Willpower can indeed sometimes be the final straw that helps a human survive a desperate situation, but it also has its limits.
After the final energy of the Golden Tree entered his body and condensed back into a solid form, it was clear from the current situation that the total volume had exceeded the endurance limit of Yun Ming and his internal space.
Yun Ming performed Internal Vision on himself. The Sky Support Space within his body was undergoing the same changes as the Golden Tree's previous exotic space; fine, spiderweb-like cracks were continuously forming on the inner walls of the space.
Failed!
Yun Ming looked at the crumbling Sky Support Space with a heavy heart and reached this conclusion. He was not a god and could not peer through everything in the future. If luck was not on his side, there was nothing he could do. However, the reason he succeeded in many things was because he possessed sufficient strength and willpower—a willpower that would never give up!
Even though the plan had failed, if he did not quickly expel the Golden Tree from his body, he would likely be severely injured or even die. Yet, before the final deadline for the collapse of his internal space, various pieces of information regarding himself and the Golden Tree continued to flash through his mind, as he attempted to stabilize the space.
The situation inside Yun Ming's body was deteriorating rapidly, and the situation outside was equally grim.
Although the sudden turn of events had startled everyone, they soon realized that the pressure suppressing them had vanished. One by one, they stood up, while Yang Wutian hurriedly led the members of the Breaking Clan to shield Yun Ming. Previously, these people had been forced to bow and scrape before Yun Ming's power, losing all their dignity; now that Yun Ming had suffered an accident, they might very well seize the opportunity to strike back.
The local snakes of Silver River City had various thoughts at this moment. Some wanted to make a move; the benefits of the previously unknown treasure made them reluctant to let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They were all experts in medicine, and they were very interested in a divine object that made them feel like they were extending their lives just by absorbing a little of its energy.
But there were also those who saw the situation clearly and did not want to act, wishing only to escape. For example, the aforementioned Clan Leader Ye. Not to mention that Yun Ming was currently just erupting with large amounts of blood-red light and hadn't necessarily met his end yet, the mere presence of the other members of the Breaking Clan and Dai Bingjun's forces meant that these local earthworms had no real chance.
Regardless of what they thought, not a single person moved at this moment. The person who could truly control the situation had yet to state their position!
Dai Bingjun stood up with a gloomy expression. Seeing the sudden bursts of blood-red light erupting from Yun Ming's body, it was clear that an accident had occurred, and his previously suppressed unwillingness became restless. Before, in the face of Yun Ming's absolute power, he had been helpless; whether it was dignity or profit, he could do nothing but kneel and watch. But now it was different. Yun Ming was clearly in trouble, and if he didn't do something now, he wouldn't be worthy of the surname Dai.
He walked slowly toward Yun Ming with a look of concern on his face, though the corners of his mouth could not stop curling upward—he was so happy that he couldn't suppress his body's joyful instincts despite wanting to act. At the same time, he feigned worry and said.
"Oh my! Clan Leader Yang, what happened to Young Master Yun? Is he alright?"
Yang Wutian looked at Dai Bingjun, whose facial expressions were inconsistent and whose words were insincere, and said coldly.
"Many thanks for your concern, Prince. We will handle our clan's affairs ourselves. Please, Prince, stop right there!"
He had demanded a halt the moment he spoke; clearly, the sudden change in Yun Ming's condition had left Yang Wutian with no desire to play games. But could Dai Bingjun actually stop? That was impossible! If he stopped now, where would he put his face? He continued to walk slowly toward the Breaking Clan, speaking in a friendly tone.
"Clan Leader Yang, don't be so distant. We are close and inseparable partners."
"Young Master Yun seems to have run into some trouble. As his elder, and as the Star Luo Prince, if I don't step in to help, outsiders will surely say that our Star Luo Imperial Family is at fault!"
As he spoke, he waved for his trusted subordinates to come over and continued.
"This is the imperial physician I brought from the Star Luo Imperial Palace. He has great insight into various ailments caused by the cultivation problems of Soul Masters. Clan Leader Yang, why not let him take a look? Perhaps he can help Young Master Yun."
Yang Wutian glanced at the 'imperial physician' Dai Bingjun mentioned. The man was two meters tall, burly, and had thick calluses on his hands. He was likely an expert with weapons, and there was no scent of medicine on him, but the smell of blood was very heavy. Yang Wutian's expression turned completely cold. This man was treating him like a fool! If this was the standard for a physician, Silver River City could announce that the entire city should change professions.
For someone who clearly did not want to end things peacefully, Yang Wutian chose to act directly. A dark black, twelve-foot-long Soul Breaking Spear appeared in his hand. Eight spirit rings—yellow, purple, and black—emerged one by one, and the power of a Soul Saint—no, a Soul Douluo—erupted fully. With a flick of his long spear, a crack nearly ten feet deep and ten meters long appeared in front of Dai Bingjun. The distance from the spear mark to his toes was less than a centimeter, and Dai Bingjun could faintly feel a sharp, piercing edge.
Yang Wutian said coldly.
"I said 'stop'. Whoever dares to take another step forward..."
"Will be killed without exception, no matter who they are."
When he said the second half of the sentence, Yang Wutian's eyes were fixed directly on Dai Bingjun; it was clearly meant specifically for him.
With the Clan Leader having made his move, the other experts of the Breaking Clan also summoned their Soul Breaking Spears and shouted violently.
"KILL!!"xN
Although there were only a dozen of them in total, they had two Soul Saints and eight Soul Emperors, making them the most powerful force present.
The other members of the Breaking Clan aside, everyone present was shocked to perceive the soul power pressure from Yang Wutian, which clearly exceeded that of a Soul Saint. Because Yang Wutian had only broken through to Soul Douluo after going to Heaven Dou, and had not acted in public since then except for two non-public incidents, Silver River City truly did not know he had reached the Soul Douluo realm.
The expression on Dai Bingjun's face froze, not only because this old bastard Yang Wutian was threatening him so blatantly, but also because of Yang Wutian's cultivation and the strength of the Breaking Clan. His 'imperial physician' also sensed it and whispered to Dai Bingjun.
"Prince, this person's cultivation doesn't look like someone who just entered the Soul Douluo realm. What should we do?"
Before Dai Bingjun could think of a follow-up, Yang Wutian noticed the commotion in the crowd and took the initiative to reveal his own strength.
"I, myself, was fortunate enough to break through to level eighty-seven some time ago. I am not yet familiar with this power; I wonder if any friends would like to help me get accustomed to it?!"
His voice was laced with the effect of his Soul Breaking power, and his eyes swept across the crowd. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk searching for food, as if he were about to begin a hunt the moment any prey revealed their tracks.
Those swept by Yang Wutian's gaze, whether they had ideas or not, either lowered their heads or turned away; in any case, they could not meet his eyes. Good grief! It turned out the person with the highest cultivation present was from the Breaking Clan, and the second highest was also from the Breaking Clan—what were they even supposed to do?
Yang Wutian scanned the circle and finally locked his gaze firmly on Dai Bingjun. Dai Bingjun felt a chill as he was watched, and he glanced at the cowering people around him with disdain. A bunch of trash; they lost their nerve just because someone showed their level. But now that the pressure was on him, what could he do?
Dai Bingjun gave an awkward laugh.
"Since Clan Leader Yang does not need help, then of course I will respect that!"
As he spoke, he took his men and retreated a few steps.
What else could he do? Including himself, his men only amounted to two Soul Saints and six Soul Emperors. In the face of a high-level Soul Douluo with such explosive attack power as the Soul Breaking Spear, they could only take a beating. Naturally, he had to admit defeat; otherwise, given Yang Wutian's murderous aura, he might really be killed.
The other watching factions saw Dai Bingjun retreat and had strange expressions. Alright, they recognized who was the big boss and who was the small fry; they officially gave up.
Seeing Dai Bingjun retreat, Yang Wutian breathed a sigh of relief. It was fortunate that this guy was a coward; otherwise, if he had really succeeded in uniting the other families, he would have been truly worried that the fighting would affect Yun Ming.
Yang Wutian diverted a portion of his attention to Yun Ming. For now, he could only stall for time; the final outcome would still depend on Yun Ming.
Ming Er, hang in there! Yang Wutian did not know how Yun Ming was doing, and all he could do was pray.
After the change occurred within Yun Ming's body, it wasn't just him; his Soul Spirits, Tian Ling, and the two Ao Tians were also contributing.
The two Ao Tians used their stabilization attributes to suppress the space with all their might, while Tian Ling assisted Yun Ming by channeling the Anti-air Power. Working together, although they could not stop the space from cracking, they could at least delay the collapse.
As Tian Ling poured power into Yun Ming, he spoke.
"Master, we cannot go on like this!"
"Think of a solution together, hurry!!"
Yun Ming naturally knew the situation was dire. After giving the order, he immediately began to brainstorm.
The three Soul Spirits also stopped talking, thinking of a way out while they worked. However, time was not on their side; in just over three minutes, the internal space was on the verge of collapse. If they didn't act now, Yun Ming's Sky Support Space would shatter.
Present Life Ao Tian could no longer hold on and spoke up as well.
"Yun Ming, have you thought of a way? If we don't act, the space is really going to collapse. Why don't we just throw this thing out!"
Yun Ming gritted his teeth, maintaining his soul form, and shouted.
"Ten seconds, give me ten more seconds."
If he really followed Ao Tian's advice and threw the tree out, not only would the Space Injury he suffered inside his body be for nothing, but he would likely have to wait a year or two before he could attempt to move it again. Ten seconds was the final limit Yun Ming had calculated.
Hearing Yun Ming's response, Past Life Ao Tian complained.
"Fine! Why can't this damn tree be smaller, like it was in the future!"
The speaker had no such intention, but the listener took it to heart; a bolt of lightning flashed through Yun Ming's mind. Ao Tian's words had suddenly provided Yun Ming with inspiration, or rather, revealed a blind spot in his thinking.
Acting as soon as he thought of it, Yun Ming sent a quick mental message to the Golden Tree and then unleashed nine Space Rending slashes. Before the Golden Tree could react, nine thick branches were silently severed and tossed out of the space.
The impression the Golden Tree had left on Yun Ming in his past life was too deep. Whether as the Life Core of Douluo Star, his former Sea God Pavilion Master, or a special friend, it was incredibly important to him. Previously, he hadn't even considered harming the Golden Tree, thinking only of how to take it away intact. Now, thanks to Ao Tian's reminder, it was like a sudden enlightenment—the solution was so simple! A tree isn't a person; if it's too big, you can just prune the branches and leaves before moving it!
After cutting the tree, Yun Ming shouted.
"Suppress the riot!"
Yun Ming didn't specify the target, but the target had already made its identity known by exerting its power. Suddenly losing nine major branches was painful for the Golden Tree, and it immediately went berserk, golden light erupting violently.
Yun Ming joined forces with the three Soul Spirits, pushing the intensity of the Anti-air Power to its peak to form a barrier enveloping the Golden Tree. As the white light collided with the golden light, a terrifying explosion detonated within Yun Ming's body.
Outside, just as the group was staring at each other in a standoff, a change suddenly occurred near Yun Ming. A spatial vortex appeared on his abdomen, and nine branches, each over ten zhang long, fell to the ground.
Previously, even the stray life force from the Golden Tree's phantom had made everyone feel as if their bodies had been cleansed, causing flowers and trees to grow wildly. Now, with nine such massive Golden Tree branches appearing in the physical world, the sheer magnitude of the life force radiating from them was unimaginable. The surrounding area was like a Plant System Soul Master using their Martial Soul; all vegetation was growing rapidly. It must be noted that this wasn't a Martial Soul, but the real thing—the two were incomparable.
Especially when they saw a single drop of sap falling from a branch instantly ripen a precious herb that had been over a decade away from maturity, everyone's eyes turned bloodshot with greed.
The greed of the local powers in Silver River City, which had been suppressed by Yang Wutian's strength, was now fueled by the life force as if it had been doused in oil. And soon, Yun Ming gave them another shot of adrenaline.
A loud bang erupted from within Yun Ming's body. His torso split open, and a wave of blood-colored soul light covering a two-meter radius emerged, turning into blood in an instant, while Yun Ming's aura became dim and uncertain.
Yang Wutian's expression changed drastically, but this time, Dai Bingjun saw an opportunity and struck decisively.
"Everyone, the opportunity is here! What are you waiting for?"
As he spoke, he and his burly 'Imperial Physician' subordinate took the lead in charging forward, intent on snatching the Golden Tree branches. He saw in those branches the hope of breaking through to the Title Douluo realm.
With someone leading the charge and the stakes being so incredibly high, the others in Silver River City could no longer hold back. They immediately activated their Martial Soul Avatars and launched their assault. Seeing the situation spiral out of control, Yang Wutian immediately ordered.
"Yang Hong, protect Ming Er! Everyone else, protect the branches!"
No one was allowed to touch Yun Ming's belongings.
With that, he raised his spear and charged toward the two Soul Saints—the Dai Family master who had transformed into a White Tiger and his servant wielding a pair of Great Copper Hammers.
Yang Wutian's second, third, fourth, and fifth Spirit Rings lit up in unison. A black flame ignited on the tip of the Soul Breaking Spear, making the already sharp weapon's attack power even more terrifying. Even with a simple thrusting attack, without releasing any spear light, the air and earth twenty meters ahead were completely torn apart, whistling with intensity.
Feeling the terrifying attack power from Yang Wutian, which was no less than that of a Title Douluo, Dai Bingjun said in terror.
"Yang Wutian, do you know what a grave crime it is to attack a Star Luo Prince! Do you want the Breaking Clan to be buried with you for your actions?!!"
A bloodthirsty smile appeared on Yang Wutian's face.
"Buried with me? I'd like to see if you're worth that price in the Star Luo Empire."
As he spoke, his soul power exploded beneath his feet, turning him into a bolt of black lightning. In the blink of an eye, he reached the two, his spear tip pointing straight at Dai Bingjun's heart.
Dai Bingjun felt death approaching, but fortunately, the Great Copper Hammer Soul Saint was still useful. He stepped in front of his master, using his hammers as a shield in an attempt to block Yang Wutian's attack.
Boom--
A deafening explosion echoed across the field. Everyone was drawn to the highest-level battle on the scene, and then they saw the Great Copper Hammer Soul Saint and his master sent flying by a black shockwave that erupted from the tip of the Soul Breaking Spear. The Great Copper Hammer Soul Saint's face flushed red, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The Great Copper Hammer Soul Saint was astonished. He had thought he had blocked it with his Martial Soul, but he hadn't expected Yang Wutian's Explosive Force to bypass the defense and strike his body. Furthermore, the attack power of the Breaking Clan was far more formidable than he had imagined.
A Soul Saint-level combatant had been injured in a single move by Yang Wutian, leaving Dai Bingjun terrified. But there was no turning back now; he could only grit his teeth and press on.
"Everyone, attack! Take down Yang Wutian!"
With the master's order, all his subordinates, despite their fear, launched their attacks. He himself joined the fray as well. Yang Wutian didn't hold back either, charging in with his spear.
Two Soul Saints and six Soul Emperors, through the combined defense of the Great Copper Hammer Soul Saint and Dai Bingjun, and the suicidal 'trade-life-for-injury' tactics of the Soul Emperors, managed to stall Yang Wutian for a short time. Seeing their greatest opponent occupied, the others in Silver River City cast aside their grudges and cooperated, charging toward the elites of the Breaking Clan.
The Breaking Clan was few in number. Once the chaotic battle began, aside from Yang Wutian's side, the others were only on the receiving end of the assault from the two or three hundred people who were of decent quality.
A member of the Breaking Clan had just severed a Vine Martial Soul in front of him when a Soul Power Poison Fang struck from behind. Others faced similar situations; if not for another Soul Saint from the Breaking Clan constantly intervening to save them, some would likely have been severely injured by now.
In just a moment, the scene turned into a complete mess. Poison, vegetation, spear light, and shockwaves flew everywhere; the lush greenery that had just sprouted was destroyed in the blink of an eye.
Except for the two areas mentioned, there were few people near Yun Ming and Yang Hong. Not to mention that Yun Ming's current condition was unclear and moving against him was too dangerous, the mere fact that the Breaking Clan still had a Title Douluo present kept them from acting rashly. They only wanted the treasure; if they really touched Yun Ming, that madman Yang Wudi would definitely dare to wipe out the entire Silver River City.
Everyone was fighting with all their might. It was now a race against time to see whether Yang Wutian would clear the field first or if the Star Luo joint treasure-hunting team would snatch the items first.
Bang bang bang--
"Ah--"
Ding-ding—
Boom—
The sounds of various explosions and collisions, intermingled with screams, made the battlefield increasingly brutal as people began to suffer grave injuries and die. The fighting had clearly started first on Yang Wutian's side, but the other side was not far behind.
Watching his clansmen fall one by one, Yang Hong was incredibly anxious. Although no one had died yet, they were all severely wounded; if this dragged on, deaths were inevitable. Since he also had to protect Yun Ming against any unforeseen circumstances, he could only pace back and forth in a panic.
He looked at Yun Ming, whose body was covered in cracks, his soul light dim, and his eyes tightly shut, yet he was still maintaining his Spirit Avatar.
"Young Master, please wake up! We can't hold them off much longer."
As if he had heard his words, a glimmer of golden light ignited on the light patterns covering Yun Ming's body. This was just the beginning; the radiance from the patterns spread bit by bit across his entire body, eventually enveloping him completely in golden light.
Yang Hong watched Yun Ming, now encased in gold, his heart filled with trepidation. Is there still time?
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader