The Thrill of Killing!

"Sixth Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Wood Prison: Modified!"

This was not the Green Wood Cage from before, but an advanced application with a greater range and stronger restraints!

Of course, he still disguised it as a Green Wood Vine Soul Skill.

In an instant, the ground within a hundred-meter radius around him began to churn violently!

These were not dozens or hundreds of vines, but tens of thousands!

Each one shimmered with a blue-black metallic luster and was as thick as a barrel. Like giant pythons awakening, they danced wildly and intertwined into a forest of death, completely sealing and wrapping up the center of the battlefield, especially the space around the Shadow Demon Wolf Soul Saint!

The Shadow Demon Wolf Soul Saint was just about to deliver Claude a fatal blow when he suddenly felt his body sink, as if he had fallen into a viscous swamp.

Countless incredibly tough vines coiled toward him from every angle, above, below, left, and right, blocking off all room for him to dodge!

"What the hell is this?" he roared in shock and fury as his Seventh Soul Ring suddenly lit up. "Martial Soul Avatar!"

His body swelled, transforming into a five-meter-tall demon wolf made entirely of shadow. Its claws swept out, and Shadow Energy erupted, tearing apart large swaths of vines that drew near.

But there were simply too many vines!

Moreover, whenever they were shattered, new vines immediately rose from the ground to replace them, surging forward one after another without end!

Even more terrifying was that the vines carried a paralyzing poison filled with an aura of life deprivation that made even his soul tremble.

Although it could not poison a Soul Saint like him instantly, it constantly obstructed the circulation of his Soul Power, making his movements slower and slower.

"Bishop Claude, now!" Lan Aotian shouted.

Though Bishop Claude was also shocked by this terrifying field of vines, he had abundant combat experience and immediately seized the opportunity!

"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar! Sixth Soul Skill, Sky Splitting Eagle Assault!"

The Iron Feather Eagle let out a long cry, its body swelling dramatically as it transformed into a majestic giant eagle. With a flap of its wings, countless condensed blue wind blades poured down like a torrential rain upon the Shadow Demon Wolf, which was temporarily trapped by the vines!

The Shadow Demon Wolf Soul Saint roared repeatedly and desperately urged his Shadow Energy to defend himself, but with the vines restraining him and the poison interfering, his strength was greatly reduced.

Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—!

A large number of wind blades pierced through his shadow defense and savagely slashed into the demon wolf's true form, carving deep wounds across it as Shadow Energy continued to dissipate.

"Ah—!"

The Shadow Demon Wolf Soul Saint let out a shrill scream. His Martial Soul Avatar was shattered, and he returned to human form, his entire body drenched in blood and his aura feeble.

Lan Aotian's gaze turned cold as his mind stirred.

Countless vines suddenly tightened, strangling the heavily wounded Soul Saint like giant pythons. Their thorns pierced deep into his flesh as paralyzing poison poured into him.

The Shadow Demon Wolf Soul Saint's eyes widened as he tried to struggle, but he could feel his vitality rapidly draining along with his Soul Power, and his consciousness quickly blurred.

"Im... poss... ible..."

Those were the last few words he managed to utter before his head lolled to the side and he fell silent.

The vines loosened, and a corpse that had withered considerably crashed to the ground.

On the other side, the Female Soul Saint who had been fighting Bishop Jason saw her leader die horribly and nearly all her companions perish. Her heart and courage shattered. She feinted, forced Jason back, then transformed into a wisp of Dark Blue Smoke and fled for her life beyond the stronghold.

"Trying to leave?" Lan Aotian snorted coldly and pointed into the direction of her escape from afar.

The ground suddenly split open. A pitch-black vine over two meters in diameter, resembling the king of giant pythons, burst from the earth. Its surface had been made to resemble a dark color. It chased after the Dark Blue Smoke in midair at astonishing speed and lashed down viciously like a giant whip!

"Ah!"

The Female Soul Saint only had time to let out a brief cry before the vine struck her in midair!

Her protective soul-light shattered instantly. She spat out a large mouthful of blood and crashed to the ground like a kite with its string cut. After twitching twice, she stopped moving.

The battle ended at a crushing speed after Lan Aotian intervened.

The stronghold was a complete mess. Nearly half of the Spirit Hall guards had been killed or wounded, but apart from a few minor fighters who escaped, the attackers' main force had been wiped out, including two Soul Saints!

The surviving members of Spirit Hall, including the two Red Robe Cardinals, Claude and Jason, all looked at the deep-blue Jinzhuang-clad man who was calmly retracting the vines filling the sky as if he were a monster.

Tie Shan crawled out of the ruins of the stone house. Looking at the corpses covering the ground and the terrifying vines that were fading away, he opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg inside.

Bishop Claude took a deep breath and suppressed the shock in his heart before walking up to Lan Aotian and respectfully cupping his fists. "Lin Yue, Soul Emperor... no, Lin Yue, Your Excellency, if not for Your Excellency turning the tide today, we would likely all have been buried here. Great kindness need not be repaid with words. Spirit Hall will surely offer a generous reward!"

He was now one hundred percent certain that this "Lin Yue" was absolutely not an ordinary Soul Emperor!

That terrifying control over plants and those Soul Skills whose power far exceeded their level—he was definitely a top genius secretly cultivated by some reclusive powerhouse or major sect!

Could he even have... Twin Martial Souls?

Or perhaps a mutated Martial Soul?

Lan Aotian waved his hand, his tone still calm. "You're too kind, Bishop. It was merely my duty. Clean things up as soon as possible and strengthen your defenses. We can't rule out a third wave."

"Your Excellency is absolutely right!" Claude hurriedly agreed and immediately directed the survivors into action.

Bishop Jason, meanwhile, led people to examine the Female Soul Saint's corpse, attempting to find clues to her identity.

Lan Aotian walked back to the damaged stone house and sat down cross-legged again, as if the shocking slaughter just now had nothing to do with him.

Only the thick, pervasive stench of blood in the air and the undisguisable awe in everyone's eyes proved that everything had truly happened.

The night grew deeper.

After one battle after another, no one in the stronghold could sleep peacefully anymore.

The guards forced themselves to stay alert and doubled their vigilance.

Lan Aotian immersed himself in cultivation while pondering.

The night attackers were stronger than those during the day, and their target was clearly the commander.

The force behind this was probably no small matter.

After failing twice in a row, would the other side give up just like that?

He vaguely felt that this escort mission would be even more troublesome than he had expected.

Still, when soldiers came, he would use a general to block them; when floodwaters came, he would use earth to contain them.

He would see what else was waiting for him ahead.

"Things are getting more and more interesting."

Looking toward the distant sky, the corners of Lan Aotian's lips lifted as anticipation gradually filled his heart.

Late at night, the smell of blood had yet to completely disperse from the stronghold. The cleanup and treatment of the wounded were still underway, and the atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.

Lan Aotian sat cross-legged on his barely usable wooden bed, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.

Let's sum up the experience from that battle, as well as the areas where I fell short.

He discovered that he was quite satisfied with his masterpiece.

The battle just now, and killing human Soul Masters, had not caused him the slightest discomfort.

Instead, he felt an especially exhilarating rush.

Standing on the side of the Soul Beasts, killing human Soul Masters was precisely his duty.

Only by killing human Soul Masters could he better protect his Blue Silver Clan.

Roaming the mortal world, completing system missions, increasing his cultivation, and obtaining opportunities.

That was what he needed to do now.

Only by doing so could he better protect the Blue Silver Clan and help the clan rise from its weakness.

Just as he was examining his body internally and circulating his Soul Power, the long-absent system notification rang out in his mind, carrying a hint of an unusual fluctuation.