Chapter 1230 One Strike Cuts Down Ten Thousand Years!

Tang Yun stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes deep and unfathomable, as if the fierce life-or-death battle in the distance was nothing more than a game of chess that he could enter or leave at any time, and it did not stir much emotion in his heart.

Yu Ting's curiosity overcame some of her fear, and she couldn't help but speak, her voice slightly hoarse from nervousness.

“Brother Tang Yun, Sister Tang Qiu’er, aren’t you afraid? The situation is critical, and Captain Yu Sen and the others probably won’t be able to hold out for much longer. Shouldn’t we…shouldn’t we consider leaving as soon as possible? There’s no point in staying with this caravan.”

Upon hearing Yu Ting's question, Tang Qiu'er turned her head to look at Tang Lan, seemingly waiting for his opinion, while also explaining to Yu Ting.

Her clear voice stood out exceptionally well amidst the noisy background.

"Sister Yuting, look at the eyes of that silver-armored demon ape."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ting subconsciously focused her gaze. Although the distance was far, with her soul power channeling into her eyesight, she could still vaguely see two chilling crimson lights on the enormous head.

She had previously thought it was a symbol of the soul beast's rage, but after being reminded and looking more closely, she immediately noticed something unusual—the red light was not only violent, but also had a rigid, chaotic, and abnormal light that was not what a normal soul beast should have. It was so similar to the eyes of the crazed soul beast she had encountered outside Qingyuan City, which was controlled by that strange metal!

"Its eyes... are the same as those of the other berserk soul beasts!"

Yuting gasped.

Tang Qiu'er nodded, her tone certain.

"That's right. Like the previous soul beasts, this guy has bloodshot eyes and has completely lost his mind. It is also controlled by the evil soul tool of the Holy Spirit Cult. Otherwise, a 100,000-year-old soul beast with a high level of intelligence would rarely attack human caravans so frantically and recklessly unless it is provoked or invades its territory, let alone appear here far away from the Starry Night Great Forest."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ting and her teammates were even more shocked. A 100,000-year-old soul beast had been controlled? The Holy Spirit Cult's methods were terrifyingly powerful?!

Just then, Tang Lan, who had been silent all along, nodded without saying anything more.

He withdrew his gaze from the battlefield, seemingly having made some kind of judgment. Then, to the astonishment of everyone in Yu Ting's team, he slowly walked towards the center of the still deafening, soul-power-ravaged battlefield, towards the terrifying silver-armored demon ape! His steps were not fast, but unusually steady, as if he were just going for a stroll.

"Tang Yun! What are you doing?! Come back! It's dangerous there!"

Yuting was so frightened that she gasped and instinctively reached out to pull him away.

She simply couldn't understand how this seemingly calm and rational young man could do something so suicidal. Had he been scared out of his mind?

However, her hand was gently stopped by Tang Qiu'er beside her. Tang Qiu'er shook her head at her, her golden eyes showing no worry, but rather a calm and matter-of-fact demeanor. She whispered.

"Sister Yuting, let him go. It's alright."

"Nothing? That's a 100,000-year-old soul beast! Even three Soul Douluos..."

Yu Ting stamped her foot in frustration, but stopped midway through her sentence because she saw the unfounded and absolute trust in Tang Qiu'er's eyes.

This trust made her absurdly believe that perhaps... everything really was "okay"? But how could that be?!

Tang Lan ignored the commotion and shouts behind him. His figure moved through the woods, quickly crossing the last "safety line" where Yu Ting's team was located, and exposing himself to a more open area affected by the battle. Scattered pebbles and broken branches hit him, but seemed to hit an invisible barrier, silently sliding off or shattering.

His appearance naturally attracted the attention of other chamber of commerce members and soul hunters who were nearby, either scrambling to avoid danger or helping the wounded retreat.

"Look! Someone's going that way!"

"Are you crazy? Who is that? Trying to get themselves killed?"

"It seems to be... the older brother from the siblings who were with Yu Ting's team? What's his name? Tang Yun?"

"Ignorance is bliss! Does he think that a Soul Saint's cultivation level is enough to intervene in a battle of this level? Captain Yu Sen and his men couldn't even withstand it, he wouldn't even be a match for them!"

"Don't drag us down with you if you're looking to die. What if you anger that beast..."

Mockery, skepticism, astonishment, and even malicious whispers came from all directions. In their absolute fear and despair at their own predicament, many saw Tang Lan's actions as foolish and reckless, even blaming him for the "additional risks" he might bring. No one believed he could change anything; they simply considered him a terrified fool or a show-off.

Tang Lan ignored these sounds, his gaze calmly fixed on the huge, wildly dancing silver figure in front of him. The crack on the silver-armored demon ape's chest widened slightly, but its ferocity intensified. Tan Yuan and the others were already at their limit; the brilliance of their soul skills had dimmed considerably, and they were only holding on by sheer grit. Defeat seemed imminent.

Just as the silver-armored demon ape raised its giant paw once more, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to the battered and nearly incapable Tan Yuan—

Tang Lan stopped in her tracks.

He slightly raised his right hand, and a long, dark-colored, ancient-style blade silently appeared in his hand. The blade had no ornate luster, but rather a restrained and profound aura. However, the moment it appeared, an indescribable, chilling aura, seemingly originating from ancient times and the wilderness, quietly spread out.

This murderous aura wasn't overt or domineering, yet it sent a shiver down the spines of everyone who sensed it—whether it was Tan Yuan and Yu Sen, who were engaged in fierce combat, or Yu Ting and the others watching from afar, or even those who mocked Tang Lan. It was as if a cold blade had gently grazed their souls.

Immediately afterwards, in full view of everyone, Tang Lan, who was holding a black knife, suddenly blurred and then—disappeared!

It wasn't a fleeting afterimage left by high-speed movement, but rather it truly and without warning "disappeared" from this point in space!

In an instant, the world seemed to suddenly darken!

It wasn't that the light was actually stripped away, but rather that a perceptual "darkness" and "silence" enveloped the area. The sound of the wind, the rustling of the distant forest, the groans of the wounded, even the explosions of clashing soul power on the battlefield... all sounds eerily vanished at that moment.

Time seemed to stand still. The giant hand of the silver-armored demon ape hung in mid-air, the last spear light that Tan Yuan had managed to gather froze at the tip of the spear, and Yu Sen’s struggle to get up was frozen in place. The expressions on everyone’s faces, whether they were fear, despair, or mockery, were all frozen in place.

It was a suffocating stillness, beyond comprehension. Only thought could still function, yet it was filled with boundless horror and emptiness.

This absolute stillness and darkness lasted for perhaps only a tenth of a second, or perhaps even less.

Then, light and sound returned.

"puff--"

A faint, almost imperceptible sound, like a sharp blade slicing through thick leather, rang out.

Then, in the eyes of everyone who had just regained their senses, a scene unfolded that they would never forget, a scene that would overturn their understanding of the world—

The enormous, silver-armored demon ape, which had fought three Soul Douluos and several Soul Saints without defeat and seemed invincible for 100,000 years, suddenly had a smooth, mirror-like cut appear at the junction of its massive head, covered in thick silver armor, and its neck.

Then, that head, as big as a small mountain, slowly, yet irresistibly, slid down and flew up along the cut surface!

Silver-gray blood with dark red veins gushed out from the severed neck like a burst dam, shooting up dozens of meters high!

The massive body, now headless, froze instantly, and its terrifying, ferocious aura receded like a receding tide.

Then, the massive body swayed slightly before collapsing backward with a deafening roar like a mountain collapsing and the earth sinking!

“Rumble——!!!”

The earth trembled violently, and smoke and dust billowed into the sky, obscuring the moonlight.

quiet!

A deathly silence enveloped the area once again, but this time, it was due to utter shock and disbelief.

Everyone's minds went blank, unable to process what they were seeing. The 100,000-year-old soul beast that had just dominated the battlefield and brought endless terror... was... dead? Killed by that young man they had mocked as "ignorant and fearless" and "courting death" with a single strike? No one even saw how he made the strike, and the demonic ape's head was gone?

How can this be? !

As the smoke and dust dissipated, two objects slowly floated up beside the corpse of the silver-armored demon ape, emitting a dazzling and magnificent light.

A massive spirit ring, over five meters in diameter, shimmering with a brilliant silver light and adorned with intricate dark red patterns, slowly rotated. A vast and pure energy fluctuation spread out like a tide—it belonged to a 100,000-year-old spirit beast! Its energy intensity far surpassed any spirit power fluctuations that had dissipated during the previous battle!

At the same time, beneath the spirit ring, a bone roughly half the size of a human, dark silver in color, with natural, eerie cloud patterns on its surface and an irregular shape, slowly floated up, radiating a soft yet powerful light—a 100,000-year-old spirit bone! Moreover, judging from its position and shape, it is very likely to be an extremely precious part such as a torso bone or skull!

These two treasures, enough to drive any Soul Master or any force mad, floated in the air, reflecting the massive corpses below and the chaotic battlefield around them, as well as the stunned faces of everyone present.

Tang Lan's figure had reappeared in the same spot at some point, as if she had never moved.

The black longsword in his hand had disappeared.

He remained calm, as if he had just done something insignificant.

He raised his hand and grabbed at the floating 100,000-year-old soul bone in mid-air. The soul bone transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into an ancient ring on his finger, being directly stored in his spatial ring.

Immediately afterwards, the huge, bright silver 100,000-year spirit ring seemed to be drawn by an invisible force. Instead of floating stably and waiting to be absorbed like an ordinary spirit ring, it transformed into a more condensed pillar of light.

It actively threw itself at Tang Lan, and the moment it touched his body, it seemed to be guided by some force and completely disappeared into his body—to be precise, it was absorbed by some artifact contained within his body.

Deep within Tang Lan's consciousness, the phantom of a black longsword trembled slightly. Inside the blade, a blurry but excited figure almost danced with joy, its ecstatic laughter echoing in Tang Lan's mind.

"Hahaha! A 100,000-year soul ring! Such pure energy! Although it's not god-level, it's enough to condense my spirit body! Kid, well done! I can feel that my power has recovered a bit, and my spirit body is more stable! This evil artifact of the Holy Spirit Cult has brought some trouble, but it's not entirely useless!"

The pure power transformed from the 100,000-year-old soul ring is a great tonic for the spirit Ning Xian, effectively refining his spirit body, making it more solid and powerful, and restoring some of its former power.

Only after Tang Lan finished doing all this, put away the soul bone, and absorbed the soul ring did the people around her seem to be freed from the immobilization spell and gradually recover from their petrified state.

"The knot... is over?"

"The silver-armored demon ape...is dead?"

"Was it...was it Tang Yun who killed him? With a single stab?"

"Am I…am I hallucinating?"

"A 100,000-year-old soul ring... a soul bone..."

Whispers filled the air, tinged with a dreamlike disbelief. The gazes directed at Tang Lan had completely changed, transforming from previous mockery and incomprehension into unparalleled shock, awe, fear, and profound doubt.

Who exactly is this young man? The strength he just displayed has completely exceeded their comprehension! That is power that no Soul Saint, or even a Soul Douluo, could possess!

In the latter half of the night, after the initial deathly silence and shock, the survivors began to suppress the turmoil in their hearts and deal with the devastating aftermath. The Radiant Flame Merchant Guild suffered heavy losses; more than half of its servants and guards were killed or wounded, and much of its goods were destroyed.

Vice President Hank finally appeared, his face ashen. He directed the remaining men to count the casualties and collect the dead, and decisively decided not to linger before dawn.

Immediately gather any essential supplies you can carry and quickly leave this blood-soaked place, continuing along the original route. The thick stench of blood and the aura of a 100,000-year-old soul beast in the air could very well attract other powerful beings, whether soul beasts or something else entirely.

In this battle, the three Soul Douluos—Yu Sen, Tan Yuan, and Song Yingfei—along with the seven Soul Saints who participated, were all seriously injured and unable to fight any longer. They could only recuperate in the carriage.

Their initial shock quickly transformed into gratitude and deep awe for Tang Lan.

During a rest stop along the way, Tan Yuan, whose injuries were slightly less severe and who was barely able to move, personally came to the carriage where Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er were, supported by two team members. Yu Sen and several other Soul Saints also came, albeit with great difficulty.

They looked at the composed young man before them, who seemed completely unaffected, and their feelings were extremely complicated.

Tan Yuan bowed first, giving a solemn salute, his voice hoarse but sincere.

"Lord Tang Yun, I will never forget your life-saving grace! If it weren't for your intervention, we would all be devoured by beasts today. We were blind before, and if we were negligent in any way, please forgive us!"

Yu Sen and the other Soul Saints behind him also bowed and expressed their gratitude, adopting extremely humble postures.

They knew very well that the existence capable of slaying a 100,000-year-old soul beast with a single strike possessed an unimaginably terrifying strength and background, far beyond their comprehension and beyond their ability to offend.

Tang Lan simply nodded slightly, her tone indifferent.

"It was just a coincidence. Your injuries are quite serious, so please rest well."

The more indifferent his reaction was, the greater the awe Tan Yuan and the others felt.