Chapter 1749: Chapter 1749: A Lose-lose

That narrow escape from death threw Zen's mind into turmoil.

He never thought he would almost lose his life in this small mountain village. If it weren't for Master Evil's soul rushing into his mind at the most critical moment then his soul would've already been devoured by Yorick.

He had lost his father's help ever since he left the Evolutionary Universe. He no longer enjoyed the privileges of having a miraculous destiny as he did in the past. Danger lurked in every corner of this divine land he found himself in.

Master Evil's and Yorick's souls were entangled together and fought fiercely in Zen's mind.

Cultivating souls was not an easy feat, not even for True Gods.

During the time that Master Evil spent locked up in the fairy palace, Yorick's cultivation had increased quite a bit. It was true that Master Evil was not his match but the difference between them wasn't extraordinary.

In the end, the fight between these True Gods concluded with a draw.

If he were to die, then Master Evil was determined to pull Yorick down with him. However, Yorick had already waited for so many years and he wasn't willing to die in this fight.

“Stop!” Yorick roared before another round began. “Do you know who this brat is?”

However, Master Evil wasn't listening. There was a crazed look in his eyes as countless spikes appeared on the surface of his soul before it charged towards Yorick again!

“That boy is the son of a Holy Being. His soul contains great secrets! Once I get his soul and read his memories, I can share them with you. I can even create a powerful body for you in the future...” Yorick said, dodging Master Evil's attack.

“Hmph, I already know about everything you just said! You're too sly. How can I ever trust you? I won't stop until I kill you. I will definitely shatter your soul!”

Master Evil had taken the inner demon oath. Even if he already knew Zen's identity, he couldn't really make a move against him. In the end, Yorick's offer was no good for him at all. Besides, Yorick was sly and once he took over Zen's soul, he would definitely attack Master Evil. Only a three-year-old would believe Yorick's supposed compromise.

“We can negotiate…”

However, before Yorick could even finish his words, Master Evil was already charging at him. The latter stretched out and grabbed onto his opponent's soul. “What is there to be negotiated? Go to perdition! Soul-destroying Flame!”

“Sizzle…”

From Master Evil's soul burst forth green flames. He was burning his own soul and attempting to also burn Yorick's in the process. He was truly serious in bringing his opponent down with him!

The green flames seemed to have great destructive power against souls. Even Zen felt the extraordinary heat and had to step back for his safety.

Yorick let out a miserable shriek as the green flames spread towards him. As a response, a layer of yellow luster appeared on the surface of his soul body, almost like a tortoiseshell. It was a kind of soul technique meant to increase the defensive power of the soul. 𝙍àƝọBĘs̩

Unfortunately, it was not enough against Master Evil's Soul-destroying Flame. The shell quickly gave in under the heat of the flames.

It was at that moment that Yorick finally realized that Master Evil had already gone mad. In his desperation, he also decided to go all out and burn his own soul.

However, just as he was about to release his own flames, a sharp aura shot out from behind him!

It was Zen whose soul pressure had once again turned into many small arrows that were aimed towards Yorick. These small arrows couldn't necessarily pierce through Yorick but it served as an effective pressuring tactic. He couldn't possibly deal with two opponents at the same time and hope to survive.

Puff puff puff puff…

The Soul-destroying Flame had already greatly weakened Yorick's soul and Zen's arrows might just tear it apart.

“We... We can still discuss this...”

But before he could even finish his sentence, his soul had already shattered, torn apart by Zen's arrows. Now, Yorick's soul being weak, and in pieces, the Soul Destroying Flame quickly incinerated whatever fragment remained of Yorick until there was nothing left.

“Swoosh!”

A tiny soul fragment circled around Zen's mind once more - a tiny remnant of Yorick. Some soul techniques were incredibly powerful that even if the only thing left was a soul fragment, it would be enough to preserve all memories and give one the chance to make a comeback so long as an appropriate body could be found.

Master Evil did not notice this soul fragment in his rage and it began to quietly slip out of Zen's mind.

The soul fragment was secretly rejoicing its imminent escape. They might've thought they had ended him but he managed to slip out at the last possible second. However, it seemed that the soul fragment celebrated too soon. Zen suddenly opened his eyes and filled the space with a flash of golden light. An incomparably sharp soul pressure shot out a small arrow and struck the soul fragment, shattering it instantly.

Zen blinked and once again closed his eyes. Yorick's soul fragment had carried Zen's memories and there were some secrets that he couldn't afford to leak out, so he had to eliminate it completely.

Master Evil remained in Zen's mind, at the brink of death as a consequence of burning his soul. The green flames were already extinguished but his soul was now incredibly translucent. He looked fragile, like a candle that could easily be blown away by the wind.

He quietly floated in Zen's mind. This formerly wicked old man now had sorrow painted all over his face. He stared up at Zen who stood nearby.

“Alas…”

Zen sighed and quietly floated towards Master Evil, sending out his soul force.

He knew that Master Evil was not a good person but he never meant any harm to him. He had previously agreed to help him but did not expect such a sudden turn of events.

Zen poured his soul force into Master Evil's soul and somewhat filled it with energy.

A True God's soul might be powerful but once it was seriously injured, it would be terribly difficult to repair it. Fortunately, Zen was at least able to bring it back from the precipice of collapse.

Master Evil couldn't help but stare at Zen with a complicated expression.

“Why did you save me?” he asked. He definitely wasn't someone Zen could trust and he knew that the young man wasn't stupid. Why in the world would he help a wicked old man like him?

“I still need your help. You can't die now,” Zen answered simply.

“My physical body has already been destroyed and my cultivation is gone. My soul, the only thing left of me, is a mere dying candle. I am no different from a dead person. Ha-ha!” Master Evil laughed as if mocking himself. Maybe it was because of the state of his soul, maybe it was because he was sad, or maybe it was both but it seemed as if he had lost the courage and the will to live on.

“Isn't there still a chance? You can still seize this opportunity,” Zen told him.

“Seize this opportunity...”

Master Evil lowered his head in thought. He was previously afraid of Murphy so he didn't dare involve himself in the battle between Holy Beings. He only truly wanted to regain his past glory in the Vast Sky Region.

Now, all he was left with was his soul, so did he really have any other choice?

Someone like Zen had terribly great potential. If he could achieve astonishing things and find a place in the Hall of Holy Beings, then it might not be impossible for the young man to help him recover his physical body and increase his cultivation by leaps and bounds.

With this in mind, Master Evil's eyes shone bright with hope for the future!