Evil Soul Masters

He spoke slowly, his dark red pupils narrowing slightly. "Lian Hun, you're always too talkative. Keep it down this time. Blood Butcher, your Martial Soul is stronger on offense than defense, so don't charge to the front when the fight starts."

"So what? Zhan Li, aren't you being a little too cautious?"

Lian Hun, gaunt as a skeleton, toyed with the bone rings on his fingers and let out a cackling laugh. "The three of us can even kill a Titled Douluo if we work together. What's there to fear from a woman at Soul Douluo level, especially when she's dragging a burden around with her?"

"I didn't say I was afraid." Zhan Li spoke coolly. "I just said not to underestimate her. I want her life. She should have some decent Soul Bones on her, perfect for feeding my Martial Soul."

The black fissure between his brows suddenly widened. Dark red light poured from it, condensing in the air into a phantom eye.

The eye was oval, its central pupil slit vertically, like a snake's or a lizard's. It radiated an evil pressure that made the heart tremble.

This was his Martial Soul—the Eye of Fear.

An exceedingly rare Mutated Martial Soul, with the dual attributes of mental and curse powers.

Anyone who fought him would first have their will shattered by the mental assault of the Eye of Fear, then be slowly tortured to death by the power of its curse amid overwhelming terror.

In the Soul Master World across the continent, Martial Souls capable of directly attacking the mind were among the most troublesome.

Lian Hun licked his lips. One by one, the bone rings on his ten fingers glimmered with a ghostly light.

His Martial Soul was called the Hundred Bone Soul-Calling Banner, an exceptionally sinister tool-type Martial Soul.

Sealed inside the bone rings were fragments of the souls of hundreds of Soul Masters he had personally killed. In battle, he could summon them to fight for him.

Everyone he killed became part of his power.

The more Soul Masters he killed, the stronger he became.

Blood Butcher released his Martial Soul without a word.

His body suddenly swelled, and his already exceptionally long arms grew even thicker and more terrifying. A layer of crimson keratinous scales appeared across his skin.

His hands transformed into three enormous bone claws, wreathed in crimson baleful energy—his Martial Soul, the Blood Claw Demon Ape.

A Beast Martial Soul bearing the bloodline of an ancient Ferocious Beast, it possessed immeasurable strength and terrifying offensive power.

Among Soul Douluo of the same level, almost no one could match his strength. A single swipe of his claw could rip apart a small mountain.

All three released their Soul Rings at once.

Beneath Zhan Li's feet, eight Soul Rings revolved slowly—two yellow, three purple, and three black.

He drew a deep breath. The phantom Eye of Fear between his brows opened fully, and dark red light spread around him like a cloud of blood, shrouding the entire mountain hollow.

Something sticky and oppressive filled the air. Even the mountain breeze stopped, and the surroundings fell into absolute silence.

Just then, faint footsteps sounded at the entrance to the hollow.

Bibi Dong walked slowly inside, holding Luo Dong in her arms.

Luo Dong nestled quietly in the crook of her arm, neither crying nor fussing.

Bibi Dong's gaze swept over the three men beside the bonfire, then she stopped.

They were no more than thirty paces away.

"You all reek of blood."

"Targets confirmed."

"Die."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the system's prompt rang out in her mind. [Quest triggered: Mother's Responsibility]

[Quest objective: While eliminating evil Soul Masters, protect your precious son. He must not suffer even the slightest harm. A true powerhouse must not only be able to defeat enemies, but also protect what matters most.]

[Completion reward: Soul Ring Grant—A perfectly compatible Soul Ring will be granted based on the host's current capacity. The ring's age may be ten thousand, one hundred thousand, or even one million years, depending on the host's capacity.]

Bibi Dong glanced at the lines on the system panel, and her eyes lit up.

A Soul Ring Grant.

She was currently at Level 90, and the only thing she lacked was the Soul Ring needed to officially enter the ranks of the Titled Douluo.

If she could obtain a perfectly compatible Soul Ring of over a hundred thousand years here, her breakthrough would be no ordinary Titled Douluo advance. She would leap across several levels at once.

What was more, the system had specifically mentioned "one million years." If her body could withstand it, she might even obtain a million-year Soul Ring—a thing unheard of.

Hearing Bibi Dong's words, Zhan Li's Eye of Fear opened fully, dark red light curling around him.

He looked at Bibi Dong, a playful smile rising at the corner of his mouth.

"Bibi Dong, the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall, a peerless genius. I've heard plenty of stories about you—you're the woman with the best chance of inheriting the Pope's seat. But seeing you today, you're nothing special."

He stepped forward. The Eye of Fear between his brows abruptly shot a beam of dark red light straight at Bibi Dong's eyes.

It was the Eye of Fear's mental assault. Anyone struck by it would be swallowed by endless terrifying illusions. At best, their will would crumble; at worst, their mind would become unhinged.

He held nothing back, using his full power from the start.

He wanted to end the fight quickly.

Yet Bibi Dong didn't even blink.

The dark red light entered her eyes like a stone sinking into the sea, without stirring so much as a ripple.

Her mental strength far surpassed anything Zhan Li could imagine. A mere mental assault was nothing before her.

She didn't even release her Martial Soul. She simply stood there quietly, her gaze as calm as if she were looking at three ants.

Zhan Li's smile froze on his face.

He said nothing, only tilted his head slightly and signaled to the two men beside him.

Lian Hun moved first.

With a cackle, the ten bone rings burst into ghostly light at once. More than a hundred twisted phantoms of souls streamed from his fingertips, surging toward Bibi Dong like a vast tide.

The soul phantoms writhed and wailed, letting out ear-piercing shrieks. As they passed, even the air was corroded, leaving streaks of black.

Blood Butcher followed close behind.

He bent his knees and shot into the air like an enraged ape.

His arms nearly doubled in size as he leaped. The three massive bone claws tore through the air with a piercing whistle, slashing down at Bibi Dong from above.

The force of his push-off cracked the earth beneath his feet, leaving a pit three feet deep.

Zhan Li moved as well.

A Soul Ring lit up, and the Eye of Fear between his brows snapped open as wide as it could.

A beam of dark red light, solid as a column, shot forth.

This wasn't a simple mental assault, but the Eye of Fear's fourth Soul Skill: Curse of Fear.

The curse would erode its victim's five senses with terror, magnifying every touch into excruciating pain and twisting every light and shadow into nightmare-like illusions.

While the curse remained in effect, it would strip its target of even the ability to move normally.

Attacked from three sides, they would end the fight quickly.

Behind a pile of rocks in the distance, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Watching the battle below, he thought to himself:

Bibi Dong, just how much of your strength are you hiding? Let me see.