Arthur's shout had just left his mouth, the sound still vibrating in the air, when his entire being transformed into a streak of golden light, not lunging toward the source of the leaking aura, but retreating rapidly.
It wasn't fear, but a combat instinct.
The optimal choice made by following his Intuition.
The opponent's aura was like a venomous snake that had been waiting in the shadows for a long time.
"Not bad."
A flat, almost hollow voice rang out, not from a fixed point, but like the dampness of midwinter, wrapping around from all directions.
In front of Arthur's rapid retreat path, the air suddenly became viscous and gray.
Countless translucent, painfully twisted wailing faces emerged from the void, layer upon layer.
Forming an endless wall of Souls.
They roared silently, emitting terrifying fluctuations of despair, coldness, and the devouring of life force.
It wasn't a Domain, yet it was more heart-stopping than an ordinary Domain.
This was the manifestation of pure death and resentment.
Zhuo Shi and Wu Zhangkong's expressions changed drastically.
"At least a Limit Douluo!"
As a Sea Gods Pavilion Elder, Zhuo Shi naturally saw the horror within.
His beard and hair flared out as a crimson Fire Dragon phantom soared into the sky, his hot and overbearing Soul Power attempting to dispel the gloomy cold.
Wu Zhangkong's heavenly frost sword was already in hand, its ultimate cold freezing the air, but it was difficult to freeze those intangible vengeful spirits.
"Take the children and go!" Zhuo Shi roared, throwing a punch at the wall of Souls. The Fire Dragon bellowed, burning those faces until they sizzled, temporarily clearing a gap. But more vengeful spirits rushed forward to fill the void, endless and inexhaustible.
"Forget about it."
Arthur shoved Zhuo Shi aside: "You can't hold out, let me."
Then he shouted to Wu Zhangkong: "Take the elderly and children and go first!"
Zhuo Shi: "?"
Zhuo Shi stumbled from Arthur's push, then flew into a rage, his crimson Fire Dragon phantom expanding by a circle.
He had lived for so many years; as a Sea Gods Pavilion Elder, when had he ever been told by a junior that he couldn't hold out, and even been categorized among the elderly, weak, women, and children to retreat first?
But beyond the anger, a deeper sense of sorrow flashed through his heart.
He really couldn't hold out... On the other side, Wu Zhangkong was very decisive, wrapping everyone in Soul Power to flee.
But it was already too late.
In the wilderness where everyone was, the light was rapidly dimming, as if covered by an invisible giant bowl.
The soil lost its vitality, turning grayish-white, and tiny grains of sand suspended in the air under a mysterious power.
A Domain belonging to death had silently unfolded.
In the center of the Domain, space twisted slightly, and a giant skull was slowly outlined.
Strange dark-gold runes were carved upon it.
Within the deep eye sockets were two points of crimson light, cold to the extreme.
Within the Domain, all light, sound, and vitality were collapsing toward where he stood.
"Ghost Emperor?"
Arthur easily guessed the identity of the newcomer; this skull, this terrifying aura.
Plus Leng Yulai from before.
Clearly, the Ghost Emperor had been watching everything from the shadows.
"Heh, can we go back to just now?" Arthur blinked. "I'll pretend I didn't notice you, and you continue hiding, how about it?"
Facing a Quasi-God, he was still a bit apprehensive.
Not that he was afraid; if Arthur couldn't win, he could still get away.
Even if he couldn't get away, he could hold out until the end of time. The Ghost Emperor couldn't kill him.
But Wu Zhangkong and the others would surely die.
The giant skull floated in mid-air, not speaking.
Arthur's banter did not stir any echo in the deathly silent Domain.
Only those two points of crimson light in the skull's eye sockets seemed to grow a bit deeper.
The giant skull turned slightly, his gaze—or rather, those two beams of crimson light—swept over Arthur's body, especially at Arthur's left shoulder.
That was where the demon god sword had struck earlier.
The Holy Spirit Cult naturally wouldn't send only Leng Yulai to deal with Arthur.
She really wasn't up to it.
The Demon Empress had even originally planned to come herself, but due to some special reasons, she sent the Ghost Emperor.
The Ghost Emperor had also been observing from the shadows until he saw Arthur easily deal with the demon god sword and recover completely.
In his shock, he had leaked a sliver of aura.
Even he couldn't withstand that demon god sword thing.
Yet Arthur withstood it like it was nothing, which truly gave him a shock regarding both mechanics and stats.
"You are very special..."
The Ghost Emperor gradually understood why the Demon Empress insisted he come.
He had originally thought it was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Now, he felt it wasn't enough. He should have brought the Underworld Emperor along.
This kid is a bit wicked.
Facing the Ghost Emperor's increasingly intense scrutiny and materialized cold killing intent, the last trace of relaxation on Arthur's face vanished.
He could feel that the next strike would no longer be a probe, but a true Quasi-God level attack!
The giant skull moved without any warning.
It didn't use any fancy Spirit Abilities; it simply focused those two points of crimson light entirely on Arthur, and then, an indescribable deathly silence descended.
It wasn't an attack; it was more like a sentence.
Arthur's boiling Soul Power, surging strength, the golden light flowing on his skin, and even the speed of his thoughts all became stagnant and Slow at this moment.
It was as if the small patch of time and space he occupied was forcibly dragged into death.
This was a terrifying ability close to a law; within the Ghost Emperor's Domain, for a target with strength far lower than his, it was almost impossible to evade.
The gap was too large.
This was the crushing weight of a Quasi-God's control over laws.
Arthur and the others were able to stand until now largely because the Ghost Emperor was mostly observing and probing. Once the Ghost Emperor got serious and used this kind of killing move involving fundamental laws, Arthur could only be passively beaten.
Arthur's aura gradually weakened.
The deathly silent pressure was like a mountain on his head, and the golden light around Arthur's body condensed until it turned dark.
But after a moment, it recovered.
His Dragon Bones thundered.
The Earth Vein Power also surged into his body like a spring, instantly dispersing that deathly silence.
The Red Dragon erupted with a boom, and crimson-gold Dragon power wrapped in Sacred Light Flames swept across his body. A dragon roar rolled from his throat as he forcibly broke free from the law-level imprisonment.
In the unseen, or rather, from the infinite heights, the plane consciousness was also roaring.
No one can kill Arthur; that's what it said!
Don't underestimate their bond!
"..."
The Ghost Emperor watched the scene before him, unsure of what to do. His premonition from just now was correct.
He really couldn't kill this wicked thing.
"Argh—!"
Among the students Wu Zhangkong was protecting, someone began to scream in pain.
Although the Ghost Emperor's attack was mainly aimed at Arthur, the mere dissipation of the aftershocks and the erosion of the ubiquitous Death Domain were more than they could bear.
Xie Xie's face turned ashen, a grayish-blue hue of Death Qi faintly appearing under his skin, his body swaying as he was about to collapse.
Xu Xiaoyan slumped directly to the ground, her eyes unfocused.
"Xu Xiaoyan! Xie Xie!" Tang Wulin roared, his Blue Silver Emperor sweeping around, trying to disperse the Death Qi around them, but the effect was negligible.
He himself felt a heavy pressure falling upon his Soul, making breathing difficult.
Wu Zhangkong and Zhuo Shi, who were sharing most of the pressure, were even worse off.
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