Qian Qizhou came to a secluded cave. After confirming it was safe, he sat cross-legged on a rock and carefully took out the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
The Soul Bone felt warm and smooth in his hand, pulsing faintly as if it were alive. The life energy it contained made him nod in satisfaction.
"As expected of the Blue Silver Emperor, famed for its vitality. Even a Soul Bone has such power."
Still, he wasn't in a hurry to absorb it. The energy within a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was immense, and it might even contain traces of its original owner's soul. Absorbing it recklessly would be risky.
He closed his eyes, and the phantom crown above his forehead appeared once more, radiating a faint purple-gold glow.
His spiritual power slowly reached toward the Soul Bone in his hand.
Just as Qian Qizhou's spiritual power was about to touch the sorrowful soul imprint at the Soul Bone's core, an extremely faint sound came from nearby.
He snapped his eyes open, a trace of wariness flashing in them. In an instant, he stowed the Soul Bone in his storage space and drew in the Soul Power around him.
Almost at the same time, several formidable auras burst into the cave and landed before him.
There were four newcomers in all, each clad in gray fitted clothes and built like a bear.
Yet the Soul Power fluctuations around them had all unmistakably reached the level of Soul Douluo!
And the Clear Sky Hammers in their hands revealed their identities.
Judging by the patterns on his clothes, the man at their head was likely an elder.
But his eyes were fixed intently on Qian Qizhou.
He barked in a low voice, "Boy, who are you? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
After all, this place was far too remote from any city and close to where Tang Hao and Qian Xunji had fought.
The three Soul Douluo behind him had already begun to close in from three sides, their immense pressure filling the entire cave.
Qian Qizhou was about to talk his way out of this, but the man suddenly furrowed his brows, sensing a trace of energy lingering in the air—exceedingly faint, yet incomparably powerful.
It was the unique aura of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone. The Blue Silver Emperor's vitality in particular meant it couldn't dissipate so quickly.
His expression changed abruptly, and delight blazed in his eyes. "The aura of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone?!"
They had no time to look for Tang Hao. At the words, the other three also turned hostile eyes on the young man before them.
Qian Qizhou clearly understood their intentions. With a helpless sigh, he summoned his Martial Soul.
The temptation of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was too great. Clearly, they intended to seize the bone and then kill him to silence him.
Seeing the utterly unprecedented Soul Ring configuration beneath Qian Qizhou's feet, the astonishment in their eyes deepened, only to be swiftly swallowed by murderous intent.
"Gifted, are you? A man's wealth is his own ruin! You won't leave here alive today!" the leader shouted. He didn't even strike personally, merely signaling to the Soul Douluo beside him.
The Soul Douluo gave a vicious grin. The eight Soul Rings around him blazed to life, and he swung his Clear Sky Hammer down at Qian Qizhou without any fancy moves!
In their eyes, when a Soul Douluo struck, crushing a mere Soul Elder—even a genius among Soul Elders—was a sure thing. There could be no surprises.
Facing the Clear Sky Hammer crashing down with crushing force, purple light flared in Qian Qizhou's eyes. He showed no fear.
He gave a cold snort. A strange weapon, wreathed in purple lightning and a chilling aura of slaughter—Engulfing Lightning—appeared abruptly in his hand!
The instant the blade appeared, a vast, surging aura of grim slaughter, as if capable of severing cause and effect, burst outward. The attacking Soul Douluo's heart lurched, and even the hammer's momentum faltered!
Qian Qizhou turned his wrist. Engulfing Lightning swept through the air in an arc, meeting the incoming Clear Sky Hammer head-on.
"Clang—!"
The shrill clash of metal exploded. A circular shockwave of energy swept outward, sending rubble skittering across the ground.
Unbelievably, the long blade—which seemed like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—wasn't smashed by the Clear Sky Hammer. Instead, dazzling arcs of electricity burst forth where the two weapons met!
The ground beneath Qian Qizhou's feet cracked inch by inch. His body sank slightly, but he had actually managed to block a Soul Douluo's strike with that blade!
"What?!" The attacking Soul Douluo's vicious grin froze, replaced by shock.
Unlike the other three, he could feel the force rebounding through his hammer. There was no way a Soul Elder should have been capable of that!
Taking advantage of the moment his opponent was stunned, Qian Qizhou put his full strength into Engulfing Lightning!
"Vmmm!" Accompanied by a sharp burst of lightning, the tremendous force sent the Soul Douluo stumbling backward with his hammer.
In that brief opening, Qian Qizhou sprang into motion and shot toward the cave entrance without hesitation.
He knew all too well that in the cramped cave, facing a weapon-type Martial Soul like the Clear Sky Hammer put him at a tremendous disadvantage.
"Trying to run?" The Seventh Elder was the first to react. He hadn't expected the boy not only to withstand the attack but also to try to break through right in front of them. "Stop him!"
The other two Soul Douluo responded at once. Two mighty waves of hammer wind swept in from the left and right, like enormous walls closing in on Qian Qizhou!
Facing the powerful hammer winds closing in from both sides, Qian Qizhou's eyes were cold. He showed no sign of backing down.
The First Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up. "King: Eternal Radiance Thunder!"
In an instant, thunder imbued with absolute majesty spread rapidly outward from him, filling the entire cave.
Caught off guard, the two Soul Douluo were struck by the lightning. Their Soul Power abruptly stalled, and they were paralyzed where they stood.
Qian Qizhou took advantage of the instant his Soul Skill took effect and accelerated again, his entire body transforming into a streak of purple light as he shot out of the cave.
"What the hell?!" the two Soul Douluo cried out at the same time. The Soul Skill hadn't hurt them much, but they couldn't move at all.
The Clear Sky Sect elder's face turned so dark it looked as though water might drip from it.
"Not only does he have a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, he also possesses a Martial Soul and Soul Skill the likes of which I've never heard of... That blade is no ordinary weapon!"
His mind raced with suspicion as countless possibilities flashed through it.
This boy absolutely could not be allowed to escape! Whether for the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone or the potential he himself had shown, they had to capture him or erase him completely!
A minor faction couldn't possibly produce a genius like this. If he returned and told his elders, wouldn't the Clear Sky Sect gain another enemy?
"After him! Dead or alive, we must take him!" He darted forward with another Soul Douluo, chasing in the direction Qian Qizhou had fled.
His powerful spiritual force spread ahead like a net, firmly locking onto Qian Qizhou's aura.
More than ten seconds passed before the strange paralysis wore off, allowing the two Soul Douluo who'd been caught off guard to break free.
Though the effect had lasted only a short while, it was more than enough to prove fatal in a battle between experts.
"Bastard!" The two Soul Douluo broke free, their faces livid, and chased after him at full speed.
They had suffered such a humiliating defeat at the hands of a mere Soul Elder boy. It was an utter disgrace!
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