Seeing Leo easily break through his secret technique, Saul’s disbelieving gaze was fixed on the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus hovering above Leo’s palm.
“The thing in your hand, is it… a Celestial Artifact?” Saul asked in shock.
“That’s right, it seems you have some knowledge,” Leo replied coldly.
Saul’s shock was understandable; every naturally occurring spiritual object was extremely rare. Even in Saul’s world, few Cultivators possessed a Celestial Artifact.
Saul’s shock quickly turned into greed. If he could kill Leo, the ice lotus would be his. The appearance of the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus made Saul realize that this world might not be as barren as he had thought.
Leo had already guessed Saul’s thoughts and channeled his spiritual power into the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus. The lotus emitted a chilling aura once again. Even from a distance, Saul, with the Chimera Blood’s enhancement, felt an intense cold.
Leo threw the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus forward. It emitted a cold light and grew slightly larger, with one petal falling off. Leo pointed at Saul. The petal turned into an icy white stream of light and shot towards Saul. Wherever the petal passed, it seemed to freeze time and space, leaving a long icy white trail.
Seeing the petal coming, Saul’s pupils contracted sharply. A strong sense of danger enveloped him. Proud Saul wouldn’t back down; his expression turned ferocious. With a wave of his sleeve, a small blood-colored shield appeared from his sleeve and quickly expanded into a large blood-colored shield. The shield shimmered with a metallic blood-colored glow, with runes moving across its surface. Clearly, this blood-colored shield was an extraordinary spiritual treasure.
Saul poured his spiritual power into the blood-colored shield. The shield burst into a dazzling blood-colored light. At this moment, the petal, like an ice blade, struck the shield.
Boom! A deafening sound erupted from the shield. As the sound faded, a layer of hard ice crystals appeared on the shield’s surface. Moments later, cracking sounds were heard, followed by a loud bang. The seemingly indestructible blood-colored shield shattered.
The petal did not disappear; it paused briefly before striking Saul’s chest as the shield shattered. At first, Saul didn’t feel pain but numbness, losing control of his body. He wanted to resist but soon felt his blood and spiritual power freezing. Unable to stay aloft, he fell to the ground like a free-falling ice sculpture.
Thud! Saul hit the ground hard, making a dull sound.
“Saul!” Lawson and Tristen cried out in shock.
Saul had lost! And so thoroughly!
Leo remained in mid-air, his face pale from the excessive consumption of spiritual power. The petal dimmed slightly and returned to the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus, which also dimmed a bit overall.
The terrifying freezing power finally subsided. On the ground, Saul struggled to stand and coughed violently. He looked extremely disheveled and twisted in pain. His chest was exposed through a large tear in his clothes, revealing a blood-colored inner armor with two noticeable cracks. Without this armor, Saul might have died.
“Damn it!” Saul cursed angrily. Since becoming Soul Sucking, he had never suffered such a loss. That attack had almost killed him. Though he could move now, he still felt cold energy wreaking havoc inside him. He needed to expel it quickly.
Saul took out a jade bottle and swallowed several pills. As they took effect, he felt slightly better. Looking up at Leo with fear, hatred, and unwillingness, Saul made a decision: “Tristen, Lawson, let’s go!”
“Huh?” Tristen and Lawson were confused.
Were they running away?
Without waiting for them to react, Saul turned into a blood-colored stream of light and fled in one direction. Tristen and Lawson realized they were indeed escaping and followed suit. Fighting Leo was no longer an option.
“Kid, just wait! When Bloodsoul Sect’s experts arrive, we’ll wash this world in blood!” Saul’s voice echoed as he fled.
Leo couldn’t let them escape. Summoning the Dragon Sword, he pursued them on his sword. From Saul’s threat, Leo learned they were from the Bloodsoul Sect in the Cultivator’s World.
Letting them go would bring endless trouble; they had to be eliminated!
The Dragon Sword streaked through the sky faster than any human vehicle. Above a forest, Saul looked disheveled and furious. He had thought he could act recklessly in this world but was forced to flee by a native Cultivator-a humiliation he couldn’t wash away!
Saul only wanted to return to his sect and report this world’s existence to his leader. Once their experts arrived, they would flatten this world and kill that Cultivator! Though it meant losing the Celestial Artifact, revenge was worth it.
Saul and his companions flew towards the West Sea space rift at full speed. Though Leo was fast, catching up in time was difficult.
As they neared the West Sea rift, Leo knew he couldn’t let them escape into it-things would get much worse if they did!