As immense black cubes imbued with sealing power and the ability to block perception rained down, Isshiki Otsutsuki's figure vanished in an instant.
In his place, numerous Yin-Yang Release black rods, sharp points facing upwards, pierced the ground.
"You have quite a few tricks up your sleeve..."
The white dragon, caught in a pincer attack from above and below, let out a scoff. Its slender body weaved nimbly through the air, its colossal tail, carrying an unparalleled sage art power, lashed out with immense force.
"Boom boom..."
The pure sage art energy collided with the cubes formed by Yin-Yang Release, erupting into a thousand dazzling fireworks in the sky. With this single strike, the countless black cubes descending upon the white dragon were swept away.
"Space manipulation, Yin-Yang Release, and your dojutsu called Sukunahikona..."
"Even the Otsutsuki clan's ability to absorb the opponent's chakra is useless against me, who fights solely with sage art and Yin-Yang Release."
"Isshiki Otsutsuki, you... have reached your limit, haven't you?"
Calm words emerged from the white dragon's mouth, striking fear into Isshiki Otsutsuki's heart.
"How is this possible?"
"This native human should only have encountered me for the first time."
"How did he obtain this information?"
Clinging to a sliver of hope, Isshiki Otsutsuki, having shrunk his form to its absolute limit, refused to accept defeat. He once again unleashed the power of his right eye, throwing out all the assets he had accumulated over the millennia.
Densely packed spatial portals opened above the white dragon, and countless objects of varying sizes, all exuding the aura of pure Yin-Yang Release, surged forth like a tide.
"There is no truly powerful individual in this world without a weakness!"
"A human who has only cultivated for a few decades cannot possibly be as strong as he appears."
"Is he using a powerful facade to cloud my judgment?"
"Orochimaru, you are too naive!"
Isshiki Otsutsuki, convinced he had seen through Orochimaru's bluff, a mere paper tiger, solidified his resolve. Using the cover of the grand, ostentatious attack just launched, he instantly appeared above Orochimaru's body.
"Die!"
Innumerable Yin-Yang Release black rods materialized around the white dragon's body, sealing off all escape routes. Simultaneously, Isshiki Otsutsuki, wielding a black rod, suddenly appeared directly above Orochimaru's head. Cooperating with the surrounding Yin-Yang Release black rods, he ferociously thrust downwards towards Orochimaru.
"Still not giving up?"
A hint of amusement flickered in the white dragon's eyes.
The dark chakra clinging to Isshiki Otsutsuki's being constantly reported his true location to Orochimaru, while the void within Orochimaru's body continuously conveyed Isshiki Otsutsuki's thoughts and intentions.
It could be said that from the very beginning of the battle, the entire situation had been under Orochimaru's control.
The purpose was to wait for the moment when Isshiki Otsutsuki, influenced by the dark chakra, would rashly launch an attack.
And now, that moment had arrived!
The white dragon suddenly looked up, its bell-like eyes fixated on Isshiki Otsutsuki, who had materialized directly above.
"Roar!"
A high-pitched dragon roar, carrying a surging and powerful sage art energy, slammed into Isshiki Otsutsuki's chest.
Under Isshiki Otsutsuki's astonished gaze, a perfectly round bead spiraled out from the dragon's head, and in an instant, white light erupted.
"Sage Art - Sage Art - White Roar!"
A true dragon's roar pierced Isshiki Otsutsuki's soul through his sense of hearing.
Under the intense vibrational force of the White Roar, Isshiki Otsutsuki's body swayed unsteadily, like a drunken commoner, unable to maintain even the most basic flight capability of a Six Paths level being.
The soul's tremor was still manageable for a monster like Isshiki Otsutsuki, who had lived for an unknown number of years. His eyes being temporarily blinded by the white light was also not an insurmountable problem.
"Orochimaru, is this all you've got?"
Isshiki Otsutsuki chuckled inwardly.
Despite losing all five senses, Isshiki Otsutsuki firmly believed that if he could withstand this wave of attacks, having understood Orochimaru's combat methods, he would truly be invincible.
"Crack..."
However, just as Isshiki Otsutsuki was desperately channeling his power to dispel the negative effects on his body, a cracking sound abruptly echoed into his soul.
It was not a sound heard by his ears.
The dragon's roar had already temporarily sealed Isshiki Otsutsuki's hearing. The ability he now relied on to perceive external changes was entirely dependent on his powerful soul perception.
This sound was the wail of his soul.
The final lament of his body as it began to shatter.
"Body..."
"Not good!"
Isshiki Otsutsuki was suddenly alarmed.
He finally remembered that the body he was currently using was merely that of an ordinary human.
Although it had endured for a thousand years under the influence of his power, his original body was still just an ordinary human.
"How could this be?"
"Why did I overlook the condition of my body..."
As Isshiki Otsutsuki was questioning himself with full of doubt, a crack began to spread slowly from the chin of Jigen's body in the outside world.
"Crack..."
Under Orochimaru's self-evident gaze, Jigen, in whom Isshiki Otsutsuki was residing, shattered into countless fragments like a porcelain doll being broken from within by an unseen force.
With his physical body dispersed, Isshiki Otsutsuki's soul was instantly exposed to Orochimaru.
At the same time, a large amount of dark chakra poured out from Jigen's collapsing form and surged like wolves and tigers towards Isshiki Otsutsuki's defenseless soul.
Isshiki Otsutsuki's soul, having just been freed from the negative effects on his body by the shattering of his physical form, and before he could devise a solution to his predicament, was rapidly dyed black by the dark chakra.
In a daze, Orochimaru's still calm voice slowly echoed in his ears.
"It seems my guess was correct."
"Your true power indeed surpasses the ordinary Six Paths level. If you were at your full strength, I might truly not be your match."
"Unfortunately..."
Orochimaru chuckled, retracted his dragon pearl, and returned to human form. He slowly reached out to grasp Isshiki Otsutsuki's soul.
"Lost in your ambition and greed, how could you have detected the influence of dark power on your soul?"
"By wielding power that this body cannot possibly withstand, you have severed all your escape routes without me even needing to act."
His palm, now imbued with dark energy, grasped Isshiki Otsutsuki's soul. A hint of amusement appeared in Orochimaru's eyes.
"Hey..."
"I've got you now. At such close range, why don't you try planting the Karma on me?"
"Perhaps I might be the most suitable vessel for your reincarnation in history!"
With an influx of immense dark energy, the last sliver of clarity in Isshiki Otsutsuki's despairing soul was completely engulfed by darkness. Under the control of the void's power, it was forced to transform into a soul puppet that could be manipulated at will.
Orochimaru released his palm, looking at the dazed and confused Isshiki Otsutsuki, and said with a relaxed tone,
"Void, open this space!"
"It's time to harvest my fruit."