"Boss..."
Shi Mo glanced at Qin Qi, hesitation showing in his eyes.
"Quit hesitating and do it. Whoever encounters a Soul Beast and catches it owns it."
"The world of Soul Masters is ruled by the strong. The weak are prey to the strong!"
Qin Qi spoke without hesitation. The Four-Eyed Scale-Armored Beast was a rare mutated superior among Scale-Armored Beasts, something that could only be encountered by chance.
It could be said to be the best choice for a defense-type Martial Soul. Now that they had found one, how could they possibly give it up just because of a few words from someone else?
"Qin Qi is right. Do it. I'll handle these people."
Qin Ming adjusted his glasses as Martial Soul Possession took hold. Six Soul Rings emerged behind him—a six-ringed Soul Emperor!
The members of the Strength Clan and Defense Clan immediately revealed their Soul Rings as well. Both were five-ringed Soul Kings!
"Ha!"
Shi Mo no longer hesitated. He hurled his turtle shell at the Four-Eyed Scale-Armored Beast, striking it through the weak point in its mouth and killing it instantly.
A yellow Soul Ring appeared, but this was not the time to absorb it.
"That Soul Beast was our prey! Isn't it too much for you to steal our prey like this?!"
The Soul King from the Defense Clan flew into a rage at the sight. This was the Soul Beast he had prepared for his son.
Yet it had actually been stolen from them. This was too much!
"That Soul Beast charged right at us. We had the right to defend ourselves."
"As for whether it was your prey, that's hard to say. And even if it was, you only have yourselves to blame for failing to keep watch over it. Don't blame us."
Qin Ming became exceptionally forceful. He stood before Qin Qi and the others, his gaze sharp as he spoke.
"That's not how it works. We've been chasing that Soul Beast for two days."
"It still bears wounds we left on it. That proves the Soul Beast was ours."
The member of the Strength Clan spoke.
"Boss Qin Qi, is there any point in them arguing about that now? Whoever kills the Soul Beast absorbs the Soul Ring."
"We already struck first. There's no way they can absorb it."
Shi Mo had finished absorbing the Soul Ring and officially entered the Soul Grandmaster realm.
He walked to Qin Qi's side, warily watching the four enemies before them as he spoke in a low voice.
"Their target isn't the Soul Beast anymore. Their target is us."
"They're unwilling to accept that we took the Soul Beast, but they're wary of my brother's strength as a Soul Emperor."
"They're looking for an opportunity."
Qin Qi took two small steps back, letting the massive bodies of Shi Mo and Shi Mo shield him.
"Shi Mo, Shi Mo, this stalemate is unfavorable for us."
"Though they're only Soul Kings, one follows the ultimate strength path while the other follows the ultimate defense path. My brother isn't afraid of either one in a one-on-one."
"But if it's one against two, their coordination can bring out extraordinary power."
"So we have to strike first."
Hidden behind Shi Mo and Shi Mo, Qin Qi spoke in a low voice.
"Boss Qin Qi, just tell us what to do."
Shi Mo had realized it as well. They were in the Star Dou Great Forest, out in the wilderness where danger lurked everywhere.
Those people might very well try something underhanded against them.
"Do you see those two younger ones over there?"
"The one on the left has a strength-type Power Ape Martial Soul. The one on the right has a defense-type plate-armored rhinoceros Martial Soul."
"In a moment, I'll have my brother attack first and disrupt them."
"Then the two of you will focus your attacks with me on that Power Ape Martial Soul user. Once we take him down, we'll have a hostage."
Qin Qi's eyes did not waver in the slightest as he spoke, and not a trace of hostility leaked from his body.
"Boss Qin Qi, isn't that too risky?"
"Smack."
The moment Shi Mo finished speaking, Qin Qi gave him a kick.
"Do you think a few more words can settle this now that things have come this far?"
"When we make our move, whoever dares hesitate, I'll Eula him to death."
Qin Qi spoke irritably. These two brothers were as dense as iron blocks. They really were infuriating.
"Mm."
The Shi Mo brothers nodded slightly. Though they were not as quick-witted as Qin Qi, they were obedient.
They knew they could not properly analyze the current situation, but at least they did not stubbornly argue.
Qin Qi lightly tugged at Qin Ming's clothes from behind. He said nothing, but Qin Ming immediately understood what Qin Qi meant.
"Gentlemen, we're from Heaven Dou Royal Academy."
Qin Ming invoked the power behind him.
"Heaven Dou Royal Academy..."
The two men from the Defense and Strength Clans hesitated slightly. They were not particularly afraid, but they had some concerns.
Yet in that instant of hesitation, Qin Ming attacked. Flames engulfed the surroundings in an instant!
"Boom!"
Using the cover of the flames, Qin Qi charged toward the youth from the Strength Clan. Shi Mo and Shi Mo also hurled their turtle shells in attack!
"You want to meet me head-on? Then come!"
The youth from the Strength Clan did not dodge. Instead, he pounded his chest with both fists and roared as he charged Qin Qi.
"First Soul Skill, Strength Amplification!"
The Strength Clan youth's muscles swelled again as he swung his fist at Qin Qi.
"Eula Eula Eula!"
Qin Qi had no time to use Charged Punch. He directly interwove basic attacks with normal attacks, throwing out Eula Punch after Eula Punch.
Their fists collided.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound of shattering bones was followed by a loud scream.
"Aah!!!"
The youth from the Strength Clan let out a piercing scream. The instant his fist met Qin Qi's, the bones in his hand were broken!
"Eula Eula Eula!"
Qin Qi continued his assault, beating the youth unconscious in one breath.
The entire process had taken no more than the blink of an eye!
By the time the two Soul Kings broke through Qin Ming's flames, Qin Qi had already subdued the Strength Clan youth.
"Gentlemen, you'd better not move now. Otherwise, I'll crush this kid's neck!"
Qin Qi gripped the Strength Clan youth by the neck and threatened them.
"Gentlemen, it's only a Soul Beast. There's no need to fight to the death over it."
Qin Ming immediately stepped in front of Qin Qi as well. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With a hostage in hand, this battle was destined not to continue.
"Have you no shame?!"
"You ambushed us, then threatened to kill my son!"
"And now you say it's only a Soul Beast? Do you think it's that simple?!"
The Strength Clan man was furious, roaring loudly!
"But if we hadn't done this, would you have let the matter go so easily?"
Qin Qi tightened his grip slightly, and the Strength Clan youth immediately screamed even more miserably.
"Old Ape, don't act rashly."
"Brother, let's talk this out."
"The Soul Beast has already been killed by you, and we can no longer absorb its Soul Ring."
"Release him now, and we'll leave immediately. There's no need to keep this going."
The member of the Defense Clan hurriedly stopped Old Ape and spoke.
"That would be best. But first, let our man absorb the Soul Ring. Shi Mo, what are you dawdling for? Absorb it already."
Qin Qi smiled, then looked at Shi Mo beside him and shot him a fierce glare.
What was this big idiot standing around for?
Did he really think they would let the matter go?
Just because they could not absorb it did not mean they would let them absorb it smoothly.
They would definitely interfere. They would rather waste it than hand it over for free.
"Alright!"
Shi Mo finally realized it. With a hostage in hand and the other side constrained, this was the best time to absorb it.
Once he finished absorbing it, they would run. By then, it would not be easy for the others to chase them.
Before you continue