One Against Seven

As the words fell, several sounds of air being torn apart echoed from behind. Five figures in black robes appeared in the surroundings, forming a pincer formation. Two more black-clad figures remained hidden in the shadows without revealing themselves, seemingly plotting a surprise attack.

"Two Soul Emperors and five Soul Ancestors—what a grand gesture. Dai Huabin must have sent you, right?" Green petals swirled within Xiao Yi's eyes. With his exceptionally high spiritual power, the disguises of this group were nothing more than a facade; their cultivation levels were laid bare before him.

"No comment." The leader of the black-robed figures let out a slightly hoarse voice. He released his Martial Soul, and a dagger with a sharp, icy glint manifested in his hand. The others also performed Martial Soul Possession, revealing various beast-type Martial Souls, all of them five-ringed.

Xiao Yi clicked his tongue inwardly. Good grief, to deploy such a lineup to kill a mere quasi-Soul Ancestor—they truly hated him to the bone.

"Kid, give up the resistance, and we might let you die quickly." The lead Soul Emperor gave a cold laugh, showing no regard for the person before him. He was nothing but a mere three-ringed soul master.

Xiao Yi still wore a faint smile on his face, not taking them seriously in the slightest.

"Are you done talking? Then please, go to your deaths." As Xiao Yi finished speaking, the three soul rings beneath his feet lit up in unison, and a burst of transparent flame erupted from his hands.

A shrill scream echoed from the nearby woods as two soul masters, engulfed in the Fallen Heart Flame, charged out, only to be reduced to ashes shortly after. Three figures—one purple, one red, and one blue—shot out like lightning, charging directly at the remaining five men.

The dagger-wielding Soul Emperor's eyes nearly split with rage: "Bastard!" His sixth soul ring suddenly lit up, and a blade aura condensed, slashing toward Xiao Yi. Seeing their master in danger, the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon immediately retreated to defend, condensing purple lightning in its mouth that transformed into a bolt of violet thunder to intercept the blade aura.

"You lot hold them off for a moment; I'll take his main body!" the Soul Emperor shouted. Two Soul Ancestors were forced to break away from the battle circles of the Red Fire Python and the Nether Cold Ice Python to attack the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon, while the remaining two Soul Ancestors struggled to hold their ground against the two soul beasts.

This was only because the soul beasts under Xiao Yi's command possessed high-quality bloodlines and strength; otherwise, fighting these well-trained Soul Ancestors and Soul Emperors would have been quite strenuous. This also solidified Xiao Yi's determination to have his soul beasts evolve into dragons as soon as possible.

Watching the Soul Emperor charge straight at him, the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils in Xiao Yi's eyes swirled with light, and the soul ring at his feet shifted to a strange purple one.

"What!?" The Soul Emperor was shocked, but he dared not stop. He brandished the icy, glinting dagger in his hand and attacked Xiao Yi. Just as the strike was about to land, it was parried by a spear condensed from flames. A massive force followed, and the Soul Emperor was sent flying.

Xiao Yi was now encased in armor condensed from purple flames, and the flame spear in his hand slowly dissipated.

"As expected, I still can't perform soul power materialization without breaking through to the Soul Ancestor realm, but this is enough." Under the shocked gaze of the dagger-wielding Soul Emperor, Xiao Yi performed a burst step, his figure flickering rapidly, disappearing from the Soul Emperor's sight in the blink of an eye.

Such incredible speed! The Soul Emperor was terrified; with his cultivation, he could barely catch a glimpse of his opponent's figure.

A fierce gust of wind struck. Too late to dodge, the Soul Emperor's soul rings flashed as he swung his dagger, creating an illusory screen of soul power to form a shield before him.

Yet, the moment the shield touched the purple flames on Xiao Yi's hands, it shattered with a bang. A terrifying flame, carrying immense force, was driven into his body by Xiao Yi.

The Soul Emperor was knocked back several meters on the spot, only stopping when his dagger gouged a trench into the ground. Seeing his companions nearing their limit, the Soul Emperor grew increasingly anxious.

Before he could act, Xiao Yi attacked again. The Soul Emperor could only raise his dagger in a hurried defense; despite being the one with higher cultivation, he was being suppressed by Xiao Yi at every turn.

Every punch Xiao Yi threw carried the Three Thousand Burning Flame, and the armor on his body was unlike any ordinary soul skill—it felt like genuine plate mail. The dagger left only shallow scratches, unable to harm Xiao Yi himself.

Even when the dagger, imbued with soul skill effects, managed to cut through the armor, the wound was quickly filled by the Three Thousand Burning Flame and restored to its original state.

"What kind of monster is this?" The Soul Emperor was filled with terror, already contemplating retreat.

A heart-wrenching scream came from behind. One of the two Soul Ancestors besieging the Purple Lightning Flood Dragon was caught in the recovery phase after releasing a soul skill; the dragon bit him clean in half, blood and flesh splattering everywhere.

The Purple Lightning Flood Dragon did not let up, letting out a roar as it charged to tear into the other Soul Ancestor.

"Well done, Zi Ling." Xiao Yi offered a word of praise. The Purple Lightning Flood Dragon clearly put in even more effort, its attack speed increasing, leaving the already struggling Soul Ancestor in an even worse predicament.

"Damn you! Go to hell!" The Soul Emperor roared, his soul rings pulsing frantically. He crossed his arms and swung them downward, unleashing two slashes toward Xiao Yi.

"It's time to end this." Xiao Yi slowly raised his right hand. Two streams of flame converged and intertwined in his palm, finally merging into a beautiful, miniature fire lotus. The lotus pedestal looked like a masterpiece crafted by a master artisan, with transparent flames blooming atop it.

"Go, Buddha Fury Fire Lotus..." Xiao Yi gave a gentle flick of his hand, and the fire lotus cut through the air with a purple ripple, charging toward the terrifying blade aura.

The fire lotus, appearing minuscule before the blade aura, incinerated and obliterated it the moment they collided, continuing its momentum unabated as it rushed toward the Soul Emperor.

"Explode!" A lotus of flame bloomed in the sky, accompanied by a shrill, agonizing scream.

The Soul Emperor, hit head-on by the fire lotus, was now nothing more than a charred husk. The remaining Soul Ancestors fared no better, lying on the ground, scorched black and barely clinging to life.

As for Xiao Yi's three soul beasts, they had been recalled into the space within the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils long before he shouted that command to explode.

Xiao Yi panted slightly, looking at the four Soul Ancestors on the ground with a solemn expression. The consumption was still too great; if not for the fact that the quality of his soul power far exceeded that of an average soul master, this single, incomplete fire lotus would have drained him dry.

Following the explosion, several figures finally swept over from the direction of Shrek. They were not far from Shrek City, so such a massive commotion would naturally be detected by the academy's powerhouses.

Yan Shaozhe had originally intended to summon the Sea God Pavilion elders for a meeting, but no sooner had he notified Xuan Zi than they felt the disturbance. The two hurried over at top speed. Yan Shaozhe was particularly anxious; he knew Xiao Yi had gone out to hunt soul rings today, but since the boy had strongly insisted he didn't need the academy's protection, he hadn't wanted to force the issue.

Two streaks of white light passed over Xiao Yi, transforming into two figures as they landed. Yan Shaozhe walked quickly to Xiao Yi's side, circling him to check for injuries before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"Dean Yan, I'm fine. Don't worry." Xiao Yi looked at the familiar figures, exhaling deeply. If two more assassins had shown up, he would have truly been done for.

"As long as you're fine. What happened here?" Seeing that Xiao Yi was unharmed, Yan Shaozhe finally relaxed, frowning as he looked at the surroundings.

Xiao Yi looked curiously at the other figure.