The Conqueror of Zones

by Shadows Finger

  “Arghhhh!” Instantly, a painful scream came out of Feng Yu’s mouth as his eyes became blurry and his hair tossed into a state of disorder, his arms which held his two swords tightened their grips as his entire being became filled with an otherworldly kind of pain, as if his soul was being torn to pieces by a grinding machine.

  A terrifying wave of power spread out across the small space pushing away the broken rubbles that were scattered about the ruined floor, the Ethereal Soulfiend seeing this smirked in a sinister fashion as he spoke to the struggling Feng Yu, “You think you pain… I haven’t even begun to show you its limits…”

  As he spoke, he was slowly channeling more and more energies into his technique causing Feng Yu to lose himself into the pain as in all of his experiences within his two lives he had never before experienced such a tarrying level of suffering.

  “Ahhhh!” Feng Yu continued to scream as his thoughts were sent into chaos, “I… I must find a way out... be… before… I lose my mind!!” He struggled to think of a way to escape his current circumstances but due to sheer pain couldn’t keep his state of mind together, slowly his consciousness began to fade as his scream started to die down.

  The Ethereal Soulfiend seeing this frowned as he muttered, “So only now does your soul start to break down, it seems that your spirit is usually powerful. Maybe I was wrong, maybe I should devour you instead as you could prove to be a very good source of nourishment… huhuhu!”

  He said while laughing in a cruel and sinister manner, he then stopped his technique and opened his mouth wide as if he was prepared to swallow the world, the moment this happened, his eyes began to glow in a dark light as a strange force began to work in the surroundings.

  “This is what it means to be of Etherealkin, though I’m not a True Ghost, our innate divine ability is vastly superior to those weak lesser class fiends! Devour!” The Ethereal Soulfiend said in a resonant voice as a strange wind began to flow from the surrounding space, it pulled everything towards his mouth as an unusual yin like aura formed around Feng Yu’s body.

  Feng Yu whose consciousness was barely alert felt a sense of danger as if his life was about to be snuffed out at any moment, he used the last of his resistant will to curse in a loud manner, “Damn ghost!!! I… I will not give in!!!”

  As the Ethereal Soulfiend heard his shout its sinister eyes had a hint of mockery as they stared at Feng Yu, he couldn’t help but tease him in his mind, “Foolish human, your struggles are for naug—huh?”

  However, before he could finish his thoughts his eyes shrunk as he became surprised. The eyes of Feng Yu had suddenly turn pure scarlet as it glowed into the world illuminating not only his figure but most of the entire surroundings.

  As this happened, the strange suction force that was coming from the Ethereal Soulfiend’s mouth was negated as if an even greater will had descended into this realm.

  If one looked closely, they would notice that strange marking of two flames divided by a thunderbolt on Feng Yu’s forehead had undergone a drastic change as it was now unknown when the image of an egg had appeared in the design.

  The egg rested behind the lightning bolt at the center of the flames as if it was using the flames as fuel for its birth, the lightning mark now resting on the surface of this odd egg as if symbolizing something otherworldly.

  As the Ethereal Soulfiend saw this egg, his shock grew even further as he exclaimed, “A Bonded Spiritual Bird Egg! What is that doing here?!!!!”

  His voice rumbling across the empty space causing a dark mood to rise as an unusual wind started to gather within the world as if beckoning the birth of something new.

  Chapter 169

  Primordial Will! Destroying the Spiritual Stone Space!

  It was a world filled with clusters of flames and streaking thunders, a habitat for no beings to thrive or seek out refuge. Currently, the figure of a red-haired young man could be seen floating about through these forces as if they were nothing but air, his eyes closed, and arms hung loose as he wandered about aimlessly in this space. After floating for who knows how long, his eyes finally jolted as he gazed the scene around him.

  “My inner consciousness… could it be that I have yet to truly die?” Feng Yu said in a soft tone, his eyes wandering about before eventually falling onto his semi-transparent body. After inspecting for a while, he couldn’t help but grip his fists tightly as a firm look came across his eyes, “Since I’m not dead, then I still have a chance to get back at that bastard!”

  His eyes shone in a brutal light as he stood up and pondered how to solve his circumstances, “I say that, but he is still vastly superior to me in terms of strength… my current self will be no match against such a being unless I can somehow comprehend the second stage of my sword intent, or mastering a top tier earth rank sword skill that would at least increase my battle prestige once more…”

  As Feng Yu thought to himself, he couldn’t help but mutter in a soft voice, “How do I stop him?” As if the world wanted to answer to his wishes, the two separate forces in the surrounding environment started to flow around him causing his hair and robes to flutter wildly.

  Swoooosh! Tump! Tump! Soon, the sound of a heartbeat could be heard in the distance as the surrounding thunders and flames started to pulsate in an irregular fashion sending ripples of energies outwards and inwards from that particular location.

  Feng Yu seeing this was stunned as he spoke, “What’s going on here? A heartbeat, who does this bel—wait!” He was first confused as to what was going on but soon became shocked as he saw something in the distance, at the center of the rippling flames and thunders was the silhouette of a large egg. It was 1oo meters in size and was now golden in color, the fierce flames and thunder energies dancing around it as if they were trying their hardest to nurture the being that was inside, for each beat it made the egg would vibrate slightly causing the flames and thunders to spread outwards like a tidal wave before flowing back towards it, repeating this cycle countless times.

  “It’s the Spiritual Bird Egg! Could it be that it is now hatching?!” Feng Yu asked in an excited manner as if he could see the solution to his current problems, his thoughts ran wild as he pondered, “If it’s as Yun’er and the others say, the creature born of this egg should be immensely powerful… it may just prove to be the help that I need to solve this bastard!”

  As he was lost in his thoughts, a semitransparent figure had formed beside him overlooking the egg with a strange light in its eyes as it spoke in a cool voice, “It is a variant like none seen before, much like how we came into being, it will be born anew in our Nirvanic Thunderblaze…”

  Feng Yu upon hearing the words uttered from behind him wasn’t stunned as he could sense the will in his own mind, he asked, “How long will it take for it to hatch?”

  The Eternal Ancient responded, “If it was before it was doused in our energies it would have only needed five lunar cycles… but now, judging by the energies within it, the time for its birth may be extended by quite a bit…”

  Feng Yu hearing this frowned as he spoke, “Damn! If it doesn’t hatch now, then we're both done for!”

  “It will not hatch, but who said it needed to hatch to aid us in our current circumstances…” The Eternal Ancient replied in a calm manner, Feng Yu hearing this quickly lifted his head as he asked, “What you're telling me that it can stop that ghost in its current state?”

  However, the moment he looked towards the location of the Eternal Ancient he didn’t see anything as the will had vanished leaving behind his words that slowly faded off into the surrounding winds, “A Primordial Spirit Beast… is far beyond what you can imagine…”

  Feng Yu hearing this grew solemn as he fixed his eyes towards the beating egg and noticed that a strange scene was beginning to unfold.

  Buzzz! Following a loud noise, the egg that was beating finally stopped, as the world came to a state of stillness. Yet, this moment didn’t last long as the thunderblaze energies which nurtured the egg be
gan to enter a small round opening that suddenly formed on its surface. As the energies became swallowed, a strange diagram formed over the opening looking very much like that of an eye, it was an unusual eye that glowed in a domineering light as if anything before its sigh was not worth seeing.

  Feng Yu seeing this eyes jolted as a strange feeling came over him, it was as if he could see what the eye was seeing while gazing at himself from the outside in, this scene soon after changed as a beam of scarlet light shot from out of the eye towards the eyes of Feng Yu, soon after causing his eyes to glow in a brilliant scarlet light, this light then spread out across the entire realm of his inner consciousness transforming the world of flames to the realm of pure scarlet energies….

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Back within the stone space, the stunned Ethereal Soulfiend continued to look at the red lights before him, completely shrouding the figure of Feng Yu as if he had transformed into a small red star. This star continued to expand at an alarming rate soon reaching the size of a kilometer before it started to change once again, it deformed itself reshaping into a massive eye that gazed at the world before it with disdain, its pupil locking onto the true spirit of the Ethereal Soulfiend causing him to feel an immense oppression.

  “This is… this a Primordial Will!! Has that beast already hatched?!” The Ethereal Soulfiend exclaimed as he saw the eye before him, but soon after he quickly cleared away his shock as he stared at Feng Yu’s floating figure at the center of the massive eyeball, his eyes radiating a dense killing intent as his body glided forwards at immense speeds leaving behind a series of ghostly shades.

  “You damn human! I don’t know where you got this Spiritual Bird Egg but before it can truly awake, I will kill you first!!!” He yelled as his palms glowed in a sinister aura, his body emanating a terrifying group of energies as he shot towards the venerable Feng Yu.

  Quickly, his figure arrived at the outer membrane of the scarlet eyeball and was about to enter into its domain, but before he could even enter its domain, a strange scene occurred…

  Bang! As if colliding with a mountain wall, the Ethereal Soulfiend was forced to a stop by the energies surrounding the eyeball, it then replied him with a tarrying force causing him to fall from the sky like a meteor soon after crashing into the earth.

  BOOM! The already ruin tiled grounds became even worse as a large crater formed, the figure of the badly injured true spirit now lying on the floor with a strange kind of blood flowing out from it.

  “Cough! Dammit! My intangibility has been neutralized, has the will fully been manifested?” He said as he coughed out a large amount of unusual blood, his eyes glaring at the eyeball with a hint of fear and hatred.

  As if it sensed his gaze, the eyeball that surrounded Feng Yu grew colder; a domineering prestige began to fill the area as if it was declaring a new rule within the heaven and the earth. Soon, a loud cry could be heard sounding from the eye as it spread out across the vast distance…

  “Kawwww!!!!!!!” A loud bird cry as if the emperor of birds had awoken from its deep slumber, this cry grew so loud that it became soundless as it spread invisible ripples across this very space and time itself, spreading beyond the chaotic battlefield of necropolis, towards the farthest corners of the Ancient Dragon Battlefield…

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  Within the Boundless Sky Zone, a massive creature could be seen soaring across the summits of this broad world, its metallic black feathers gleaming resplendently as its proud golden beak and crown gave off a noble kind of prestige. It soared through the world freely basking in the winds of the sky before suddenly opening its sharp but profound looking eyes and gazing towards the distant horizons.

  “Fortune follows the unlucky, as do the danger that trail behind good luck… a human breeding a new kind of primordial spirit beast, would this be the workings of fate? Or something else entirely…” A powerful mental will said as it echoed across the Boundless Sky Zone, after saying this, the Primal Emperor Crow no longer paid attention to invisible ripples as it flapped its wings causing its entire body glow in a strange light, a massive rift soon after formed before it connecting to realm that was unfamiliar, with shattered galaxies and chaotic energies rampantly raging about, vaguely a few silhouettes could be seen a distance apart from each other as if they were ready to take part in a devastating battle.

  “Shall I take glimpse… a sample of what this fate shall yield…” As the Primal Emperor Crow said this, a curious and excited look came into its profound looking eyes as it flapped its wings once more before vanishing like a beam of light through the rift which closed off itself from the world around it, the legendary creature that once looked over the desolate zone gone on a new journey to the unknown…

  Back within the Cloudy Ghost Zone, inside of the mysterious stone stele, the figure of the seriously injured true spirit could be seen looking at the eye in fear as a massive amount of pressuring energies bombarded his body. Soon, his spirit was destroyed as his consciousness was beginning to face from all eternity.

  BOOOM! With the rise of another explosion, his spirit was destroyed leaving on his remnant will that cursed out in a loud voice, “Human!! I will have my vengeance!! I will kill you!!!”

  His voice soon after fading away in the noise of the devastating explosions which ruptured the earth and broke through the sky; the space within the stone stele now falling into a complete ruin as if the apocalypse had descended to the world.

  Crack! Phew! Soon, the space cracked open causing a bright green light to shoot out from within this light then tore through the ceiling and continued towards the outside realm…

  Chapter 170

  The Deciding Strike! The Alliance’s Victory!

  The battle against the Ethereal Soulfiend’s main body was a dreadful one indeed, as clustered of stray energies scattered across the already devastated necropolis, turning its gloomy scenery into an even more shallow place. The teamed up Zyne, Demetria, Yemo, and the Feng Clan Elders were battling with their life on the line using every ounce of the strength to keep him at bay.

  Swoosh! Suddenly, blazing beam of scarlet red light shot across the void as it arced towards the unguarded Ethereal Soulfiend who had momentarily parried one of Zyne’s attacks. This beam of light was swift as it instantly arrived before him before turning into a ball of blazing energies that promptly exploded in the air.

  Ka-Boom! The instant it exploded, Zyne who had attacked before abruptly retreated as his figure spun in the air a few times before twirling his Bright Hammer and standing on top of its head. His serious eyes peered through the massive explosion of sacred flames before him and onto the silhouette that was shrouded underneath.

  Puff! Not long after the silhouette waved his hands causing the flames to easily disperse as a few scorched areas could be seen on its previously invisible body, it looked at its minor wounds with a frown on its face as he muttered, “Although somewhat weak… these flames are still sacred in nature, thus making them capable of injuring my ghostly body made of nefarious yin energies.”

  After saying this, the eyes of the Ethereal Soulfiend glanced towards the somewhat exhausted looking figures of Elder Duan and Elder Chen in the distance that stood on top of their flying disks with both of their arms held out before them. A sinister look soon forming in his eyes as the corner of lips rose into that of a ruthless smile as he spoke, “I shall erase you both before I deal with the rest!”

  Upon saying this, his body glided sideways easily avoiding King Yemo’s well-timed halberd strike which ended hitting the air. His body then turning at a fast speed with his right arm held up by his side, and arm bend towards King Yemo’s face, his then fingers glowed bright purplish golden light which gave one a feeling of pure corrosion.

  “Soul Corrosion Hand!” The Ethereal Soulfiend yelled as palms ruthlessly struck towards Yemo’s face, as he saw the danger before him Yemo’s expression sunk he quickly reacted by using one of his arms to meet it while his other arm rapidly pulled his pier
ced-out halberd back towards him.

  Swish! Bang!!! Quickly, the palm of the Ethereal Soulfiend collided with King Yemo’s arms causing it to instantly disperse due the corrosive yin qi that surrounded it as King Yemo promptly acted by retreating a good distance away from him before swinging his halberd whose blade now glowed in a strange greenish force energy.

  Puff! The arm which had been destroyed and used a channel to transfer corrosive energy towards his entire being was rapidly cut off soon after fading away from existence as it reached a distance away from him. King Yemo now seeing this finally sighed in relieve as he glared at the Ethereal Soulfiend with a hint of fear on his face.

  “Such a dangerous technique, its power was such that it could destroy any of my kind…” As he thought to himself, he couldn’t help but shudder as he thought what would have happened if he didn’t cut off his arm in time.

  “Oh! You’re quite quick to react, my Soul Corrosion Claws have never failed to kill those of the same kin… still, you aren’t really much of a priority at the moment…” As he said this, his body glided forward once again but at even more outrageous speed, he then split into three different clones which charged after Zyne, Demetria and the Feng Clan elders at the same time.

  As Zyne saw this he grew solemn as he prepared to attack once more, but before he did anything his eyes shrunk as he felt something odd about these clones, he sent a strand of spiritual sense within the charging towards him and saw that it was only a fake remnant shade, quickly, he glanced towards both Demetria and the Feng Clan Elders before shouting.

  “Not good! He is going after those two redheads; stop him before he gets too close!” Zyne yelled as he promptly turned around and rushed towards the Ethereal Soulfiend.

  “I can try to delay him for a fraction of time! Zyneas, Yemo, it’s up to you to strike him down!” Demetria hearing this quickly replied as before started chanting a new spell, her eyes glowing in brilliant blue light as her body started to glow with a towering amount of aquatic magic power.