Elemental Affinity: Metal
Upgrade Level: +11
Defense: 8000
Additional Defense: 5300
Soul Compatibility: 20%
Equipment Effect: For 10 seconds, any elemental attack weaker than this item can be absorbed and re-released anytime within.
Destroy this item if the attack was absorbed for over 10 seconds.
+10 Additional Effect: 30% Increase in attack when releasing an absorbed attack.
Upgrade Requirement: 400 Soulpoints
Through the usage of an +10 Guaranteed Upgrade Stone and then an ordinary heaven-tier upgrade stone, Bai Yunfei was able to upgrade the parasol to +11. It was without its difficulties, however, as Bai Yunfei had to alter the outcome once during the process.
This parasol wasn’t different than that of an umbrella based on appearances. Before, the parasol was only capable of providing adequate coverage of Shen Pojun, but after Bai Yunfei upgraded it, the parasol’s coverage expanded so that it could cover the entirety of its owner.
Its equipment effect was quite strong and was nearly on par with the +12 additional effect of the Returner Armor, but not quite. It had to first absorb an attack before it could re-release it, and even then, the parasol had limits on what attacks it could absorb.
“Ancestor, please bring back the next one!”
Bai Yunfei tossed the parasol back over to Shen Pojun, who grabbed it just in time to open it up and protect himself from a blast of elemental energy.
Once more, Shen Pojun regaled his soul armament with newfound excitement. Without hesitation this time, he had the shield-type soul armament whiz toward Bai Yunfei. By the time it reached his hand, the shield was already the size of his palm and had the shape of a caltrop token.
As he did with the previous two, Bai Yunfei swiftly took out a +10 Guaranteed Upgrade Stone…
Upon upgrading it to +10, Bai Yunfei tried to upgrade it to +11. And after altering the outcome once again, Bai Yunfei was pleased to see that he had managed to do it.
Elemental Affinity: Metal, Fire
Upgrade Level: +11
Defense: 8500
Additional Defense: 5400
Soul Compatibility: 20%
Equipment Effect: In exchange for soulforce, counter any physical attack with an equivalently-powered fire-type attack when struck.
+10 Additional Effect: 30% Chance to increase defense by 50% for 60 seconds.
Cooldown of 5 minutes.
Upgrade Requirement: 400 Soulpoints
Finished with the final soul armament, Bai Yunfei threw it toward Shen Pojun. As it traveled through the air, the soul armament transformed into the size of a door with a bright red and golden light encompassing its flight path.
“Phew…”
Bai Yunfei let out a sigh of relief. His painful task of upgrading Shen Pojun’s soul armaments was finally over! His usage of the Upgrade Technique wasn’t as numerous as usual, but doing so during a very tense battle was definitely a first for him. Thankfully, his first attempt was a success and the enemy never managed to capitalize on his distraction.
Bai Yunfei was filled with satisfaction. Three new soul armaments with increased attack, defense, and utility. And these effects were definitely what Shen Pojun could use right now in his battle.
……
It took no longer than twenty seconds for Bai Yunfei to upgrade the three soul armaments. Shen Pojun could hardly believe his eyes, but he had to admit the difference between their upgrade and now was as different as night and day. If not for his own senses being connected to the soul armaments, Shen Pojun would’ve thought himself to be stuck in an illusion of some kind.
He was, after all, an experienced ancestor of the Crafting School. Hardly any other person alive could boast of being more knowledgeable of soul armaments than him, so it came to him as an immense shock when Bai Yunfei mentioned the ‘Upgrade Technique’.
Not even Gu Lianhun could believe his eyes when the three soul armaments renewed their attacks on him.
“What did he do?!”
It had been with wary eyes that Gu Lianhun watched Bai Yunfei. Though nowhere knowledgeable about the inner workings of soul armaments, he could at the very least understand Bai Yunfei had done something strange in the short amount of time to bolster those three soul armaments. The effects were so staggering that he would’ve refused to believe it if not for him being able to experience the changes firsthand.
It wasn’t as though avatars couldn’t use soul armaments, far from it. It was just that all his soul armaments were taken away by the main body over two hundred years ago. Due to his state of hibernation, Gu Lianhun’s avatar hadn’t the opportunity to avail itself to any new soul armament and was thus unable to create a soulbound armament. Using a regular soul armament was effectively useless since they wouldn’t be able to withstand his power. So in short, it was better for him to fight ‘empty-handed’.
Previously, Gu Lianhun felt annoyed dealing with Shen Pojun’s three soul armaments, but now that they were upgraded, they went from being ‘irksome’ to being a down-right pain.
Were it his real body, or if his avatar had been at its peak, Gu Lianhun was sure these two enemies would’ve been snuffed out without a problem. Instead, they were turning out to be a real pain in the neck!
……
The following battle went on for ten whole minutes without either side having the advantage. The more energy he lost, the more Gu Lianhun began to grow sullen. Already Gu Lianhun was starting to think of conservative measures to keep as much energy as he could. Prolonging the battle would do nothing but harm to him!
He still had a soul attack he could use. Originally, this was something he planned to use against Shen Pojun at the right moment, but he didn’t dare to now that Bai Yunfei was here. Prior to his arrival, the reports from his school told him about Bai Yunfei’s ‘impossible’ feats, and one of those feats included being able to reflect soul attacks somehow. Many of those in the Soul Refining School had fallen prey to this specific feat, leaving him with no one to tell him how this was done.
In short, Gu Lianhun was very hesitant to use that soul attack now.
“The underworld take you, die!!”
Gu Lianhun howled, blowing away his hesitation with a surge of soulforce to flow across the area with devastating force!
He was clearly powering up to unleash a powerful killing move!
“Bzz…”
Not even the air was left around Gu Lianhun. His soulforce had blown everything away, leaving a gigantic hole in space with several cracks splintering off from it. From afar, this phenomenon looked like a pitch-black sun.
Almost as if afraid, the chaotic energy near Gu Lianhun flowed away from the black sun so as to prevent itself from being sucked in.
Gu Lianhun looked as though he was melting in the darkness. Enveloped by the darkest of shadows, Gu Lianhun raised his right hand to point a single finger forward!
Pulsating, the black sun above Gu Lianhun’s head drew in even more power before crashing down onto Bai Yunfei and Shen Pojun!
“This…is the Nine Cycles of Annihilation, watch out!!”
Shen Pojun took a step back as if to protect Bai Yunfei from the move. He recognized the move straight away and cried out in warning. Bai Yunfei hardly heard it at first, but he could hear a very faint tone of fear in Shen Pojun’s voice!
That was because Shen Pojun knew this specific technique to be Gu Lianhun’s strongest technique, the Nine Cycles of Annihilation!!
It was a technique comprised mainly of spatial energy alongside several other elements. As a rare dual-type soul cultivator of elemental darkness and spatial energy, Gu Lianhun was able to create a high-heaven tier soul skill with devastating power. It was said that over two hundred years ago, Gu Lianhun used this skill to kill an Early-stage Soul Saint!
Shen Pojun’s confidence was cut in half the moment he saw this move, but he wasn’t without options just yet. Flaring up with soulforce, he ignored every over thing in the world and pushed both palms out!
“Bzz!!”
The Flame Dragon Crescent Blade froze in the air several hundred meters in front of him. The air chimed with a metallic ring as the blade suddenly turned around and shot backward!
Flames erupted from the soul armament and twisted around it to form a giant dragon. Spiralling into the air, the soul armament flew toward the black hole as if attempting to bisect it!
Bai Yunfei watched with excitement as the Flame Dragon Crescent Blade flew toward the enemy soul skill, but upon seeing the extremely wary look on Shen Pojun’s face, he realized it was too soon to relax. Twitching only a finger, Shen Pojun had his golden parasol fly with the Flame Dragon Crescent Blade toward the black hole.
Bai Yunfei watched with bated breath as the Flame Dragon Crescent Blade struck into the black hole and cleaved it in two. Then, with horror, Bai Yunfei gasped as he saw a second black hole follow up behind the first!
“Boom!!”
The golden parasol blew open to take on the second black hole. Expanding largely to blot out a good portion of the sky, it awaited the black hole to careen into it so it could absorb it. Then, like rain on an umbrella, the black ball of light diffused over the surface of the parasol and was absorbed. Task completed, the parasol snapped back shut with a loud cry!
Fist outstretched, Shen Pojun looked pleased when the black hole was successfully absorbed. His excitement was short-lived, however, as he found himself snarling and opening up his fist!
“Bzz…”
A wailful cry chimed from the parasol as it opened up along with Shen Pojun’s fist. A black ball of light was ejected from the parasol to fly backward toward a tertiary black hole. The two collided together and dissipated without a trace after that.
Shen Pojun had used the parasol’s new effect to neutralize the third strike with the second!
But…that wasn’t the end of it!
The fourth black ball to appear was stopped by the third soul armament Shen Pojun had, the dark-gold shield. It managed to stop the fourth one before it had to fly back toward Shen Pojun, the light radiating from its surface notably darker than before.
As if to take over the shield’s job, the Flame Dragon Crescent Blade flew forward once more!
“Boom!!”
“Boom!!”
In rapid succession, the fifth and sixth balls of light were cleaved apart by the Flame Dragon Crescent Blade!
“Pfttt!!”
Shen Pojun could endure it no more. A mouthful of blood erupted from his mouth when the Flame Dragon Crescent Blade was on its way back after it stopped the sixth ball!!
“Ancestor!!”
Bai Yunfei cried out in alarm. He finally understood what the ‘Nine Cycles of Annihilation’ meant—this was a move that could strike the opponent nine times in quick succession!!
And just at that moment, the seventh ball of light was coming down at them with the devastating power of spatial energy!
