Nine Nether

The old man had just dodged the first wave of leaf attacks when he was once again surrounded by those withered branches and rotting leaves.

"Burn!" Mu Qian waved his arm, and the fire element in the space instantly ignited them.

Thick, roaring flames blossomed outward, resembling a magnificent flower.

After doing this, Mu Qian did not stop. He knew that with the attack power he could unleash, it might look like he was suppressing his opponent, but for a Soul Saint, breaking free was only a matter of time.

"Ice!"

Invisible ice elements began to gather, forming sharp icicles in the air.

"Zhuqing, stay back!"

Mu Qian gave a warning, his Dragon Wings flapping violently as he charged toward the sea of flames, carrying countless icicles with him.

"Extinguish!"

A roar of anger came from the old man amidst the firelight, and a terrifying surge of soul power exploded outward, instantly snuffing out the raging flames.

The old man was not injured, merely looking a bit disheveled, his eyes filled with intense killing intent; he had never been pushed to such a state by a half-grown child.

At this moment, Mu Qian's next wave of attacks had already arrived.

His fist was covered in ice crystals radiating a bone-chilling cold, and with an unstoppable momentum, he swung it down fiercely.

A cruel smile appeared on the corner of the old man's mouth as his enlarged right hand met Mu Qian's strike.

"Bang!"

The intense surge of soul power instantly severed the surrounding trees, and Mu Qian was sent flying backward, his Dragon Wings flapping continuously to force his body to a halt.

Yet, the old man's situation was surprisingly poor as well; despite a difference of over thirty levels of soul power, he had also been sent flying backward.

Although he quickly steadied himself, only sliding back a few meters, the sight was nonetheless shocking.

"What a powerful physical body. Could this little monster be a transformed dragon-type soul beast?"

The old man looked at his slightly trembling right hand in shock and suspicion. The massive energy generated at the moment of impact had left his arm numb, and even his bones ached faintly; he could clearly feel tiny cracks forming.

In the distance, Mu Qian, seemingly tireless, dove down once again.

The previous collision seemed to have had no effect on him at all...

Is this really just a level thirty-something Soul Elder? A strong doubt arose in the old man's heart.

However, there was no time for him to think; Mu Qian's second strike had already arrived. This time, the prepared old man forcibly dodged the heavy punch.

Failing the first strike, Mu Qian smoothly shifted his momentum, his left leg whipping toward the man's head with a trail of afterimages.

"Kid, I'm done playing games with you. It's over. Fifth Soul Skill, Heart Devour!"

The old man reached out to block the whip kick in mid-air, his fifth soul ring blooming silently.

Mu Qian's lips curled slightly; this was exactly the moment he had been waiting for.

"Ah, what..." The old man's movements stiffened, and his fifth soul skill, which was in the middle of being cast, was instantly interrupted.

He looked at the boy in front of him in horror. The moment the boy's soul skill was unleashed, his body could no longer move.

It wasn't so much that his body was restricted, but rather that he had lost control over it entirely.

That feeling was as if his soul were being manipulated.

"Third Soul Skill... Oblivion River!" A cold, murderous intent radiated from between Mu Qian's brows.

This was his first time using his third soul skill, but it seemed the effect was quite good.

Legend has it that the Oblivion River is a river in the underworld, situated between the Road to the Yellow Springs and the afterlife. The water is a blood-yellow color, and within it... are the lonely ghosts and wandering spirits unable to be reincarnated.

It is filled with insects and snakes, and a foul stench fills the air.

Dead souls passing through the Oblivion River can return to time and enter reincarnation, but they must forget all the joys, sorrows, and grievances of their past lives.

Through the inherited memories of the Yinglong origin, Mu Qian knew that the complete version of the Oblivion River soul skill even possessed the terrifying power to control the cycle of rebirth and decide the existence or destruction of a soul in an instant.

However, the effect he could manifest now leaned more toward the realm of mental power.

If he were facing someone of equal cultivation, he could easily control their soul completely, making them act according to his will.

As a Soul Saint, the old man was beyond that level of control for Mu Qian, but as long as he could hold him for a single instant, that would be enough.

"Gather!" Following Mu Qian's angry shout, countless soul fluctuations emerged on the forest floor.

Those soul energies churned upward, continuously gathering until they finally condensed into ancient, lingering spirits.

There were soul beasts of various shapes, and even more, human figures with dull, vacant eyes.

In the Star Forest, a place that represents slaughter, souls are never in short supply.

"Feel the wrath of the dead..."

At this moment, Mu Qian's eyes turned completely gray, with not even a trace of white visible.

Countless ghosts, carrying massive negative emotions, surged toward the old man like soldiers receiving orders from a king, scrambling to enter his mind.

"Ah!" Even though the old man's mouth hadn't opened, a shrill, miserable roar erupted. Thin gray "mist" poured into his body through his mouth, nose, eyes, and other exposed passages.

The sound was filled with incomparable panic and fear, as if he were experiencing the agony of having his soul torn apart.

"Ah~ I'm going to kill you! I'll kill you all!"

The old man clutched his head with both hands; the moment the remnant soul invaded, he had relied on a cultivation level far surpassing Mu Qian to break free from the soul binding.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be your match, but unfortunately, you were too careless." Mu Qian shook his head.

The Dragon Wings behind him slowly vanished, replaced by a ball of purple-black energy in his hand.

Endless darkness instantly swept across the entire sky, shrouding the old man's figure within it.

At the same time, a blood-red soul ring, carrying a terrifying and earth-shattering ferocity, quietly emerged beneath Mu Qian's feet.

"First Soul Skill: Nine Nether."

"Let this old dog be the one to help me test out my newly acquired soul skill."

This was one of the two soul skills provided to his second martial soul by the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum.

Just like the name of the martial soul, it was called Nine Nether.

At the same time, this was also the innate domain brought to him by his second martial soul.

That's right, a domain.

Within this innate domain, all of an opponent's attributes would be subjected to intense suppression: attack, defense, speed, soul power...

And even... the soul.

"A... a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring!?"

The old man exclaimed in horror, his movements instantly slowing down. His previous struggling motions now looked as if they were being played in slow motion, as if even time itself had been affected.

"It's over. From the moment you forced me to reveal my true strength, your fate was already sealed."

He had never tested the second skill granted by the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone of the Amethyst Imperial Epiphyllum.

In the forest below, Zhu Zhuqing watched the mid-air battle anxiously, her heart filled with deep worry.

The battle in the sky had passed in a flash; she hadn't been able to see clearly what had happened at all, nor had she seen the blood-red soul ring that represented a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

"Mu Qian, please, you must be alright..." Zhu Zhuqing felt a sense of self-loathing.

She hated herself for being powerless, and even more so for bringing such a life-and-death crisis upon Mu Qian.

The gap in their cultivation levels was a full thirty ranks of soul power!