"Indeed." Lin Lang said, "I heard Legion Commander Xu mention something—that this girl named Ye Guyi desperately needs money. I wonder who she's earning it for."
"All right, perhaps I'll have a chance to meet her someday." Kong Bo said. "My match is next. I'm ready—I wonder if the Soul Master on the other side is ready as well?"
After Ye Guyi killed the Evil Soul Master across from her with a single sword strike, the staff went up to clean the floor. Kong Bo also made preparations to enter the arena. Once the cleanup was complete, the host said excitedly, "What a spectacular match, ladies and gentlemen! The next match will also be a heavyweight bout. Though it is a Soul Grandmaster-level match, one of the contestants is the renowned Blood-Drinking Sword Demon, while the other is a newcomer known as... the Left-Path Sage Doctor."
"Blood-Drinking Sword Demon!" "Blood-Drinking Sword Demon!" "Blood-Drinking Sword Demon!" Cheers erupted from the audience below. Hearing them, Lin Lang looked nervously at the Evil Emperor.
"Your Majesty, he's going to fight the Blood-Drinking Sword Demon. The Blood-Drinking Sword Demon is a level 25 Soul Grandmaster, and he comes from a famous master. He's also a highly favored disciple and has never lost a match in the Soul Fighting Arena. Kong Bo is only level 23. Can he win?"
"If he doesn't win, he needn't come back." the Evil Emperor said. "With such fine Soul Tools and such a powerful martial soul, he still can't beat that guy?"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the two contestants stepped onto the Soul Fighting Arena. The man standing opposite Kong Bo wore a scarlet mask. With a casual wave, a crimson longsword appeared in his right hand. He flicked the blade in an elegant flourish. "State your name, stranger. I, Locke, do not slay nameless ghosts beneath my sword!"
"If you wish, you can consider me a ghost—a madman. You may call me... Zandik." Kong Bo replied. "Level 23 Soul Engineer. Martial soul... Blood Moon."
"A level 23 brat, putting on airs in front of me?" Locke's tone turned utterly contemptuous. "My sword is thirsty. Your blood will quench its thirst!"
Then a yellow Soul Ring lit up around Locke, enhancing him. It was a four-hundred-year Soul Ring. An eerie red glow flashed across the edge of his Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, and he charged at Kong Bo.
Kong Bo's thoughts shifted. The metal tetrahedron in his right hand transformed into four Moon Shuttles. With a wave of his hand, two Moon Shuttles began circling around him, while the other two flew toward Locke.
"Oh, flying swords? Not a bad Soul Tool!" Locke said. "But what truly makes a Soul Master strong is the martial soul itself!" He swung up the Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, preparing to block the two incoming Flying Shuttles.
At that moment, a deep yellow Soul Ring lit up around Kong Bo. To keep a lower profile, he had used Red Moon's authority to alter his Soul Ring, sealing away some of its energy and making it appear to be a century-level Soul Ring. Just as the two Flying Shuttles were about to collide with the Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, Kong Bo unleashed his first soul skill—Moonlight Blessing—targeting the two Moon Shuttles stabbing toward Locke.
This was Kong Bo's favorite tactic. His Moon Shuttles could resonate with his martial soul, so naturally they could also receive boosts from enhancement-type soul skills. This was a trait many Soul Tools did not possess, and Kong Bo loved using it to catch his opponents off guard.
Locke's Blood-Drinking Demon Sword had already blocked the two Moon Shuttles. After Kong Bo enhanced them, Locke nearly lost his grip on his sword. He hurriedly lit up a deep yellow Soul Ring, and a blood-red slash instantly burst from his Blood-Drinking Demon Sword. It was Locke's second soul skill, the eight-hundred-year Blood-Colored Slash. Its target was not Kong Bo, but the two Moon Shuttles stabbing toward him, meant to free himself from their pressure.
"Break!" Locke successfully knocked the two Moon Shuttles away with a Blood-Colored Slash, letting out a sigh of relief. Holding up his Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, he watched Kong Bo across from him with wary eyes, none of his former arrogance remaining. Meanwhile, Kong Bo clasped his left hand behind his back and slowly paced around Locke, observing the sweat-soaked man through his beak-shaped mask.
Though Locke could not see Kong Bo's eyes, Kong Bo's posture made his skin crawl. Locke's martial soul was the Blood-Drinking Demon Sword, and he relied on absorbing his enemies' blood to increase his strength. His teacher was the renowned Third Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, the Nether Douluo. He fought in the Underground Soul Fighting Arena partly to cultivate and partly to absorb the blood of powerful opponents to strengthen himself. He had not suffered a single defeat during this time.
Yet in Locke's eyes, Kong Bo felt even more evil than he was. Locke was merely a bloody, brutal killer, but Kong Bo was mysterious, mad, and powerful—like an evil god hidden within the abyss. This evil god was not eager to reveal his fangs or his magic, nor did he possess the aggressive hostility Soul Masters usually showed when fighting one another. He circled Locke, smiling as he observed him.
"If this is all you can do, then goodbye." Kong Bo stretched out his right hand toward Locke. The two Moon Shuttles each fired a searing beam of flame at him.
"Hmph, this is all I can do? What arrogant nonsense!" Locke once again lit up his deep yellow Soul Ring, then sent a Blood-Colored Slash toward the two flame beams. At that moment, a piercing pain shot through his back. Looking down, he saw two Moon Shuttles had pierced through his body. He could clearly see their pointed tips. They were Kong Bo's other two Moon Shuttles.
"You..." Only then did Locke suddenly realize that Kong Bo could operate more than just two Moon Shuttles.
"Is this all you're capable of, Mr. Locke? How boring." Kong Bo snapped his fingers. The two Moon Shuttles that had stabbed into Locke from behind pulled free from his body and flew above his head alongside the other two. Then all four Moon Shuttles fired searing beams of flame at Locke. His screams filled the entire Underground Soul Fighting Arena until he was burned to ashes, leaving not even bones behind.
"Mr. Locke? Mr. Locke?" Kong Bo tilted his head at the ashes. He deliberately lowered his voice, but with the Soul Tool amplifier, the entire Underground Soul Fighting Arena heard him. Kong Bo then sighed. "There's nothing left at all. What a pity."
Kong Bo then raised his head and looked at the host of the Underground Soul Fighting Arena. "Mr. Host, may I ask you to announce the result of the match now?"
Before you continue