Blood Manipulation

Sword light streamed like a bolt of silk, carrying a piercing whistle as it tore through the air straight toward the Seven-Ring Soul Sage's face.

Ji Juechen's sword knew only attack, never defense. All his Soul Emperor-level Soul Power poured into the blade, its silver-white edge gleaming with pale golden sharpness, forcing the Soul Saint to raise a hand to block.

Clang!

The sharp crash of metal was deafening.

The defensive Soul Tool shield the Soul Saint hastily deployed instantly filled with spiderweb cracks. The sword Qi drove him back three steps, and the bluestone slabs beneath his feet shattered, spraying fragments everywhere.

"What a powerful sword assault."

A trace of astonishment flashed through the Soul Saint's eyes. He no longer dared underestimate the seemingly young Soul Emperor before him.

He took a deep breath and drew several high-grade Soul Tools from his waist.

The strength of a Level 7 Soul Engineer was fully revealed at that moment. He tossed a fist-sized metal ball into the air, and it instantly unfolded into a hexagonal light shield.

Lights of various colors flickered and crossed around the Soul Saint, every Soul Tool radiating suffocating fluctuations of power.

Ji Juechen's expression remained unchanged, his sword attacks growing ever fiercer. His silver-white longsword carved arc after arc of sword Qi through the air, every strike aimed precisely at the Soul Saint's vital points.

Jing Ziyan moved around beside him, using Soul Tools to support Ji Juechen and cut off the Soul Saint's escape routes.

But the gap between seven rings and six was not something sheer momentum could bridge.

Once the Level 7 Soul Engineer steadied himself, several Soul Tools unleashed their power at once. The hexagonal light shield blocked Ji Juechen's slash, while Soul Cannon barrels fired two thick pillars of power that forced Jing Ziyan back. At the same time, three Soul Cannon shells darted toward the pair from the flanks like venomous snakes.

Ji Juechen cleaved two shells apart. The third grazed his left arm before exploding violently.

Unable to dodge in time, Jing Ziyan was caught by the blast's shock wave, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Their offensive began to falter, and their faces grew pale, yet they also fought with ever greater courage.

Elsewhere.

"Attack together!"

Wang Shaojie roared hoarsely, pointing at Lu Ren.

Apart from the Soul Saint occupied by Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan, the remaining two Soul Emperors and four Soul Kings released their Martial Souls at once, the light of their Soul Rings weaving into a dazzling curtain.

"Whatever you do, don't touch Meng Hongchen!" Xu Mochén shouted.

As a direct member of the imperial family, he understood the weight carried by the master of the Illustrious Virtue Hall better than anyone.

The consequences of offending Jing Hongchen's granddaughter were more than he could bear.

Meng Hongchen was just about to act when Lu Ren's voice came from behind her:

"Stay out of this. I don't want to waste extra effort protecting you."

Before his words had faded, he had already vanished from where he stood.

Wang Shaojie felt a cool gust sweep across the back of his neck. His pupils contracted, and he instinctively turned.

Then he saw a fist already buried in his abdomen.

"Pfft!"

That punch sent the contents of his stomach surging upward. Wang Shaojie doubled over like a shrimp crushed underfoot and flew backward, vomiting sour, foul-smelling liquid.

His body rolled several times before stopping, leaving him facedown in the rubble, utterly bedraggled.

"Suppress him from range! Don't let him get close!" a Soul Emperor shouted.

Several ranged Soul Tools locked onto Lu Ren at once. Beams poured down like a torrential storm-blue rays, red explosive projectiles, and white shock waves interwoven into an impenetrable net of fire that sealed off every avenue of evasion.

Rather than dodge, Lu Ren raised his right hand, pressed his fingers together, and swept them to his side.

Invisible slashes spread outward with him at their center. Each slash cut precisely across a ranged Soul Tool's line of fire, while also slicing straight through the Soul Tools in their hands.

Crack, crack...

The Soul Tools burst apart one after another, scattering metal fragments across the ground that glinted coldly in the sunlight.

The Soul Kings were left holding only half a grip of their weapons, disbelief written across their faces.

"Soul Tools are decent enough." Lu Ren glanced at the dumbstruck Soul Masters, his tone indifferent. "Too bad their users aren't."

"Roar!"

A dragon's cry thundered out.

Purple-gold power of destruction coiled around Xu Mochén as he fully released his Martial Soul, the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon.

Dragon scales covered his arms, sharp dragon claws sprouted from his fingertips, and his back arched slightly as a savage pressure radiated from him.

The Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon was the hereditary Martial Soul of the Sun Moon Imperial Family, sharing its origins with that of the reigning crown prince, Xu Tianran. This Martial Soul granted Xu Mochén combat strength far beyond others of his rank and secured his position at the head of the disciplinary squad.

Unfortunately, his cultivation was still too shallow. Soul Emperor-level strength was not enough before Lu Ren.

Xu Mochén stamped hard with both feet, shattering the bluestone slabs into a crater.

He shot forward like a cannonball, his right claw hurtling straight toward Lu Ren's face with a shriek that tore through the air.

Purple-gold power of destruction condensed at his claw tips into five sharp blades of light, each capable of slicing through refined steel.

Without even looking at him, Lu Ren drove his right hand forward, throwing punch after punch, each striking precisely at the point where the dragon claws exerted their force.

Fists and claws collided with dull metallic crashes. Xu Mochén's attacks surged like the tide, while Lu Ren's fist stood unmoving like a reef, stopping every assault a foot from his body.

At the same time, Lu Ren raised his left hand and casually brushed aside the loose hair over his forehead.

He looked as though he were strolling through his own back garden.

Xu Mochén's face flushed crimson. He fought with all his strength, alternating claw strikes that left afterimages in the air, yet he could not even touch the hem of his opponent's clothes.

In the end, Lu Ren swung a backhand slap.

He used no Cursed Technique in that strike, only pure physical strength, slapping Xu Mochén directly on the head.

As though struck by a charging rhinoceros, Xu Mochén flipped through the air and smashed facedown into the ground.

Bluestone shattered and dust flew. His body lay embedded in the crater, his limbs twitching a few times before falling still.

It looked as though he had been knocked unconscious outright.

Watching in secret, Jing Hongchen's eyelids twitched at the sight, and he could not help muttering:

"Good heavens, don't beat Xu Mochén to death. His father is an imperial prince, after all. That would be a real headache to deal with."

Lu Ren paid him no attention. He glanced over the people strewn across the ground. Wang Shaojie was still dry-heaving, several Soul Kings and Soul Emperors were clutching their wounds and groaning, and Xu Mochén lay unconscious amid the rubble.

Blood-colored markings began to emerge in his right eye.

Blood Manipulation: Flowing Red Scale.

Dense blood Qi surged from within him, condensing into a thin, pale red mist around his body. His Soul Power and Cursed Energy fused perfectly at that moment, his presence climbing steadily until it seemed to faintly surpass everyone present.

Then Lu Ren darted through the crowd, every pause accompanied by a dull thud and a figure flying backward.

In the first second, three Soul Kings were struck in the chest simultaneously, blood spraying from their mouths as they flew several zhang like kites with severed strings.

In the second second, a remaining Soul Emperor tried to join forces to counterattack. Lu Ren turned sideways to avoid his punch and drove his right elbow hard into the man's ribs, the sound of breaking bones clearly audible.

In the third second, the last Soul King turned to flee. Lu Ren raised a hand and tapped a finger against the back of his neck. The man stiffened and fell flat on his face.

Three seconds later, Lu Ren stopped.

Behind him, the last Soul King clutched his chest and crumpled to the ground.

From Wang Shaojie to Xu Mochén, from Soul Kings to Soul Emperors, everyone had lost the ability to fight in that single burst of attacks.

They were all Soul Engineers. Once Lu Ren closed the distance, the outcome needed no imagining...

"You can't hold out anymore. Let me handle it."

Lu Ren turned his head toward Ji Juechen's battlefield.

Ji Juechen and Jing Ziyan were indeed in a bad state now.

Both had fresh wounds. Half the sleeve on Ji Juechen's left arm had been torn away, exposing the burned skin beneath.

Blood stained the corner of Jing Ziyan's mouth, and wounds covered her body.

The Level 7 Soul Engineer fought with mounting courage, his high-grade Soul Tools unleashing their power in turn. After blocking Ji Juechen's slash, the hexagonal light shield immediately sent a shock wave rebounding outward.

Not only that, but the Level 7 Soul Tool in his hand fired continuously, forcing Jing Ziyan to retreat again and again.

Ji Juechen gritted his teeth and tried to charge once more, but Jing Ziyan caught him and shook her head.

The two exchanged a look, then withdrew together, dragging their battered bodies back to Lu Ren's side.

The Soul Saint stopped attacking. His gaze passed over them and landed on Xu Mochén, who lay unconscious on the ground with his face bruised and swollen.

His expression changed.

"You dared hurt him?" His voice was low, carrying suppressed anger. "His father is an imperial prince!"

"So what?" Lu Ren's tone was flat. "I don't care."

He took a step forward.

The blood Qi around him erupted fully at that moment.

Red mist spread outward, forming a red shadow beneath his feet. His presence had already far exceeded the bounds of a Soul Ancestor, and even the Level 7 Soul Engineer opposite him felt its pressure.

Ji Juechen's pupils contracted slightly. This power... it was stronger than before.

Jing Ziyan instinctively stepped half a pace back and murmured:

"These fluctuations aren't anything a Soul Ancestor should have..."

The Soul Saint's expression turned utterly grave.

He slowly raised the Level 7 ranged Soul Tool in his hand, aiming its pitch-black muzzle at Lu Ren.

Power gathered inside the barrel with a low hum, and the air around the muzzle began to distort.

In truth, the young man before him gave him a greater sense of danger than those two Soul Emperors combined.

"To think a mere Soul Ancestor could raise his power to this extent." His voice was low, his tone carrying a trace of apprehension even he did not notice. "But I don't believe you can stand against a Level 7 Soul Tool!"