Fierce Battle with Yazi Ge Long!

"Not bad speed." Ge Long grinned, flashing a row of white teeth. "But you lack power."

His left arm swept across, claws wrapped in a blood-red glow as they slashed toward Huang Yun's waist.

Huang Yun activated Teleportation, vanishing from where he stood and reappearing thirty meters to Ge Long's side.

The instant he landed, he did not pause. His hands formed seals as his fourth soul skill, Thundercloud, unfurled at once.

Crack!

A thick bolt of blue Lightning struck down from the heavens. Dark Thunderclouds rapidly spread outward with Huang Yun at their center, covering the sky within a five-hundred-meter radius in the blink of an eye.

Electric serpents raced through the air above the storage district, while thunder rumbled without end. Blue-white flashes illuminated the entire eastern sky over the imperial palace, making even the glazed roof tiles of distant halls gleam with flickering white light.

Beneath the Thundercloud, all of Huang Yun's attributes doubled. Soul Power surged through him like a rushing river, while his stamina and Mental Power steadily recovered at a visible rate.

He bent his knees slightly. A dark golden flash glimmered at his tailbone, and his external Dragon Tail silently extended outward. The several-meter-long tail swayed gently behind him, blue-white arcs of electricity flowing across its scales.

"Third soul skill: Clone."

Ten figures split off from his body and hovered in midair. Including the original, eleven Huang Yuns locked onto Ge Long at the same time.

Electric arcs coiled around every Clone, and milky-white Raikiri light condensed in every one of their hands.

From eleven directions, they pounced on Ge Long simultaneously.

Facing eleven attacks from different angles, Ge Long lowered his stance slightly and spread both hands. Blood-red Soul Power erupted from within him, transforming into a circular shockwave that spread in every direction.

"Yazi Roar!"

A deafening roar burst from his throat. The soundwaves carried blood-red Soul Power ripples, shoving outward in all directions like an invisible wall.

The three nearest Clones were struck head-on. Cracks spread across their bodies before they shattered into blue motes of light that scattered through the air.

The remaining Clones were also knocked off course by the soundwaves, their speed dropping sharply.

But Huang Yun's true body had already arrived.

Thunder Shadow Instant Kill—lock on, burst forth, charge.

His figure seemed to pierce through time itself. In an instant, he appeared behind Ge Long, black electric arcs gathered at the tip of his Dragon Fang Knuckle Duster like a venomous snake striking toward Ge Long's heart.

Just before the strike landed, a blood-red Dragon Tail suddenly extended from behind Ge Long. Carrying Yazi's uniquely vicious aura, it swept across and collided head-on with Huang Yun's thrust.

Another dull, explosive boom rang out.

Huang Yun was knocked back several meters. When he landed, his Dragon Tail touched the ground to steady him, and his fingers tingled faintly.

A shallow scratch appeared on Ge Long's Dragon Tail, but it had clearly not injured anything vital.

Ge Long steadied himself and fixed his vertical pupils on Huang Yun. The smile on his face faded somewhat, replaced by a serious look of appraisal.

"Good kid. You're the first Soul King who's pushed me this far."

"Interested in joining the Heaven Dou Imperial Guards and becoming one of my generals?"

Ge Long had developed the desire to recruit such talent.

Huang Yun did not answer. He had already reached his conclusion.

Ge Long's Yazi Martial Soul was indeed ferocious. The Dragon Clan bloodline made both his offense and defense incredibly solid. Huang Yun had used Thunder Shadow Instant Kill together with the extreme penetration of the Dragon Fang Knuckle Duster, yet Ge Long had still blocked it with his Dragon Tail.

Against an ordinary Soul Saint, that blow would have at least torn open a wound. But Ge Long's defense was truly tough.

The gap in their levels was still too great.

A Soul King fighting a Soul Saint meant a difference of two entire major realms. The chasm in Soul Power quality and reserves could not be completely erased by speed and equipment.

Moreover, Ge Long was clearly vastly experienced in battle. He had anticipated every attack in advance.

Huang Yun calculated rapidly. If they kept fighting, his Soul Power would run out first, while Ge Long's Yazi Avatar could last much longer.

Still, this fight had been worth it.

He had figured out his opponent's capabilities and learned where his own limits lay.

Besides, Ge Long was not the only one nearby. More and more people would arrive.

"Thank you for the offer, General, but I'll pass."

Huang Yun suddenly spoke.

Ge Long froze. "What did you say?"

Huang Yun gave him no time to react. The Thundercloud contracted with all its might before exploding violently. A blue-white Lightning storm several meters wide spread outward from him. It was not lethally powerful, but its range was enormous, and its blinding glow instantly covered the entire storage district.

All the Imperial Guards were dazzled by the lightning and shut their eyes as they stumbled back. Even Ge Long instinctively raised an arm to shield himself.

In that instant, Huang Yun activated Teleportation three times in succession. With the dual burst of Lightning and Dragon Shadow Flash, his body vanished into the night over the eastern side of the imperial palace like an elongated streak of light.

By the time Ge Long lowered his arm, no one remained where Huang Yun had stood.

Ge Long stood there silently for a moment. He looked down at the shallow scratch on his Dragon Tail, then raised his head toward the direction Huang Yun had disappeared. His golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly.

"A Lightning brat in a mask..." he muttered. "Interesting."

He withdrew his Martial Soul Avatar and returned to his normal size. Turning around, he swept his gaze over the still-shaken Imperial Guards and scouting Soul Masters, then said in a low voice, "Strengthen the night patrols. Starting tomorrow, set up three more hidden sentry posts around the storage district. What happened tonight is not to be spread outside."

"Yes."

Ge Long said nothing more and strode out of the storage district. He needed to report this information to Xue Ye.

Sneaking into a vital area of the imperial palace at night and apparently setting his sights on the treasury was a grave crime.

Yet the brief exchange from moments ago kept replaying in his mind.

A Soul King-level brat had actually managed to break through his Yazi Protection, and his speed had been so fast that even Ge Long had nearly failed to keep up.

If that opponent cultivated for a few more years and broke through to become a Soul Emperor, or even a Soul Saint...

Ge Long paused midstep, then shook his head.

The treasury of the Heaven Dou Empire was not so easy to enter.

Meanwhile, Huang Yun had already flown several hundred kilometers away from Heaven Dou City and landed atop a remote mountain.

He removed his mask and let out a long breath. Sitting on a large boulder, he looked up at the star-filled sky and unconsciously spun the Dragon Fang Knuckle Duster on his right hand.

He could not beat him. There was no denying it.

That guy had developed his Yazi Martial Soul into something even more formidable than it had appeared in the original story. As a Seven-Ring Soul Sage, his foundation was simply too solid. Huang Yun's Raikiri and Thunder Shadow Instant Kill could not break through Ge Long's defenses in a single strike.

But he had not lost too badly, either.

At least he had escaped unscathed. He had figured out Ge Long's combat style and Yazi's abilities, so he would not be so passive the next time he faced him.

Huang Yun gazed toward the lights of Heaven Dou City, his eyes calm as he sighed.

"I underestimated the people of this world in the end."

"I got too full of myself."

"Looks like I need to temper my state of mind."

"After this, they'll definitely tighten their defenses. Since the direct approach won't work, I'll have to think of another way."

"The Heart of the Sea God has to be mine. It's an incredible treasure."