Xuan Zi Forcefully Kills Ming Lei, Su Ling Takes the Initiative to Reveal Himself

The roar echoed through the clouds.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Zhang Lexuan could no longer hold on. After taking one deep look at Su Ling, she collapsed unconscious.

The short-haired old man's pupils shrank sharply, and a chill shot from his heels to the top of his head.

Taotie Douluo had arrived!!

No! Such a blood treasure is right before me. If I give up now, I'll regret it for the rest of my life!!

There's no time! I'll take the gamble!!

A savage look flashed through the short-haired old man's eyes. He forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart, pushed the Soul Power of a Titled Douluo to its limit, and transformed into a streak of dark-purple light as he charged at Su Ling.

He reached out with a demonic claw, intending to seize Su Ling and take him away.

"How dare you!!!"

Before the roar had even faded, a streak of golden light tore through the air at incredible speed.

The short-haired old man instinctively turned his head. He saw it clearly—a chicken drumstick wrapped in Soul Power.

"Pfft—"

The hand he had extended toward Su Ling, along with half his body, was instantly blown into a bloody mist, leaving not even a scrap behind.

"Ah... Aahhh!!"

Even as the short-haired old man screamed in agony, the greed had yet to fade from his face.

"What audacity!!!"

"Since you refuse to leave, then don't leave at all!!!"

"Stay here for this old man!!!"

The short-haired old man turned his head in terror, only to see Xuan Zi suddenly appear before him.

Xuan Zi's eyes were bloodshot, and he panted like a bull. He no longer looked as disheveled as usual. Muscles had swelled all over his body, covered in a layer of pale-gold Taotie patterns. A pair of dark-red bull horns had emerged from his head, steaming with evaporating blood qi.

"You... you've gone mad!! You're actually burning your own blood essence!!?" the short-haired old man cried out.

He truly had not expected Taotie Douluo to burn his own blood essence just to arrive in time and save this boy with the Qilin Martial Soul.

Was it really worth it??

"Die!!!"

Xuan Zi did not waste words. Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red Soul Rings appeared. The Soul Power of a Rank 98 powerhouse pressed down in full force—not in a torrential blast, but like a mountain slowly descending.

The surrounding space instantly twisted as though it had frozen solid, making even breathing difficult.

Cold sweat poured down the short-haired old man's face. He hurriedly brought out his three Class 9 Soul Tools: the Underworld Thunder Sword, the Yin Thunder Shield, and the Shadow Cover.

Yet the three Soul Tools held on for less than half a second before they were blasted away. The Yin Thunder Shield even shattered directly in midair.

Xuan Zi had truly developed killing intent. He unleashed every bit of his strength and even burned his blood essence. It had been a long time since he had been this enraged!

"No! You can't kill me!! The Holy Spirit Cult stands behind me! Taotie, do you intend to wage war against my Holy Spirit Cult!?"

The short-haired old man felt as if Death had seized him by the throat. Unable to move his entire body, he panicked and invoked the Holy Spirit Cult in an attempt to intimidate Xuan Zi.

"Finished with your last words? The Holy Spirit Cult? You dared lay hands on someone from Shrek, dared lay hands on Su Ling! What do I have to fear!?"

As soon as he spoke, the short-haired old man's head split apart. Yellow and white matter spilled across the ground, followed by his headless corpse, which instantly compressed and twisted as though all the air had been sucked out of it.

The Holy Spirit Cult's Third Elder—Ming Lei—had completely perished!

As the pressure dissipated, Xuan Zi ignored the backlash from his blood and qi and stumbled over to Su Ling, his lips trembling uncontrollably.

"Su Ling... this old man... this old man came too late..."

The once-overbearing Xuan Zi was now weeping uncontrollably, his cloudy old eyes reddened with tears.

He looked around. Five Inner Court disciples lay on the ground, their fates unknown, while Zhang Lexuan was gravely wounded and on the verge of death.

Su Ling was not in much better condition. The earlier Soul Power impact had severely damaged his meridians, and he had exhausted the last trace of his Soul Power using a Soul Bone skill.

He was like a candle flickering in the wind, his standing body swaying unsteadily. The handsome face that usually bore a gentle smile was now utterly exhausted.

"Elder Xuan..."

Su Ling forced out a bitter smile.

Sure enough, Xuan Zi's accidental debuff was terrifying indeed. If he had not sensed Xuan Zi about to arrive, Su Ling would likely have switched to the Dark Evil Qilin Emperor on the spot.

Then told that short-haired old man, Don't attack. We're on the same side.

"Su Ling, don't say anything. Rest well. This old man will take you back to the academy..."

As he spoke, Xuan Zi looked painfully toward Zhang Lexuan, who had been severely corroded by evil qi. Her life force was rapidly fading.

He had watched her grow up since childhood. She had once been the Sea God Pavilion's next-generation successor, Mu En's registered disciple.

She could not be saved...

"Elder Xuan, can I trust you?"

Su Ling suddenly spoke, lowering his head so that his expression could not be seen.

"Su Ling... I'm sorry. It was all this old man's fault. This old man was careless. I never expected that scum to have used a Class 9 concealment Soul Tool..."

Xuan Zi thought Su Ling was blaming him for arriving late, and he immediately became utterly flustered.

"No, Elder Xuan, I'm not blaming you. I mean, I can save them."

Listening to Elder Xuan's incoherent explanation, looking as though he was about to kneel before him, Su Ling suddenly raised his head. His deep eyes instantly turned scarlet, and the Qilin Martial Soul behind him underwent a drastic transformation.

It was no longer the majestic and murderous Thunder Prison Qilin Emperor.

Instead, it became a pitch-black Ink Qilin wreathed in evil qi. It still had a dragon's head and a deer's body, but its entire form looked incomparably sinister. Its dragon horns were twisted and grotesque, while its scarlet Qilin Eyes seemed to reflect mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

"Su... Su Ling... you...!!!"

Elder Xuan staggered back again and again, his tear-stained old eyes widening abruptly.

Wasn't this aura the very origin of the changes to the surrounding environment when he had first encountered Su Ling?

At the same time, the Taotie bloodline within his body instantly boiled with joy, as if it had encountered one of its own kind.

"Elder Xuan, place Sister Lexuan and the five senior brothers and sisters together." Su Ling did not explain anything and directly gave Elder Xuan an instruction.

Xuan Zi paused upon hearing this. He looked at Su Ling before him. Though Su Ling's aura and voice had become deep and oppressive, the feeling he gave was still the same as ever.

Su Ling was still Su Ling.

"All right."

Xuan Zi came back to his senses and swiftly arranged the six of them in a row.

The five Inner Court disciples had merely fallen unconscious. The Nether Thunder Evil Qi in their bodies was not deep, but Zhang Lexuan was in critical condition. The Nether Thunder Evil Qi had already entered her heart and lungs.

"Elder Xuan, step back."

Xuan Zi hurriedly retreated, clearing ample space.

Seeing this, Su Ling raised his hand. The scarlet light in his eyes suddenly erupted, and then a sphere of pitch-black, void-like energy appeared in his palm.

"Huff... hiss... huff..."

The sphere erupted with a violent suction force. The Nether Thunder Evil Qi clinging to their bodies was instantly drawn out as though iron needles had encountered a magnet.

In a mere three seconds, Su Ling had completely absorbed the sinister evil qi from their bodies.

After being absorbed by Su Ling, the Nether Thunder Evil Qi rapidly transformed into pure Soul Power and replenished him—no more, no less than one-eighth of his Soul Power.

Su Ling withdrew his Martial Soul, took out a golden pill from his Sumeru Ring, and walked straight to Zhang Lexuan before feeding it into her mouth.

This was the Soul-Body Immortal Healing Pill he had exchanged for 300 Strategy Points. Its effects were extraordinarily heaven-defying; as long as someone still had a breath left, it could regenerate flesh from bare bones.

Of course, it could only restore the physical body.

Xuan Zi watched silently from the side without stopping him, his eyes constantly shifting.

Only when he saw new flesh rapidly growing over Zhang Lexuan's wounds at a visible rate, as well as the solemn expression on Su Ling's face—

Did he finally feel relieved.