A sense of profound unease clung to Xu Jingming, like a specter in the night; eight parts of him were ensnared in a labyrinth of sin. The corrosive essence permeated his very being, gnawing at his sanity and threatening to erode his consciousness. Yet Xu Jingming bore the flames of the Red Lotus, a fiery crimson aura that relentlessly scoured his form of the sinful taint. In addition to this, his cultivation of three distinct lineages had fortified his mind, body, and consciousness beyond measure, rendering him as steadfast as a mountain against the corruptive onslaught.
His body ached with the burden of this sinful corruption, but even so, Xu Jingming steeled himself against its pull, defiantly holding on to his consciousness.
Gazing into the elusive depths of the future, Xu Jingming conjectured silently. If Overlord Yandi were to self-destruct, morphing into an avatar of sin, all of my clones would be vulnerable. The simple process of siphoning off 10% of his essence would hardly suffice.
In reality, Overlord Yandi's transmutation of a sea of Sin Spring Water into pure sin had only drained a mere tenth of his total form. This was necessary to ensure his combative prowess wasn't compromised by excessive expenditure.
Abyssal Void!
As Xu Jingming wrestled against the sin, he summoned forth an illusionary dominion—the Abyssal Void—which encroached upon Overlord Yandi's consciousness once more.
Buzz!
"It's the illusory realm again," Overlord Yandi grumbled, a shadow of vexation darkening his face. His consciousness was ensnared within the illusion, and despite his mind and consciousness putting up a valiant struggle, a piercing pain struck him at his core when he finally escaped.
Xu Jingming's illusionary selves brandished three ethereal spears, morphing into Dawn Piercers that lanced through the Overlord's essence and igniting a blazing trail of destruction that clawed at his mind and consciousness.
Psychic weapons? Overlord Yandi bristled at the realization. He had been trapped within the illusory realm, unaware that he'd been targeted by a psychic assault. The tangible sensation of being impaled by the psychic spear was absent, masked by the illusionary realm. Only upon breaking free did the truth dawn upon him.
His psychic weapons have grown potent, Overlord Yandi realized with growing unease. A mere hundred assaults would be enough to obliterate my clone's mind and consciousness.
The Overlord found himself helpless against the onslaught of the Soul Spear, the Red Lotus Fire, and the illusionary Abyssal Void augmenting the weapon's destructive potential.
Had it not been for the interference of the Red Lotus Fire and the Abyssal Void, he would have retaliated with full force, significantly mitigating the damage inflicted upon him.
"Let's see who falls first!" Overlord Yandi roared defiantly, a growing sense of doom fueling his ferocity.
Boom!
The formidable Sin Spring Water suddenly swelled, instantaneously engulfing two of Xu Jingming's clones. With a swift, sharp sound, the moment the Sin Spring Water surged around them, two Demonic Sound Forks materialized out of nowhere and pierced Xu Jingming's clones in an instant.
Being Overlord Yandi's weapons, the two Demonic Sound Forks had the ability to materialize anywhere within the expansive Sin Spring.
Huh? The two impaled clones of Xu Jingming felt an inescapable sharpness invade their bodies, akin to invisible sound waves pervading every inch of them, inflicting catastrophic damage.
Whoosh.
The pair of avatars retreated promptly into the Heart Realm. By the time they emerged, they were significantly distant, though noticeably weaker.
Overlord Yandi is a master in the Sin and Demonic Sound schools, with the latter seemingly more suited for combat. Thankfully, my triple lineage and physique are robust. If I were a novice in the Abyss, a single strike of that fork would have decimated this clone. This was something Xu Jingming was acutely aware of.
A cultivator of three lineages, Xu Jingming conjectured that a clone would be utterly destroyed after a maximum of three strikes.
His form is mutable in size. Once he's wrapped in the spring water, he'll strike instantly with the Demonic Sound Fork. I must maintain adequate distance. Xu Jingming became warier and more evasive, exploiting the dexterity inherent to the Heart Realm lineage.
He's more resilient than I anticipated! One attack isn't enough to fell him? While Overlord Yandi was staving off the Red Lotus Fire, he was persistently absorbing the Sin Spring Water, converting it into a ceaseless barrage of sins that ensnared Xu Jingming. All I need is time. The longer I can keep him occupied with sins, the greater my advantage will grow!
Biding for time, is he? Xu Jingming discerned the adversary's strategy. Abyssal Void!
The illusory realm descended once again!
The moment the illusory realm cascaded down, wrapping Overlord Yandi within its grasp, the three clones brandished their psychic spears and employed Dawn Piercer to shred Overlord Yandi's mind and consciousness.
This isn't good. Even as Xu Jingming executed another successful assault, he sensed a problem. He's escaping the illusory realm quicker this time.
The same illusory domain, the Abyssal Void, was most effective on its first use. With each subsequent exposure, Overlord Yandi's skill in dismantling it improved, naturally increasing his escape speed.
Based on the future timelines, he'll breach the Abyssal Void quicker each time! He might only need three or four instances to intercept my psychic weapon and severely wound my psychic clones. As the battle raged on, Xu Jingming analyzed the varied potential outcomes.
His mind was a flurry of activity, relentlessly seeking the most effective battle strategy.
…
The seventh branch of the Abyss, known as Blood Jade 735,293, was home to over 600 Abyss Overlords, and even the formidable presence of an Abyss Sovereign.
The spectacular clash between Overlord Yandi and Xu Jingming had seized the attention of practically every Abyss Overlord within this space. The Abyss Sovereign too was observing this extraordinary encounter.
"It's as if they've lost themselves to the thrill of the battle," remarked one onlooker. "Overlord Yandi has always been rather unhinged, and it appears Wu Ming is not much better. Despite being a half-step third realm of the Heart Realm lineage, he seems hell-bent on seeing this fight through to the bitter end."
"Considering Overlord Yandi has left a life imprint in the Sin Spring, it would prove challenging for him to meet his end even if he wished to do so. It's no surprise that he battles without fear!" another spectator chimed in. "As for Wu Ming… he's fast on his way to becoming an invincible half-step third realm. Why on earth would he yield to Overlord Yandi?"
