Chapter 403 – You… Why Are You Fine?

At the same moment, Su Ming also sensed something wrong.

Though unaware of the 【Soul Lock】, he didn’t believe this instinctual, soul-deep sense of dread could be mere illusion.

Thus, when he saw the dark circular arrays on Old Qin’s raised hand shifting with unnatural clarity, Su Ming immediately unleashed his final trump card without hesitation.

“Bzzzt!”

Amid the hum of Spirit Power, fiery crimson patterns bloomed across Su Ming’s forehead, causing his internal Spirit Power to surge wildly while his spiritual nature skyrocketed, instantly churning the surrounding atmosphere.

The spiritual patterns rapidly spread from his forehead, merging with the network of glowing blue cracks covering his body until they completely overlapped.

This triggered what appeared to be Fusion between Su Ming’s spiritual and demonic natures, unleashing astonishing power.

The Hunter’s Awakening ability—Demonization.

The Sorcerer’s Awakening ability—Vision Mark.

Both Awakening abilities now shone simultaneously, even combining to make Su Ming’s presence far more dangerous.

This represented Su Ming’s true full power—his complete strength unleashed without reservation.

Upon activating this state, Su Ming immediately extended his hand, summoning multiple circular arrays that materialized around Old Qin like magical formations, mirroring how Old Qin had earlier invoked 【Scorched Inferno】. Within them surged waves of spiritual energy and Spirit Power.

Soon, numerous Spirit Arts were unleashed from these rotating, formation-like circular arrays.

Not just one type, but many varieties of Spirit Arts released simultaneously.

“【Thirteenth Form: Roaring Blast】!”

“【Twenty-Fifth Form: Hundredfold Light】!”

“【Twenty-Eighth Form: Spiral Fire】!”

“【Thirtieth Form: Scorching Sparrow Song】!”

“【Thirty-Sixth Form: Virulent Poison Burst】!”

“【Thirty-Seventh Form: Scythe Arc Slash】!”

“【Forty-Seventh Form: Blazing Lotus Scarlet Flame】!”

“【Fiftieth Form: Drowning Torrent Steaming】!”

“【Fifty-Eighth Form: Wind Demon Pursuit】!”

In this moment, Su Ming unleashed nearly all the offensive Spell Formulas he had mastered—both basic and Intermediate Spirit Arts.

Thus, Spirit Power projectiles shrieked through the air, blinding light arcs tore across the night sky, scorching flames roared alongside invisible wind blades, high-pressure steam explosions, and Demonic Beasts formed from swirling sand. Countless supernatural phenomena manifested around Old Qin, descending upon him in an overwhelming deluge.

It was a feast of Spirit Arts.

A dazzling display of technique that would astonish all who witnessed it.

As if pouring his lifetime of training into this single moment, Su Ming directed the Vision Mark-enhanced Spirit Arts—now possessing terrifying destructive power—to crash upon Old Qin, creating a blinding explosive glare.

“BOOOOM—!”

The night sky over Tianfeng City seemed to be swallowed by earth-shaking roars, throwing the citizens into panic.

Fortunately, this spectacle of Spirit Arts unfolded high above the ground, sparing the city below from collateral damage.If it were to fall to the ground, even if Dragonheart District of Tianfeng City wasn’t completely destroyed, it would suffer catastrophic losses akin to a natural disaster.

At the very least, this redevelopment zone would be flattened, or even scorched into barren earth.

For ordinary people, and even for ordinary Professionals, this would be no less devastating than a true natural disaster.

Unfortunately…

“It’s useless.”

Amidst the blinding light explosion and the roaring epicenter of countless Spirit Arts, Old Qin’s voice slowly resonated.

Standing at the very heart of this overwhelming assault, Old Qin remained completely unscathed, his entire body seemingly composed of intangible starlight. No matter what Spell Formula was unleashed, none could strike him.

The effect of 【Dawn Star Orbit】 rendered this pinnacle of the Qin Family—the second strongest figure in Tianfeng City, second only to one—as if in an invincible state, his expression unwavering.

Instead, the dark circular array in his hand finally reached its final construction.

“Take this.”

An astonishing Spirit Power, accompanied by immense spiritual energy, surged from Old Qin’s body into the circular array in his hand, causing it to emit an imperceptible yet terrifying fluctuation.

“【Soul Lock】!”

In the next second, Old Qin unleashed the Spell Formula in his hand.

“Boom!”

Su Ming, who had been frantically bombarding Old Qin with Spirit Arts, suddenly felt his mind roar and go completely blank.

It felt as though some force had exploded inside his head, scattering his consciousness.

Su Ming even had the sensation that his Soul was being blasted out of his Physical Body, bound by invisible chains, forcibly dragged from his flesh, and dissipated into the world.

The cause of all this was the extraneous Spell Formula—【Soul Lock】.

If Su Ming could see the attack of 【Soul Lock】, he would have realized that, in that instant, waves of intangible force appeared out of nowhere, drilling into his mind and wreaking havoc, rampaging unchecked.

Such devastation, such power—if it were a lower-rank Professional, they would instantly suffer mental collapse, their Soul dissipating, turning them into a vegetable, never to awaken again.

Even an Upper-Rank Professional, and one like Su Ming—a Six-Star Hunter and Five-Star Sorcerer, a Dual Professional capable of threatening a Seven-Star Professional—had his mind thrown into chaos under this strike. His consciousness grew hazy, on the verge of completely vanishing.

This triggered a surge of horror in Su Ming’s heart, but as his consciousness scattered, even that faint trace of horror gradually faded away.

“It’s over.”

The spectacle of Spirit Arts in the sky dissipated as Su Ming fell into a daze, revealing Old Qin’s somewhat weary figure as he exited the 【Dawn Star Orbit】 state.

Feeling the scant Spirit Power remaining within him, Old Qin had to admit he had indeed been overconfident.

If he hadn’t come to his senses in the end, he might have truly been defeated.

Fortunately, this farce had finally come to an end.

Watching Su Ming, now in a dazed state—unable to maintain his Vision Mark or Demonization, reverting to his original form, staggering and about to plummet to the ground—Old Qin mustered his strength and prepared to step forward to catch him.However, in that very instant, Su Ming’s figure abruptly halted, and his pair of dazed eyes suddenly trembled, abruptly regaining their clarity.

“Boom!”

An astonishing surge of magic power and Spirit Power erupted from Su Ming’s body once again.

“What!?”

Old Qin, who was about to step forward to catch Su Ming, changed his expression, his face revealing shock.

On the rooftop, Old Ling, who was preparing to intervene in the battle, also froze in place, rising in astonishment.

Qin Qing, on the other hand, had not reacted at all, still panicked by Old Qin’s imminent use of the 【Soul Lock】.

Under these circumstances, Su Ming moved.

“Swish!”

In a flash, Su Ming appeared right in front of Old Qin.

“Not good!”

Old Qin’s expression shifted repeatedly. Without a second thought, he prepared to channel his Spirit Power and enter the state of 【Dawn Star Orbit】.

But at this moment, Old Qin remembered that his Spirit Power was nearly depleted, making it impossible to activate 【Dawn Star Orbit】.

In other words, his invincible state had now expired.

Without the ability of 【Dawn Star Orbit】, the fate of Old Qin, a frail and fragile Sorcerer, was self-evident.

“Bang!”

Su Ming’s right fist suddenly erupted, striking Old Qin squarely.

“Pfft!”

Old Qin immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body blasted down from mid-air like a kite with its string cut, plummeting straight toward the ground.

A Sorcerer with a Physique no different from an ordinary person, falling from such a height after taking a punch from Su Ming—if he were to hit the ground directly, he would undoubtedly not survive.

“Great-grandfather!”

Seeing this, Qin Qing let out a cry of alarm from the rooftop.

At the very moment her cry rang out, Old Ling vanished.

“Swish!”

Tianfeng City’s Guardian Deity abruptly appeared in mid-air, catching Old Qin in one swift motion. He then pulled out a vial of alchemical potion from his robe, uncorked it, and without a word, poured it into Old Qin’s mouth.

There was no other choice. With Su Ming’s current strength, a punch from his right fist, amplified tenfold—even if it hadn’t delivered its full force due to the earlier disruption—was not something a physically fragile Sorcerer could withstand.

Not to mention a Sorcerer; even a Hunter of Su Ming’s level would fare no better after taking a punch from Su Ming’s right hand.

Realizing this, Old Ling did not hesitate to administer the precious alchemical potion to Old Qin to aid his recovery.

“Cough, cough…”

Old Qin coughed up a few mouthfuls of stagnant blood, finally catching his breath.

As for Su Ming?

It was only at this moment that he seemed to suddenly awaken, his expression jolted, his face still marked by the lingering fear from being struck in the mind and Soul by the 【Soul Lock】.

“What was that just now?”

Recalling the force that had invaded his mind and rampaged wildly within his head, Su Ming’s face was filled with shock and uncertainty.

Clearly, unaware of the effects of the 【Soul Lock】, Su Ming had been frightened by the peculiar and bizarre nature of this Spell Formula.

Of course, Su Ming was not the only one frightened—Old Qin was as well.

“You… how are you unharmed?”

Held by Old Ling as they descended to the ground, Old Qin gradually regained his breath. Clutching his aching chest, he stared at Su Ming, who had also landed from mid-air with a look of shock and uncertainty. The astonishment on Old Qin’s aged face was unmistakable.

Not only Old Qin, but even Old Ling wore an expression of bewilderment.”You actually didn’t lose consciousness after taking a direct hit from that old man’s 【Soul Lock】?”

Clearly, Old Ling was also surprised by this.

“【Soul Lock】…”

Su Ming muttered to himself, glancing behind him.

There, in the water mist invisible to ordinary eyes, a bewitching figure flickered in and out of view.

Su Ming knew it was this girl who had just saved his life.

At the very moment when his consciousness was about to fade and his spirit nearly scattered, it was Hai’er who called out in his mind through their spiritual bond, jolting him awake.

Old Qin’s 【Soul Lock】 wasn’t broken by Su Ming—it was broken by Hai’er.

That was why he had suddenly awakened at the last moment and instinctively launched a counterattack against Old Qin.

(End of Chapter)