Black!? How Could It Be Black?

"Swish—" Seeing this, Dugu Yan likewise yanked off her fur cloak, treating the winter weather as if it were nothing.

After all, when a Soul Master prepared for battle and their soul power began circulating, their blood and energy would boil throughout their body. This little bit of cold simply could not make them feel chilly.

As a jade-green light rose, a diamond-shaped green scale appeared between Dugu Yan's brows.

"Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul, possess!"

Her legs fused into a thick snake tail. Her supple body swayed above it, and her sharp snake eyes radiated an icy aura, like a venomous snake assuming an attacking stance. Two yellow and one purple soul rings displayed her cultivation as a Soul Elder.

"Sea God Dragon Martial Soul, possess."

As the blue light faded, Ouyang Ling, clad in blue armor, extended his right hand and let snowflakes fall into his palm.

"Dugu, does the current environment favor me?"

Dugu Yan smiled sweetly, showing no restraint.

"Then I'll take the first move."

"Sure."

Before her words had even faded, her first soul ring flashed with yellow light. The next second, countless black snakes burst from the ground, forming a net that swept over from below.

"We haven't even said start yet." Though Ouyang Ling said so, his hands did not slow.

With a wave of his hand, clusters of clear water emerged around him and were swiftly frozen by the cold into ice spikes. Like arrows, they shot out and pinned every black snake directly to the ground. "Pop, pop, pop—"

However, the black snakes pinned to the ground instantly exploded. Countless streams of black liquid stained the white snow and continued spreading outward.

At the same time, Dugu Yan's second soul ring lit up, and a layer of red mist rapidly spread forward.

When the diffuse red mist met the black snakes, the already swift snakes became even more excited and violent, as though they had gone mad. Like a tidal wave, they surged continuously toward Ouyang Ling.

The sight made everyone's scalps tingle! Even Ouyang Ling frowned deeply, feeling physically uncomfortable.

And besides...

This was what she called not having many tricks!?

"Dugu, you weren't being honest."

"Poison-using Soul Masters are supposed to be like this. Sinister and ruthless—only then can we seize the right opportunity to win."

Dugu Yan smiled slyly as she continuously controlled the red mist and the snake net covering the ground. "I'll show you how the Jade Phosphor Snake can serve as a control-type Martial Soul."

Ouyang Ling was not intimidated in the slightest.

"Then bring it on."

Ice spikes fell, and the ground rapidly froze!

At this moment, Ouyang Ling had already seen through it. Whether the black snakes or the red mist, all of it was part of the Poison Array Dugu Yan had set up to control the battlefield.

Once trapped within it, without taking specially made antidotes, an opponent would remain poisoned at all times, greatly weakening their bodily functions.

But to him...

All of this was futile!

The ice spikes acted as carriers of frost. Whenever one landed, the freezing ice spread outward from it. Thus, no matter how the black snakes "died," her Poison Array could never take shape.

Even when the next wave of red mist came, Ouyang Ling merely extended his right hand and slowly pushed out a condensed spinning sphere of water. It looked utterly ordinary.

Yet the water sphere itself was like a massive cleansing vortex. The moment the red mist approached, it was entirely sucked into the water sphere. After a ripple spread across its surface, the mist vanished without a trace.

Dugu Yan was instantly dumbfounded.

"This—"

"Dugu, it seems I counter you completely."

Ouyang Ling curled his lips upward. "You should know that poisoning counts as a negative effect too. It seems your Jade Phosphor Snake Martial Soul is completely countered by me."

"Bullshit! I don't believe it!"

It had originally been just a simple spar, but as a Soul Elder, being so thoroughly suppressed by a Great Soul Master made Dugu Yan flare up after that provocation. Having had some wine, she immediately got carried away and shouted, "You can seal my Shadow-Seeking Snake Net and break my Blood-Boiling Poison. But I refuse to believe you can break my Jade Phosphor Purple Poison too!"

Ouyang Ling only smiled without speaking. He hooked a finger toward himself with his outstretched hand, the provocation obvious.

—Come on, try it.

"You don't believe me!?"

Dugu Yan's temper flared too, as if she were throwing a tantrum. "Then take a look at my third soul skill!" With a sharp scream, her third soul ring suddenly blazed.

The next second, her originally jade-green eyes turned completely purple. Even the jade-green scales on her snake tail were covered in a faint purple glow. Opening her mouth, she spat out a thick purple mist that rapidly spread through the air and surged toward Ouyang Ling.

The moment the poisonous mist appeared, a pungent stench assailed everyone's noses before the purple fog had even arrived. It made them nauseous and dizzy. At that instant, Yu Tianheng and the others watching nearby were also affected, and their expressions changed drastically!

"Not good!"

"This poison is vicious!"

"Yanzi! Stop!"

They had merely been watching at first, but the potency of the Jade Phosphor Purple Poison had exceeded everyone's expectations. The moment they realized it, they immediately tried to stop her.

After being shouted at by everyone, and with the cold winter wind blowing over her, Dugu Yan instantly sobered from her slightly tipsy state.

Just as she was about to stop, Ouyang Ling moved.

He spread his hands as though embracing something, and a layer of Jade Waves rippled out from his chest.

"Deep Blue Purification!"

In an instant, the Jade Waves transformed into surging water and enveloped the purple mist. The moment the Jade Phosphor Purple Poison touched the Jade Waves, it was like a stain being washed away by flowing water, like filth being purified by jade light. It vanished without a trace.

"N-No way..." Having regained her senses, Dugu Yan stood there in a daze, staring blankly at Ouyang Ling with disbelief in her eyes.

Her third soul ring skill was currently her most poisonous attack. The toxin took effect incredibly quickly—if someone was contaminated by even a little, they would turn into pus and die within moments.

When she had obtained this soul ring, her grandfather had specifically captured a soul beast of similar cultivation for her to test it on. Its effectiveness had been absolutely real.

Who could have expected this outcome?

When Dugu Yan finally came back to herself, her expression was complicated. "You really broke my Jade Phosphor Purple Poison!"

She felt as though one sentence kept echoing through her mind from that moment onward: Could it really be just like this guy said? Does he completely counter me?

And Dugu Yan was not the only one stunned. Yu Tianheng and the others watching were no exception.

Though it was their first time seeing it, they could feel the terrifying potency of the purple mist even as spectators. Yet Ouyang Ling had actually dealt with it so easily, as though he truly countered it completely!

"Holy shit! Ling, you weren't joking!"

Yu Feng's voice exploded beside everyone's ears.

But when everyone turned their eyes toward him, they saw that the shock from his earlier cry had disappeared. Instead, he wore a thoughtful expression.

Then, less than a second later, "Say..."

Yu Feng spoke again.

Just as everyone thought Yu Feng was about to say something sensible, the guy instead said, "Boss, did you go easy on him? Or was that poison you used just for show? Looks impressive, but useless?"

Yu Tianheng ╮(╯▽╰)╭: "..."

Sigh... He had brought this on himself.

The Shi Family brothers and Ye Lingling ＼(〇_ｏ)／: "..."

Yu Feng was looking to die!

Oslo ("ﾟﾛﾟ)｣: "..."

Brother, you're brave! Rest in peace...

"Yu Feng! Go die!"

(#｀ﾟд´)ﾉ

Almost no one saw what happened. By the time everyone reacted, Yu Feng had already been sent flying into the sky like a star beneath Dugu Yan's fist before he could even scream, and no one knew where he had gone.

Everyone: "..."

What a tragic guy... But he deserved it...

Ouyang Ling: "..."

Were they still going to keep fighting?

At that moment, the atmosphere seemed to freeze.

Until Ouyang Ling spoke.

"Dugu, shall we continue?"

"Continue?"

Dugu Yan, whose temper had cooled, turned around.

But when she saw the huge water sphere condensed between Ouyang Ling's hands, cold sweat immediately poured down her face.

"Y-You, what are you trying to do?"

Getting splashed with cold water in the middle of winter could kill someone!

"Nothing."

Ouyang Ling grinned, determination flashing in his eyes. "If we continue, it'll be my turn to attack!"

Before Dugu Yan could refuse, Ouyang Ling's voice had already drowned everything out.

"Take this! Vortex Water Cannon!"

The water from Deep Blue Purification spun at high speed, forming a massive water column that tore through the air with lightning speed. Carrying tremendous impact, it slammed into Dugu Yan. In an instant, it wrapped her entire body inside a water prison.

"Glub glub... I... glub... surrender..."

As Dugu Yan's broken voice came from inside the water prison, Yu Tianheng immediately shouted, "Ling! Stop! Stop! Yanzi has surrendered!"

Seeing this, Ouyang Ling snapped his fingers. "Pop—"

The confining water prison instantly shattered. Dugu Yan also dispelled her Martial Soul possession and fell to the ground. Yu Tianheng hurried forward and helped his girlfriend up. Yet the moment he touched her, he discovered that Dugu Yan was not wet at all.

But soon, he realized something was wrong.

Black!?

How could it be black?