Chapter 3189: Water Dirt Yin Thunder! Fire Bat! Rong Feng Venerable's Soul Secret...

Boom!

The flaming blade-light shattered into pieces, and a dense aftershock of cosmic energy rolled back.

Venerable Tian Yan’s expression turned grim; with a violent swing of his wide sleeve, he finally blocked the residual force, not retreating a single step.

Yet at that exact moment, Venerable Yin Lei’s pitch-black sword-light had already slashed down, descending from the high heavens.

Crackling and popping!

The thunderous roar exploded directly beside Venerable Tian Yan’s ears.

His countenance shifted once more; this Venerable Yin Lei was indeed as troublesome and difficult to deal with as the rumors suggested.

Moreover, his own flame power held absolutely no advantage before the opponent’s Yin lightning; instead, it was actually being countered.

In the distance, Wang Teng’s pupils could not help but contract as he witnessed this scene, his heart tightening.

Could things really fall apart here?

It seemed Venerable Tian Yan was simply no match for Venerable Yin Lei!

If it really came down to it, he would just have to make a move himself!

To anyone else, Venerable Yin Lei’s unique lightning might be an extremely troublesome technique, but he harbored no fear toward it whatsoever.

He had already acquired the opponent's Yin lightning attribute, so he was not unfamiliar with this type of power.

[Dirty Water Yin Lightning]: 5400/30000 (Tier Three);

Venerable Yin Lei had used this power extensively during the battle, which resulted in quite a few attribute bubbles dropping.

The wool that Wang Teng had sheared just now brought him directly to the Tier Three level, and the attribute points had reached 5400, which was quite substantial.

Furthermore, this kind of thunder was also a miraculous lightning born of heaven and earth, existing on the same tier as natural strange fires.

Its might was naturally quite extraordinary!

More importantly, this [Dirty Water Yin Lightning] was a type of lightning that contained water-attribute variations, making it highly unique.

It possessed cold, damp, bone-sucking, and marrow-draining characteristics, bearing an immensely potent corrosive nature.

Among the many kinds of lightning Wang Teng possessed, he had never owned one with water-attribute variations; this was the very first.

It could be considered as patching up one of his shortcomings.

Consequently, he naturally had no fear of Venerable Yin Lei’s [Dirty Water Yin Lightning].

Besides, apart from this, he also possessed the ultimate Yang-attribute [Purple Pole Heavenly Thunder (Fire)], along with various natural strange fires.

This was more than enough to counter the [Dirty Water Yin Lightning].

No matter how one looked at it, he was qualified to exchange a few blows with Venerable Yin Lei; at the very least, obstructing the opponent's pace would not be a difficult task.

Wang Teng looked out toward the distant void once again.

Venerable Tian Lan Yuan Hai, Venerable Zhu Mo, and Loft should be arriving shortly.

He could already sense their auras.

Boom!

Facing this strike from Venerable Yin Lei, Venerable Tian Yan dared not show the slightest negligence, and a dense conflagration erupted from his battle blade.

A blade-light spanning hundreds of feet condensed in an instant, rising to meet the pitch-black sword-light above his head.

Bang!

The two sides clashed once more.

Venerable Tian Yan finally blocked this sword strike from Venerable Yin Lei, their powers exploding within the void, neither able to overcome the other.

A brilliant light flashed through Venerable Yin Lei’s eyes; his goal was not to defeat Venerable Tian Yan, but merely to stall him.

As long as he stood here, Venerable Tian Yan would not be able to pass.

Venerable Tian Yan clearly realized this as well, his face darkening by a few shades, his heart filled with both fury and helplessness.

Rumble!

Venerable Rong Feng’s flame power condensed within the void into a massive fiery bat, letting loose a sky-shaking, piercing screech.

The fiery bat flapped its wings, and a scorching, dense wave of flames swept out, enveloping the [Heart of the Molten Fire].

Meanwhile, the pillar of flame erupting from the [Heart of the Molten Fire] collided head-on with Venerable Rong Feng’s flames at this very moment.

Furthermore, it did not just erupt into a single pillar of flame, but burst forth with three simultaneously.

The three columns of fire resembled pillars holding up the sky, forcefully resisting the conflagration unleashed by Venerable Rong Feng.

Venerable Rong Feng’s heart trembled; just like Venerable Tian Yan, he was truly both shocked and delighted at this moment.

Since the treasure was this powerful, he was naturally very pleasantly surprised.

However, it also gave him a bit of a headache.

Being too powerful would undoubtedly increase the difficulty of subduing it.

This made things rather tricky.

Even if he wanted to simply flee with the treasure, it seemed he could not even manage that.

The fierce resistance from the item exceeded his expectations somewhat.

At this moment, he seemed to finally understand why Wang Teng kept letting this treasure erupt continuously—because it was simply uncontrollable.

Wang Teng could only guide it over to Venerable Tian Yan’s side.

If Wang Teng knew that Venerable Rong Feng had overthought things to this extent, he would likely be caught between tears and laughter.

"I refuse to believe that a mere treasure can actually stump this venerable self."

The desire to win was also ignited within Venerable Rong Feng’s heart, causing him to push the power within his body to its absolute limit.

Screech!

A sharp, short cry echoed from the fiery bat's mouth, loud enough to make one's ears go deaf, delivering a direct blow to the mind.

Venerable Rong Feng clearly intended to use this to shake the consciousness of the [Heart of the Molten Fire], thereby disrupting the eruption of its power.

And he did indeed achieve his goal.

The erupting power of the [Heart of the Molten Fire] could not help but stall, as if it had been interrupted, making it somewhat difficult to sustain.

"Master, I feel a bit uncomfortable!"

Rong Xin’s voice suddenly rang inside Wang Teng’s mind.

"It’s actually a fire bat!"

Wang Teng looked at the technique Venerable Rong Feng unleashed in the distance, his heart jolting with surprise.

When it came to the methods of fire bats, he was simply all too familiar.

Back then, he had also encountered a bat-type star beast known as the Great Star Flame Meteor Bat, and their clan possessed the exact same capability.

Now, Venerable Rong Feng had actually displayed a similar ability.

That massive fiery bat not only possessed tyrannically powerful flame energy, but it also held formidable methods of spiritual attack.

The Smelting Heart had just borne the brunt of the mental shock laced within that fire bat’s shriek.

Yet...

"Steady!"

Wang Teng transmitted a single line to the Smelting Heart, his mind racing as a counter-strategy formed.

"Myriad Myriad Phenomena, Evolve!"

He instantly invoked the Secret Method of the Myriad Phenomena Soul Control, molding his own soul's wavelength and aura to match that of the Smelting Heart.

Having already subjugated the entity, its spiritual signature was a song he knew by heart.

With a mere flicker of intent, the replication was complete, flawless and indistinguishable from the true sovereign.

Immediately following.

Wang Teng unleashed his own soul power, leveraging spatial arts as an anchor to fuse directly into the Heart of Molten Fire.

"Smelting Heart, match me."

His voice rang in a sharp mental transmission, instructing the spirit to open its consciousness so his own soul power could guide it.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been an insurmountable feat.

But the Smelting Heart was already conquered, its very essence bound to his will, allowing him to direct it as he pleased.

"Understood!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the Smelting Heart complied, laying its fundamental soul matrix completely bare before him.

Wang Teng instantly perceived its spiritual force—a strange, extraordinary essence saturated with a blazing, volcanic heat.

Among all the soul forms he had ever encountered, the sheer singularity of this power was exceedingly rare.

Even lightning spirits or flame spirits seemed eclipsed by its unique composition.

Yet there was no luxury of time to analyze it now; he had to master this power to weather the unfolding crisis.

"Spirit Shield!"

A silent shout echoed deep within his mind.

Wang Teng directly deployed the Spirit Shield.

Bound by secrecy, he could not resort to offensive measures and was forced into a passive defense.

Otherwise, outside eyes would easily pierce the deception.

He could not afford to let anyone discover his tether to the Heart of Molten Fire.

In the next heartbeat.

An invisible shield coalesced deep within the Heart of Molten Fire, interposing itself before the Smelting Heart’s soul.

Boom!

The mental assault slammed into the barrier, erupting in a silent collision.

Yet it was ultimately thwarted, failing to touch a single strand of the spirit's essence.

Had Wang Teng relied solely on his own soul power, it would have surely cracked.

But with the Smelting Heart joined to him, the disparity dissolved.

Regardless of the circumstances, the Smelting Heart was a spirit at the Sealed Venerable Immortal level; its might was beyond question.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The might of the Heart of Molten Fire erupted anew, surging forward without further obstruction.

Venerable Rong Feng’s fleeting triumph vanished, his eyes widening in disbelief: "How is this possible? Just a moment ago, it was clearly..."

"Hahaha..."

Venerable Tian Yan burst into loud laughter, shouting across the expanse, "Venerable Rong Feng, it seems your prowess falls a bit short."

Venerable Rong Feng’s face turned ashen, utterly unable to comprehend the turn of events.

His strategy had clearly yielded results, and he had been poised to press the advantage to claim the treasure.

Why had the artifact recovered itself in the blink of an eye?

Could this artifact possess its own innate defenses against mental trauma?

He was torn between awe and frustration.

That the treasure was so magnificent and divine made it a prize beyond measure, but the true agony lay in its defiance.

"Useless fool!"

Venerable Yin Lei cursed bitterly in the depths of his mind.

The opportunity had been delivered to Venerable Rong Feng on a silver platter, yet he proved incompetent.

What a disaster.

It felt entirely like being saddled with a liability of a teammate.

He felt a burning urge to charge forward himself and seize the prize.

"Master is so amazing!"

Seeing Wang Teng block the mental shock, the Smelting Heart cried out in high spirits, its voice soft, sweet, and overflowing with adoration.

A faint smile touched the corner of Wang Teng’s mouth; having such a lively little creature around was rather pleasant.

The lightning spirit and even Chubby were somewhat lacking by comparison.

One was a glutton, while the other existed solely to vex him.

Both were absolute headaches.

"It seems I must resort to a Secret Soul Method."

Confronted by this impasse, Venerable Rong Feng took a deep, steadying breath, his resolve hardening.

Ordinary mental techniques were clearly insufficient against this treasure's spirit; only a supreme soul art could break its will.

He refused to believe the artifact's spirit could withstand a true soul method.

Even many Sealed Venerable Immortal beings would falter before such an assault, let alone a mere artifact spirit.

Venerable Rong Feng maintained absolute confidence in his specialized soul arts.

At that exact moment.

A piercing crimson-gold radiance erupted from his eyes, and a majestic wave of soul force cascaded violently from his brow.

"He’s invoking a Secret Soul Method!"

Wang Teng sensed the shift, his heart tightening instantly.

Though he had witnessed the soul methods of numerous Immortal Venerables and even True Gods, he never dared underestimate the arts of a master.

The soul methods of such titans were the very foundations of their cultivation, forged through countless aeons of refinement.

Every manner of soul secret technique differed, each possessing its own unique merits and vastly divergent capabilities.

If one failed to treat them with due caution, it was highly probable they would suffer a catastrophic defeat in an unexpected place.

This was by no means a joking matter.

In a clash of souls, not a single fraction could be permitted to go awry.

A discrepancy of the slightest hairbreadth could result in soul damage, or even the dire consequence of total soul annihilation.

No one could afford to bear such a consequence.

"Rongxin, be careful!"

Wang Teng offered a word of warning.

"Mm!"

Rongxin also sensed that something was amiss, instantly quieting down as she nodded her head in earnest agreement.

"Master, what should Rongxin do?"

Wang Teng thought rapidly; facing a soul secret technique unleashed by an Immortal-level Venerable, he inwardly admitted he lacked the confidence to resist it.

Unless he were to unleash a soul secret technique of his own.

Yet if he did so, it would expose the relationship between himself and the Heart of Molten Fire, which was a result he did not wish to see.

At this very moment, Wang Teng suddenly felt that his methods were still insufficient.

What he currently mastered were all soul secret techniques belonging to other powerful experts, yet he did not possess a single soul secret technique that truly belonged to him.

The reason he had fallen into such a predicament this time was precisely because he lacked a soul secret technique of his own making.

"If I possessed a fire-attribute soul secret technique of my own, I could utilize the soul power of the Heart of Molten Fire to unleash it without any misgivings."

Such a thought flashed through Wang Teng’s mind, and suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck his consciousness as something occurred to him.

"Right! Could I perhaps execute a soul secret technique in the manner of the Endless Storm?"

The Endless Storm primarily involved the convergence of various forces to form a tempest.

What if he were to exchange those various attribute forces for soul power?

Would that not be a pure storm of the soul?

No!

That was not quite right!

Even if it were a soul storm, attribute forces could still be infused into it.

For instance, the power of this Heart of Molten Fire could use its soul power to transform into a soul storm.

"But there is still one problem."

"It matters little if my own soul power is depleted, but if Rongxin’s soul power suffers too great a loss, it will be incredibly difficult to recover."

Wang Teng’s brow furrowed, feeling that this method was still somewhat unreliable.

The Endless Storm was originally developed based on his ability to pick up attributes.

If he could not pick up attributes to restore his own strength, he would never dare to use such a method lightly.

Because every single use would completely exhaust his power.

Once facing those powerful experts, if his strength were completely spent and could not be recovered, it would quite literally turn him into a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"Damn it, facing an Immortal-level Venerable is indeed still too forced."

Helplessness rose in Wang Teng’s heart, and he immediately wanted to have the Heart of Molten Fire temporarily avoid the sharp edge of the blade, refusing to clash head-on with Venerable Rongfeng’s soul secret technique.

There was no need!

There truly was no need for it!

Boom!

At that moment, Venerable Rongfeng’s soul power had already converged toward that massive fire bat, and a bizarre sight manifested.

Upon the body of that fire bat, numerous miraculous crimson-gold runes unexpectedly surfaced, vividly life-like, as though they contained the incomparably powerful force of original law.

The fire bat became even more solid, resembling a genuine star beast, and a sharp gleam even flickered within its pair of eyes.

Watching all of this, a sense of familiarity inexplicably arose within Wang Teng’s heart.

That was the gaze of Venerable Rongfeng!

Yes, it was precisely Venerable Rongfeng’s gaze!

The opponent had projected his own soul power onto the body of that fire bat, completely taking control of the fire bat's physical form.

"Damn it, how ruthless!"

Wang Teng cursed inwardly, hastily calling out to Rongxin in a low shout: "Go quickly!"

Rongxin did not hesitate, immediately controlling the innate patterns within the body of the Heart of Molten Fire to erupt, causing the surrounding space to instantly distort.