Two streaks of light tore across the sky above Mingdu, trailing sharp whistles.
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen pushed their speed to the limit, unleashing their Soul Power without reservation.
Yet no matter how hard they pursued, the red dot on the dynamic map in their minds remained at a subtle distance from them.
They couldn't catch up!
In fact, that distance was slowly growing!
Both men felt their hearts sink.
This meant the assassin was even faster than the two of them!
This wasn't merely a Soul Engineer skilled at long-range sniping. The other party's own Soul Master abilities were also absolutely formidable!
At the very least... stronger than the two of them!
A mysterious powerhouse with terrifying strength and the ability to carry out precise, ultra-long-range assassinations... When had the Sun Moon Empire gained someone like that?
Just as they were both wondering what was going on, they suddenly noticed that the red dot, which had been moving at high speed, had come to a stop.
Had she charged straight into the other party's secret base? Or had someone... stopped her?
Either way, this was their only chance to catch up!
The two exchanged a glance. Without the slightest hesitation, they unleashed their Soul Power again and sped toward the red dot's final position!
This place was far from Mingdu and its crowds. Everything around them gave off a chilling feeling. Something was wrong with the atmosphere here. No living people resided in the area, and all around them stood damaged houses.
When Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen arrived, the sight before them made their hearts seize.
In the distance, two figures stood facing each other in silence.
They recognized one of them all too well—the man who had manipulated the entire Sun Moon Empire as if it were in the palm of his hand: Mu Xuan!
And the other figure...
She was a woman in a pure white, sacred gown, beautiful as a painting.
Her aura was pure and warm, like the Goddess of Light descending to the mortal realm. She seemed impossible to look at directly, yet people couldn't help wanting to draw near.
It was Light Ye Xishui, who had escaped from that little house!
"Xi Shui, join the Holy Spirit Cult."
Mu Xuan spoke in a calm voice. His eyes betrayed no emotion as he extended the invitation to Light Ye Xishui.
What?!
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted to pinpoints!
The mysterious woman who had assassinated Xu Tianran actually knew Mu Xuan?!
And judging by their expressions, the mysterious woman seemed to hate Mu Xuan. Was that why she had killed Xu Tianran? Still... killing a nation's ruler over something like that took real nerve!
The two held their breaths and concealed themselves in the shadows without making a sound.
Mu Xuan seemed to have noticed their arrival long ago, but he couldn't even be bothered to look their way. His gaze remained fixed on Light Ye Xishui.
"Enough nonsense!"
Light Ye Xishui's voice was cool and resolute, filled with undisguised disgust.
"Spirit Hall and you Evil Soul Masters are sworn enemies!"
As soon as she spoke, light flashed in her hand, and a strangely shaped cannon-type Soul Tool appeared from thin air. It glowed with a gentle white light, its barrel aimed squarely at Mu Xuan!
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen were both stunned!
With their discerning eyes, they could tell at a glance that the cannon-type Soul Tool in Light Ye Xishui's hand was extraordinary!
The Soul Power fluctuations flowing across it, along with the complexity of its internal structure, had already surpassed the scope of Level Nine!
Could it be... a Level Ten Soul Tool?!
How was that possible?!
As far as the entire Sun Moon Empire—and even the whole Douluo Continent—was concerned, Kong Deming was the only known Level Ten Soul Master!
How had another one appeared?
And... what kind of organization was Spirit Hall?
They had never heard of it.
Thousands of years ago, the Sun Moon Continent had drifted here from distant seas and collided with the Douluo Continent. They knew very little about this land's ancient history.
Perhaps it was some secret, ancient organization from one of the Original Three Empires on the Douluo Continent?
While their thoughts raced, Light Ye Xishui had already pulled the trigger!
Buzz—!!!
There was no earth-shaking boom, only a piercing energy hum!
A tiny, milky-white shell, no bigger than a thumb, shot out of the barrel!
Though the shell was small, the Soul Power fluctuations it gave off were terrifying beyond measure!
Kong Deming's heart clenched violently!
He was certain that even if he wore a full set of Level Nine Defensive Soul Tools, he couldn't withstand that shell!
The energy it contained was terrifying, far beyond the power of any Soul Tool Kong Deming had ever seen. He didn't think even his proudest creation could compare to it.
If...
If that shot really hit Mu Xuan...
It might actually be enough to kill this great threat on the spot!
A complicated glint flashed in Kong Deming's eyes.
Though he didn't know the origins of Light Ye Xishui, who called herself a member of "Spirit Hall," she had made her position clear—she and the Evil Soul Masters were sworn enemies!
The enemy of one's enemy was a friend!
The milky-white shell possessed terrifying power, and it moved too fast for the naked eye to follow!
Almost the moment it left the barrel, it crossed the distance between them and appeared before Mu Xuan!
Boom—!!!!!!
A deafening roar finally erupted!
Brilliant white light swallowed everything in an instant, becoming a miniature sun that rose over the area!
A terrifying energy shockwave spread wildly in every direction like a tsunami!
The surrounding buildings were torn apart, crushed flat, and reduced to dust before that force, as if they were made of paper!
Fortunately, this area had long been deserted. Otherwise, the mere aftershock of that strike would have killed or injured tens of thousands!
"Quick! Raise your defenses!"
Jing Hongchen roared as he and Kong Deming activated the Level Nine Defensive Soul Tools on their bodies.
Two thick energy shields enclosed them. Even so, under the violent impact, the shields let out strained cracking sounds, as if they could shatter at any moment!
The two were horrified. That power... it was far too strong!
The blinding light and dust lasted for a full ten seconds before slowly fading.
Kong Deming and Jing Hongchen stared fixedly at the heart of the explosion.
After an attack of that magnitude, Mu Xuan... even if he wasn't dead, he should at least be badly wounded, right?
Yet when the dust finally cleared, the sight before them made them feel as though they had fallen into an icy abyss, their whole bodies going cold!
Mu Xuan was still standing quietly where he had been.
He hadn't moved a fraction of an inch.
Before him, a pair of terrifying flesh wings covered in black scales and radiating an aura of boundless evil slowly folded shut.
There wasn't even the slightest scratch on them.
He was completely unharmed.
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