“Hahaha! Skeleton King, you’re seriously overestimating yourself. Do you really think this Soul Mushroom means anything to my king? Evan’s already got a fully human body, and soul medicine like this barely does anything for him now. Besides, he’s eaten Soul Mushrooms before—his soul power’s long since reached monstrous levels. You think he’d still want your trash?” said the Emerald Immortal Empress, her voice dripping with contempt.
“Trash? You dare call the Soul Mushroom trash?! Looks like everyone around that undying Yin–Yang Demon Empress is as crazy as she is. So you’re not here for the Soul Mushroom—then why did you break into my Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons?” The Skeleton King glared suspiciously at the Emerald Immortal Empress.
“Why? You really have to ask, you old idiot? Obviously, we came to kill you. My king says if you absorb the Soul Mushroom, your power will skyrocket, and then the Demonic Realm will drown in blood. For the peace of the realm, we have to take you out—or destroy the Soul Mushroom if we have to.”
“If you surrender, maybe we’ll let you live. If you want to die, today’s your day. We wouldn’t have barged into the Abyss unless we had a way to handle you. You really think your Corrupt-Heart Venom is all that? My king’s known about your poison for ages—he spent a thousand years brewing up an antidote. Why else would we waltz in here?” The Emerald Immortal Empress grinned wickedly.
Meanwhile, Lynn was locked in a fierce clash with the Golden Skeleton. Both unleashed powerful energy barriers, and the Abyss kept collapsing around them—stones raining down, threatening to bury everyone alive.
“If you’ve got guts, let’s take this fight outside. Hiding in here is pathetic. Well, princess, do you dare?” the Golden Skeleton taunted.
“You think I’m scared of you?” Lynn shot back. She remembered Evan saying the entrance to the Abyss had a barrier—normally, the remnant souls inside couldn’t get out. She really wanted to see how this guy had broken through.
Suddenly, the Golden Skeleton flashed with golden light and vanished from in front of Lynn. When she stepped outside, she saw him already hovering in midair.
“You actually broke through the barrier? Not bad—you’ve got some skills!” Lynn said, her eyes narrowing.
“You really don’t get it? This barrier doesn’t do anything to us—or to you, for that matter. My body is pure bone now, and the barrier only blocks bodiless remnant souls. Why wouldn’t I be able to leave? Enough talk—let’s get started. I want to see when the Yin–Yang Demon Empress started recruiting beauties as strong as you.” The Golden Skeleton sneered.
Lynn didn’t waste words. All she wanted was to finish off this annoying freak and then dive back into the Abyss to help Evan. With a flick of her wrist, her longsword blazed with light, slicing straight toward the Golden Skeleton.
Meanwhile, the Emerald Immortal Empress and Skeleton King were locked in a tense standoff. “You really expect me to believe that undying Yin–Yang Demon Empress brewed up an antidote to my Corrupt-Heart Venom? Impossible! You must be lying to me!”
“Lying? My king’s got Demon Dragon blood in his veins. You know dragon blood neutralizes every poison under the heavens. So tell me—does your Corrupt-Heart Venom still matter?” the Emerald Immortal Empress sneered.
“Demon Dragon blood? That’s impossible! Demon Dragons went extinct in the Demonic Realm ages ago. You can’t fool me! Even if you did get your hands on dragon blood, it wouldn’t be enough to resist my Corrupt-Heart Venom. I see what you’re doing—you’re stalling for time. Fine, I’ll just kill you now!”
If that undying Yin–Yang Demon Empress really comes to steal the Soul Mushroom, I won’t fear her. As long as she gets hit by my Corrupt-Heart Venom, she’s finished. I’ll snatch the Soul Mushroom right back from her hands! Some people just don’t know when to quit!” the Skeleton King snarled.
A flash of purple light—suddenly, the Skeleton King appeared right in front of the Emerald Immortal Empress, bone sword swinging at her with blinding speed. Off to the side, Evan’s heart lurched. He hadn’t expected that monster to move so fast. But now that the Skeleton King had left the Soul Mushroom, this was his chance.
But the Soul Mushroom still wasn’t mature. If he took it now, its effects would be way weaker. If he waited for it to ripen, the Skeleton King might come back—and the guy was frighteningly strong. Evan wasn’t sure if Jade could beat him.
Evan hesitated, torn. "Whatever—first I need to figure out how to get past this Corrupt-Heart Venom. If I can break through, everything else will be easy."
Evan drew the Frostbane Divine Sword and slashed his own wrist. Golden blood flowed out—just a few drops, since his defenses and healing were way stronger than before. The wound closed almost instantly.
He let the golden blood drip onto the ground, watching as the Corrupt-Heart Venom started to dissolve and fade away. It was like his dragon blood was burning the poison right out of the air.
“It works, but man, self-harming for dragon blood is seriously a pain. I should just fill up a bottle with it one of these days—otherwise, the stronger I get, the harder it’ll be to bleed out any at all,” Evan muttered to himself.
The moment Evan’s golden blood appeared, the Skeleton King spotted it. He couldn’t believe golden blood existed in the Demonic Realm. Golden Skeletons were one thing—their bones packed with metal energy, maybe from a metal-attribute body—but golden blood? That was unheard of.
Only the Immortal Realm’s Golden Dragon Clan could possibly have blood like this. For it to show up here, and so quietly, there was only one explanation: someone was using an invisibility technique and about to snatch the Soul Mushroom.
“No! I can’t let him succeed!” Realizing the danger, the Skeleton King rushed back toward the Soul Mushroom.
But the Emerald Immortal Empress wasn’t about to let him through. As he moved, she moved too—her sword crackling with thunder as she slashed at him. If the Skeleton King ignored her attack, he’d be badly injured; if he blocked, the Soul Mushroom would be at risk. For a moment, he was completely flustered, losing his cool.
Evan gritted his teeth and cut himself several more times, letting far more golden blood spill out. He flung it forward, and after a few breaths, a clear corridor opened up through the Corrupt-Heart Venom. Now, getting the Soul Mushroom would be a breeze.
But the Soul Mushroom still wasn’t ripe. If he took it now, it’d be a waste. Evan had already made up his mind—he’d kill the Skeleton King first, then grab the mushroom. No loose ends that way.
He summoned his Fire Golden Body, then sent a quick transmission to Jade: “Jade, leave this guy to me. Go help Lynn. I’ll have my Golden Body fetch the Soul Mushroom—you don’t need to worry!”
As soon as he finished, Evan canceled his Light Transformation and stepped right out in front of the Skeleton King…