Chapter 4: Chapter Four: Fierce Battle

Suddenly a huge blast rang out, a strong surge erupted from within Luo Shan's body; unexpectedly, after the other souls attached to Luo Shan's flesh, his strength increased dramatically, successfully entering the stage of high-level human disciple.

Although Luo Shan's strength has risen, those hundreds of souls remain inside him, uncertain whether it's a blessing or a curse; perhaps his power grew, but later Luo Shan will suffer many side effects.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

At this moment, Grandpa Xiao Yushan unleashed a sealing formation; in the sky a hexagonal star flare appeared, covering the Ghostly Nether King overhead.

The Ghostly Nether King, seeing the situation was dire, fought back with all his might, yet the more he resisted, the stronger the hexagonal star seal became; when the Ghostly Nether King could barely endure the seal's force, he ultimately could not escape the sealing formation's attack.

"Luo Shan, quickly come with me back to this continent." After Xiao Yushan sealed the Ghostly Nether King and then killed those insignificant souls for him, he came to Luo Shan's side.

Luo Shan, seeing Grandpa Xiao Yushan approach, strained to suppress the hundreds of souls inside him, said, "Grandpa Xiao Yushan, let's go."

At that moment Xiao Yushan instantly opened a spatial teleportation gate to prevent the Ghostly Nether King from breaking the seal and chasing them.

After leaving the Ghostly Nether Realm, Luo Shan and Grandpa Xiao Yushan finally escaped danger; one must know that without overwhelming power, a trip through the Ghostly Nether Realm is as deadly as the Nine Nether lands. Returning to Aimidode Town, Luo Shan and Xiao Yushan went back to the house they originally lived in.

"Luo Shan, hundreds of souls reside within your body; if you don't eliminate them, I'm afraid you won't escape death later!" Xiao Yushan examined Luo Shan and said gravely.

Although Luo Shan now has a perfect body like an ordinary person, a mortal flesh cannot bear multiple souls alive; if time passes, his body cannot withstand their power, and Luo Shan may explode and die.

"Grandpa, how can I eliminate the other souls in my body?" After Xiao Yushan said this, Luo Shan realized the danger.

"I'm afraid I have no solution, because removing the souls in your body requires a life-for-a-life exchange, and any slight mistake could cause unforeseen consequences." Although Grandpa Xiao Yushan could eliminate the other souls within Luo Shan, the price was too great to accept.

Upon hearing this, Luo Shan also had no way, for he could not find anyone willing to sacrifice their life to save him. Hearing Xiao Yushan's words, Luo Shan felt inevitably disappointed.

"Luo Shan, actually while fighting the Ghostly Nether King I was also struck by its 'Death-Seeking Curse'. I think my remaining days are few; if you agree to one thing, I am willing to sacrifice myself to eliminate the other souls within you." Xiao Yushan said hopefully, not expecting that even someone of his great strength could not handle the Ghostly Nether King—those who can oppose it are at the Human Emperor level.

On this continent, those who have reached the Human Emperor level are exceedingly rare; it seems Xiao Yushan truly sacrificed a lot for Luo Shan.

【7】 "Grandpa Xiao Yushan, it's all my fault; if not for me, you wouldn't have died." Luo Shan felt deeply guilty upon hearing Xiao Yushan's words.

"Grandpa Xiao Yushan, it's all my fault; if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have died." Luo Shan, hearing Xiao Yushan's words, felt very guilty.

"Luo Shan, you needn't be sad; after all, I watched you grow up, so saving your life is only natural." Xiao Yushan comforted him when Luo Shan seemed momentarily fragile.

Although Xiao Yushan is not Luo Shan's biological grandfather, he has always treated Luo Shan as his own grandson.

"Grandpa Xiao Yushan, tell me whatever you need; Luo Shan promises that no matter what, I will fulfill it for you." Luo Shan was very grateful to Xiao Yushan, unsure what to do, but hoped he could help as much as possible, given his limited strength.

"Hmm, actually Grandpa Xiao Yushan also has a younger brother named Xiao Tian; fifteen years ago he was sealed by the Spirit God Temple Master on Tian Ling Mountain while trying to save me. I hope you will rescue him when your strength reaches the Human God level." Xiao Yushan requested.

Upon hearing this, Luo Shan was shocked that one would need Human God strength to rescue Xiao Tian; the existence of a Human God was unimaginable, perhaps even across the entire continent none could find one, as the Human God seemed only a legend no one had truly seen.

"Grandpa Xiao Yushan, I will not betray your trust; even if I never attain Human God strength, I will rescue your brother Xiao Tian from Tian Ling Mountain." Luo Shan mustered courage, believing he could become a Human God on this continent.

Moreover, his parents' capture seems heavily linked to the Spirit God Temple, making the Spirit God Temple Luo Shan's greatest enemy.

"Hmm! Luo Shan, rest for a night; tomorrow I will perform the Ancient Forbidden Technique to eliminate the other souls in your body." Finally, Grandpa Xiao Yushan nodded satisfactorily, hoping Luo Shan would not disappoint him.

The Ancient Forbidden Technique is not something ordinary people can wield; without overwhelming power, one can easily die midway, as the technique's cost stakes one's life, otherwise it wouldn't be deemed a forbidden technique.

Late at night, Luo Shan suppressed the other souls within his body, sitting alone by the window, gazing at the bright moon in the starry sky, recalling his parents. Since they were captured, he had been to the Nine Nether lands and then the Ghostly Nether Realm—both perilous places—but he never gave up hope for life. After pondering for a long time, Luo Shan went to bed to sleep.

"Luo Shan, when I perform the 'Shadow Demon Soul Devourer' forbidden technique, your soul's nature will surface; because your soul is bloodthirsty, it is extremely dangerous, so you must be prepared." At dawn, Xiao Yushan and Luo Shan sat opposite on the bed, but Xiao Yushan's expression was unusually solemn, and no one could tell what would happen next.

Luo Shan glanced at Xiao Yushan and said gravely, "Grandpa Xiao Yushan, rest assured, no matter what happens, Luo Shan will persevere to the end and never betray your expectations."

Hearing Luo Shan speak thus, Xiao Yushan nodded, for his time was also short; whether it succeeds depends on Luo Shan's fate.

Then, Xiao Yushan focused and closed his eyes; in an instant, the empty room grew heavy as if time had stopped. Suddenly, his expression turned fierce like a snarling beast, yet a faint silver light radiated around him, presenting a different scene.

Sitting opposite, Luo Shan was shocked beyond words, yet he felt no fear; watching the faint silver light intensify, Luo Shan realized this was just the beginning.

Consequently, the radiance around Xiao Yushan grew stronger, and the forbidden technique underwent a sudden change, for the silver light was emitted by Xiao Yushan's soul; at this moment he used his soul's power to illuminate the surroundings, guiding the communication of souls.

Suddenly, Xiao Yushan's shadow, illuminated by soul-light, instantly contracted into a ball as if conscious; at that instant, Xiao Yushan's soul detached in the blink of an eye, like a meteor, leaping into his contracted shadow.

Experiencing all this, Luo Shan was utterly stunned; this was something he had never heard of nor seen, truly bizarre.

At this moment, Xiao Yushan unleashed all the power in his life; the entire room suddenly became blazingly bright, dazzlingly harsh, forcing Luo Shan to shut his eyes tightly and calm his mind.

At this time, the shadow, fused with Xiao Yushan's soul and contracted into a ball, suddenly surged straight toward

Continuation

"Boom!" A earth-shattering roar erupted as soul-formed light and shadow surged toward Luo Shan at lightning speed. Instinctively, Luo Shan tried to dodge, but the deep dark power within the souls at that moment seized his entire body, leaving him unable to evade. Xiao Yushan's soul-shadow slammed straight into Luo Shan's chest, instantly dissolving into his limbs and bones. Power—boundless power—burst forth in that instant, and Luo Shan's whole body emanated a faint black aura. At the moment he merged with the soul-shadow, Xiao Yushan's near-Human Emperor strength transferred to Luo Shan. Though due to Luo Shan's own limitations, only about one-tenth to one-twelfth of this power was truly absorbed, it already granted Luo Shan the strength of an intermediate human master—equivalent to his parents. From now on, the unabsorbed power will, through Luo Shan's cultivation, gradually return, accelerating his advancement far beyond that of ordinary people.

Yet the price of all this was Xiao Yushan's disappearance.

After that earth-shattering energy transfer, having unleashed all his power, Xiao Yushan's body disintegrated into swirling ash. When Luo Shan came to his senses, the whole world...

"Luo Shan, I can no longer protect your parents, nor can I protect you any longer. Take care of yourself."

"Grandpa Xiao Yushan!" Luo Shan instinctively shouted, tears streaming down. For many days Xiao Yushan had protected him, never giving up even when he fell into the abyss of the Nine Nether lands, and even when confronting the Ghostly Nether King he protected him wholeheartedly. Yet in the end, Grandpa Xiao Yushan exhausted his entire...

Xiao Yushan's dying wish—that Luo Shan rescue Xiao Tian—became Luo Shan's sole goal. The Human God realm is supreme, and he also...

However, this goal, now...

Although Luo Shan has received Xiao Yushan's power, he remains only an intermediate human master; originally Luo Jing and Qing Yu each...

Rescuing Xiao Yushan is far from easy. No, it's essentially...

But in Luo Shan's heart at this moment, he was still overwhelmed with grief over Xiao Yushan's death. Even if it were a mountain of swords and a sea of fire, as long as it was Xiao Yushan's dying wish, he would throw himself into it without hesitation!

This was also where Xiao Yushan had miscalculated. He had originally thought that Luo Shan was naturally weak in character, and now living alone on this continent fraught with peril, with no family to care for him, he would inevitably have suicidal thoughts in the face of this boundless darkness. By entrusting him with his own life—asking Luo Shan to rescue Xiao Tian—he wanted to give him a goal to sustain him, to cultivate diligently and find the strength to keep living. In truth, whether or not he saved Xiao Tian was secondary. So many years had passed; whether Xiao Tian could even survive within the dark Spirit God Hall was still an unknown, let alone rescuing him from Mingguang's hands. He never expected that though Luo Shan was weak, he also had a resolute side. Since he knew he could never reach the Human God realm in this lifetime, he would simply stake everything on a single throw and head straight for the Spirit God Hall, leaving life or death to heaven's decision. To die gloriously in battle would be his way of repaying Xiao Yutian's grace of saving and raising him.

This was indeed an extremely childish and irresponsible thought, but Luo Shan could no longer care about so much now.

His parents had been taken away by Mingguang, Xiao Yushan had scattered into dust, and now between all of heaven and earth, only he alone remained. What else could he do? Find a place to hide from the Spirit God Hall's pursuit, cultivate slowly, and only challenge the Spirit God Hall after he had enough strength? This was certainly the wise choice, but he might have to spend his entire life on it. For Luo Shan, this was a form of evasion.

This was something he himself could not tolerate.

So Luo Shan can only advance, advance, and advance, seeing gods slay gods, seeing demons slay demons!