"Young master?"
"Qing Lin, attack with me!"
There was no time for any further explanation. Hun Mang's attack was already closing in from behind. Yao Lao was badly injured, so the task of covering their retreat naturally fell to Qing Lin and Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan moved directly in front of Yao Lao and Huo Zhi, shielding them as the five Heavenly Flames returned to hover before him. He and Qing Lin stood shoulder to shoulder. They needed no words; their understanding seemed long established.
The freezing breath Qing Lin exhaled struck first. Amid a flurry of fine crackling sounds, it greatly slowed the Black Mist's advance. The Eight Wastelands Star Lotus Flame followed close behind and, without mercy, shattered all the Black Mist pursuing them.
Hun Mang sensed Qing Lin's arrival. In his current state, he did not fear her, but the unending string of surprises left him increasingly furious. Even with Qing Lin added to their ranks, he was absolutely confident he could win. The problem was that a true colossus stood behind them: Yan Jin, a Nine-Star Dou Sheng.
The earth-shaking explosion moments earlier had kept Yan Jin too busy to deal with him for now. But if Hun Mang did not hurry, Yan Jin would come sooner or later. Even if he obtained the complete remnant soul of the Spirit Emperor, he would not dare claim he could face Yan Jin in the short term.
"Heaven-Rank Soul Technique: Soul-Scattering Sound!"
Within the Black Mist, Hun Mang abruptly opened his mouth and spat out a black-and-red beam that reeked of blood. It twisted and writhed strangely in midair before settling into an hideous human face.
To be precise, it was hardly a face at all. Dense scars crisscrossed its entire surface, and even its features were misplaced,