The scene flipped back to a little mountain path, more than ten minutes earlier.
The Soul Fighting City Squad had already charged up, and the two sides were fighting. Only Jonah Weiss and Yang Jingxue remained, facing off dozens of meters apart.
"You're... Yang Jingxue of the Yang Family, the Flower-Burial Divine Arrow..." Jonah Weiss confirmed.
He had never met her before, but the Soul Douluo circle was small, and he had heard of Yang Jingxue, the Yang Family's signature figure.
He had indeed considered the possibility that someone would be left guarding the Mountain Gate, but he truly hadn't expected a Peak Soul Douluo to be here.
Jonah Weiss thought for a moment, then called out, "Yang Jingxue, just let this old man leave, and I guarantee I won't seek revenge on Soul Fighting City. With your intelligence network, you should know that I'm at odds with the Main Lineage."
"That sounds pretty good. I just wonder whether you can escape from me." Yang Jingxue repeated what she had just said!
Jonah Weiss continued, "I can even work with Soul Fighting City. Whether it's luring out Demon Sheep Sect Soul Masters in the field for an ambush, or helping you handle matters you can't deal with openly, I can do it!"
"That sounds pretty good. I just wonder whether you can escape from me." Yang Jingxue repeated herself again!
Jonah Weiss took a deep breath and said, "Yang Jingxue, you're not a Titled Douluo yet, and I'm a high-ranked Soul Douluo. If we fight, even if I lose, I can still knock a few teeth out of you. I have no hope of breaking through to Titled Douluo in this life, but you're different. If you're injured, though, it'll absolutely set back your hope of breaking through."
"That sounds pretty good. I just wonder whether you can escape from me." Yang Jingxue repeated herself for the third time!
Jonah Weiss was furious. She was making fun of him! He tried hard to calm himself down. It seemed a fight was unavoidable.
"Third Soul Skill-Dark Miasma."
Jonah Weiss's Third Soul Ring lit up in an instant, releasing a vast amount of dark mist that spread forward from him, enveloping Yang Jingxue. It was pitch-black, with visibility under two meters-a very effective area-control Soul Skill.
Although Wind-Listening and Position-Identifying was a basic skill for advanced archers, it only served as an aid to vision at close range. The two of them were dozens of meters apart, so Wind-Listening and Position-Identifying was nowhere near enough.
"Yang Jingxue, this skill of mine not only blocks your vision, it also makes people hallucinate in the mist and rapidly consumes their Soul Power. As long as you don't move, we can..."
But before he could finish speaking, Yang Jingxue suddenly moved within the mist!
Right before Jonah Weiss's eyes, Yang Jingxue suddenly drew her Seven Extremes Bow, setting a Flower Burial Arrow on the string. Then the bowstring twanged, and the arrow shot forth, soaring with dazzling Soul Power.
The Flower Burial Arrow's head resembled a blooming plum blossom, allowing the shaft to spin rapidly through the air and greatly increasing its penetrative power. The Six-Tailed feature made its flight path as elusive as mist. It was an advanced Soul Tool arrow specially crafted by the Yang Family!
And this arrow flew straight toward Jonah Weiss!
"Whoosh..." In almost an instant, the arrow was right in front of Jonah Weiss. His face had been wreathed in smiles as he spoke, but the moment he saw the incoming arrow, his smile vanished.
He hurriedly performed a clumsy roll, but despite his quick reaction, the arrow still grazed his shoulder, leaving a long wound!
"This is impossible!" As the arrow struck, Jonah Weiss shouted from a distance.
He stared blankly. Having completely lost his sight, he had never dreamed that Yang Jingxue would choose to attack.
And the arrow had actually hit him. Though it had only grazed him, the impact it carried was still terrifying, no weaker than a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill.
This was the Blind Listening Technique, the pinnacle of an archer's abilities, a top-tier skill, a unique art that only a naturally gifted archer could master.
Jonah Weiss was still shaken and astonished, but there was nothing strange about it. Faced with the world's foremost bow-type Martial Soul, countless people used Soul Skills that obscured vision, like the Dark Miasma from just now.
Legend had it that, long ago, one of the Yang Family's ancestors had been a sharpshooter Soul Master whose archery had reached the pinnacle and whose talent was extraordinary.
But he had lost both eyes after someone took revenge on him.
His enemies had first used a mist-type Soul Skill to completely block his vision, then closed in and struck him blind. He resolved to find a way to counter this type of Soul Skill.
But if an archer couldn't even see, how could they hit their target?
At first, many people thought he would never be able to shoot arrows again. But no one had expected that, in only a year, his powerful talent would let him master the Blind Listening Technique based on Wind-Listening and Position-Identifying.
The so-called Blind Listening Technique meant judging and locking onto the position of a distant target by hearing alone, when vision had been completely lost!
Before him, the Yang Family had always covered an area with a rain of arrows to identify the enemy's position before attacking. It was laborious and inefficient.
With this arrow, Yang Jingxue had just told Jonah Weiss that his Soul Skill was useless!
Because she, Yang Jingxue, knew the Blind Listening Technique!
One careless move, and he lost the initiative. Jonah Weiss had barely dodged the first Flower Burial Arrow in a sorry state when a second and third followed right behind it. Every arrow aimed at a vital spot, leaving him no time to activate a Soul Skill.
The Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Martial Soul was not known for its speed. He had just dodged one arrow when another unusual golden Flower Burial Arrow flashed by, moving even faster than the previous arrows and heading straight for his chest. With no time to dodge, he could only turn his body slightly. The arrow pierced through his shoulder blade, spraying blood and scattering droplets.
This was Yang Jingxue's "Third Soul Skill-Golden Radiance." Metal Attribute Soul Power was added to the Flower Burial Arrow, making it fly faster through the air and giving it greater penetration. It was mixed into the rain of arrows.
When the arrow brought him down, he actually dodged the two or three arrows following it, giving him time to activate a Soul Skill.
"Fifth Soul Skill-Myriad Corrosions."
Jonah Weiss released a cloud of dark-green smoke. This Soul Skill could rapidly corrode its target and continuously inflict shadow damage on enemies. It was particularly effective against metal, with extremely strong corrosive effects.
Using it against arrows was making do with what he had, but the rapid corrosion of the arrows following him bought him a little time.
Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. He held his breath, lowered his breathing to the faintest whisper, and moved with the lightest steps to change his position.
Yang Jingxue couldn't find him for a moment, and several arrows missed. After all, the Dark Miasma was still there. She had been attacking through the mist with the Blind Listening Technique. Just as Yang Jingxue was about to use a rain of arrows to probe for his position...
Now or never!
"Eighth Soul Skill-Demon Sheep Divine Light!"
Jonah Weiss unleashed his trump-card Soul Skill. Like Wilbur Weiss's Skull Soul Skill, it could briefly plunge an opponent into fear, stall their thoughts, and stiffen their body, leaving them unable to move. Its effect was simply much more pronounced.
It also dealt enormous Soul Power damage. Jonah Weiss's Soul Power far surpassed that of the skull, so as long as he hit Yang Jingxue, he could turn the tables completely.
Unfortunately, his Soul Skill gave away his position.
It was a divine-light-type Soul Skill. Though it couldn't match Yang Jingxue's arrows, it was still extremely fast. And judging by its powerful fluctuations, it had high damage and a wide range.
As the fluctuations and sound of Jonah Weiss's Soul Skill reached her, Yang Jingxue had two choices:
First, use the Yang Family's Seven Extremes Steps to dodge Jonah Weiss's Soul Skill, then take another shot at him. But she would lose track of Jonah Weiss again. Though she could shoot while dodging, that would only let her make an ordinary attack, not one that could kill with a single strike.
Second, unleash her finishing move first, then dodge or defend after shooting. But there would be a time gap, and hurriedly dodging or defending would weaken the effect. That meant they might both be wounded, or perish together.
In the split second between lightning and flint, she cried-
"Sixth Soul Skill-Gale, Seventh Soul Skill-Thunder Reversal, Myriad Fusion Art, Wind-Thunder Sky Dance!" (PS: Yes, it really is the Seventh Soul Skill.)
The Myriad Fusion Art was a secret Yang Family technique. The Yang Family's inheritance could not only divide attacks, but fuse them as well.
The moment Yang Jingxue drew her bow, the Flower Burial Arrow on its string changed too.
Countless wind vortices and bolts of lightning converged on the Flower Burial Arrow from all directions, instantly turning it into a Wind-Whirling Thunderstrike Flower-Burial Arrow!
The sound of wind and thunder rang through the skies. Everything in its path turned to dust, and rocks burst apart.
Fast! Very fast! Incredibly fast!
The arrow was so fast. As a long-range Soul Master specializing in Agile Attack, Yang Jingxue had not only quick hands and a quick draw, but the arrow itself also flew extremely fast.
Now, infused with both Wind and Thunder Attributes, the Wind-Whirling Thunderstrike Flower-Burial Arrow pushed its speed to an unimaginable degree.
All martial arts under heaven were invincible only through speed. The same went for arrows!
The Wind-Whirling Thunderstrike Flower-Burial Arrow almost seemed to leave an afterimage as it reached Jonah Weiss. His eyes couldn't even make out the arrow. He only felt something flash before him, and then the terrifying Wind-Whirling Thunderstrike Flower-Burial Arrow slammed into his chest.
"Sixth Soul Skill-Darkness Veil!"
Jonah Weiss instinctively unleashed the Soul Skill, hoping to delay the arrow with the veil and dodge. Unfortunately, he was too late!
Unlike before, when an arrow had pierced through his shoulder blade, this arrow from Yang Jingxue detonated its wind vortices and lightning as it reached his chest. The wind vortices burst into hundreds of tiny blades that pierced his entire body, leaving him drenched in blood and exposing bone. Countless bolts of lightning spread across his body in an instant, numbing him from head to toe. As he went numb, the Flower Burial Arrow also broke through his chest and pierced his heart.
Almost no one could see the whole process. They only heard Yang Jingxue's bowstring twang, and Jonah Weiss was sent flying backward. By the time he hit the ground, he was already a corpse!
A crushing victory!
This was a true crushing victory, an absolute difference in Martial Souls and strength. Among those of the same rank, almost no one could withstand this arrow, let alone a Three-Eyed Demon Sheep Soul Master with merely a Seventh-Rank Martial Soul.
It was an unstoppable, overwhelming rout!