Chapter 498: Plan to Capture the Blood Master's Lingering Spirit

Chapter 498: Plan to Capture the Blood Master's Lingering Spirit

Jiang Buling frowned at the young man, confusion clouding his eyes. The youth before him was seething with hatred, as if they shared an insurmountable grudge. However, no matter how hard Jiang Buling racked his brains, he couldn't recall ever wronging this person in any way.

"Someone from the Jiang family?"

That was the first thing that came to his mind.

But Jiang Buling quickly dismissed the idea. There was no one left in the Jiang family who held a grudge against him, nor was there anyone seeking revenge for Jiang Tianming.

"A powerful being from the Nether Prison? The same one who held a grudge against Jiang Tianming... Could it be that this person is behind all the schemes targeting me?"

Jiang Buling's eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him. "What great enmity could I have fostered with the Nether Prison for them to target me so relentlessly?"

A lingering fragment of a soul hid within the young man's spiritual consciousness, and it was the same one that had been within Jiang Tianming.

Jiang Tianming had targeted him, and his final trump card was the owner of this lingering soul. Now, this person, brimming with hatred and seeming to consider him a mortal enemy, also had a fragment of that soul within them.

Jiang Buling's eyes turned cold as he pondered this. Could it be a mere coincidence that he had encountered this situation twice? How could there be such an improbable coincidence in this world? And why was it always directed at him? Moreover, those who targeted him seemed to have fragments of that soul within them.

"Who are you, and what great grudge do you hold against me, Jiang Buling?" Jiang Buling's voice was icy as he brandished the Extreme Soul Divine Spear, his eyes filled with anger.

Xue Ji was unaware of Jiang Buling's thoughts at that moment, or he would have cried out in protest. How could this be his doing? It was merely a coincidence that those targeting Jiang Buling had crossed paths with him. He, Xue Ji, was simply seizing the opportunity to restore himself.

Boom!

The young man unsheathed a blood-red longsword that shone with a dazzling light. Blood-red energy soared into the sky, painting the heavens crimson. The sword seemed to reflect a vision of a bloody abyss filled with demonic beings, casting an ominous aura over the surroundings.

The youth stood within the blood-red prison, his figure flickering in and out of sight. His demeanor was sinister and evil, and his killing intent shook the world, emitting a hissing sound.

The crowd of Immortal Revereds was stunned, each of them taking a step back in fear.

He was terrifying!

Especially for the few Immortal Revereds who had been standing beside the youth—their faces were drenched in cold sweat as they felt a lingering fear.

They had unknowingly stood beside such an evil and violent person—it was truly dangerous!

A few Immortal Revereds, recalling the sudden disappearances of their companions during the journey, looked at the horrifying vision of the bloody abyss and turned pale. They felt a sense of relief for having escaped such a fate.

The bloody aura stirred the sky and clouds, as if turning this piece of heaven and earth into a part of the bloody abyss. Within the abyss, a demon stood with a knife in hand.

"Who are you, and what great grudge do you hold against me, Jiang Buling?" Jiang Buling's tone was cold and indifferent, his weapon at the ready.

Although the young man was powerful, his strength was nothing compared to Jiang Buling's current realm.

Jiang Buling's question was directed at the youth, but he was truly addressing Xue Ji, though the latter was unaware of this. Xue Ji believed that by having the youth unleash the power of the Blood Abyss and the Nether Prison's blood energy, he could completely conceal his presence. He wouldn't make the same mistake as last time when Jiang Buling had discovered him.

However, Xue Ji didn't know that Jiang Buling had already sensed his presence.

"It's the same lingering soul from last time," Meng Chong said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

During the battle in the Tai Kun Realm, the lingering soul had been completely annihilated. Yet, here it was again, and it seemed to originate from the same powerful being.

This implied that the lingering soul they had destroyed before was only a fragment.

Furthermore, this lingering soul might not even be the entirety of the being's residual soul.

Meng Chong's thoughts mirrored Jiang Buling's suspicions—this lingering soul seemed to be manipulating everything behind the scenes, targeting Jiang Buling.

However, both of them were puzzled as to why this lingering soul, seemingly belonging to an extremely powerful being, would hold a grudge against Jiang Buling.

"It's a lingering soul from the Nether Prison, and it's even stronger than the Blood King!" After a moment of contemplation, Xu Yan speculated, "Could it be the lingering soul of a Blood Master?"

The Blood Masters of the Nether Prison were Realm Lords. Could this be a lingering soul of a Blood Master who had survived the great battle and was now clinging to life?

"A Blood Master's lingering soul?" Su Lingxiu's eyes lit up at the idea.

The residual soul of a Realm Lord was definitely worth studying. Perhaps, by capturing it, they could understand the unique qualities of a Realm Lord's soul and how it differed from those of lower-realm warriors.

Moreover, the fact that it belonged to a powerful being from another world made it even more intriguing to Su Lingxiu.

"Big Brother, how strong is this lingering soul? Can we capture it?" Su Lingxiu asked excitedly.

The Blood Master of the Nether Prison was a Realm Lord, and beings of such a caliber were extremely decisive and possessed extraordinary means. Destroying them was one thing, but capturing them was another challenge altogether.

After all, a being of such power would never willingly fall into the hands of those they considered weak, enduring humiliation. In a critical moment, they would choose to self-destruct.

Moreover, if they had other lingering fragments of their soul elsewhere, they would never allow this part of their soul to be captured, and would decisively annihilate it.

"As long as we have the chance to capture it!"

Sulingxiu's eyes sparkled with determination as she took out some containers, preparing for the upcoming attempt to capture the Blood Master's lingering soul. And for that, they would undoubtedly need Jiang Buling's assistance.

When it came to understanding and techniques related to divine souls, Jiang Buling was second to none.

He cultivated the Extreme Soul Martial Arts, and his very being was a manifestation of an extreme soul, not a physical body.

"Fourth Junior Brother, get your arrays and restrictions ready. We need to capture this lingering soul and prevent it from self-destructing." Sulingxiu instructed Fang Hao.

"Rest assured, Senior Sister. I can deploy the Soul-Trapping Array at any time. However, since it's a Blood Master we're dealing with, they might have some tricks up their sleeve to temporarily break free from the restraints." Fang Hao replied, a small circular plate appearing in his hand.

"First and Second Senior Brothers, make sure to lend a hand when the time comes." Sulingxiu turned to Xu Yan and Meng Chong.

"Alright!" Meng Chong scratched his head in agreement.

Xu Yan smiled and said, "The Blood Master is an old fox, so he'll definitely be on guard. But since he's just a lingering soul and has to face the Fifth Junior Brother, our chances of capturing him are still quite high."

With a slight fluctuation of his consciousness, the entire world underwent subtle changes without anyone noticing. The surroundings had been silently sealed off by invisible sword intent.

However, this sword intent lacked any sharpness and was completely integrated into the heavens and earth, merging with the spiritual energy and the very fabric of nature. Amidst the tremors caused by the Blood Prison Demon Abyss, no one could detect its presence.

Even the remnant soul of Blood Extremity was unaware, for it was just a fragment of a soul, residing within the young man's body. How could it perceive the anomaly?

"Fifth Junior Brother, don't destroy the lingering soul. I want to capture it and study it." Sulingxiu transmitted her voice to Jiang Buling.

"Okay!" Jiang Buling nodded. He, too, wanted to know why this person held such a deep grudge against him and what their connection was.

"Jiang Buling, my hatred for you is as deep as the ocean, and our grudge is to the death! Are you daring enough to fight me?" The young man roared, his killing intent surging.

"Why wouldn't I dare? If you want to court death, Jiang Buling will fulfill your wish!" Jiang Buling's expression remained calm as he held the Extreme Soul Divine Spear and stepped forward.

"But I'm curious. What exactly is the grudge between you and me, Jiang Buling? How have I wronged you to the point of having an irreconcilable enmity?" The young man's grip tightened around the scarlet longsword, his aura becoming more violent and bloodthirsty. A rolling wave of blood began to surge around him.

He stood as if amidst a raging tide of blood, with the Blood Prison Demon Abyss looming above. The very world around them seemed to have transformed into a part of the blood abyss.

"Do you remember Yun Yan'er?" The young man's face twisted with hatred and pain.

"Yun Yan'er?" Jiang Buling's eyebrows furrowed. "You're not here because of her, are you? I'm curious. I've never heard of Yun Yan'er being involved with anyone else but Jiang Tianming. She never mentioned having feelings for anyone else."

"It's all your fault!" The young man's face contorted with madness. "Yun Yan'er and I were together. Who knew that your Jiang family would arrange a marriage, making her your fiancee? And then Jiang Tianming interfered, driving a wedge between us!

"If it weren't for you, Jiang Buling, Yun Yan'er would have eventually seen my sincerity and recognized my good intentions.

"You killed Jiang Tianming, and that's fine. But Yun Yan'er was kind and beautiful. How could you bear to take her life as well? If you hadn't killed her, she would have seen my devotion and known that I'm a good person..."

Jiang Buling paused slightly, observing the young man's manic expression and his loss of sanity. He couldn't help but echo his master's words, "Is this what Master meant by a 'devoted dog'? The kind that takes devotion to the extreme?"

Xu Yan and the others also wore puzzled expressions. So, this was a lunatic.

The lingering soul had been using this madman to enhance his strength and target Jiang Buling through him, thinking that he could hide in the shadows and manipulate events from behind the scenes.

"No one should have discovered me. I've unleashed the power of the Blood Prison Demon Abyss, which should be enough to conceal my presence. Why do I still sense impending danger?" Blood Master wondered, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

He was a formidable figure, known as the Blood Master of the Blood Devil Path, and his keen senses had been honed through countless life-and-death battles. This sudden sense of crisis definitely had a reason behind it.

However, Blood Master couldn't quite pinpoint the source of this impending danger, and it felt somewhat different from the life-and-death crises he had faced in the past.

"I must be cautious!" he thought to himself, his expression grave.

"Jiang Buling, die!"

The youth charged forward with his blade, a tidal wave of blood surging forth as the Blood Prison Demon Abyss devoured everything in its path, turning the world into a crimson spectacle. A scarlet longsword shone with an evil aura, capable of corrupting even the purest of souls.

This evil aura seemed to have the power to erode one's soul, tainting their soul force. It could not only slay souls but also defend against and confuse soul secret techniques.

"As I thought, it's specifically targeting me!"

Jiang Buling's eyes turned cold, and a chilling light emanated from them.

Jiang Tianming had not possessed such a technique. With his Extreme Soul Martial Arts, Jiang Buling had easily defeated him.

The youth before him had apparently learned from their previous encounter and mistakenly believed that Jiang Buling cultivated an extremely powerful soul secret technique. Thus, he had been taught a method to counter soul techniques, hoping to gain the upper hand.

"Unfortunately, you're wrong. I don't cultivate soul secret techniques!"

Jiang Buling lifted his hand, and in an instant, the extreme soul force surged forth from his Extreme Soul Divine Weapon, revealing its peerless sharpness. Even the distant Immortal Revereds felt as if they could see a divine spear radiating an overwhelming soul force.

What shocked them even more was that this divine spear wasn't perceived by their physical eyes but by their souls, and their souls felt an intense pressure from it.

It felt as if a mere touch of that spear would result in the annihilation of their souls!

"Retreat quickly!"

The group of Immortal Revereds hastily backed away, their faces filled with horror.

What kind of technique was this? What kind of soul secret art could be so terrifying?

Whoosh!

The spear radiated starlight as it pierced through the rolling blood waves and tore through the Blood Prison Demon Abyss, slicing open a rift in the blood-red world.

The spear's radiance was icy and seemed to be unstoppable.

"Not good! I'll borrow your soul force to withstand this spear strike. He can only unleash this strike once, and if you can withstand it, you'll have the chance to counter-attack and kill him!" Blood Master exclaimed, his expression changing drastically.

At this moment, he realized that the technique Jiang Buling was using might not be a simple soul secret art.

It seemed to be some kind of martial art that he had never heard of before!

Blood Master knew that his only option now was to flee immediately. If he hesitated any longer, death was certain. Even though he was just a remnant soul, his status as the former Blood Master meant that his soul was far more powerful than that of an ordinary cultivator. However, facing this martial art that seemed specifically designed to counter soul techniques, he was at a severe disadvantage.

The youth also sensed the crisis, but his eyes only grew more frenzied, showing no signs of backing down. As soon as Blood Master spoke, the youth immediately agreed.

In an instant, a powerful soul force surged into his consciousness, making him feel stronger. The sense of crisis brought by the spear strike had lessened significantly.

"Burn!"

Just then, a surge of blood-colored flames erupted from Blood Master's soul, and the power of the Blood Prison Demon Abyss condensed in an instant, filling the heavens and the earth with its crimson light.

Boom!

The youth felt his blood boiling and burning throughout his body, as if his flesh was melting away. Yet, he also felt a surge of power within him.

"We must burn some blood and soul force to greatly enhance our power and slay Jiang Buling! Your chance for revenge is now!" Blood Master said solemnly.

The youth had no qualms about sacrificing himself as long as he could get his revenge. Thus, he readily allowed his soul to burn under Blood Master's secret technique.

There was no pain, only a sense of liberation and excitement, as if he was finally avenging his deep grudge.

Boom!

The scarlet longsword thinned out, and the evil aura it emitted became even more intense and powerful.

"Now!"

Blood Master urged his secret technique, and the youth's body melted and merged with the scarlet longsword. The burning soul also seemed to transform into the driving force behind this devastating strike!

Swish!

The thin blood-red blade tore through the sky, slicing through the blood waves and emitting mournful and angry screams. It slashed towards Jiang Buling and the icy spear radiance.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end