Second Soul Skill

Kill!

At Cheng Xiao's command, fifteen Soul Beasts charged furiously at the three of them.

Fear appeared in the two servants' eyes, but gritting their teeth, they still forced themselves to meet the attack.

Such a terrifying Soul Bone Skill was bound to consume an astonishing amount of Soul Power. It could not last long at all. With that kid's twentieth-level Soul Power, lasting ten breaths would already be his limit.

"Kill that kid first!"

To capture bandits, first capture their leader. No matter how long the kid could hold on, as long as they killed him, these strange Soul Beasts would surely disappear!

Sixth Soul Skill: Flying Scythe Strangulation!

Fifth Soul Skill: Raging Tiger Tears the Sky!

Both of them unleashed their strongest Soul Skills. One wielded a massive black scythe, while a fierce tiger appeared over the other's body and merged with him. His frame suddenly grew larger, his muscles bulged, his face twisted into a savage expression, and the nails on both hands sharpened abruptly, radiating a vicious aura.

The giant scythe came crashing down, while the white tiger slashed through the air at Cheng Xiao. Terrifying streams of Soul Power surged toward him in an instant, making the air shriek wherever they passed and sealing off every route of retreat.

Cheng Xiao slowly raised his head, a smile on his lips, as an enormous figure suddenly blocked him from view.

The two terrifying attacks landed on that massive figure, yet failed to inflict much damage. Its thick fur flashed with brilliant light and forcibly withstood the blows.

Wounds appeared across the figure's body. Had it been an ordinary Soul Beast, blood would have already sprayed everywhere.

But after becoming a shadow, injuries were little different from an itch to them.

Even death no longer threatened them. Their endless resurrection gave them a ferocity they had never possessed in life.

"Dreadclaw Bear?!"

The two men's pupils contracted sharply as they immediately recognized the shadow.

Their gazes shifted to another giant bear charging toward them, and a terrible premonition rose in their hearts.

"Dodge!"

The older man was far more experienced. The instant he sensed something wrong, he immediately retreated.

Fourth Soul Skill: Sacred Tiger Barrier!

But the younger man was a step too late. Seeing the bear's paw about to strike him, he hurriedly unleashed his Soul Skill to block the attack.

His fourth Soul Skill was enough to withstand an attack from a Thousand-Year Soul Beast. He could definitely take this blow!

Yet what he had not expected was that, although the bear's paw could not shatter his defense, the instant it struck, his entire arm transformed into glistening crystal. The crystallization continued spreading across his body, invading him.

"Crystal Bear?! It's a Crystal Bear!"

The young man was both shocked and enraged. Seeing the crystal about to spread past his shoulder, he hardened his heart and ruthlessly severed his entire left arm.

"Pfft—"

The crystallized arm flew into the air, while blood gushed from his shoulder. The young man hurriedly covered the wound, his face constantly twitching from the intense pain.

Still, he had thankfully stopped the crystallization.

"Zhu Lie, watch out!"

A sudden shout rang out. The young man's expression changed drastically, but before he could dodge, a stinger pierced through his chest.

"Pfft—"

He slowly lowered his head, his eyes filled with disbelief. A Heart-Shattering Bee's stinger protruded from his chest. The poison instantly paralyzed his nerves. His eyes widened, his legs gave out beneath him, and he finally collapsed to his knees, never moving again.

Even in death, he could not close those eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

"Zhu Lie!"

The older man's eyes split with rage.

"I'll kill you!"

The old man lunged at Cheng Xiao like a madman, unleashing all six of his Soul Skills without restraint. His speed, defense, and attack power instantly surged to their limits, as though he had no intention of returning alive.

"Get lost!"

A mass of Shadow Soul Beasts surged forward to stop him, but in his fury, the old man no longer cared about the consumption of Soul Power. He unleashed every attack he had without regard for his life.

Against the full power of a Soul Emperor, the many Shadow Soul Beasts were utterly unable to fight back. In an instant, they were shredded to pieces.

Only one Dreadclaw Bear remained standing before Cheng Xiao.

"Roar!"

Seeing the Crystal Bear torn apart, the Dreadclaw Bear flew into a rage. Its sharp dreadclaws tore through the air as they viciously slashed at its opponent.

However, humans were ultimately more intelligent than Soul Beasts. The old man feinted, and his body actually dissolved beneath the dreadclaws into a flock of pitch-black crows. His true body then circled around the Dreadclaw Bear's massive frame from the other side and appeared before Cheng Xiao.

"Die, you little bastard!"

The old man's face was savage and vicious as he raised the black scythe and brought it down toward Cheng Xiao's head.

Cheng Xiao's expression remained unchanged. Soul Power surged, and two Soul Rings suddenly rose beneath his feet, one yellow and one purple. As they pulsed up and down, the purple one abruptly burst into dazzling light.

"A Thousand-Year Soul Ring?! No, impossible!" The old man's pupils shook violently, and his heart trembled. A wild, absurd thought began to grow within him.

Second Soul Skill: Shadow Concealment Prison

The instant Cheng Xiao's second Soul Ring lit up, the shadow beneath his feet suddenly erupted, rising like a giant net and wrapping around him completely, protecting him without a single gap like a black sphere.

This was Cheng Xiao's second Soul Skill, a defensive Soul Skill that protected the body: Shadow Concealment Prison. Unless a Soul Ancestor struck with full force, it would be extremely difficult to destroy.

Suppressing the shock and doubt in his heart, the old man let out a sinister laugh. So what if it was a Thousand-Year Soul Ring? Wasn't he still just a Soul Grandmaster? Could he possibly block his Soul Skill?

At once, the old man used his fifth Soul Skill. Black light burst from the entire giant scythe, and beneath its shroud, even the blade seemed to become sharper.

"Boom!"

The black scythe slammed fiercely into the sphere of shadow. In an instant, countless cracks appeared across the shadowy orb.

"Crack, crack..."

After only a breath of stalemate, the cracks spread rapidly. At last, Shadow Concealment Prison could no longer hold and shattered with a bang.

"I did it!" The old man rejoiced. "Die!"

Yet the next instant, the old man's smile froze on his face. The moment Shadow Concealment Prison shattered, shadows so dense they seemed almost tangible burst violently from within, but Cheng Xiao had vanished.

The viscous shadows splashed over the old man like slime. In an instant, his eyes lost their light, like the dull, lifeless eyes of a blind man.

This was the other effect of Shadow Concealment Prison: when it was broken, it deprived the one who broke it of sight!

"Dreadclaw Bear! Kill him!"

Cheng Xiao's voice rang out. The Dreadclaw Bear brought down a claw, its blade-sharp talons slashing horizontally and piercing directly through the old man's body.

The old man could no longer see anything. He could only hear that youthful voice filled with killing intent. The next moment, pain erupted from his waist and abdomen, and then he sank into endless darkness.

I can't make it, I can't make it.

Two thousand words left. I'll make it up tomorrow, really. I swear. Sob, sob, sob.