The Oriole Lurking Behind

So, Xia Yang took a deep breath, suppressed all distracting thoughts, and his gaze became sharp and firm again.

"Then let's try again! This time, I will definitely take your life!"

Xia Yang said firmly.

"Ha ha!"

Meng Shan grinned maliciously, enduring the excruciating pain in his left arm, and lunged at Xia Yang again with the Golden Snake Sword in his right hand!

Second Soul Skill: Skeleton Bodyguard!

During the rapid charge, Xia Yang activated his defensive Soul Skill without hesitation.

A shimmering light appeared, and a set of purple energy armor, clinging tightly to Xia Yang's body, instantly covered his entire form.

The Purple Armor gleamed with a resilient luster.

"Second Soul Skill: Spirit Snake Doppelganger!"

"First Soul Skill: Spirit Snake Blade!"

Meng Shan used the same trick again, his figure blurring as he created two afterimages.

Then, taking advantage of the moment when Xia Yang was unable to distinguish between the real and fake, Meng Shan unleashed golden sword energy at Xia Yang from both the left and right.

At this moment, facing this familiar offensive, Xia Yang surprisingly abandoned defense entirely, contrary to his usual behavior.

With a whooshing sound, Xia Yang's right hand, wielding a sharp metal claw, aimed straight for Meng Shan's head on his right side!

"Ha!"

"First Soul Skill: Icefire Roar Bullet!"

At the same time, Xia Yang turned his head to the left.

He spat out a purple energy ball, more solid than ever before and the size of a human head.

The energy ball blasted towards Meng Shan's figure on the left.

"Puff--"

The illusory image of Meng Shan on the right shattered the moment the claws touched it, turning into specks of golden light that dissipated into the air.

Almost simultaneously, the figure on the left was also struck by the energy ball and disintegrated into countless points of light.

The countless points of light swirled rapidly, then reformed into Meng Shan's true form behind Xia Yang.

Third Soul Skill: Golden Snake Slash!

As soon as Meng Shan appeared, he thrust his sword straight at her.

Because his left arm was severed, Meng Shan could no longer transform his Martial Soul into a giant sword and sweep across the battlefield as he had done before.

Now, Meng Shan can only concentrate all his strength into the Golden Snake Sword and deliver a single thrust.

Instantly, the Golden Snake Sword transformed into a golden streak of light, pointing straight at Xia Yang's back!

Just like in their last encounter, Xia Yang turned around quickly.

"Your arm is useless now, let's see how you'll use your Soul Bone Skill!"

Seeing that the situation was unfolding as he had imagined, Meng Shan was overjoyed.

The Golden Snake Sword Sword's momentum increased by three points, aiming directly for Xia Yang's vital left chest.

"My Soul Power is being depleted too much; I can't delay any longer... I must fight to the death!"

Xia Yang's mind raced, and he made a decision in an instant.

This one move will decide the outcome!

Therefore, Xia Yang completely gave up on dodging and placed all his hopes on the defense of his second Soul Skill.

At the same time, he gathered strength in his right palm and struck Meng Shan's left chest directly.

"I've won! My sword is longer!"

Seeing that Xia Yang was resorting to such a desperate tactic of trading injury for life, Meng Shan's last bit of vigilance vanished. He abandoned some of his backup plans and thrust out this sword with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, the sharp tip of the Golden Snake Sword struck Xia Yang's left chest!

"Snap--!"

Xia Yang's defensive armor shattered instantly, revealing spiderweb-like cracks.

Immediately afterwards, the cracks spread rapidly, emitting a chilling cracking sound.

However, despite being riddled with cracks, the armor held up at the last moment and did not completely shatter!

"How is that possible?"

Meng Shan's pupils contracted sharply, his face filled with disbelief.

In the instant he was horrified, Xia Yang's right palm had already gently pressed against Meng Shan's chest.

"Self-Created Soul Skill: Heartbreak Palm!"

This move was created by Xia Yang many years ago when he obtained the Left Arm Soul Bone.

The palm strike contains a unique vibration that allows one's Soul Power to penetrate directly into the enemy's body, reaching the heart and finally detonating the Soul Power to shatter the opponent's heart meridian!

"Puff--!"

Meng Shan shuddered violently, his eyes bulged out, and a mouthful of blood gushed from his mouth.

Soon, the confidence on Meng Shan's face turned ashen, and he froze on the spot.

Xia Yang slowly withdrew his palm and steadied himself.

Meng Shan's knees buckled, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

At this moment, Meng Shan's heart meridians were completely shattered, and he had breathed his last.

"We won..."

Xia Yang only breathed a long sigh of relief after confirming his opponent's death.

As soon as I relaxed, intense pain surged through my entire body like a tidal wave.

Xia Yang looked down to examine his injuries.

When his gaze fell upon his left arm, which was almost soaked in blood and whose wounds were deep enough to expose the bone, and the cracked and nearly broken armor on his chest, he couldn't help but gasp.

The intense pain coursing through his entire body made Xia Yang unable to hold on any longer, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Just as Xia Yang was about to stop the bleeding and bandage himself, a clear clapping sound suddenly entered his ears.

"Slap! Slap! Slap!"

In an instant, Xia Yang felt a chill run down his spine. He had never expected that there were other people around.

Xia Yang immediately looked up and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

A middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe slowly strolled out from the woods not far away.

The man clapped his hands and said with admiration, "Amazing, truly amazing."

"As expected of the rising star of the Martial Soul Academy, he managed to turn the tables and kill his opponent despite a ten-level difference in Soul Power."

"Indeed, only a genius like you could guide Xiaogang and allow his Martial Soul to evolve."

Xia Yang listened carefully to the other person's words, while simultaneously focusing his gaze. Upon seeing them, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he couldn't help but blurt out, "It's you..."

"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan - Yu Luosha!"

"Oh? I didn't expect you to still recognize me. It's truly an honor."

Yu Luosha walked up to Xia Yang, looking down at him with a smile.

Why are you here?

Xia Yang endured the pain and asked in a deep voice.

Why am I here? Of course, it's to wait for you.

Yu Luosha squatted down, her gaze fixed on Xia Yang.

"Waiting for me? I heard you were caught trespassing into the Martial Soul Academy. I thought you had already left, but I didn't expect you to have been lurking outside the Outside the city all this time."

Xia Yang continued to press for answers, while secretly channeling his full power into the Hunyuan Technique to heal his injuries as much as possible.

"Haha, my mission this time is to wait for you. How could I leave so easily if I don't see you?"

Yu Luosha's laughter carried a hint of smugness.

What exactly do you want from me?

"I have never offended your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. On the contrary, Yu Xiaogang and I are friends, and I have helped him a lot."

As Xia Yang spoke, he subtly adjusted his breathing, trying to buy more time to recover.

"Hmph, you haven't directly offended our Tyrant Dragon Clan, but as the saying goes, 'A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.'"

"Knowing too much, yet lacking the power to protect these secrets, is itself a sin."

Yu Luosha's tone grew colder.

"What do you want to know? I'll tell you anything I know."

Xia Yang made no attempt to hide it; at this moment, what he valued most was his own life.