You're Already Dead!

"Senior Ling Ying, do you have any even stronger Dou Technique?" Huo Yuhao's voice rang out in the Mental Sharing.

"There's more, but it needs to be charged up."

"Then I'll buy you some time."

Before he finished speaking, Huo Yuhao abruptly dispelled the Simulation, revealing his true form. He used his Qi Control Art to hover in mid-air, his aura exploding outwards like a storm sweeping across the surroundings. In that instant, an invisible, immense pressure enveloped the Soul Hall Dou Emperor.

At this moment, the Soul Hall Dou Emperor's pupils suddenly contracted, his muscles tensed, and his breathing stopped, as if he were being choked.

A Dou Zong expert?!

He let out a low growl, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly, causing the black smoke surrounding him to ripple.

Suppressing the turmoil churning within him, the Soul Hall Dou Emperor's mind raced: When did such a young Dou Zong powerhouse emerge in this Black-Corner Region? Is he friend or foe? Why has he come?

The Soul Hall Dou Emperor almost instinctively wanted to escape, but when he thought of his mission, he realized that if he abandoned those "materials," he would not be able to complete his target!

As a member of the Soul Hall, if he fails to complete his mission, the Guardian will teach him a lesson that is worse than death.

He quickly adjusted his posture, cupped his hands in a salute, and concealed the fear in his voice. "Senior, what brings you here? I am Lin Qi, a steward under Xue Protector the Soul Hall, and I am here on a mission."

Lin Qi deliberately highlighted his identity as a deacon of the Soul Hall, hoping to intimidate the other party by leveraging the Soul Hall's prestige. After all, the powerful figures on the Battle Qi Continent were unwilling to provoke members of the Soul Hall unless absolutely necessary.

Not planning to attack immediately? Huo Yuhao's gaze locked onto Lin Qi. Since the other party had reservations, Huo Yuhao didn't choose to start a fight right away. Instead, he adopted a haughty tone, put his hands behind his back, and asked, "What happened here? Tell me."

At the same time, a long, gleaming Spirit Artifact appeared silently in Huo Yuhao's hand, which was behind his back, and his Dou Qi was being poured into it without him even noticing.

Seeing that this "Dou Zong" senior did not immediately launch an attack, Lin Qi felt somewhat relieved.

"Reporting to Senior, it was merely a minor conflict between myself and another arrogant Dou Emperor. I am truly sorry to have disturbed you."

After listening to Lin Qi's explanation, Huo Yuhao stared at Lin Qi in silence, his gaze deep and unwavering.

Just as Lin Qi's unease was growing wildly and he was about to lose his temper and test the waters, Huo Yuhao spoke again.

What is your mission here?

"This is a secret of our Soul Hall; please forgive me, but I cannot disclose it."

When Lin Qi heard Huo Yuhao pressing him about the Soul Hall's mission, his alarm bells rang even louder. He suppressed the urge to attack immediately and was about to concoct another excuse when a flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind!

This feeling is somewhat familiar.

The moment this "Dou Zong" opened his mouth, an extremely subtle soul fluctuation appeared in Lin Qi's perception.

He suddenly remembered: This soul fluctuation, isn't it the person who was spying on me? This person must be with that assassin who just tried to kill the Dou Emperor.

A surge of anger at being mocked and fooled instantly welled up in Lin Qi's heart! He, a dignified Soul Hall Dou Emperor, had actually been fooled by a junior disguised using some unknown evil magic? And even treated him with utmost respect for half a day? This was simply an utter disgrace!

"Senior Dou Zong, please allow me to experience your strength!"

Lin Qi maintained his respectful address to "Dou Zong," but his body was already poised to strike. His dense Dou Qi erupted, and in an instant, he unleashed two streaks of blood-red light, several times stronger than the one he had used to attack Ling Ying. With a sharp whistling sound, they fiercely slashed towards Huo Yuhao, who stood motionless in the air!

Just like Ling Ying! Huo Yuhao's figure was instantly swallowed up by the scarlet blade light in mid-air, turning into dust everywhere!

Seeing this result, Lin Qi became even angrier, roaring repeatedly in mid-air, "Damn it! What do you take me for? Come out here!"

His Soul Power spread out, attempting to pinpoint Huo Yuhao's hiding place.

In Lin Qi's blind spot, a Spirit Artifact longsword shimmering with seven-colored light appeared silently and pierced towards Lin Qi's head like a bolt of lightning.

Just as the longsword was about to strike, Lin Qi suddenly turned around and unleashed a blood-red palm strike that collided with Huo Yuhao's longsword.

Clang! The longsword was knocked away, Lin Qi only swayed slightly, without even feeling the stuffiness from the clash of Dou Technique.

"Haha! You're just an ant with the strength of Dou Wang, how dare you!" Lin Qi laughed loudly, and directly slashed out a bloody light in the direction from which the long sword flew. However, what Lin Qi did not notice was that his rationality was gradually dissipating and being replaced by impulse.

After the initial attack, Huo Yuhao changed tactics and used Soul Shock again, repeatedly letting Lin Qi discover that he could attack souls.

Faced with the first two Soul Shock, Lin Qi was on high alert, mobilizing his Soul Power to resist Huo Yuhao's mental strength.

Under Huo Yuhao's control, his mental power easily broke through Lin Qi's soul defense.

However, when the Soul Shock struck Lin Qi's soul, Lin Qi discovered that Huo Yuhao's attack was nothing more than a tickle.

"Haha, no other means? Then die!" Faced with the next few Soul Shock, Lin Qi had no interest in resisting. He released all his Soul Power to locate Huo Yuhao, allowing Huo Yuhao's mental power to attack his soul.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Huo Yuhao's lips curled up, and a spiritual force almost identical to the Soul Shock rushed towards Lin Qi's soul without any hindrance. This spiritual force quickly adjusted its fluctuations and merged into Lin Qi's soul.

[Dreamshock]!

In an instant, Lin Qi's body froze on the spot, no longer moving.

"Thank you for your promotion, Hall Master!" Inside the Soul Hall headquarters, Lin Qi knelt down, his face almost touching the ground.

"Rise, Lin Tianzun." The Soul Hall Master, shrouded in mist, spoke gently, "I have always held you in high regard. You must persevere."

"Yes, Lord! I will definitely work hard! I will contribute all my strength to the great cause of our Soul Clan!" Lin Qi's face turned bright red. Being praised by the Lord was the greatest honor in his eyes.

"Come forward, I have another reward for you."

There's even a reward! He'd only captured some ordinary "materials," not even enough to raise his strength to the Dou Zun level, yet there was a reward? A hint of doubt flashed through Lin Qi's mind, but it quickly dissipated.

He crawled on his knees before the Soul Hall Master, his voice respectful. "Thank you for the reward, Hall Master!"

"You're welcome!" Unlike the voice of the Soul Hall Master he had imagined, this voice was clear and gentle.

A sharp pain erupted from his heart, and Lin Qi's vision instantly changed. Behind him, Ling Ying's hand pierced through the spot where he had been attacked before, viciously penetrating his heart.

"Impossible... you're all dead!" In his final moments of lucidity, Lin Qi's voice was so powerful that Huo Yuhao's ears rang.

Without offering any explanation, Ling Ying's Dou Qi erupted from his hand inside his body, shattering his body and soul together.