Look Behind You

Startled, Liu Jin instinctively dodged to the side, only to find himself surrounded by surging waves that had appeared at some point.

There was nowhere to dodge.

Gritting his teeth, five Soul Rings—two yellow and three purple—rose around him, emitting layers of black mist.

At the same time, the golden spear had not yet hit the ground when its shaft suddenly extended in midair.

The brilliant golden light gathered at its tip pierced through the gloom of the abandoned factory, scattering the black mist spawned by Liu Jin's Rotten Bone Sickle. The eerie green glow on the sickle's blade instantly dimmed beneath the dazzling golden radiance.

It was close.

With no room left to retreat, Liu Jin swung his sickle with all his strength, yet he could not stop the spear tip in the slightest.

The Holy Spear fell like a meteor, smashing Liu Jin straight to the ground.

The spear shaft trembled, and several golden ripples instantly spread outward from the Holy Spear. Liu Jin felt as if a mountain-like pressure had pinned him down.

His hunched body was nailed firmly in place, even the fingers gripping the Rotten Bone Sickle trembling faintly.

He roared as he activated his Martial Soul, black chains shooting from the Rotten Bone Sickle like venomous snakes.

Yet the instant they touched the golden light, they sizzled from the scorching heat and melted directly into black mist.

"What the hell is this?!"

Liu Jin's eyes filled with disbelief, followed by determination. He prepared to stake everything on one final attempt, overdrawing his strength to fully activate the Rotten Bone Sickle and trying to corrupt this radiant spear with evil power.

But the moment his evil power touched the golden light wrapped around the spear shaft, it shattered like ice and snow beneath the blazing sun. Even his Martial Soul itself sent back tearing pain.

Only then did Su Qiu leap down through the hole in the ceiling.

He looked down at the Evil Soul Master.

With a beckoning gesture, the Holy Spear pinning his opponent instantly soared into the air, turning into a streak of light as it returned to Su Qiu's hand.

He lowered it slightly, the spear tip precisely pressing against the other man's throat. A stream of golden light flowed into his body, instantly suppressing all movement of his Soul Power. The Rotten Bone Sickle twisted into a phantom before finally dissipating.

Liu Jin suddenly collapsed to the floor, his already hunched back completely caving in.

For an Evil Soul Master discovered and defeated, death was the only end.

"No! Why?!" He suddenly erupted in a hoarse roar, veins bulging across his body.

The next moment, his violent movement caused the golden light at the spear tip to pierce his skin, drawing thin streams of blood. It calmed him down a little.

He stared fixedly at Su Qiu. "Just because of that damned Soul Spirit, just because of that damned Martial Soul mutation! Everyone changed! The teachers who used to fuss over me stopped paying attention to me, the classmates who cultivated with me all avoided me! Even my mother—"

When he mentioned his mother, his voice suddenly trembled. Much of his earlier ferocity vanished, replaced by sobs on the verge of collapse.

"I didn't want this. I just wanted to become stronger! I just wanted to make those people who looked down on me shut up! They were the ones who forced me into this first!"

"I was clearly about to rise up. I'd clearly found the path to strength."

"Why did you have to show up now and judge me?!"

Liu Jin continued to complain.

Su Qiu did not take in a single word.

He frowned slightly, puzzled. This is a Soul King? Why is he so weak?

A Soul King, and an Evil Soul Master. He sounded incredibly powerful, considering Su Qiu was only a Soul Elder.

His spar with Wu Changkong had taught Su Qiu that he absolutely could not drag out a battle against a high-level Soul Master for too long.

Insufficient Soul Power was Su Qiu's greatest weakness right now. So he had hidden nearby long ago, waiting for his opponent to reveal an opening.

Taking advantage of their location by the coast, where the water element was exceptionally powerful, he decisively hurled the Holy Spear with all his strength.

Even after throwing the Holy Spear, Su Qiu had not given up his concealment. He had planned to deliver another vicious blow from the shadows.

And yet this Evil Soul Master had been instantly defeated by a single spear?

Liu Jin was still talking, making Su Qiu feel irritated. He picked at his ear and said impatiently, "What are you babbling about?"

He took a step back and swung the Holy Spear in his hand. The water surrounding them began spinning at high speed, moving along with the spear.

The rushing water spiraled together, transforming into a water dragon that surged into the sky.

As the dragon's head lifted high into the air, it swept Liu Jin directly up into the sky.

Before he could recover from the intense pain, he saw the dragon open its maw wide as the imposing water dragon lunged straight at him.

He only had time to let out half a cry before the water dragon swallowed him whole.

As the dragon's body coiled, the water carried overwhelming force and crushed down upon him. Liu Jin's roars and the sounds of shattering were all muffled within the water dragon's belly.

In an instant, the water dragon dove to the ground, its body bursting apart into droplets that filled the sky.

He could have ended it with one spear thrust, but Su Qiu thought this was a cooler way to wrap things up.

If this Evil Soul Master had been a little more capable and dodged the water dragon's first strike, Su Qiu could have followed up with Dragon Raises Its Head.

At that moment, a dark purple page drifted down.

Su Qiu reached out and caught it between his fingers, giving it a cursory glance.

"Blood Sacrifice Method."

At that moment, he thought of the Holy Spirit Cult's various schemes in the Original Work.

"Nothing to worry about."

Su Qiu was confident. The Holy Spirit Cult, whatever conspiracies they had—in the future, he would just kick them to death.

Tilting his head, he looked at the young man in the distance, who had long since awakened and stood there dumbfounded. Su Qiu reminded him, "Be careful when traveling far alone. Try to stay in crowded places."

The young man seemed to have finally come to his senses and realized he should be afraid. He turned and fled in panic.

Something was wrong!

A chill flashed through him.

Su Qiu suddenly turned around.

A figure stood in the shadows by the wall.

"Impressive, impressive. You're the most talented Soul Master I've ever seen." The man clapped as he slowly stepped out of the shadows. Even beneath the moonlight, his face remained impossible to make out.

Su Qiu raised his eyes and stared directly at the figure emerging from the darkness. The other man was tall, dressed in a black cloak with its hood pulled low, revealing only the curve of his jawline.

Even his applause carried a deliberate air of casualness. It was the confidence of someone who had everything under control.

"So, could you return the item in your hand to me?" the figure asked sincerely. "I lent it to him. Could you give it back?"

"Him" naturally referred to Liu Jin.

Su Qiu did not answer. He stood silently in place, his Intuition issuing an unprecedented warning.

Beneath the other man's relaxed words lay frenzied killing intent.

The shadowy figure was in no hurry. He studied Su Qiu with great interest.

After a long while, Su Qiu spoke calmly. "He's only a Soul King. Did you really need to keep watch over him at all times?"

Clearly, the man opposite him had been monitoring Liu Jin constantly.

"Interesting." The shadowy figure paused, then laughter drifted out from beneath his hood. "You have a good temperament. You can still remain calm."

"What a pity. Heaven is jealous of geniuses. You're going to die today." He stepped forward, and the surrounding air abruptly turned cold. The shadows within the abandoned factory suddenly twisted like living creatures.

To the shadowy figure's surprise, Su Qiu showed not the slightest fear. The corner of his mouth even curled as he asked, "Why don't you take a look behind you?"

Behind me?

A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, followed by overwhelming terror.

The shadowy figure turned around. There was nothing there.

No—it was above him!

He raised his head. The moon in the night sky had grown slightly dimmer.

No, that wasn't the moon!

At some point, the moon had turned into an eye—an eye belonging to a dragon sparrow.

That eye took in everything beneath the sky.

The instant the shadowy figure looked at it, amusement seeped from the eye. At the same time, its pupil narrowed into a vertical slit and locked tightly onto him.

He froze where he stood.

The shadowy figure did not dare move in the slightest.