Sound Wave Attack

Ling Qing's face turned grave. Blood Wash Four Directions had just consumed nearly a third of his Soul Power. If the man in black charged down again, how was he supposed to defend himself?

Ling Qing crouched down and untied the weights from his legs.

"Boom!"

The sandbags filled with iron blocks slammed into the ground, instantly kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

When the man in black saw this, he could not help but stare in astonishment.

"Eight Inner Gates!

Opening Gate, open!

Gate of Rest, open!

Gate of Life, open!"

During the months at Nuoding Academy, Ling Qing had often sparred with Tang San. Sometimes, neither of them used their martial souls or soul skills, merely exchanging blows with fists and feet.

Although Tang San's Tang Sect techniques had caused Ling Qing plenty of trouble, as long as he opened the Eight Inner Gates, Tang San would lose every time.

Ling Qing had also become far more proficient in using the Eight Inner Gates. Though he could currently open only as far as the Gate of Life, it was worlds apart from when he had first used it.

Once the Gate of Life opened, Ling Qing's entire body turned red, like a freshly steamed crab.

Suddenly, the man in black's expression turned crazed. His laughter was no longer that eerie cackling from before; instead, he threw back his head and laughed loudly.

"Hahahahahaha!

Your blood, ah~

It smells so, so good! I can't hold back anymore! Hahaha, hahahaha!"

Ling Qing's home stood in the center of Holy Soul Village. Because of the man in black's manic laughter, oil lamps had already been lit in some of the nearby villagers' homes, yet no one came outside.

At that moment, an angry shout came from nearby...

"Who the fuck is it?! Not sleeping in the middle of the night—are you sick in the head?!"

Ling Qing inwardly cursed. He turned toward the source of the voice.

It was Old Wang Next Door!

Old Wang's home was less than fifty meters from Ling Qing's. Ling Qing could clearly see him wearing nothing but a pair of loose shorts, his upper body bare. With his hands on his hips and fury written all over his face, he stood brazenly in front of his own door.

Ling Qing was speechless. Why the fuck is your heart so big? Can't you hear how sinister that laughter is? Why did you just come out so carelessly?

Ling Qing did not believe the man in black would be kind enough to spare ordinary villagers.

"Which fucking bastard is it? If you've got the guts, get the hell out here! I'll beat you to death! Pah!"

He still had no idea what was happening and continued to curse loudly.

In an instant, the man in black's pale, bloodless face darkened like ink.

He stared at the bare-chested man. The second soul ring beneath his feet lit up, his claws gleaming with a chilling light. With a beat of his wings, he shot straight toward him.

Ling Qing would not let him have his way. If that soul skill struck Old Wang, Old Wang would probably die on the spot.

With an explosive burst from his calves, Ling Qing vanished from where he stood.

Standing there, Old Wang suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

"Clang—"

A thunderous sound, as resonant as a temple bell, rang out behind Old Wang. He immediately turned around, only to be so frightened that he collapsed onto the ground. A faint stench of urine spread through the air.

Old Wang had pissed himself in fright.

But Ling Qing had no time to care about that. The man in black's attack had carried tremendous force, numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger. Even now, the blade of the Scythe of Severance was still trembling.

Fortunately, he had barely managed to block it.

The man in black sneered. His enormous wings swept inward from both sides toward Ling Qing.

If Ling Qing withdrew the Scythe of Severance to block the man in black's wing attack now, he would inevitably be caught by the man in black's claws.

Ling Qing bent his knees, gathering strength in his calves. Just before the wings closed in, he explosively pushed off the ground and leaped out from between them.

Then, in midair, he spun three hundred and sixty degrees to accelerate before viciously kicking the man in black.

Ling Qing's kick struck him squarely in the back and sent him flying.

When the man in black steadied himself in midair once more and turned around, the blade of Ling Qing's Scythe of Severance was waiting for him.

The first soul ring beneath the man in black's feet immediately lit up. In the next instant, countless afterimages flashed, and his body appeared in the distance.

The man in black was so fast that even Ling Qing's Sharingan could not fully track him, only catching a blurry figure. Naturally, Ling Qing's all-out strike hit nothing.

The man in black snorted coldly and slashed through the air with both claws. Three claw marks flew toward Ling Qing, while the hundred-year yellow soul ring beneath Ling Qing's feet pulsed.

"Sever!"

The scythe shattered the man in black's claw marks.

At this point, less than a third of Ling Qing's Soul Power remained. His muscles had begun to feel fatigued, and he would not be able to maintain the Eight Inner Gates state for much longer.

Although it looked as though Ling Qing and the man in black were evenly matched, that was only because the man in black had been careless, underestimated his opponent, and intended to toy with his prey, and because the Eight Inner Gates had increased Ling Qing's strength.

Even if the man in black did nothing now, as long as he waited a while for Ling Qing's Eight Inner Gates to wear off, he could easily put Ling Qing to death!

Not to mention, the man in black had yet to use his Third Soul Skill.

Ling Qing's neighbor, Old Wang, also hurriedly took advantage of the recent clash to crawl back into his house and bolt the door tight.

"Whew... It's time to finish you off."

The man in black's face was frosty as the third soul ring circling him suddenly lit up.

"Third Soul Skill, Demon Howl!"

He opened his mouth wide, revealing the fangs within.

Suddenly, Ling Qing felt an invisible force slam into his entire body. Blood immediately seeped from his ears—his eardrums had ruptured.

"Ahhh—"

The invisible shockwave sent Ling Qing flying backward. He crashed heavily onto the ground and spat out blood. The pain in his ears made him clutch them tightly with both hands, and the Scythe fell where it was.

Back when the man in black had hunted Spirit Beasts to obtain his third soul ring, he could have acquired a thousand-year soul ring. Yet he had still chosen a hundred-year one.

That was because he had personally witnessed a nine-hundred-year Sonic Bat use its sound-based attacks to leave a fifteen-hundred-year Wind Baboon utterly helpless. The Wind Baboon had even been worn to death by the Sonic Bat, then sucked completely dry.

That was when he decided on the target for his third soul ring: that Sonic Bat.

And the Sonic Bat had not disappointed him, granting him the ability to launch ultrasonic attacks.

Relying on the invisible and unavoidable nature of this Third Soul Skill, he had once defeated an agility-type Battle Soul Sect Master! That Battle Soul Sect Master had also become bloody food in his mouth.

The man in black smiled as he advanced toward Ling Qing step by step...