As soon as the words fell, several dark figures darted out from every direction, surrounding the two women.
"Family Head Ye, why go to such lengths?"
A sinister voice rang out as a middle-aged man stepped out of the crowd, holding a dagger that was still dripping blood.
His gaze swept over the alluring, voluptuous figure of the woman in palace attire, his voice mocking. "The Ye Family has long since declined. Joining our Holy Dragon Sect would benefit us both."
"When the time comes, our Holy Dragon Sect will not only grant you the standing of an elder, but also help you find a way to lift the curse."
"Why not take such a good offer?"
"In your dreams!"
The woman in palace attire shielded the girl behind her, her phoenix eyes brimming with murderous fury. "Even if I die, I will never join your Holy Dragon Sect!"
Up on a tree trunk, Tang Tianlin narrowed his eyes slightly as he listened to their exchange.
The surname Ye, a single line of descent, a curse...
Wasn't this the Ye Family, which possessed the continent's greatest healing Martial Soul, the Nine-Star Begonia?
As a top-tier support Martial Soul, the Nine-Star Begonia was not as versatile as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, but it possessed the very finest healing abilities.
If I could win them over to the Clear Sky Sect, I might receive a system reward...
As for the Holy Dragon Sect, he had heard a little about it. Its sect master seemed to be a Soul Douluo with a lesser dragon Martial Soul.
Just some roadside mongrel. Nothing to worry about.
"Head of the Ye Family, I'll give you one last chance. If you keep resisting, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
"With your daughter here, we can raise another Nine-Star Begonia in a few years anyway."
Seeing that Ye Cixin would not budge no matter what he said, the middle-aged man completely exhausted his last shred of patience.
At his words, Ye Cixin's heart sank, and she instinctively tightened her grip on the girl's little hand.
These people had never intended to spare either mother or daughter from the start.
Although she was a Soul King, she had no means of attack whatsoever. Surrounded by multiple Soul Masters, she was effectively facing certain death.
Was the Ye Family's legacy truly going to end today?
Ye Cixin clenched her teeth and leaned close to the girl's ear, whispering:
"Lingling, I'll hold them off in a moment. Run deeper into the woods, and don't look back, no matter what. Understand?"
"No! I won't leave Mother!"
Ye Lingling's eyes reddened as she clung tightly to Ye Cixin's arm.
"Be good."
Ye Cixin forced a faint smile and reached out to rub the top of her daughter's head.
"Your mother is a Soul King. Although I can't beat them, holding them off for a while won't be a problem. Once you get out, head toward Heaven Dou City and seek out the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Noticing their movements, the middle-aged man lost his patience completely.
"Attack! Just leave the little girl alive!"
Several figures lunged forward at once, the light of their Soul Rings flashing and intersecting, their killing intent chilling.
At that hairbreadth moment, Ye Cixin raised her right hand, and a snow-white begonia with petals arranged in the shape of stars slowly materialized.
It was none other than the Nine-Star Begonia!
A pure white halo instantly spread outward, and a tremendous aura of life permeated the woods.
"As expected of the continent's greatest healing Martial Soul."
A glint of greed flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes. "But soon, it will belong to our Holy Dragon Sect!"
"Dream on!"
Ye Cixin's gaze turned icy, and the Nine-Star Begonia in her hand suddenly burst with rays of dazzling light, briefly blinding the charging black-clad men.
Seizing the opening, she took the poison powder she had prepared from her Storage Soul Tool, infused it with Soul Power, and swept it fiercely forward.
"Watch out! Poison!"
The black-clad men who had been charging forward so aggressively a second earlier had no time to unleash their Soul Skills before they felt as though all strength had been drained from their limbs. Their legs buckled, and they fell to the ground in a series of thuds.
"Mother, you're amazing!"
Hiding behind her mother, Ye Lingling's little face was filled with admiration.
Ye Cixin, however, did not lower her guard in the slightest.
She knew perfectly well that although her poison powder could bring down these Soul Elders, it probably would not be enough against a Soul King.
Sure enough, the instant the middle-aged man detected the poison powder, he activated Martial Soul Possession.
His muscles swelled, his bones cracked, and a layer of fine black scales emerged across his skin. His hands also transformed into sharp claws.
A thick dragon tail extended from his tailbone behind him, swaying from side to side.
The instant his Martial Soul Possession was complete, the middle-aged man drew a deep breath, his chest swelling before he exhaled violently.
Roar!
A visible blast of air erupted from his mouth, instantly scattering most of the surrounding poison powder.
Seeing her final trump card blown away by a single breath from her enemy, Ye Cixin's face filled with despair.
She had failed her ancestors, unable to preserve the Ye Family's last remaining legacy.
Just then, a languid voice came from overhead.
"Say, isn't bullying a widow and her daughter in the middle of the night going a little too far?"
As the words fell, the ground suddenly shook, throwing clouds of dust into the air.
Once the dust cleared, Ye Cixin saw a youth dressed in a dark-gold fitted outfit standing before her.
He was tall, with vigorous blood energy, giving off an immense sense of reassurance.
Across from him, the middle-aged man frowned and looked Tang Tianlin up and down.
For some reason, although he clearly sensed that this person's Soul Power was not strong, an inexplicable wariness rose in his heart.
That wariness seemed to come from his Martial Soul?!
At that thought, the middle-aged man probed, "Brother, our Holy Dragon Sect is the foremost of the Lower Four Sects, and our sect master is a Soul Douluo."
"Interfering in the Holy Dragon Sect's affairs won't do you any good."
He placed particular emphasis on the words "Holy Dragon Sect."
After all, in this region, the Holy Dragon Sect's name carried considerable weight.
Its standing as one of the Lower Four Sects spoke for itself. Ordinary Soul Masters would give it a wide berth upon hearing its name.
"A pack of mixed-blood beasts, and you dare call yourselves holy dragons?"
Tang Tianlin sneered. Golden light suddenly flared in his black eyes, and his pupils contracted into needle-like slits.
A layer of fine golden dragon scales swiftly emerged across his body, gradually spreading from his arms to his cheeks.
Dark-red blood energy swirled around his body, and his aura abruptly surged.
Although he was clearly a rank-thirty Soul Grandmaster, the pressure he now radiated made everyone present catch their breath.
"This..."
The middle-aged man's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively retreated half a step.
He felt his Thorn Dragon Martial Soul grow restless and begin violently resisting his control.
When he looked up, his eyes happened to meet Tang Tianlin's.
Buzz!
In an instant, the middle-aged man felt his head spin, and his neck felt as though something had wrapped around it, making it difficult to breathe.
The next second, the strangely colored scales on his body receded inch by inch, his swollen muscles rapidly shrank, and his Martial Soul Possession vanished entirely.
"How is that possible? What did you do?!"
The middle-aged man's face went deathly pale.
His Martial Soul had actually been frightened into refusing to work by a single glance?!
Golden light shimmered in Tang Tianlin's slit pupils, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "Don't panic. This is how a lowly bloodline should react when it meets a king."
"Brat, don't get too arrogant! I'm a Soul King!"
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth, a vicious gleam fully exposed in his eyes.
Even without his Martial Soul, he was still a Soul King.
With his physical strength and advantage in Soul Power alone, could he really fail to defeat a mere Soul Grandmaster?!
But the only answer he received was an enormous dark-gold hammer descending from above.
"First Soul Skill: Golden Dragon Shock Strike!"
Before you continue