Stardust Rotation: Galactic Revolution

"Sixth Soul Skill: Instant Annihilation."

The Mantis Soul Emperor vanished from Lin Beiya's sight in a streak of blue-black light. Even though Lin Beiya could sense his opponent's movements, his body still wasn't fast enough to react in time.

The powerful slash struck him squarely in the chest, sending him flying before he crashed to the ground. The helmet of his Aries Gold Cloth hit the ground with a crisp metallic clang.

Lin Beiya felt pain wracking his entire body. The mantis's slash had been not only fierce but also imbued with corrosive dark energy, making his wounds difficult to heal.

This was the first time Lin Beiya had suffered such serious injuries since arriving on Douluo Continent.

"Quit staring and hurry up and finish this kid off. We don't want any trouble later."

"Yes, boss."

Seeing Lin Beiya badly wounded, the Black Tiger Soul King and Vulture Soul King immediately prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

Their Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings lit up at the same time, and together they unleashed their fifth Soul Skills.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Black Flame Charge."

"Fifth Soul Skill: Wind-Splitting Meteor."

Black-and-red flames, fanned by a raging hurricane, surged toward Lin Beiya with even greater force.

As Lin Beiya slowly struggled to his feet, his heavy body trembling, rage blazed in his heart.

He had thought he might lose to God King Tang or be struck down by Bibi Dong, but if he got taken out by a few nobodies like these, wouldn't this whole trip have been for nothing?

"You think you've already won? Go to hell!"

"Stardust Rotation: Galactic Revolution!"

Cornered and desperate, Lin Beiya's small body erupted with astonishing energy. Golden light blazed all around him, forming a miniature galaxy above his head. Countless stars gathered within it, forming small meteorites that rained down.

The golden meteorites instantly shattered the two Soul Kings' attacks, then slammed into them with unstoppable force.

"Argh!!"

Amid their anguished screams, the two Soul Kings were vaporized by the meteorites in a single second, as if they had never existed in this world.

The sight left the Mantis Soul Emperor horrified, his entire body trembling.

In his eyes, Lin Beiya had become a figure wreathed in golden light, radiating an aura both sacred and majestic.

"Y-you... what the hell are you?"

No matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he couldn't understand why a lineup of one Soul Emperor, two Soul Kings, and three Soul Ancestors had been defeated before two Soul Grandmasters.

But Lin Beiya clearly had no intention of giving him much time to think. With a wave of his hand, he summoned countless meteorites to crash down upon the man's head.

The swirling golden currents and meteorites pressed down on the Mantis Soul Emperor with tremendous force. He unleashed the Soul Skill that had just let him move at incredible speed and shot backward, quickly escaping the miniature galaxy's range.

He was like a stray dog fleeing with its tail between its legs, too terrified even to look back. He had only one thought now: escape.

Lin Beiya struggled to raise his hand, and the nebula overhead shifted direction at his command. Just as he was about to kill the Soul Emperor, a wave of weakness swept through his entire body. The next moment, he collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.

Meanwhile, the two Soul Ancestors who had been surrounding Shi Nuo heard footsteps approaching from afar and didn't dare linger. They followed their boss toward the city gates and fled.

Seeing this, the badly wounded Shi Nuo finally let go of the breath that had been keeping him upright and slumped to the ground in a sorry heap.

He looked toward his unconscious good brother in the distance, his heart full of worry.

"Bei Ya, are... are you all right?"

Footsteps drew closer. They belonged to the Spirit Hall guards on duty that night.

"Who dares cause trouble in Spirit City?"

"I... I'm Shi Nuo, a fourth-year student at Spirit Academy. The one over there is Lin Beiya, His Holiness the Pope's disciple. We were attacked. Please report this to the Pope at once and send for a Healing Soul Master."

The captain of the guards was visibly shocked by Shi Nuo's words, and immediately understood how serious the situation was. An attack on the Pope's disciple in Spirit City was no laughing matter.

He had heard of Lin Beiya. Though he couldn't make out the face of the child lying in the distance, the boy's build perfectly matched that of the Pope's disciple.

"Understood. I'll report this to the Pope right away."

He assigned two guards to carry Lin Beiya and Shi Nuo, then immediately hurried toward Spirit Hall. The remaining guards began pursuing the direction Shi Nuo had pointed out, hoping to capture the assailants.

"What? How dare they! This is an open challenge to me, the Pope!"

"Investigate this. Find out who had the nerve to do it."

Hearing the guard captain's report, Bibi Dong flew into a rage. She had only just taken Lin Beiya as her disciple, and already someone dared attack him right in Spirit City. It was sheer insolence.

The murderous aura pouring from Bibi Dong made the guard captain tremble all over. His lips quivered as he spoke:

"Y-yes, Your Holiness. I'll send men to search Spirit City for the assailants immediately."

"Also... it seems your disciple has been injured."

Bibi Dong waved for the guard captain to leave and get to work. She would decide the rest herself.

"I know. Leave Bei Ya to me. Send men to capture the assailants at once."

"Yes."

Relieved as if a great burden had lifted from his shoulders, the captain hurriedly saluted and left Pope Hall.

After taking a moment to calm down, Bibi Dong sighed quietly.

She had more or less guessed who had ordered the attack on Lin Beiya. But as she'd said before, her position was still shaky, and she had yet to break through to the Titled Douluo level. For now, she had to prioritize stability.

Taking on Demon Bear was probably out of the question, but a warning was still necessary. Otherwise, what would become of her authority?

As for whether Lin Beiya would hold a grudge against her, she didn't give it much thought.

After all, their master-disciple relationship was only a matter of mutual benefit.

She wanted to use Lin Beiya's reputation to secure her position and see whether his future Sacred Cloth could replace her ugly Martial Soul and help her fight.

Lin Beiya, meanwhile, sought the position of Saint Son and wanted to help Qian Renxue hold on to her status.

They were simply taking what they each needed. She trusted he wouldn't be so tactless as to try anything underhanded.

She ordered a Healing Soul Master to come to Pope Hall and treat Lin Beiya and Shi Nuo. Several dozen minutes after the Healing Spirit Saint entered Lin Beiya's room, the healer emerged.

"Your Holiness, Lin Beiya is fine. The healing treatment has already taken care of most of his injuries."

"As for his fainting from exhausted Soul Power, a few days of rest should be enough."

"I understand. Thank you for your hard work."

Bibi Dong had summoned an employee in the middle of the night, but still maintained the Pope's composure and offered the Soul Saint a few words of encouragement.

After the healer took his leave, Bibi Dong turned her gaze to Shi Nuo, who was standing nearby, gazing at Lin Beiya's room with a worried expression.

"Your name is Shi Nuo, right? You and Bei Ya both came from the North City Orphanage."

"Huh?"

"Yes, yes, Your Holiness. Bei Ya will be all right, won't he?"

Bibi Dong smiled faintly and reassured him:

"Don't worry. Bei Ya's injuries aren't serious. He's only exhausted his Soul Power. A few days of rest will be enough."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Seeing that his brother was all right, Shi Nuo jumped up in delight, only to tug at the wound on his back and grimace in pain.

"All right, you need to rest too. Don't make any sudden movements, or your wound may reopen."

"Now, can you tell me what happened?"