I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  Right this moment, the Nether Dragon Soul Headband in his head activated, stabilizing his soul and helping him regain clarity. And the first thing Xiang Shaoyun saw upon regaining his clarity was a few massive boulders smashing down at him from above. He quickly dodged to the side.

  Bang! Bang!

  The boulders crashed into the ground, creating numerous craters as the ground shook repeatedly.

  "What a close call," Xiang Shaoyun muttered. He knew the Nether Dragon Soul Headband was able to defend against all soul attacks, but even so, he was nearly hit.

  "The ghostrunes have a weak physical body, but their unique attacking methods are too hard to deal with," muttered Xiang Shaoyun as he started retreating as well.

  The only reason he had stayed behind was to buy more time. He had not intended to fight these ghostrunes to the death. In any case, he could already sense the location of the soul raising stone. He had to go harvest it. Moving at an astonishing speed, Xiang Shaoyun headed straight toward an important area of the ghostrunes.

  Although a large number of ghostrunes had been sent to attack the humans, a large number of them still remained back home. A short while later, some ghostrunes appeared around Xiang Shaoyun. The ghostrunes did not have much variety in their attacks. They would either attack by throwing objects or by dazzling their opponents with their ghostrune wings.

  Xiang Shaoyun did not fear either of these attacks. His Purple Lightning Saber was swung around madly, destroying all the objects the ghostrunes threw at him. He even took the chance to slash at the ghostrunes that couldn't escape in time.

  Just like that, the ghostrunes were killed by him. After killing a few ghostrunes and scaring the rest away, he continued on his way. The escaped ghostrunes started shouting for reinforcements. Soon, a large number of ghostrunes flew over from the distance.

  Xiang Shaoyun understood that if he allowed himself to be surrounded by these ghostrunes, he would definitely be dead. He might be able to defend himself against the objects thrown by a few ghostrunes, but if a few hundred ghostrunes were throwing objects at him at the same time, even if he wasn't killed by the thrown objects, he would be killed by exhaustion.

  Left with no choice, Xiang Shaoyun activated his White Tiger Wings and shot away like an arrow let loose from a bow. In his optimal condition, he could fly at a speed comparable to even Kings. Thus, regular ghostrunes would not be able to match his speed.

  With his Nether Soul Domain, he constantly sensed the area in front of him, allowing him to know about any obstacles he might encounter. But since he was already very close to the ghostrunes' home, it was practically impossible to continue advancing without encountering any ghostrunes. Ghostrunes kept appearing everywhere, all of them attacking him without mercy.

  Unfortunately, their ghostrune wings seemed ineffective against Xiang Shaoyun. They were also weak in close combat, and it did not take long for a few dozen ghostrunes to die under his saber. He did not waste any time and moved on the moment there was an opening.

  The other ghostrunes were about to give chase when a ghostrune king arrived and said, "Leave. I will deal with this human."

  He was speaking the ghostrune language. Thus, only the ghostrunes understood what he said. With one command, the massive number of ghostrunes retreated like a receding tide. Then, the ghostrune king flew toward Xiang Shaoyun at an incredibly fast speed. This ghostrune king had a high cultivation level, and it did not take him long to catch up.

  "Human, for intruding upon my race's forbidden area, die!" the ghostrune said to Xiang Shaoyun through soul transmission.

  "Oh, this is your race's forbidden area? Great! Now you got me even more curious!" replied Xiang Shaoyun.

  "You are really seeking death. Very well. Die!" said the ghostrune king with a nasty smile before blasting an incorporeal force of soul power toward Xiang Shaoyun's head.

  Soul power had no shape or form and was very hard to detect. Only one with a sufficiently sensitive soul would be able to sense it. As for Xiang Shaoyun, he was able to sense the soul power through the Nether Dragon Soul Headband. Thus, he did not need to fear soul attacks.

  Right after the soul power entered Xiang Shaoyun's head, the Nether Dragon Soul Headband completely stopped it before it could even do any harm to him. But Xiang Shaoyun still pretended to be hit, and he fell from the sky, gripping his head and wailing.

  The ghostrune king smiled smugly and said, "Nobody can stop the innate ability of the ghostrunes."

  After saying that, he lifted a stone spike and threw it at Xiang Shaoyun.

  Chapter 285: What Secret Is There on This Stone Mountain?

  Xiang Shaoyun was feigning pain, but he was in fact fully on guard against the ghostrune king. He deliberately twisted his body to one side, barely avoiding the stone spike the ghostrune king threw his way.

  "Huh? What a lucky fellow," muttered the ghostrune king in astonishment. He then flew closer to the ground before lifting a few more stone spikes and throwing them at Xiang Shaoyun.

  As a King Realm expert, the ghostrune king's offensive power was far greater than a regular ghostrune's even when he was just attacking by throwing objects.

  If Xiang Shaoyun was hit, death was certain. He stopped pretending to be in pain and instantly soared upward, swinging his Purple Lightning Saber.

  Lightning Slash From the Clear Sky!

  He used his strongest attack immediately, not holding anything back against the ghostrune king. His sudden counterattack gave the ghostrune king a fright. The ghostrune king wanted to retreat, but it was already too late. Xiang Shaoyun's slash was too fast.

  Rumble!

  The thunderclap shook the area as the lightning slash took the ghostrune king's life. After killing the ghostrune king, Xiang Shaoyun did not waste any time and immediately shot toward a stone mountain not far ahead.

  This was the only stone mountain in the area. It wasn't exactly a tall mountain, but it had a very peculiar shape. It looked like an arm, with the peak of the mountain looking like a palm. From far away the mountain looked like the arm of a giant trying to grab some treasure from the heavens.

  Based on what Hua Cheng had told him, this was where he could find the soul raising stone, and it might also be the origin of the soul spring strands. The reason he suddenly came here was because when he was on the Moon Gazing Platform, he suddenly sensed an intense calling in his head. It was as if something had formed a resonance with him, making him long to obtain that something.

  Traveling in accordance to the call, he eventually reached this place, and when he arrived before the stone mountain, he stopped moving. He did not charge straight toward the mountain rashly. Not a single ghostrune could be seen.

  This is too weird, thought Xiang Shaoyun. He then extended the senses of his Nether Soul Domain toward the entirety of the stone mountain. He would plan his next step after scouting the mountain.

  Unfortunately, his Nether Soul Domain did not work for some reason. He was unable to see everything hidden within the stone mountain. To be precise, some sort of power seemed to be cutting off the Nether Soul Domain from the inside of the mountain, putting a veil of mystery around it.

  After the failed scouting attempt, Xiang Shaoyun found that the call in his head had turned even more intense. The sensation originated from the Nether Soul Domain and Nether Dragon Soul Headband, as if something was waiting for them to devour it.

  "There must be some soul treasures in there," Xiang Shaoyun concluded.

  Just as Xiang Shaoyun was about to start climbing the mountain, he sensed a large number of ghostrune kings behind him. All of them were glaring at him ferociously. They immediately launched soul attacks at Xiang Shaoyun, trying to kill him where he stood. Unfortunately for them, the Nether Dragon Soul Headband in Xiang Shaoyun's head was a divine item which blocked all the incoming attacks.

  "Stop wasting your time. You won't be able to harm me," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  "Vile human, you can block our attack? But that doesn'
t mean you will survive!" said the ghostrune king leading the group before lifting and throwing a large number of rocks at Xiang Shaoyun.

  "Shit! Do you need to be so fierce?" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in alarm and immediately flew toward the stone mountain with his White Tiger Wings.

  But the moment he got near the mountain, he felt a terrifying soul power surround him. The soul power was so strong it almost felt solid as it slammed right into Xiang Shaoyun's soul. This attack was far more powerful than the ghostrune king's attack.

  Xiang Shaoyun was completely dumbfounded. He stood no chance against such imposing soul power. But when the soul power was about to hit him, the Nether Dragon Soul Headband suddenly activated. It turned into a dragon which then coiled around Xiang Shaoyun's head, blocking the entirety of the soul attack.

  Xiang Shaoyun was completely unscathed. It was clear how powerful the defense of this Nether Dragon Soul Headband was.

  "Phew. Good thing the Nether Dragon Soul Headband does not disappoint," said Xiang Shaoyun. Just as he thought he had survived, another wave of even more powerful soul attack came slamming down at him.

  Through the Nether Soul Domain, Xiang Shaoyun was able to clearly sense that the soul attack was so powerful it was as if the sky itself was collapsing upon him. It was extremely fearsome, causing fear to start rising from the very depths of his heart.

  Once again, the soul attack slammed at his head. This was an attack capable of giving even Emperors a hard time. But once again, the Nether Dragon Soul Headband blocked the attack for him. He was still completely unharmed. Finally, everything settled down. No new attacks came for him.

  "It's over?" Xiang Shaoyun mumbled before he continued on his way.

  "That human has successfully entered the area of the mountain proper," a ghostrune king cried out in alarm.

  "How did this human do it? Is he really immune to soul power?" asked another ghostrune king. "We need to report this to the patriarch."

  This stone mountain was known as the Soul Stone Mountain, and it had always been the ghostrunes' forbidden zone. Xiang Shaoyun did not realize that he had shocked all the ghostrunes as he cautiously approached the Soul Stone Mountain.

  When he arrived at the foot of the mountain, he found that there was no path leading to the peak at all. The entire mountain was incomparably steep and stood almost perfectly straight up until the peak.

  Xiang Shaoyun gently caressed the surface of the slope and found that the mountain was incomparably glossy and sleek. He lamented, "What secret is there in this mountain?"

  He stomped the ground and shot upward. At the same time, his White Tiger Wings unfurled behind him, carrying him straight to the peak of the Soul Stone Mountain. The mountain wasn't very tall. With a few flaps of his wings, Xiang Shaoyun arrived at the top.

  The peak of the mountain was in the shape of a palm. The five fingers stood tall, as if the palm was clawing at the heavens. And at the center of the palm was a pool of spring water giving off an extremely refreshing sensation.

  "Soul spring!" Xiang Shaoyun cried out in alarm.

  He had always believed that it was impossible for each soul spring to come into existence in the form of droplets. Now that he found this pool of soul spring, his belief was reaffirmed. This pool of soul spring was enough to shock any organization out there. But this Soul Stone Mountain was a relatively unknown mountain.

  After all, it was located at the depths of the ghostrune territory, and not many humans could even reach and leave this place alive. Suddenly, something happened at the pool of soul spring.

  Chapter 286: A Ghostbloom and a Terrifying Human Face

  Xiang Shaoyun was excited to see the pool of soul spring water, but he did not lose his rationality from the excitement. He was certain that there must be something else here. Otherwise, how would he have gotten attacked by the terrifying soul attacks out of nowhere earlier?

  His gaze landed at the middle of the pool. There, a black flower was blooming. It had a total of 49 petals on it, each sparkling and translucent, with droplets of soul spring flowing about on the glossy, bright petals. The flower looked dainty and elegant, possessing a majesty fit for the king of flowers.

  Xiang Shaoyun's breathing stirred when he laid eyes on the flower. He couldn't help but to cry out, "Ghostbloom!"

  The ghostbloom was an extremely rare and precious plant. With the 49 petals this particular stalk had, it had certainly matured to a top-tier emperor medicine. Note that it was an emperor medicine, not a king medicine.

  One ought to know that just one king medicine was enough to cause a massive battle between numerous Skysoar Realm experts. It went without saying that this emperor medicine would be capable of spilling the blood of Emperors.

  Xiang Shaoyun had not expected to stumble upon something so rare here on the Soul Stone Mountain. If he could obtain this ghostbloom, he would have a total of three rare plants on him, with the other two being the vicious tiger gold lotus he had obtained from the Golden River Valley and the blaze flower he had obtained from the Flame Mountain.

  Any one of the three could be considered a massive fortune for any cultivator. For Xiang Shaoyun to stumble upon them one after another, one had to admit that he was truly loved by the heavens. Suddenly, the water in the pool started rippling. At first, there were only some small waves, but soon, a whirlpool formed, slowly throwing out drops of soul spring water repeatedly.

  Swish! Swish!

  Drops of soul spring water flew in all directions. This was most likely the origin of the so-called strands of soul spring flying everywhere. It was also at this moment that something seemed to be trying to charge out of the pool, causing Xiang Shaoyun to grow nervous.

  "Roar!"

  A fearsome roar rumbled in the air as a terrifying mouth soared before crashing down on Xiang Shaoyun. He was totally dumbstruck. Before he could even react, he was swallowed by the massive mouth.

  At this critical moment, the Nether Dragon Soul Headband in his head suddenly shone, releasing rays of light that proceeded to defeat that mouth. It turned out the massive mouth was still a soul attack. It was merely a mouth formed through soul power that looked extremely real, giving one an illusion that it was an actual mouth.

  Without the Nether Dragon Soul Headband, the attack would have been enough to completely devour him. Xiang Shaoyun broke out in cold sweat from the fright, drenching his entire body. That was a near-death experience, and it was dreadful.

  "Kid, you really have a treasure on you capable of blocking my full-powered attack!" a voice suddenly rang out. The voice was extremely sinister, as if it had come from the ninth hell itself.

  The voice pulled Xiang Shaoyun's mind back from his shock. He looked down and saw the shape of a terrifying human face in the pool. The face was filled with wrinkles, looking like the bark of an old tree. On the left cheek was a long scar that looked more like a centipede. Messy hair cascaded down the face, making it look like it was the face of a devil that had risen from hell. Xiang Shaoyun could not understand why something like this was here. He felt his legs go weak from the creepy sight.

  Xiang Shaoyun swallowed and asked, "Are you a human or a ghost?"

  "Tsk tsk, this lord is a ghost, and I am going to eat you!" said the face with the same creepy voice.

  Xiang Shaoyun took a step back, but when he recalled the protection he had from the Nether Dragon Soul Headband, he regained some of his courage. He replied, "Hehe, even if you are a ghost, you still won't be able to eat me. Don't you remember your previous failed attempt?"

  Numerous possibilities rose in Xiang Shaoyun's mind. This face might be the remaining consciousness of some expert, or it might be a spiritual brand. A ghost was not the only thing it could be. But it was certain that the face could only release soul attacks. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been trying to scare him from within the pool. At that realization, much of his fear vanished.

  "Bastard, do you really think I can't touch you?" the face roared and sent another massive mouth
toward Xiang Shaoyun. It was still a soul attack, and it similarly failed.

  "Stop wasting your time." Xiang Shaoyun smiled. The Nether Dragon Soul Headband essentially granted him immunity to all soul attacks. He had no need to fear this face anymore.

  "Hmph, it's still too soon for you to be happy," the human face snorted as numerous rocks started hovering in the air. Then, all the rocks were slammed in the direction of the ghostrunes.

  Bang! Bang!

  Like a rapid-fire catapult, the face rained stones down on the ghostrunes, causing wails to ring in the air. Chaos ensued, and the ghostrunes started fleeing farther away. But no matter how they fled, the stones still hit them.

  In the span of a few breaths, almost all the ghostrunes in the vicinity were killed. Only a few lucky ones escaped. Even the survivors had only escaped because the human face had intentionally stopped attacking. Otherwise, none of the ghostrunes would have been able to escape.

  Xiang Shaoyun witnessed everything, and once again, he broke out in cold sweat. He had been too smug earlier. If the human face attacked him the same way, he would definitely end up as mincemeat.

  "Hehe, scared now? Don't think you can insult this lord just because you can stop my soul attacks. I can kill you as easily as squashing an ant," said the human face.

  "Yes, lord. You are truly brilliant and mighty, your valiance unrivaled. Before you, this kid is nothing but an ant. In fact, you will only be dirtying your hand killing me. This kid shall quickly piss off from the presence of your exalted self," said Xiang Shaoyun respectfully while wiping his cold sweat before quickly retreating from the place.

  Yes, the ghostbloom was a very precious treasure, but his life was even more precious. Unfortunately, before he could even start flying, floating rocks completely surrounded him, rendering escape impossible.

  He sullenly grumbled to himself, I knew treasures wouldn't be obtained so easily!

  Fortunately, the human face did not seem to have any plans of killing him. Otherwise, the rocks would not stop at merely surrounding him.