With an angry roar, Xi Jiang abruptly grabbed the muzzle of Huai Shi's gun and clenched hard, only to feel emptiness in his hand as he managed to wrench the bent shotgun completely away.
But Huai Shi had already turned around, swung the Axe, and cleaved into the head of a 'teammate' who hadn't reacted yet, giving them a new skylight.
Amidst the crisp sound of bone breaking, his other hand plunged the Sacrificial Knife down, nailing it into the Face of Yi and Zi, and the hungry Border Relic began to frantically withdraw his life essence.
Flesh quickly contracted, withering like wax.
Xi Jiang roared in fury, heedless of danger, drawing his sword and stabbing forward with lightning speed, but he hit nothing.
As the ground shook violently, with Yu Step stomping his feet, Huai Shi suddenly rose into the air gripping the handle of the knife, his body weight dragging the blade across the lion's face, tearing a huge gash.
Then, he felt a heavy gust of wind coming from behind. Within the void, a burly silhouette revealed a blurry outline, swinging a huge Iron Hammer from invisibility, and with a sudden explosive roar, it smashed downwards.
The sound of steel clashing rang out suddenly. The Axe Blade was lifted, not to directly resist the hammer's impact, but to stop it just an inch from where the attacker's hands held it, causing the descending Iron Hammer to hesitate.
With the momentum, Huai Shi fell backwards, the Sacrificial Knife dispersing then re-forming in his hand as he swept it across from the handle.
Amidst screams, eight fingers instantly fell to the ground.
The Iron Hammer was released, striking Xi Jiang, who had just risen, right at the back of his head and causing him to stagger. And Huai Shi had already swiftly reached out and grabbed the wrist of the invisible attacker, flicking it dislocated!
The sound of dislocation was so crisp; using the feedback of force, the returning blade swept across the neck as predicted, and blood gushed like a fountain.
Huai Shi finally landed on the ground. Hearing the clear sound of the trigger being pulled from afar, he struggled to roll and once again hid in the darkness.
Within the sound of roaring, he felt the searing bullet graze his face, the chain of bullets whipping the trees, continuously breaking them apart.
Suppressing his breath, he began to check the state of the Yin Soul.
The records of the Red Gloves had been almost entirely torn apart, the Stigmata turbulent; though still intact, they were no longer as agile as before.
An attack on the Soul?
Luckily for him, the Red Gloves were there; otherwise, that hit could have ended him.
Without pause, Huai Shi slammed down the Book of Fate again, covering the shattered consciousness of the Yin Soul with the Red Gloves' records—as long as the Stigmata remained intact and the Source Substance hadn't been completely scattered, the Yin Soul could continue to function.
Much more convenient than a body of flesh and blood.
As the Source Substance of the Yin Soul was fully replenished, Huai Shi's complexion became even paler—this emptiness from the Soul was something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Even though the vitality of the shell could be replenished, the accumulation of Source Substance was limited. Not to mention, he had already endured a great battle before this, leaving very little remaining.
The mana bar was almost empty. He wouldn't last much longer...
Huai Shi narrowed his eyes, silently counting the number of footsteps in the distance, but a sudden chill emerged from his consciousness, causing him to leap up abruptly and jump backward.
Then, he saw the ground where he had just been caving in, a burly shadow suddenly appearing, stepping where his head had just been. The ground shook.
Then, in the booming sound, it closed in with each step.
As if... it could see exactly where he was.
Guo Nu? Huai Shi was startled, but the shadow was already lunging at him, its broken arm raised, the other arm like a sledgehammer, thrusting out straight and roaring towards him.
In a rush, Huai Shi summoned the Axe Blade to guard his face, only to be sent flying involuntarily.
In mid-air, he felt that something was wrong. Some of his Source Substance seemed to have been lost, with rust spots appearing on the back of the Axe...
Before he could react, an iron pitchfork suddenly materialized from Guo Nu's hand, plunging towards Huai Shi's throat! Amidst the clang of metal on metal, Huai Shi blocked it, sparks flying.
He felt darkness looming before his eyes again. Source Substance had been extracted once more...
Suddenly, Huai Shi realized: Guo Nu was actually leeching his Source Substance!
Above Guo Nu's knitted hat, vague horns began to slowly emerge. An apparition resembling a Bull Head rose slowly from behind him, devouring negative Source Substance from the air, its pitch-black eyes fixated on Huai Shi, closing in with every step.
Bull Head? No, it was Fang Liang... the legendary Evil God capable of devouring ghosts and demons, a Stigma completely targeting negative Source Substance!
Allowing Huai Shi to exhaust Xi Jiang's team, while also using Xi Jiang's team to wear down Huai Shi's energy. After biding their time for so long, they suddenly struck, driving him into a corner.
Meanwhile, Sublimators who had been invisible for a long time emerged from their ambush behind Huai Shi, launching an attack!
In an instant, Huai Shi waved his hand, and the Red Gloves of the Yin Soul emerged from the void, fiercely pouncing towards the attackers behind Huai Shi, while Huai Shi himself had already stood his ground, advancing instead of retreating!
Retreating meant certain death.
"Like to eat, don't you?" Toward his enemy, Huai Shi sneered. The Brilliant Light emerged from his hand; the glorious Spear of Compassion, imbued with the Blood of Green Crown Dragon, rose, tearing through the scent of the Iris flower as it stabbed straight toward Guo Nu's face!