Heads Held Too High!

"Useless!"

Jogo sneered as churning lava surged toward the two men.

The two Titled Douluo unleashed their Ninth Soul Skills at full force against the boundary of the Coffin of the Iron Mountain. The result—

Nothing!

"AAAAAH!"

The lava burned the two Titled Douluo relentlessly. In just over a minute, they could no longer maintain their Martial Soul Avatars and fell onto the lava. Their Soul Power shielded them from burning to death on the spot, but it would not last much longer. Once it ran out, the lava would swallow them.

And they still had to protect Qian Renxue.

"Spirit Hall won't let a beast like you get away with this!" Ci Xue roared, still shielding Qian Renxue with his body.

Qian Renxue watched Snake Lance and Ci Xue protect her. She clenched her fists, furious at her own helplessness.

At last, she understood how much strength mattered. If she had spent the past few years training instead of playing this damned Crown Prince, with her Innate Full Soul Power at Level 20, she might have become a Soul Saint by now. With a stronger Angel Domain and a Martial Soul Avatar, she could have helped the two elders.

But it was too late...

"Out of my way!" Jogo lashed out with a kick, sending Ci Xue flying.

Snake Lance tried to attack, but Jogo knocked him away with a punch.

As Jogo reached for her, Qian Renxue tried to fight back.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Holy Sword!"

Before the blade could touch Jogo, a hand like an iron vise seized it and snapped it in two.

"Ah!!"

Jogo's hand clamped around Qian Renxue's slender, pale neck. He lifted her into the air. Her legs kicked wildly, but she could not break free.

"Young Master!" the two men shouted.

Snake Lance and Ci Xue, her helpless bodyguards, roared in grief and rage.

But to Qian Renxue's and the two elders' confusion, Jogo did not kill her. Instead, he waved his free hand and took three wrapped objects resembling fingers from the Storage Soul Tool at his waist. Soul Power surged, burning away the cloth around them.

Three shriveled fingers were revealed.

Special Grade Cursed Tools. Sukuna's Fingers.

Jogo grabbed the three fingers and, without a word, forced them into Qian Renxue's mouth.

Qian Renxue did not know what he intended, but the sight of those fingers filled her with instinctive revulsion. She tried to resist.

It was futile.

The three fingers were forced down her throat. Qian Renxue, who had been struggling frantically, gradually went rigid.

"Heh heh heh... Let's see what you can do with three fingers first... the legendary strongest Evil Soul Master, the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna!" Jogo cackled like a villain, then looked toward the two elders struggling to their feet.

"I didn't expect you to be able to stand. Interesting..." With his other hand, Jogo fiddled with the little volcano on the side of his head.

"You damned Soul Beast! What did you do to the Young Master?" Snake Lance roared. If Qian Renxue had not been there, he would have blown himself up.

"Damned..." Jogo murmured. Then he bared his teeth in a furious grin. "You humans slaughter Soul Beasts as you please, and you dare call us beasts? Today, I'll have to make you stupid humans—"

Jogo slowly raised a hand, ready to command the lava to burn them both to death. But suddenly, his hand felt... empty?!

He stared blankly at the place where his hand had been severed. Purple blood flowed from the clean-cut stump.

Stiffly, he turned toward Qian Renxue, whose neck he still held.

Her expression was ice-cold. Strange, twisting Black Markings had appeared across her flawless, pale face, and her pupils had turned blood-red. A second, smaller pair of eyes had grown beneath her first. The noble, sacred aura around her had become cold and sinister.

"You have three seconds..." Qian Renxue said, her voice cold enough to make anyone shiver. "Get away from me!"

Jogo released her and dispelled the Coffin of the Iron Mountain. Only after retreating dozens of meters did he feel the slightest bit safe.

Qian Renxue rolled her neck. Her bones cracked.

"An Angel Martial Soul? This body is disgusting... But its talent isn't bad..." She frowned in distaste as she spoke, then her mouth slowly spread into a savage grin.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

Qian Renxue laughed wildly. Gazing up at the sun hanging high overhead, she spread her arms as though embracing the world.

"Sunshine really does feel better when you experience it yourself... Hahaha!"

Qian Renxue looked around, but saw only two old men and a Soul Beast. Her smile gradually faded. "Where are the humans? Two old fossils aren't appetizing. Where are the women?"

A pair of pure-white wings appeared on Qian Renxue's back, utterly at odds with the face that all but announced she was no good.

"What a wonderful era!" Sensing the people in a nearby town, she laughed without restraint. "What a wonderful era! Women and children are everywhere, like insects! Perfect. I can slaughter to my heart's content! Hahaha, heh heh heh..."

"What the hell are you? How dare you take over our Young Master's body? Get out of her!" Freed from the pressure of the Coffin of the Iron Mountain, Snake Lance and Pufferfish had recovered somewhat. Snake Lance Douluo raised his Martial Soul and roared.

At his shout, Qian Renxue's wild laughter faltered. Her expression gradually went still.

Her face turned icy. "I hate being interrupted when I'm hungry..."

The Angel Wings on her back slowly vanished. She landed lightly and walked toward Snake Lance and Ci Xue. The Soul Power pressure pouring from her was far stronger than that of the two Titled Douluo combined at their peak.

The two Titled Douluo looked grim. But the body before them belonged to their Young Master; they could not attack her. They braced themselves to defend at any moment.

Qian Renxue looked at them and brushed the golden bangs from her forehead. Her voice was cold.

"You're holding your heads too high!"

As the words left her mouth, Soul Pressure descended like a mountain.

Dismantle!

An invisible slash swept through the air. Under that overwhelming Soul Pressure, Pufferfish and Snake Lance trembled instinctively and dropped flat to the ground.

That was how they narrowly escaped the invisible slash.

It struck the gorge behind them, carving a massive trench into it.

Ci Xue and Snake Lance panted heavily. Before the Demon occupying their Young Master's body, they felt as though they could no longer breathe.