Xu Yang and the others were all greatly alarmed. Even Ling Yao herself had never imagined that after being empowered and amplified by this force, her Heavenly Sword Totem would instead suffer severe damage.

The extent of the cracking continued to increase, and no one could stop the process. Finally, with an incredibly clear sound, the colossal Heavenly Sword Totem shattered completely. However, instead of the expected collapse, a gigantic, vibrant rainbow dragon soul emerged from the shattered Heavenly Sword!

"My heavens, what do I see?" Long Kun gasped. "That's a dragon soul with colorful scales! Could this be another secret of the Nine Dragon Heavenly Tribulation, sealed within the Heavenly Sword? It's just a pity it seems to have come a bit late."

Long Kun sighed helplessly. If the Heavenly Sword had shattered earlier, perhaps Ling Yao's fate would have been changed long ago.

"No! It came just in time!"

Xu Yang suddenly burst into laughter, seemingly having anticipated something. Sure enough, in the very next instant, Ling Yao continued to bind her entire essence with this colorful dragon soul, and an unprecedented power of a true dragon erupted!

In an instant, the colorful giant dragon soul soared into the sky. It immediately locked onto the direction where Zui Ye's shattered body lay, completely locking onto Zi Kuang's aura, and charged towards the terrifying demon.

"What? Is this the bloodline of the Dragon Prince who mysteriously disappeared from the Dragon Clan long ago?"

Zi Kuang's words blurted out, which once again plunged Xu Yang and the other three into a state of shock.

"Dragon Prince? What in the world is that?"

No one had ever heard any secrets related to the name 'Dragon Prince'; even the well-informed Xu Yang knew nothing about it. But everyone could clearly see that this colorful, shimmering dragon soul was now exerting unprecedented pressure on Zi Kuang.

"You, boy," the Dragon Prince's voice boomed, "as a possessor of the Dragon Clan bloodline, you chose to betray the Dragon Clan and unauthorizedly devour the powers of demons and angels. Today, I, this Emperor, shall suppress you on behalf of my Dragon Clan!"

The Dragon Prince's words reverberated with immense power. The colossal dragon soul exuded an unparalleled regal aura. In just one encounter, its immensely powerful dragon soul energy instantly erupted, completely shattering the dozen or so defensive aura shields Zi Kuang had temporarily erected before him. It seemed that before this Dragon Prince, all defensive measures were rendered useless.

Zi Kuang was greatly startled and tried to use other techniques, but he quickly discovered that once he was within the Dragon Prince's dragon soul domain, he couldn't employ any means of resistance.

"No! This is impossible!"

Zi Kuang roared hysterically. However, in the very next moment, he was completely sent flying by the Dragon Prince's colorful soul. He vomited mouthfuls of blood, and his formerly domineering, world-conquering aura instantly diminished by more than half.

"Ah ha ha ha ha!" Long Kun laughed heartily. "Ling Yao, I can't believe you've had such a formidable big boss protecting you all this time. Now you don't have to worry about anyone bullying you anymore."

Long Kun continued to laugh and tease Ling Yao, but deep down, he was truly happy for the girl.

As for Ling Yao herself, she was completely bewildered. She had never dreamed that the secrets she had tried with all her might to uncover would be revealed under such circumstances.

After successfully landing one blow, the Dragon Prince's colorful soul did not continue its attack. Instead, it transformed into a streak of colorful smoke and returned to Ling Yao, then silently entered Ling Yao's spiritual world.

"The Dragon Prince's soul has just recovered," Xu Yang said. "With that single strike, he exerted all of his current strength. We cannot expect him to fight for us continuously. However, this is also good; Zi Kuang has already been severely wounded. We can now concentrate all our power to stop the six demonic gates from releasing!"