Chapter 663 657: Sacrifice

The Saint Child strolled over to Shen Haoran's side and looked down at his blood-soaked body, a cold sneer forming on his lips.

Shen Haoran struggled to get up, but no matter how hard he tried, he ultimately failed. He could only lie there, staring intently at the Saint Child with eyes full of despair.

"In the end, you're still no match for me!" the Saint Child said, his eyes filled with mockery as he watched Shen Haoran struggle to stand.

"Seeing as you've entertained me so much, I'll grant you a quick death! Now die!" The Saint Child's face suddenly turned ferocious. He raised the jet-black dagger high and stabbed viciously toward Shen Haoran's heart.

The Saint Child's dagger tore through space, instantly reaching Shen Haoran's chest. Just as the blade was about to pierce his skin, the despair in Shen Haoran's eyes vanished, replaced by an icy glare. His mouth opened slightly, and a terrifying sound wave erupted from it, slamming into the Saint Child in an instant.

"Broken Soul—Roar!"

A Sound Wave Combat Skill. This was Shen Haoran's last trump card. He had taken advantage of his opponent being deceived by his grievous injuries, waiting for the moment he lowered his guard to land a killing blow.

Shen Haoran's earlier despair had been an act. The Saint Child had his Ten Thousand Demons Body to absorb damage in the storm, but Shen Haoran had his Black Tortoise Shield for protection. In terms of sheer defense, Shen Haoran's was even better. However, he had expended a massive amount of energy in the storm, and the Spiritual Power left in his body was only enough for a single attack. He had to make this chance count!

And now, Shen Haoran had created the perfect opportunity. The Saint Child, already heavily injured, was completely unable to resist the powerful sound wave. He was struck instantly, his whole body turning rigid. The sharp dagger aimed at Shen Haoran stopped dead in mid-air, unable to advance another inch.

Seeing his chance, Shen Haoran shot up from the ground. The Qilin Arm manifested once more, and with a whistling roar, he slammed it heavily into the Saint Child. Shen Haoran wrung out every last drop of power from his body, unleashing all of it in a frenzied torrent upon his foe.

Blood sprayed from his lips.

Still in a daze, the Saint Child had no chance to defend himself. The frenzied, Powerful Qi instantly pierced his chest. His body traced a perfect arc through the air before crashing heavily onto the ground. Blood gushed from the hole in his chest, and the light of life in his eyes faded rapidly.

HUFF... HUFF... Having done all this, Shen Haoran collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. That final blow had wrung out nearly all the power in his body. He was completely spent.

In the distance, the onlooking Long Aotian and the black-robed men stared in shock as they saw Shen Haoran slay the Saint Child. The tables had turned so fast they didn't even have time to react. When they finally snapped out of it, they all charged forward. Long Aotian's group surrounded Shen Haoran to protect him, while the black-robed men gathered around the Saint Child.

Number One of the black-robed men looked down at the lifeless Saint Child and said in a low voice, "Take the Saint Child to the Master. He might still be saved!"

"But they'll destroy the Array Base of the Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array!" another black-robed man said grimly.

"We can't stop them now. They're strong, and with Shen Haoran, they will certainly destroy the Array Base. But we have a backup plan. As long as the Saint Child is saved, the Master can still be revived!" Number One declared gravely. He then scooped up the Saint Child and, with a flicker, shot toward the giant, blood-red head high in the sky.

Long Aotian and his group didn't try to stop the black-robed men, knowing they couldn't. Instead, they turned their attention to Shen Haoran. He had a mouthful of Spirit Revitalizing Pills and was frantically performing Refinement, needing to restore his Spiritual Power as quickly as possible.

With his frantic Refinement, Shen Haoran's Spiritual Power quickly recovered, and soon he was able to get to his feet.

"Brother Shen, are you alright?" Long Aotian asked with concern, looking at Shen Haoran's still-pale face.

"I'm fine. I'm going to the Dragon Tomb. There's not much time left!" Shen Haoran said hastily before rushing toward the Dragon Tomb. The Devouring Power from the sky was growing stronger, and countless Martial Artists had already been consumed by the blood-red head. Any more delay, and everyone in Central City would die!

Sprinting into the Dragon Tomb, Shen Haoran stood before the massive Stone Pillar, his brow deeply furrowed. He stared intently at the blood-red Array on the pillar, searching for its core.

'Found it!' In his mind, the structure of the Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array's Base took shape. By comparing that mental image to the Array before him, he instantly located its core.

The Soul-devouring Sword appeared in his hand again. Although the Array Base of the Hundred-Refinement Soul-devouring Array was protected by Demonic Qi, the Soul-devouring Sword was the one thing that had no fear of it. The Devouring Power on its blade surged, piercing straight through the Demonic Qi barrier and plunging into the core of the Array. In an instant, the blood-red Array on the Stone Pillar erupted with a blinding light, and then, a moment later, it shattered.

RUMBLE...

Once the blood-red Array was destroyed, cracks spread all over the jet-black Stone Pillar. In the next instant, it crumbled to pieces right before Shen Haoran's eyes.

After Shen Haoran destroyed the black Stone Pillar in the Cyan Dragon Race's Dragon Tomb, the dark pillars within the other three races' domains also collapsed. The blood-red Array surrounding Central City slowly vanished, and the terrifying Devouring Power emanating from the blood-red head's mouth abruptly ceased.

"He did it! Shen Haoran succeeded!" High in the air, Yao Wuchen and the others finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. All of them were now injured to some degree. Even with five Spirit Emperors fighting together, they had failed to gain an advantage against the blood-red head and had been wounded in the process.

The Martial Artists within Central City also breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing to the ground as if utterly drained. The recent ordeal had been too terrifying; they had nearly died at the hands of that blood-red head.

However, the Martial Artists in Central City couldn't fully relax, because the blood-red head in the sky had not disappeared. This meant the crisis was not yet over.

At that moment, in front of the blood-red head, the pale-faced Saint Child was being supported by Number One. The bloody hole in his chest had been patched up with a mass of black Demonic Qi.

The Saint Child stared down with a grim expression, then hissed in a low voice, "Proceed with the second plan! Prepare the sacrifice! The Master has absorbed enough Qi Blood Power—it's time for him to awaken!"

Hearing the Saint Child's command, the few men behind him showed no change in expression. The next moment, their bodies began to swell, then exploded before the shocked eyes of the crowd below. Their blood coalesced into streams that shot into the seven orifices of the blood-red head.

"Shen Haoran, you can't stop us!" The Saint Child cast one last, grim glance toward the location of the Cyan Dragon Race. Then, his own body violently exploded, his blood surging into the mouth of the blood-red head...