All Cards on the Table

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black; yellow, yellow, yellow, purple, purple; white, yellow, yellow, yellow, purple.

"One Soul Emperor and two Soul Kings! Though their Soul Ring configurations aren't ideal, the gap in Soul Power is an insurmountable chasm. I have to avoid fighting for now." Lin Chen's mind raced as he considered how to respond.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Lizard Venom!"

"Third Soul Skill, Mighty Lion Flame!"

"Third Soul Skill, Wind Wolf Claw!"

Wang Dong and the other two unleashed their Soul Skills at Lin Chen.

"Wall of Imprisonment!" Knowing he could not defeat them, Lin Chen hurriedly used a Soul Tool to block the attacks.

"What? How can he use a Soul Tool? Hasn't Shrek always looked down on Soul Tools?" Wang Zhong was stunned. He had not expected Lin Chen, a core disciple of Shrek Academy's Martial Soul Department, to use a Soul Tool.

The other two were equally shocked and looked toward Wang Zhong.

"Keep attacking. Even with a Soul Tool, his Soul Power won't last long," Wang Zhong ordered.

During the brief lull, Lin Chen pulled out another Level-Five Soul Tool Accelerator and strapped it onto his feet. After injecting it with Soul Power, he fled at top speed.

"Damn it, just how many Soul Tools does this brat have?" Wang Zhong snarled. "What are you standing around for? Chase him!"

The three pursued Lin Chen in the direction he had fled.

Lin Chen headed deeper into the Star Dou Great Forest. Since they had dared to come and kill him, there could easily be reinforcements outside this section of the forest. The territory of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts was terrifying, but as long as he kept a low profile, he still had a good chance of surviving. After all, he had Soul Tools on him.

Moreover, the Soul Masters hunting Soul Beasts around the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest were mostly low-level, and they would not be able to help him.

Lin Chen sped along like the wind while Wang Zhong and the other two pursued relentlessly. The four began a chase through the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Lizard Venom Pillar!" Wang Zhong used his fifth Soul Skill. At once, toxic pillars shot up from the ground along Lin Chen's path, as if trying to swallow him whole.

Lin Chen did not dare let his guard down. His Spiritual Power was intensely focused as he nimbly dodged one toxic pillar after another. If even a little of that poison touched him, his cultivation as a Soul Elder would not allow him to quickly dispel the Martial Soul poison of a Soul Emperor.

Before he knew it, Lin Chen had reached the edge of the territory inhabited by Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. As he ran, a nine-thousand-year Bloodthirsty Demonic Bear charged straight at him. Lin Chen's Spiritual Power was tightly focused, and at the last possible instant, he dodged the bear paw swiping toward him.

Lin Chen glanced around and spotted a beehive hanging from a large tree nearby. He rushed to the tree, controlled the Seven Kill Sword to knock down the hive, then hurled it at Wang Zhong and the others.

Just as Lin Chen had expected, when the Bloodthirsty Demonic Bear saw the beehive on Wang Zhong and the others, it immediately let out a roar and charged toward them.

Lin Chen took the opportunity to slip away.

"You deal with this Bloodthirsty Demonic Bear. I'll kill that brat."

"Yes!"

Wang Zhong swiftly flew after Lin Chen.

At this point, Lin Chen and Wang Zhong had entered the territory of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, where the sounds of battle could be heard everywhere.

Yet Lin Chen stopped.

"Since you want to fight, then I'll fight you! Seven Kill Domain!" Lin Chen released his domain. Instantly, Wang Zhong's attack power, defense, and speed plummeted, while three Soul Rings appeared around Lin Chen.

The Seven Kill Domain was the innate domain of his Martial Soul. It could weaken an opponent's attack power by eighty percent and their defense and speed by fifty percent, while doubling his own attack power and speed and increasing his defense by thirty percent. Though powerful, it had one drawback: he could not actively choose who was strengthened or weakened. In other words, aside from himself, every living creature within the domain's range would be suppressed.

Wang Zhong was shocked. He had previously thought Wang Lei held Lin Chen in high regard. For Wang Lei to send him and two Soul Kings to kill a mere Soul Grandmaster, Lin Chen's talent had to be exceptional. But now it seemed that this was a genuine peerless genius!

"Second Soul Skill, Sharpness Revealed!" Lin Chen took the initiative, gripping the Seven Kill Sword as he slashed at Wang Zhong.

"You overestimate yourself. Even with the support of a domain, you're still only a level 31 Soul Elder. Third Soul Skill, Lizard Scales!" A layer of green scales instantly covered Wang Zhong's entire body, and a tail emerged from behind him, making him resemble a real lizard.

With a loud clang, Lin Chen's Seven Kill Sword struck Wang Zhong, yet Wang Zhong remained completely unharmed.

Lin Chen did not give up. All three Soul Rings around him exploded, and the force in his hand increased at the same time.

A massive sword wound immediately appeared on Wang Zhong's body, blood pouring from it.

Lin Chen had actually injured him despite having only level 31 Soul Power against his level 62 Soul Power. At the same time, Wang Zhong resolved to kill Lin Chen at all costs.

This boy could not be allowed to live!

"Second Soul Skill, Lizard Tail Sweep!" Wang Zhong transformed into a massive green lizard. With a twist of his body, his tail instantly enlarged and lashed toward Lin Chen.

Lin Chen held the Seven Kill Sword horizontally before him to block Wang Zhong's strike.

But misfortunes never came alone. The ground beneath the place where Lin Chen was knocked back began to crack, and a Thousand Jun Ant emerged from underground.

"What?!" Lin Chen's expression changed drastically. He no longer dared to hold anything back, once again using the Wall of Imprisonment while releasing Seven Kill Sword Qi to block the attacks of the Thousand Jun Ant and Wang Zhong.

Sword Shield was a skill that could be used for both offense and defense once Sword Qi had been cultivated to a certain level. It appeared in many wuxia novels, and Lin Chen had read many such novels in his previous life, so naturally he could comprehend this skill.

But the difference of more than thirty levels of Soul Power was ultimately an uncrossable chasm. The Wall of Imprisonment instantly shattered, and Wang Zhong's poisonous tongue struck Lin Chen, severely injuring him.

Lin Chen was then sent flying hundreds of meters by the Thousand Jun Ant's immense strength. He crashed into a small mountain before falling into a rushing river and being swept away by the current.

Wang Zhong wanted to continue pursuing him, but the Thousand Jun Ant was already baring its fangs and claws as it charged at him. He could only deal with it and was unable to continue chasing Lin Chen.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Chen woke up again in a valley, with a small stream beside him.

"Cough... cough, cough..."

"These injuries are really serious. I need to recuperate properly." Lin Chen had no mind to inspect his surroundings first. He hurriedly sat cross-legged, circulated his Soul Power, and steadied the injuries within his body.

Wang Mansion, Tianlin City

"Trash! Two Soul Kings and one Soul Emperor still couldn't kill a mere Soul Elder, and you came back in such a miserable state. The Wang Family has truly raised some capable men!" Wang Lei coldly looked at the badly injured Wang Zhong and his companion. One of the three had been killed in the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Big Brother, I never expected Lin Chen to dare go so deep into the territory of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Over the past half month, we..." Wang Zhong wanted to explain further. During their battle with Lin Chen, they had unfortunately triggered an ant tide. One of the three had died in the ant tide, while the remaining two had been seriously injured. They had recuperated in the forest for over half a month, and several Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had hunted them on their return journey. That was why it had taken them so long to return to the Wang Family.

"Shut up!" Wang Lei transformed his Soul Power into claws and gripped their throats. "Since you're so useless, give me your lives!" As he spoke, a sinister smile appeared at the corner of Wang Lei's lips.

"Big Brother!"

"Family Head!"

In just a few breaths, the two had been drained until not even scraps remained.

"Level 69. Truly delicious!" Wang Lei licked his lips.

Shrek Academy

"Little Star, where's Little Earth?" On the night before School Starts, Xiao Xiao asked Zhou Mingxing. Lin Xiaolei, who was with her, also looked at him.

"Brother Lin broke through to Soul Elder during the break and went alone to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain a Soul Ring. But don't worry, I gave him a card to buy Soul Tools. He should be fine."

The two girls were finally relieved.

After several days of recovery, the injuries within Lin Chen's body had improved somewhat.

Lin Chen also began examining the valley.

The ocean was visible in the distance. On a nearby cliff stood a statue, though it had already been badly damaged.

Lin Chen could vaguely make out that the stone statue possessed six wings.

"A statue of the Angel God?" Lin Chen came to a tentative conclusion. He then rode the Seven Kill Sword toward the statue, wanting to inspect it more closely.

After flying directly beneath the Angel God statue, Lin Chen discovered in shock that there was a cave beneath it.

After hesitating for a while, Lin Chen put away the Seven Kill Sword and entered the cave.

The instant he stepped inside, Lin Chen felt as if he had entered a world of light. The cave was clearly pitch-black, yet what he felt in his heart was a bright, sacred aura.

At that moment, an abrupt and cold voice rang out. "Who has disturbed my slumber?"