Melee III

A miserable scream stunned everyone.

"My arm... ah... ah..." Hu Qianya, the third of the Wolf Mountain Seven Bandits, clutched his left shoulder with his right hand. His entire left arm was gone. Hu Qianya was nearly driven mad. On the Douluo Continent, becoming crippled meant that one could never advance any further.

"I'll kill you! I'll avenge my severed arm! Fourth Soul Skill, Soul Annihilation Club!" Enduring the pain, Hu Qianya launched another attack.

"Third Brother, don't act rashly!" Seeing that Hu Qianya had already lost his reason, Lang Bashan immediately tried to stop him. Unfortunately, his voice had no effect on the frenzied Hu Qianya.

"Brother Jiang, did you see that?! Zhou Wangchao's move was truly insidious!" Hu Haoran stared wide-eyed at what had just happened.

"I didn't expect Zhou Wangchao, who looked like such a big fool, to actually be so cunning beneath that rough exterior." Jiang Jiayao was clearly shocked by the scene as well. He silently calculated that if it had been him, he likely would not have fared much better.

Just moments earlier, Zhou Wangchao and Hu Qianya had clashed.

Zhou Wangchao used his Fourth Soul Skill, Life-Stealing Flying Wheel Slash, casually hurling his massive axe at Hu Qianya.

Hu Qianya saw that Zhou Wangchao intended to use a powerful move to quickly defeat him, then go assist Shi Zhenhe, the third leader of the Boulder Mercenary Group. Thus, Hu Qianya chose to fight evasively, dragging Zhou Wangchao down for as long as possible and keeping him here until Shi Zhenhe was dealt with.

The instant Hu Qianya settled on his strategy, he met the attack head-on with his own Fourth Soul Skill. Since he intended to stall, he did not use his full strength in this clash. He only wanted to knock Zhou Wangchao's attack off course and keep dragging things out.

Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, Zhou Wangchao immediately revealed his true strength. He was a level-50 Soul Ancestor; with just one more soul ring, he could become a level-51 Soul King.

Two purple soul rings behind Zhou Wangchao glowed, meaning he had used two soul skills.

Suddenly, the Soul Reaping Golden Axe flying toward Hu Qianya split into two. One massive axe was blocked by Hu Qianya's Soul-Splitting Wolf Fang Club, while the other chopped toward Hu Qianya's head. This was Zhou Wangchao's Third Soul Skill—Life-Stealing Phantom Axe.

Hu Qianya had no choice but to twist aside. Even so, Zhou Wangchao's Soul Reaping Golden Axe struck Hu Qianya's shoulder and severed his entire arm.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, and no one in the melee had time to react.

"Third Brother, I'll help you!" Lang Bashan had just tried to break away to assist Hu Qianya when Shi Zhenhe stopped him.

"Your opponent is me. I'm not dead yet! Don't even think about going anywhere!" Shi Zhenhe had no choice but to hold back the Lang brothers himself.

"Since you want to die, don't blame my elder brother and me for showing no mercy," Lang Bahai said viciously.

Shi Zhenhe and the Lang brothers once again fell into battle, but this time, Shi Zhenhe was at a disadvantage.

"Third Leader, don't worry. Once I finish off this cripple, I'll come help you right away!" Zhou Wangchao shouted to Shi Zhenhe as he used his Fourth Soul Skill again.

Boom...

Hu Qianya staggered back ten meters, while Zhou Wangchao took three steps back. The agony and his unfamiliarity with losing his left arm had greatly reduced Hu Qianya's strength. He was now completely no match for Zhou Wangchao.

"Third Soul Skill, Life-Stealing Phantom Axe!" Zhou Wangchao used his miraculous Third Soul Skill once more, gripping a massive axe in each hand as he stared menacingly at Hu Qianya.

"You shameless brat, using such despicable tricks again. Do you think I'll fall for it twice?!" Hu Qianya was furious when he saw that move. He immediately countered with his own Third Soul Skill. "Third Soul Skill, Roaring Shatter Strike!"

Hu Qianya swung his Soul-Splitting Wolf Fang Club with his right hand and smashed it toward Zhou Wangchao's head.

At the sight of this, Zhou Wangchao immediately dodged aside, unwilling to meet the attack head-on.

Boom...

Hu Qianya's strike smashed heavily into the ground. The shockwave rippling across the earth was visible to the naked eye, showing just how powerful that blow was.

"It even has a stunning effect. Good thing I didn't clash with you head-on, or I might have been the one to suffer. Hahaha..." Having evaded the attack, Zhou Wangchao laughed and mocked Hu Qianya. "One-Armed Boy, come hit me! If you don't, I'll come take your head. Hahaha..."

"You shameless brat... cowardly scum... why don't you come over here and kowtow to your grandpa?!" Unable to swallow this humiliation, Hu Qianya began trading insults with Zhou Wangchao.

"Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish, so you won't have to live in this world with one arm! First Soul Skill, Thousand Jin Falling Kill." Zhou Wangchao sneered as he leaped into the air and unleashed his First Soul Skill.

"Ah! Third Soul Skill, Roaring Shatter Strike!" Hu Qianya struck out in rage.

From above, Zhou Wangchao brought both massive axes down toward Hu Qianya's head. Hu Qianya, meanwhile, swung his Soul-Splitting Wolf Fang Club with his right hand to counter the attack.

Boom...

Zhou Wangchao's Thousand Jin Falling Kill possessed a gravity-enhancing effect. Hu Qianya was smashed straight into the ground, his entire legs sinking into the dirt.

"Second Soul Skill, Sweep Through a Thousand Armies Slash!" Zhou Wangchao endured the stunning effect caused by Hu Qianya's previous blow and continued with his Second Soul Skill. Half of Hu Qianya's body was buried, leaving him unable to move. This was the best chance to kill him.

Zhou Wangchao swung both massive axes.

Splurt...

Hu Qianya's head flew high into the air, terror still in his eyes. The shape of his mouth seemed to be saying, "No!" Just like that, the first person to die in this melee was Hu Qianya, the third of the Wolf Mountain Seven Bandits.

"Third Brother!" "Third Brother!" The Wolf Mountain Seven Bandits were all shocked, their eyes turning bloodshot with rage.

"Kill! Avenge Third Brother!" Lang Bashan roared as he suddenly unleashed his Fifth Soul Skill, "Blazing Wolf Fist Blast!"

"Kill! Avenge Third Brother!" Not to be outdone, Lang Bahai unleashed his Fifth Soul Skill at the same time. "Ice Wolf Life-Tearing Rend!"

The Lang brothers both used their Fifth Soul Skills, intending to kill Shi Zhenhe in a single blow.

"Hmph! Even if I die, I'll take one of you with me! Serene Wind Annihilation Break!" Shi Zhenhe refused to yield, meeting them head-on with his own Fifth Soul Skill.

"Third Leader, I'll help you! Life-Stealing Flying Wheel Slash!" After killing Hu Qianya, Zhou Wangchao did not pause for even a moment before activating his Fourth Soul Skill. He casually flung out two massive axes toward the Lang brothers.

Boom... boom... boom...

After several deafening explosions, all four men were blasted backward.

Shi Zhenhe sprayed mouthful after mouthful of blood, while Zhou Wangchao also vomited blood. The Lang brothers' backs were torn and bloody, and thin streams of blood slowly trickled from the corners of their mouths.

In the previous clash, Shi Zhenhe had borne most of the power of the Lang brothers' Fifth Soul Skills, while Zhou Wangchao had taken only a small portion, since Shi Zhenhe had been their main target. However, Zhou Wangchao's Fourth Soul Skill had flown around behind the Lang brothers and slashed them across their backs. Still, because the brothers remained under the effects of their Third Soul Skills, they had only suffered flesh wounds—though the pain was far from pleasant.

"You all seem to be having such a good time. How could I possibly stay out of it? Take this—my Self-Created Soul Skill: Mammoth Trample!" At that moment, Jiang Jiayao suddenly ambushed the three Chen brothers, who were being harassed by Bai Feiyu and Bai Feiling.

Jiang Jiayao split into seven, and each shadow delivered seven hammer strikes toward the three Chen brothers.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Indestructible Golden Shield!" Of the three Chen brothers, only Chen Yaojin reacted in time to realize that a powerful enemy had suddenly joined the battle.

Boom...

Chen Yaoyin and Chen Yaotong were smashed into pulp by Jiang Jiayao, with only their heads left behind. Jiang Jiayao had deliberately spared those. Chen Yaojin was also sent flying, blood pouring from his mouth as though it cost nothing. This sight was even more shocking than Zhou Wangchao beheading Hu Qianya.