Third Soul Skill, Heaven-Scorching Sword Formation!

That was the full-force attack of an eight-thousand-year soul beast!

And it had been blocked so effortlessly? Even the shield had not trembled in the slightest?

This defense was insanely overpowered!

She stared blankly at the tall, upright figure before her. The dark crimson armor looked mysterious and powerful under the glow of the flames.

For some reason, though this was clearly their first meeting, the man before her gave her an unprecedented sense of safety.

The feeling was even stronger than when she was by her grandfather Dugu Bo's side.

"Hey, if you want to live, stay obediently inside the shield. Don't run around."

Ning Chen's voice pulled Dugu Yan back from her shock.

He then turned and glanced at Dugu Yan.

For some reason, Dugu Yan's cheeks suddenly heated up. She quickly lowered her head and gave a quiet "Mm."

Ning Chen paid her no further attention. Turning around, he locked his gaze onto the Shadow Ghost Leopard not far away, which was equally stunned.

"Beast, the warm-up is over."

Ning Chen rolled his wrist, his sword tip slanting toward the ground as he spoke in a chilling tone.

"Now, it is time to end you."

"Die!"

Before his words had even faded, Ning Chen stomped down hard!

Bang!

The ground instantly cracked apart as he shot toward the Shadow Ghost Leopard!

Seeing this, the Shadow Ghost Leopard's ferocity surged as well.

With a low growl, it drove off with all four limbs, its massive body charging straight at Ning Chen.

Man and beast collided in the middle of the clearing in an instant!

Clang!

The Emperor-Slaying Sword in Ning Chen's hand slammed fiercely against the Shadow Ghost Leopard's sharp claws, bursting into a shower of blinding sparks.

The tremendous force pushed Ning Chen back half a step, while the Shadow Ghost Leopard was sent flying several meters by the sheer brute force. It rolled several times through the mud before coming to a miserable stop.

In a contest of pure strength, it had actually lost!

The Shadow Ghost Leopard shook its slightly numb claws. A trace of gravity and wariness appeared in its eyes as it looked at Ning Chen.

It realized that this human in strange armor was definitely not prey it could easily take down.

"Hmph. You have some strength, but it is still nothing special."

Ning Chen flourished his sword, shaking the mud and water from its blade.

The Scorching Heaven Evil Emperor Armor not only provided extreme defense, but also greatly enhanced his strength and speed.

Though the Shadow Ghost Leopard before him was an eight-thousand-year soul beast, it could not gain any advantage against Ning Chen while his martial soul possessed him.

Roar!

The Shadow Ghost Leopard seemed to understand this as well and immediately changed tactics.

It no longer chose to clash head-on with Ning Chen, instead fully exploiting the speed advantage of a nimble attack-type soul beast.

Its body flickered, seeming to blend into the surrounding shadows as it instantly vanished from where it stood.

The next second, a black shadow appeared to Ning Chen's left, its sharp claws striking straight for his throat!

Yet Ning Chen seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without even turning around, he swung his sword backward to block the attack.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out again.

After failing to land the blow, the Shadow Ghost Leopard immediately retreated, vanishing once more.

Then to Ning Chen's right, behind him, above his head...

Black afterimages flashed from every direction. Each appearance came with a tricky, lethal attack.

Claws, fangs, tail sweeps...

The Shadow Ghost Leopard pushed its speed and agility to the limit. Its afterimages filled the clearing, dazzling the eye.

Any ordinary Four-Ring Soul Ancestor facing such a frenzied, relentless assault would likely have been thrown into a panic and exposed an opening long ago.

Yet Ning Chen remained as steady as a mountain. He did not even move his feet, simply standing quietly where he was.

The Emperor-Slaying Sword in his hand always appeared at precisely the right moment, in exactly the position that needed defending.

Clang, clang, clang!

Dense collisions rang out without pause as sparks scattered everywhere.

No matter how swift or bizarre the Shadow Ghost Leopard's attacks were, they could not break through the defensive circle created by that single sword.

Dugu Yan, standing inside the distant shield, was already dumbfounded.

Too fast!

Whether it was the Shadow Ghost Leopard's attacks or Ning Chen's blocks, both were so fast that her eyes could barely keep up.

All she could see was a mass of black shadows flickering madly around a red point, along with sparks constantly exploding.

She asked herself honestly: if it had been her facing such attacks, she probably would not have lasted even five seconds.

Yet this young man handled them with such ease. He even... seemed to be toying with his opponent.

"As expected of a Shadow Ghost Leopard, famed for its speed."

Ning Chen still had the leisure to comment as he blocked.

"This speed does have something to it."

"But..." His tone shifted, carrying a trace of impatience.

"That is all!"

He could no longer be bothered to play with this beast. The third soul ring beneath his feet suddenly flared brightly!

Third Soul Skill, Heaven-Scorching Sword Formation!

With Ning Chen's low shout, the space behind him rippled again.

Five energy longswords identical to the Emperor-Slaying Sword, wreathed in dark black flames, materialized behind him. Their tips all pointed toward the sky, radiating sharp, piercing auras.

The Shadow Ghost Leopard, which had been attacking frantically, instantly sensed a threat.

It abruptly stopped attacking and pulled back, widening the distance between itself and Ning Chen to dozens of meters. It watched the five flaming swords floating in the air with wary eyes.

"Trying to run?" Ning Chen saw through its intentions and sneered.

"Too late!"

With a thought from him, the five flaming swords let out clear sword cries and shot toward the Shadow Ghost Leopard at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow!

The Shadow Ghost Leopard was horrified and immediately burst forth with its full speed, trying to evade them.

However, the five swords were even faster!

They did not attack the Shadow Ghost Leopard directly. Instead, they abruptly stopped at different points around its body, their tips facing inward and hilts outward as they stood suspended in midair.

Centered around it, the five swords instantly formed a huge circular sealed sword formation roughly thirty meters in diameter!

Buzz!

The instant the sword formation took shape, dark crimson flames rapidly connected the five swords, forming an airtight cage of fire.

Inside the formation, countless tiny flaming sword energies appeared out of thin air and ravaged the area wildly, carving scorched ravines across the ground.

At the same time, an immense gravitational force descended upon the Shadow Ghost Leopard!

"Roar..."

The Shadow Ghost Leopard let out a pained growl, feeling its body suddenly become incomparably heavy.

Its once-prized speed had been reduced by an unknown amount in that instant!

It tried to ram the edge of the sword formation, attempting to break open this cage.

Bang!

Its body slammed hard into the barrier made of flames, only to be directly bounced back by a powerful force. A large patch of fur was burned off its body by the scorching flames, filling the air with a charred stench.

But it refused to accept this and charged again from another direction.

The result was the same.

This sword formation was far sturdier than it had imagined. It could not shake it in the slightest!

Ning Chen now stood outside the sword formation with his arms crossed, his expression calm as he watched the Shadow Ghost Leopard charge about inside. He sneered.

"Now that you have lost your speed advantage, let's see what you can do."