Encountering Xue Beng in Heaven Dou City

The invisible pressure became almost tangible as it instantly enveloped the soldiers. The soldier felt an enormous force bearing down on him; his legs went limp, and with a thud, he dropped to his knees. The longsword in his hand clanged onto the stone road with a crisp ring.

"Y-you... who are you?!"

The bearded soldier's face went deathly pale. Trembling, he drew the sword at his waist, his voice full of terror.

Shen Lian remained unmoved. He stepped between them, his robes brushing past the soldiers' cheeks and bringing with them a bone-chilling cold.

The commoners by the city gate cast him awed looks, whispering among themselves, "That man must be a powerful soul master."

Shen Lian looked over the orderly rows of buildings within the city, a cold smile curling across his lips.

From the disorder at this insignificant city gate checkpoint alone, he had already caught a glimpse of the Heaven Dou Empire's corruption under Spirit Hall's interference.

It seems this trip to the Imperial City will certainly yield something.

Shen Lian thought to himself as he strode resolutely into the city.

Having stepped onto the bluestone streets of Heaven Dou Imperial City, Shen Lian had yet to properly take in the elaborate pavilions lining the street when a glaringly bright yellow figure suddenly swept out of a vermilion-lacquered carriage.

Gold-inlaid jade boots landed heavily three steps before him. The four-clawed python embroidered on the youth's black brocade robe fluttered sharply with his movements.

"Kid, I saw you acting awfully arrogant just now."

A nasal rebuke, reeking of alcohol, struck him head-on.

Shen Lian raised his eyes and met a pair of slightly drunken peach-blossom eyes. The youth held a gem-studded folding fan, while the eastern pearl on his crown swayed lightly. Behind him, six guards in black armor spread out in a fan formation, the swords at their waists gleaming coldly beneath the sunlight.

The street fell silent at once. Merchants hurriedly gathered their wares and hid in their shops, while pedestrians pressed against the walls and detoured around them.

Shen Lian's gaze swept over the chi-patterned jade pendant at the youth's waist, a symbol of the royal family. Combined with his knowledge of the original story, he instantly guessed the man's identity, and a mocking curve lifted at his lips.

"The Fourth Prince must be terribly busy every day. You still have time to meddle in a passerby's business?"

Xue Beng's folding fan snapped open. The two characters for "Carefree" on its surface trembled with the motion, concealing the flash of vigilance in his eyes.

This soul master, who looked so young, had recognized him at a glance?

Could he be one of Xue Qinghe's men too?

Yet the playboy habits he had cultivated over years of disguise quickly restored his frivolous manner. He lifted Shen Lian's chin with his fan.

"This prince's territory means I make the rules. You frightened my gate guards to tears. Shouldn't you offer some compensation?"

Before his words had even faded, the guards behind him drew their longswords, their blades tracing a half-arc of cold light beside Shen Lian's neck.

Xue Beng narrowed his eyes, waiting for the ugly sight of his opponent panicking and begging for mercy.

This was a scene he performed every day as part of his playboy act. Watching those who claimed to be lofty bow their heads before power allowed him, for a moment, to forget the miserable deaths of his eldest and third brothers, and the terror of waking in the dead of night with his neck turning cold.

Yet Shen Lian merely chuckled and released his aura.

Xue Beng's pupils contracted sharply. He clearly felt an oppressive force rush toward him, one powerful enough to crush both him and his guards. The folding fan in his hand cracked apart, and cold sweat seeped into his palm.

Just as the cold sweat in Xue Beng's palm soaked the broken fan ribs, hurried footsteps and the clash of metal suddenly rang out from the distant street.

More than twenty guards clad in black armor adorned with gold advanced like dark clouds, long spears in hand. The jade tablet at their leader's waist reflected the cold gleam of the words "City Defense Guard" in the sunlight.

Xue Beng suddenly turned around. Seeing the prominent royal emblems on the guards' chests, an unhealthy flush instantly rose over his pale face.

"Kid, you're dead!"

Xue Beng laughed maniacally. Sparks burst from the broken fan ribs between his fingers as he continued shouting at Shen Lian.

"This prince will make you understand the consequences of opposing me!"

Then Xue Beng shouted to his six guards.

"Our reinforcements are here! Get up there and deal with him!"

The six personal guards exchanged glances, and vicious light reignited in their eyes.

With the roar of Martial Souls being released, Martial Souls such as a wolf-head phantom and serpentine blades emerged one after another, filling the air with a bloody stench.

The scar-faced guard at the front grinned savagely and swung out his chain hammer. The iron chain tore through the air with a piercing shriek.

"You dare cause trouble before the Fourth Prince? You're tired of living!"

Shen Lian drew the Dragon-Slaying Blade with a backhand motion. The dark gleam flowing over its blade was as cold as the smile at his lips.

Facing the assault of all six men, he weaved through the flashing blades like Gui Mei, the hilt of his blade accurately striking vital points such as their numbness points and Quchi acupoints.

Several muffled groans rang out, and the guards flew backward like kites with severed strings. Their Martial Souls' glow dimmed and scattered amid their agony.

"Surround him!"

Xue Beng's hoarse cry sent the City Defense Guard closing in like a tide.

Shen Lian swept his gaze across the flashing Spirit Rings around him before finally settling on the burly figure walking slowly out from the center of the crowd.

The man's muscles were knotted all over, and the skin exposed through the gaps in his armor gleamed bronze. The ferocious Fire Wolf tattoo on his right arm rose and fell with his breathing, as though it might burst from his body at any moment.

"Fire Wolf Possession!"

The commander roared, and a three-meter-tall flaming wolf abruptly appeared behind him.

His body expanded to over two meters tall. Bloodthirsty light flickered in his beast-like vertical pupils, while two yellow, two purple, and one black Spirit Rings slowly rose beneath his feet. The fifth Spirit Ring in particular bloomed with an eerie black light.

The temperature in the air rose sharply, and wisps of green smoke began to rise from the stone road.

"Kid, your time to die has come!"

The commander's voice mingled with a wolf's howl. With every swing of his claws, several long streaks of flame swept out as he continued to shout arrogantly at Shen Lian.

"You dared lay a hand on the Fourth Prince? Today, I'll turn you to ashes!"

Xue Beng hid behind the guards, his pale face twisting into a smug, vicious grin.

He shook the half-fan in his hand, his fingernails digging deeply into his palm, then shouted arrogantly at Shen Lian.

"Kid, scared now? Kneel and kowtow to me, call me Grandpa Xue Beng, and this prince may be merciful enough to leave you an intact corpse!"

Xue Beng's voice trembled with excitement. He did not believe that someone around his own age could possibly defeat a Soul King.

The knuckles of Xue Beng's hand gripping the broken fan turned white, and his voice quavered with excitement.

"Going against a Soul King, today you will definitely—"

His words stopped abruptly. His eyes widened as he watched a blinding radiance suddenly flare around Shen Lian.

Two eerie purple lights rose first, like ghostly flames in the night. Then four deep black Spirit Rings unfolded one layer after another, like the maw of an abyss that devoured all light around them.

As the Spirit Rings revolved, a faint dragon-shaped phantom coiled around Shen Lian. His pressure spread outward as though tangible, forcing the street vendors to collapse onto the ground. Even the roof tiles in the distance began to creak and crack.

The entire street fell into dead silence, broken only by the hum of the rotating Spirit Rings.

The arrogance on the City Defense Guard commander's face instantly froze and turned into terrified pallor. Even the three-meter-tall Fire Wolf phantom behind him began to tremble, its flames dimming considerably.