"Heh..." Xia Ming shook out his wrist and sneered. "Evil Soul Master, is that all you've got?"
Bloodshot veins abruptly spread through the black-robed man's eyes, and a wounded beast-like growl rose from his throat. The bloody aura around him grew increasingly dense.
"You little bastard... you're courting death!"
He slowly raised his uninjured left hand, and his third purple Soul Ring suddenly shone brightly.
"Third Soul Skill—Blood Bat Soul Devour!"
"Puff puff puff puff—"
In an instant, countless blood-colored bats swarmed out from beneath his black robes!
Each was only the size of a palm, yet they possessed scarlet compound eyes and sharp venomous fangs.
As their wings beat, they scattered corrosive blood mist and descended upon Xia Ming like an overwhelming tide!
Wherever they passed, the ground hissed as dense pits were corroded into it.
Touch them, and you would rot; be stained by them, and you would collapse!
Yet Xia Ming's gaze was ice-cold, and he paid no heed to the bats filling the sky!
He stomped heavily on the ground.
"Boom!"
The ground cracked, and shattered stones flew everywhere!
Borrowing the terrifying explosive force brought by his two Soul Skills, he became a golden arrow that tore through the air, charging straight through the swarm of blood bats toward the Evil Soul Master himself!
"What?!" The black-robed Evil Soul Master's pupils contracted sharply.
He watched several blood bats land on Xia Ming's shoulders and arms.
Yet their venomous fangs could not even pierce his skin!
Physical attacks? Break through my defense first!
"Something's wrong with your defense!" the Evil Soul Master finally cried out in horror.
Only now did he truly realize how strange the youth before him was.
His strength was enough to send a Soul Saint flying with one punch, while even the blood bats' venomous corrosion could not harm his defense in the slightest!
"What Martial Soul is this?!"
But he had no time to think further.
Heaven Dou City was filled with experts these days. Although this was the outskirts, the collision of Soul Power just now had likely already drawn attention!
If he delayed any longer, he would undoubtedly die!
"You forced my hand..." A hoarse, crazed murmur came from beneath the black robes.
The next moment, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by the savage ferocity of a desperate gamble!
His pitch-black seventh Soul Ring burst into light!
"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul Avatar!"
"Roar—!"
A shriek so piercing it no longer sounded human exploded through the air!
His black robes instantly shattered, revealing a skeletal, emaciated body beneath.
A pair of black fleshy wings spread from his back, spanning more than five meters!
His skin turned blue-black, his nails lengthened into hooks, and fangs protruded from his mouth.
His original black bat Martial Soul had now completely fused with his physical body.
The full eruption of a Soul Saint-level Evil Soul Master seemed to freeze the air within a hundred meters, filling it with a suffocating aura of death.
"To force me to use my Martial Soul Avatar... boy, you have every reason to be proud."
He stared fixedly at Xia Ming, his hoarse voice seeming to emerge from hell itself.
"Now, let me taste what the blood of a genius like you is like."
Before his words had even faded, the Evil Soul Master's fifth and sixth black Soul Rings erupted with dazzling light at the same time!
The shattered stones on the ground silently turned to dust, while even the remaining trees in the distance rapidly withered and died.
The Evil Soul Master's strangeness and power were fully revealed at this moment!
If an ordinary Soul Grandmaster had been here, forget fighting.
The mere pressure, infused with mental erosion, would have been enough to scatter their Soul Power.
But Xia Ming had activated the Domination Domain long ago.
Forget the pressure of a Soul Saint—even the Golden Dragon King's bloodline could not affect him!
As for mental erosion?
A vertical eye flickered faintly into view between Xia Ming's brows.
His spiritual power was now even stronger than that of spiritual-type Soul Masters of the same level!
Facing the Evil Soul Saint, whose aura had climbed to its peak and who was clearly going all out,
Xia Ming showed no fear. Instead, a blazing fighting spirit ignited in his eyes.
He neither dodged nor retreated. He intended to meet him head-on, attack against attack!
"Come!"
His low shout cracked across the silent battlefield like thunder.
The next moment, he shot forward, transforming into a golden meteor as he actively crashed into that surging blood-colored figure!
"Boom—!"
The two collided.
The Evil Soul Saint's all-out strike in his Martial Soul Avatar state carried immense Soul Power and sinister corrosive properties, sweeping forward like raging waves in a Sea of Blood.
The reddish-gold patterns on Xia Ming's body shook violently, producing a string of fine cracking sounds.
For the first time in this battle, his defense was truly broken.
"Pfft!"
A cold, bloody strand of Soul Power penetrated his body.
The flesh on his left shoulder split open. The moment blood flowed out, it turned dark purple, while the flesh around the wound visibly blackened at a rapid pace.
Just then—
"Buzz—"
A pure and vast force of light, as though it could cleanse every impurity in the world, descended like a heavenly river without warning and enveloped the entire battlefield!
The black aura in Xia Ming's shoulder wound, which had been rapidly corroding his body, instantly evaporated like snow beneath the blazing sun.
His flesh writhed and healed, leaving only a faint red mark in the blink of an eye.
As for the Evil Soul Saint opposite him—
"Argh—!" He let out an incomparably miserable scream.
Even his Martial Soul Avatar state was forcibly suppressed by that power of light!
He staggered backward, his Soul Power scattering as boundless terror completely consumed his heart.
Such a degree of light power had to belong to at least a light-attribute Title Douluo! It might even be stronger!
There were only a handful of figures like that on the entire continent.
Considering the other party's age and talent, could it be Shrek Academy's Bright Phoenix Douluo?
If Xia Ming knew what he was thinking, he would surely laugh.
Bright Phoenix Douluo Yan Shaozhe was indeed not here, but the one who had come was his teacher, Dragon God Douluo Mu En!
Space rippled slightly, and a somewhat stooped figure silently appeared at Xia Ming's side.
Mu En did not spare the Evil Soul Master collapsed on the ground so much as a glance.
His gaze fell upon Xia Ming's already healed shoulder wound, and a trace of lingering shock flashed through the depths of his eyes.
"You did very well."
"Against some weaker Soul Saints, you might truly be able to defeat them."
"However, you must remember not to underestimate other Soul Saints because of this," he said sternly.
"This Evil Soul Master does not excel at breaking through defenses. His main means of attack is corrosion, so naturally he found it difficult to break your defense."
"But against strength-type Soul Saints, with your current Soul Power Level, it will still be very difficult for you to defend against them."
"I understand, Master." Xia Ming nodded solemnly.
Of course, he would not become smug because of today's battle.
His opponent had been completely countered by him, which was why the fight had been so stifling.
Otherwise, even an ordinary Soul Douluo might have been caught off guard and killed by that man's corrosive abilities.
Even so, after activating his Martial Soul Avatar, his opponent had gained the ability to threaten him.
If Mu En had not intervened and the battle had continued, Xia Ming knew he would have found it difficult to win.
"I'm still too weak." He laughed at himself.
Of course, if anyone else heard those words, they would likely curse him out in fury.
He had awakened his Martial Soul only a year ago, his Soul Power Level was merely thirty, and he had not even obtained his third Soul Ring yet.
Yet he could already fight a Soul Saint. Could that possibly be called weak?
A barely noticeable smile appeared in Mu En's eyes, but he said nothing more. He merely raised his gaze toward the ashen-faced Evil Soul Master.
Before you continue