In the process of gathering around Jake, some of the disciples belonging to the Imperial Realm could not stand the force of the collective souls and their spiritual souls became detached from their Soul Sea. Needless to say, they were all swallowed by Jim and became a part of his dainty feast. Having absorbed so many spiritual souls, Jim's strength had upgraded multifold. He had become extremely tough now and it would be almost impossible to vanquish him.
After all of the disciples who had the ability to break through the attacks of those souls had gathered at his side, Jake ordered them to strike back at Jim. "Strike!" he exclaimed.
Jake pointed to the pillar next to him and commanded the disciples to attack it. All of the cultivators concentrated their vital energy at their hands and began striking at the pillar with all their might. They were at the edge of life and death and none of them could afford to conceal their true capability. Altogether, they were made up of four fighters from the Master Realm and over ninety from the Imperial Realm. All of them unfolded their vital energy force and demonstrated it at the highest state. Like a platoon, they struck simultaneously at the pillar.
The massive, enormous vital energy waves that formed from the united force of all the disciples shot out and charged towards the pillar. Progressively, as it pierced through the air, the collisions generated heat and wrapped the vital energy waves in a golden hued blanket.
The waves hit straight on the pillar and generated an earsplitting sound. The impact was so loud that for a moment, people went numb, and were unable to hear a single thing except a constant shrill, piercing sound.
The pillar began to wobble as if a deadly earthquake had struck. The cracking began to appear. Countless fracture marks began showing up on the wall of the pillar, and they spread from the point of impact.
"The pillar is not indestructible after all.
We can break it with one more blow!
Let's strike it once more," Jake cried with passion. It was true. Like a frightened and exhausted animal, the pillar was now on the verge of destruction.
One blow would turn it into a heap of rubble.
Working as a team, the disciples carried out the second strike at the same time.
As the second strike reached the pillar, it hit the pillar so hard that the vibrant sound of the impact was heard all around the palace.
With a resounding bang, the pillar imploded and collapsed. Its fall created clouds of dust and blanketed the air.
"It broke!" one of the disciples cried excitedly. Their first success boosted their confidence and morale.
Since the pillar had been destroyed, there was no place the black chains could find support and sustain themselves. They began to shrink and at last, fell to the ground and dispersed into the thin air.
Jake's instincts about the black chains were right. The chains were really supported by the pillar that once the pillar was broken, they could no longer exist.
They were filled with renewed hope of getting out of the place alive. They beamed with anticipation.
"Don't stop!
Keep striking other pillars to eliminate the black chains. The more black chains we destroy, the more hope we obtain to escape from this hell!" Jake said, fusing inspiration into every disciple.
His words were invigorating enough to brace all the cultivators up.
Now that the plan h
hadow of Jim, as it continued to devour the spiritual souls of those cultivators, began to grow large in size and its spiritual sense became much more condensed than ever before.
Progressively, as the accumulation of the spiritual souls inside him grew, the fake, bleary shadow vibrated and gradually turned into an almost real, tangible human body.
A quite opposite state of events was being experienced by every one as the quantity of the fighters of the Imperial Realm continued to decline. As a consequence, more strikes were needed for them to destroy a pillar together and they started to feel the exhaustion.
The consumption of the vital energy in a day had already exceeded its limit. There was just simply no way they could demonstrate their best capabilities at the moment.
Sensing the smell of imminent success, Jim became relaxed and cocky. "Hah-hah, how do you feel now? The result is imminent. No matter how hard you try to fight it, it is useless.
Why don't you just drop your meaningless resistance and begin to do your final prayers before your death? Instead of struggling in vain, you should consider to relax and compose yourself before I eat your spiritual souls.
As for my three dear disciples, letting you die earlier is too mean and heartless of a deed for me. Don't worry! I will keep you for the last, until you have said farewell to each of your friends and watched them die. Then finally, it would be your turn. Before all the others are devoured by me, you three are safe and sound."
Noting that he now held a substantial advantage over them, Jim laughed out loud. His vaunting laughter resonated around the entire place.
After he had absorbed the spiritual souls of more than a hundred fighters of the Imperial Realm, his body's strength had increased to a great extent and he felt he could no longer feel the wounds he had gotten before.
He came to the conclusion that the victory of his sacrifice array was beyond inevitable.
He thought that once he had succeeded to eliminate all the fighters of the Imperial Realm and absorbed their spiritual souls, the spiritual souls would provide him with sufficient, strong vital energy. That would put him in a superior position to confront the remaining two fighters of the Master Realm.