Anomaly in the Forest

Half a year later.

"Muchu, do you really need another half year to consolidate your strength? Why not break through to level fifty now? We can hunt for your Soul Ring while we're here." In the inner reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest, Xiao Wu spoke to Qin Muchu at her side.

"Xiao Wu, you're different from me. My Martial Soul is incomplete, and my Innate Soul Power was only level five. Since reaching level forty-nine, I can clearly feel that I can't wield my Soul Power as effortlessly as I used to. I've advanced too quickly and missed a lot of the insight I should've gained at earlier levels. I want to be as close to perfect as possible every time I advance."

"Oh. All right, then." A trace of disappointment crept into Xiao Wu's voice.

Seeing her unhappy face, Qin Muchu couldn't help pinching her puffed-out cheek. "Come on. Once I've sorted this out in about four months, I'll need to hunt for a Soul Ring. Won't I get to bring you out again?"

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. "That's right! I can sneak out again. That rotten old dean only cares about squeezing Gold Soul Coins out of us. These days, everyone at the Soul Fighting Arena surrenders the moment they see me. It's no fun at all."

Qin Muchu sighed. "Then why don't you hide your strength? You knock everyone out in one move. Who'd still dare fight you?"

"I'm already holding back as much as I can! They just can't take a hit."

Qin Muchu was about to reply when the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's voice suddenly sounded in his mind. "Muchu, how long has it been since you two encountered a Soul Beast?"

Qin Muchu froze. Then realization struck, and his expression darkened. "Over two hours."

"Something's wrong. Very wrong. This shouldn't be possible in the Star Dou Great Forest. Muchu, I'm afraid you two are in trouble."

Qin Muchu caught Xiao Wu by the wrist. "Wait."

She looked at him in confusion. "What is it?"

Qin Muchu told her what the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm had noticed. Her expression turned grave. She knew the Star Dou Great Forest even better than he did, and she was certain his suspicion was right.

They scanned their surroundings warily, extending their Mental Power to probe every corner. Yet they couldn't detect a single stray presence. The entire forest was unnaturally quiet; only the wind rustling through the leaves could be heard. Xiao Wu edged closer to Qin Muchu and lowered her voice. "I can't sense anything. Muchu, have you found something?"

Qin Muchu shook his head and asked the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his mind, "Brother Sky Dream, can you sense anything?" The reply came with a gravity he had never heard before. "It's too quiet. Not even the slightest fluctuation of Soul Power."

Just then, a sinister voice rang out. "Oh? You noticed? Not bad for two brats!"

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Qin Muchu barked, pulling Xiao Wu behind him. A vast wave of Mental Power swept toward the voice, but to his alarm, he still sensed nothing, even after the speaker had revealed himself.

"Heh heh heh. Don't waste your strength, boy. You think you can detect me?" A figure wrapped head to toe in black mist emerged slowly. Mist churned across his face, hiding his features. Only a pair of eyes glinting with cold, ghostly green light showed as he stared straight at them, his sinister laughter ringing out again.

"A Soul Emperor?" Qin Muchu was taken aback. The man's aura was only around level sixty-five. Why couldn't his Mental Power detect him at all?

Still, that black aura and chilling laugh told Qin Muchu the man was no good. He couldn't go wrong killing him. "Together! First Soul Skill: Ten Thousand Transformations, One Edge!"

"Third Soul Skill: Instant Teleportation! First Soul Skill: Waist Bow!"

Qin Muchu and Xiao Wu struck together, their attacks reaching the man in an instant.

"Heh heh heh. Interesting. Innate ability: Swallow Heaven and Devour Earth." The black mist around him began to spin, forming a vortex at its center that swallowed Qin Muchu's sword beam. By then, Xiao Wu had reached him. A black shield formed before the mysterious man, and she kicked it with a bang. The shield dissolved back into mist, but it had stopped her attack.

"Oh? Now that's more interesting. Try this: Wilds Fist." The black mist gathered into a giant fist and smashed toward Xiao Wu.

Sensing the force behind the blow, Xiao Wu didn't dare take it lightly. She hastily used her fourth Soul Skill, Invincible Golden Body, endured the punch, and pulled away.

Neither of their attacks had worked. Qin Muchu frowned deeply. He hadn't expected the black mist to devour his attacks. Unlike his own first Soul Skill, though, the man's technique seemed to absorb the energy directly into his body. That meant it had an obvious weakness: there was a limit to how much energy it could swallow. But knowing that did them no good. Two major realms separated them, and the gap in Soul Power was a chasm. Even if both of them drained themselves dry, they could never reach his limit.

He and Xiao Wu unleashed Spiritual Storm and Bewitchment at the same time, but their attacks vanished like clay oxen sinking into the sea. They caused not even a ripple.

That left close combat and purely physical attacks. But from Xiao Wu's earlier clash with the man, the black mist's defenses were terrifyingly strong too.

"What a troublesome opponent." Qin Muchu gave a bitter smile.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Great Sword, Blunt Edge."

The Dancing Shadow Sword grew once more into a thirty-meter greatsword and cleaved toward the mysterious man with the force of a thousand jun. It struck the black mist with a piercing clang of metal on metal. Sparks flew, and the greatsword rebounded several feet, but the mist shuddered violently.

"It worked!" Delight flashed across Qin Muchu's face. He swung the sword down again. "Xiao Wu, cover me!"

Though the Dancing Shadow Sword had become enormous, its weight hadn't changed, so he could still wield it with ease. Driving himself to the limit, he struck the same spot in the black mist more than a dozen times. With every blow, the mist rippled more violently.

"Argh! Boy, you've made me angry!" the mysterious man roared. The black mist protecting him contracted sharply, then burst outward. A black spear shot from within it.

"Now, Xiao Wu!"

The two had long since learned to move in perfect harmony. The moment Xiao Wu heard him, she understood his plan and used Waist Bow—not on the mysterious man, but on Qin Muchu.

Propelled by Xiao Wu's Waist Bow, Qin Muchu shot toward the mysterious man like an arrow loosed from its string. The instant she launched him, Xiao Wu used Instant Teleportation and appeared in front of the black spear. "Invincible Golden Body!"

"Third Soul Skill: Steel-Cutting!"

Bang!

Crack!

The two sounds rang out one after the other. With Invincible Golden Body's absolute defense, Xiao Wu withstood the mysterious man's attack, though its force drove her back several steps. Qin Muchu, meanwhile, held the Dancing Shadow Sword, now back to its normal size, and unleashed his strongest close-combat Soul Skill. With one stroke, he cut the black-clad man in two.