The disciples adjusted their priorities. Their fury settled upon Han Yu, and they struck in unison.
"Kill him first!"
It happened fast.
Han Yu had just slipped past a bolt aid at his chest when his instincts scread. Multiple waves of killing intent closed in on him. Blades of Qi, arrows of condensed light, and even a talisman's burning flare locked onto him from every direction. His companions shouted in alarm, but there was no ti for them to intervene.
Han Yu's heart clenched. His mind raced.
The distance was too short, and the attacks too many. Even if he twisted his body with every ounce of speed, even if he shielded himself with a talisman, he could not avoid them all. At least one strike would hit him, and one was enough to cripple or kill.
In that instant, his body tensed to accept the blow. Yet at the sa mont, sothing deeper stirred.
A tidal wave of emotions crashed into him, emotions not his own.
Surprise and sorrow poured from his companions, their fear of losing him a raw and unfiltered stream. Anger surged from the Mist Eye Sect disciples, burning like fire. Even a trace of green trust clung to him, the faith his allies placed in his judgnt.
The Eight Emotions Lotus in his soul space quivered. For months, it had been drinking in the emotions around him. For days, it had brimd near its limit. Now, under the flood of clashing wills and feelings, the bottleneck shattered.
HUALA
Han Yu froze mid-step, his vision trembling as the world shifted. The roar of combat dulled. The strikes rushing toward him slowed, hanging in the air like sluggish ripples. To his eyes, the hall was still alive, but each mont stretched into eternity.
His Soul Core pulsed with radiant a eight colored light. Each petal of the Eight Emotions Lotus unfurling in his inner world, shining in a different color brighter than before. The thin shell of his cultivation fractured, giving way to sothing greater.
'This...?!' Han Yu couldn't believe it.
He had broken through from the Soul Initiate Stage to the Soul Adept Stage!
His soul cultivation now rivaled the peak of Core Condensation cultivators!
Han Yu drew a breath, steady and calm despite the chaos. In his soul space, knowledge blood, as if it had always been there, waiting for him to claim it. A new soul technique had awakened with the breakthrough.
The Soul Petrifying Glare.
He did not hesitate. He had no ti to hesitate.
Violet rings spiraled into existence within his eyes, deep and srizing, carrying the authority of his soul. He lifted his gaze to the incoming attackers. Their strikes were still crawling through the air, but their eyes locked with his.
For that single mont of connection, the world shifted for them as well.
Their bodies froze. Muscles tensed, nerves locked, spirits scread but could not move. They were statues carved by their own fear, helpless before the weight of his gaze.
The attacks in the air collapsed into harmless fragnts of dissipating Qi, their force undone by the disruption of will. The disciples who had launched them stood stiff, unable to so much as blink.
Han Yu lowered his hands slowly, violet light still burning in his eyes. His companions stared, mouths parted in awe. Even the Mist Eye Sect disciples who had not been caught by his gaze faltered, hesitation freezing their steps.
The battlefield had shifted again, and all eyes turned to Han Yu.
Everyone in the hall froze, their minds struggling to process what had just happened.
Soul cultivation was subtle compared to Qi cultivation.
When a Qi cultivator broke through, the heavens themselves seed to respond with heavenly tribulation, ripples of elental energy, or bursts of spiritual light. At least for so higher realms, for lower realms they at least had bursts of qi and aura.
Soul breakthroughs, however, were silent, concealed in the depths of the spirit. Unless one had cultivated the soul themselves, there was rarely a visible sign. None of Han Yu's companions knew he was a soul cultivator, so to them the scene was baffling.
They saw the Mist Eye Sect disciples locked in place, their bodies rigid and their attacks dissolving into harmless sparks of light midair.
From their vantage point, Han Yu's back was facing them, so they could not see the violet rings blazing in his eyes. To them, it appeared as if their enemies had suddenly been paralyzed by so unknown force. Confusion mixed with shock, but Han Yu had no ti to explain.
He did not waste the opportunity.
His halberd flashed in his hands, the blade glinting with deadly intent as he rushed forward. Each strike was rciless, aid at the most vulnerable points. The edge of the weapon pierced through hearts, split skulls, and cut down the frozen disciples before they could break free of their paralysis.
Blood sprayed across the chamber floor as one foe after another fell in silence.
Then he reached the last of the frozen figures.
ng Jueyan.
Han Yu's hand stilled, the halberd hovering a finger's width from her chest.
She was caught in the Soul Petrifying Glare just like the rest, her eyes wide in horror, her body trembling though locked in place. She was an enemy in the eyes of everyone else, but Han Yu knew the truth. She was his secret ally. Killing her here would undo everything they had worked toward.
With a steady breath, he released the technique. The violet rings in his eyes dimd, and ng Jueyan was freed from the paralyzing effect. She gasped quietly, her fear still etched on her face.
Han Yu knew he could not simply let her walk away without suspicion. To cover the mont, he dropped to his knees, his face pale and his breathing ragged, as if the skill had drained him beyond his limits.
His companions shouted in alarm.
They didn't know what had happened to him or just what kind of trump card he had used to stop the foes and kill them all in one go.
Though one thing was for sure, it had turned the tides of the battle.
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