Ma Xiaotao Is Injured

Whoosh—

At the same time, in the darkness, Ye Chen moved like a ghost.

Every Teleportation allowed him to kill one or even a whole group of bandits.

Although it was his first time killing someone, he did not feel much about it.

After all, he had taken quite a few anatomy classes as a child, so his tolerance for such things far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Ye Chen never considered himself a good person.

But these bandits were hardly human either. Killing them was no great loss.

As for exposing his Teleportation ability, Ye Chen did not care. He could simply claim it was one of his Soul Skills.

Besides, with the system, he would have many talents in the future. Revealing more of his strength would better demonstrate his worth.

"Let's die together!"

Suddenly, within a pile of corpses behind him, a Soul Grandmaster whose chest had been pierced abruptly lit up with a fiery-red Martial Soul and his second Soul Ring.

Ye Chen had been lost in thought and failed to react in time. The figure behind him exploded with a deafening blast.

In an instant, flames shot into the sky.

Clearly, this was a self-destruction ability created by the man's Martial Soul and special second Soul Skill. Its effects were powerful, but it could only be used once in a lifetime.

Boom—

The terrifying shockwave slammed viciously into Ye Chen's back, yet he... did not move an inch.

"What was that?"

Ye Chen turned around and looked behind him, only to find that the corpses there had long been reduced to ash, leaving behind only a massive, charred, blood-filled crater.

"Damn, I was careless. He wasn't completely dead. Good thing I was cautious." Ye Chen froze for a moment before coming to his senses.

Soul Masters possessed powerful vitality. Even with a pierced heart, they could remain alive for a while, which gave that man a chance to counterattack.

Ye Chen had been careless too, failing to crush the man's head.

However, he was completely covered by Ice Scale Armor. Forget a Soul Grandmaster's self-destruction—even a Soul Ancestor's self-destruction would not leave Ye Chen with a single scratch.

Still, it served as a reminder to Ye Chen. When killing someone, he had to finish the job thoroughly—beat them into dust, preferably burn them too, lest they rise from the dead.

Mm, if possible, he should crush their souls as well, lest they reincarnate and return as Dragon Kings...

Whoosh—

Just then, a purple figure bearing eight Soul Rings descended from the distant sky in an instant and landed beside Ye Chen.

It was Zhang Lexuan.

Clearly, she had been drawn here by the explosion.

"Little Chen, are you all right?!"

When Zhang Lexuan saw the charred marks behind Ye Chen, she thought he was injured. Her heart clenched painfully, and she hurried over to embrace him, wanting to inspect his wounds.

"I'm fine, Sister. It's just a little blood."

Ye Chen hurriedly dispelled his second Soul Skill, and the bloodstains and scorch marks on his body instantly faded away.

"Mm... You scared me, you know that? You disappeared without saying a word. Do you know how worried I was...?"

Zhang Lexuan glared at Ye Chen reproachfully.

She wanted to pinch him, but could not bring herself to do it.

In the end, still unable to let it go, she lightly pinched his cheek.

"I'm a Soul Ancestor, Sister. How could I be that fragile?" Ye Chen said with a bitter smile.

Being cared for certainly felt nice, but he always felt as though people underestimated him...

Still, that incident had indeed been caused by his lack of combat experience. Part of it was also because he had gotten too carried away and had not immediately crushed that Soul Grandmaster.

Even though he had read plenty of battle scenes in novels in his previous life and often frequented the Sect Master Hall, it had all been theoretical. He could still make mistakes in real combat.

"Then you still can't disappear without saying anything next time!" Although Zhang Lexuan felt that Ye Chen had a point, her tone remained stern, and there was a trace of resentment in her eyes.

She had gone through no fewer than a hundred missions. Many times, irreversible consequences had resulted from a moment of carelessness.

She did not want Ye Chen to be hurt because of something so minor, or...

She did not even dare imagine such an outcome.

In any case, she could only rest easy when Ye Chen remained within her sight.

"All right, I'll listen to you, Sister~" Ye Chen knew Zhang Lexuan was worried about him, so he did not insist.

"Hehe, that's more like it~"

Only then did Zhang Lexuan smile in satisfaction. Then she asked curiously, "By the way, where did that Teleportation ability of yours come from? Isn't your Martial Soul ice-attributed? And what kind of Teleportation ability can travel so far?"

Earlier, she had been several hundred meters away from Ye Chen, while everything within two hundred meters of him had been within her senses.

Yet in that instant, Ye Chen had slipped beyond her perception.

Clearly, Ye Chen's Teleportation range exceeded two hundred meters.

Two hundred meters of Teleportation!

Wasn't that absurd? That was plainly transmission, wasn't it?

And she had not seen Ye Chen show the slightest sign of strain, which meant this ability did not consume much either.

Could a Soul Skill really accomplish that?

"Haha, it's just a special Soul Skill~" Ye Chen laughed it off, brushing the question aside.

After all, he did not know how to explain it either.

Aside from displaying his talent, revealing this ability was also meant to let Zhang Lexuan know that he had a means of protecting himself, so she could worry less.

As Ye Chen spoke, he Teleported again and vanished from where he stood.

This time, however, he did not leave Zhang Lexuan's sensory range. Clearly, he was being very obedient.

"Stingy..."

Zhang Lexuan pursed her lips, but did not take it to heart.

After all, every Soul Master had their own secrets. Since Ye Chen did not wish to talk about it, she would not keep asking.

Within the mountain forest.

Ling Luochen and Ye Chen entered killing mode, slaughtering bandits left and right.

Though the bandits had secret passages through which to escape, those passages only led them outside the valley. They could not leave the mountain range directly, nor could they flee far. They could only hide in the darkness.

Ling Luochen and Ye Chen both possessed formidable Spiritual Power. Even in the dim light, they could precisely locate the hiding bandits and kill them with ease.

In just a short while, the several hundred bandits had been reduced to only a scattered handful.

Although Zhang Lexuan had said she would not intervene, she could not bear to watch any longer and secretly killed some of the stragglers.

They had nearly wiped out this entire nest of bandits.

Rumble—

Suddenly, a terrifying explosion rang out several thousand meters away.

Ye Chen and Ling Luochen were both startled and hurried toward the source of the blast.

Ye Chen was the fastest. After several Teleportations, he arrived in an instant.

When Ye Chen reached the scene, a sea of flames still had not dispersed.

The next moment, a figure slowly emerged from the blaze. It was Ma Xiaotao.

After the battle, Ma Xiaotao's originally exquisite leather battle suit had been corroded into tatters.

Especially the pair of ultra-thin flesh-colored stockings she had specially worn for Ye Chen. They had been corroded into holes and pits by something unknown, and Ma Xiaotao's thighs were covered in bloody pits as well.

"Those damned evil Soul Masters really deserve to die..." Ye Chen's heart ached at the sight.

How painful must that have been...

"Sister Xiaotao!"

With another flash, Ye Chen arrived before Ma Xiaotao. At the very least, she looked as though she was not seriously injured.

"Little Chen, it's good that you're all right..."

When Ma Xiaotao saw Ye Chen, she smiled faintly. Then her eyes rolled back, her steps faltered, and she fell forward.

"Sister Xiaotao!"

Ye Chen's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly flashed forward and caught Ma Xiaotao in his arms.

Only then did Ye Chen notice the problem.

On Ma Xiaotao's back was a corroded wound the size of a palm.

The wound itself could only be considered minor, but the blood-red corrosive liquid clinging to it seemed alive. It continued to seep into Ma Xiaotao's body without end, giving off a heavy stench of blood. It looked like a living thing and was utterly horrifying.

It was these things that had drained Ma Xiaotao's Soul Power and stamina, causing her to faint. But that was all.

Ma Xiaotao was still a high-level Soul Emperor. For that Soul King evil Soul Master to have managed to injure Ma Xiaotao, he could brag about it in the underworld for a long time.