Ye Guyi

When Lin Yao opened his eyes, the Soul Emperor was still watching him. The moment Lin Yao stood up, the man took hold of his wrist with concern. "How is it? How did the absorption go?"

Lin Yao nodded, then rose to his feet and said to the Soul Emperor, "Thank you, Uncle Lin. Let's head back!"

The Soul Emperor nodded, then said to Lin Yao, "All right. Be careful, young master."

As he spoke, the Soul Emperor reached out and grabbed Lin Yao by the arm, then led him back the way they had come.

Lin Yao walked beside the Soul Emperor, feeling the effects of the Soul Ring and Soul Bone he had absorbed.

After absorbing the Soul Ring and Soul Bone, Lin Yao's Soul Power had reached level twenty-four, and it had become incredibly solid. Feeling the flow of Soul Power within him, he could already sense the new Soul Skill he had gained.

His second Soul Skill was called Ender Dragon Claw Flash. He could transform both hands into dragon claws, use the power of shadow to merge into darkness, then launch the claws to anywhere within his line of sight.

The Soul Bone Skill was Shadow Fire. It allowed him to control his own power of shadow and transform it into pale blue flames that burned souls. He could also imbue all subsequent attacks with those flames until he canceled the Soul Skill or ran out of Soul Power.

The question now was whether he needed to create and study Dragon Breath himself, or whether he could unlock it through a Soul Ring.

Judging by the Martial Souls of those Heaven Dragon Sect members who could use ranged Dragon Breath, the latter seemed more likely.

Just as Lin Yao was pondering these questions, the Soul Emperor walking ahead suddenly stopped and grabbed Lin Yao by the collar.

Before Lin Yao could ask what was going on, the Soul Emperor leaped into the air with him, darting into the dense canopy of a nearby tree.

Lin Yao had just landed in the treetop and was about to ask the Soul Emperor what had happened when the bushes ahead rustled. A staggering figure with golden hair burst out.

It was a girl dressed in white. Wounds that radiated black energy covered her body, and there was a trace of unwillingness in her glance back.

Behind her came a man dressed in black robes, with five Soul Rings beneath his feet.

The Soul Emperor took one look and clicked his tongue softly, murmuring, "Evil Soul Master."

Lin Yao studied the black-robed man. After a moment, he asked the Soul Emperor in a low voice, "Uncle Lin, should we save her?"

At that, the Soul Emperor hesitated, then said to Lin Yao, "Evil Soul Masters have wicked, unpredictable methods, and they're usually the sort to take revenge for the slightest slight. If we save that girl, we'll have to kill this Soul King outright. Otherwise, he'll become a never-ending threat to the entire Lin Mansion."

Hearing the Soul Emperor's words, Lin Yao understood what he meant: don't get involved. But after a moment's hesitation, Lin Yao decided to push his bodyguard a little.

Lin Yao suddenly darted forward, releasing his Ender Dragon Martial Soul behind him. The Soul Emperor clearly hadn't expected him to move—or perhaps he had underestimated the Ender Dragon's speed. He reached out to grab Lin Yao, but caught nothing but air.

The instant Lin Yao moved, the Soul King-level Evil Soul Master also struck at Ye Guyi, sending out a skull-shaped attack made of Soul Power. The attack was like a curse, carrying a chilling force.

Lin Yao flew out from the side, scooped up the golden-haired girl, and darted away. The skull actually turned with uncanny intelligence and pursued Lin Yao.

But as it reached him, the Ender Dragon wings on Lin Yao's back, flapping unconsciously, smashed the skull to pieces.

That move stunned the Soul King-level Evil Soul Master. He stared in shock for a moment, then swung his bone staff, preparing to attack again.

At that very moment, a massive claw mark condensed from Soul Power swooped toward the Soul King.

The Soul Emperor had struggled his way through Douluo Continent for years to reach his current level. He wasn't one to hesitate and look before he leaped.

Lin Yao had already made the call on what to do next in his capacity as their young master. Without the slightest hesitation, the Soul Emperor immediately launched a Soul Skill and joined the fight.

The Evil Soul Master clearly hadn't expected there to be someone else in the tree beside him. He jumped in fright, then hurriedly used his dark Soul Power to defend himself.

When the golden-haired girl saw Lin Yao suddenly appear and rescue her, her gaze lingered on him. Lin Yao, meanwhile, set her down in an open patch of ground and turned to look back at the Soul King.

"Thank you." The golden-haired girl managed to sit up and looked gratefully at Lin Yao. "That damned Evil Soul Master took advantage of me absorbing a Soul Ring to launch a sneak attack!"

As she spoke, the golden-haired girl coughed up another mouthful of blood, then stood and gasped, "Now that I've spat out that mouthful, I feel a lot better."

Lin Yao glanced at the golden-haired girl, then took a small box from his Storage Soul Tool and handed it to her. "There's medicine for your injuries inside. Take some before you say anything else."

The Dou Ling Empire wasn't especially wealthy, but it was close to the Sun Moon Empire, and it also had great alchemy sects like the Xuanming Sect. The pills they made were considered decent quality among the three great empires.

This was what Lin Yao most wanted to complain about: the Dou Ling Empire was practically a purse with no ability to fight back. The nobles were filthy rich, but the whole place fell apart at the slightest touch.

The golden-haired girl took one of the pills from the box Lin Yao had given her. Green light belonging to the power of life immediately rose around her body. She opened her eyes and said, "I feel much better. Thank you."

Then the golden-haired girl looked at Lin Yao, swallowed, and asked, "My name is Ye Guyi. What's yours?"

Lin Yao was gathering Shadow Fire with the power of his Soul Bone as he replied to Ye Guyi, "Lin Yao."

After that, Lin Yao spread his dragon wings and lunged at the Soul King once more.

Most of the Soul King's attention was focused on fighting the Soul Emperor. When he sensed the rush of air behind him, his heart leaped, but he could do nothing about it. All he could do was shift his body as best he could, exposing the less important parts to Lin Yao.

Lin Yao wasn't thinking about targeting the most painful spots. His priority was simply to land a hit, and he raked a claw across the Soul King's shoulder.

The moment his dragon claw tore into the Soul King's shoulder, Lin Yao channeled the power of his Martial Soul and flew far away, dodging the Soul King's counterattack. Meanwhile, the black Shadow Fire began to burn across the Evil Soul Master Soul King's body, incinerating the vengeful spirits and remnants of souls he relied on in battle.

Just then, a golden longsword pierced the Evil Soul Master through the chest...