Soul-Locking Chain

The Dou King was beaten back again and again, his feet plowing two deep trenches through the muddy ground.

Every step he took shattered the bluestone paving beneath his feet, showing just how much force he was enduring.

He felt utterly humiliated—he was a dignified Dou King, yet a Battle Spirit had beaten him so badly that he could not even find a chance to strike back!

Pfft!

Another mouthful of blood sprayed from the Dou King's mouth, blossoming into a startling crimson flower in midair.

"You're courting death!"

The Dou King's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, humiliation and fury surging and erupting through his chest like twin currents of molten lava.

Beaten into such a miserable state by a Battle Spirit—if word got out, how could he ever show his face again?

He no longer cared about the cost. He frantically drove the Dou Qi vortex within his dantian, and Dou Qi burst from his body like floodwaters through a broken dam.

A tyrannical shockwave exploded outward from him in every direction. Rubble at his feet was swept into the air, while the ruined walls within several yards trembled violently.

Lin Yu felt an immense force slam into him head-on. His assault was forcibly interrupted, and he was knocked back half a step.

That half-step gap was enough.

Seizing that fleeting opportunity, the Dou King spread the Dou Qi wings behind his back and shot into the sky like a fierce bird breaking free of its cage, instantly escaping Lin Yu's relentless close-range suppression.

He hovered in the air, his robes snapping in the wind. His face was covered in blood, but his gaze was terrifyingly grim.

At the same time, his hands rapidly formed a profound hand seal.

A speck of emerald light appeared at his fingertips. It rapidly expanded and transformed, condensing into an azure seed the size of a fist. Its surface was covered in dense, bizarre patterns, exuding a cold and dangerous aura.

An invisible force of lock-on descended with the appearance of the seed, firmly marking Lin Yu.

That locking force was like an unseen venomous snake. No matter how Lin Yu dodged, he could not shake it off.

"Mu Family's earth-tier Dou Skill—the Wood-Seeding Art!"

Someone in the distance cried out in alarm.

Among the spectators were many knowledgeable people, and they recognized this renowned Mu Family secret art at a glance.

The Dou King stared down at Lin Yu from above. A cruel curve formed at the corner of his bloodstained lips as he lightly flicked a finger.

The azure seed silently left his fingertip, shooting toward Lin Yu like a green meteor with a long trailing tail.

Lin Yu's gaze sharpened. He had heard of the Wood-Seeding Art.

But he did not panic.

At the instant the azure seed was about to touch him, roaring Beastfire erupted around Lin Yu.

Crimson flames gushed from his body, forming a scorching cloak of fire over his surface. The flames continuously churned and rose, engulfing his entire figure.

The surrounding air twisted violently under the searing heat.

The moment the azure seed came within three feet of Lin Yu, it was swallowed by the blazing Beastfire.

The strange patterns on the seed flashed wildly and let out sharp, sizzling noises, as if struggling desperately. But against such fierce and domineering Beastfire, the wood-attributed Wood-Seeding Art was naturally restrained.

In the blink of an eye, the entire seed was burned into a wisp of green smoke, leaving not even the faintest trace behind.

The Dou King's pupils abruptly shrank, and the smug sneer on his face froze at once.

The Wood-Seeding Art had actually been broken so easily?

"Beastfire? It seems I underestimated you." The Dou King's face darkened. With a cold snort, he brushed a hand across his storage ring, and a pitch-black chain appeared in his grasp.

The chain was completely black, with not the slightest sheen on its surface, as though it had swallowed even the surrounding light. It radiated an extremely cold aura.

The chain slowly wriggled in his hand like a living thing, making faint clattering sounds.

The instant Lin Yu saw the chain, his gaze turned razor-sharp, and a glacial killing intent flashed through the depths of his eyes.

A Soul Hall Dou Skill!

"Go!"

The Dou King shouted coldly and violently snapped his arm. The black chain shot out like a venomous snake.

The chain frantically lengthened through the air. The clashing of metal rang throughout the Feng Family estate as its frigid aura spread overwhelmingly outward.

The chain moved with extreme speed, instantly winding around Lin Yu as it tried to bind him tightly.

"Young friend, watch out!" The Feng Family head's eyes nearly split with rage, and he moved to rush forward and help.

But the moment he took a step, two figures blocked his path—the other experts sent by the Mu Family had long been watching him and naturally would not give him the chance to intervene.

"Patriarch Feng, we are your opponents." A Mu Family Battle Spirit said with a false smile, standing with another companion on either side of the Feng Family head.

The Feng Family head was frantic, yet unable to divide his attention. He could only watch helplessly as the black chain wrapped layer after layer around the black-robed youth.

The black chain twisted and lengthened wildly in midair like a living venomous python. Its shrill, ear-piercing metallic clatter echoed throughout the Feng Family estate.

Lin Yu retreated swiftly, pushing Cloudfire Step to its limit. His toes tapped the ground several times as his whole body turned into a crimson streak, darting from side to side.

Yet the chain clung to him like a parasite on bone. No matter how he evaded, it remained in relentless pursuit, growing faster and faster.

Clatter!

The chain suddenly tightened, closing in from every direction like a massive black net.

Lin Yu had nowhere to evade and was caught squarely by the chain.

The icy chain dug tightly into his black robes, winding from his legs all the way to his chest before suddenly constricting at the side of his neck, locking his entire body in place.

"Heh heh heh."

In midair, the Dou King let out a smug, sinister laugh.

He raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking down at Lin Yu, who was bound so tightly by the chain that he could not move. His eyes were filled with cruel delight.

The humiliation of being suppressed and beaten by a Battle Spirit for so long had to be repaid tenfold—no, a hundredfold.

Yet at that moment, an unfamiliar stabbing pain exploded in Lin Yu's mind without warning.

It was not physical pain. He could endure without changing expression the pressure of the chain biting into his flesh, but this agony came from the depths of his soul. It was like a red-hot iron needle stabbing viciously into his brow, or something tearing at his spirit, trying to rip his soul alive from his body.

"Urgh—"

Lin Yu could not help letting out a muffled groan. Veins bulged across his forehead, and his face instantly turned pale as paper.

His body trembled slightly, his teeth grinding audibly. For the first time, unconcealable pain appeared in those eyes that had always been steady and calm.

This was an attack that directly affected the soul!

"How does it feel?" the Dou King sneered darkly. He lightly curled a finger, and the chain tightened several degrees more.