"Kid, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business! Otherwise, you won't even know how you died!" Seeing that the one who had repelled him was such a young-looking boy, the old eunuch flew into a rage and pointed at Lin Qing as he shouted.
"Damn! A living eunuch!" To be honest, Lin Qing had lived nearly a century across both his lives, yet this was the first time he had ever seen a eunuch.
"Pfft!"
Hearing Lin Qing's jab, the Soul Ancestors and the Soul King who had been guarding Zhu Zhuyun could not help but laugh. However, the Soul Ancestors could not afford to offend the eunuch Soul King, so they could only cover their mouths and hold back their laughter.
But the Soul King standing beside Zhu Zhuyun was naturally unafraid. After all, he was a member of the Zhu Family; neither his status nor strength could be compared to that eunuch's.
Zhu Zhuyun, standing beside the Soul King, could not help but chuckle as well. However, she quickly stopped and turned her gaze toward Lin Qing, who was protecting Zhu Zhuqing behind him.
Zhu Zhuqing also let out a soft laugh as she looked at the boy who had just stepped in front of her. For some reason, a sense of reassurance rose within her heart.
"Courting death! Get him! Kill that brat!"
At the old eunuch's command, the five Soul Ancestors immediately stopped laughing. They activated Martial Soul Possession and unleashed their Spirit Skills as they charged Lin Qing, while the old eunuch activated his own Martial Soul once more and attacked alongside them.
"Together? Interesting. Then I'll use you to test my new skill."
With that, Lin Qing gripped his blade with both hands. Yet he still did not summon his Spirit Rings. With a thought, the yellow blade turned purple, and its body twisted like a serpent. The yellow four-leaf-clover-shaped guard also transformed into a snake-shaped guard, like a small snake coiled in a winding circle with its tongue biting its tail. An outer ring encircled the little snake.
"Brat, you dare face the attacks of five Soul Ancestors and one Soul King without even releasing your Spirit Rings? Today, you will die!" Seeing that Lin Qing had not even summoned his Spirit Rings, the old eunuch sneered.
Seeing Lin Qing's actions, Zhu Zhuqing was also filled with confusion, with a trace of worry on her face.
When Zhu Zhuyun saw Lin Qing acting like this, she felt a hint of contempt for him, thinking that he was still only concerned with showing off at a time like this. But when she thought of Zhu Zhuqing standing beside Lin Qing, that contempt turned into concern for Zhu Zhuqing and anger toward Lin Qing.
"I don't need Spirit Rings to deal with the likes of you," Lin Qing said.
"Arrogant! Brat, today you'll pay the price for your arrogance and conceit!"
Serpent Breathing, Fifth Form: Slithering Serpent
Lin Qing swung his blade at high speed. The slashes connected into a blade-like line, seemingly transforming into an enormous energy serpent that coiled around and protected Lin Qing and Zhu Zhuqing in its center.
As Lin Qing unleashed his attack, the great serpent shot forward, continuously twisting its body as it bit and rammed into the Soul Ancestors and the old eunuch.
Under the serpent's bite, the Soul Ancestors died on the spot. The old eunuch had his lower body completely bitten off from the navel down, his lower half shredded to pieces.
One strike! Just one strike had defeated the combined forces of five Soul Ancestors and a Soul King! What kind of powerhouse was this?!
Zhu Zhuyun's expression shifted from disdain and anger to shock. She stared wide-eyed at the calm and unruffled boy.
After witnessing Lin Qing's terrifying strength, the Soul King immediately stepped forward, activated Martial Soul Possession, and released his Spirit Rings. Five standard Spirit Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—appeared. The Soul King stood before Zhu Zhuyun, looking at Lin Qing with a wary expression.
The old eunuch was still screaming in agony. Lin Qing had originally intended to mock him a little, but seeing how loudly the eunuch was wailing, he figured the man would not hear it anyway. So Lin Qing decisively cut off the old eunuch's head. After all, a Nichirin Blade that did not behead someone simply had no soul.
After cutting off the old eunuch's head, Lin Qing turned his gaze toward Zhu Zhuyun and the Soul King.
When Lin Qing's gaze fell upon her, Zhu Zhuyun's body trembled, and cold sweat soaked her back.
The Soul King was also extremely tense. "No matter what, even if it costs me my life, I must get the eldest miss out of here!"
"Sir, if you wish to protect this girl, we will no longer interfere, as long as you let us leave," Zhu Zhuyun said. "Of course, if you insist on attacking us, my Zhu Family of the Star Luo Empire will pursue this matter to the end. I hope you will not make the wrong decision."
"Interesting. Is she hinting that I should protect Zhu Zhuqing? Bringing up the Zhu Family of Star Luo Empire—is that her way of telling me not to have any improper thoughts about Zhu Zhuqing? How irritating." The first half of Zhu Zhuyun's words was fine, but the latter half made Lin Qing feel as though she was threatening him. And he happened to hate threats.
However, Lin Qing did not rush to make a decision. Instead, he looked at Zhu Zhuqing. "Miss, they are the ones pursuing you, so I respect your opinion."
Seeing Lin Qing act this way, Zhu Zhuqing's favorable impression of him immediately rose by several degrees.
"Thank you." Zhu Zhuqing first thanked him, then turned her gaze toward Zhu Zhuyun and the Soul King. After hesitating for a moment, she sighed. "Let them go."
"Alright. I respect your choice," Lin Qing said.
Seeing this outcome, both Zhu Zhuyun and the Soul King let out sighs of relief.
"Zhu Zhuyun, I'm letting you go this time. The next time we meet, I'll kill you with my own hands!" Zhu Zhuqing said viciously to Zhu Zhuyun.
"I'll be waiting," Zhu Zhuyun said simply.
"Sir, may we leave now?" Zhu Zhuyun did not dare leave before Lin Qing nodded.
"You may leave," Lin Qing said.
"Thank you, sir..." Zhu Zhuyun had barely begun to thank him when Lin Qing's tone abruptly changed.
"However, those words of yours just now seemed to be threatening me, and I hate being threatened more than anything. Although I said I would spare both your lives, I still need to teach you a lesson, so you understand that not everyone will submit to your threats!"
With that, Lin Qing put away his Nichirin Blade. His pupils turned blood-red, his teeth sharpened, and his entire body began to radiate a gloomy aura.
Seeing Lin Qing like this, Zhu Zhuyun and the Zhu Family Soul King instantly felt their hairs stand on end as they stared at him warily.
Zhu Zhuqing only sensed a slight change in Lin Qing's aura. Under Lin Qing's control, she did not feel any of its gloom or terror.
Lin Qing vanished from the sight of the three. In the next instant, he had already appeared before the two, grabbing one of their heads in each hand.
At such close range, the two truly felt the terrifying majesty of an emperor among Demons. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and they could not even maintain Martial Soul Possession as fear forced their Martial Souls back into their bodies.
Lin Qing ignored this. He merely bent his index fingers and thrust them into their brains, injecting his blood into their bodies.
A moment later, Lin Qing stopped. His blood was of too high a level, and the two could not withstand much of it. One or two drops were already their limit.
Withdrawing his hands, Lin Qing returned to Zhu Zhuqing's side and said to Zhu Zhuyun and the Soul King, "Leave."
"Yes!" The two answered, then quickly departed.
Before you continue