The three lifted the heavy curtain and walked out of the auction house.
Outside, the night was black as ink, and the cold moonlight could not reach the long, narrow, gloomy alley.
Xiong Shaoqing knew that the Poison Shadow Sect elder must be watching him from the shadows.
What he did not know was that, in the deeper shadows, Tang San had also silently loaded his Godly Zhuge Crossbow, its bolts steeped in a deadly poison that sealed the throat upon drawing blood.
In the dark alley, the cold moon shed no light, and a chilly wind carrying a hint of murderous menace swept through.
The three had just rounded a corner when something suddenly happened.
"Heh heh heh... boy, since you refuse to hand it over, leave your life here instead."
A hideous cackle like a night owl's cry came from the shadows ahead.
Immediately afterward, a cloud of dark green poisonous mist, reeking with a nauseating stench, surged over the three like a living thing, blotting out the sky.
In midair, the Poison Shadow Sect elder's fourth Soul Ring blazed, and his withered, skeletal claws went straight for Xiong Shaoqing's throat.
"Get back."
Xiong Shaoqing barked coldly, shoving Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing aside.
He stamped hard on the flagstones, and his peak level 39 Soul Power erupted like a volcano.
A layer of almost tangible dark golden Gang Qi instantly blocked all the poisonous mist three feet away.
Outwardly, Xiong Shaoqing's face was as cold as Asura's as he drove a fist imbued with Dragon Elephant Power straight at the skeletal claws, without any flourish.
Inside, however, he was sneering coldly.
Old bastard, you finally couldn't resist making your move.
An ordinary Soul Ancestor with unstable Soul Power, and you really thought you had me in the bag?
Today, I'll show you what it means for brute strength to overcome ten techniques, and for crossing ranks to be as easy as drinking water.
Boom!
Fist and claw collided, sending waves of air rolling outward.
The Poison Shadow Sect elder felt a terrifying force capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas surge wildly up his arm and into his body. His blood churned, and his expression changed in horror. "What an overpowering physique!"
In that fleeting opening when the Poison Shadow Sect elder had Xiong Shaoqing occupied-
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
From the deep shadows diagonally behind him, a series of piercing mechanical snaps and whistles through the air rang out without warning.
Sixteen fine steel crossbow bolts coated in deadly poison that sealed the throat upon drawing blood formed a net of death, shooting at vicious angles toward Xiong Shaoqing's unguarded back.
"Watch out for hidden weapons!"
Zhu Zhuqing's keen feline instincts instantly kicked in.
Without the slightest hesitation, she let her Nether Civet Martial Soul possess her and became a black afterimage. Her claws flashed, barely managing to deflect every poisoned bolt.
Clang, clang, clatter. The poisoned bolts struck the ground, corroding the flagstones and raising wisps of white smoke.
At that moment, Tang San, Dai Mubai, and Ma Hongjun slowly emerged from the darkness of the alley.
"Tang San!" Once Xiao Wu saw who it was, uncontrollable fury ignited in her large, ruby-like eyes. "Hiding in the dark and shooting people in the back-you're utterly despicable and shameless!"
Faced with Xiao Wu's rebuke, Tang San's delicate face instead took on an expression of anguished compassion.
With deep affection and an air of manipulative innocence, he said, "Xiao Wu, he's deceived you. Everything I'm doing is to save you from this demon's mire!"
"Xiong Shaoqing is ruthless and full of honeyed lies. How could I stand by and watch you sink deeper? As long as I can save you from his clutches, I, Tang San, am willing to bear the condemnation of the entire world and use any means necessary!"
"Shut up! Just hearing you speak makes me sick!" Xiao Wu trembled with rage. Her second Soul Ring suddenly lit up, and she hurled her Charm skill straight at Tang San.
Chapter 80: A rich harvest
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai activated White Tiger Vajra Transformation, fixed his eyes on Zhu Zhuqing, and shouted, "Zhu Zhuqing, stop following this pretty boy!"
"If you come over now and return to the Star Luo Empire with me, I swear I'll never go looking for those twin sisters again. We have a Martial Soul Fusion Skill-we're the ones who are a match made in heaven!"
At his words, bone-deep frost appeared on Zhu Zhuqing's breathtakingly beautiful face.
"A match made in heaven?" She sneered, her voice devoid of warmth. "Dai Mubai, a coward who abandons his fiancée and runs away alone at the first sign of danger thinks he's worthy of talking about a future with me? My path has nothing more to do with a homeless cur like you. Get lost!"
"You-you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" Humiliation turned Dai Mubai's anger into fury, and he lunged at her, swinging his tiger claws. Ma Hongjun also spat out a scorching Evil Fire Phoenix ray, coordinating with Tang San's Blue Silver Grass in an attempt to subdue both girls in one stroke.
Yet although Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were exceptionally gifted, there were only two of them.
Against the Shrek Trio, who had fully recovered and whose Soul Power had all improved, the two-against-three battle soon became a bitter struggle. They could barely defend themselves, let alone injure their opponents in the slightest.
At the other end of the battlefield-
"You dare look elsewhere while fighting me?" the Poison Shadow Sect elder roared, his fourth Soul Ring blazing. "Fourth Soul Skill: Poison Shadow Devours the Heart!"
"Enough noise."
A terrifyingly vicious gleam flashed through Xiong Shaoqing's deep black eyes.
He held nothing back any longer, and the phantom of an Archaic Heaven-Shaking Bear roared at the sky behind him.
Like a god of war, he forced his way through the sky-filling poisonous shadows and unleashed a heavy whipping kick that tore through the air and slammed into the elder's chest.
Crack!
The teeth-grating sound of a breastbone shattering rang out.
The Poison Shadow Sect elder screamed and spewed a mouthful of blood, crashing into the alley wall like a kite with its string cut.
"Impossible... you clearly aren't a Soul Ancestor..." The elder's eyes were filled with extreme terror mingled with resentment.
He knew he had kicked an iron plate today. If he kept fighting, he would lose his old life here.
Enduring the agonizing pain, he abruptly crushed a dark green smoke bomb. "Boy, just you wait! The Poison Shadow Sect will never let you off!"
Under cover of the pungent poisonous smoke, the elder used his Escape Secret Art and fled in disgrace like a homeless cur.
Xiong Shaoqing snorted coldly and did not pursue.
He turned, his icy gaze stabbing like a sharp sword toward Tang San and the others.
Seeing even a Soul Ancestor-level elder beaten severely and driven off by Xiong Shaoqing in just a few moves, Tang San's heart shuddered. That fear from the depths of his soul welled up again.
He knew very well that now Xiong Shaoqing had his hands free, the three of them would certainly come to grief.
"Mubai, Fatty, retreat!" Tang San growled through gritted teeth, not forgetting one final performance of deep affection. "Xiao Wu, just wait! One day, I'll make you see his true colors and save you!"
With that, the three swiftly disappeared into the Black Market's tangled dark alleys under cover of Blue Silver Grass and Evil Fire, escaping unscathed.
The battle subsided.
Deathly silence returned to the alley.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing leaned against the wall, their chests heaving and their bodies drenched in fragrant sweat.
Although neither was injured, a deep sense of defeat showed in their eyes.
Fighting two against three, they had been suppressed throughout and had failed to leave even a single wound on their opponents.
"Big Brother... I'm sorry." Xiao Wu lowered her rabbit ears, her voice heavy with dejection. "We're too weak. We couldn't help at all and became your weak spot instead."
Zhu Zhuqing clutched the jade case containing the Netherworld Dark Fragrance Bamboo, an unprecedented flame of resolve kindling in her cool eyes:
"Shaoqing, we can't waste any more time wandering around and playing. Starting tomorrow, we'll train twice as hard. I will never allow myself to remain a burden hiding behind your back."
Looking at the two girls, so shaken yet so full of fighting spirit, Xiong Shaoqing kept his face as still as water. He stepped forward and gently patted their shoulders, his voice low and powerful:
"There's no need to blame yourselves. Being able to protect my back is already enough. In cultivation, haste makes waste. There's plenty of time ahead."
Deep inside, however, he was delighted.
Tsk, tsk. The little kitty and little bunny have suffered a setback.
But that's a good thing. Shame breeds courage. With flies like Tang San buzzing around them, they'll definitely train like their lives depend on it.
My team's fighting strength is about to take flight.
Just as Xiong Shaoqing was secretly rejoicing-
A string of deafening system notifications, as sweet as heavenly music, suddenly exploded in his mind.
[Ding! Detected searing resentment and murderous intent from the Poison Shadow Sect elder. Hatred value off the charts!] [Ding! Detected unparalleled unwillingness and extreme resentment from the Child of Fortune, Tang San. Hatred value off the charts!] [Dual negative emotion feedback mechanism activated in overdrive. Stripping away Heavenly Dao fortune...] [Congratulations, host! You have received a vast infusion of pure Soul Power.] [Host's Soul Power has increased by one level.] [Current Soul Power: level 40 (bottleneck reached).] [System notification: host's Soul Power has reached the required level. Once the host obtains a fourth Soul Ring and officially enters the Soul Ancestor realm, all System Shop functions will unlock.] [The shop's first batch of core products will soon be available: the First-Generation Spirit Transmission Contract Array, Soul Spirit Conversion Fluid, and a full suite of related technologies.] [Friendly reminder: System Shop currencies are divided into "Bond Points" (obtained through heroines) and "Face-Slapping Points" (obtained through villains). Please remember to accumulate them.]
Level 40.
Xiong Shaoqing's pupils abruptly contracted. Outwardly, he still stood with his hands behind his back, displaying the calm, effortless bearing of an unrivaled master, but the soul inside him was so excited he was almost shouting himself hoarse.
Holy shit, finally! The level 40 threshold! I'm finally about to make it!
The Spirit Pagoda and Soul Spirit System can finally go on the agenda. Once I get my fourth Soul Ring, open the shop, and exchange for Soul Spirit Conversion Fluid, I'll have something real to prove myself to the Soul Beast Clan.
Then Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, Ah Yin in the Star Dou Great Forest, and even the Ice Empress and Snow Empress in the Far North can all be bound firmly to my war chariot.
A feverish gleam flashed in Xiong Shaoqing's eyes.
But these exchanges need Bond Points and Face-Slapping Points. Looks like I'll have to keep fleecing that brat Tang San hard.
That little venomous snake escaped today, but he was really generous with this Face-Slapping Points experience package.
For the sake of my great Spirit Pagoda undertaking, I'll have to keep slapping Tang San's face right on schedule.
Xiong Shaoqing quickly gathered the surging waves within his heart. He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the hot blood that was nearly boiling in his chest.
Chapter 81: Unexpected danger
Xiong Shaoqing raised his head and looked at the pale crescent moon in the night sky, an arrogant smile of absolute supremacy curling his lips.
"Come on, back to the inn. Rest well tonight. First thing tomorrow..." He turned toward the two girls beside him, a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes. "We set out for the Star Dou Great Forest to find a suitable Soul Ring."
At the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, sunlight filtered through the canopy, scattering mottled patches of light and shadow.
Although Soul Beasts appeared here from time to time, most were hundred-year beasts or had only just reached the thousand-year mark. It was widely considered a relatively safe area.
Dressed in black, Xiong Shaoqing walked at the front, sweeping aside thorns with a branch he had casually snapped off, his powerful perception constantly enveloping his surroundings.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing followed closely behind.
"Big Brother, are we only looking around the outskirts today?" Xiao Wu blinked her large, ruby-like eyes, somewhat puzzled. "With your current strength, even hunting a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast a little closer to the Mixed Zone should be no problem, right?"
"We mustn't advance recklessly." Xiong Shaoqing's voice was cold and hard as iron. Without looking back, he spoke with an unassailable steadiness. "Danger lurks everywhere in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest."
"If we search patiently in the outskirts, we can still find a Soul Ring of a suitable age. Safety comes first. We must never blindly venture into danger."
On the surface, he acted like an icy God King whose word was law and who regarded none as his equal. In reality, however, the abacus in his mind was clicking with perfect clarity.
Are you kidding? Sure, my Soul Power has maxed out at level 40, and I only need one Soul Ring to unlock the System Shop, but I absolutely can't take my wives into the depths to fool around.
If we run into something too tough to handle and Xiao Wu or Zhu Zhuqing loses so much as a hair, won't I die of heartache?
I'll just find a Soul Beast here in the outskirts that's barely crossed the ten-thousand-year threshold. Absorbing it with the Archaic Heaven-Shaking Bear's attributes will be completely safe.
Absolute safety-that's the whole point.
Yet, as the saying went, storms could arise in clear skies without warning.
As the three passed through a seemingly tranquil stretch of woodland with no unusual presence, all the birdsong and insect calls around them instantly vanished. A suffocating stench of blood suddenly swept toward them on a fierce wind.
Boom!
With a furious roar that shook the earth and mountains, an ancient tree ahead, so thick it would take ten people to encircle it, came crashing down.
A terrifying giant bear, as enormous as a small mountain and wreathed in dark purple demonic flames, charged over the debris from the shadows deeper in the forest as though fleeing for its life, coming straight upon the three.
Before you continue