Shadow Demon Possession, Kong Weiyang's True Strength! (Part 1)

The situation had become extremely awkward. Kong Weiyang could not restrain Li Qing, while Li Qing did not dare approach Kong Weiyang to launch an attack. Any other attacks would easily be dodged by Kong Weiyang, wasting Soul Power for nothing.

The two simply stood quietly where they were, staring into each other's eyes.

"HAHAHAHA~"

Suddenly, Kong Weiyang burst into laughter, his face... filled with appreciation.

"I never expected it, never expected that the intermediate Soul Master division would produce a freakish genius like you. Your talent is even greater than Boss Xu's. In less than three years, it may not be impossible for you to surpass Boss Xu."

"Boss Xu?" Li Qing asked instinctively.

"Oh? There are actually people at Spirit Hall Academy who have never heard Boss Xu's name? Then again, you don't seem to know Cai Yingyi or me either. Once the Douluo Arena match is over, I'll tell you who Senior Cai and I are."

"But now..."

The black aura around Kong Weiyang suddenly surged violently. Upon his body, a pair of crimson, spindle-shaped eyes stared at Li Qing with icy menace. The hollow space beneath those eyes seemed like a hideous, gaping mouth.

This black aura...

It was alive!

More accurately, Kong Weiyang's Shadow Demon Martial Soul had previously remained in the form of black aura surrounding him. Now, however, it had revealed its true appearance.

Under the gaze of those scarlet eyes, Li Qing could not help but feel an inexplicable chill rising from the depths of his heart. At the same time, his Slaughter Domain activated on its own, resisting the negative effect.

The overwhelming aura unleashed by the Slaughter Domain instantly dispelled the chill in his heart, restoring clarity to his mind.

"Whew~"

Li Qing frowned tightly. He could clearly sense that Kong Weiyang's aura was steadily rising, and the pressure he exerted was more than twice as strong as before!

Because of Kong Weiyang's sudden increase in strength, Li Qing deliberately kept his Slaughter Domain active.

"HEHEHE~"

As Kong Weiyang's aura surged, his temperament was constantly changing as well. A moment later, when the black aura around him settled back into place, Kong Weiyang seemed like a completely different person.

His bearing before and after was like that of two entirely different people.

His previous smile had been so warm, like that of a kind older brother next door. Although Kong Weiyang still wore a smile now, all warmth had vanished from it, replaced by a touch of brutality, a touch of madness, and a touch of sinister coldness.

His laughter was no longer as pleasant as before. Now, it sounded like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, making one's skin crawl.

"HEHEHE~"

Kong Weiyang chuckled softly.

"Li Qing... junior." Kong Weiyang paused inexplicably when addressing Li Qing.

"I have merged with the Shadow Demon. This is my true strength. You... should savor it properly!"

Kong Weiyang's Martial Soul was the Shadow Demon, a type of Beast Martial Soul. Beast Martial Soul masters differed from Weapon Martial Soul masters.

Beast Martial Souls provided greater enhancements to a Soul Master's physical abilities. Only after a Beast Martial Soul master fused with their Martial Soul could the Martial Soul strengthen their body to the greatest extent and allow them to unleash their true strength.

A Weapon Martial Soul, however, was simply a weapon for the Soul Master. Its power lay more in itself than in enhancing its host's physical capabilities.

Because a Martial Soul like the Shadow Demon was so unlike other Beast Martial Souls, Li Qing had initially assumed that Kong Weiyang had already completed Martial Soul Possession before the battle began. He had not expected it to be actual "possession"—merely attached to Kong Weiyang's body rather than fused into one with him.

No wonder Li Qing had been puzzled that the Shadow Demon Martial Soul had not affected Kong Weiyang's personality.

But now, Kong Weiyang's strength was fully revealed, and the stalemate in the battle...

Had been broken!

"HEHEHE~ Take this!"

Kong Weiyang grinned savagely. The moment his words fell, the shadow beneath his feet shot toward Li Qing like lightning!

Its speed this time was on a completely different level from before. Compared to the first time, it had increased by more than double!

As the black shadow flashed past, Li Qing immediately retreated explosively. After opening some distance, he promptly used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to confuse Kong Weiyang's judgment.

However, the shadow was simply too fast this time. Several times, the black shadow barely brushed past his skin. It felt like dancing on a steel wire—thrilling and perilous!

"HEHEHE~"

Watching the ghostlike figure ahead of him, a glint of cold light flashed through Kong Weiyang's eyes.

"Hm?"

As Li Qing continued to dodge, the corner of his eye happened to catch a patch of shadow on the ground some distance away!

That was...

The shadow of the spectator stands!

At once, alarm bells rang in Li Qing's mind. With an Instant Hell Shadowless Slash, he flashed to the edge of the Douluo Arena, to a place without any shadows.

Looking ahead, he realized that without him noticing, Kong Weiyang had connected his own shadow to the shadow of the spectator stands!

With that, the area of shadows Kong Weiyang could control instantly expanded. Shadow-covered ground now filled two-thirds of the Douluo Arena!

There were almost no places left where Li Qing could stand.

Standing in the remaining open area, Li Qing watched as the shadows on the ground continuously pressed toward him. Not only that, as the shadow-covered region kept shifting, Kong Weiyang was arranging his own tactics.

There was not the slightest gap in the shadows around Li Qing. In other words, aside from using his second soul skill, he had no way of escaping the shadows' encirclement. But that meant his Soul Power, already lower than Kong Weiyang's, would be consumed far more quickly.

And this was precisely what Kong Weiyang, a control-type Soul Master, wanted—to control the entire arena and control his opponent!

"What should I do?"

Facing the shadowed region that was closing in step by step, a layer of fine sweat formed on Li Qing's forehead.

"Instant Hell Shadowless Slash!"

While thinking of how to break this deadlock, he used his second soul skill and directly escaped the shadows' encirclement.

Yet only a few seconds later, another encirclement had already arrived. Left with no choice, he could only use Instant Hell Shadowless Slash again to escape.

Li Qing's repeated expenditure of Soul Power merely to flee was no different from drinking poison to quench his thirst. Kong Weiyang might not even need to attack; Li Qing could simply exhaust himself to death.

What should I do? What the hell should I do? Li Qing roared inwardly.

"Kid Li, stay calm! Never panic during a battle!"

Just as panic began to rise within Li Qing, Ling Wu's voice suddenly sounded. A cool energy flowed from the Scythe of Judgment into his mind, and Li Qing's agitated heart immediately calmed once more.

"Kid Li, have you gone stupid? Haven't you already discovered the way to break this situation?"

"Already discovered it... when... Wait!"

A flash of light crossed Li Qing's eyes.

The way to break this situation...

He had thought of it...