Six Soul Beasts lined up side by side, and the pier fell silent in an instant.
The Plate Armor Turtle stood at the very front, its heavy shell gleaming gray-black like a moving city wall.
The Tide Jellyfish floated in midair, faint blue light flickering at the tips of its tentacles as ripples slowly spread across its bell.
The Feather Eagle spread its wings and circled above the pier, its sharp gaze fixed on the sea.
The Beetle Immortal planted its six long legs firmly on the wooden planks, its antennae swaying as it sensed the fluctuations of Soul Power in the air.
The Blazing Wolf stood beside Luo Chen, yellow flames surging over its body and wavering the air around it with heat.
And the Evil Eye Tyrant Sovereign—that glittering golden King Ball—hovered above Luo Chen's palm. It wasn't activated, but an almost imperceptible mental pressure had already spread through the area, making several nearby low-level Soul Masters take a step back without thinking.
Fule stared, dumbfounded. He'd seen plenty of geniuses, and he'd even met the top disciple of Heaven Dou Royal Academy. But a child not yet seven years old, commanding six Soul Beasts at once, one of them a thousand-year Soul Beast? This wasn't a genius. It was a monster.
"You..." Fule opened his mouth, at a loss for words.
"Uncle Fule, there's no time." Luo Chen cut him off, turning his gaze toward the sea.
Several black dorsal fins were rapidly closing in across the distant water. The largest was longer than a fishing boat, a row of saw-toothed fins glinting coldly along its back—the thousand-year Iron-Spine Shark.
Five Hundred-Year Soul Beasts followed close behind, each with a different shape. One looked like a giant sea snake, its body twisting through the water. Another resembled a starfish magnified countless times, its tentacles slapping the surface. Three more were ugly fish-shaped Soul Beasts, their mouths full of ghastly white fangs.
Farther out, countless smaller Soul Beasts crowded the sea, a dark mass of at least a hundred.
"They're here." Fule's expression darkened as he drew the Long Sword at his waist. A layer of pale blue light shone along its blade. "Xiao Chen, are you sure you can handle those Hundred-Year Soul Beasts?"
"Sure." Luo Chen's voice was calm. "But I need someone to hold off the smaller ones."
"I'll help!" a voice called from above. Su Heng descended from the sky, his Thunder Roc Martial Soul already released. Silver-blue arcs of electricity danced around him. His eyes had turned pale gold, and the pair of thunder wings on his back beat gently, crackling with electricity.
"Thunder attribute? Flying type?" Fule was startled again. These two children's Martial Souls were each rarer than the last.
"Uncle Fule, the Iron-Spine Shark is yours. We'll handle the rest." After speaking, Luo Chen swung onto the Blazing Wolf. "Su Heng, provide air support."
"Got it."
Su Heng beat his wings and shot toward the sea like a bolt of lightning.
Luo Chen issued his orders at the same time. "Plate Armor Turtle, hold the pier! Tide Jellyfish, prepare the Mental Tide! Feather Eagle, scout the enemy! Beetle Immortal, protect the civilians!"
The five Soul Beasts moved at once.
The Plate Armor Turtle plunged into the water, its shell glowing with a layer of blue light as it blocked the pier entrance completely.
The Tide Jellyfish floated higher into the air, the glow on its bell growing brighter and brighter, like a lighthouse on the verge of erupting.
The Feather Eagle climbed higher and circled above the harbor, its sharp gaze sweeping across every approaching Soul Beast.
The Beetle Immortal moved to the front of the crowd and spread its six long legs. Its antennae released faint fluctuations of Soul Power, forming a transparent barrier in front of the civilians.
Luo Chen rode the Blazing Wolf toward the edge of the pier, with Su Heng flying alongside him.
Fule stopped wasting words and released his Martial Soul—the Steel-Tooth Warrior!
It was a massive black water buffalo, its two pitch-black horns as sharp as a pair of swords.
This was Luo Chen's first time seeing Fule's Martial Soul. He hadn't expected that Fule, who looked so thin, would have a Martial Soul with such... raw power!
"Xiao Chen, I'll leave the other Soul Beasts to you, then. I'll take the four-thousand-year Iron-Spine Shark!"
"Don't worry, Uncle Fule."
Fule turned his feet inward and crouched slightly, then sprang toward a boat on the pier like an arrow loosed from its bow.
He landed steadily on the boat, while Su Heng and the other Soul Masters from Hailun City moved to intercept the remaining Soul Beasts.
Luo Chen faced the five Hundred-Year Soul Beasts alone: the Nether Water Snake, the Golden Starfish, and three Alien Fish. It was said that Alien Fish were ugly Soul Beasts whose appearance varied from one individual to the next, each ugly in its own unique way.
"Tide Jellyfish, get ready! Release the Mental Tide at full strength against those five!"
Seven-colored light bloomed from the Tide Jellyfish's bell as it unleashed its full power against the five ugly creatures.
Among the five, the Golden Starfish was also a mental-type Soul Beast, and it had the longest cultivation among them—so long that it nearly matched the Tide Light Jellyfish before its evolution. As a result, the Tide Jellyfish's mental attack affected it less. The other three Alien Fish were stunned, but the Golden Starfish was able to withstand the Tide Jellyfish's attack!
But Luo Chen still had the Evil Emperor! As Luo Chen's strength grew, the Evil Emperor had also recovered to the thousand-year level.
Even so, the Evil Emperor still wanted to escape. So, when Luo Chen was breaking through, the Evil Emperor had once tried to take advantage of his weakened state and possess him.
But just as it was about to enter the core of Luo Chen's mental sea, a mysterious force dragged it back into the King Ball and gave it a "beating."
How could the dignified Evil Emperor put up with that humiliation? For days afterward, the Evil Emperor refused to speak to Luo Chen.
Luo Chen felt wronged. You tried to possess me and failed, and now you're mad at me? What kind of logic is that?
So Luo Chen summoned the Evil Eye, aimed it at the Golden Starfish, and unleashed a full-power Evil Eye Gaze!
The thousand-year Evil Eye Gaze immediately locked the Golden Starfish in place.
"Feather Eagle, take me into the sky!" Luo Chen leaped straight off the Blazing Wolf. The Feather Eagle swooped down and caught him.
Standing on the Feather Eagle's back, Luo Chen headed straight for the Golden Starfish!
It had been a long time since he'd caught a new spirit. First, the semester had ended, so he couldn't go to the Star Dou Great Forest. Second, he'd been focused on consolidating his Soul Power Level.
Now that he'd finally stabilized his Soul Power at Level 24, it was time to add another helper!
I choose you, Golden Starfish! The Evil Eye Gaze could control the Golden Starfish for eight seconds! A full eight seconds—that was practically a divine skill in battle!
The Golden Starfish was desperate. It couldn't move; it couldn't even muster its mental power! Someone in these waters had a stronger mind than it did!
Too bad there was no regret medicine in this world. The Feather Eagle struck with a Feather Strike, slicing off two of the Golden Starfish's arms!
Grievously wounded! Nearly finished!
He took out the only Gulu Ball he had and hurled it at the Golden Starfish.
The Gulu Ball struck the Golden Starfish and bounced back. Then the Golden Starfish was sucked into the ball.
Just as Luo Chen thought his seventh Soul Beast was about to arrive, something unexpected happened. The Gulu Ball shook twice, then vanished the next second, releasing the Golden Starfish. The Evil Eye Gaze had worn off. Terrified, the Golden Starfish plunged beneath the surface and fled into the distance!
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