A shrill scream still echoed deep in the alley. Before the stench of blood had even faded, three sinister, ghostlike shadows slowly emerged from the darkness at the far end, their bodies wrapped in an icy deathly aura that seemed impossible to dispel.
Two three-ring Soul Elders and one four-ring Soul Ancestor. Their Soul Power was murky and sinister, and a ravenous, savage malice seeped from their flesh. They were the Evil Soul Masters who had just been committing atrocities in the streets.
The three turned their gazes and immediately fixed on Su Ming, who was strolling toward them from the other end of the alley.
He wore a spotless white robe, and his steps were unhurried and light. It was as if he hadn't entered a blood-soaked den of chaos, but were strolling along the quiet path in his own backyard, so at ease that he stood out against the surrounding panic and deathly silence.
But when he spoke, his voice was as cold and sharp as a blade.
"You dare call yourselves Soul Masters? You're nothing but a pack of man-eating curs, filthy wretches soaked in blood!"
"You've committed countless evils and abandoned every shred of decency, slaughtering innocent civilians. Even if you died ten thousand times, it wouldn't be enough to atone for your crimes!"
"You hide in the dark and ambush ordinary people. What kind of ability is that? You're nothing but maggots crawling out of a sewer, worthless trash who'll never amount to anything!"
Each furious insult struck a sore spot, every word like a needle piercing the three Evil Soul Masters.
The trio, who had been wantonly wreaking havoc, abruptly froze. They whipped around, their pairs of eyes glowing a sinister dark red as they glared at Su Ming. Their faces twisted with humiliation, and their killing intent nearly spilled over.
"Little brat, you're young, but you sure have a big mouth!" The four-ring Evil Soul Master leading them let out a sinister grin. "You dare meddle in the Holy Sect's affairs? You must be tired of living!"
His gaze turned cold, and he signaled for the two three-ring Soul Elders beside him to attack first.
Two bursts of sinister Soul Power erupted. Ink-black soul mist swept through the entire alley in an instant. The wind howled, and poisonous fog billowed toward Su Ming, bringing with it a stench that corroded the soul.
Su Ming's gaze turned icy.
His white robes stirred without a breeze as pure, blazing silver-white holy light suddenly surged around him. It was supremely yang and supremely strong, driving back the surrounding yin energy step by step.
He raised his eyes, his voice thundering through the alley as he spoke each word clearly:
"Snow Mastiff Armor—combine!"
"Golden Shadow protects me! Snow Mastiff, descend!"
Buzz—!
Blinding silver-white and golden light, as dazzling as the blazing sun, exploded into the sky. Heavy, sharp armor took shape from thin air, covering him inch by inch.
Silver-white was its main color, outlined with dark gold and deep blue. Its pauldrons bore the imposing shape of a mastiff's head, and its chestplate was as heavy as divine iron. With its hard, sharp lines, the Snow Mastiff Armor—the ultimate powerhouse among the Five Light and Shadow Armors—had fully appeared.
A sacred pressure that suppressed all evil and purified every defilement burst outward. The sinister mist, resentment, and poison filling the alley swiftly dissolved beneath it, and even the air grew clearer.
The three Evil Soul Masters' faces changed dramatically, their pupils contracting.
They realized in horror that the one standing before them wasn't an ordinary young Soul Master at all, but an ancient divine armored beast descended from the light, a slayer of evil spirits throughout the world.
"Oh no! There's something strange about this brat!"
"Die!"
The four-ring Evil Soul Master was both enraged and alarmed. Daring no longer to hold back, he lunged at Su Ming's head with iron-black soul claws that shrieked as they tore through the air.
The two three-ring Evil Soul Masters frantically unleashed their Soul Skills at the same time. Bone blades cut through the air, vengeful spirits shrieked, and poisonous fog roiled. The three dark forces converged on one point, intent on erasing the white-robed youth who had appeared out of nowhere.
But before the Snow Mastiff Armor, all of this was no more than fireflies trying to outshine the sun and moon.
The Snow Mastiff Armor was the strongest in raw power among the Five Light and Shadow Armors. Its close-quarters strength, explosive power, and destructive force were unrivaled among its peers. Its defense was second only to the Black Rhino Armor, and its resistance to blows was peerless. It crushed every opponent with absolute strength—fierce, steady, and domineering, it was the most reassuring heavy assault force on the battlefield.
The three Evil Soul Masters' Soul Skills, attacks, claws, and poison fog all slammed into Su Ming.
Bang, bang, bang, bang—
The thunderous impacts rang one after another, and dust billowed everywhere.
Yet Su Ming stood motionless where he was. He hadn't even shifted his feet by half a step.
Light flowed across the Snow Mastiff Armor. Every trace of evil power crumbled on contact, unable to leave so much as a mark.
He lowered his head and glanced at the three men, their faces stricken with terror. His voice was as cold as ice:
"You dare act arrogant just because you know a few crooked, evil arts? Before me, you're less than ants!"
"Demons wearing human skin, today I'll personally send you filthy things to the afterlife!"
The three Evil Soul Masters were scared out of their wits.
They couldn't even break through their opponent's defenses with their full-strength attacks. What kind of Soul Master was he? He was clearly a humanoid beast, rampaging straight through everything!
The same thought flashed through all three of their minds: escape!
But how could Su Ming let them flee and continue bringing disaster to the world elsewhere?
He moved in a flash, so quickly that only a silver-white blur remained.
In the next instant, he was before the four-ring Evil Soul Master.
He threw a punch without any flourish, unleashing only the purest, most violent golden power.
"Boom—!!"
Domineering golden force exploded. The four-ring Evil Soul Master managed only half a scream before every bone in his body shattered. His Soul Ring dimmed and crumbled in an instant, and he flew backward like a broken sack, crashing hard against the wall before slamming to the ground. He didn't move again.
Su Ming didn't pause. He turned sideways, twisted his waist, and swept out with a kick.
A fierce golden gust swept through like a giant blade that cut down evil, and the air itself burst with a sharp boom.
The two three-ring Evil Soul Masters had watched their leader die in a single blow and were already scared out of their wits. They hurriedly tried to gather their Soul Skills to defend themselves, but didn't even get the chance to raise their hands.
The two figures were struck one after the other. Their protective Soul Power shattered instantly, and they crashed to the ground like kites with severed strings, rolling several meters before twitching a few times and falling silent. Their Soul Rings completely disintegrated.
From the first attack to the end, the entire clash lasted no more than a few short breaths.
Before Su Ming, the three Evil Soul Masters hadn't even managed a single decent counterattack.
The evil power, dark arts, and Soul Skills they'd prided themselves on were no match for the Snow Mastiff Armor's supremely yang and supremely strong power of light. They were utterly crushed and swept away like dead leaves before a gale.
Su Ming walked forward at an unhurried pace, his silver-white armor gleaming in the dim alley, majestic and cold.
He looked down at the defiled creatures who had long since lost their lives. His voice was piercingly cold, each word delivered like a judgment from heaven:
"You slaughter the innocent, devour living beings, and cast aside your humanity—and you dare call yourselves Soul Masters?"
"There's no place in this world for your dark evil. The righteous energy of heaven and earth will not spare the world's demons."
"You ran into me today. You don't even deserve the chance to beg for mercy!"
As his words fell, he raised a fist. Golden light burst forth in a violent explosion, directly shattering the last traces of evil soul essence within the three bodies.
The shrill screams ceased for good, and the three sinful auras vanished completely.
The alley returned to deathly silence. Only a strand of golden light, slowly fading away amid the wreckage, bore witness to the battle that had just crushed evil beneath its heel.
"Why are you still standing there? It's over." Su Ming glanced at the panicked civilians. They hurriedly thanked him, then ran off.
"Ah, the civilians of the Peerless Tang Sect really are pitiful. Even a place like Star Luo City has been infiltrated this badly. Looks like I'll have to find a chance to rebuild the Capital of Slaughter and lock this pack of scum together so they can kill each other."