A Life-or-Death Crisis

At last, Long Yu and Qian Ning'er still made their way to Death Grand Canyon. Compared to before, they were several times more vigilant, while Qian Ning'er was several times more excited.

Most of the students still wore grave expressions, but after hearing that Chrysanthemum Douluo had personally come to take control of the overall situation, they felt somewhat more reassured.

As usual, Long Yu and the others trained just as they had during the previous month and did not notice anything unusual, so they gradually let down their guard.

During the day, Long Yu and Qian Renxue hunted soul beasts and criminal soul masters. At night, Long Yu read through the Compendium of Soul Beasts.

After learning their lesson last time, the two of them naturally slept separately.

Although Long Yu explained himself countless times, it was still useless. Qian Renxue merely drew her Angel's Sacred Sword in response.

She looked as though she would chop him down the moment he dared approach.

However, this was merely the calm before the storm.

"Sister Ning'er, this is a two-thousand-year Golden Fire Ape. It has relatively high intelligence, and its only weakness is its eyes. It possesses both strength and fire attributes, making it one of the top-tier soul beasts. Is that right?" Long Yu looked at the red-furred ape over two meters tall lying dead before him. It had taken quite some effort to kill this soul beast.

"Mm, you're right. Furthermore, once Golden Fire Apes break through ten thousand years, two innate abilities awaken. One is that the fur on their bodies evolves into golden fur, becoming vastly sharper and tougher. It can shed off and be used to attack. The other is that they can unleash mental attacks." Qian Renxue nodded.

This little hooligan had exceptional talent and worked incredibly hard. Qian Renxue had seen all his efforts along the way, but he was still a pervert!

Long Yu's luck was truly terrible. It had been over thirty days now. Between him and Qian Renxue, they had killed at least three hundred, if not five hundred, soul beasts, yet not a single soul bone had appeared.

They had even encountered soul beasts nearly ten thousand years old, but there had still been no soul bones after killing them.

As for whether it was cruel or not, neither of them felt that way.

They only killed soul beasts that actively attacked them. It was just that the soul beasts in Death Grand Canyon basically attacked any human they saw, so the two of them showed no mercy whatsoever.

After a brief rest, the two planned to continue onward when they heard some movement.

Qian Renxue immediately flew into the air, but the thick fog prevented her from seeing what was happening.

"Let's go take a look," Qian Renxue said.

"Sister Ning'er, how about we leave this place? I have a bad feeling about it. If we keep going, there'll be enormous danger," Long Yu said, shaking his head.

Although he did not know what was happening ahead, his instincts told him there was danger in front of them.

"Hmph! What are you afraid of? Aren't I here? With my current strength, I can deal with even high-level Soul King-ranked soul masters or ten-thousand-year soul beasts. Even if I can't, we can fly away. What is there to worry about? Xiao Yu, you need to be bolder," Qian Renxue said.

"Th-then, all right." Long Yu thought it over. It had been so long, and there had been no further reports of disappearances. There probably would not be any major problems.

I hope nothing happens!

Murphy's Law told them that the more afraid you were of something happening, the more likely it was to happen.

Yet as the two continued deeper, the fog grew increasingly dense. Even Qian Renxue's line of sight extended no farther than a hundred meters.

To be honest, Qian Renxue was somewhat disappointed with Death Grand Canyon. The difficulty was still too low.

But Long Yu still sent out a signal, which made Qian Renxue very unhappy.

Wasn't that clearly showing that he did not trust her? Besides, whether anyone could even see it was another matter.

"Let's go!" Qian Renxue took the lead and flew forward, with Long Yu following close behind.

Just as Qian Renxue was about to continue forward, a huge eagle covered in black feathers suddenly emerged from the fog.

It was around four meters long, covered from head to toe in black feathers, with enormous yellow talons and a massive beak. There was a small red crest atop its head. Beneath its constantly moving eyes, it stared fixedly at Qian Renxue as if it had discovered prey, even letting out an excited cry.

With a beat of its wings, hundreds of black feathers shot out toward Qian Renxue.

"A Black Feather Eagle with a crest... this is a soul beast over ten thousand years old!" After her surprise, Qian Renxue became excited. Finally, an interesting opponent had appeared again.

"First Soul Skill, Angel's Assault!" Qian Renxue's speed surged dramatically. She constantly shifted positions, dodging the Black Feather Eagle's attacks before suddenly appearing above its head.

"Third Soul Skill, Angel's Sacred Slash!" A massive golden blade of light slashed toward the Black Feather Eagle. Rather than dodge, the Black Feather Eagle crossed its wings and raised the black feathers upon them.

The huge golden blade cut through the feathers on its wings, but only left a small wound. Then, just as Qian Renxue was preparing to unleash her fourth soul skill, her movements suddenly stalled. She seemed to see mockery in the Black Feather Eagle's eyes? Then, someone suddenly flew out from beneath the feathers on the Black Feather Eagle's chest. He wore black clothes and had a pair of black wings on his back. A cruel, terrifying smile appeared on his withered face.

How was that possible? How could a human cooperate with a soul beast? And in Death Grand Canyon, no less. Could this be why those two students had disappeared before?

"Fifth Soul Skill, Spirit Destruction!" The black-clothed man opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and let out an extremely strange, hoarse sound at Qian Renxue. Five soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—appeared, and the black soul ring flashed.

"Not good! Second Soul Skill, Wings of Nothingness!" Golden light shone from Qian Renxue's wings before they folded protectively before her.

Qian Renxue's second soul skill, Wings of Nothingness, granted immunity to physical attacks and reduced energy attacks by half.

Wave after wave of invisible Spiritual Power struck Qian Renxue. Although their power had already been reduced by half, they still caused excruciating pain in her head.

It felt as though someone had viciously struck her head with a hammer. Her hands involuntarily clutched her head, as if doing so could make her feel better.

"Second Soul Skill, Blood-Sucking Palm!" The black-clothed man leaped forward. Blood-red Soul Power flowed through his withered palm before he slammed it heavily into Qian Renxue's back, sending her crashing straight toward the ground.

Long Yu swiftly unleashed Phoenix Dance Six Illusions and caught Qian Renxue in advance. The tremendous impact made his legs go weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He stared warily at the man and soul beast in the sky!

The battle had just taken place in the air. He could not fly and had no way to interfere, only able to watch helplessly.

When Long Yu saw the black-clothed man's five soul rings, his heart sank. A Soul King—and judging by his appearance, an Evil Soul Master! If he had been an ordinary Soul King, Qian Renxue, with her high-level Soul Ancestor cultivation and Divine Martial Soul, would have been more than capable of defeating him. But the abilities of Evil Soul Masters were far beyond those of ordinary soul masters.

Moreover, this black-clothed man was extremely cunning. Rather than directly confronting Qian Renxue's light power, he had the ten-thousand-year soul beast take the attack head-on while he launched a Spiritual Power attack himself.

"Sister Ning'er!" Only then did Qian Renxue, lying in Long Yu's arms, barely open her eyes. She could feel that the blood in her body was somewhat beyond her control, constantly surging toward the spot on her back where she had been struck, as though it wanted to escape. Qian Renxue used a large amount of Soul Power to barely suppress it.

But agonizing pain still surged through her mind! Trembling, she said, "Xiao Yu, y-you need to leave quickly. He's an Evil Soul Master, and at least a high-level Soul King, nearly at the Soul Emperor level. We can't deal with him at all right now."

"No, I'll never abandon you." Long Yu shook his head.

So those two students had disappeared because of an Evil Soul Master. A high-level Soul King Evil Soul Master, and he was so underhanded.

Even more terrifyingly, he could join forces with a ten-thousand-year soul beast, which was equivalent to having another Soul King! The black-clothed man returned to the Black Feather Eagle, which was over ten thousand years old, and the two landed. The black-clothed man said hoarsely, "After following you for so long, I've finally gained something.

"Looks like I underestimated you. I originally thought your second soul skill merely granted immunity to physical attacks. I never expected it to weaken mental attacks as well.

"After being hit by my third soul skill, do you feel as though the blood in your body could burst out at any moment? That sight... truly makes one look forward to it.

"A thirteen-year-old, level forty-eight Soul Ancestor. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I've never encountered one before. But the aura of light around you is truly nauseating! It really makes me want to kill you right now!" After saying that, the black-clothed man licked his lips.

"I think you're the one who needs to die first!" Seeing Qian Renxue's condition in his arms, Long Yu could not help flying into a rage.

He helped Qian Renxue to her feet, and the two stared gravely at the black-clothed man before them.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Holy Sword Summon!" Enduring the pain in her head, Qian Renxue immediately unleashed her fourth soul skill. Two enormous golden blades covered in golden flames slashed toward the black-clothed man.

However, Long Yu could sense that the Soul Power in this fourth soul skill was far more chaotic than when she had killed the Man Faced Demon Spider before. It felt strong on the outside but weak within.

"Third Soul Skill, Soul Chains!" The purple soul ring behind the black-clothed man lit up. A pitch-black iron chain extended from his hands and rushed toward the two holy swords.

The chain actually passed directly through the holy swords before shooting toward Qian Renxue.

"Phoenix Dance Six Illusions, Second Soul Skill, Claw of Ruin!" Long Yu's Dark Golden Dreadclaw, carrying incomparable sharpness, sliced the chain apart. He then grabbed Qian Renxue's hand and retreated some distance.

"Hm? A six-year-old, level twenty-five Soul Grandmaster. Interesting, very interesting. What I like most is... killing genius soul masters, especially genius soul masters from Spirit Hall."

Then the black-clothed man moved, and a blood-red figure suddenly appeared before Long Yu.

The instant Long Yu activated his first soul skill, a withered palm slammed fiercely into his chest.

With a muffled bang, Long Yu felt intense pain in his chest before his body was sent flying. He crashed through a large tree and fell beside the Black Feather Eagle. Unable to hold it in, Long Yu spat out a mouthful of blood. His entire body was in excruciating pain, and several bones in his chest had broken.

Then the black-clothed man delivered a sweeping kick, sending the dazed Qian Renxue flying beside Long Yu as well.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Looks like you still aren't good enough. Where's that aura of being unrivaled under heaven from the past few dozen days? How did you end up looking so pitiful now? Ah, what a shame."

Then the black-clothed man's foot stomped viciously onto Long Yu's chest, slowly applying pressure.

"Ah!" Long Yu's entire body trembled. The broken bones from before pierced into his flesh and kept shifting, causing unbearable pain. He spat out another mouthful of blood, and the bloody mist spread through the air, making the scene exceptionally miserable.

The Meteor Tear within Long Yu's heart began to operate. Gentle energy flowed through his chest, but with such severe injuries, the Meteor Tear could not heal him in a short time.

"Mmm, what delicious blood. I really want to drain you dry right now. Perhaps I might even break through to Soul Emperor." The black-clothed man's eyes turned red as he deeply inhaled the blood mist in the air, looking as though he had not had enough.

"Xiao Yu!" Qian Renxue's face was covered in tears, but she was helpless. The blood in her body was already in extreme turmoil. If she used another soul skill, she would no longer be able to suppress it.

It's all my fault!

It's all my fault!

If I hadn't stubbornly insisted on coming, we wouldn't have ended up like this. Xiao Yu, I, Qian Renxue, have wronged you! Deep remorse filled Qian Renxue's heart.

Her recklessness had doomed both herself and Long Yu.

She hated herself for rejecting Grandfather's suggestion to send elders to protect her. She hated herself for not keeping Chrysanthemum Douluo by her side. She hated herself for not listening to Xiao Yu and leaving in time.

Although Long Yu had already sent out a signal, the fog was so dense that visibility did not exceed a hundred meters. Chrysanthemum Douluo had little chance of noticing it. This time, there truly was nothing they could do.

The two lay on the ground like this as the black-clothed man raised his foot, intending to torment Long Yu some more.