Chapter 63: Divine Artifact – War

The sixty-first-rank soul power unfurled, imbuing him with a rich abundance of the wind element, which greatly enhanced Nian Yun’s speed. Although it was a span of nearly twenty ranks, this also granted Nian Yun a deeper resonance with his soul power perception from his past life.

With the Azure Firmament Wind Wings blessed by soul power, it took Nian Yun only a single day to arrive at the border jungle ahead of Davis and his group.

"Windplain Perception."

A speck of cyan-green bloomed between his brows. Hovering in mid-air, Nian Yun flicked a finger toward the forest, causing the wind to rustle through every corner of the woods.

...

Half a day later,

Inside the carriage, influenced by the harsh parting words Nian Yun had uttered that day, Davis was leading a contingent of high-level Star Luo soul masters and a small detachment of troops, intending to march toward Heaven Dou, pressure Xue Ye, and escalate the incident to a confrontation between the two empires.

The procession soon entered the jungle, where the lush, thick leaves conveniently shielded them from the glaring sunlight.

"First Prince, everyone has been traveling for a day. Should we take a rest?" asked a young man walking alongside Davis's carriage.

Inside the carriage, Davis lifted the curtain with his hand as dazzling rays of light pierced down through the dense foliage. "Set up camp in place."

"Set up camp in place!" The cry echoed through the formation, and the soldiers orderly began to rest in the surrounding area.

Davis meditated within the carriage as well, but whenever he closed his eyes, his mind replayed the scene of how Nian Yun had completely crushed him that day, echoing with frustration: "It was too humiliating. I am the First Prince of the Star Luo Empire; how dare he, on what grounds?"

*Rustle, rustle...*

A refreshing breeze blew in through the window, dispersing a fraction of Davis's lingering resentment. However—

*Clatter, clatter—* A hurried sound of footsteps, accompanied by the clanging of weapons, came from outside the carriage.

"What is going on?" Davis's tranquility was shattered, and his mood plummeted.

"Reporting to the First Prince, there is something strange about this wind."

"Even I failed to sense it. There must be some senior expert present." After a brief moment of thought, Davis still dispatched two Soul Kings to scout the path ahead.

The two Soul Kings simultaneously unfurled a pair of feathered wings and advanced forward.

After flying twenty miles, the two guided by their perception found a small lake and were just about to approach.

*Whoosh—*

"You even sent Soul Kings to scout the path? You really overestimate me."

A voice suddenly rang out from behind. Both men were startled, instantly flashing dozens of meters away. When they turned back to look, no figure was in sight.

*Splash, splash, splash—*

"I am right here."

Looking down, Nian Yun was stepping upon the water in the lake, slapping the surface with one hand to send two soaring waves surging straight into the sky.

A black soul ring instantly rose from beneath each of their feet, and a sphere of light instantly enveloped the two of them. As the waves crashed down, although a protective barrier shielded them from being washed away, residual water droplets still clung to their bodies.

Just as the two wanted to search for Nian Yun’s trace—

"Lightning Seal."

*Bzzzt—*

*Ah—*

A shriek mixed with thunder echoed through the forest, the sound quickly reaching the camp twenty miles away where the troops were resting.

The moment they heard the noise, the high-level soul masters all around gathered tightly around Davis's carriage, each summoning their martial souls.

*Clack—clack—clack—*

The previously clear blue sky was instantly covered by dark clouds, and droplets of rain began to pelt the ground and the carriages.

A white-haired elder was the first to rise, seven soul rings flashing around his body.

"Seventh Soul Skill: True Body of the Beast Soul!"

*Roar—* A massive purple-shadowed lion materialized behind him. Immediately following this, from the beast lion's open maw, a beam of white light shot forth directly toward the dark clouds.

Reaching mid-air, just as it was about to scatter the dark clouds, it was unexpectedly blocked by an invisible wall of wind.

Realizing the situation was critical, two more Soul Saints unleashed their Martial Soul True Bodies, and another two beams of light surged straight into the heavens.

"Earth Rises, Lightning Falls."

Before the three pillars of light could merge, the ground everyone was standing on, already turned muddy by the sudden torrential rain, now surged with injected soul power, causing the soldiers of lesser soul power cultivation in the rear to begin sinking.

"Ah—ah—!"

Panic and chaos began to spread throughout the entire army.

After regaining their balance, the three pillars of light descended once more, but this time, what greeted the three was not a wind wall, but a flash of lightning.

*Boom—*

The three towering pillars of light instantly scattered the dark clouds, and the blazing sun shone down.

The sudden silence in the rear left Davis somewhat apprehensive. Turning his head to look, he saw that the group of soldiers had all passed out on the ground. Davis could no longer sit still; he stepped out of the carriage to take note of the situation outside.

"Who on earth are you? I am the First Prince of the Star Luo Empire; you must understand the consequences!" Davis looked at the scene around him, fury written across his eyes.

"These consequences are something you, the First Prince, brought upon yourself. What, did you forget?"

The voice echoed from the air. Davis looked up and saw a figure hovering above the forest with a pair of wings spread wide.

Davis would never forget that face. "Nian Yun, it's you."

"Correct, it is me. For the First Prince to make such a grand display of force, you really think highly of me. If the First Prince is willing to lead his men and leave Heaven Dou right now, I can spare your life."

"Spare my life? Based on just you? Attack!"

At Davis's roar, one Soul Saint, two Soul Emperors, and four Soul Kings in the procession rapidly took flight.

"In that case, Divine Weapon—Primordial Jade Cutter, Rain of Stone Fall."

Behind Nian Yun, a long-shafted spear blade slowly extended, immediately followed by hundreds of smaller blade projections.

The spear handles plummeted like raindrops. The ascending soul masters immediately stopped and, organizing themselves by strength with the Soul Saint as the center and the others layering around him in circles, the seven simultaneously erupted their soul power, instantly condensing a soul shield in front of them.

"Now, Oblivion!"

*Swoosh—*

Azure wings slashed across the sky as Nian Yun charged rapidly toward the seven figures. The 'Engulfing Lightning' in his hand had already erupted with a powerful, eternal force of thunder.

Arriving before the soul shield, Nian Yun swung downward vertically, and the sword qi condensed from soul power shattered the soul shield formed by the seven of them in a single blow.

The millions of spear blades that followed rained down entirely. The blades slashed through the garments of the several men, and three of the four Soul Kings were pierced and killed.

The Primordial Jade Cutter smashed straight down. The Purple Shadow Lion Soul Saint unleashed the power of his seven soul rings and leaped forward.

*Boom—boom—!*

*Whoosh—whoosh—*

A violent shockwave blasted everyone back. When the dust and smoke dispersed, that Soul Saint had collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted and unable to rise.

Davis's eyes were filled with bewilderment. From the wings behind Nian Yun to the dark clouds, boulders, and lightning blades that followed, every single element was violently shocking Davis's senses.

"How is this possible? Your martial soul, and your soul power—how can this be possible?!"

Nian Yun ignored him, then placed both hands in front of his chest. The entire forest began to emit a rustling sound as wind power gathered in his hands. As he opened them, the phantom outline of a long bow began to take shape.

The fourth cyan-gold soul ring slowly rose from beneath his feet to his waist, shining even brighter under the blazing sun.

Divine Weapon—Elegy for the End, appear!

"Divine Arrow, Thousand Winds!"

*Swish—*

*Swish————*

Cyan-gold arrows detached from the divine weapon, simultaneously gathering the free winds of the entire forest to condense the wind into arrows!