Everyone Must Die!

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out. Lin Yue had clearly been prepared; he drew his sword and spun around, forcibly blocking the savage blow.

His strike missing, Zhao Zhang retreated, a trace of surprise appearing in his sinister eyes.

"You noticed?"

This brat had actually been on guard against them the entire time. Even while collecting the spoils, he had not lowered his vigilance.

"Hmph..."

With a cold snort, Lin Yue watched the five members of the Skeleton Mercenary Group, along with the child on the ground who had finished absorbing his Spirit Ring, approach him with vicious grins. His heart sank.

"You noticed something was wrong long ago. Tell me, when did you realize it?" Zhao Zhang stood proudly with his arms folded, like a cat toying with a mouse, seemingly not worried in the slightest that Lin Yue might find a chance to escape.

Facing the contempt of a Soul Elder, Lin Yue gritted his teeth and said,

"What mercenary group recruits someone without even asking about their Martial Soul? You aren't a mercenary group at all, are you?"

Bringing someone into the group without knowing any of the details was not recruitment at all. It was more like luring prey into a trap.

Although Lin Yue did not know why these people had targeted him, he understood one thing clearly.

Their initial purpose in entering the Soul Hunting Forest might indeed have been to help that child obtain a Spirit Ring, but their second purpose was likely to kill him!

But he should not have made any mortal enemies recently. Could they really have assembled such a force just to ambush and kill some random Soul Master, only for him to be the unlucky one?

His right hand brushed over his storage belt. Feeling the ample supply of potions within, Lin Yue's grim expression eased slightly.

"Oh? Just based on that? Couldn't it be that we simply think highly of you?"

Zhao Zhang had not expected this brat to be so wary. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he asked curiously,

"Was there no other reason?"

Sensing the aura within the forest, Lin Yue's expression worsened. He said in a low voice,

"That employer was nearly done absorbing his Spirit Ring, so why did you wait until now to dissect the Soul Beast's corpse and collect materials? Wouldn't a normal mercenary group have sent someone to strip the corpse long ago, so they could retreat as quickly as possible? You deliberately delayed to wait until he finished absorbing the Spirit Ring before attacking, so his absorption wouldn't be interrupted."

"And would any family really feel at ease letting their child follow a hunting party alone into the Soul Hunting Forest? You were never mercenaries and employer from the beginning. You already knew each other..."

After calmly laying out every suspicious detail, Lin Yue tossed aside the dissection dagger. His right hand clenched loosely as black threads spread across his palm. The power of his curse grew increasingly intense.

These people had deliberately lured him into handling the Soul Beast's corpse alone, with his back turned toward them, before launching a sudden attack. They had clearly come prepared to kill him.

Today, there would be no end until one side died...

"Haha, not bad, kid. You answered my question, so I might as well let you die knowing the truth."

Zhao Zhang gave a savage grin and revealed the orders he had received.

"You clearly possess remarkable medical skill, yet you insist on saving the lives of those mud-legged peasants in that mediocre clinic for such low prices. Do you know how many people's interests you've damaged?"

"Last time, we plotted to kill Second Ning and arranged for every healing-type Soul Master in Nuoding City to be removed, yet you still saved him. How many people's plans did you ruin then?"

"You've offended Nuoding City's local families again and again. Naturally, we had to deal with you."

After saying that, Zhao Zhang sneered. "Still wasting time? Haven't you noticed? Every escape route has been sealed off by the dwarf's trap clamps. You have nowhere left to run."

"We delayed for the control-type Soul Master to set up the field and cut off your retreat. And you? What are you waiting for? Waiting to die?"

With a roar, Zhao Zhang activated Martial Soul Possession, his sharp clawed fingers shooting straight for Lin Yue!

An overwhelming pressure crashed toward him. Lin Yue's expression changed as he raised his blood-red sword to block, but two streaks of blood suddenly sprayed from his waist!

Liu Qi, who had slipped past him, revealed a cruel smile. Her willow-leaf twin blades were already stained with blood! Taking advantage of the opening, she had struck Lin Yue's side!

Facing Lin Yue's furious glare, the seductive woman licked the blood from her twin blades and gave a wicked smile.

"You can take two blows from Brother Zhao. You really do have some skill, kid. Unfortunately, we won't give you the chance for a one-on-one fight... Today, a genius will fall here."

"If you had stayed obediently at your school and stopped provoking others, perhaps you could have grown stronger. But you just had to come out and make trouble. If you don't die, who will? Kid, be more careful in your next life."

Seeing that his companion had wounded the enemy so easily, Zhao Zhang felt completely at ease. He looked at Lin Yue as though he were already a cold corpse.

A level thirty-one Soul Elder, four Soul Grandmasters above level twenty-three, and a fully equipped Soul Beast-hunting squad—if they could not kill a mere Soul Master, then they had no reason to keep living.

"Uncle Zhao, stop wasting words with him. I've long been jealous of that little girl the Shi Family tied up."

Protected in the middle by the others, the eleven-year-old youth who had just obtained his First Spirit Ring wore a twisted expression as he arrogantly said,

"I heard there are also two outstanding girls by this brat's side. Once we kill him, we can use his name to trick them out, cripple their ability to resist, and have them bear descendants for our Zhuo Family, raising geniuses for us."

"Haha, alright, Young Master Zhuo Song. Just wait. I'll twist his head off right now!"

The smell of blood in the air made Zhao Zhang's face flush, and his bloodshot eyes grew even more frenzied!

The Martial Soul phantom behind him flashed as his second yellow Spirit Ring lit up!

"Second Soul Skill, Burrowing Thrust!"

Zhao Zhang's figure vanished into the ground in an instant—

In the blink of an eye, he burst from the soil beneath Lin Yue, the claws in his hands stabbing directly for Lin Yue's throat!

"The Shi Family, the Zhuo Family..."

Violent savagery surged through Lin Yue's eyes. The blood energy in his left arm had already boiled to its limit!

Facing Zhao Zhang as he burst from the ground, he did not retreat a single step. Instead, he waved his right hand, as though grabbing hold of something in the void!

His opponent's throat was within reach, as though it could be pierced in the next second.

Yet at that final moment, Zhao Zhang's expression froze. His body seemed to be struck by some immense and terrifying force, causing his speed to plummet until he was nearly frozen in midair.

The next instant, a gigantic eye suddenly opened, bursting from the void before Lin Yue.

Surging domain power descended without warning. That terrifying greatsword was slowly pulled from the void by Lin Yue.

Before countless horrified eyes, the entire space was completely locked down! Beneath the terrifying domain's pressure, no one could move even an inch!! They could only watch helplessly as that greatsword from the abyss emerged into the world!

Within the shattered void, countless ghosts howled from the abyss!!

Dark crimson bloodlines intertwined with pitch-black metal, emanating endless curses and an aura of destruction!

The greatsword, like a living thing, was slowly drawn from the void by Lin Yue. Billowing black-red mist pulsed like breath, leaping constantly with the scarlet gaze of the skull at its guard.

Second Martial Soul, Demon Sword—Apophis!

Bang!

The Demon Sword struck the ground. With a single blow, the Soul Elder beneath Lin Yue instantly turned into flying blood and flesh!

Under that absolutely crushing force, Zhao Zhang could not even scream before exploding into a cloud of blood mist!

The yellow Spirit Ring on Lin Yue's scarlet left arm suddenly lit up. His body was enveloped in crimson, and the greatsword in his right hand surged in power under the nourishment of that blood-red light. The vertical pupil at the center of the blade split open once more, a gigantic eye sweeping over every person present.

Holding the Demon Sword, Lin Yue's aura soared to its peak. Beneath his feet, an abyssal throne seemed to emerge from the void, signifying the complete formation of the Abyss Domain!

Feeling the tremendous power within his body, Lin Yue's voice was cruel and crazed!

"Today."

"Everyone must die!"