Chapter 539: Chapter 538: Extremely Shocking

Ye Fan was shocked. Such perfectly seamless coordination, an interlocking chain of slaughter, was even more terrifying than four Spirit Kings.

It was just a probing attack, yet he had been defeated.

Ye Fan clutched his abdomen. He alone knew that his abdomen had just suffered a heavy blow from the Slaughter Light Pillar, while his back had taken a strike from the Shaking Sky Light Column. The Void Light Column and the Guardian Light Column had worked together to block his blue specter, crushing it with a single blow. Such power was truly fearsome.

The four light columns brightened significantly. They seemed to possess a sentience of their own, knowing precisely when to attack and when to retreat.

At this moment, the women close to Ye Fan grew worried, as they could vaguely make out that he was in a dire situation within the array.

"Let’s go up and help Ye Fan!"

"Okay!"

Su Qingxue and Heather were about to move, but Zhuang Zhou stopped them.

"Don’t do it," Zhuang Zhou said. "Brother Ye is currently searching for a weakness in the array. Besides, as you can see, we don’t have an advantage in numbers! Going up now would only distract him, potentially leading to a complete collapse of our efforts. We cannot disturb him, no matter how bad his situation looks!"

It wasn’t that Zhuang Zhou was heartless; this was simply the reality of the situation.

The women couldn’t bear to watch. Is Ye Fan going to follow the same tragic path as Master Fazhuang? They wept, their hearts aching to see Ye Fan in such a state. If they could, they would willingly suffer in his place.

But it was impossible. The Slaying Spirit Array was still formidable. A thousand years had passed, and many had forgotten its history, but when it was activated again, its power shook the world. That was the terror of the Slaying Spirit Array; the dormant array, once reactivated, would inevitably bring utter destruction.

As Ye Fan pondered, the Slaying Spirit Array attacked again. Once activated, no one could control this array—unless the person within it died.

Ye Fan swiftly counterattacked.

"Slaughter Sword Dao!"

"Pure Yang Divine Fist!"

This time, he changed his attack, aiming for the Guardian Light Column and the Void Light Column. While these two columns were not the most powerful, they were the ones insidiously blocking his path, so he decided to eliminate these two hidden threats first. But he failed nonetheless.

"AAARGH!"

When the Slaughter Light Pillar and the Shaking Sky Light Column struck him, his entire body trembled on the verge of shattering. Ye Fan was at death’s door.

Ultimately, his strength could not overcome it. He had tried his best, only to suffer such a devastating blow. This wasn’t a weakness of the Slaying Spirit Array at all. It was a temptation dangled by the array—a trap, plain and simple.

Light emanated from the four great columns, and from it, the Array Soul appeared. Advanced arrays all possess Array Souls, just as advanced Spiritual Artifacts possess Artifact Souls.

The Array Soul sneered, "After so many years, another fool emerges. You actually dare to challenge the Slaying Spirit Array? An ant dares to compare itself to the heavens... you truly are courting death!"

Ye Fan looked at the elusive Array Soul and slowly raised his head, his voice cold. "Why wouldn’t I dare? Don’t forget, arrays are merely creations of man. You are nothing more than a product of that creation!"

"Someone else said the same thing to me once," the Array Soul said mockingly. "He just died much faster than you will. The only reason you’re still alive isn’t because you’re strong, but because I haven’t finished playing with you yet!"

Ye Fan replied coldly, "That might not be the case. I’ll have you know, countless others have thought as you do, believing they could control everything from on high. Their end was always total destruction!"

"Then I can only tell you that I am the exception, because I am immortal," the Array Soul sneered. "Apart from the master who created me, no one can destroy me, and that includes you. In my eyes, you are nothing more than an ant in its death throes. To kill you, I need only activate the array one more time!"

It looked down upon all creation, treating all living things as mere playthings. Even a man who could slay Spirit Kings like Ye Fan was nothing in its eyes.

Ye Fan retorted, "So what if you activate the array again? You are merely a slave. You can never stop me from destroying those I choose!"

"Is that so?" the Array Soul asked derisively.

Suddenly, the Array Soul let out a great shout and unleashed the ultimate power of the formation. The Slaying Spirit Array was fully activated, building a momentum that threatened to sunder heaven and earth. This wave of power was unstoppable. Its mere aura was enough to drive anyone to despair.

Even Ye Fan couldn’t block it. But he didn’t intend to block it; he intended to destroy it!

He declared coldly, "Zongheng! Hundred Steps! Return to the Source! Slaughter!"

The four strongest swordsmanship techniques of the Yuanhong Sword, once unleashed, would certainly unfold with overwhelming power. Without a doubt, Ye Fan was in a class of his own when it came to the Sword Dao. He could execute four distinct swordsmanship techniques simultaneously, a feat no one else could accomplish. Ye Fan had done it. It was truly stunning.

"It’s nothing more than the death throes of an ant!" the Array Soul mocked.

"Slaying Spirit Array!"

At the Array Soul’s shout, the ultimate form of the array manifested. It was derived from the original but was far more destructive, promising to leave nothing but dust in its wake. As the Array Soul activated it, an apocalyptic scene unfolded. The nearest Martial Artists from the Spirit Domain instantly shattered into dust. It was a blow of pure annihilation.

No one could withstand it. Even the Martial Artists from the Spirit Suppressing Domain could no longer hold on.

"Retreat quickly!" Fa Ming immediately shouted. He too sensed the terrifying power of the technique, an array capable of destroying everything. Years ago, before he had reached his current level of power, his master, Master Fazhuang, had fallen even before the Array Soul resorted to using this move.

The power of the Slaying Spirit Array was undoubtedly infinite. Although they had been wary of it, they had never anticipated it would be this terrifying. They had underestimated its power.

Ye Fan’s women were driven to near despair. Faced with such overwhelming force, the odds of another miracle seemed impossible. They knew that this time, Ye Fan truly could not pull through. They were filled with regret. They should have tried to stop Ye Fan instead of letting him act so recklessly. If only they had persuaded him, they wouldn’t be facing this monstrously powerful Slaying Spirit Array.

At the center of the array, Ye Fan stood firm. His will was unwavering, his expression composed, even in the face of the Slaying Spirit Array’s incredible power. This composure stemmed from the invincible confidence in his heart.

He possessed an unyielding belief in himself. Did this confidence stem from his Ancestor Realm Bloodline, or from the Yuanhong Sword?

No. It came from this very confidence—an unshakeable belief in his own invincibility. As long as he possessed it, he feared no challenge, no matter how much stronger his opponent was—be it ten, a hundred, or even a thousand times more powerful.

At this moment, Ye Fan longed for the storm to rage even more fiercely.

The energies of the four swordsmanship techniques hovered in the air. Does he intend to unleash all four at once? That would be impossible; he was no fool. At this moment, Ye Fan was preparing to make a decisive, game-changing move.