At some point, a radiant, crimson-golden armguard appeared on Xu Yang's right arm, distinct from the rest of his body. The remaining golden-red hue wrapped around his body, making him look as dazzling as a deity of fire from ancient legend.
At the same time, his eyes shone with golden light, and his pupils resembled miniature suns, seemingly burning with an endless golden flame.
"This brat finally decided to use that right arm bone and his peculiar eyes!"
Inside the carriage, Gu Rong couldn't help but laugh heartily upon seeing this.
"Bone Elder, is Young Master really going to be okay?! That corrupted one is still a Soul King, and now he's using a transformed soul skill that's already surpassed the Soul King level, reaching the level of a Soul Emperor's attack!" Ning Haiyan, observing the transformed blood scythe with its sharp aura, asked worriedly.
"Don't worry! With Bone Elder's means, he'll definitely step in to save Xu Yang at the last moment if things go south. Just watch quietly." Dugu Bo chuckled faintly, though his gaze remained fixed on Xu Yang and Dugu Yan, ready to intervene at any sign of trouble.
Still, this battle was an excellent opportunity for both Xu Yang and Dugu Yan. If they could push through, it would greatly benefit their growth in the future.
"That brat even has a soul bone, and by the look of it, its age isn't low. He must come from some powerful background. He absolutely cannot be allowed to escape today!" The eldest corrupted soul master's eyes flashed with a fierce gleam as he recognized the change in Xu Yang's right arm.
He was utterly shocked. The rarity and value of soul bones were beyond question. Otherwise, he wouldn't have plotted to kill everyone present—including his own brother—to hide the fact that he possessed a soul bone.
"But this works out perfectly. As long as I kill this brat, that right arm bone will be mine!"
The corrupted Soul King's face twisted into a savage grin, and his eyes gleamed with greed. With that right arm bone, his strength would certainly skyrocket. Gripping his blood scythe tightly, the blood-red light surged along the blade, and he unfurled his bat wings, transforming into a streak of blood light.
Ordinary people wouldn't have detected the soul power changes along his scythe, but Xu Yang, with his fully-activated Sunlit Golden Eyes, could see through every detail.
He saw the blood-red soul power elongate into jagged, sawtooth-like edges that oscillated back and forth across the blade at a terrifying speed, like a high-speed chainsaw. Xu Yang had no doubt—if that strike landed, it would cleave him in two with a single blow.
"Impressive. This corrupted soul master's control of soul power rivals many Soul Sages, even reaching the compression stage, not far from my own level. The only difference lies in the method!"
Xu Yang understood that soul power control had four stages: enhancement, burst, compression, and micro-control. He had already reached the third stage, capable of compressing soul power into tangible, solid forms, creating weapon-like armor to enhance his body and deliver powerful strikes.
The corrupted soul master, by contrast, focused on changing the shape of his soul power to boost his strength.
Though both had achieved the compression stage, their methods differed. Xu Yang had simply never considered using this kind of soul power variation as a combat method.
To counter it, there were only two options: evasion or wielding a weapon sharp enough to match it.
Dodging was out of the question; continuous evasion would eventually leave him vulnerable. Clashing head-on was also too risky, for the same reason.
Only by combining both approaches could he succeed.
Having resolved this, Xu Yang dismissed his dual Sun Sacred Blades. Golden light surged in his right hand, forming a new blade slightly resembling bone—a true Sun Sacred Blade formed from his external spirit bone.
The external bone's spirit ability was simple: it condensed sword energy. With his current level of control, he compressed the energy into a thin edge along the blade, matching the sharpness of the corrupted one's blood scythe.
The corrupted Soul King's speed was terrifying; in an instant, he was before Xu Yang, noticing the change in his weapon. But since the Sun Sacred Blade formed from a spirit bone looked similar to his original blade, the Soul King dismissed it, thinking Xu Yang merely shifted his grip to a two-handed stance for more power.
After all, everyone knew two hands wielding a blade generated far more force than one.
"Die!"
The corrupted Soul King roared as his blood scythe swept forward, launching wave after wave of blood light, resembling a raging sea crashing down on Xu Yang. If even one strike landed, it would end the battle.
Gu Rong had already risen from the carriage, silently preparing to intervene.
Facing the relentless assault, Xu Yang's expression remained calm. Even as the corrupted one's attacks rained down, he met them with overwhelming strength. The Sun Sacred Blade, empowered by the right arm bone, gave him the confidence to overpower his opponent.
Every swing of Xu Yang's blade was infused with tightly compressed soul power and radiant sunlight energy. Each strike shattered the waves of blood light like a blazing knife cutting through mist.
The two clashed in a chaotic, soul power-charged melee.
But as the battle continued, the corrupted Soul King's expression darkened. Xu Yang's blade power didn't wane; it grew even stronger with every strike. He realized he couldn't win this battle of attrition—Xu Yang's sword was as sharp and deadly as his modified blood scythe. Worse, the Sunlit Orbs floating above provided Xu Yang with constant replenishment, drawing strength from the sun energy around them. Even in a contest of endurance, Xu Yang held the advantage.
In the end, the Soul King had to admit—if this dragged on, he would die.
"Now's my chance!"
"Sun True Fire!"
Seeing the corrupted Soul King's momentary hesitation, Xu Yang's eyes flashed. His pupils contracted, and golden flames—Sun True Fire—erupted around the corrupted Soul King. Xu Yang's right arm bone glowed, and his Sunlit Golden Eyes shone with radiant light, layering his flame control with his ocular ability.
In an instant, the once-small Sun True Fireire expanded, engulfing the Soul King in its scorching embrace.
"Ahhhhhh!"
A horrific scream echoed from within the flames. The corrupted Soul King unleashed all his soul power from his pores, frantically trying to form a vacuum layer to escape the inferno.