Ye Guyi

When Lin Yao opened his eyes, the Soul Emperor was still watching him. Seeing Lin Yao stand up, he reached out and gripped Lin Yao's wrist with concern. "How is it? How was the absorption?"

Lin Yao nodded, then stood up and said to the Soul Emperor, "Thank you, Uncle Lin. Let's head back."

The Soul Emperor nodded, then added, "Understood. Be careful, Young Master."

With that, the Soul Emperor reached out to take Lin Yao's arm and led him back along the path they had come.

Lin Yao walked beside the Soul Emperor, using the time to sense the effects of the soul ring and soul bone he had just absorbed.

After absorbing the ring and bone, Lin Yao's soul power had reached level twenty-four and felt incredibly solid. As he felt the flow of power within his body, he began to grasp his newly acquired soul skills.

His second soul skill was called Ender Dragon Claw Flash. It allowed him to transform his hands into dragon claws and utilize the power of shadows to meld into the darkness, launching the claws toward any target within his line of sight.

The soul bone skill was Shadow Fire. It allowed him to control his own shadow energy, converting it into a pale blue flame that burned the soul. Any subsequent attacks would be imbued with these pale blue flames until he deactivated the skill or exhausted his soul power.

Now, the question before Lin Yao was whether the "Dragon Breath" skill needed to be researched and self-created, or if it would be unlocked through a future soul ring.

If he used the Heaven Dragon Sect's martial souls—which were capable of long-range dragon breath—as a reference, the latter seemed more likely.

Just as Lin Yao was pondering these questions, the Soul Emperor walking in front of him stopped abruptly and grabbed Lin Yao by the collar.

Before Lin Yao could ask what was happening, the Soul Emperor leaped into the air, carrying him up into the dense canopy of a nearby tree.

As Lin Yao steadied himself in the branches and prepared to ask what was wrong, the bushes ahead rustled, and a stumbling, golden-haired figure burst out.

It was a young girl in white clothes, her body covered in wounds that radiated black energy. The look in her eyes as she glanced back was filled with lingering resentment.

Behind the girl was a man in black robes, five soul rings pulsing beneath his feet.

The Soul Emperor took one look and let out a soft "tsk," spitting out three words: "Evil Soul Master."

Lin Yao studied the black-robed man for a moment before whispering to the Soul Emperor, "Uncle Lin, should we save her?"

The Soul Emperor hesitated, then replied, "Evil Soul Masters use treacherous methods and are notoriously vengeful. If we save her, we must completely eradicate this Soul King, or it will leave endless trouble for the entire Lin Mansion."

Lin Yao understood the Soul Emperor's implication—that they should stay out of it—but after a brief moment of hesitation, he decided to force his guardian's hand.

Lin Yao lunged forward, instantly unleashing his Ender Dragon Martial Soul. The Soul Emperor clearly hadn't anticipated Lin Yao's move, or perhaps he had underestimated the flight speed of the Ender Dragon, as his attempt to grab the boy met only empty air.

The moment Lin Yao moved, the Soul King-level Evil Soul Master launched a skull-shaped soul power attack at Ye Guyi. The attack carried an icy, chilling energy, as if it were a curse.

Lin Yao flew in from the side, grabbed the golden-haired girl, and darted away. The skull attack, displaying a strange, sinister intelligence, changed direction and pursued him.

However, as it closed in, the Ender Dragon wings on Lin Yao's back—flapping instinctively—shattered the skull into pieces.

This feat stunned the Evil Soul Master. He froze in shock for a split second before raising his bone staff, preparing to strike again.

At that same moment, a giant claw mark formed of soul power slashed toward the Soul King.

The Soul Emperor had spent years struggling and climbing through the ranks of the Douluo Continent; he was not a man to dither when the situation demanded action.

Since Lin Yao had already made the decision as the master, the Soul Emperor did not hesitate to follow up on the attack.

The Evil Soul Master clearly hadn't expected another person to be hiding in the trees. He was caught off guard and scrambled to defend himself with his dark soul power.

Seeing Lin Yao swoop in to save her, the golden-haired girl's gaze locked onto him. Lin Yao set her down in a nearby clearing and turned back to face the Soul King.

"Thank you," the girl said, struggling to sit up and looking at Lin Yao with gratitude. "That damned Evil Soul Master... he ambushed me while I was absorbing a soul ring."

She coughed up a mouthful of blood, then stood up, panting. "Getting that blood out... I feel much better now."

Lin Yao glanced at her, then took a small box from his storage soul tool and handed it to her. "There's medicine inside. Eat it."

Although the Douling Empire wasn't particularly wealthy, its proximity to the Sun Moon Empire and the presence of major alchemy sects like the Xuanming Sect meant that the pills produced within its borders were of decent quality among the three great empires.

This was the one thing Lin Yao complained about most: the Douling Empire was essentially a defenseless money bag—the nobles were filthy rich, but they crumbled at the slightest touch.

The girl took one of the pills from the box, and a green light of life energy immediately began to radiate from her body. She opened her eyes and said, "Much better. Thank you."

Afterward, she looked at Lin Yao, swallowed, and said, "My name is Ye Guyi. What's yours?"

Lin Yao, already gathering Shadow Fire with his soul bone power, replied, "Lin Yao."

With that, he spread his dragon wings and lunged at the Soul King once more.

The Soul King was currently pouring most of his energy into fending off the Soul Emperor. Feeling the rush of wind behind him, he panicked but had no choice; he could only adjust his stance to expose the least vital parts of his body to Lin Yao.

Lin Yao didn't care about hitting a vital spot; his only goal was to land a hit. He slashed his claws directly into the Soul King's shoulder.

As soon as the dragon claws tore through the shoulder, Lin Yao used his martial soul's power to dart away, avoiding the Soul King's counterattack. The black Shadow Fire ignited on the Evil Soul Master's body, burning away the vengeful spirits and remnants he relied on for combat.

At that exact moment, a golden longsword pierced through the Evil Soul Master's chest.