Useless Big Brother

To Huo Wu's surprise, Ling Qianyue did not choose to pursue them. Instead, he kept retreating, handing the kill that was already within his grasp over to her.

"Don't misunderstand. I dream of becoming a support-type Soul Master. I'm not good at killing, so let me slack off for a bit. You and Zhu Qing can decide the winner."

"You!"

Huo Wu's eyes widened, anger and confusion tangled across her face.

She had just rescued Huo Wushuang and was preparing to settle things with Ling Qianyue, only for him to say something like that.

"Are you insulting us?" Huo Wu clenched her teeth and glared at Ling Qianyue, the flames in her eyes seeming ready to reduce his disdain to ashes.

"Not at all. Zhu Qing and I agreed that my role in this match is truly that of support. You should be careful." Ling Qianyue spoke calmly, his eyes utterly still.

"Support? What bullshit!" Huo Wushuang bared his teeth and cursed inwardly.

"Whoosh—"

A piercing sound tore through the air beside the quick-reacting Huo Wu. She shot Ling Qianyue a glare, hoisted Huo Wushuang onto her back, and retreated several steps, moving away from the dangerous range of the sword aura.

"Brother, how are you?" she asked anxiously.

"Cough." He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face pale. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt~~" His voice trembled. "He struck accurately. He hit my back, where my scales are densest, and held back. I still have around thirty percent of my Soul Power left."

"Alright." Huo Wu glanced at the two massive sword shadows still hanging in the sky, then at the seven faint sword auras circling Ling Qianyue's Shattered Star Sword. A trace of unwillingness flashed through her eyes.

She could not understand why Ling Qianyue could ignore her Blazing Flame Cage. If he had been trapped within it, then even if they had suffered reduced speed and debuffs, the outcome would not have been this one-sided as long as their attacks landed.

What she understood even less was why Ling Qianyue's soul skills were so comprehensive. Buffs, debuffs, and powerful attacks—he had them all!

"Hmph! Agility Attack System Soul Masters are naturally countered by us Control System Soul Masters. Don't get too full of yourselves!"

At some point, Huo Wushuang had moved behind Huo Wu. One hand rested on her shoulder as his Soul Power seemed to take tangible form, continuously flowing toward Huo Wu.

"Second Soul Skill—Netherworld Hundred Claws!"

"Third Soul Skill—Resisting Fire Ring!"

Huo Wu shouted furiously. Crimson Soul Power surged from her body, forming a scorching circular ring of fire three meters tall that spread outward in all directions, reaching Zhu Zhuqing in an instant.

The fire ring carried an intense repulsive force, blasting away all surrounding debris as waves of heat rolled forth.

So long as an opponent's attack skill did not exceed her own Soul Power by more than ten levels, it could ignore any skill and defense. All skills within the fire ring's range would be temporarily expelled.

The moment Zhu Zhuqing was knocked back by the Resisting Fire Ring, Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang instantly closed in. Their two sweeping attacks struck toward Zhu Zhuqing at the same time.

Bang—

Their attacks hit Zhu Zhuqing's original position without error, yet they only stirred up dust and an empty echo.

Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang froze, then their expressions drastically changed as they realized that Zhu Zhuqing had vanished from where she stood.

"Damn, it's a phantom!" Huo Wu suddenly realized. She scanned the surroundings, but only saw three starlit phantoms flickering amid the firelight, each one nearly impossible to distinguish from Zhu Zhuqing's true body.

"Third Soul Skill—Star Constellation Shadow Kill!" Zhu Zhuqing's voice sounded beside Huo Wu and Huo Wushuang's ears, carrying a faint sneer.

The instant the Resisting Fire Ring spread outward, Zhu Zhuqing had used her Third Soul Skill to create three phantoms while her true body hid itself away.

"First Soul Skill—Flame Vortex!" Huo Wu urgently mobilized the little Soul Power she had left.

"Heh, sorry."

As Huo Wu's pupils abruptly contracted, Zhu Zhuqing's attack this time was not affected by the vortex.

The three starlit phantoms released Netherworld Hundred Claws at the same time. The stacked Star Erosion effect actually created a momentary vacuum in the flames surrounding them!

Zhu Zhuqing passed through the flames without suffering the slightest harm.

"W-what kind of soul skill is this?" Huo Wu's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.

She had never seen such a bizarre soul skill. It could actually devour the energy of flames, and the Star Erosion effect seemed to carry some sort of corrosive force that made even their protective Soul Power sting.

As Zhu Zhuqing closed in, Huo Wushuang sent out his final wave, giving all his Soul Power to Huo Wu before collapsing.

A look of resolve flashed through Huo Wu's eyes as she directly forced her martial soul to erupt.

"Ah—!" Huo Wu let out a deafening roar. The Soul Power throughout her body burst forth like a breached flood, flames soaring into the air and spreading in all directions.

Zhu Zhuqing and her three phantom clones charged straight into the flames, extending their deadly claws toward Huo Wu.

"Pfft—"

Huo Wu was sent flying. On the way, whether by coincidence or not, her foot kicked Huo Wushuang in the head, leaving him dizzy from the impact.

The flames on the arena and the Star Screen vanished at the same time. The Soul Fighting Arena erupted in unprecedented uproar, the audience's cries rising and falling as they were shaken by the sudden reversal and fierce clash.

Huo Wu crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was streaked with sweat and grime, yet unwilling fury still burned in her eyes.

She struggled to rise, only to find that her Soul Power was nearly exhausted. She barely had enough strength left to stand.

"The victors are Qingyao Phantom!" the referee announced.

"Damn it!"

She punched the ground.

"Need a hand?" Ling Qianyue slowly walked over to her, holding the Shattered Star Sword in his arms as he looked down at Huo Wu.

"Hmph! No!" Huo Wu gritted her teeth and turned her head away. "Just wait. Sooner or later, I'll defeat you!"

Ling Qianyue thought about the fire immunity he had gained after Ice Fire Golden Body Refinement and shook his head. That'll probably be difficult in this lifetime.

He flicked several streams of Soul Power from his fingertips, tapping them onto several acupoints on Huo Wu's body.

"Hm?" Huo Wu frowned slightly. She suddenly felt the Soul Power within her recovering much faster.

"Plop—"

Zhu Zhuqing carried Huo Wushuang by the back of his collar and set him down beside Huo Wu. "He was so annoying. He kept shouting that he wanted to see you."

"Little sister, where's my little sister? Ah, are you alright?" Huo Wushuang asked anxiously.

"I'm fine."

"Whew, good, good. Thank you both for showing mercy." He spoke to Ling Qianyue and Zhu Zhuqing with heartfelt gratitude.

"Brother!" Huo Wu felt her cheeks flush. Having recovered a little, she leaped up, grabbed Huo Wushuang by the collar, and looked at Ling Qianyue and Zhu Zhuqing. "Just wait. I'll wash away this humiliation soon!"

"That was so embarrassing, you useless brother!" Mimicking Zhu Zhuqing's earlier action, she dragged Huo Wushuang away.