Watching the corpse split in two before her and the enraged bald leader, Zhu Xiyan no longer wore the sickly elegance she'd had before. Her expression was serious beneath her mask.
Thoughts raced through her mind as Zhu Xiyan desperately searched for a way out of this certain death. Beads of sweat gradually appeared on her forehead. Her mind whirred, and she began to understand.
Her teacher couldn't possibly be unaware that the stronghold held prey far beyond her ability to handle. And her teacher's demand was to kill the bandits in the stronghold. So her top priority was to evade the bald leader's attacks and take out as many of the other bandits as possible.
At that thought, Zhu Xiyan relaxed a little, her expression softening. Though she was only a sixteen-year-old girl, she looked rather alluring.
Zhu Xiyan lifted a hand to cover her lips and looked at the bald man teasingly. Then she blew him a kiss, floated backward, and vanished into the darkness.
"Are you angry? Then come kill me. Death is just a game. I hope you can satisfy me..."
"A game?" The bald man's face darkened. He raised a Giant Axe to his waist and glared around, searching for Zhu Xiyan.
There!
The bald man's eyes narrowed, and his expression grew even uglier. That damned little thing had crept up behind one of his men like a rat.
The man looked panicked and shaken. He still hadn't recovered from the attack moments ago.
"Er Mazi!" the bald man bellowed, but didn't dare throw the axe in his hand.
"Ah?"
Er Mazi came to his senses and stared blankly toward his boss, completely unaware that danger was upon him.
"What's wrong, bo—"
His words cut off abruptly. Er Mazi felt a sharp pain in his neck, and the world before his eyes began to spin. In an instant, it seemed as if his point of view had dropped to the ground.
Er Mazi saw a headless body, a half-meter-high fountain of blood spurting from its neck. A moment later, the body pitched forward and crashed heavily to the ground. A slender figure dressed in black appeared in his vision.
"Am I... dead?"
"Damn it." The bald man spat viciously, but his emotions had unexpectedly settled.
After killing one man, Zhu Xiyan vanished into the darkness again. At that moment, the bald man regretted more than ever that he didn't have a perception-type Soul Skill. Otherwise, how could a little Soul Elder have toyed with him like this?
"Get together, all of you! Go stand in that corner. I refuse to believe she'll dare come after you when you're all together!" The bald man searched for Zhu Xiyan while cursing under his breath.
At their leader's order, the bandits, who had been scattered like loose sand, quickly gathered together. Their previous disorganization and panic gave way to a greater sense of unity. One had to admit, the bald man had his strengths—otherwise, he couldn't have built such a large stronghold.
Hidden in the dark, Zhu Xiyan's expression turned grim. She hadn't expected the enemy to try this tactic. For an assassin like her, it was a devastating counter.
She didn't reappear. Zhu Xiyan carefully looked for a chance to strike and kill, but the gathered enemies were extremely alert and coordinated. Every one of them watched their surroundings warily.
The two sides remained locked in a stalemate...
Gradually, Zhu Xiyan's expression grew troubled. Seeing the bald man slowly relax, she knew he had identified her weakness.
She knew her own limits. It had seemed as though she was toying with the enemy Soul Emperor, but she'd merely taken advantage of her Martial Soul and his lack of a perception Soul Skill. The Soul Power of a Soul Emperor far exceeded hers as a Soul Elder. If she kept waiting for a chance to attack and remained hidden, her Soul Power would soon run out. Then she'd be left to meet her death.
Zhu Xiyan grew increasingly anxious. Distracted for just a moment, she let a flaw show in her stealth.
The bald man immediately turned toward the place where Zhu Xiyan was hiding, a vicious grin spreading across his face. "Found you, brat."
The Soul Ring behind him suddenly flashed, and he let out a furious roar.
"Fight!!!"
A blood-red, circular shockwave shot toward Zhu Xiyan. At the same time, a bloody glow spread over the bald man's Giant Axe, and the foul stench of blood wafted through the air.
Realizing she'd been discovered, Zhu Xiyan tried to retreat, but the oncoming sonic wave left her blood and breath churning. She forced down the blood rising to her throat, but couldn't move at all.
A triumphant look crossed the bald man's face. He bent his knees and leaped into the air, his strength so immense that the bluestone ground cracked like a Spider Web beneath his feet. He raised a blood-red Giant Axe high above his head, its target unmistakably Zhu Xiyan.
"Die!"
She couldn't dodge!!
Zhu Xiyan watched the Giant Axe descend with a gust of bloody wind, then slowly closed her eyes.
The bald man grinned. His fifth Soul Ring flashed, and countless barbed spikes appeared on the blade of the Giant Axe. If it struck, Zhu Xiyan wouldn't die easily; she'd suffer tremendous pain first.
Closer. The bald man watched as the bloody wind from his axe billowed Zhu Xiyan's hood. A delighted smile spread across his face. Good. Every bastard who dared offend him would die!!
"Clang!"
Instead of the scream and the sound of an axe biting into flesh that the bald man expected, a crisp metallic clang rang out.
"Bang!"
The bald man, airborne and unable to brace himself, flew backward in terror.
"Crash! Clatter! Bang!"
A succession of smashing sounds rang out as the bald man hurtled backward, crashing through who knew how many things.
Looking over, the bald man lay pale-faced amid the ruins, battered and covered in food.
Trembling, he looked at the Giant Axe lying nearby. A clear notch had appeared along its blade. With his Martial Soul damaged, he spat out a mouthful of blood that shot into the air.
The bandits huddled nearby shivered with fear. They realized that at some point, a thin Black Mist had spread around them.
The bald man forced himself to endure his injuries and shakily used the wall to get to his feet. He didn't bother picking up his axe. Instead, he stared in fear at the Black-Robed Man who had appeared in front of Zhu Xiyan.
The Black-Robed Man held a greenish-black Hook in his left hand. A Lantern that intermittently flashed green hung at his right hip. It was Hals, who hadn't appeared for a long time.
Zhu Xiyan looked at the tall figure before her and felt completely safe.
"Teacher..."
The Black-Robed Man turned around, not taking the bald man or the bandits seriously at all.
He lowered his head slightly, and a glimmer of green shone beneath his hood. The Soul Flame flickered, and Hals's distinctive hoarse voice rang out, sounding faintly displeased. "It seems you still need training."
"Teacher." Zhu Xiyan looked ashamed, tears glimmering faintly in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Seeing Zhu Xiyan's reaction, Hals's tone softened slightly, though it remained cold. "There's no need to apologize. Remember, everything you do is for yourself, for your revenge—not for me."
"Yes, Teacher." Zhu Xiyan lowered her head, her voice softer than a whisper. The alluring air she'd had during the battle was gone.
"Now." Hals turned back to the bald man, who had somehow retrieved his axe and was glaring at him with a mixture of ferocity and wariness.
When the bald man saw that Hals had noticed him, he took a couple of steps back, then cupped his hands. He couldn't hide the weakness in his voice. "Sir, I... I didn't know she was your disciple. I've offended you. Could you give me a chance to make amends?"
Hals ignored the bald man, his voice indifferent. "Xiyan, I'll teach you another lesson..."
Zhu Xiyan looked up at Hals.
A mighty, bone-chilling aura surged from Hals. Behind him appeared eight Soul Rings—Yellow-Purple-Purple-Black-Black-Black-Black-Red—emanating an aura of decay and icy dread.
The Eighth Soul Ring, ominously blood-red, flashed. A Black Mist unlike the one before spread out, flowing through the hall like water. An aura of death swept over them.
Hals spoke, his voice betraying a trace of restrained excitement:
"This is what slaughter looks like!"
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