Ultimate Darkness Attribute, Vanishing Shadow

"Could it be that I didn't leak any aura, yet he still managed to pin me down?"

Jiang Xiu raised his eyes to look at Dong Zi'an before him, feeling shocked. He did indeed possess a second martial soul, but he hadn't released it in the slightest at that moment.

Seeing the expression on Jiang Xiu's face, Dong Zi'an smiled with realization, knowing he had guessed correctly. He then tried his best to soften his gruff voice.

"Little one, don't be nervous. Uncle isn't a bad person. Come, let Uncle see what your second martial soul is."

Bright lights scattered about, and the cold wind outside the emergency center suddenly grew more intense, lashing against the metal walls and emitting a shrill, whistling sound.

It's not the Peerless Tang Sect era from ten thousand years ago anymore. A dark-attribute martial soul shouldn't be branded as an Evil Soul Master. It should be fine...

Jiang Xiu consoled himself inwardly. The Federation in this era was unified and no longer as chaotic as the four great empires of the Tang Sect era. Furthermore, with Dong Zi'an standing right in front of him, he didn't seem to have the power to refuse.

What's more, he was now alone and helpless; perhaps this was an opportunity...

"Uncle, I do indeed possess a second martial soul."

Jiang Xiu made up his mind and said clearly. The Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon martial soul slowly retracted into his body, and that extreme power of destruction quietly faded away.

He was still unable to use dual martial souls simultaneously at his current level.

"So it is true. Let this Seat see exactly what kind of martial soul can coexist with the Purple Imperial Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon."

A glimmer of anticipation appeared in Dong Zi'an's eyes as he stared intently at Jiang Xiu.

According to the theory of a certain master in history, for a dual martial soul possessor, the quality of the two martial souls would never differ by too much.

"Hum!"

Jiang Xiu slowly unclenched his left hand, and immediately, a rich surge of dark power gushed out. It was as if darkness had descended; in an instant, the entire spacious soul-guide emergency center seemed to fall into an eternal night, pitch-black and cold, with a chilling aura gradually spreading.

Dong Zi'an remained unmoved, continuing to stare fixedly at Jiang Xiu.

"Heh heh heh!"

As the flowing dark power gathered, a pitch-black figure rose beneath Jiang Xiu's feet. This figure was clad in sharp edges, its body tall and fierce, with nothing but darkness covering it from head to toe.

The moment it fully formed, a pair of blood-red eyes suddenly snapped open. The blood-colored pupils were filled with arrogance, and a monarch-like pressure instantly swept outward. The figure crossed its arms over its chest, looking down at Dong Zi'an with haughty pride.

At this moment, a layer of darkness also covered Jiang Xiu. His original purple eyes transformed into blood-red pupils, a trace of arrogance flashing in their depths, while the black shadow behind him stood like a king's guard.

"This is a shadow-type body martial soul? A body martial soul with the extreme darkness attribute?"

A flash of green light flickered in Dong Zi'an's eyes. With a ripple of soul power, he easily neutralized the pressure, but the shock in his heart was no less intense.

On the Douluo Continent, there existed a type of martial soul that was both simple and powerful, yet extremely peculiar—it could undergo metamorphosis. That was the body martial soul.

But why does a body martial soul possess an additional attribute the moment it appears, and an extreme darkness attribute at that?

While astonished, a wave of fervor surged into Dong Zi'an's heart.

He seemed to have hit the jackpot!

A soul master with dual extreme-attribute martial souls—it seemed that had never happened in history!

"Uncle, have you seen enough?"

Looking at Dong Zi'an, whose eyes were filled with heat and whose throat bobbed from time to time, Jiang Xiu smiled politely.

"Cough, cough. Put it away. Your shadow martial soul is very good, very good indeed!"

Realizing he had been slightly uncomposed, Dong Zi'an gave a light cough and waved his hand. It wasn't that his temperament wasn't strong enough; it was just that the shock Jiang Xiu had brought him was too intense.

He dared to say that even if the current number one expert on the continent, Yun Ming, were here, he would definitely be moved.

Jiang Xiu's eyes shifted. As he slightly clenched his palm, the dark power receded, and the black shadow behind him quietly vanished.

Jiang Xiu did not refute Dong Zi'an's words, but he knew clearly in his heart that the black shadow behind him was not the shadow martial soul Dong Zi'an spoke of, but the Shadow Monarch, the ruler of the eternal night!

And the strength of the Shadow Monarch did not lie in the darkness attribute, but in the ability to extract the shadows of the dead.

"An army of one" was the best interpretation of the Shadow Monarch! And in this era, Jiang Xiu already had secret targets in mind for his shadow extraction...

"By the way, Uncle, how did you know I possessed a second martial soul?"

Suddenly, Jiang Xiu seemed to think of something and asked, puzzled. If he ruled out the possibility that he hadn't leaked his aura, then the issue must lie with Dong Zi'an.

"Haha, after you fainted during the Abyss Tide, you might not have noticed, but your shadow disappeared."

Dong Zi'an gave a rare smile, his thick finger pointing to the side of Jiang Xiu under the light.

Jiang Xiu followed the direction Dong Zi'an pointed, his expression suddenly freezing. He discovered that under the light, he truly did not have a shadow.

Am I no longer human?

Jiang Xiu's temple twitched. A thought surfaced in his mind: what kind of person has no shadow?

"Don't worry. According to my speculation, your shadow likely transformed into your martial soul. After all, a body martial soul is a part of oneself."

Dong Zi'an pondered for a moment, his eyes gleaming.

"Of course, there is another possibility: you weren't waiting for an awakening at that time, but were in the middle of the awakening ritual.

Faced with the sudden Abyss Tide, in a crisis, your martial soul acted to protect its master. Since your martial soul happens to be your own shadow, it appeared through your shadow as a medium to save you, and your shadow subsequently merged with it."

After a pause, Dong Zi'an stood with his hands behind his back.

"Of course, this is all just speculation; after all, I wasn't by your side at the time."

Jiang Xiu felt a slight jolt in his heart after hearing this, for he had indeed been undergoing his martial soul awakening at that moment. This man's intellect was truly astonishing!

"Little one, where are your parents? Uncle would like to meet them."

After a moment, a sharp glint flashed in Dong Zi'an's eyes as he asked softly, his tone tinged with urgency.

"Uncle, you probably won't be able to see them."

Jiang Xiu shook his head slightly at these words, a trace of sorrow appearing on his delicate face.

"It's alright. As long as you tell me where they are, with Uncle's capabilities, I can definitely find them within half a day."

Dong Zi'an waved his hand dismissively, the five gold stars on his shoulders glinting. Given his status in the Federation, finding two people was a trivial matter.

"They died in battle four years ago."

"Only two small medals were returned."

As Jiang Xiu's voice trailed off, Dong Zi'an's expression froze abruptly. He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to utter a single word.

"Good child, your parents were heroes, and you are one too."

Patting Jiang Xiu's shoulder with his large hand, Dong Zi'an said in a deep voice.

"By the way, Uncle, my parents' two medals are still in Snow City..."

"They will be recovered. Uncle will help you get them back, don't be afraid."

As a soldier, Dong Zi'an could empathize with this emotion all the more. Looking at Jiang Xiu's small frame, he shook his head slightly.

Four years ago, Jiang Xiu would have only been two years old.