Chapter 400: The Battle of Spirits (2)

As a spirit master, Zhao Hong naturally had Yin Qi protecting her body, but after the man's relentless assault, the protective Yin Qi had been completely dispersed, unable to shield her physical form.

Under the man's frenzied and violent torture, Zhao Hong's aura grew faint, barely clinging to life, merely a breath away from death.

Secretly, Bai Xue looked towards Yang Haoran, not for the first time since the man began viciously tormenting Zhao Hong. She had glanced at Yang Haoran multiple times, with one purpose – to seek his opinion.

Each time she looked at Yang Haoran, Bai Xue was asking if he wanted to intervene, but Yang Haoran remained silent, giving no reply.

Without Yang Haoran's consent, Bai Xue dared not act rashly, fearing her impulsiveness might ruin his plans.

Moreover, the man exuded an aura of danger that made her doubt her chances of victory against him alone. Faced with such a formidable foe, she could not act recklessly – she was no fool.

Like Bai Xue, Yang Haoran sensed the man's peril. If forced into one-on-one combat, he believed his odds of winning were slim.

Hence, he refrained from acting hastily. Although the man had expended some spirit power, his strength remained formidable. Since neither he nor Bai Xue had been exposed, Yang Haoran saw no reason to court danger needlessly.

He waited, anticipating Zhao Hong's counterattack to drain the man's power after enduring his beating.

Since the spirit battle began, he noticed Zhao Hong remained solely on the defensive, passively taking hits.

With her Guardian Spirit absent, it seemed normal for Zhao Hong to be overwhelmed.

Yet Yang Haoran felt the situation seemed too simplistic. Zhao Hong, a spirit master, should possess formidable survival techniques.

After all, she had concealed herself within the crematorium for years and avoided exposing her identity despite clashing with Deng Feng – clear signs of her exceptional abilities.

For such an extraordinary person to fall so swiftly without a fight seemed unbelievable to Yang Haoran.

Reality, however, seemed to mock him. Under the man's relentless violent onslaught, Zhao Hong clung to her last breath. One more strike could extinguish her life!

Yet Zhao Hong showed no signs of a comeback, making Yang Haoran wonder if he had misjudged the situation.

Nevertheless, he decided to wait, for he had his own agenda.

"You've only recently ascended to a malevolent spirit. Your realm remains unstable. If Zhao Hong's Guardian Spirit dares to show up, it would be a tremendous boon, serving as the perfect nourishment to consolidate your realm."

The man grinned ominously at his Guardian Spirit.

In his view, with Zhao Hong dead, her Guardian Spirit's arrival would be a suicidal act – no surprises were expected.

A spirit master without a Guardian Spirit was akin to an ordinary person lacking hands. Likewise, a Guardian Spirit lacked purpose without its spirit master.

Taking them on together would be challenging, but defeating them separately would prove all too easy.

Upon hearing the man's words, the malevolent spirit bore a horrific grin, licking its lips in anticipation.

"I wish to devour her soul first. The soul of a spirit master would provide great nourishment," the hollow, unnatural voice rasped.

The man shook his head. "Her soul cannot be consumed yet. I still wish to extract certain secrets from her. Once I've obtained the information I desire, you can do with her soul as you please."

Displeased flickered in the malevolent spirit's eyes, which the man noticed with concern. He feared it might disobey and hastily devour Zhao Hong's soul while he was distracted, squandering a valuable opportunity.

Malevolent spirits were more unruly than evil spirits, less susceptible to their masters' control when tempted to indulge their impulses.

With this in mind, the man waved his hand, enveloping Zhao Hong's corpse in a shroud of Yin Qi that lifted it into the air. Then, channeling his spirit power, he prepared to forcibly coalesce and extract her soul as a spirit form.

His reasoning was simple: if he could not trust his Guardian Spirit to refrain from reckless actions, he would secure Zhao Hong's soul himself.

Tendrils of Yin Qi, manifestations of his spirit power, bored into Zhao Hong's seven apertures, aiming to forcibly condense and separate her soul into a spirit form.

However, the man's expression instantly froze, twisting into one of utter revulsion!