In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
The carriage carrying the four of them had already traveled far from Spirit City and was nearing the outer reaches of Sunset Forest.
Lin Ze'an leaned against the carriage window, curiously watching the trees outside grow denser.
Suddenly, Hu Liena and Xie Yue sprang to their feet.
"Watch out!"
Each grabbed one of Lin Ze'an's arms and pulled with all their might—
"Jump!"
Before Lin Ze'an could react, they had hauled him out of the speeding carriage.
At almost the same moment, Yan leaped from the driver's seat and landed steadily on the ground.
The next second, dozens of black, thorn-covered brambles burst from the earth, instantly wrapping the entire carriage tight.
The Soul Beast horses pulling it didn't even have time to neigh before the sharp thorns pierced their bodies.
In the blink of an eye, the carriage was torn to pieces beneath the brambles' relentless coils.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue brought Lin Ze'an safely to the ground. When he looked up, he saw the horrifying scene.
The three of them immediately shielded Lin Ze'an, three Soul Rings appearing beneath their feet at once. "We're surrounded."
Lin Ze'an came to his senses and stood in the middle, sizing up the enemies closing in around them.
Seriously? Why were there assassins everywhere? And this time they were real assassins.
One Soul Ancestor, three Soul Elders, and six Soul Grandmasters... There were quite a lot of them.
Their leader, a tall, middle-aged Soul Ancestor, approached slowly with a sinister grin. "Tsk, tsk. Should I kill you myself, or will you do me the favor of dying on your own?"
"Or..." His lecherous gaze fell on Hu Liena. "Let her keep me company, and maybe I'll spare the rest of you."
At his words, the flames around Yan flared fiercely. "You think trash like you can take us on? You're asking to die!"
Hu Liena and Xie Yue's expressions darkened, too.
They exchanged a glance, then whispered to Yan, "Yan, buy us some time!"
In this situation, their only chance was to use Demon Charm.
But with their current Soul Power, they couldn't activate it instantly. They needed some time to build up power.
Lin Ze'an looked at Hu Liena and Xie Yue and immediately understood what they were planning.
He raised his hand, and emerald-green light burst from his palm.
Mo Ruier appeared behind him at the same time.
Then two purple Soul Rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, and a rich aura of life spread like a rising tide.
Hu Liena stared at the sight, eyes wide. "A... a Thousand-Year Soul Ring?!"
Yan and Xie Yue also whipped around to look at him. "What...?!"
They knew Lin Ze'an was gifted, but what was this nonsense about both his first and second Soul Rings being a thousand years old? How could that possibly be normal?
The enemies surrounding them froze, too. Confusion filled the Soul Ancestor's face. "How is that possible?!"
Listening to their cries of surprise, Lin Ze'an felt his heart sink. He was utterly speechless.
Were his teammates idiots? It was bad enough that the enemy had frozen in shock, but why were the three of them standing around gaping, too?
Instead of taking advantage of the opening and unleashing their big moves, were they waiting for the enemy to do it first?
He turned to Hu Liena. "Quit staring and hurry up!"
The next second, enormous emerald-green vines surged from the earth at Lin Ze'an's command, quickly weaving and twisting together.
In the blink of an eye, they formed a sturdy barrier that protected all four of them.
At Lin Ze'an's reminder, Hu Liena and Xie Yue snapped out of it and hurriedly began charging up.
The Soul Ancestor came to his senses as well and gave a sharp wave of his hand. "Attack!"
At his command, the other enemies unleashed their Soul Skills, sending flashes of every color toward the barrier.
Ripples of pale green appeared across it.
But moments later, the barrier shuddered violently under the fierce assault. With a sharp crack, it shattered!
Yet the instant it broke apart, new vines quickly sprouted. They rebuilt the defenses and lashed out at several enemies.
"Damn it! What the hell is this?" a Soul Grandmaster cried, stumbling backward, only to have vines suddenly burst from the ground and coil around his ankle.
Just then, a vicious glint flashed in the Soul Ancestor's eyes.
Seizing his chance, he leaped into the air and charged straight at Lin Ze'an.
Black brambles erupted wildly from his hands, stabbing toward Lin Ze'an with deadly force.
"Look out!" Yan roared. Blazing flames surged up in an instant as he threw himself in front of Lin Ze'an without hesitation, ready to take the hit.
At this critical moment, Lin Ze'an's eyes lit up.
His little face darkened, and he shouted at the Soul Ancestor, "How dare you!"
As his furious shout rang out, a shocking sight unfolded.
"Crack—"
The black brambles stabbing toward them began breaking apart, piece by piece, their fragments tumbling to the ground.
At the bizarre sight, the Soul Ancestor hurriedly retreated. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Lin Ze'an. "What the hell?"
Lin Ze'an looked at him disdainfully and raised a hand. Vines surged from the ground, shielding him.
His Martial Soul, Mo Ruier, was the Elf King of the grass element. Using plants against him was practically serving up a free meal.
Before the Soul Ancestor could make another move, a dense red mist spread without warning, instantly engulfing the entire battlefield.
The mist carried a strange, sweet fragrance, yet concealed a deadly threat.
"Something's wrong!" The Soul Ancestor's expression changed. He realized the mist was dangerous, but it was already too late.
The red mist suppressed the attacking enemies and robbed them of their sight. In an instant, they were stumbling around like headless flies.
Their bodies grew heavy, too, and their Soul Power slowed as if they had sunk into a swamp.
"W-what the hell is this?!" a Soul Elder cried in terror. The Soul Skill in his hand wouldn't take shape, his Soul Power having seized up.
Amid the chaotic red mist, a tall figure slowly emerged.
The figure stood far taller than an ordinary person. A pair of enormous Moon Blades glinted with icy light in his hands.
Seeing this, Lin Ze'an let out a sigh of relief. At least these two teammates had finally come through.
Even if he wasn't afraid of plant attacks, the Soul Ancestor could still switch to attacking him directly with Soul Power once he figured that out. That would put Lin Ze'an in a tough spot.
After all, the difference of more than twenty levels in Soul Power was right there.
With that in mind, Lin Ze'an raised his hand without hesitation. His First Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet. "First Soul Skill: Everlasting Fragrance!"
A stream of emerald light flowed from the scepter in Mo Ruier's hand to Demon Charm in the red mist.
"Vmmm—!"
In an instant, the red mist around Demon Charm shuddered violently, and the enormous Moon Blades began spinning at high speed.
"What an incredible boost!" Demon Charm's voice rang out through the red mist. "Thanks for the effort, junior."
As the words fell, Demon Charm's figure flickered in and out of view in the mist, the rapidly spinning Moon Blades trailing streaks of icy light.
"Moon Blade!"
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