Fierce Battle

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of explosions rang out, and dazzling flames shot into the sky amid the Soul Masters. Many low-ranking Soul Masters were caught completely off guard by the blasts, suffering heavy casualties.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man looked both shocked and furious. He stumbled back several steps to the edge of the battlefield, then shrieked angrily, "Bastard! Attack! Kill her! Kill her! I refuse to believe she can use an attack like that many more times!"

At his words, the Soul Masters turned to look at one another, then fixed their gazes on Bibi Dong, surrounded on all sides. Their eyes blazed with murderous intent.

"Damn it."

Bibi Dong cursed under her breath. She leaned forward into a half-crouch, left foot in front and right foot behind, left hand raised before her chest and right hand hanging at her waist, every muscle in her body taut.

"Ha!"

Watching the burly Power Attack System and defense-type Soul Masters charge at her from the front and side, Bibi Dong steadied herself and waited for the right moment. When the enemy in front reached her and thrust out a fan-sized palm, its vicious gust aimed at crushing her head, she sidestepped and seized his wrist with her right hand, pulling him forward. The fourth Soul Ring behind her flashed, and a light flickered over her left hand as a layer of hard armor covered in spikes appeared.

Bibi Dong slammed her spiked hand against the enemy's face and drove him violently into the ground.

"Argh!"

His piercing scream had barely begun when it stopped. His round head, like a watermelon, burst between the ground and Bibi Dong's palm. A substance resembling tofu pudding mixed with ketchup splattered everywhere, spattering even her faceplate.

Bibi Dong's expression didn't change as she surveyed the mess. She leaned forward and swept her leg sideways. Her slender leg, clad in Thorn Armor, slammed into the unprotected feet of a tall, thin shield-bearing Soul Master charging at her from the side, cleanly breaking both of them.

The shield-bearing Soul Master howled and toppled forward, still clutching his shield.

As the massive shield came crashing toward her, Bibi Dong deftly rolled away from the blow, pushed herself up with both hands, then casually stomped the shield-bearer's head to pieces.

Spattered here and there with blood and brain matter, Bibi Dong stood coldly on the battlefield, looking every bit like a goddess of war.

The Soul Masters surrounding her looked at one another, more than a little shaken.

"What are you afraid of? With me here, you think a little girl can do whatever she wants?" A deep voice rang out. A white-haired Demon Muscle Man stepped forward, bare-chested, the eight dazzling yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, and black Soul Rings behind him impossible to miss.

"A Soul Douluo..." Bibi Dong gritted her teeth. "How laughable. To deal with one little girl, as you call me, you've sent all these Soul Kings and Soul Emperors, along with a Soul Douluo."

"Hmph. Little girl, there's no need to provoke me. At my age, I've seen it all." The muscular old man curled his lip, then turned to say, "Still, I don't want to earn a reputation for bullying the young or stealing a junior's opportunity. So..." He looked at the Soul Masters before him. "I'm only here to hold the line. I won't take your bounty myself. But if you're so useless that you can't handle her, heh."

At the old man's words, the nameless Soul Masters exchanged glances. In each other's eyes, they saw burning ambition. Fortune favored the bold. If they could kill Bibi Dong here, they could rise above the rest overnight.

Soul Power flared. The wind rose, and the fighters surged forward.

A figure cloaked from head to toe in a long robe appeared at the entrance to a side hall of Spirit Hall, looking travel-worn.

Hals looked up at the gate, the flames flickering in his eyes as his emotions stirred.

The guards at the entrance stared at the mysterious figure, his face hidden beneath his robe and two flames burning where his eyes should have been. Hesitantly, one asked, "Lord Hals?"

Hals nodded, habitually ignoring the guard's salute, and walked inside. Then he heard the guard speak behind him, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Hals stopped and glanced at the guard over his shoulder.

"What is it?"

His hoarse voice, coupled with the fearsome rumors surrounding him, made the guard uneasy. But in the end, he overcame his fear and made his choice.

"Lord Hals, I've heard rumors that Niya in the hall has joined forces with some elders to harm the Holy Maiden. Early this morning, Niya delivered an order from the Elder Hall, telling the Holy Maiden to leave Spirit Hall to hunt down a traitor. But before that, I saw many Soul Masters leave and not return. One of the elders even left with them."

Hals realized how serious the situation was. He spun around and appeared before the guard in an instant, the green flames in his eye sockets burning with barely contained fury.

"Which way did my mistress go?!"

The guard was only a three-ring Soul Elder. He could hardly withstand the pressure radiating unintentionally from Hals, an eight-ring Soul Elder.

The guard looked utterly miserable, as if he were about to cry. "L-Lord Hals, I-I really don't know."

Realizing the guard was struggling, Hals straightened from his slight hunch. Even so, he stood nearly two meters tall. He took two steps back and reined in his aura a little.

Beneath his robe, his hands clenched, the veins bulging. Hals slowly turned away, his hoarse voice ringing out.

"Your name?"

The guard brightened and quickly stood up straight. "Shi Jisheng, sir. My name is Shi Jisheng."

Hals nodded. Green mist billowed around him, and he slowly faded into it, disappearing from sight.

Shi Jisheng felt all strength drain from his body. He leaned against the gate and slowly sank to the ground. He knew he had chosen a side this time. If the Holy Maiden and Lord Hals failed, he too would become a casualty. But as the saying went, fortune favored the bold.

Hals raced through the green mist, following the traces of Bibi Dong's soul. But in the end, he stopped before a small road.

"No good. Too many people have passed through here. Her soul traces have been scattered."

He stood still and thought for a moment, green flames flickering in his eyes. Soul Rings appeared behind him, and his left hand reached for the Lantern at his waist. Countless glowing green lights drifted out of it. The blood-red Soul Ring behind him glimmered with an ominous light, and Frost Force condensed in midair. Each mote of light transformed into either a Soul Beast or a human-shaped figure.

Hals looked at the gathered spirits. His hoarse voice, brimming with rage, came from deep in his throat.

"Go. Find my mistress and protect her. Kill anything that poses a threat, friend or foe!"

"Roar!"

The spirits shrieked and set off in every direction, running, flying, or leaping, each using its own way to search.

Bibi Dong leaned against a towering tree outside a village, her body covered in wounds. A long slash at her waist was deep enough to expose bone, and blood still dripped from it. Her face was pale, and despair glimmered in her eyes. Was she really going to die here today?

Bibi Dong watched as the few remaining Soul Masters slowly closed in around her, while a Soul Douluo still stood in the distance...

Bibi Dong slowly shut her eyes, waiting for death to come...

"Argh!"

Suddenly, the wet sound of claws tearing through flesh rang out alongside a string of screams. Bibi Dong opened her eyes in shock. Before her stood a translucent, emerald-green ape made of ice crystals, its back to her. Half-meter-long claws hung from its hands, their tips buried deep in the ground.

"Eeeek!"

A shrill ape's cry rang out, piercing the sky.

Hals whipped around, flames flaring in his eyes as he looked toward the distant source of the cry.

"Found her." His hoarse voice rang out, thick with anger. Then he vanished into the green mist and raced toward it.

The Soul Douluo who had been watching from the side finally turned serious. He could sense a strange fluctuation emanating from the unusual Soul Beast before him, and it forced him to take the situation seriously.

Bibi Dong gazed at the Soul Beast's back, tears shimmering in her eyes. A crystalline teardrop appeared at the corner of her eye.

"Hals..."