The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 664: Failed at the End!

Failed at the End! . . .

"Let's proceed as planned. Two of us will go to the cave and capture that individual," Du Qingpeng ordered. "I don't believe this Feng Monarch is invincible or unfeeling."

Shang Yushu and Shang Yuming, twin brothers, promptly acknowledged the directive and departed. Each was at the level eight of Spirit Origin Stage, but their combined strength was considerably greater. When they fought in tandem, they were as formidable as ordinary Dream Origin Stage cultivators. They were the most suitable for the task.

"Wait!"

Cha Eun Xiao's voice resonated from behind the shield.

Following his words, the Golden Soul Tower gradually ascended. Feng Zhiling reappeared before the assembly. He gazed fiercely at the men and declared, "I am the one you seek! This is far from over! Do not meddle with others! It only makes you despicable! Cultivators from the two great sects in the Qing-Yun Realm are nothing but trash!"

He spoke with blood trickling from his lips.

The small tower withstood the onslaught from the seven superior cultivators mainly due to its inherent might. Cha Eun Xiao had channeled the majority of the dan bead energy into sustaining the tower's defensive capabilities. His wounds did not heal but instead worsened due to the energy expenditure.

If the seven men continued their relentless assault, Cha Eun Xiao would eventually exhaust the shield's energy and become vulnerable to them.

Believing that Feng Zhiling could easily endure forever, the men began plotting to capture Bing-Er. Cha Eun Xiao couldn't permit that. Although he recognized he was in a precarious situation, he resolved to act in Bing-Er's defense.

As he emerged from behind the shield, Cha Eun Xiao reached a momentous decision. It was a reckless one. He could still muster one final, extreme strike: a soul sacrifice for the Golden Soul Tower, obliterating his own soul to trigger the tower's explosion.

If the Golden Soul Tower detonated, even with minimal remaining energy, it would result in a catastrophic blast, capable of annihilating everything within a thousand-mile radius, including half of Chen-Xing City. The seven men would stand no chance of survival.

In fact, under full power, the Golden Soul Tower could potentially obliterate the entire Land of Han-Yang, showcasing its true potential as a treasure from the Human Realm Upon Heavens.

Amidst their mutual focus on one another, nobody detected the frigid energy building up inside the mountain.

"I had no idea Feng Monarch was so devoted to friendship. I'm intrigued. Who is the cultivator cultivating beneath the earth? Feng Monarch willingly sacrifices his own life for that person..." Du Qingpeng gazed at Cha Eun Xiao, particularly at the Golden Soul Tower in his possession. He made no effort to conceal the avarice in his eyes.

"Have no concerns about it!" Cha Eun Xiao responded blandly. "It's none of your business. Besides, you won't be able to fathom it."

"All of you will die! Every last one of you!" Cha Eun Xiao laughed coldly. He immediately tethered his soul to the Golden Soul Tower, and madness gleamed in his eyes.

"Damn it! He's going to destroy the treasure! Quickly, attack! All of you, stop him!" Du Qingpeng, a capable Dream Origin Stage cultivator, had already locked onto Cha Eun Xiao with his spiritual mind. He shouted as he delivered a palm strike.

The other six reacted promptly. Simultaneously, they launched their own attacks.

Following this, seven streams of spiritual energy converged on Cha Eun Xiao, intent on overpowering his spiritual mind.

Du Qingpeng, who had previously focused on Cha Eun Xiao with his spiritual mind, initiated the attack immediately.

Triggering the treasure's explosion required the expenditure of one's soul energy. If they could obliterate Feng Zhiling's spiritual mind, they might halt the impending detonation.

—Boom…—

A fierce gust of wind howled, and seven overwhelming palm strikes descended.

The Golden Soul Tower once again emitted its yellow light, resisting the palm strikes and expending twenty percent of its power, which collided with Cha Eun Xiao.

—Crack…—

Gritting his teeth, Cha Eun Xiao barely managed to defend against the palm strikes but was forced to retreat.

Cha Eun Xiao lay sprawled on the ground, his two legs, ribs, and the right hand that had clutched the tower all shattered.

—Puff!— The tower abruptly slipped from his grasp and vanished, drawn back to Cha Eun Xiao's body without his conscious control.

He slumped onto the ground, his gaze fixed on the heavens above.

"Is that all? Am I truly this feeble?" he wondered.

"I was on the brink, just one step away from triggering the tower with my soul power to set off the explosion. But I failed."

As he had been poised to activate the tower, a sense of hesitation had emanated from the tower. It was as if the tower had harbored disbelief in Cha Eun Xiao's actions, unwilling to comply with his intentions. Unfazed, Cha Eun Xiao had disregarded this resistance, confident that his final mental effort would suffice to detonate the tower.

Yet, before he could complete that last mental step, the onslaught of the enemy's spiritual mind attack had dazed him momentarily, severing his connection to the tower.

The tower had returned to his body, and now, there was no time left. He was devoid of the energy required to reestablish his link with the tower and initiate the explosion.

He was utterly drained.

In his pitiable state of weakness, Cha Eun Xiao found he couldn't even muster the strength to meet his end alongside his adversaries.

"So this is the end? I'm dying, aren't I?" He muttered bleakly as he descended to the ground. His thoughts turned to Bing-Er. "What about Bing-Er… I can't give up on her…"

Images of faces drifted across his mind's eye.

Jun Yinglian, with flowing white garments and long hair, materialized, berating him with a scowl. "Ye Xiao, you heartbreaker! You promised me your next life. Where is it? You've broken your promises time and time again. I despise you!"

Bing-Er's delicate, poignant countenance surfaced next. She beseeched, "Master, you can't leave me alone. You promised to take me to the upper realm…"

Another face, that of Su Yeyue, appeared with teary eyes, "You scoundrel. You vowed to visit me. Why haven't you come yet? How could you not?"