Chapter 1006: Luo Chen's Strike; Skyloam is Enraged (II)

The chimes grew sharper and more urgent. The dragon soul, already hanging by a thread and weakened to its limit, finally lost the last remnants of its instinctive resistance and transformed into a streak of light that shot toward the white banner.

But at that very moment, a shrill screech erupted from the sea of yellow sand. "THAT'S MINE!"

A gigantic hand burst from the sands and crashed toward the ritual altar.

The sudden turn of events caught Wu Qi and his companions completely off guard. Their bodies stiffened, and fear flashed across their faces.

BOOOMM!!

The altar shattered beneath the impact. The last patch of ground disappeared as the yellow sands flooded in from everywhere. Amid the collapse of the formation and the sandstorm, Wu Qi lunged forward and snatched up the white banner. "GO NOW!"

Three Adepts turned into three streaks of light that instantly entered the shuttlecraft. The vessel tore through the sweeping sands and shot skyward at incredible speed.

With the dragon soul secured, the dark clouds overhead quickly dispersed. As sunlight broke through the clearing sky, it illuminated a crimson-robed figure standing high above the battlefield.

Luo Chen's robes whipped in the wind, and his long black hair streamed behind him. His cold gaze remained locked on the fleeing shuttlecraft for a brief moment before he raised a hand and struck downward. A colossal hand wreathed in seething azure flames descended from the sky like a falling meteor. Its terrifying might rivaled that of the gigantic sand hand that had destroyed the altar moments earlier.

Desperate screams rang out from within the shuttlecraft. It sounded kind of like the word "no," but hardly anyone outside cared what it was; a moment later, the roar of a gigantic explosion drowned out all other sounds.

BOOOMMM!!!

The explosion sent shockwaves through thousands of li of shifting sands. Just a single strike compacted the earth down into a massive crater and sent a tremendous shockwave rippling through the air. Ring after ring of blazing fire swept outward, driving the nearby sands back in waves. Caught at the center of the blast, the shuttlecraft disintegrated almost instantly. Yet just as the explosion reached its peak, a flash of crimson light burst out from the heart of the explosion. By the time it appeared again, it had already escaped the blast radius.

Pfft!

Wu Qi coughed up a mouthful of blood. After forcing his way out with Blood Escape, his already battered body was in an even worse condition. His robes hung in tatters, his skin was charred black from head to toe, and only the fierce will to survive still burned in his eyes. He clutched the soul-summoning banner and bit off his left index finger. Dense crimson light immediately began gathering around him as he prepared to leave once more. But before he could move, a sharp whistle tore through the air.

SHHKKKKKK...

A streak of sword energy descended from above at high speed. Wu Qi's eyes widened in alarm, yet he could do nothing but watch as it sliced through his shoulder and severed his left arm. Blood sprayed through the air as the severed limb, still clutching the white banner, went flying into someone else's hands.

"NOOOOO!! That belongs to Blood Nightmare, he will—wait... It's you?!"

The moment Wu Qi saw that familiar face, he froze.

Since advancing to the fourth tier of Physique Refinement, Luo Chen had long since lost the crimson flush that once colored his face, revealing the fair complexion he had originally possessed. He looked almost exactly as he had when they first met on Moon Inviting Island, and Wu Qi recognized him the moment he saw him. Yet there was none of the joy one might expect from seeing an old acquaintance again; only a bone-deep sense of dread.

BOOOM!

Before he could say another word, Luo Chen swept past with a single palm strike. "Sorry. We're standing on opposite sides now. Whatever little friendship we once had isn't enough for me to spare your life."

Behind him, Wu Qi's lifeless body tumbled toward the sea of sand. Before it even reached the ground, it exploded apart in midair and dissolved into a cloud of blood mist, and Luo Chen did not spare it a second glance. Holding the severed arm and the white banner in one hand, he raised the other toward the seven flying swords circling before him and turned to face the boundless sea of sand ahead.

The dunes suddenly churned, and the sand surged upward, gathering into a colossal wave that blotted out the sky. Within the rolling wave, a gigantic face flickered in and out of view. "Gi...Give me... the Stone Dragon!"

As those words echoed, a massive hand reached toward him. It was huge, but it covered the distance surprisingly fast. Luo Chen remained expressionless, and he simply poured mana into his right hand. The seven flying swords suddenly fused into one, forming a huge sword hanging high in the sky.

"SLASH!"

The giant sword came crashing down.

Shhkkkkk...

The sandhand was split cleanly in two. Yet rather than feeling pleased, Luo Chen felt his heart thump. Before the severed halves fell, they immediately reformed into two enormous hands almost identical to the original and thrust toward him from both sides.

Whoops, time to go! Luo Chen had no intention of becoming entangled in a prolonged battle. Thus, he unfurled his Moonbreak Wings and used Ninety Thousand Li as fast as he possibly could, bolting toward the horizon like a blazing comet.

"GIVE! IT! BAAACK!"

An earth-shaking shriek erupted behind him. The colossal wave of sand swept after him, while giant hands rose one after another from the sea of sand, clawing toward his retreating figure. IThe entire Quicksand Sea seemed to come alive!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Luo Chen weaved through the grasping hands like a fish through water. Whenever he could not avoid them in time, he stomped the empty space beneath his feet and vanished, reappearing hundreds of zhang away. Even so, the pursuit only grew more relentless, and the sand continued to churn and roar beneath him.

Suddenly, the sands ahead heaved upward, rising into a towering wall that stretched across the horizon. Yet instead of slowing, Luo Chen charged forward faster. A ruthless glint flashed through his eyes as he twisted his body sideways and accelerated to the limit.

Behind him, the giant face revealed a cruel smile. In its eyes, Luo Chen was throwing himself against an immovable mountain. Yet in the next instant, Luo Chen actually smashed through the barrier and broke free of the encirclement!

"NOOO!! CATCH HIIIIIIIM!"

The giant screamed in anger, and the entire Quicksand Sea seemed to erupt in response. More giant hands rose from the sands and reached for him, while innumerable sand spears condensed overhead and shot through the air. Luo Chen ignored them all. With the Profound Dust Armor covering his body and blood qi surging through him, he barreled forward like an unstoppable behemoth. Whether it was grasping hands, sand spears, or walls of sand, anything that stood in his path was smashed apart.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid a ceaseless chain of explosions, the streak of crimson light tore across thousands upon thousands of li. At one point, it plunged into the sea of sand itself, only to burst back into the sky moments later like a kingfisher leaving the clear water of a lake with its prey. The pursuit continued for nearly half a day before the sea of sand finally began to recede behind him.

As the edge of the Quicksand Sea came into view, Luo Chen spotted two figures waiting in the distance. The Flesh Ganoderma and Devil's Cloud had been waiting for him for some time. The moment they saw him emerge, the anxiety on their faces was impossible to hide.

"What did you do?! Skyloam's lost its mind! What the hell did you do to it?"

Luo Chen ignored the Flesh Ganoderma's questions entirely. He simply used Voidburst Step once more; he appeared in front of the two of them and barked, "To Blazing Purgatory! Move!"

"It's gone absolutely mad this time. I've never seen it this angry before."

The Flesh Ganoderma glanced at the white soul banner in Luo Chen's hand before crossing the border between the Quicksand Sea and Blazing Purgatory. Just before stepping into that region of fire, Han Zhan's voice sounded in his mind. "Was that really necessary?"

Luo Chen did not hesitate even for a split second. "If it screws up Blood Nightmare's plans, then absolutely!"

He then produced a little Withering-Flourishing True Fire and erased the last traces of Wu Qi's aura. After cleaning up everything, he stored the white banner in his storage ring and stepped into the fiery region. Moments later, all three of them disappeared from sight.

Not long after their departure, the border between the yellow sands and the red earth began to shift. The sands gathered together and slowly rose into the shape of a tiny clay figure. The moment it took form, its face twisted with rage and hatred. With a wave of its hand, streaks of crimson light shot in, carrying shattered limbs and chunks of flesh. The surrounding sand immediately clung to the remains and molded them together, gradually reconstructing the body of a one-armed man.

The clay figure pressed a finger on the man's forehead, and a thick yellow glow emanated from its fingertip, as if it were searching for something within. Yet the glow quickly weakened and faded away. Moments later, the one-armed man melted apart like a clay doll made from mud before dissolving back into the sand.

"It's gone! Completely gone! I spent years luring that lingering soul here, and in the end, someone stole it right out from under my nose! I was this close to becoming complete! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

The little clay figure let out a hysterical shriek. Behind it, explosions started to go off over the Quicksand Sea, sending up sands into the sky as if the whole sea were raging with it.

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