After turning their bodies into clouds of mist, Zhongli Tian and Zhongli Di's speed soared. They flickered aside to dodge Xu Yan's Soul Cannon fire, then quickly split up and moved to either side. It seemed they planned to use their Blood-Colored Beast Souls to hold Xu Yan back before encircling Xu Yu and turning the tide.
Breaking through the barrage, two clouds of gray mist appeared on either side of Xu Yu. The Blood-Colored Beast Souls spread out farther as well, surrounding Xu Yan completely.
The Zhongli Brothers returned to human form and glared viciously at Xu Yu, wishing they could rush forward and tear him to pieces—
If it weren't for those damn Soul Cannon shells fired by those two Level 8 Soul Engineers, their Beast Souls would never have been reduced to this state.
"Kehehehe, let's see what tricks you've got left now." Zhongli Di gave a couple of eerie cackles and licked his lips ominously. "Surrender. Maybe we'll let you die painlessly."
"You two old bastards are so sure you can keep me here?" Xu Yu asked, expressionless.
"Right. You're not going anywhere. Once our third brother brings the people back, everything will be fine. And then, heh heh, you'll be in for it."
Blasting open the encirclement of Blood-Colored Beast Souls, Xu Yan fought while retreating and soon reached Xu Yu's side. The Crimson Gold Lion and Nether Ghost Tiger also closed in from the other direction, joining the Zhongli Brothers to trap Xu Yan and Xu Yu in the middle.
"Xu Yan..." Xu Yu let out a long breath. Her brows were filled with murderous intent as she said, "Use that thing!"
"What? Xu Yu, use that thing? Right now?!" (Classic Giant Reaction Meme.JPG)
"Mm." Xu Yu said nothing, only nodding over and over.
"Fine. I understand."
After speaking, Xu Yan nonchalantly scratched his ear and, expressionless, took something from his Storage Soul Tool that was completely different from all the Soul Tools he had used before.
It was a metal object about one meter and seventy centimeters long, with a conical front and a ring-shaped groove at the rear. Its seamless body looked like a single, whole piece. The pale golden surface gleamed with a metallic sheen.
An indescribable, furious savagery radiated from it, accompanied by an unstoppable, scorching aura. Just looking at the thing made Zhongli Tian's back go cold. He nearly lost control of the urge to turn tail and flee.
"A Level 9... a Level 9 Fixed Soul Cannonball!" Zhongli Di stammered in shock.
"Where the fuck did you get that thing?!" Zhongli Tian roared, as if he could drive away his fear with his voice.
"That's none of your damn business! We're both marquises from the Sun-Moon Empire's royal family. By seniority, we're relatives of His Majesty the Emperor. You think we couldn't get our hands on something like this to protect ourselves?"
"You, and you! Don't move a fucking muscle. If you do, I'll set it off and we'll all go down together!"
Xu Yan wasn't about to go easy on the two old bastards. He brazenly hefted a Soul Cannon beside the "superweapon," ready to blow up everyone present.
There wasn't a trace of panic or alarm on his face. All he wore was a carefree ease that defied description.
It was as if... what he was about to detonate wasn't a Level 9 Fixed Soul Cannonball, but a tiny firecracker.
A Level 9 Fixed Soul Cannonball was, in itself, a Level 9 Soul Tool.
And it was a single-use Level 9 Soul Tool.
Paired with a specialized Level 9 Soul Cannon, it could even strike targets from halfway across the continent.
Of course, even without a Level 9 Soul Cannon, there were various ways to detonate one at close range. But the consequences went without saying.
The destructive power of a Level 9 Fixed Soul Cannonball was enough to make even a Super Douluo blanch. If an ordinary Titled Douluo faced one head-on, death was the only possible outcome.
"..."
Faced with this ultimate weapon—one that killed anyone below Super Douluo with a touch and left even a Super Douluo gravely wounded—Zhongli Tian could no longer maintain the composure expected of an eldest brother. He struggled to force an ugly smile onto his face while cursing inwardly.
"Young man, you—you're still young! There's really no need to go this far!" Zhongli Di wiped away his sweat as he recalled his Beast Souls, afraid he might upset Xu Yan and make him turn into a giant firecracker and blow them both to bits!
"My second brother's right. Don't get worked up. We can talk this out. It's just the princess—we won't capture her anymore, all right?" Zhongli Tian forced a smile and spoke in his gentlest voice, saying the most spineless thing imaginable:
"Hey! Can we... still make peace now!?"
"Pfft—"
Seeing how the two Evil Soul Master Soul Douluos had turned into bigger cowards than each other, Xu Yan finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
He tilted his head and gave the two Evil Soul Master brothers a truly punchable look, sneering, "Make peace? At a time like this? You two old fucks must be joking!"
"If you're so afraid to die, why become Evil Soul Masters? You spineless pieces of trash. Go home and eat shit!"
Zhongli Tian and Zhongli Di: "..."
(⩺︷⩹) Why'd you have to make it personal all of a sudden...
At that moment, Zhongli Ren, who had gone to seize their leverage, had no idea his two older brothers were being held firmly in place by two "lunatics" ready to use a Level 9 Fixed Soul Cannonball as a firecracker.
Because he could already see the backs of the three little girls.
Heh heh heh, once I bring you back, everything will be fine.
As he watched the distance between them shrink, Zhongli Ren suddenly thought this.
But could everything really go the way he wanted?
The answer was: not necessarily.
Because not far from him, an Angel Martial Soul wielder who preferred to remain unnamed had just finished absorbing the fourth Soul Ring of his First Martial Soul and was striding toward the mixed zone.
"Qian, weird thing is, that big guy with the peach-blossom eyes had been secretly watching us the whole time, then suddenly turned around and left. It was like his grandma was going to give birth to his uncle."
"His grandma giving birth to his uncle... Tsk. Rakshasa, who taught you these thunderous comparisons..." Qian Yuhan glanced at the Rakshasa Phantom beside him, who was spouting one thunderous comparison after another, with a complicated expression. He had just looked up when he saw two people with Flying Soul Tools on their backs, carrying someone between them, zip through the sky more than a hundred meters away.
"Those three... look kind of familiar." The Rakshasa Phantom shaded his eyes and peered into the distance, muttering, "Hey, aren't they the people from last night? Why are they running in such a sorry state? It's like someone's chasing them..."
Before the Rakshasa Phantom could finish, another figure with glowing Soul Rings zipped by nearby. Even from a distance, Qian Yuhan could still sense the thick stench of blood pouring from him, so keen was his sensitivity to Evil Soul Master auras.
Then, a scene of corpses strewn across the ground suddenly appeared in Qian Yuhan's mind.
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