Second Soul Skill: Spirit Restraint

Tang San did not dare hesitate. Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track spun at full force beneath his feet, afterimages flickering around him.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Positioning Tracking!"

Zhao Wuji's fourth soul ring blazed brightly, and a mark of light tore through the air, chasing straight after Tang San's phantom!

"Running around everywhere, are you? Let's see where you can run now!"

Zhao Wuji roared angrily.

"Second Soul Skill—Mighty Vajra Palm!"

Several soul skills were activated in succession, their attacks blanketing Tang San from all directions!

Gravity compressed and sealed off every direction. Tang San's body abruptly stalled, his aura firmly locked down, and his afterimages could no longer evade.

The Mighty Vajra Palm came crashing down from above!

Tang San took the blow head-on, spitting out a mouthful of blood as his body was sent flying before crashing heavily to the ground.

Boom!

Dust and smoke filled the field.

"You're up!"

Zhao Wuji's eyes narrowed as he looked into the dust.

A figure slowly emerged from the haze, black hair fluttering in the wind, an Ice-Fire Coiling Dragon Staff resting across his shoulders.

Ao Yin tilted his head and mocked, "Tang San, you... aren't much, huh?"

As he spoke, he swung the Ice-Fire Coiling Dragon Staff and pointed it directly at Zhao Wuji. "Ao Yin, Rank 39 Battle Soul Elder. Please enlighten me!"

Zhao Wuji turned to glance at the incense burner nearby. Half a stick of incense was still burning there.

"Kid, are you really so confident that you can last through the remaining half-stick of incense?"

Ao Yin remained calm. Rather than answering Zhao Wuji's question, he pulled out a fresh stick of incense, lit it, and flicked it into the burner with precision.

Only then did Ao Yin leisurely say, "Half a stick? That's too short. I'm restarting the timer!"

Dai Mubai, Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were all stunned. "Ao Yin wants to hold off a Soul Sage alone for an entire stick of incense?"

Just how confident was this guy?

The four of them had barely managed to last half a stick of incense against Zhao Wuji.

Yet Ao Yin wanted to last an entire stick by himself!

Was that even possible?

Tang San swallowed. "Ao Yin, who do you think you are?"

He had considered himself brave enough, but he had not expected someone even bolder than himself!

"Brother Ao is amazing! He can definitely do it!"

Xiao Wu was the only one who had not the slightest doubt in Ao Yin. She remained completely confident!

"Young man, I advise you not to be too arrogant!" Zhao Wuji was furious!

He was a dignified seven-ring Soul Sage!

Even without going all out, he refused to believe that a three-ring Soul Elder could last an entire stick of incense against him!

Ao Yin sneered. "If young people aren't arrogant, can they still be called young people?"

Buzz!

Three ten-thousand-year black soul rings surged up from beneath his feet. In terms of sheer presence, he did not lose to Zhao Wuji in the slightest!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhao Wuji stared fixedly at the soul rings on Ao Yin's body and said "good" three times in a row!

Even he had only acquired his first ten-thousand-year soul ring after becoming a Soul King. Yet Ao Yin was even more terrifying—his first through third soul rings were all ten-thousand-year soul rings!

Everyone knew that soul rings could only be absorbed after the soul beast had been personally killed. Zhao Wuji absolutely could not believe that Ao Yin had possessed the ability to hunt ten-thousand-year soul beasts while he had still been a Soul Master!

There had to be elders from a family or sect behind these three ten-thousand-year soul rings!

"It seems your background is far from ordinary!"

However, Zhao Wuji would not go easy on him because of that. Instead, he grew eager to fight. He had been bored in Shrek for too long, and encountering a monster like this only made things more interesting!

Buzz!

Seven soul rings abruptly rose beneath his feet—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black!

Zhao Wuji did not hold back. He immediately unleashed a soul skill!

"Second Soul Skill! Mighty Vajra Palm!"

A heavy palm wind howled toward him, carrying an incomparably vicious force!

Everyone outside the field instantly became tense.

Xiao Wu cried out anxiously, "Brother Ao, be careful!"

Everyone was on edge, but Ao Yin merely shook his head calmly.

"No need."

It was only a soul skill. Ao Yin had soul skills too!

Moreover, his soul skills were far superior to Zhao Wuji's hundred-year soul skills!

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

Crimson fire suddenly flared!

Red Tide, condensed from Southern Bright Lihuo, instantly enveloped an area thirty meters wide!

First Soul Skill—Red Tide!

Within thirty meters around Zhao Wuji, everything was instantly swallowed by Red Tide.

Six years later, Red Tide was no longer what it had once been.

Destructive heat rushed toward him, and waves of scorching air surged without end.

Zhao Wuji had clearly activated a soul skill, yet the Soul Power within his body was still being continuously suppressed.

This bizarre weakening effect was simply outrageous!

"Within Red Tide, revere me... as you would a god! Those who disdain a god shall face judgment!"

Ao Yin spoke in a low, majestic voice.

Like a supreme deity presiding over judgment, he looked down from above.

The instant Zhao Wuji's Soul Power was suppressed, Ao Yin suddenly shot forward!

Flames swirled around his body as he gripped the Coiling Dragon Staff tightly.

All three ten-thousand-year soul rings flashed at once, and vast Soul Power poured into the staff!

"Power of Myriad Forms!"

The Coiling Dragon Staff, wreathed in heaven-burning flames, smashed fiercely into the Mighty Vajra Palm!

Boom!

Two terrifying forces collided violently!

Rampaging Soul Power transformed into a ring-shaped shockwave that swept madly in every direction!

The ground beneath their feet caved in with a roar. The entire patch of earth cracked and collapsed, utterly unable to withstand the crushing impact.

Violent ripples of Soul Power exploded outward, and a powerful shockwave swept across the entire clearing!

Tang San, Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing were all blasted several meters away by the aftershock. Even Dai Mubai, also a three-ring Soul Elder, could not withstand the force and staggered back several steps!

"Is Ao Yin even human?"

Dai Mubai was shaken. This was only the aftermath!

Red Tide churned.

Zhao Wuji only felt searing heat in his palm, followed by an enormous rebounding force that numbed his knuckles. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.

Everyone knew that his martial soul was the Mighty Vajra Bear, renowned for its strength, yet Ao Yin had dealt it a crushing blow in a contest of power! Zhao Wuji steadied himself, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"What incredible strength!"

"And this flame is truly strange. It actually weakened my combat power by ten percent!"

Ao Yin smiled faintly. His Soul Power Level was lower than Zhao Wuji's, but Southern Bright Lihuo was the innate Heavenly Flames of the ten-thousand-year sub-dragon species, the Fire Glass Vine Serpent. Not to mention a Soul Sage—even a Soul Douluo would have half their combat power suppressed within his Red Tide.

On top of that, Zhao Wuji had previously been struck by more than a dozen poisonous Dragon Beard Needles. He had to use ten percent of his Soul Power to suppress the poison in order to remain unharmed for now. At this moment, his combat strength had been reduced by a full twenty percent.

Even so, Zhao Wuji remained calm and shook his head slightly.

"Unfortunately, that's all."

"With just this much ability, you are still far from lasting a full stick of incense!"

Zhao Wuji roared again, "Third Soul Skill—Gravity Enhancement!!"

In an instant, an invisible gravitational field descended!

The ground beneath Ao Yin's feet directly caved in, his legs sinking sharply. The crushing pressure was like Mount Tai bearing down on him, but with the Power of Myriad Forms, he could barely endure it. Still, under the immense pressure, his movement speed was greatly reduced!

Yet Ao Yin did not panic in the slightest and let out a fierce shout!

"Second Soul Skill—Spirit Binding!"

Ao Yin's eyes instantly changed from crimson to ghastly white, and an eerie aura surged forward!

Boom—

Zhao Wuji was fully activating his soul skill. Yet the instant he met Ao Yin's gaze, his mind suddenly thundered and shook violently!

It was actually a spiritual soul skill that struck directly at the soul!

Ao Yin curled his lips faintly.

This second soul skill, Spirit Binding, came from his second ten-thousand-year soul ring—the Six-Winged Frost Centipede!

It was a rare spiritual soul skill!

Zhao Wuji was a seven-ring Soul Sage, and his martial soul was the Mighty Vajra Bear, possessing both strength and defense. While his physical defense had reached extraordinary heights, his spiritual defense was... somewhat lacking!

Ao Yin had lived three lives, and his soul had already been tempered and strengthened three times. The spiritual power of an ordinary Soul Sage might not even surpass his!