Fire Leopard Sect? Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?!

"Awooo—!"

The black panther swiftly turned around, its vertical pupils gleaming with ferocity as it lowered its body into an attacking stance.

"Big kitty, I'll suppress it from the front in a moment. Find an opening and come in from the flank."

Lin Ye quickly assigned their tactics.

"Its Invincible Golden Body doesn't last long. There should be a cooldown between uses. Attack after its golden body runs out."

"Got it!"

Lin Ye charged forward first, sending three slashes flying.

Seeing this, the black panther leaped into the air, twisting its body midair and nimbly dodging the first two.

But the third Wave Cleave still grazed its tail.

"Aow—!"

A bloody gash burst open across its tail, and the black panther cried out in pain.

Yet the instant it landed, it pounced fiercely toward Lin Ye.

It was incredibly fast, its panther claws slicing toward Lin Ye's face with the sound of rushing wind.

Lin Ye sidestepped, then countered with two more slashes.

One slash came from above and the other from below, sealing off the black panther's retreat.

"Buzz!"

At that moment, golden light bloomed across the black panther's body once more!

The two slashes struck the golden light and were forcibly deflected away.

"Not bad. It really is worthy of the Invincible Golden Body!"

Lin Ye exclaimed.

The black panther then used the protection of its golden body to dart out from Lin Ye's blockade and charge directly toward Zhu Zhuqing.

"It's coming!"

Zhu Zhuqing did not take it head-on. She quickly leaned backward and performed a flip, easily avoiding the black panther's pounce.

Three seconds later, the golden body dissipated.

The opportunity had come. Now!

A sharp gleam flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes.

"Second Soul Skill, Netherworld Hundred Claws!"

In an instant, dozens of claw strikes poured forth, all landing on the black panther's back just as it lost the protection of its golden body.

"Awooo—!"

More than a dozen bloody marks instantly burst across its black fur.

At the same time, the black panther howled miserably and rolled away.

"Big kitty, nicely done!" Lin Ye hurried after it.

"First Soul Skill, Evil God Thirteen Slashes!"

Lin Ye unleashed four consecutive slashes, all of them blasting into the black panther.

"Buzz!"

The black panther instantly activated its golden body for the third time.

The moment golden light covered its body, Lin Ye's four slashes failed to harm it.

But their tremendous force still knocked it back!

Yet the black panther took advantage of that powerful impact to flee madly deeper into the forest.

However, this time, it ran less than thirty meters.

The instant its golden body dissipated—

Lin Ye was already waiting along its only path.

"That's already the third time."

Lin Ye looked at the black panther before him, which was covered in injuries, and began to think.

Using that skill three times in a row must consume a huge amount of energy. It probably can't use it a fourth time, right?

Seeing Lin Ye block its path, a trace of terror flashed through the black panther's vertical pupils.

"Can't drag this out any longer. I need to finish this beast quickly!"

Lin Ye swiftly raised his right hand, three slashes gathering between his palm and claws.

However—

Just as the three slashes were about to descend!

"Boom!!"

A scorching wave of light shot out from the darkness, colliding head-on with Lin Ye's slashes!

The two forces clashed in midair, and shockwaves swept out in every direction.

"Who?!"

Lin Ye instantly spread his spiritual power to its fullest extent.

Before he could locate the source, a furious roar suddenly rang out from overhead.

"Second Soul Skill, Fire Leopard Flying Palm!"

A massive leopard paw wreathed in crimson flames descended from the sky.

Its target was not Lin Ye.

It was the black panther!

Boom!!!

The ground exploded, and a shockwave spread in all directions.

Lin Ye grabbed Zhu Zhuqing and pulled her back. The two were forced to retreat seven or eight steps before finally stopping.

Shattered stones and dirt filled the air.

When the smoke and dust dispersed—

The black panther was already sprawled on the ground, its body charred black, with only its final breath remaining.

And beside it stood two people.

One was broad and burly, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist. He wore a crimson robe and appeared to be around forty years old.

The other was tall and thin, seemingly just over twenty, with a gloomy expression and narrow eyes.

A fiery leopard-head emblem was embroidered on the chests of both their robes.

The burly man then glanced at the black panther lying on the ground and nodded in satisfaction.

"Yan Qing, this Golden-Armored Shadow Leopard is perfectly suited for your third Soul Ring."

His voice was rough and powerful.

"Hurry up and kill it. Absorb the Soul Ring."

"Thank you, Elder Zhao!" The tall, thin Yan Qing responded as he dropped to one knee.

"Yan Qing will absorb it right away!"

At that moment, Lin Ye's gaze shifted from the dying Golden-Armored Shadow Leopard to the two uninvited guests.

A fiery leopard-head emblem.

Could they be from the Fire Leopard Sect?

Everyone knew that the Fire Leopard Sect was a mid-sized sect on Douluo Continent, specializing in fire leopard-type martial souls.

The sect possessed a certain degree of foundation.

"Wait a moment!"

Lin Ye spoke, neither humble nor overbearing.

"You two, my companion and I discovered this Golden-Armored Shadow Leopard first. We've been pursuing and fighting it for nearly half an hour."

He paused, then looked around at the broken trees and scorch marks scattered everywhere, all left behind by their earlier battle.

"You two showed up halfway through and want to reap the rewards. Isn't that a little inappropriate?"

Yan Qing, the tall, thin man, had been crouching beside the black panther, preparing to act. When he heard Lin Ye's words, his hand paused.

He turned around, his gloomy face full of mockery.

"Where did this little bastard come from?"

Yan Qing stood up and looked Lin Ye over from head to toe, curling his lip.

"You two little brats dare compete with our Fire Leopard Sect for something? Are you idiots?"

Zhu Zhuqing's brows immediately rose as she demanded:

"What did you say?"

"What, can't understand human speech?" Yan Qing said with his head tilted.

"I said, you two little brats, get lost. Don't get in my way."

"Do you know who's standing in front of you? This is Elder Zhao Lie of our Fire Leopard Sect!"

"If you know what's good for you, get the hell out of here. Don't delay me from absorbing my Soul Ring!"

Zhu Zhuqing was about to speak again when Lin Ye suddenly reached out and stopped her.

He did not look at Yan Qing. Instead, he looked toward the burly man called Zhao Lie.

"Senior, everything I said is true. All the wounds on this soul beast were inflicted by us. You should be able to see that."

"I assume your sect also recognizes the rule of first come, first served?"

Lin Ye's tone was quite polite.

After all, the other party was an elder-level figure. It was never wrong to be courteous before resorting to force.

However, Zhao Lie merely gave Lin Ye a sidelong glance.

There was not the slightest room for negotiation in that gaze.

"Rules?"

Zhao Lie snorted coldly.

"You two mere Soul Elders think you're qualified to talk to me about rules?"

"Kid, there has never been a reason for the Fire Leopard Sect to give up something we've set our sights on."

"If you know what's good for you, take your little girlfriend and get lost right now."

"I can still pretend none of this ever happened."

Hearing those words, Zhu Zhuqing's brows instantly furrowed.

She had followed Lin Ye all this way. What kind of arrogant people had she not seen?

Dai Mubai had been arrogant.

Those three assassins had been arrogant, and Yu Tieshan in the Soul Fighting Arena had been arrogant too.

And what happened?

Each one ended up worse than the last.