Cruel Sun!

The other two men in black also sensed that things were going terribly wrong and activated Martial Soul Possession.

One transformed into a winged birdman.

Black wings spread behind his back, their feathers razor-sharp and his eyes piercing.

A pitch-black spear appeared in the other man's hand.

The pressure of three Soul Kings spread at once, making the very air in the room seem to freeze.

"Cruel Sun."

Xu Tianyuan spoke calmly at that moment.

He extended a finger, condensing a Sun Fireball at its tip.

Though small, the heat it released distorted the surrounding air.

Wave after wave of heat rolled outward.

The bedding caught fire in an instant, orange-red flames spreading rapidly.

The nearby metal implements began to melt, and the iron supports slowly softened and warped.

The wooden furniture donned coats of fire as well, a constant crackling rising from the flames.

"Attack, now!"

The leader felt a wave of heat wash over him. His clothes instantly turned to ash, and the smell of scorched skin rose from his body.

Had he not activated Martial Soul Possession beforehand...

Had a Beast Soul Master's body not been so strong...

He would probably have burned to death already.

Utter terror surged through his heart.

Knowing he could not simply sit and await death, he charged straight at Xu Tianyuan.

His tiger claws whipped up fierce gusts as he sought to engage in close combat.

The other two men in black were frightened too and immediately prepared their strongest Soul Skills.

Yet it was all futile.

"Go."

Xu Tianyuan's expression did not change as he gently pushed the Sun Fireball off his fingertip.

Trailing golden flames, the Sun Fireball tore through the air and struck the leader head-on.

"Aah!"

With a shrill scream, the leader was struck by the Sun Fireball, and flames instantly engulfed his entire body.

His charge came to an abrupt halt. Forgetting all about Xu Tianyuan, he frantically beat at the flames covering him.

But no matter how he slapped at them, they would not go out.

It was as though those flames would never die.

"Boss!"

The other two men in black were horrified, but neither had any intention of helping.

After all, both understood that the Xu Tianyuan standing before them was no longer the useless wretch of rumor.

If they let themselves get distracted, death might be all that awaited them.

The two quickly pulled away, gathering their strength as they sought an opening for an all-out attack.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Peerless Thrust!"

The spear-wielding man in black roared and stamped hard against the floor, scattering fragments of stone as he shot toward Xu Tianyuan like a cannonball.

Azure Soul Power swirled around the spearhead, its point aimed directly at Xu Tianyuan's heart.

"Sacred Treasure Release!"

Golden light flashed in Xu Tianyuan's hand, and an enormous one-handed axe appeared in his palm out of thin air.

The axe was golden, its enormous crescent blade gleaming with an icy edge.

Sun patterns adorned its head, with sharp spearpoints protruding from both sides.

The ring at the end of its haft bristled with thorns, scorching sunlight faintly flowing over it.

This was his Second Martial Soul, the Divine Axe Rhitta, measuring two meters in length and weighing over nine hundred kilograms.

The Divine Axe Rhitta possessed four abilities.

First, it could automatically absorb excess solar heat spilling from its wielder and store it within the axe.

Second, it could release all its stored solar energy at once whenever needed, unleashing a scorching shock wave, Sun Slash, to obliterate distant enemies. It could also coat its blade with that energy to strengthen close-range strikes.

Third, wherever the Divine Axe Rhitta might be, it would immediately fly back into its wielder's hand with a single thought.

Fourth, because of the Divine Axe Rhitta's special material, only someone possessing the Power of the Sun could wield it. Others could not even lift it, much less use this sacred treasure's true abilities.

At night, however, even its wielder could not lift the enormous axe.

Of course, Xu Tianyuan, who possessed the Sun Martial Soul, was an exception and could lift it even at night.

With the heavy axe gripped in his palm, searing power flowed along his arm and through his entire body.

Sensing the immense energy slumbering within the axe, Xu Tianyuan felt boundless confidence surge in his heart.

"Sorry, but you're going to die by my hand today."

"No need for any last words. After all, this is already a foregone conclusion."

Xu Tianyuan raised the axe, his thick biceps bulging, and brought it crashing down in front of him.

Bang!

The man in black's spear collided with the axe and instantly snapped in two.

Fragments of the broken shaft shot in every direction.

The axe continued downward, cleaving the man in black in half.

"That's impossible... you're clearly only a rank twenty-nine Soul Grandmaster..."

The man in black fell to the floor. Staring at the other half of his body, he uttered those final words before his head slumped and the life left him.

"For anyone else, naturally, it would be impossible."

"But for me, nothing is impossible."

Xu Tianyuan spoke with an arrogant expression.

From beginning to end, he had not even glanced at the last man in black.

It could have been called absolute confidence.

But absolute arrogance was perhaps more fitting.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Storm Dance!"

Having watched his companions die horribly before his eyes, the last man in black glared with eyes stretched almost to bursting. The black wings behind him snapped open, firing their feathers like blades.

Dense and countless, they blotted out the sky, enveloping Xu Tianyuan from every direction and sealing off every possible escape.

"I nearly forgot there was one feeble little ant left."

Xu Tianyuan looked back. Black feathers filled his entire field of vision, yet he showed not the slightest panic.

"Pride Flare."

He turned and swept a hand toward the black feathers.

Small fireballs appeared around him and shot out in an unbroken stream.

The small fireballs likewise filled the air. The moment they touched the black feathers, the feathers fell one by one, blackened like charcoal.

In just an instant, the entire dense barrage of black feathers had fallen to the floor.

The small fireballs swept onward like a blade splitting bamboo, rushing toward the last man in black and surrounding him.

"AAAAH!!!"

A scream like that of a pig being slaughtered rang out, but it lasted only a short while.

In the end, only a charred corpse lay on the floor.

As for the leader, Cruel Sun had already burned him into a charred corpse as well.

All three men in black had met their end.

Only the crackle of burning furniture remained in the room.

The heavy stench of scorching filled the entire space.

"How truly feeble."

With a casual wave of Xu Tianyuan's hand, the Sun Fireball hovering in midair instantly dispersed.

He surveyed the room. Burning wreckage lay everywhere, and three corpses sprawled haphazardly across the floor.

His body gradually returned to normal. Muscle Mode faded, leaving him thin and frail once more.

"Hm?"

Xu Tianyuan's gaze instantly cleared.

His former arrogance vanished.

Only then did he realize that his personality seemed to have changed just now.

Perhaps it was because of Muscle Mode.

After activating this mode, his mind would be influenced by that power of arrogance, changing the way he acted.

Xu Tianyuan did not dwell on it. He touched his bare upper body, then looked at the scraps of clothing on the floor and spoke with a pang of regret.

"That was a name-brand outfit. It cost over a hundred Gold Soul Coins. If this happens every time, it's going to be a problem."

He had to activate Muscle Mode to become stronger, but the price was bursting out of his clothes.

If this happened every time, the money he spent on clothes would probably become an astronomical sum.