Soul Leech

"Hey, kid, you're not deaf or mute, so why aren't you answering?"

"That's right, no presence, and you're trying to act mysterious. I think playing the big bad wolf suits you better!"

"This guy doesn't look like much anyway. How about we brothers jump him together, grab his battle suit and treasures first, then hand him over to our master for judgment?"

Those few Prison Clan members jabbered on, growing bolder by the second, not sparing Wu Sheng a single glance.

But a red gleam flashed in Wu Sheng's eyes, revealing a hint of killing intent!

These men were clearly underlings of some Elite Trial Taker, and from Bai Yu, Wu Sheng knew that Elite Trial Taker was a Prison Clan member named Li Hu, whose clan, the Blood Sun Tribe, ranked high within the Nine Spirits Society's Li Ling Clan.

In this CKHX-3819 Trial Ground, Li Hu alone as an Elite Trial Taker was nothing to fear, but with his prestigious clan background and his Special Elite older brother Li Long, he was far from ordinary.

Within the Blood River Squad, though Li Hu had joined late and ranked only 17th, his prestige made him second only to Di Fei and He Na.

And Li Hu was hopelessly devoted to He Na, even following his brother Li Long into this Blood Trial just to be near her.

In the old days, when He Na and the others still ran the Blood River Squad, they wouldn't have cared much about Li Hu's attentions.

But now, to replenish the Blood River Squad's numbers, they had to grit their teeth and pull Li Hu in.

From start to finish, this had nothing to do with Wu Sheng—not even a single Cosmic Crystal's worth of connection. But after Li Hu joined, before every mission, He Na would send someone to ask if Wu Sheng had come out of seclusion. Time and again, with Li Hu's arrogant nature, how could he stand it?

Bai Yu, guarding the door, could barely handle others' probing, but against someone like Li Hu, two or three times was his limit.

Luckily, just before Li Hu lost his patience, Wu Sheng emerged from seclusion.

"Steal my things and hand me over to your master for judgment? A bunch of idiots!"

Wu Sheng sneered, red light blazing in his eyes. A single soul sweep, and those Prison Clan members were hit directly.

They looked like they'd been possessed—expressionless, movements stiff, but their hands moved in perfect unison, removing the ownership of their space rings and Primal Force battle suits, then tossing them to Wu Sheng.

But Wu Sheng wasn't done. He flicked out several red orbs, each containing a finger-length wriggling creature, thick in the middle and tapered at both ends.

Under the protection of the red orbs, these wriggling creatures burrowed straight into the Prison Clan members' minds.

When Wu Sheng lifted the Soul Illusion and the red light fully dissipated, those Prison Clan members showed only a dazed look.

"Fine, you little runt dare to ambush... Ah! Pain! Wha...t's... happening, ah!"

The lead Prison Clan member snapped out of it and tried to spit out threats, but a searing pain erupted in his mind—something was swimming through his brain, slowly devouring his mental energy, twisting his scale-covered face into a knot.

"Ah, me too... it hurts! How is this possible!"

"Mercy... we won't... never again!"

Some writhed and screamed, others seemed to realize what was happening and kowtowed to Wu Sheng, begging for leniency.

But Wu Sheng remained unmoved, even forcing more soul power into them.

"Roar!"

Finally, the pain robbed them of speech. They thrashed wildly in the corridor, some slamming into stone walls, bloodied and oblivious.

The ground and rocks in the Prison Clan's Strange Trap Land were incredibly hard—only a Planet Grade expert at full strength could break them. That these men smashed the stone debris flying with their bare bodies, unaware, showed just how intense the pain in their minds was.

"What's going on?"

Several more people hurried in from outside the corridor, led by He Na.

Wu Sheng glanced over, recognized few of them, nodded faintly at He Na, and continued his Soul Art without pause.

"Kid, did you do this?"

"Is that a 'Soul Leech'?"

Two voices rang out at once—the first filled with fury, the second a gasp from He Na.

"Wu Sheng, stop! They're still part of the Blood River Squad. If there's a problem, tell me—I can handle it."

He Na was the first to recognize the Soul Art Wu Sheng was using: the most sinister and vicious technique from the second half of the Mind Confusion she'd taught him—the Soul Leech. She spoke quickly.

But the three-eyed freak beside her, nearly two meters tall with a vertical eye on his brow, was far less polite. He roared:

"Kid, drop this Soul Art now, or I'll make you regret it!"

Wu Sheng frowned, thought for a few seconds, then waved his hand, pulling the wriggling creatures from their minds. They dissolved into red light and merged back into his body.

Anyone paying close attention would notice those creatures had doubled in size, plump and robust.

And after absorbing the red light, Wu Sheng looked even more energized, as if he'd taken a tonic.

"It really is a Soul Leech... I can't believe you condensed so many!" He Na's voice carried a strange emotion—fear or anticipation.

"Talk! What happened?" The three-eyed freak kicked a groaning Prison Clan member at his feet, growing more agitated.

"They said they'd steal my gear and battle suit, so I taught them a lesson." Wu Sheng smiled faintly, unconcerned. "You're Li Hu, right? Keep your dogs in line. If they dare provoke me again, they'd better be ready to fall."

With that warning, Wu Sheng turned and walked back into his cave.

Sure, this three-eyed freak had a Special Elite brother and came from a major Nine Spirits Society clan, but he was only at Ninth Order Planet Grade—still a tier or two below He Na, a true Imperial Clan descendant. Besides, Wu Sheng had only disciplined the underlings, not killed them. It shouldn't be a big problem.

Jin An's original Seventh Squad—wasn't it the one where I chopped down three, captured two, and they still treated me with courtesy afterward?

Too bad Wu Sheng made an unexpected mistake!

When you beat a dog, you not only look at its owner—you also look at where that owner stands.

Now, right in front of He Na, Wu Sheng had thoroughly slapped Li Hu's face, naturally making his expression turn ugly beyond measure.

Especially when he saw He Na walk without hesitation into Wu Sheng's cave dwelling, Li Hu's two palms clenched into fists, and the single eye at the center of his brow flickered with a chilling glare.

"Bastard. You'll regret this."