Encountering Evil Soul Masters

Jiang Wu discovered to his surprise that the skill had other effects.

Its control effect was directly linked to the difference in mental power.

If an opponent's mental power was lower than the user's, the illusion would last more than three seconds, and the opponent's defense would drop by 30% while stunned.

If the opponent's mental power was higher than the user's, it would cause at least half a second of disorientation, interrupting any Soul Skill the opponent was charging.

There was also a passive boost: as the user grew stronger, the duration of Illusory Charm Eyes' control and the realism of its illusions would increase in tandem.

Wait, were Xiao Wu's skills in the comic this ridiculous?

Jiang Wu was very curious what the combat power in the comic version of Douluo Continent looked like after he had transmigrated.

"Let's go." Seeing that Jiang Wu had successfully absorbed it, Lin Yuan did not ask any further questions about the Soul Skill.

He was not Jiang Wu's master, so unless Jiang Wu brought it up himself, he could not ask.

Jiang Wu nodded, got up from the ground, and followed Lin Yuan toward the edge of the forest.

The two followed the path they had taken in toward the forest's outskirts. Lin Yuan walked ahead, clearing the way, while Jiang Wu followed behind, mulling over his newly acquired Second Soul Skill as he walked.

Illusory Charm Eyes was much stronger than he had expected. The passive boost in particular meant that its control effect would become more and more outrageous as his level rose. Mental-type Soul Skills were rare to begin with, and a growth-type mental Soul Skill like this was even more unheard of.

As Jiang Wu was thinking, Lin Yuan suddenly stopped ahead of him.

"What is it?" Jiang Wu asked in a low voice.

Lin Yuan did not look back. He raised his right hand slightly in a warning gesture. His eyes were fixed on the depths of a dense thicket ahead, and his nose twitched twice.

"The smell of blood," Lin Yuan said, his voice very low. "It's strong. And... there are Soul Power fluctuations. Two people."

Jiang Wu immediately held his breath and focused.

He could smell it too: a nauseating scent of rust hung in the air.

Jiang Wu knew it was the smell of blood, but it was far too strong. Something was very wrong.

Could it be...

A possibility occurred to Jiang Wu.

They had run into Evil Soul Masters.

No sooner had Lin Yuan finished speaking than a chilling, strange laugh came from the dense forest ahead.

"Tsk, tsk, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor? And a little brat who's... a Soul Grandmaster?" A hoarse voice drifted out from behind a tree. "What luck. We just killed two people who were on their own, and now two more have come to die."

Two figures slowly emerged from the depths of the forest.

The one in front was a tall, gaunt man with a sallow complexion and sunken eye sockets. His hands were as dry as old tree bark, and his fingertips had an unnatural bluish-black tinge.

Half a step behind him followed a short, stout middle-aged woman, her face as round as a steamed bun made from risen dough.

"Evil Soul Masters." Lin Yuan's voice grew grave. He quietly placed his right hand on Jiang Wu's shoulder and nudged him behind him.

He felt nothing but a tremendous headache, unable to understand why they had run into Evil Soul Masters here.

Jiang Wu's heart sank too.

From reading novels in his previous life, he knew what sort of people Evil Soul Masters were. They would stop at nothing to increase their Soul Power and were capable of any act that offended heaven and reason.

"Principal Lin, leave the four-ring one to you," Jiang Wu said in a low voice. "I can hold off the three-ring one."

Lin Yuan glanced back at him. There was hesitation in his eyes, but even more of the resolve that came after weighing his options.

Against a level forty-six Evil Soul Master, he had no assurance of victory, but holding him off would not be a problem. If Jiang Wu could last until he dealt with his opponent, the two of them might still have a chance of survival by joining forces. If Jiang Wu could not hold on...

"Hold on." Those were the only words Lin Yuan said.

"Mm."

Lin Yuan hesitated no longer. His Azure Wind Wolf Martial Soul instantly possessed him, and he kicked off with both feet, turning into a cyan afterimage as he lunged straight at the tall, gaunt man.

"Old fool, you're courting death!" The tall, gaunt man gave a strange laugh and flung his bony hands open. Ten strands of gray-black Soul Power shot from his fingertips at once, spreading over Lin Yuan like a spiderweb.

Lin Yuan dodged sideways. His Third Soul Ring lit up, and his speed abruptly increased. He forced his way through a gap in the Soul Power web and struck at the tall, gaunt man's chest with his palm.

The tall, gaunt man reacted with lightning speed. His Fourth Soul Ring lit up, and a layer of gray-black bone armor surged out from beneath his skin, covering his entire upper body.

Lin Yuan's palm struck the bone armor with a dull thud. Several fine cracks appeared on its surface, but the tall, gaunt man merely took two steps back before steadying himself.

"A Four-Ring Soul Ancestor with some skill." The tall, gaunt man licked his lips, a glint of greed flashing through his deeply sunken eyes. "If I eat you, I might just reach the threshold of level fifty."

The two were instantly locked in combat, the shock waves from their clashing Soul Power making the surrounding trees rustle.

Meanwhile.

The short, stout woman did not go to help the tall, gaunt man. Her narrow eyes remained fixed on Jiang Wu.

In her eyes, a level twenty-one brat was much easier to deal with than a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.

The best course was to finish off the little one first, then help her companion surround and kill the four-ring one.

"Don't be scared, little brother." The short, stout woman grinned, revealing a mouthful of uneven yellow teeth. "Auntie is very quick. It won't hurt."

Her First Soul Ring lit up. She rubbed her hands together, and a cloud of dark green poisonous mist poured from her palms, billowing toward Jiang Wu.

Jiang Wu stood where he was,

His Second Soul Ring lit up.

Second Soul Skill: Illusory Charm Eyes.

Jiang Wu's eyes abruptly turned deep purple, and countless points of starlight seemed to swirl deep within his pupils.

The short, stout woman's movements suddenly froze, and her vision was completely distorted in an instant.

The once-peaceful forest vanished, replaced by a boundless primeval forest.

Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, and the layer of rotting leaves underfoot was so thick that her feet sank half a foot into it.

Then the earth began to shake.

A hundred beasts charged.

Thousands upon thousands of Soul Beasts burst from the depths of the forest: ten-year beasts, hundred-year beasts, thousand-year beasts, and even several Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts so enormous they blotted out the sky. Their eyes were red, and they charged at her alone with a monstrous, savage aura.

"No... impossible..." The short, stout woman's pupils dilated, and the vicious grin on her face froze completely.

Her Sea of Consciousness was submerged in the illusion in an instant. Her consciousness felt as though an invisible hand had pressed it into deep water, leaving her unable to struggle.

In reality, the short, stout woman stood rigidly in place, her eyes unfocused and a thin line of drool even trickling from the corner of her mouth.

Seeing this, Jiang Wu seized the opportunity to use his First Soul Skill.

His First Soul Ring lit up.

First Soul Skill: Bow Body Charging Beast Arrow.

Jiang Wu bent his knees slightly. Soul Power surged through his meridians and gathered in his right leg, which he kicked out fiercely.

A solid Soul Power arrow tore through the air. The instant it left his leg, it swelled abruptly and transformed into the phantom of a rhinoceros covered in purple armor, with white jade on its forehead. Its four hooves pounded the ground as it charged forward with a rumble of thunder.

Bang-!

The Purple Armor White Jade Rhinoceros struck the short, stout woman squarely in the chest.

The impact sent her flying backward, and the clothes over her chest burst apart.