Wood Barrier Formation

The trap was sprung!

On the arena, Li Han's attitude toward Xu Ding cut him to the quick.

He was nothing but an untried genius, yet he dared speak to him like that. He was utterly lawless.

"You could've just said that from the start. Why keep spouting all that polite nonsense?"

Hearing the mockery in Li Han's words, Xu Ding's face darkened.

"Brat! You really don't know what's good for you!

"You think the Dragon-Snake Family can protect you?

"A family whose strongest member is only a Soul Douluo can be wiped out by my Spirit Hall with a flick of the finger!

"You gravely injured a core disciple of my Spirit Hall. That alone is a capital crime!

"Even if this matter gets out, no one will stick their neck out for you.

"Besides, no one here will know I killed you!"

"Got it. Shall we get straight to it?

"Are you attacking first, or am I?"

Li Han picked at his ear, looking impatient.

Seeing how utterly unafraid he was, Xu Ding grew suspicious instead.

He looked around, searching for anyone who might show up.

But the area was deserted. There wasn't a soul in sight.

"Relax. There really isn't anyone within three thousand meters."

Li Han saw Xu Ding's confusion and cleared it up for him.

"What the hell are you planning?"

Xu Ding didn't understand. He kept asking questions.

"It's simple. Today, either you stay here, or I do.

"Isn't that what you said?"

"With the cultivation of a Soul Grandmaster, you think you can stand against me, a Battle Soul Emperor at level sixty-one?

"Hahahaha!

"Brat, don't tell me you think that because you beat Yan despite the gap in rank, you're invincible?"

Xu Ding made no effort to hide his scorn. He thought Li Han was an idiot.

"If I don't try, how will I know?

"Besides, I've been looking for someone to practice on. You'll do nicely.

"You're quite the fine whetstone."

Li Han looked Xu Ding up and down, as though sizing up prey.

That look instantly sent Xu Ding into a blazing rage.

"Good, good, good! What a fool! Since you insist, I'll show you just how terrifying a Soul Emperor can be!

"Martial Soul, awaken!"

Xu Ding bellowed. A Rock Turtle appeared behind him, its eyes bloodred and its body a dusky yellow.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings appeared, bringing with them a powerful pressure.

"So this is a Soul Emperor? That pressure really is impressive."

Li Han's gaze swept quickly over Xu Ding. His terrifying aura put him under considerable pressure, but it was still within what he could bear.

If I fought him head-on, I really wouldn't be a match for him right now.

But since he gave me time to prepare, he's the one who's out of luck.

At the thought, a playful smile appeared at the corner of Li Han's mouth.

"Brat, you've run out of chances!

"Die! Third Soul Skill: Earth Split Impact!"

Xu Ding punched the ground. In an instant, countless cracks split the earth and raced toward Li Han.

Li Han pushed off with one foot and instantly activated Smoke-Drifting Steps, landing in a nearby tree.

"Don't think you can dodge my Soul Skill that easily!"

Xu Ding roared. The cracks in the ground spread beneath the tree.

Then, with a boom, the tree exploded!

At the last possible moment, Li Han used Smoke-Drifting Steps to evade the blast's shock wave. He landed on the ground on all fours, like a spider.

"The third Soul Skill of a Soul Emperor really is nothing like the third Soul Skill of a Soul Elder.

"This guy's far stronger than Yan."

Li Han looked at the ground, now utterly devastated, and sighed.

"Brat, scared now? Go on, tremble!

"Let me savor the pleasure of hunting a genius!

"Hahahaha!"

Xu Ding laughed maniacally. Li Han curled his lip.

"Psychopath."

Li Han glanced around. The Array Flags he had just set up were all in place.

"About time. Let's have some fun with this Soul Emperor."

Li Han immediately pulled an Array Disk from his robes and slammed it against the ground.

"Wood Barrier Formation!"

The Wood Barrier Formation was a wood-element offensive formation that could control the plants within its range and make them attack.

It was a formation Li Han had only recently comprehended and successfully crafted. Its power was considerable.

The next moment, violent fluctuations of Soul Power surged through the area, and the wood-element aura grew thick.

"What's going on?"

Xu Ding sensed something was wrong at once and looked around.

The trees seemed to have come alive, their branches thrashing wildly.

As for Li Han, he had vanished from where he stood without Xu Ding noticing when.

"Brat! Get out here!"

Xu Ding shouted, but Li Han ignored him.

Whoosh!

A branch lashed out at Xu Ding.

Xu Ding reacted swiftly and dodged at once.

But that was only the beginning.

As soon as the first branch struck, countless others began whipping about, all of them lashing against Xu Ding.

Faced with an endless number of branches, Xu Ding knew there was no way he could dodge them all.

"Second Soul Skill: Rock Turtle Possession!"

A dusky-yellow turtle shell appeared over Xu Ding's body. The branches struck it and snapped, unable to inflict any real damage.

"Brat! I don't know what kind of trick this is, but this alone won't hurt me."

Xu Ding sneered.

Hidden from sight, Li Han watched in silence.

That turtle shell really is tough. It looks like the Wood Barrier Formation's basic attacks can't hurt him.

Then it's time for the next phase!

"Wood Kill!"

Li Han sent a spell toward the Array Disk. The disk spun rapidly, and the Array Flags all around it responded.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

All the leaves on the trees within the formation fell away and turned into Willow Leaf Flying Daggers, streaking toward Xu Ding.

That wasn't all. The trees transformed into arrows, which shot toward him one after another.

For a moment, attacks poured down from all directions. Xu Ding's expression changed.

"What kind of technique is this? How can it launch an attack on such a massive scale?"

Countless attacks struck the dusky-yellow turtle shell. Even with its astonishing defensive power, it reached its limit in an instant.

Shaken, Xu Ding immediately activated his fourth Soul Skill.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Rock Turtle Shield!"

Four dusky-yellow shields appeared, forming a barrier that completely enclosed Xu Ding.

All the Willow Leaf Flying Daggers and Tree Wood Arrows were blocked outside, ringing against the shields with sharp clinks.

"So he's a defensive type. He's used three Soul Skills, and two of them are defensive.

"He'll be hard to kill.

"But I never planned on killing a Soul Emperor with the Wood Barrier Formation alone.

"As long as I can wear him down, that's enough."

Li Han was like a hunter lurking in the night, quietly waiting for his prey to tire.

Xu Ding soon realized the same thing.

Under this all-encompassing assault, his Soul Power was dropping rapidly.

If this stalemate continued, he would truly be in danger.

"Such a bizarre technique couldn't possibly be a Soul Skill.

"Even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill wouldn't be this astonishing.

"How is he doing this?

"Could it be a Soul Bone Skill?"

Xu Ding felt as if his entire worldview had been turned upside down.

But this was clearly no time to dwell on it.

He had to find Li Han as soon as possible and break out of this predicament.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Ten Thousand Rock Blast!"