[Sandstorm]

"Yu Chen, your Xiao Bai Dragon martial soul is incredible!"

Ming Dashan spoke with some excitement.

He had drawn their attention from the front while Xiao Bai Dragon ambushed them from the side. Working seamlessly together, they had killed over a dozen Wolf Bandits.

But Xiao Bai was simply too fast!

Her sprinting speed even surpassed his Wind Blade.

Strictly speaking, Xiao Bai Dragon had killed all those Wolf Bandits herself.

"Xiao Bai's speed must be close to that of an agility-type Soul Master at the Soul Ancestor level!"

Ming Dashan marveled.

Xiao Bai lay on a rock, glanced at Ming Dashan, and ignored him.

Elemental control was her strongest means of attack.

If Yu Chen had enough soul power-if he reached the Soul Ancestor level, for instance-she could unleash Elemental Tide and grind the entire village to dust without any trouble.

Close-quarters combat was far too crude.

What she disliked most were brainless brutes like the Golden Dragon King.

Relying on his tough body and immense strength, he knew nothing but charging headlong into everything.

"Awooo-"

Just then, a howl rang out from deep within the village.

A string of answering wolf howls followed, rising and falling in succession.

"Yu Chen, the Wolf Bandits might be coming out. Let's go!"

Ming Dashan's expression changed abruptly.

The howls drew closer and closer, as though the pack was racing toward the village entrance.

"It's too late!"

Yu Chen's expression darkened as well.

Footsteps approached from the distance, accompanied by heavy breathing and a thick stench of blood.

Bang!

The earthen wall at the village entrance collapsed as an enormous black silhouette charged straight through.

It stood roughly three meters tall, its body covered in long, grayish-blue fur. Two pointed ears stood upright, and its blood-red eyes blazed with murderous intent.

Then Wolf Bandits poured out from behind the earthen wall, one after another.

One, two, ten...

More and more emerged, packed so densely that their grayish-blue figures merged into a sea beneath the moonlight.

Yu Chen took a rough count. There were at least fifty.

"We're finished..."

Ming Dashan's voice grew strained.

The next moment-

He stepped forward and shielded Yu Chen behind him, like a mother hen protecting her chick.

"Yu Chen, run! I'll hold them off!"

As he spoke, Ming Dashan's soul power surged, ready to strike at any moment.

Against so many Wolf Bandits, they had no chance of winning.

Ming Dashan knew full well that he was only a Soul Ancestor. Against more than fifty frenzied Wolf Bandits, he could hold out for half a minute at most.

But he had to stall them.

Even if it was only a few extra seconds, he had to buy Yu Chen time to escape.

Xiao Bai Dragon could fly. As long as Yu Chen made it into the air, these Wolf Bandits would never catch him.

"Uncle Dashan, it's not time to run yet."

Yu Chen's voice was steady.

A powerful aura erupted from him, whipping his clothes into a snapping flutter.

"Yu Chen, this is no time to show off!"

Anxious and angry, Ming Dashan glanced back.

Yu Chen stood his ground without retreating a single step. There was not a trace of fear in his eyes-only an icy chill.

"I have a Self-Created Soul Skill. This is a good chance to try it out."

As his words fell, his first soul ring instantly lit up.

First Soul Skill: Wind Element, Hurricane.

Xiao Bai Dragon beat her wings, and a hurricane surged in from every direction.

Whooo-

At first, there was only a low moaning, but within seconds, it became the shriek of a hurricane.

The next moment-

Yu Chen's second soul ring lit up.

The once-solid ground rapidly turned to sand. Sand, dirt, and loose stones were all swept up into the hurricane.

His second Soul Skill was called Earth Element.

It possessed two abilities: [Defense] and [Stone Edge].

This time, however, Yu Chen did not use an offensive Soul Skill. He simply mobilized the power of those earth elements.

The hurricane churned with sand, dirt, and stones, blotting out the sky and covering the entire village entrance.

The moon vanished behind it, and the surroundings suddenly became as dark as the dead of night.

"Yu Chen! Well done! Let's retreat!"

Ming Dashan's voice came through the swirling sand.

He raised an arm to shield his face, but grains of sand still forced their way into his mouth and nose, making him cough twice.

Within the windblown sand, visibility was no more than three meters.

The wind was so loud that hearing was severely restricted as well.

Everything ahead, behind, and on either side was a gray haze. He could not even tell which direction was which.

The distant howls of the Wolf Bandits became indistinct, but Ming Dashan could sense that they, too, had fallen into chaos.

"Run?"

"No, Uncle Dashan. Get ready to counterattack!"

Yu Chen's voice came from deep within the swirling sand, carrying an icy killing intent.

This was a new move he had created using wind and earth elements: [Sandstorm].

It was somewhat similar to [Sunny Day], another weather-based move.

Under the effects of [Sandstorm], the five senses would be weakened.

At the same time, his own earth-type attacks would gain fifty percent more power, while his enemies' healing effects would be halved.

Unfortunately, the Douluo Continent had no mechanism for distinguishing allies from enemies.

Within [Sandstorm], Ming Dashan had already lost his sense of direction as well.

Still, this wide-area control skill was ideal for dealing with enemies who held the advantage in numbers. However ferocious the Wolf Bandits were, once they lost their bearings, more than half their ability to fight as a group was crippled.

"Uncle Dashan, ahead to your left! Twenty meters, two of them!"

Yu Chen shouted.

Within [Sandstorm], he himself suffered no debuffs.

Whoosh!

A sharp rush of air came from the other side of the swirling sand.

Ming Dashan slashed swiftly with a flash of sword light, followed by a brief scream.

"Good!"

Ming Dashan looked at the fallen Wolf Bandits, his voice brimming with delighted surprise.

He had been ready to flee.

He had never expected Yu Chen's Soul Skill to be so powerful!

At that moment, he suddenly thought of Tang San and Xiao Wu. They also had innate full soul power, so why did their performances seem so "unremarkable"?

Was it the difference in their martial souls?

Or the difference in the people themselves?

Over the years, apart from some practical combat experience, he had taught Yu Chen nothing.

As for Yu Xiaogang, that was even less likely.

Clearly, Yu Chen had worked out this Self-Created Soul Skill on his own.

"To your right! Five meters, five of them!"

Yu Chen's voice rang out again.

Ming Dashan's gaze sharpened, and his third and fourth Soul Skills lit up simultaneously.

Within the sandstorm, his five senses were restricted.

The enemies had crept within five meters of him, yet he had not sensed them at all!

Swish, swish, swish!

A string of sword flashes blazed, and the five Wolf Bandits fell before they could even make out Ming Dashan's figure.

Within this sandstorm, they could not see clearly, hear, or tell one direction from another. All they could do was charge wildly on instinct.

The five Wolf Bandits had intended to break through together, only to be wiped out in one fell swoop.

"Second Soul Skill: Earth Element, Stone Edge!"

Yu Chen had not been idle either.

Ahead to his right, three Wolf Bandits howled wildly, flailing their claws without any sense of direction.

He turned his palm over, gathering dense, earthen-yellow soul power in it, then slammed it against the ground.

Shhk-

More than a dozen sharp stone pillars suddenly thrust out of the ground, piercing the three Wolf Bandits from below.

"Awoo-"

Several screams overlapped, then cut off abruptly.