Qiangu Youchou Also Had Enemies

Snow and ice suddenly raged across heaven and earth.

A massive dragon claw, carrying endless pale-white frost, swept forward like a fishing net scooping up fish.

The Thunder Bird, several meters tall and looking like a chick by comparison, heard a hidden clan disciple say, "Is this Ultimate Ice? It's ridiculously powerful. The second soul skill is only a hundred-year one, yet it's already no weaker than a thousand-year skill."

The large and small Thunder Birds were scared out of their wits. They wanted to imitate the Blue Silver Grass by compressing lightning and self-destructing, only to discover that they had already been covered in frost, their movements becoming incredibly sluggish. This had already defied the laws of elemental restraint.

Before absolute power, all theory was nothing more than empty talk. It was enough to hold off a hundred enemies.

"Fourth soul skill, Dragon Breaks the Firmament."

Just as Mu Baobao was about to grab the two little birds, a dragon's roar rang out from the forest.

The mountains trembled, and the trees shook without end. A wingless, four-clawed dragon covered in scarlet scales appeared... It was completely unafraid of the aura of the Strongest Dragon that Kyurem radiated, because it was both a dragon and not a dragon. It was the Break Evil Dragon.

The Ice Dragon claw reaching forward had no choice but to change direction and swing ahead, colliding with it.

Boom!

The Break Evil Dragon bared its fangs and brandished its claws, both claws clamping tightly onto the Ice Dragon claw. Mu Baobao had never expected someone to launch a sudden attack. He knew that the old monsters of the clan were constantly watching, yet a junior had acted like this.

"Ha!"

If they had clashed head-on, he definitely would not have feared this disciple. But his soul skill had already been unleashed halfway.

Changing direction midway, if his spiritual power had not been strong enough, he would inevitably have been injured... It was still somewhat difficult to deal with, so he could only gather his Soul Power and erupt.

Even a clay figurine had some anger. He feared no challenge, and he also despised groveling.

The shockwave exploded, sweeping through a hundred-meter radius. The soul beasts all trembled in fear, afraid of being caught in the crossfire. The Ice Dragon claw and the Break Evil Dragon exploded together.

"Interesting. As expected of an Ultimate Ice Dragon."

"You suddenly changed the direction of your soul skill and could still clash with my fourth soul skill. I admire you."

The Break Evil Dragon had been inherited through who knew how many generations, and it was difficult for even one to be born in the world... Naturally, it could not be alive. Even as it shattered, strands of righteous energy gathered in a certain direction, reforming into a dragon shape coiled around a golden staff as a figure stepped out.

"Qiangu Youchou, level sixty-one assault-type Soul Emperor. Shrek student, please enlighten me."

He was a short-haired youth around the same age as the two of them, yet he was already a level sixty Soul Emperor... This was a disciple of a hidden clan. Shrek Academy producing a top-tier martial soul would already attract attention.

Yet everyone in these clans had one. At the same rank, they naturally would not lose to those so-called geniuses. He even flamboyantly carried his staff over his shoulder.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black. Six Soul Rings appeared around him. It looked like he had just obtained a Soul Ring and wanted to find someone to test its power on. The Thunder Bird father and son in the sky immediately felt as though they had been pardoned. After pecking the little Thunder Bird a few times, they flapped away and fled far into the distance.

"You bastard, have you been hidden away for so long that you don't even understand basic morality?" Ma Xiaotao glared at him, her six Soul Rings flashing continuously as well.

The Evil Fire Phoenix glared at him. The Break Evil Dragon, full of righteous energy, was not afraid of the pressure. After Mu Baobao caught his breath, he said, "I actually have quite a favorable impression of your Qiangu Clan, but unfortunately..."

"Have I earned the right to die?" Qiangu Youchou pointed the Coiling Dragon Staff forward. "My name also has enemies in it. I'm destined to be good at attracting hatred."

To be honest, those familiar four words nearly made Mu Baobao think this guy was one of his own. But apparently, this clan had merely been deeply influenced by Tang Buddha Ancestor's domineering yet sarcastic line.

"Qiangu Youchou also has enemies?"

"That's right. I love fighting. When I encounter a powerful opponent, even if it means making an enemy, I still have to fight once. So please make your move, Baobao."

Sneak attack, mockery... Qiangu Youchou was undoubtedly testing the edge of death like a madman. Even though Mu Baobao pitied the Qiangu Clan greatly.

They had been forced to submit beneath Tang Buddha Ancestor's tyranny. Naturally, that was immensely stifling. He himself had also been born into an annoying clan and academy, but people simply had no choice over their birth.

It had been so in his previous life, and it remained so now... He raised one finger and said with extreme arrogance.

"I'll defeat you in two moves."

Even Ma Xiaotao thought he had gone mad. She did not believe she could defeat this guy in a short time either. At the very least, they would have to fight for quite a while and expend some stamina.

Even if the quality of one's martial soul was superior at the same rank, it could only guarantee invincibility. He was being far too arrogant.

"Haha, I like your arrogance. The angrier you are, the more exciting the battle you'll bring me."

Qiangu Youchou wildly spun the Coiling Dragon Staff. He had to admit that the Unyielding Staff Technique was indeed impressive, but unfortunately, Qiangu Youchou had used the method Mu Baobao hated most.

He hated... being stabbed in the back.

He did not even think one move would be enough unless the gap in strength was even greater, unless it was an instant kill. Otherwise, it would feel too pathetic.

"Fifth soul skill, Sweeping Heaven and Earth!"

As Qiangu Youchou's fifth black ten-thousand-year Soul Ring flashed, the Coiling Dragon Staff in his hand seemed to lengthen several times over. It shone with endless red light and carried an unyielding momentum, as though nothing could stop it.

Ma Xiaotao activated her fourth soul skill, Phoenix Wings Soar to the Heavens, and flapped her phoenix wings to fly high into the sky.

Mu Baobao still stood where he was. As Sweeping Heaven and Earth from the Coiling Dragon Staff shattered several large trees at their waists and was about to strike him—

"Sixth soul skill, Teleportation!"

His figure vanished. Both Qiangu Youchou and Ma Xiaotao were stunned. A divine space-type skill!

An Ultimate Ice Dragon could learn it?

It did not seem strange. The Soft Bone Rabbit could learn it, so why could a dragon not? But the difference in power was worlds apart. Xiao Wu's Teleportation had a range limit.

She could only use it a few times a day, but as a divine beast, Kyurem could teleport anywhere within the range of spiritual detection. Its cooldown was practically nonexistent, and it could even bring others along.

"Where is he?!" Ma Xiaotao searched everywhere. Qiangu Youchou revealed a delighted expression. "You actually obtained such a divine skill. I'm truly too excited."

Though he spoke that way, a trace of panic still appeared on his face. The next moment, he looked directly upward.

A bipedal, gray-blue Mechanical Ice Dragon with an ice-blue spiked snout, yellow crown-like horns on its head, a massive turbine for a tail, and an energy interface on its back hovered overhead. It looked extremely modern and mechanical.

Looking down upon him, the dragon's eyes were filled with majesty. Even though the Break Evil Dragon was not truly a dragon and possessed an unyielding nature, it still trembled inwardly at that moment.

"Fifth soul skill, Psychic Force!"

Kyurem opened its mouth and roared. Its pressure fully erupted at that instant. Every soul beast in the Forest of Lightning that could hear the sound felt itself tremble.

The Qiangu Clan and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan both possessed dragon-related martial souls. Most soul beasts carried dragon bloodlines. Even without clan elders guarding them, they could still pass through. Yet there would always be people who wanted to use this opportunity to settle old grievances, so this policy had been adopted to prevent deaths and injuries.

A martial soul was, in the end, still only a martial soul.

Dragons were the pinnacle of living creatures. If a real one appeared before them, even if they were unrelated, they would still have to bow their heads in submission.

Endless snow and ice sliced through the air like blades, producing explosive booms as they gathered in midair into an enormous ice hammer, which smashed down alongside a dragon roar.

This scene was not as shocking as the giant hand grabbing chicks, yet Ma Xiaotao wore a strange expression... A Wraith Evil Soul Master had once been instantly defeated by this move, but now it looked entirely different. Its spiritual aura was completely concealed.

She remembered that there had not seemed to be any snow or ice before. After a while, realization dawned on her... This guy still had not forgotten to set traps.

"This power... even the unyielding Break Evil Dragon wants to lower its head. This is too exciting!" Qiangu Youchou laughed wildly like a madman. Those snowflakes had already cut through his skin and robes.

"Sixth soul skill, Universe Throw."

Qiangu Youchou forcefully thrust the Coiling Dragon Staff into the ground with both hands, his Soul Power erupting and scattering the surrounding snow and ice.

Bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger... Mu Baobao could not help providing the sound effects, because as Soul Power poured into it, the Coiling Dragon Staff visibly expanded.

A third of it was buried in the earth. Qiangu Youchou gripped one section with both hands, veins bulging as the Coiling Dragon Staff shot skyward and smashed toward the ice hammer.

The two weapons, each more than ten meters long, collided in midair with a heaven-shaking roar. A ring of Soul Power rippled outward, and the shock could faintly be seen across a thousand-meter radius. Qiangu Youchou even dragged the base of the staff.

Using his strength to bolster its force, he joyfully saw the ice hammer beginning to shatter piece by piece.

"Ultimate Ice is nothing special."

Qiangu Youchou shouted arrogantly. Though the Coiling Dragon Staff's radiance weakened slightly each time it shattered part of the ice hammer, it was still several times stronger. Victory was clearly decided.

After all, it was only a fifth soul skill. No matter how strong the martial soul was, could it compare to a sixth soul skill? That was what he thought.

The ice hammer shattered completely. Qiangu Youchou felt as though his life had reached a feverish peak, and he wanted to cry out in excitement. But the next moment, his eyes rolled back.

White light poured down without the freezing chill of Ultimate Ice, striking deep within his soul...

Spiritual power had not yet formed a complete system in the Peerless Tang Sect, so it was incredibly difficult for this kind of soul master to grow. At the very least, it was several times slower than other attributes.

But they were also extremely difficult to deal with. One spiritual attack could instantly defeat a group of low-level soul masters, much less this Ultimate Spirit, whose quality was fully capable of matching the Spirit Eye enhanced by the million-year Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.

Qiangu Youchou fell to the ground with his eyes rolled back. If he had not exhausted all his strength and struck the ice hammer without holding back, this would have only put him to sleep for a while.

"Unyielding doesn't mean undefeated!"

Mu Baobao said slowly. Being unyielding meant that even when facing a powerful enemy, one could still fight them... It did not mean being undefeated gave him the right to be so arrogant. Luckily, this was a hidden clan, and no one wanted his life.

Kyurem's figure even raised a dragon claw with domineering ease and pressed down. The enormous Coiling Dragon Staff, its light dimmed, shattered directly into fragments and reverted to its original form beside him. After landing, he glanced at Qiangu Youchou.

"Come participate in the Sacred Mountain Grand Competition next year. If you had invited me properly to fight, things would not have turned out this way."

He truly had enough of these young people who had been protected by their clans and never experienced a beating. Hidden clans could indeed shield them from harm, but when they eventually faced it, their mindsets would collapse. Lord Blue Star often liked to say this as well.

"Those who have never been beaten will forever believe the world is vast and their dreams are great."

That was indeed true. But that vastness and greatness were things they could never touch, even if they were crushed to pieces. Soon after Qiangu Youchou fell, an old man at the Soul Douluo level appeared. After nodding to the two of them, he took Qiangu Youchou away, just as he was on the verge of collapse.

That was also an elder's responsibility. But there would always be some people who took pleasure in others' misfortune. They did not merely want to see you beaten... they even wanted to see you unable to rise again.

The outside world was dangerous, but in the end, the most dangerous thing was... the human heart. If someone could pull him up at the very end, he would not come into this world in despair. Even if one could command wind and rain, scars would still remain.

He looked at Ma Xiaotao as she landed. Both of them put away their martial souls, concealed their auras, and blended into the forest. The Sacred Mountain Grand Competition had only just begun. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"You blind fools. If you really want to wait until next time, I don't mind granting your wish!"