Xiahou Mang's Ruthlessness

The man with the blade sprinted several more steps.

Suddenly, a blood-red glow burst from his body, and he shifted to gripping the blade with both hands.

The broad blade grew another size larger, becoming twice as large as his own body.

The man suddenly spun around.

"If you want the spirit bone, you'll have to see whether you have the life to take it!"

He roared madly, shaking the entire forest.

Several shrieks and hoofbeats sounded nearby as countless Soul Beasts were startled.

The man leaped into the air and slashed toward the path behind him.

So this was Xiahou Mang, the one Old Snake had mentioned!

What a powerful presence. Dugu Feng was inwardly amazed. Judging by this aura, he seemed to be more than just a Soul Emperor.

Blade Spirits were tyrannical and fierce in attack, while what Xiahou Mang was using resembled a Weapon Soul Avatar, with man and blade becoming one.

No wonder this family had become an Affiliated Sect of the Clear Sky Sect. The two shared certain similarities.

Xiahou Mang merged with the great saber, his body moving with the blade. Dugu Feng felt as though everything before his eyes had turned into blade shadows.

"You escaped six years ago, yet you've actually cultivated to become a Soul Sage. Unfortunately, you won't escape death today!" A booming voice rang out.

What Dugu Feng saw were several streaks of white light. Only after looking closely did he realize they were reflections from White Scales beneath the colors of Spirit Rings.

Three powerful figures were covered in a layer of White Scales, their bodies sturdy and massive. The leader had seven Spirit Rings around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—while the two beside him had yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black. The voice from earlier had come from the leading Soul Sage.

One Soul Sage and two Soul Emperors.

White Scales covered their entire bodies like armor. White Armored Earth Dragon—were they people from the Holy Dragon Sect?

Intense white light radiated from the three of them, condensing into an enormous White Dragon Phantom.

The White Dragon Phantom flickered through the sky before violently crashing into the blood-red blade radiance.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave spread outward.

Dozens of surrounding trees were sheared flat.

Xiahou Mang, fused with his blade, shuddered violently and retreated again and again. The three White Armored Holy Dragon Spirit Masters opposite him wore savage expressions as they suppressed the surging blood and energy within their bodies.

That collision had been nearly evenly matched.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

The terrifying tremors seemed like an earthquake.

A massive figure suddenly charged out from the side. It stood over three meters tall and no longer looked human.

Yet Dugu Feng could still recognize it as someone from the Huyan Family—the Diamond Mammoth Spirit.

This Diamond Mammoth Spirit Master rampaged forward, his target being Xiahou Mang.

"The Elephant Armor Sect has actually gotten involved with the Holy Dragon Sect? Could it be that the Elephant Armor Sect is also planning to submit to Spirit Hall?

"Or have all the Five Elements Academy pledged themselves to Spirit Hall?"

Old Snake felt a chill in his heart. This was no minor matter.

Meanwhile, Xiahou Mang had just clashed with the people of the Holy Dragon Sect. His old force had been spent before new force could arise, and he was immediately struck head-on by the tank-like Diamond Mammoth. His entire body flew backward as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Haha, die!"

The Holy Dragon Sect's Soul Sage charged forward again without hesitation.

Xiahou Mang gripped his great saber tightly, his eyes vicious. He had already expended some Soul Power while fleeing earlier.

His opponents were two Soul Sages, and the Holy Dragon Sect expert's White Armored Earth Dragon Spirit, though a sub-dragon species, was still powerful among Soul Sages. He was also fast, leaving Xiahou Mang struggling to cope.

Meanwhile, Hu Yanlie of the Elephant Armor Sect was thick-skinned and tough—simply impossible to kill.

The battle erupted once more.

Xiahou Mang's spirit bone was also exposed. A helmet appeared atop his head, an earthen-yellow helmet that looked neither conspicuous nor dazzling.

But it was undeniably a Spirit Bone Skill.

His spirit bone was a defensive skull bone. It really was the same skull bone Hu Yan Li had used during the Soul Master Competition.

Dugu Feng was immediately somewhat disappointed upon seeing this.

This was not a particularly powerful spirit bone. Even if it were given to him, he might not be willing to use it.

He had the Pill Bead, so resisting the harm caused by a Poison Attack was not so urgent for him.

If he were to absorb a spirit bone, it should at least be one over fifty thousand years old—preferably a hundred-thousand-year spirit bone. Most of Tang San's spirit bones were hundred-thousand-year ones.

He could not be inferior to Tang San either.

And this skull bone was at most ten thousand years old.

The use of the spirit bone showed that Xiahou Mang was nearing the end of his rope.

Their battle was not their first.

Xiahou Mang had fled many times, only to be caught up with each time.

On this night, Xiahou Mang was beginning to despair.

"Come this way!" A telepathic message suddenly reached Xiahou Mang's ears.

His eyes immediately lit up. Someone was hiding in the shadows.

He hurriedly retreated in the direction the voice had come from, though he remained cautious, fighting as he withdrew.

Naturally, Old Snake was the one who had spoken.

Old Snake gave a sinister smile.

He had truly caught his prey while lying in wait.

Then, in Dugu Feng's perception, the toxins in the surroundings increased. Colorless, odorless Jade Phosphor Purple Poison spread through the air.

This Jade Phosphor Purple Poison was far more concealed than the Jade Phosphor Purple Poison condensed by his First Soul Skill.

Not only were its particles tiny and difficult to detect with Spiritual Power, but it was also colorless and odorless.

Clearly, Old Snake's cultivation of Jade Phosphor Purple Poison had reached an extremely profound level.

Dugu Feng had only sensed it because the Pill Bead was trembling. He hurriedly suppressed the Pill Bead; faced with such high-quality Jade Phosphor Purple Poison, it was actually growing restless.

Next came the moment to witness Old Snake kill silently and without a trace.

Just how deadly could a Poison Attribute Soul Master be?

Yet the next instant, an accident still occurred.

"Why haven't you made your move?!"

As Xiahou Mang retreated, he suddenly roared and turned to leap toward where Dugu Feng was hiding.

Xiahou Mang was a ruthless man. After drawing close to Old Snake, he naturally discovered Dugu Feng as well.

Dugu Feng had hidden himself perfectly.

But the gap in strength between a One-Ring Soul Master and a Soul Sage was simply too vast.

Once Xiahou Mang knew someone was concealed here, he found Dugu Feng.

But he did not discover Old Snake.

He immediately understood that this weak Soul Master he had found must be connected to the person who had sent him the telepathic message.

Who would not covet a Spirit Bone?

Xiahou Mang was unwilling to place his life in someone else's hands.

Thus, as he shouted, he was also informing Hu Yanlie that someone was nearby.

He wanted the two sides to fight so that he could escape.

To avoid any unexpected complications, he actually intended to seize Dugu Feng first. If the hidden person was powerful, this would also make them wary.

Just a One-Ring Soul Master?

Wouldn't he be able to take him down in an instant?

If the person in the shadows wanted to reap the benefits, then they had it all wrong.

Xiahou Mang's expression was vicious. As the distance closed, he could already see Dugu Feng clearly. He was a child.

A very young child.

But what a pity. Once he caught him, even if he managed to escape, he would not spare his life.

He could already imagine the terrified expression that would appear on the child's face.

Yet the next moment, Xiahou Mang was surprised.

The child actually smiled?

Had he been scared witless?

That made sense. He had never seen such a cold and domineering Soul Sage, never seen a Spirit Bone Skill. After all, he was still just a child!

Such an innocent age—what a pity he was about to die.