Chapter 643: Arrived Just in Time

"Hmph, I didn't realize you were such a wealthy individual! This kind of divine-level armor is extremely rare. How did a human like you manage to acquire it?"

Watching the divine artifact, the Qiankun Bell, appear at the critical moment to protect its master, Isis couldn't help but envy Xu Yang. Not to mention a human, even among gods, few possess such unique good fortune and opportunities.

Xu Yang chuckled, "This is why I don't fear trouble. With trouble comes reward. Cultivators never need ease!"

Having dealt with the first wave of trouble, Xu Yang consulted the grey-haired elder, asking for a suitable path forward. After all, they were heading towards the summit of Night Cold Mountain, which was the only way to Wuyue Heaven.

"Now we have two choices. One is to take a shortcut, which would bypass the Ten Extremes Peak, enter the Heaven's Crossing Abyss, traverse mountains and seas to follow the Celestial Path, and reach the central region of Night Cold Mountain—its heartland. This path leads directly into Wuyue Heaven. Although it's difficult, it saves a lot of detours.

The second option is for me to immediately activate all my corpse puppets to help you pinpoint your teammates' locations. However, your aura has already been locked onto by the Ten Extremes Wasteland Spirit Legion. If we locate them before entering the inner path, it would easily expose your position, leading to you and your companions being surrounded.

The final decision on which path to take is yours."

The grey-haired elder's words were clear, but this time, Xu Yang chose the second option without hesitation.

"I'm not afraid of anything, but if I leave them behind, I worry they'll get lost here. Since the Ten Extremes Wasteland Spirits have already awakened, there's no point in hiding anymore. We should just face them."

The grey-haired elder nodded gravely and immediately began performing a ritual on the spot. Isis also directly manifested her soul form, personally providing protection for him.

What Xu Yang and the others never expected, however, was the sheer number of wasteland spirits that appeared, far exceeding their imagination.

"What! So many of them came at once!"

Isis's expression became somewhat unnatural. At least for now, it would be extremely difficult for Xu Yang alone to simultaneously face the onslaught of thousands of wasteland spirits.

"Kid, what are you going to do?"

Xu Yang yawned and shrugged indifferently. "What can we do? We fight them as they come! We certainly can't let them enter the old man's spiritual barrier!"

And so, a defensive battle to protect the elder's barrier officially began.

Having absorbed sufficient soul energy, Empress Isis's deterrent power was formidable. One lineage of wasteland spirits even dropped to one knee and bowed upon seeing her.

"Empress, why are you with this human?"

"Hmph, does this empress need to explain her actions to you? Don't bother showing me respect. I know why you're here. Just make your move. Who lives and who dies will be decided by strength."

With these words, Isis effectively gave the three lineages of wasteland spirits an excuse to proceed, pushing the confrontation into a natural progression.

"Very well then, please forgive our impudence. To gain freedom through the power of the Soul Spring, we must give our all. Attack!"

Thousands of wasteland spirits from the three lineages completely surrounded Xu Yang and his group, giving them no chance to consider other options.

Meanwhile, Xu Yang fully released the soul power of the Nine-Colored Qiankun Bell, further expanding its defensive range.

The God-Sealing Order had a flaw: it couldn't suppress divine-level artifacts. As long as divine-level power wasn't actively released, it wouldn't affect the artifact. Furthermore, this bell artifact was a defensive one, passively triggering a defensive counterattack effect. The dispersed power was based on the auras emitted by the wasteland spirits themselves, thus perfectly shielding it from the God-Sealing Order's suppression.

As expected, with the protection of this divine artifact's spirit, Xu Yang's small team's counterattack ability significantly increased. However, the enemy's numbers were simply too vast, and the Qiankun Bell's protective barrier alone couldn't last forever.

More importantly, the upper limit of the power the Qiankun Bell could reflect back to these wasteland spirits was very limited. The reason the deer spirit was shattered by a single roar earlier was because it was alone and unprepared, leading to its instant demise.

Now, with the Qiankun Bell having appeared early, thousands of wasteland spirits on site were already on guard. Achieving a wide-ranging counter-kill effect in a short time would be nearly impossible.

"Human, if you surrender the source of the Soul Spring, the Ten Extremes Wasteland Spirits will no longer trouble you and will grant you a path to survival."

Xu Yang smiled. "Can you win against me before you start bragging? Otherwise, you'll just look incompetent."

"Kill!" Such words immediately enraged the three wasteland spirit leaders on the scene. An incredibly formidable soul power pressure rapidly converged above Xu Yang's head.

"If we don't show you our strength, you'll truly never know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

Witnessing the imminent arrival of this powerful soul pressure, Xu Yang realized that soul-level attacks were not within the Qiankun Bell's primary defensive range. Given the intensity of the coalesced soul power, if he didn't retaliate with some means, Xu Yang might suffer severe injuries.

However, if he focused entirely on counterattacking, the Qiankun Bell's defensive barrier would inevitably weaken. If the thousands of wasteland spirits immediately shifted their attack target, the Qiankun Bell's defensive array would collapse. At that point, even with the Asura Divine Sword in hand, Xu Yang would likely be unable to turn the tide.

Just at this critical moment, a clear soul-voice suddenly echoed from deep within the distant jungle.

"Dare to touch our boss, you swarm of divine-level ants? You truly don't know your place!"

The sudden arrival of Shi Lingyun's voice astonished Xu Yang, Isis, and the others.

"Heh, I never thought that quiet girl could speak with such force when saying harsh words. I'm truly surprised!"

Xu Yang gave a wry smile, quickly sensing the girl's powerful soul energy. A purple light erupted instantly, and a single strike shattered the soul power halo above Xu Yang's head, neutralizing this wave of offensive pressure.

"Who goes there!"

"Heh heh, your grandpa!"

Behind Long Kun, phoenix wings descended, covering the sky. On the other side, Ling Yao's powerful freezing aura continuously pounded the battlefield. The appearance of these three was like three war gods sweeping through all obstacles. Being below the divine level, they could unleash their full strength without any restrictions. Large numbers of wasteland spirits rapidly met their demise with the arrival of Xu Yang's three companions.

"Damn it, how did so many human powerhouses show up again? I didn't expect Xu Yang to have so many subordinates; this is truly troublesome!"

The three wasteland spirit leaders all wore bitter expressions, agitated as if a cooked duck was about to fly away.

"Form the Ten Extremes Soul-Locking Array! We must not let this opportunity slip away!"

This time, the three leaders didn't wait idly. They simultaneously attacked the positions of Long Kun and his two companions in the void.

At this crucial moment, Shi Lingyun's ice crystal divine artifact once again proved its worth. A powerful burst of mental energy, comparable to a divine level, descended forcefully. This single counterattack annihilated hundreds of wasteland spirits!