Chapter Fifty-Four: The Eight-Dragon Sonic Assault under the Power of Nether Souls

However, these eight colossal dragons, their forms shifting and unstable, could not be compared to true dragons. They were conjured by Jiang Feng’s soul force, their roars echoing outward, and within the blazing white dragon shapes, the murderous intent reached an extraordinary peak—a height Jiang Feng had never experienced before.

“The art of sonic slaughter?” The Plum Blossom Sword cared little, only voicing a doubtful query as he withdrew a few plum blossoms, hoping to absorb some soul force to restore his weakened state.

The grand Li Plum Blossom Fire Formation, once at its zenith, suddenly lost much of its momentum. If not for the three plum blossoms used to execute the Triple Melody, which offered little resistance, the formation would surely have remained aloof. This revealed the Plum Blossom Sword’s proud and arrogant nature.

“Li Plum Blossom Fire, Triple Melody for the kill!”

Within the great array, every plum blossom fire flared once more. Though diminished, they still surged magnificently, growing into a maw the size of a small mountain, inhaling with force and swallowing all eight blazing dragons of sonic slaughter at once. Without pause, the maw closed slightly, and in the next instant, threatened to swallow Jiang Feng whole.

Eight dragons of sonic slaughter—no matter how large a high-level soul beast, it could never devour them all in one bite. Yet the Li Plum Blossom Fire Formation opened its mouth and enveloped all eight, exhibiting a force that could swallow mountains and rivers.

“Beware the Triple Melody!”

Within his sea of consciousness, Jue cried out, thoroughly enraged, surging with soul power to help Jiang Feng mobilize every ounce of soul force within his mind.

Violent soul force burst forth from Jiang Feng’s every acupoint, like clouds long heavy with rain suddenly pouring down in torrents. The eight dragons, formed from soul force, responded to the surge within the formation, tangling with the plum blossom fire, sizzling and smoking as if acid corroded flesh. What astonished Jiang Feng most was that the Plum Blossom Sword, manipulating the formation from the shadows, not only could speak but also possessed human traits; sensing a piercing pain, he howled skyward.

“Er, elder,” Jiang Feng, his eyes bloodshot from battle, paused at the sight, watching the rapidly spinning Blood Fiend Fruit and sweating, asked, “Is it screaming because it’s dizzy from spinning, or is it really in pain?”

Jue, though murderous, was still playful at heart. Jiang Feng’s question caught him off guard, and after a long look, unable to discern the truth, he puffed up his pride and replied, “Why worry? Let it howl if it wants. We must seize the chance and finish it off!”

Jiang Feng wiped his brow, recalling that Jue had once dared take on Sandfall alone, even when utterly destroyed, never so much as flinched—a truly ruthless character.

“Will befriending such a person make me develop a taste for bodily harm?” Jiang Feng mused nonsensically, but his hands never ceased, urging the eight dragons to tear through the formation, then unleashing the Heavenly Divine Palm.

Now, relying on vast soul force, he condensed power in his palm, able to strike out with the Heavenly Divine Palm from afar, overcoming the technique’s usual limitation—useful both in close combat and ranged attack.

A palm imprint, nearly ten thousand times larger than a real hand, materialized beyond the formation, charging at the Plum Blossom Sword’s true form within the Blood Fiend Fruit.

Jue cursed loudly: “What are you doing? Are you trying to wipe out the Blood Fiend Fruit in one blow?”

His implication: overreaching!

With three thousand years of combat experience, Jue knew Jiang Feng must strike while the formation’s energy waned, to break it completely. If Jiang Feng’s attack missed and the Blood Fiend Fruit evaded, his soul force would be depleted, and victory uncertain.

Jiang Feng, however, had his own reasoning. “I noticed the Plum Blossom Sword is extremely arrogant, no doubt self-assured in his power. He must think this attack is just for show, so he won’t dodge.”

By rights, Jue would scoff and wait to see Jiang Feng humiliated, but his body was destroyed, now fused with Jiang Feng; if Jiang Feng died, Jue’s fate would be no better. For a moment, he could only fume silently.

Jiang Feng ignored Jue’s sour mood, cleared his throat, and shouted, “You think you’re so powerful? Dare to wager?”

The Plum Blossom Sword was clearly startled. “What wager?”

“You can’t withstand this palm!”

“Impossible!” The Plum Blossom Sword, provoked by Jiang Feng’s challenge, snorted, summoning a few plum blossoms as a token defense, then let the Heavenly Divine Palm strike him directly.

Jiang Feng’s face grew solemn. His hand, still raised, glowed with faint, blazing white light—don’t underestimate it, for each thread was linked to the palm imprint unleashed. A little effort, and the Heavenly Divine Palm would erupt with overwhelming power.

Layer upon layer of white light rendered the palm imprint before the Blood Fiend Fruit increasingly terrifying. Sensing the moment had arrived, Jiang Feng’s palm flashed, and the distant palm imprint exploded!

Boom!

A boundless force surged from the Heavenly Divine Palm, even knocking Jiang Feng backward, until he reached the formation’s edge—one more step and he’d embrace its wall. Fortunately, the dragons’ power had worn the formation down to its last gasp; even if Jiang Feng crashed into it, he’d suffer only minor burns.

“What is this power, what is it!” The Plum Blossom Sword’s voice echoed in frenzy, unable to comprehend, then faced a scene unseen since Jue’s era.

This moment would haunt him forever.

The palm imprint grew enormous, radiant as the sun, eternal and indestructible. From the explosion, countless smaller palm imprints shot out, each seeming to bear an eye on its surface, all gazing with cold, cruel smiles.

As the Heavenly Divine Palm’s imprint touched him, the Blood Fiend Fruit’s shell crumbled, melting away like snow.

“Blood Fiend Fruit, Plum Blossom Sword—I admit you are formidable, but you must understand that on East Nether, there are many diligent souls who don’t covet pills or snatch fruit, who don’t make everything revolve around themselves! I am only a sixth-stage soul master, but if I say I can kill you in a single breath, I won’t need three!”

Jiang Feng’s furious resolve swept over the Blood Fiend Tree like a perfect storm.

Once again, Jue was awed by Jiang Feng. Facing such a terrifying foe, he could speak without flinching or hesitation—what unwavering resolve!

But the Plum Blossom Sword, proud as ever, refused to admit defeat. The opponent was just a sixth-stage soul master, while he had been nearly invincible centuries ago.

The vast gulf pressed on the Plum Blossom Sword’s mind. Though merely a lingering aura from centuries past, his intelligence had grown, and he suddenly cried, “I can't let my master be shamed! Let me show you his true skill!”

Yet before he could unleash his final power, Jiang Feng waved his hand, and beneath the dense rain of palm imprints, another imprint struck, equally terrifying, a nightmare of palm imprints raining from the sky.

Power brewed, exploded, and grew even stronger.

In a flash, even Jue’s sharp eyes couldn’t see how Jiang Feng, on the brink of defeat, turned the tables so perfectly, leaving not a single breath for the enemy.

Boom!

Two Heavenly Divine Palms, one after another, exploded almost simultaneously, as if the sun itself shattered, the world collapsing into eternal night. All the Blood Fiend Fruit’s spells were pulverized more finely than dust in that instant.

Jue was stunned; so was the Plum Blossom Sword.

Trapped within the Blood Fiend Fruit, the Plum Blossom Sword struggled desperately, but could not move. The once spinning fruit now hung motionless, as if immobilized.

In the restored fragments of memory, he recalled a torrential night centuries ago, when an old Nether Saint wielded the Plum Blossom Sword, awe-inspiring and unmatched—but among other saints, had no chance to retaliate. No matter how strict the formation, or how sharp the Triple Melody, he could not escape the fate of “two fists cannot beat four hands.”

That old Nether Saint, witnessed by the Plum Blossom Sword, was struck down, then torn apart alive—a brutality unparalleled! Flesh and blood flew, foam sprayed, and the famed old Nether Saint, legendary for nearly a century, was erased from history.

The wild and painful memories flooded the Plum Blossom Sword’s growing consciousness like a broken dam.

“Ah, ah, ah!”

From the smooth Blood Fiend Fruit, heart-rending screams echoed through the universe. Simultaneously, all the fruits on the Blood Fiend Tree began to moan in low lament.

Jiang Feng watched in bewilderment, asking, “Elder, what’s wrong with it? Is it in pain?”

“I don’t know, but it seems to have something on its mind.”

“Something on its mind?” Jiang Feng questioned. “You can tell?”

Jue replied without a care, “Of course! In the past, I was everyone’s confidante.” But Jiang Feng’s scornful look made him laugh awkwardly. “Ahem, no more jokes. I am now but a wisp of soul, while it is a streak of aura. In some ways, we are not so different.”

“Oh, I see. Wait—this is bad!” Jiang Feng realized, seeing that plum blossoms had gathered around the Blood Fiend Fruit, each glowing with eerie blue fire, apparently aimed not at him, but at the fruit itself.

Was it planning to commit suicide?

Jiang Feng felt sweat pour down. He simply could not understand how a once-renowned figure from centuries past could now be so narrow-minded, losing a battle and immediately seeking death.

But his soul force had been exhausted by the two Heavenly Divine Palms—only his soul energy remained.

Could he use it to stop the fruit?

He must try!

Jiang Feng’s blood surged hot once more, his feet flowing through the twenty-five steps like lightning, disordered and dazzling, even making Jue dizzy. When Jue realized Jiang Feng’s true intent, he was utterly shocked.

He thought Jiang Feng meant to flee—the fruit’s soul force was nearly depleted, but if it self-destructed, the backlash would be unbearable.

But Jiang Feng charged straight at the Blood Fiend Fruit!

Did he plan to stop its self-destruction?

Truly, ignorance is fearless!

“Kid, don’t dream—your soul energy alone can’t stop the fruit’s self-destruction. If you fail, I’ll be dragged down with you!” Jue hoped to change Jiang Feng’s mind at the last moment.

But it was all futile. Once Jiang Feng decided, nothing could turn him back.

Many plum blossoms were already splitting apart. The fruit, sensing danger, dropped sharply, falling a great distance. When it hit the ground, nearly all the blossoms erupted. If Jiang Feng didn’t reach it in time, he would be torn apart, blood splattering everywhere!

No—faster, faster!

Jiang Feng’s eyes, bloodshot, pressed forward, enduring the explosions’ aftermath while desperately increasing his speed. The air sliced at him like blades, and though not as fierce as the winds in Sandfall, his weakened body suffered nonetheless.

Still, he never stopped. The lingering aura within the fruit must have Heaven’s favor—if it destroyed itself due to his attack, the guilt would be unbearable!

He had no time to weigh risks, nor to consider his own survival. Since entering the mysterious forest, he’d always raced against death.

Jue saw Jiang Feng unmoved by his pleas, smiled bitterly, shrugged, and sighed, “Oh well. Young people nowadays all dare to snatch from a tiger’s jaws. We’re old, little ghost.”

Fast—unbelievably fast!

His mind achieved unprecedented unity, and Jiang Feng’s speed soared to the extreme. At last, before the last plum blossoms exploded, he reached the fruit, injecting soul energy madly, leaving nothing behind.

Chaotic soul energy flooded the blossoms. The fruit paused, then, as if crazed, forgot its self-destructive intent, desperately expelling the soul energy, all the while complaining, “Filthy stuff—don’t pour your soul energy into my blossoms!”

Jiang Feng, drained, collapsed to his knees, sweat pouring, muttered, “At a time like this, you still despise soul energy—what’s there to despise!”

He nearly fainted.

Time trickled on, the fruit’s impulse gradually waned. After clearing away all the soul energy, it remembered Jiang Feng still sat nearby.

Spinning twice, the fruit asked curiously, “Little one, why did you save me?”

Hearing this, Jiang Feng cursed inwardly at the fruit and Plum Blossom Sword’s lack of manners. Risking his life to save it, not even a thank you—just a question why.

Seeing Jiang Feng ignore it, the fruit continued, “Don’t you know that any random blossom could annihilate your soul?”

“I know,” Jiang Feng replied sourly.

“Yet you saved me.”

Jiang Feng stared at the fruit for a long time, searching for its eyes in vain, then said slowly, “You’ve lived so long, yet don’t know how to cherish life. True, you’re not fully alive yet, but you’re a remnant from centuries past. Seeking death over every defeat—who does that help?”

The fruit pondered for a long time, finally exhaled. If it had a face, it would surely smile. “Thank you.”

“Uh, no need for that.”

A moment later, Jiang Feng shyly scratched his head, softly said, “Elder, about the Blood Fiend Fruit…”

“No problem. If you wish, you can take me. I know the other fruits as well. Of course, if you want a fruit without awakened consciousness, that’s fine too,” the fruit, carrying the Plum Blossom Sword’s aura, agreed readily.

Jue shouted excitedly in Jiang Feng’s mind, “Take them all! Tell him we want them all!”

For a brief moment, Jiang Feng entertained the same thought, but suppressed it, smiling, “I’ll just take one without awakened consciousness. Fruits like you, with memories, should stay here.”

The Plum Blossom Sword fell silent, then sighed, “There are indeed such selfless people in the world.”