Chapter 1764 - 1749: The Successor

The title of First Killing Spear was not something Sima Yan earned on his own, but rather inherited.

This inheritance wasn’t from his grandfather, ancestors, or his master, but from a War Soul worshiped in the War Soul Hall.

The War Soul Hall worships War Souls of commanders, marshals, and major generals who tragically fell in countless battles since ancient times.

The War Souls worshiped in the War Soul Hall differ from the Ancient God War Spirits worshiped in the Barbarian Spirit Hall.

The Ancient God War Spirits in the Barbarian Spirit Hall, after being severely injured or perished, have their Primordial Spirits remain intact and rely on their powerful Primordial Spirit and secret treasure to conceal their presence through slumber to evade enemy pursuit.

Through this slumber, they recover from their incredibly severe wounds over long periods—essentially, they’re Remnant Souls.

However, War Souls are different; not every commander and general possess the qualifications to become a War Soul.

To become a War Soul, aside from immense personal power, one must also possess a formidable influence and cohesion among the military soldiers.

Only those leaders under whose command countless arrows fly and banners rally thousands of troops to forge ahead in waves may become War Souls after death.

A War Soul is more of an obsession, a will.

When a leader and countless soldiers following them perish, the Military Priests of the Ancestor God Temple use secret techniques to gather the leader’s and soldiers’ obsessions and battle intents, crafting a War Soul with the leader’s will as the main structure and the soldiers’ battle intent and obsessions as flesh.

Hence, after becoming a War Soul, a leader’s cultivation during their life might not have been high, but when enhanced by the battle intent of numerous soldiers, their combat power becomes extraordinarily mighty.

The War Souls worshipped in War Soul Hall are just like this.

Often, a Realm King Realm War Soul can easily defeat ordinary Dao Realm experts.

However, the power of the War Soul diminishes with each use and cannot be replenished, thus War Souls generally do not fight independently; their appearance signifies a critical life-and-death moment for the War Soul Hall.

To maximize the War Souls’ utility, priests of the War Soul Hall, akin to discipleship, select one or more War Souls, communicate with them, and study their secret divine skills while enhancing and contributing their Telekinesis to the War Soul, gradually making the War Soul more important.

Usually, depending on the power and secret divine skills of a War Soul, there may be dozens to thousands of priests communicating and worshipping a War Soul.

Yet, War Souls possess unique characteristics, and communication and worship with War Souls significantly emphasize attribute compatibility.

If your compatibility with a particular War Soul is limited, no matter how much effort you expend, you cannot truly grasp the innate power of the War Soul.

The higher the compatibility, the more War Soul power acquired.

Occasionally, some priests, with compatibility rates exceeding eighty percent with their worship War Souls, receive acceptance from the War Soul and fully comprehend its most vital power.

Such priests are termed as ’Inheritors’ within the War Soul Hall.

The circumstances of Inheritors are quite similar to Inherited Divine Messengers from other halls, however other halls often worship limited numbers of Ancient God War Spirits, like the Barbarian Spirit Hall, which previously had only two.

But the War Soul Hall is different; although the leaders qualified to become War Souls receiving posthumous worship are uncommon, from ancient times to the present, across a million-year accumulation, the numbers are exceedingly immense.

The number of War Souls in the War Soul Hall is in the tens of thousands.

Even if not all War Souls can have an Inheritor, the number of Inheritors in the War Soul Hall is still appreciably significant.

Moreover, War Soul Inheritors are not singular like Inherited Divine Messengers.

War Soul Inheritors need only have a compatibility rate of over eighty percent and possess sufficient effort and talent to become Inheritors.

Perhaps one or two, maybe even ten or eight.

However, regardless of the number of Inheritors, only the strongest or the singular Inheritor can inherit the title once held by a War Soul.

Sima Yan’s title of First Killing Spear was inherited from a War Soul experienced in numerous battles.

At this moment, facing Sima Yan alone, Ye Zhen felt the intense fierceness akin to confronting thousands of troops and horses simultaneously.

Even though Ye Zhen had weathered countless battles, he was still shaken by this fierce aura.

Particularly, the spear momentum, from Ye Zhen’s perspective, revealed no flaws.

"This person’s Spear Dao is just one step away from the extreme realm; be careful!" Purple Spirit’s voice echoed within Ye Zhen’s Spirit Palace, "Also, let me take your place!"

"I wish to comprehend more Sword Dao from you, so I must wield the Purple Spirit Immortal Sword myself. Anyway, with you here, if I truly can’t handle it, you can step in! Moreover, my speed!" Ye Zhen showed a confident expression.

"Speed...." Purple Spirit unexpectedly remained silent.

"Indeed, it’s me! Here to challenge your War Soul Hall, merely seeking defeat!" Ye Zhen took a deep breath, his hand slightly raised the Purple Spirit Immortal Sword, diminishing the suffocating sensation brought by Sima Yan’s Blood-tassel Spear.

"Arrogance! Nevertheless, be aware that what I’ve mastered is the path of the Killing Spear; once the Killing Spear is unleashed, it returns with blood. Be cautious!"

"You’ll be the nineteenth!" Ye Zhen wore a proud expression.

"Dream on!"

With a low shout, Sima Yan stepped forward, and his Blood-tassel Spear suddenly transformed into wave upon wave of blood rushing toward Ye Zhen.

Yet, Ye Zhen let out a faint laugh, his Divine Sense submerged within the Mirage Dragon Pearl’s Strong Wind Spirit Essence Pearl, and without any apparent action, his figure suddenly flashed, miraculously appearing behind Sima Yan.

Wind Flash!

At this moment, numerous priests intensely perceived this battle with their Divine Sense, particularly the priests of the War Soul Hall, whose expressions turned extremely grim upon sensing Ye Zhen’s astonishing speed once more.

There was no choice; Ye Zhen’s speed was too fast. They couldn’t see it with their eyes, nor discern its trajectory; only scattered Divine Sense barely detected the movement of Ye Zhen’s Qi, but merely detected it.

Utilizing the Wind Flash from the Strong Wind Spirit Essence Pearl, Ye Zhen appeared behind Sima Yan and swiftly kicked toward him.

After all, Ye Zhen’s genuine goal was applying pressure, aimed at the identity of the Ten Thousand Bones Reincarnation Seal rather than seeking a deadly feud, therefore keeping a measure of restraint.

Just as before, kicking Sima Yan away and then subduing him would count as victory.

In martial arts, speed is paramount; Ye Zhen had the confidence in this.

However, just at the moment Ye Zhen kicked out, Sima Yan’s targetless Blood-tassel Spear suddenly vibrated with Qi Force, the spearhead bending as if it were a whip, striking back at Ye Zhen like a venomous snake returning to its nest.

This miraculous strike hit Ye Zhen squarely.

The terrifying Spear Light exploded beneath Ye Zhen’s feet, instantly shattering the mid-grade Suppressing Device level boots he had crafted by his own hands.

The Spear Light was blocked by the Dragon Scale Spirit Armor covering Ye Zhen’s body, but the impact still made Ye Zhen uncomfortable.

His entire right leg felt as if it had been struck by lightning; if he weren’t gliding through the air, he might not have been able to stand steadily.

This scene made War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze’s eyes light up.

It also caused Ye Zhen’s expression to become serious.

This Sima Yan was clearly more than just interesting.

The earlier miraculous counterattack felt, to Ye Zhen, more like an instinctive battle reflex, a natural reaction, like when a person is bitten by a mosquito, they instinctively swat at the bite.

Earlier, Sima Yan’s battle instincts sensed the threat and he lashed out with a spear strike based purely on feeling.

However, while Ye Zhen was shocked, Si Anyan was even more shaken.

He hadn’t clearly seen Ye Zhen’s figure earlier; that spear strike was purely an instinctive reaction, yet it saved him from a disastrous early defeat.

In both their eyes, a seriousness rose.

The Purple Spirit Immortal Sword glimmered, the Sword Momentum shifted, layers of sword shadows surged forward like a rushing river, endlessly meeting Sima Yan’s spear momentum.

To everyone’s astonishment, Ye Zhen’s Sword Momentum was actually on par with Sima Yan’s spear momentum; just with his Sword Technique, he was evenly matched with Sima Yan.

Moments later, everyone’s expressions grew stranger.

In the beginning, Ye Zhen’s Sword Technique seemed slightly awkward, though brilliant, it somehow lacked something, not quite perfect.

But the more they fought, the more Ye Zhen’s Sword Technique became smooth and flawless.

At first, Sima Yan could advance step by step, but after half a quarter-hour, Sima Yan actually began to show signs of retreat.

This change in the War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze’s focused expression, "Finish this quickly, this young man seems to be using you to practice his sword!"

With Bi Ze’s reminder, Sima Yan, feeling the excitement of the fight, suddenly looked incredibly grim.

In the War Soul Hall, not many could withstand his spear technique head-on.

Today he met Ye Zhen and felt he was having a thrilling fight.

But with the Hall Master’s reminder, Sima Yan, being sharp-eyed, immediately recalled the changes in Ye Zhen’s Sword Momentum.

He really was using him to practice his sword!

Startled internally, the Blood-tassel Spear in his hand trembled violently, surging with overwhelming Killing Qi!

"Kill!"

Although it was only Sima Yan shouting, it sounded like the roar of thousands of troops to those present, terrifying everyone.

At the same moment, Sima Yan’s Blood-tassel Spear struck out like a venomous python, the void seemingly compressing at that instant.

The moment the spear struck out, it instantly traversed the kilometer between him and Ye Zhen, and in that instant, it crashed into Ye Zhen’s chest with boundless Killing Qi.

First Killing Spear - Empty Killing Spear!

But as the spear pierced the chest, Sima Yan’s expression changed.

The sensation of piercing flesh wasn’t there.

Avoided!

It was an afterimage!

"It seems you’ve had enough fun! If you’ve had enough, then let’s end this!"

Ye Zhen’s voice came from behind Sima Yan, alongside it a piercing sound of breaking air and a blazing aura.

Instinctively, he lashed out with another spear strike behind him!

A burst of flame light exploded violently.

Seeing this, Sima Yan’s face changed, the Blood-tassel Spear’s tip vibrated, erupting in a myriad of cold lights, trying to extinguish the exploding flame light completely.

Because he could sense the terrifying aura contained within that flame light.

With Ye Zhen’s cultivation greatly improved, the Sixth Formation Profound Fire Drill was not to be underestimated!

But before he could completely extinguish the exploding flame light, Ye Zhen disappeared from his sight again, and the terrifying blazing aura came from his side.

In an instant, Sima Yan found himself overwhelmed!

Almost at the same time, Ye Zhen rotated swiftly around Sima Yan, the afterimages left by Wind Flash linking together as if countless Ye Zhens were standing around Sima Yan.

The next moment, a thunderous Sword Light flashed into Sima Yan’s embrace like lightning.

It had to be said, Sima Yan’s accomplishments in Spear Dao were truly remarkable; at a critical moment, the spear’s tail instinctively blocked Ye Zhen’s Sword Light slightly.

This block spared him from a devastating gutting, but he was still sent flying by Ye Zhen’s Purple Spirit Immortal Sword, spraying blood from his mouth.

As Sima Yan hit the ground, the face of War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze had turned incredibly dark!