Lin Yun looked at Snow Empress before him. After eating the eggshell that had nurtured her, she had glowed all over and immediately advanced to the Soul Ancestor level. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"That's it? Do you really live up to all those special effects?"
The girl Snow Empress had transformed into smiled and said,
"Although I only have four Soul Rings, they already include three of my ultimate techniques and a Soul Skill that can save my life. So in an actual fight, you might not be my match."
Lin Yun looked at Snow Empress and said,
"Did you forget that I also have the Soul Ring Ice Empress gave me..."
Just then, Zhang Lexuan knocked Lin Yun and Snow Empress to the ground. Her expression tense, she watched the way ahead and whispered,
"Someone's coming!"
The next moment, a blood-red blade of light slashed toward the spot where the three of them were lying.
Just before the blade of light reached them, the phantom of the Skeletal Bone Dragon appeared above the Extreme North. With a furious roar from the enormous dragon phantom, a watery seal abruptly rippled outward.
Lin Yun activated Nether Ice Freeze, one of the two Soul Skills granted by his four-hundred-thousand-year Ice Empress Soul Ring.
In Lin Yun's view, this Soul Skill could replace Two Extremes Stillness Domain. It froze time across a fifteen-meter radius, but unlike Two Extremes Stillness Domain, Lin Yun could choose what to stop within its range.
In other words, he didn't have to become a funny wind-up toy; he could simply stop time in an area.
The next instant, he swiftly retreated with Snow Empress and Zhang Lexuan. The blade of light broke through the Soul Skill's restraints and smashed into the frozen wasteland.
"Phew, phew, phew."
Lin Yun panted as he took a fighting stance and looked toward the direction from which the blade had come.
Zhang Lexuan stared at the man before her in shock and blurted out,
"It's you, the Evil Soul Master Blood Blade!"
Lin Yun looked at the curved blade in the man's hand. It looked much like an ordinary saber, except for a dark-red blood groove running along its face and all the way to the beast's head where the blade met the hilt.
The Evil Soul Master casually tossed Ma Xiaotao, whose Soul Power had been sealed, aside, then scraped the back of his blade over his bald scalp.
"I can't believe those scruffy bastards from Shrek Academy can still recognize me, even among the younger generation."
The man seemed rather pleased that Zhang Lexuan had recognized him. He spoke smugly.
Zhang Lexuan looked grimly at Blood Blade Douluo and said in a colder tone,
"You only killed evil people back then, so Mu En spared your life and merely admonished you. But you only sank further into depravity."
Blood Blade Douluo flicked the blade and said venomously,
"Just thinking about that pisses me off. Mu En, that old bastard, that blind old mule, that scruffy old mongrel! If my Martial Soul doesn't kill people, it grows dull and turns on me, devouring my own lifespan. Was I supposed to let my Martial Soul kill me just to avoid becoming an Evil Soul Master?"
"I killed at least ten thousand evil people back then, maybe a hundred thousand, and they couldn't even give me a reward. Instead, they called me an Evil Soul Master and tried to kill me. To hell with that!"
Zhang Lexuan immediately charged forward, Soul Power shining around her.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
As she charged, the phantom of a full moon appeared and gradually darkened. It fused with Zhang Lexuan's Sixth Soul Ring, releasing a blast of black moonlight at Blood Blade.
After all, Mu En had helped her avenge her family. Blood Blade's insults had pushed Zhang Lexuan over the edge. She completely ignored the difference in their Soul Power and charged straight at him.
Blood Blade's lips curled into a cruel smile. He abruptly hurled his Blood Blade Martial Soul. Zhang Lexuan dodged to the side, and the blade whizzed past the tip of her nose.
The moment Zhang Lexuan dodged, Blood Blade Douluo rushed up to her and wrapped an arm around her neck.
"Apologize to Mu En, or I'll cripple your Soul Power and sell you to—"
Before Blood Blade could finish, a blue, jewel-like scorpion tail shot out from the side, aimed straight at his head.
The aura of the forty-thousand-year Ferocious Beast Ice Empress burst forth as well, frightening Blood Blade Douluo into dodging to the side.
The tail didn't pursue him. Instead, it wrapped around Zhang Lexuan's waist and pulled her back.
Only then did Blood Blade Douluo turn to look at Lin Yun, whom he had ignored.
A yellow diamond-shaped glow shone above Lin Yun's head, while the phantom of the Skeletal Bone Dragon appeared behind him. He reached his right hand out to the left and caught the Blood Blade between two fingers. With his left hand shaped into a sword, he controlled Ice Empress's body as she came to stand before him.
Behind Ice Empress stood more than ten skeletons forming an Undead Legion, all emanating the aura of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
Blood Blade Douluo looked at the diamond-shaped mark above Lin Yun's head, then at the phantom of the Skeletal Bone Dragon behind him.
"Are you an Evil Soul Master too? You couldn't have caught my flying blade otherwise."
Lin Yun said coldly,
"Let's each back off, or die. Here in the Extreme North, you can't beat me."
Blood Blade narrowed his eyes. He saw Snow Empress riding a white bear that also possessed the aura of a Ferocious Beast, standing beside Lin Yun.
Blood Blade stared at Lin Yun in surprise. The balance of power had shifted once again, and now he was the weaker one. Not only had his Martial Soul been disarmed, but his opponent had somehow found Soul Beasts to back him up.
After a while, Blood Blade seemed to see through the situation. He waved his hand and recalled his Blood Blade Martial Soul, then said,
"I still don't know what's going on, but you're not as strong as you look. If you had the power to kill me, you wouldn't be negotiating."
Lin Yun frowned and muttered under his breath, "Damn, what a pain in the ass." But he didn't let his imposing air falter as he said to the Evil Soul Master,
"Then let's both go down together!"
As he spoke, Lin Yun was about to use up the Soul Power he had left and fight to the death, but Blood Blade Douluo put away his Martial Soul.
"Kid, I think you should come with me. That's the best option. Otherwise, as long as you can't cripple me, you'll have made an enemy of a level-ninety-six Super Douluo."
Lin Yun looked at Blood Blade Douluo, weighing the pros and cons. Shrek really wasn't a suitable place to stay forever. His Martial Soul had no room to develop there, and most people wouldn't even give him a normal reward.
Could he keep taking advantage of Zhang Lexuan forever?
Besides, he now had a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Staying at Shrek would bring no end of gossip and trouble.
"Fine, I'll go with you. But you have to promise not to hurt the people around me who don't have Evil Martial Souls."
Blood Blade Douluo smiled, then pointed at the phantom of Lin Yun's Skeletal Bone Dragon Martial Soul.
"Don't worry. The Holy Spirit Cult values talent. With a Martial Soul like yours, you'll have a lot of influence..."
Before you continue