Chapter 122: The Soul-Sealing Array

"You have forced me to use my ultimate move; now, all of you must die!" A flash of dark light erupted from the eye on the Heavenly Demon's forehead, shooting a beam of black energy straight at Ye Zihan, who was charging forward.

"Assassination, break for me!" Ye Zihan roared, gripping his Crimson Lotus dagger. His speed suddenly doubled, and a streak of fiery red light flashed by, slicing the black beam clean in two.

"Boss, I'm coming too!" Moyou flew out from behind, and before he even reached the target, he unleashed a blast of scorching dragon breath at the Heavenly Demon.

However, before the searing breath could reach the creature, a strange, black demonic hand descended from the sky, intercepting it. The Heavenly Demon then flickered, appearing silently behind Moyou, and thrust a black spear, creating a flurry of petals as it aimed for Moyou's back.

"Heavenly Demon, my ancestors failed to kill you back then, allowing you to escape, but today I shall finish what they started and slay you here!" Facing the ferocious attack, Moyou showed no fear. He danced through the air, utilizing his claws, wings, and dragon tail to unleash a series of draconic martial techniques that collided with the Heavenly Demon's assault.

The Heavenly Demon’s chilling face twisted into a sneer, and his grotesque, thick black arm reached out to grab Moyou.

Although the strike seemed harmless, Moyou’s expression changed drastically upon seeing it. He executed a feint and retreated far away, refusing to engage further, his eyes filled with wariness as he stared at the creature's strange limb.

Moyou turned to Ye Zihan with a grave expression and said, "Boss, the reason the Heavenly Demon is the leader of the Four Demons is because of that 'Phantom Soul-Stealing Hand.' It is said that anyone caught by it has their consciousness eroded, slowly turning into a mindless puppet under his command. Many powerful figures from both the beast and human races fell victim to this in the past, becoming his mere enforcers. Boss, you must not be careless!"

Hearing this, Ye Zihan felt a chill in his heart. He had not expected the creature's strange arm to be so formidable. He immediately became even more vigilant; he would rather die than become a mindless puppet.

"It is useless. Even those old fellows who reached the Eight Trigrams or Nine Palaces stages were controlled by me. Though I am but a remnant of my former self today, dealing with two juniors is more than enough! I am done playing with you—become my slaves! Soul-Sealing Needles!" The Heavenly Demon let out a hideous screech, and his massive, eerie arm exploded with a bang, the demonic energy instantly enveloping Ye Zihan and Moyou.

Ye Zihan’s vision went black, and he was struck with terror. He unleashed all the Five Elements Source Energy within him, his entire body glowing with multicolored light as he tried to dispel the encroaching darkness.

"Enjoy it!"

Just as Ye Zihan prepared to unleash his full power, the Heavenly Demon’s voice echoed in his ears. The darkness around him was suddenly dispelled, and the sight before him left him stunned.

High above, a massive seal array radiated immense power, surrounded by dense, black chains shaped like arms, locking him within.

The Heavenly Demon sat on a floating throne outside the array. The throne was carved with various grotesque demonic monsters, matching the creature's own appearance perfectly.

"Watch out for the chains, Boss. This is the Heavenly Demon's greatest technique: the Soul-Sealing Array. Everything inside here is our souls, not our physical bodies! If we are bound by these chains, our souls will be trapped, and we will never have a chance to escape!" As Ye Zihan stood in shock, Moyou flew out from nowhere, speaking with nervous urgency.

"What? So our souls have left our bodies?" Ye Zihan was stunned again. No wonder he had felt strange upon entering; he was currently a soul without a physical shell.

"What do we do now?" Recovering from the sudden realization, Ye Zihan asked in a low voice. He feared no battle, but when it came to this spiritual state, he had to rely on Moyou’s knowledge, as the young dragon had inherited his mother’s wisdom.

Moyou was silent for a moment, as if recalling something, before saying, "A soul has seven spirits and seven souls; to lose even one is to be incomplete, which weakens one's power. We are currently complete souls, while the Heavenly Demon only possesses three spirits and six souls—he is severely diminished. Yet, I never imagined he could still manifest a 'Remnant Soul Domain' despite his state. This is his world now. The only way out is if we combine our strength to break through the seal array!"

Moyou pointed his dragon claw at the array above, which was covered in mysterious patterns and pulsing with a powerful sealing force.

"You think you can escape once you're inside? Besides that old fellow from back then, no one has ever succeeded. You two are far from that level today!" The Heavenly Demon, sitting on his throne, let out a disdainful sneer and slammed his hand against the throne's armrest.

The black chains surrounding Ye Zihan and Moyou began to rustle, and streaks of black flame slowly rose from them.

*Poof!*

With a faint sound, a chain, like a poisonous snake from the deepest abyss, silently lashed out toward Ye Zihan’s head.

*Bang!*

Ye Zihan, who had been on high alert, was not so easily ambushed. He delivered a powerful whip kick, striking the chain squarely. Under the impact, the black flames on the chain dimmed slightly.

"Let's go, Boss!"

Moyou knocked away the chains near him, shouted to Ye Zihan, and took the lead, charging toward the seal array overhead.

Ye Zihan did not hesitate. He dodged several more chains and flashed toward the seal, unleashing a barrage of powerful martial techniques at the array before he even arrived.

However, although the Heavenly Demon was far weaker than in his prime, his ultimate move was not something that could be broken so easily.

The attacks from the man and the dragon, while frantic, only caused the array to tremble slightly.

*Boom!*

Suddenly, all the chains below seemed to awaken, shooting toward Ye Zihan and Moyou in a deluge.

"Damn it! Let's go all out! Dragon Without a Leader!"

Moyou’s eyes turned blood-red. With a roar, his form exploded in size, creating illusions of himself everywhere. In one move, he managed to block the overwhelming barrage of chains shooting up from below.

Ye Zihan did not look back. He had absolute faith in Moyou, leaving his back unguarded as he continued to attack the array with all his might. His trust was well-placed; Moyou did not let him down.

"Heavenly Collapse!"

Ye Zihan roared, delivering a punch of extreme force that slammed into the array, causing it to shake violently.

"If you could escape so easily, wouldn't my millennia of existence have been in vain?" The Heavenly Demon, still perched high on his throne, let out a scornful snort.

"Boss, watch out!"

At the same time, Moyou cried out in alarm.

*Boom!*

Ye Zihan felt a thunderous roar in his ears, and then he saw a massive hand, formed from several intertwined chains, slamming down toward him.