Counterattack Storm

Bibi Dong's eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at the figure before her. Though it wasn't Hals himself, it still brought her immense security.

The ape soul body and the Soul Douluo elder remained locked in a standoff. The ape soul beast's lifespan before death had been extremely close to the hundred-thousand-year mark. After dying and transforming into a spirit body, it had absorbed many fragmented spirits during Hals's hunting spree, elevating its own strength to a new level.

The Soul Douluo elder had already released his martial soul and soul rings, his entire body taut. The bizarre soul beast before him gave him no small amount of pressure, making him dare not act rashly.

The soul body's form crouched slightly, leaning forward. With a thunderous boom, its two legs—much shorter and thinner than its arms—suddenly exploded with force, launching it forward, leaving only a crater over three meters wide in the ground.

The elder dared not be careless, for he was astonished to find that even he could only vaguely track the soul body's attack trajectory.

He roared up to the heavens, his soul rings flashing behind him. His body abruptly swelled, reaching nearly three meters in height. Both hands gripped two massive Wolf-Fang Hammers, each a full half-meter in diameter, with faint Dragon Patterns visible at the hammer handles.

The elder bellowed, twisting his body half a turn, and swung the Wolf-Fang Hammer in his hand toward the charging soul body.

The soul body showed no intention of dodging. It braced itself against the massive hammer hurtling toward it with vicious force, and viciously raked its long, sharp claws across the elder's chest.

Boom

The massive hammer slammed heavily into the soul beast's body, shattering it at the waist. Though the enemy was "dead," the elder's face remained grim. He looked down at his chest, where four wounds deep enough to reveal bone now gaped openly.

The elder abandoned his previous bold demeanor, his expression darkening. He set down his massive hammer, raised a pinky finger, and gently traced the scars on his chest. It was hard to imagine how eye-searing it was to see a nearly three-meter-tall, muscular brute making such a gesture.

Bibi Dong had felt a flicker of panic the moment the soul body was smashed to death, but she quickly calmed down. This came from years of accumulated trust in Hals.

But even Bibi Dong, who remained composed in that moment, felt greatly startled upon seeing the elder make such a gesture.

Snapping back to reality, Bibi Dong watched the elder still "grieving" over his wounds and couldn't help but let her sharp tongue loose.

"With a look like that, you're hardly a man," Bibi Dong said, pretending to suddenly think of something. She raised her slender hand to gently cover her mouth, giggling. "Oh, could it be you're missing something? Born a eunuch?"

The elder's movements froze. His hands slowly lowered, regripping his massive hammers. He abruptly raised his head to stare at Bibi Dong, his face twisted, eyes bloodshot.

"You're asking for death!"

Boom

With a thunderous crash, a massive cloud of dust erupted from where the elder had stood. When the dust cleared, only a radial pattern of cracks remained on the ground. The man had vanished.

Bibi Dong instinctively looked up. The elder was leaping through the air, his seventh soul ring flashing behind him. In the sky, man and hammer merged as one, crashing down with overwhelming force.

The vicious wind blasted Bibi Dong's hair wildly, but she showed no panic. She simply kept her eyes open, watching the massive hammer draw closer and closer.

Boom!!

The massive hammer seemed to be blocked by something. Countless icy fragments struck her face. When the wind settled, Bibi Dong's brows trembled as she opened her eyes.

A colossal figure stood before her.

The Titan Giant Ape Soul Body—Hals's most powerful soul body to date. It had failed to break through the hundred-thousand-year barrier in life, and Hals had scavenged it just before death. After transforming into a spirit, it had devoured vast amounts of Soul Essence, and its current strength was around one hundred and fifty thousand years.

But Bibi Dong's eyes weren't on the massive ape. They were fixed on the figure standing on the ape's shoulder, completely shrouded in a long robe.

"Hals..."

Hearing Bibi Dong's call, the green flames in Hals's eye sockets beneath his hood flickered. He turned, dissolving into a puff of black mist that drifted down, then condensed back into solid form before Bibi Dong.

Hals knelt on one knee, bowing his head in salute. "I'm late, Master."

The tension and fear Bibi Dong had hidden beneath her calm facade finally broke free.

"Hals!"

Bibi Dong threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Hals. Tears streamed down her face as she pouted, her expression full of grievance.

Suddenly feeling himself embraced, Hals's body went rigid. He didn't dare move. After a long moment, he hesitantly raised his arms and wrapped them around Bibi Dong. The usual reverence in his voice faded slightly, replaced by a touch more tenderness.

"It's alright. I'm here. I'll always be here from now on."

"You promise?" Bibi Dong buried her head deep in Hals's chest, murmuring.

"I promise," Hals said, his hoarse voice trying its best to soften. The rigid face beneath his hood also relaxed, struggling to form a smile.

The two held each other, neither speaking.

But there are always those who can't read the room, who ignore the atmosphere, and keep courting death.

Having failed his attack, the elder had reverted to human form. He watched the pair with a dark expression, jealousy burning in his chest. His voice low, he said:

"What's this? Already getting all lovey-dovey? Well, you probably won't live past today anyway. Go ahead, have your last moment of passion—then you can keep it up on the road to the Yellow Springs."

Hearing the sudden voice, Bibi Dong immediately straightened up and pulled away from Hals's embrace. She kept her head down, but the faint blush on her fair face was still visible.

With Bibi Dong gone from his arms, Hals suddenly felt an emptiness in his chest, as if he had lost something, yet also as if something had filled it. His hands clenched into fists. The lantern at his waist flickered violently. A wisp of green light drifted out, landing on Hals's right hand. A spark ignited, then grew into a leaping flame that gradually spread across his entire body. Where the fire passed, exposed areas were nothing but bone—flesh and skin had vanished. The flames consumed his robe, which transformed into a more ornate style, covered in patterns that radiated an air of mystery.

Hals rose to his feet. At just over 1.9 meters, he was insignificant compared to the elder's nearly three meters and the ape's nearly ten. Yet the aura radiating from his every move far surpassed both of them.

Hals turned. The giant ape dissolved into a wisp of icy mist and slowly dissipated. Beneath his lowered hood, the green flames in Hals's eye sockets burned more intensely. The corner of his mouth twisted into an eerie grin.

The lantern pulsed with a soul-seizing light. Instead of releasing all his soul rings at once like others, they appeared one by one.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black—the first seven soul rings alone would have stunned ninety-nine percent of the continent. But the final ring left both Bibi Dong and the elder breathless.

A Blood-colored Soul Ring, like a crimson moon, slowly rose, unleashing its full might.

"A... a hundred-thousand-year soul ring!!!" The elder's voice turned shrill with terror, his face unable to hide his shock.

"Hee-hee-hee..."

A suppressed, eerie laugh crept from Hals's throat. He slowly raised his head, finally revealing half of the face hidden beneath the hood. The corners of his mouth twisted into an exaggerated arc, a hint of madness in his gaze as he looked at the old man.

Perhaps frightened by Hals's smile, or perhaps by his face itself, the old man stumbled back a few steps.

The Blood-colored Soul Ring behind Hals flickered. A layer of ethereal, deep black mist drifted from Hals's body, then flowed freely across the ground, turning everything it touched into darkness.

A low voice rang out: "I haven't seen you before. Are you an elder of the branch hall?"

The old man wanted to speak, but found with horror that his body had become stiff and unresponsive.

An even more alarming voice sounded. Hals's low, hoarse tone seemed to drift from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint his location: "Forget it. You don't need to answer."

The old man stared with eyes as wide as copper bells, straining to look at his left chest. A skeletal hand had pierced through from behind, emerging from his chest, still clutching a beating heart.

Blood dripped down. A sound followed.

"Dead men have no need to speak."

A wisp of green flame ignited from the skeletal hand, then detached, drifting slowly down to land on the old man's chest. In an instant, the fire blazed fiercely. Before long, the old man had dissolved into nothingness, his soul also consumed. The Soul Essence produced from the burning was devoured as nourishment by the soul within the Soul-Guiding Lantern.

True annihilation of body and soul!

Hals restrained his aura, drifting down to land. Flesh and skin slowly regrew across his body.

He looked at Bibi Dong, who was still shy. After a moment's hesitation, he walked over, crouched down, and spoke in a gentle tone: "Master, should we return?"

"Mm." A reply so soft it was barely audible.

Bibi Dong extended her right hand. Hals froze for a moment, then quickly understood. His left hand trembled slightly as he reached out. Bibi Dong's warm hand met Hals's slightly cold one. Both were pale—one tender white, the other pallid.

Holding Hals's hand, Bibi Dong stood up, but did not let go.

Hals froze again. It took him a long time to react. He gently tightened his grip, holding Bibi Dong's hand in return, and walked off into the distance.

Under the setting sun, the shadows of the two grew longer and longer, until at last they merged into one.