A Moment of Crisis

"Demon Bear's people?"

Looking at the few men wearing savage grins, Lin Beiya identified them without changing expression.

Sure enough, at the mention of Demon Bear, a flicker of hesitation appeared in their eyes, but it quickly vanished.

But how could any of that escape Lin Beiya's notice? He was now certain who had sent them.

"Enough talk. Get them, boys. Kill the two brats."

"Yeah!"

At the thin-faced leader's command, the five men behind him released their Martial Souls one after another. Three Soul Ancestors and two Soul Kings—their lineup sent the brothers' hearts sinking to the bottom.

No matter how confident he was, Lin Beiya had never imagined he could defeat two Soul Kings with his current strength.

"Looks like you've been waiting for us for quite a while. How thoughtful."

The two had decided on the spur of the moment to visit Spirit City and unwind from the tedium of cultivation. Since their enemies had managed to lie in wait for them so precisely, they must have been watching for some time.

But knowing how much was at stake in this Assassination Operation, the group had no intention of wasting words. They were not far from Spirit Hall, and once a fight broke out, the guards would soon notice. If they failed to kill Lin Beiya before then, all their efforts would come to nothing.

"Go! Hurry it up."

At the gaunt man's command, the five who had released their Martial Souls rushed forward and attacked the brothers.

Lin Beiya instantly summoned the Crystal Wall in front of them, then turned to Shi Nuo at his side.

"Fatty, handle the three Soul Ancestors. If you can, break through and get away first."

"No... I..."

Shi Nuo immediately tried to refuse, but Lin Beiya quickly raised a hand to stop him.

"Go back to Spirit Hall and bring reinforcements. They won't be able to take me down for a while."

"Th-this... all right... fine."

Time was of the essence. Fatty had no time to consider whether Lin Beiya's words were true, so he could only trust him on instinct.

When he turned to face the enemy again, the three Soul Ancestors were already glaring menacingly. For his good friend's sake, he was ready to fight to the death.

Now that Lin Beiya's cultivation had improved, attacks from Soul Ancestors were no longer enough to break through the Crystal Wall's defenses. But the enemy still had two Soul Kings, as well as the gaunt man watching from behind without joining the fight. Anyone capable of commanding these people was surely at least a Soul King.

Daring not to lower his guard for an instant, Lin Beiya poured all his Soul Power into the Crystal Wall.

The Soul Ancestor charging at the front quickly reached him and swung the Meteor Hammers in both hands down at Lin Beiya.

But the scene he had imagined—Lin Beiya, with only Soul Grandmaster cultivation, being smashed into a pulp—never came to pass. The light curtain before him rippled, then blazed brilliantly, returning the Meteor Hammers' force in full.

A tremendous force struck. The Soul Ancestor couldn't dodge in time and took the blow to the chest, flying backward like a kite with its string cut.

The thin-faced leader behind him looked horrified. Then, his voice grave, he said, "Don't hold back. If we don't finish this quickly, we're all done for."

"Yes, boss!"

They had thought the Soul Ancestor who'd been sent flying would be enough to deal with the brothers, so the two Soul Kings hadn't rushed to act. Now, it seemed they could no longer stand by and watch.

A black-haired Soul King roared, his voice coming from behind them, and lit up the fourth purple Soul Ring on his Black Tiger Martial Soul.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Black Flame Tiger Roar!"

A wave of sound mixed with fiery energy poured down on the Crystal Wall, and the surface instantly surged like a raging sea.

Seeing his companion and the enemy locked in a stalemate, the other Soul King, whose Martial Soul was a Vulture, could no longer sit still. He lit up his fourth Soul Ring, soared into the sky, then plunged toward Lin Beiya at terrifying speed.

The collision, combined with the tiger's roar, instantly brought the Crystal Wall to the brink of collapse. At this critical moment, Lin Beiya gave Shi Nuo a look.

Shi Nuo understood at once. He sprang toward the two Soul Ancestors farther away, and the first and second Soul Rings on his body lit up together. His aura surged.

"Great Horn!"

While running, Shi Nuo clasped his hands together and thrust them forward. A colossal phantom Golden Bull charged at the two Soul Ancestors with the force of a conquering army.

The two couldn't understand how a Soul Grandmaster could unleash such a terrifying attack. Caught off guard, they could only use defensive measures to withstand it.

As Shi Nuo clashed with the two Soul Ancestors, the Crystal Wall before Lin Beiya scattered into specks of starlight and vanished into the air.

The Black Tiger Soul King's flaming roar did not lose momentum and continued toward Lin Beiya, while the Vulture Soul King circled around behind him at tremendous speed.

Relying on his exceptional senses, Lin Beiya dodged both their attacks in succession. Then he raised his hands and unleashed the "Starlight Extinction" he had already charged up at the Vulture Soul King behind him.

Lin Beiya had chosen the Vulture Soul King in midair for a reason. Even if the attack missed, its dazzling starlight could alert the Spirit Hall guards that a fight was taking place here.

The lean man beside them clearly understood this too. As he watched the starlight streak skyward after his Vulture companion dodged it, panic flashed through his eyes.

"Damn it! That brat's trying to make a scene and attract reinforcements."

"We can't let this go on."

The lean man knew perfectly well that time was not on their side. Their only way out was to kill Lin Beiya and his companion quickly and leave at once.

As an Emerald Mantis appeared, the lean man finally decided to join the fight.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings showed that he was a Soul Emperor.

He didn't go help the Vulture and Black Tiger Soul Kings take down Lin Beiya. Instead, he hurried behind Shi Nuo, who was attacking their other two companions like a madman.

"Watch out, Fatty!"

"Die, brat! Fourth Soul Skill—Holy Mantis Slash!"

Lin Beiya's warning made Shi Nuo's blood run cold. By the time he tried to react, the Soul Emperor's slash had already reached his back. Blood sprayed through the air as Shi Nuo was hurled nearly ten meters away by the terrifying force.

Fortunately, the Great Strength Demon Bull was naturally astonishingly tough, and he was also wearing the Taurus Gold Cloth. Otherwise, the sharp mantis blades would have pierced through his back.

His life was not in danger, but he was badly injured and could no longer fight.

The Mantis Soul Emperor clearly understood this. He left the wounded Shi Nuo to the two Soul Ancestor companions, then immediately turned and pounced on Lin Beiya.

Lin Beiya was consumed by rage. Shi Nuo was the first friend he had made since coming to Douluo Continent, and seeing him badly injured because of him filled Lin Beiya with guilt.

"You're all dead!"

"Starlight Extinction!"

Blinding starlight erupted from Lin Beiya. Unlike his earlier attack on the Vulture Soul King, which had focused on a single point, this time the stars scattered, their trajectories impossible to predict. The three were quickly forced to switch from offense to defense. None of them was a pure defensive Soul Master, and none dared risk taking the boy's desperate counterattack head-on.

Countless stars soon left countless tiny holes of light across their bodies, but none of the wounds were fatal.

Unwilling to let the fight drag on, the Mantis Soul Emperor immediately lit up his second and fifth Soul Rings. A layer of black aura spread over the already gleaming blades of his mantis arms, and his speed increased tremendously.