The Immovable Bright King Was Truly Immobile

After activating his Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar, Zhao Wuji's already massive body rapidly swelled as though being inflated. In the blink of an eye, he had grown over five meters tall. Muscles bulged grotesquely across his body, while brownish-yellow fur grew wildly over his skin. He actually transformed into a true giant bear.

"Come on, you little bastards! Let me show you how formidable I, the Immovable Bright King, truly am!" Amid his furious roar, Zhao Wuji activated all of his Soul Skills.

Under the ravages of his terrifying Aura, even the air seemed to turn viscous. How could the mercenaries of the Three Scoundrels Mercenary Group have ever witnessed such a scene?

Pressed down by Zhao Wuji's Aura, they temporarily lost the ability to move.

Seeing this, Bai He flashed to Hei Shan's side and helped him maintain the wavering Soul Power Suppression Field, weakening Zhao Wuji's strength as much as possible.

At that moment, only one person remained unaffected: Ma Xiu, who held the Horse Chopping Blade.

Seeing Zhao Wuji activate his Martial Soul Avatar, the smile on Ma Xiu's face grew increasingly crazed.

With a long howl, he activated his own Martial Soul Avatar as well.

As the final Soul Ring beneath Ma Xiu's feet lit up, the somewhat illusory Horse Chopping Blade in his hand swiftly became solid.

Like an enraged dragon awakening from slumber, the blade lengthened at a visible rate. Its body trembled violently, as if the terrifying power contained within were about to break free from its master's restraints.

However, Ma Xiu's grip remained steady. The enormous Horse Chopping Blade looked like a toy in his hands.

Dragging the massive Horse Chopping Blade behind him, Ma Xiu stared at Zhao Wuji and said pointedly, "At this length, killing a beast like you shouldn't be a problem!"

"You're courting death!" Ma Xiu's words clearly enraged Zhao Wuji. The next moment, the ground began to tremble.

Having transformed into a giant bear, Zhao Wuji roared and pounced toward Ma Xiu.

At the same time, Ma Xiu crouched slightly, gripped his blade with both hands, fixed his gaze on the savage giant bear now within arm's reach, and swung.

Blade light flashed, and the giant bear roared.

"Self-created Soul Skill, Extreme Style Swordsmanship: Mountain Split!" As Ma Xiu's voice fell, his position and that of the roaring giant bear switched places in the next instant.

Zhao Wuji's mountain-like figure now stood where Ma Xiu had been, then silently fell.

A moment later, a "red line" appeared on Zhao Wuji's body.

The "red line" first emerged on Zhao Wuji's left shoulder, then spread across his entire body.

As the red line appeared, a pungent stench of blood instantly filled the air. The next moment, blood sprayed everywhere. Zhao Wuji, still in his Martial Soul Avatar state, was cleanly cut apart, his corpse split into two halves.

At the same time, Ma Xiu, who had just unleashed that terrifying slash, suddenly went pale and spat out a mouthful of blood.

However, he paid it no mind. After coughing for a while, he recovered, sheathed the Horse Chopping Blade he had just swung, then fiercely slashed it toward the ground. Instantly, blood dyed the earth beneath his feet red.

Yet the Horse Chopping Blade in his hand remained bright as new, without the slightest trace of blood on its edge.

"Cough, cough... cough, cough, cough! As expected of the Immovable Bright King. That defense was truly formidable. Unfortunately, it still wasn't perfect. Otherwise, this slash might not have been enough to kill him." After finally stabilizing the surging Soul Power within his body, Ma Xiu could not help commenting on Zhao Wuji. He no longer maintained his Martial Soul Avatar and directly dismissed it, while the Horse Chopping Blade in his hand returned to its former appearance.

In just a single exchange, Ma Xiu had slain Zhao Wuji. This did not mean Ma Xiu was vastly stronger than Zhao Wuji.

In reality, Zhao Wuji possessed level seventy-six Soul Power, while Ma Xiu's Soul Power was actually four levels lower, at only level seventy-two.

There were two main reasons why he had so cleanly slain Zhao Wuji, who was renowned for his defense.

The first was naturally the restraint imposed by Ma Xiu's two Chief Officers. Hei Shan and Bai He were no mere decorations. Though they had not directly joined the battle, they had continuously maintained the Soul Power Suppression Field.

This field greatly suppressed Zhao Wuji, so he had not been able to display his full strength just now.

Beyond that, Ma Xiu's own strength was also an important factor.

Ma Xiu was an Extreme Style Soul Master. Even among Extreme Style Soul Masters, he was one of the most extreme.

Of the seven Soul Skills he had attached, aside from the First Soul Skill, which was an offensive Soul Skill, none of the others possessed any offensive effect.

His First Soul Skill was Slash, his Second Soul Skill was Sharpness Amplification, his Third Soul Skill was Strength Amplification, his Fourth Soul Skill was Speed Amplification, his Fifth Soul Skill was Soul Power Amplification, and his Sixth Soul Skill was Skill Amplification.

Thus, Ma Xiu had only one Soul Skill with offensive power: his First Soul Skill. All the rest existed to amplify it.

As for how Ma Xiu actually fought, he had never relied on Soul Skills, but rather on swordsmanship. In the terminology of Douluo Dalu, that was a self-created Soul Skill.

Though Ma Xiu was merely a seven-ring Soul Sage, when it came to swordsmanship, he was among the very best in all of Douluo Dalu.

Therefore, Ma Xiu's combat power could not be measured solely by his Soul Power level. Even a Soul Douluo would not dare receive his full-force slash head-on. Killing a Zhao Wuji who could not unleash his complete strength was hardly difficult for him.

Of course, Ma Xiu was not invincible. Compared to traditional Soul Masters, his seemingly unorthodox style had obvious strengths and weaknesses.

Specializing in swordsmanship and using every Soul Skill to strengthen the Horse Chopping Blade in his hand gave Ma Xiu attack power far beyond what his Soul Power level should have allowed.

But at the same time, his weakness was equally obvious.

Compared to an ordinary Soul Sage, Ma Xiu's defense was clearly lacking. If he encountered a Soul Master faster than himself, then even if that opponent was weaker than him, they could still easily kill him.

Naturally, Zhao Wuji definitely did not possess such ability. His Vajra Bear Martial Soul was not one that excelled in speed; instead, it was known for its formidable defense.

However, when adding Soul Rings to his Martial Soul, Zhao Wuji had not focused much on defense. Instead, he had given himself a whole set of combat-oriented Soul Skills.

This resulted in Zhao Wuji being rather average in every aspect. His defense was indeed stronger than that of ordinary Soul Sages, but it was far from exceptional. His attack power was merely decent as well, and on top of that, he suffered from a disadvantage in speed.

If he did not encounter a truly powerful Soul Master, Zhao Wuji's strength would still seem fairly impressive within the Soul Master world. But if he met a Soul Master who truly excelled in attack power, Zhao Wuji would immediately be completely restrained.