"Hmph, all talk!"
Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened. With a slight flutter of the wings behind her, she darted in front of Hu Liena.
Her fist, wrapped in a faint golden glow, smashed mercilessly toward Hu Liena's shoulder.
Hu Liena saw only a blur before the fist was right before her eyes. There was no time to dodge.
Thud!
A dull impact rang out, but it was not the sound of a fist striking her body as she had imagined.
Hu Liena opened her eyes in surprise. Su Yu had somehow stepped in front of her and caught Qian Renxue's punch with his arm.
Su Yu grunted. Numbness instantly shot through his arm, and the impact drove him back two steps.
"Brother Su Yu!"
Alarmed and anxious, Hu Liena hurried forward to steady him. Seeing his slightly trembling arm, her eyes instantly reddened.
"How are you?"
Su Yu moved Hu Liena's arm away and spoke with feigned ease:
"I'm fine. Don't worry!"
Qian Renxue looked at Su Yu, who had suddenly appeared, and frowned slightly. A trace of impatience flashed through her pale purple eyes:
"Meddling."
"If you want a fight, I'll oblige!"
Enduring the numb ache in his arm, Su Yu met Qian Renxue's gaze as the Soul Power within him circulated rapidly.
Qian Renxue raised her eyebrows, a cold sneer curling her lips:
"Oh? You're that genius with innate full Soul Power everyone's been talking up to the heavens? Let me see just what's so special about you!"
Before her words had faded, the first yellow Soul Ring around her lit up again, and golden energy enveloped her fists once more:
"First Soul Skill: Angel Assault!"
With a flicker, she charged at Su Yu again like a bolt of golden lightning, even faster than before. Her fist sliced through the air with a piercing whistle.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
Su Yu shouted under his breath, forming hand seals with both hands.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
Several rows of thick wooden pillars burst from the ground, instantly weaving together into a sturdy semicircular arched wall before him and Hu Liena.
Boom!
Qian Renxue's fist slammed into the Wood Locking Wall with a deep, thunderous impact.
The arched wall shuddered violently, sending wood chips flying. Several cracks even appeared across its surface.
Looking at the wooden wall that remained firmly in place, a trace of surprise flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes:
"This Wood Release's defense is stronger than it looks."
Leaning against the wooden wall, Su Yu could clearly feel the force of the impact transmitting through the pillars.
He knew the Wood Locking Wall would not last much longer and immediately whispered to Hu Liena:
"Nana, get ready to use your Soul Skill to hold her back!"
Hu Liena nodded, the Soul Ring beneath her poised to activate!
Outside the Wood Locking Wall, Qian Renxue's gaze hardened when her first strike failed to break through. Golden energy gathered even more densely around her fists:
"Since you can block one blow, try this!"
Just as Qian Renxue's fist was about to fall, the Wood Locking Wall opened directly from within.
Hu Liena's figure appeared in the gap, her eyes glowing faintly pink as she stared straight into Qian Renxue's eyes.
Qian Renxue stiffened, and her hand stopped moving.
"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"
Several wooden vines shot toward Qian Renxue, binding her in those brief three seconds.
"Heh."
Coming back to her senses, Qian Renxue's eyes flashed with astonishment, which was immediately replaced by deep disdain.
"You think you can restrain me with these paltry tricks?"
She raised an eyebrow, and the Soul Power within her erupted as she tried to break free of the wooden vines.
But in the next instant, she sensed something wrong-the wooden vines coiled around her seemed to possess a devouring power and were slowly absorbing her Soul Power.
The vines themselves turned a deeper purple at a speed visible to the naked eye, their toughness increasing along with it.
"Interesting."
Feeling the strange sensation of her Soul Power slowly being absorbed, Qian Renxue's lips curved into a cold arc.
"Trying to weaken me this way? Unfortunately, you're far too naive."
"Second Soul Skill: Angel's Blessing!"
At her low shout, the enormous Angel Phantom behind her slowly spread its arms.
A dazzling golden light descended from the angel's palm and entered Qian Renxue's body.
"Break!"
Qian Renxue exerted her strength abruptly, and the golden radiance around her blazed like flames.
Under the impact of that sacred power, the tough wooden vines snapped with sharp cracks.
Boom!
The bindings broke with the sound, and the severed wooden vines were blasted away, turning into fragments in midair.
Qian Renxue flexed her wrists and looked at Su Yu and Hu Liena, the fighting spirit in her eyes burning ever more fiercely:
"Whatever else you have, bring it out! This little ability is only enough for my warm-up."
"Nana, step back."
Su Yu spoke quietly, secretly gathering Wood Release in his palm.
Looking at Su Yu's tense figure, a trace of contempt flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes:
"What? Out of tricks? Weren't you so brave just now?"
She advanced step by step, golden Soul Power flowing over her:
"So what if you have innate full Soul Power? Without enough strength to back it up, you're nothing but a joke in the end. Third Soul Skill: Angel..."
The third Soul Ring beneath Qian Renxue's feet had already lit up. She was clearly preparing to unleash her third Soul Skill.
Just then, an icy female voice rang through the air, interrupting Qian Renxue's movements.
"Who gave you permission to run wild in my Pope Hall!"
The voice was not loud, yet it carried a heart-stopping authority.
The Soul Power Qian Renxue had gathered abruptly faltered, and even the golden light around her dimmed slightly.
Her movements paused. She looked up toward the source of the voice, a complicated expression flashing across her face.
Bibi Dong had appeared at the courtyard entrance at some point, her purple-black robes stirring gently in the breeze.
A biting chill filled her amber eyes as her gaze fell on Qian Renxue with undisguised displeasure.
Bibi Dong slowly walked in front of Su Yu and Hu Liena. Looking at Qian Renxue, she spoke in an icy tone:
"Didn't I tell you not to come to my Pope Hall!"
Hearing Bibi Dong's tone, Qian Renxue's expression darkened, and she raised her head stubbornly:
"What's wrong with me coming to the Pope Hall? Spirit Hall belongs to my Qian Family, not you!"
At Qian Renxue's words, a trace of hatred flashed through Bibi Dong's eyes, and her hand unconsciously clenched.
"If I hadn't come, would I have seen you take two pieces of trash as disciples? They can't compare to even the tiniest fraction of me!"
"You heartless, faithless woman! You only became Pope because Grandpa helped you!"
"In this lifetime, you'll never get what belongs to you..."
"Enough!"
Bibi Dong's voice rose abruptly, carrying anger suppressed to its utmost limit.
Smack!
A crisp, resounding slap suddenly rang through the courtyard.
The blow knocked Qian Renxue's head to the side, and a distinct handprint instantly appeared on her fair cheek.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, her pale purple eyes filled with shock and hurt.
As Bibi Dong watched the red mark rapidly appear on Qian Renxue's face, her heart suddenly trembled.
"Xiao Xue..."
Bibi Dong's voice was dry, carrying a tremor she herself had not noticed, as she reached out to touch that red mark.
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