Chapter 9: Two Old Men (Part 2)

Guo Shier didn’t hold back and said, “Elder Shuai, you laughed in a strange way just now…”
Elder Shuai replied seriously, “Did I? I was just happy for him! Kid, my ability to persuade people is quite remarkable, right? Hehe.”
That hehe made Guo Shier shiver with fear. He said, “Enough, stop laughing. Get ready; I’m going to draw out the soul inside.”
Guo Shier skillfully placed his hand on the top of the altar. The Ancient Ink Lotus suddenly grew huge, reaching over ten meters tall in an instant. Guo Shier felt like an ant carrying a massive rock. Before he could react, countless thin threads descended from the Ancient Ink Lotus—now as thick as arms—penetrating straight into the altar.
Elder Shuai roared, “Kid! Hurry up!” A giant hand suddenly passed through the Ancient Ink Lotus and lifted Guo Shier onto it. Guo Shier asked in confusion, “What’s happening? What’s going on…?”
The Ancient Ink Lotus flew out, hovering high above the altar. It had grown to a hundred meters tall with a diameter of dozens of meters. Elder Shuai stood atop it as a giant, staring intently at the altar. He chanted several spells in succession, making the chains thicker and glowing with a faint cyan light.
Roar! Roar!
The chains were slowly pulled out of the altar, and a huge head emerged.
Guo Shier was stunned—another one! There was another soul giant.
Zhang Yaojin hadn’t flown far when he heard the roars. Turning around, he gasped in shock as he saw a phantom head rising from the altar. Elder Shuai on the Ancient Ink Lotus roared like thunder.
Eagle Demon and Luo Zhan both looked up and saw two soul giants in the distance. They exchanged a glance and immediately flew toward Guo Shier.
Xian Ruidai and Zhou Xiaoling also rushed over; the roar was truly astonishing.
Guo Shier was momentarily stunned before suddenly realizing what was happening. He screamed, “Elder Shuai… catch him!”
Elder Shuai roared, “Catch him? There can only be one main soul in the altar! Either he dies or I die! Who do you want?”
Guo Shier replied without hesitation, “Of course, you!”
Elder Shuai ordered, “Then kill him!”
Eagle Demon and the others had arrived but didn’t know how to intervene. Luo Zhan exclaimed, “Damn it… two old men!”
Zhou Xiaoling wondered, “What are they doing?”
Xian Ruidai’s eyes lit up as she said, “A sacrificial spirit! There’s another sacrificial spirit… Ah, what a pity… such a shame…” She shook her head and stamped her feet. Zhou Xiaoling asked, “What’s so pitiful? What’s a shame about?”

Eagle Demon and the others all looked at Xian Ruidai, none of them understanding what was going on.
Xian Ruidai said, “Spirits, whether it’s a virtual or physical altar, having a spirit can at least double one’s strength. Spirits…” Seeing that she couldn’t get a ready-made spirit, she was so anxious she could barely stand still.
Zhou Xiaoling said, “That’s simple. Let Ershier take it and give it to us later.”
Xian Ruidai replied, “How is that possible! One altar can only have one spirit. Ah, what a pity… such a shame!” She added, “Even experts in the family who own altars find it hard to obtain spirits. Only super experts of the altar can capture them. Ah, right—Ergong Ershier has the Ancient Ink Lotus, which is why he can have a spirit now. His luck… his luck is too good. I envy him, I’m jealous…”
Everyone was stunned, speechless as they watched the girl on the verge of losing her temper.
Shuai Laotou was extremely nervous because the soul on this altar was clearly stronger than his own. If it weren’t for the Ancient Ink Lotus and Guo Ershier, he wouldn’t have had any confidence in defeating them. If he failed, his soul would be devoured, and he would become Guo Ershier’s spirit—a consequence he simply couldn’t accept.
Guo Ershier didn’t understand the mystery behind this. Even if he had, he wouldn’t abandon Shuai Laotou. Over time, Shuai Laotou had helped him a lot. Guo Ershier was very attached to the past; even if a new spirit turned out to be stronger than Shuai Laotou, he would still try his best to protect his original spirit.
Guo Ershier asked, “Shuai Laotou, what do you want me to do? Tell me quickly!”
Shuai Laotou passed on a small portion of his inheritance to him and roared, “Control the Ancient Ink Lotus—that’s the most important! Leave the rest to me! Damn it… I’m going to kill him!”
A crude human head became increasingly clear, with blue virtual talisman chains inserted into its skull. The roaring grew louder, and the soul giant was gradually pulled out. Guo Ershier watched anxiously and found that this soul was much stronger than Shuai Laotou’s originally—having not only a head but also an upper body.
After examining the newly acquired inheritance, Guo Ershier immediately began reciting incantations. A total of one million virtual talismans were needed. Fortunately, he had prepared talisman arrays earlier, so he could release them at great speed. Crossing his arms over his chest, his ten fingers began to tremble. As his wrists moved, a large number of virtual talismans were shot out and landed on the Ancient Ink Lotus. In an instant, the entire lotus glowed brightly.
The head on the altar let out a deafening roar at the Ancient Ink Lotus.

The handsome old man stepped back at the sound of this roar—it was the scream of a soul. A golden light barrier rose, shielding Guo Shier from harm. Though the roar wasn’t aimed at the Eagle Demon and the others, it still caused them to fall from the sky. Fortunately, they were quite close to the ground, no more than five meters up, so they stumbled backward after landing. Luo Zhan, being the weakest, was nearly knocked unconscious by the roar. He ran frantically in the distance, too scared to fly. The handsome old man didn’t back down either and let out a thunderous roar in response. The two souls clashed. The head on the altar tilted backward, its soul experiencing violent fluctuations: “Who are you? Who are you?” The handsome old man shrieked, “I’m your handsome old man!” He cast a spell, and a giant hand suddenly appeared in the air, slamming downward. The altar head roared wildly and managed to pull one arm free from the altar. Its body was bound by the Ancient Ink Lotus, making movement difficult. Amidst the shouts, the altar head raised a huge fist and smashed it against the descending palm. Boom! A shockwave spread everywhere, forcing the altar head’s body to retract. The recoil from that punch also sent the Ancient Ink Lotus recoiling at an angle, over two hundred meters away. The handsome old man shouted, “Kid, go all out!” Guo Shier desperately cast spells, with virtual talismans pouring into the Ancient Ink Lotus like rain. Gradually, he gained control over it enough to influence the extended virtual talisman chains. In an instant, thousands more chains shot out from the Ancient Ink Lotus, piercing into the altar head like arrows. The handsome old man laughed heartily, “Good!” The altar head was forcibly pulled out of its slumber by the chains; it wasn’t fully awake yet and was fighting on instinct. After two consecutive clashes, it gradually regained clarity. The altar head was almost taking solid form, and the dense chains grew thicker, each as thick as an adult’s thigh, looking terrifying. Its gaze shifted from confusion to sharpness. The handsome old man shouted, “It’s waking up! Be careful!” With a roar, the altar head swung its massive fist toward the Ancient Ink Lotus. Guo Shier reacted instantly, causing the Ancient Ink Lotus to shift sharply to the left. With a loud crash, the fist missed it by a hair’s breadth. The handsome old man flew into a rage and slapped the Ancient Ink Lotus. In an instant, flames surged from it, rolling outward in layers.

As the altar head retracted its fist, its arms and fist were already covered in flames. The burning heat penetrated straight into its soul, causing unbearable pain and forcing it to scream repeatedly. Its sharp gaze once again became unfocused. Suddenly, a small sacrificial artifact rose from the altar head. Just as Guo Shier finished casting his last spell, he spotted the artifact and exclaimed in surprise, “An umbrella?” It was a sacrificial artifact shaped like an umbrella, rotating slightly above the altar head. Very small in size, it emitted countless fine silver lights from its rotating surface, which fell onto the arms and produced streams of green smoke, quickly extinguishing the flames. The altar head soon regained its consciousness. Its eyes widened, filled with hatred so intense it seemed capable of burning everything. Ignoring everything else, Guo Shier unleashed his Moon Blade and slashed downward. The altar head swayed slightly, and the umbrella-shaped sacrificial artifact above it spun rapidly, expanding to seven or eight meters in size. Only then could Guo Shier see it clearly. It had a blue handle, its surface covered in silver ancient runes layered upon each other. There were seven rings on the surface, all in a light purple color. The umbrella had not one layer but three, with the top layer being the smallest and the bottom layer the largest, resembling a compressed three-tiered tower. The howling Moon Blade slashed downward. The altar head showed a ferocious smile and shouted, “Die!” The surge of soul energy was extremely strong, causing Guo Shier to feel a sense of shock. At this point, he could no longer retract his Moon Blade. Gritting his teeth, he cast a series of virtual runes to further enhance its power before slashing again with full force. Boom! The Moon Blade struck the umbrella-shaped sacrificial artifact. An unimaginable force rebounded back. Guo Shier never expected such immense power from the artifact. The Ancient Ink Lotus emitted a dazzling golden light, instantly blocking most of the rebound force. Due to the haste, only 80% of the force was blocked, with the remaining 20% hitting Guo Shier. Spurt! A mouthful of blood sprayed more than a meter away. Guo Shier kept retreating on the Ancient Ink Lotus, utterly shocked by the outcome. Seeing Guo Shier injured, the old man went mad. He roared, “I’ll tear you apart… I’ll swallow you, you bastard…” Suddenly, a golden sacrificial artifact appeared. Guo Shier fell to the Ancient Ink Lotus, gasping for breath. Seeing the artifact floating in front of the old man, he couldn’t help but lament: He had foolishly used his Moon Blade to attack a sacrificial artifact. Without the protection of the Ancient Ink Lotus, he would have died for sure. The altar head was far too powerful. The old man’s sacrificial artifact resembled a golden rod.

As a spell was cast, the golden staff grew from small to large. Only then did Guo Shier realize it was not a staff but a golden spear.
Guo Shier reluctantly retracted his Moon Blade, knowing full well that he had no right to interfere in the fight between the two old men.