The person who shouted was none other than Zi Jingyun the Lightning Kid. He had not come alone. Behind him were about a dozen people, all of them experts of the Lightning Alliance. With a surging battle intent, Xiang Shaoyun looked straight at Zi Jingyun and said, "Oh, you want to kill me? Bring it on!"
He was itching for a battle, and he longed to have a fight with this Cloud Margin Pavilion's number one cultivator below the Skysoar Realm and see for himself how impressive Zi Jingyun was.
"There's no rush. Men, watch him. I'll go up there and see if there is a soul spring," said Lightning Kid before turning into a bolt of lighting shooting toward the summit of Soul Stone Mountain.
Apart from Lightning Kid, other experts were arriving from different directions as well. A few of them were no weaker than Lightning Kid, and they similarly soared toward the mountain's summit.
Xiang Shaoyun was in no hurry, so he waited there calmly and sank into thought, I harvested both the soul spring and the ghostbloom, but I did not find the soul raising stone. Looks like I need to ask Devouring Ghost about it.
"Devouring Ghost, any idea where I can find the soul raising stone?" asked Xiang Shaoyun through soul transmission.
"Oh! So you're here for the soul raising stone?" asked Devouring Ghost.
"Yes. I thought that the soul raising stone would be here, but even after excavating the entirety of the soul spring, I found nothing," replied Xiang Shaoyun.
"I ate the soul raising stone," admitted Devouring Ghost forthrightly.
Xiang Shaoyun staggered and nearly fell to the ground. "Y-you can eat that?"
"Of course. How would I have restored my soul foundation? Remember, I was completely sealed by those bastards back then and couldn't even use my soul power! Fortunately, a soul raising stone was hidden here as well. Left with no other options, I ate it and recovered my soul power," said Devouring Ghost. He added, "That is also why I can open this space once every 10 years, all for the sake of looking for someone who can help me. Finally, my efforts paid off and you appeared, young master."
Xiang Shaoyun had never imagined even the opening of the Land of Soul Springs every 10 years was also the work of Devouring Ghost. This was a truth that would leave many people shocked if exposed.
But he couldn't be bothered to think too much about it as the fate of the soul raising stone was bothering him. The mission he had received from Hua Cheng was to obtain the soul raising stone. The fact that he couldn't accomplish his task soured his mood.
"Why do you want the soul raising stone? Sure, it is a decent item, but it's not very useful for you at your current stage," said Devouring Ghost.
"I was looking for it on behalf of someone else. But since the stone is no more, I'll just have to forget it," said Xiang Shaoyun in disappointment.
"I see. You might be able to find more in the ghostrune territory," said Devouring Ghost.
"That's great news! I'll go look for one right now!" said Xiang Shaoyun joyfully. But he had barely moved when he was surrounded by the Lightning Alliance people.
"You won't be able to escape. Just obediently wait here for our alliance leader to come deliver your verdict," said one of them with a sneer.
Xiang Shaoyun couldn't even be bothered to give a reply. His figure simply flickered before he vanished into thin air. Before that person could react, a slap landed on his face.
Pa!
He was sent flying, with a few of his teeth flying out of his mouth. The others were alarmed, and one of them shouted, "Move together and detain him!"
They attacked together, surrounding Xiang Shaoyun with a flurry of energy attacks.
"Since you are seeking death, you can't blame me for what I'm going to do next," said Xiang Shaoyun with a cold snort.
His Nether Soul Domain surged in power, pushing his senses to a new height that gave him a detection capability comparable to an eighth-stage Skysoar Realm expert's. With that, the openings of all the incoming attacks were laid bare before him. It was the gift of instincts granted to him by his Nether Soul Domain.
Xiang Shaoyun charged into the openings he found and lashed out with his fists. The punches were all aimed at the openings, scattering all the attackers. Two of them were even sent flying with grave injuries.
Xiang Shaoyun was not holding back as his fists shot out like guided missiles before hitting a few more of his attackers. Before they could even erect any sort of defense, they were struck and sent flying while coughing blood.
"You are all from the Cloud Margin Pavilion, so I will spare you for now. If you continue pushing it, don't blame me if I kill you the next time we meet," said Xiang Shaoyun, who still decided to show them mercy.
If he wanted to kill them, not one of them would be able to escape. There were a few of them who had yet to attack, and fear was currently plastered all over their faces. They were people who knew very well Xiang Shaoyun's prowess.
Instead of attacking them, Xiang Shaoyun tried to leave. But Lightning Kid's voice suddenly rang out, "Stop him. He must have gotten the treasure!"
Next, Lightning Kid shot down from the top of Soul Stone Mountain toward Xiang Shaoyun. When the new arrivals heard his words, they blocked Xiang Shaoyun's path. Apart from the Lightning Alliance members, people from other organizations were also surrounding Xiang Shaoyun.
Lightning Kid finally arrived and said, "Xiang Shaoyun, hand over the treasure and I might consider sparing you."
Lightning Kid was confident there was a treasure on the Soul Stone Mountain because he had seen a newly dug spot there. And since he had personally witnessed Xiang Shaoyun leaving the top of the mountain earlier, he concluded that Xiang Shaoyun must have obtained the treasure.
"Hehe. You? Sparing me? Not me sparing you?" Xiang Shaoyun sneered.
"Good answer. You may now die," said Lightning Kid with narrowed eyes before sending forth a palm attack.
Rapid Lightning Palm!
The lightning palm energy arrived in front of Xiang Shaoyun's face in the blink of an eye. The palm was worthy of its name, as it truly moved rapidly. Even some Skysoar Realm cultivators would find it hard to dodge the attack. This attack proved that Lightning Kid did not have his reputation for nothing. Xiang Shaoyun was not proficient in palm techniques, but he could meet the palm with his fist. Thus, he greeted the incoming palm with a Lightning Bolt Fist.
Bang! Bang!
In a flash, the two exchanged over 10 attacks, sending lightning energy splashing everywhere. After yet another exchange, they separated from each other. It seemed like neither of them was able to do anything to the other.
"So you actually cultivate the power of lightning as well? But you are overestimating yourself if you think you can defeat me with lightning," said Lightning Kid with a nasty laugh. The lightning energy around him surged and grew even more fierce. Numerous electrical currents coiled around his body, with a massive apparition of a lightning snake appearing behind him. The snake looked extremely fierce and dreadful.
This was Lightning Kid's true strength and the source of his resounding reputation. He had once obtained a lightning snake egg by fluke. After consuming the egg, his lightning power grew exponentially, granting him the might of a demonic lightning snake.
The lightning snake was a rare high-tier demonic beast. Thus, it possessed an extraordinarily powerful demonic power. Once again, Lightning Kid attacked. His strength had grown by more than onefold, and even a first-stage Skysoar Realm expert would have a hard time facing the current him.
Lightning Snake Exits the Cave!
He assumed the stance of a snake with his hand and stabbed it at Xiang Shaoyun. His hand shot forth like a snake shooting out of a cave at an unimaginably fast speed, the lightning energy around it dreadful and mighty.