"Boom!"
Yu Tianming's entire body became a crimson meteor shooting into the sky. Wherever his lance wings swept past, the air scorched into ripples of distortion.
"Holy crap!"
"So fast!"
"Wait, this Martial Soul can fly? And that fast?!"
Valstrax's lance wings were indeed far too unusual and highly deceptive. Anyone unfamiliar with them would think at first glance that they could not fly.
Dugu Yan and the others looked up at Yu Tianming in the sky, their expressions stunned.
"Hahaha!"
Yu Tianming laughed heartily.
"Of course my Valstrax Martial Soul can fly. Not only can it fly, it's an overlord of the skies!"
Yu Tianming traced a streak of crimson light through the air, the Dragon Energy gushing from his lance wings propelling him at astonishing speed.
After flying a circuit through the sky, Yu Tianming came to a steady stop above Dugu Yan and the others.
"Yanzi, watch out!"
Seeing this, Yu Tianheng hurried back to help, but he was already too late.
Dugu Yan's pupils contracted. Her Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul swiftly coiled in front of her as she tried to block him. "First Soul Skill, Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison!"
However,
Yu Tianming was too fast.
Diving down, he gave his lance wings a sharp shudder and abruptly changed direction in midair, avoiding the area covered by the poisonous mist.
At the same time, he flicked his right arm, lashing a streak of crimson Dragon Energy at Dugu Yan's ankle like a whip.
"Smack!"
Dugu Yan felt her feet go light, and the Dragon Energy flipped her to the ground.
She had just tried to roll back up when the tip of a lance wing, wrapped in crimson Dragon Energy, pressed against her throat like a sharp blade.
"Sister Yanzi, you're out." Yu Tianming smiled slightly.
"Damn it!" Dugu Yan pounded the ground in frustration, but she had to admit that the gap was enormous. She had lost swiftly and decisively.
On the other side.
Seeing Dugu Yan taken down so quickly, Shi Mo immediately changed tactics. "Protect Lingling!"
He shouted, and the heavy shell of his Black Tortoise Martial Soul appeared as he stood in front of Ye Lingling.
Yu Tianheng quickly drew close as well, and the three assumed a defensive stance.
"Yu Feng, Osler, keep my brother occupied!" Yu Tianming called from the air.
"Got it!"
Relying on his Wind Chime Bird Martial Soul, Yu Feng harried Yu Tianheng from the flank.
Osler became a black shadow. His Ghost Leopard Martial Soul granted him tremendous speed, letting him constantly dart around Yu Tianheng and disrupt the rhythm of his attacks.
Although Yu Tianheng was stronger than them, he could not easily break free while two agility-type Soul Masters kept him occupied.
Fortunately, with Ye Lingling healing him, he did not need to worry about injuries.
Taking on Yu Feng and Osler alone, Yu Tianming had not fallen into a disadvantage.
"Brother Shi Mo, pardon me!"
Yu Tianming raised his hand, condensed a mass of Dragon Energy, and hurled it downward.
"First Soul Skill, Black Tortoise Shield!" Shi Mo dared not be careless. He activated his Soul Skill with all his might, forming a thick tortoiseshell shield in front of him.
"Boom!"
The crimson Dragon Energy collided with the tortoiseshell shield with a deafening blast.
Cracks spread across the shield before it shattered with a crash.
But Yu Tianming had held back his strength.
The mass of crimson Dragon Energy was not at its full power and dissipated along with it. Shi Mo and Ye Lingling behind the shield were unharmed.
"Nice defense!"
Yu Tianming voiced his praise.
Then he hovered in the air. The lance wings of his Valstrax Martial Soul vibrated and actually transformed, their vents turning forward.
"What is that...?"
Shi Mo's and Ye Lingling's pupils contracted at the sight.
At that moment, the three pairs of lance wings on the Valstrax Martial Soul resembled cannons, with crimson Dragon Energy gathering at their vents in an astonishing display of might.
In fact,
Valstrax's wings were not merely tools for flight, but its most lethal weapons.
Valstrax's wings contained extensive muscle and tendon structures, allowing it to change their shape at will.
In battle, they had two modes: close combat and long range.
And now, they were in long-range mode!
"Brother Shi Mo, Sister Lingling, you'd better be careful!"
Yu Tianming gave them a warning, then controlled his Valstrax Martial Soul to absorb air, continuously converting it into Dragon Energy and channeling it into his lance wings.
"Valstrax Artillery Mode!"
The instant his words fell, the three pairs of lance wings on the Valstrax Martial Soul suddenly lit up.
Crimson Dragon Energy gathered furiously, compressing in the air into six blazing spheres of energy.
"What?!"
Shi Mo's pupils shrank sharply. He immediately stepped in front of Ye Lingling, his First Soul Ring shining brightly. "First Soul Skill: Black Tortoise Shield!"
A thick tortoiseshell phantom instantly formed. However, just as he fully deployed his defense-
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Six scarlet beams fell like meteors, striking the Black Tortoise Shield with pinpoint accuracy!
"Crack-!"
In just one round of bombardment, the shield of the Black Tortoise Martial Soul, renowned for its top-tier defense, actually shattered outright!
Shi Mo grunted as the shock wave drove him several steps back, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Shi Mo!"
Ye Lingling immediately activated her Nine Heart Begonia, sending gentle, healing Soul Power over him.
However, a fierce gust swept in.
A crimson streak cut through the smoke and dust. Yu Tianming had already appeared behind her, his lance wing resting lightly against her shoulder.
"Sorry, Sister Lingling. You're out."
Ye Lingling froze briefly, then sighed softly and withdrew her Martial Soul.
Shi Mo shook his head with a wry smile. "That attack... is way too ridiculous."
The entire field fell silent.
Dugu Yan's eyes widened as she murmured, "This Martial Soul... can even bombard targets at long range?!"
Yu Feng's mouth twitched. "Powerful close-range attacks, ultra-high-speed flight, and now long-range artillery too? Does he even leave anyone else room to play?"
Osler swallowed. "...I think the only reason we lasted so long earlier was that he was going easy on us."
Yu Tianheng stood where he was, the shock still lingering in his eyes.
It was also his first time seeing the Valstrax Martial Soul's long-range attack mode.
Yu Tianheng had been ready to rush in and help, but Yu Tianming's attacks were too fast and too fierce. Even the Black Tortoise's defense could not withstand them.
Even if he had gone in, he could not have changed anything.
After a moment of silence, Yu Tianheng took a deep breath and slowly raised his hand-
"We concede."
"Huh?" Dugu Yan froze. "Tian Heng, we haven't even..."
"There's no point."
Yu Tianheng shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Tianming's Martial Soul is too well-rounded. We can't find an opening at all."
"Besides, I know Tianming held back his strength. His physical strength is tremendous too. He was going easy on us the whole time."
Yu Tianheng looked at his younger brother, both amazement and a hint of helplessness in his eyes:
"You... just how many more tricks are you hiding?"
Yu Tianming withdrew his Martial Soul and chuckled. "Brother, I've actually only just figured out this form. I'm not proficient with it yet."
"You can beat us this badly without even being proficient?"
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes, looking enchanting. "Once you've mastered it, won't you be able to take on Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors head-on?"
Hearing this,
Yu Tianming smiled slightly.
With the might of the Valstrax Martial Soul, its ability to combine offense and defense and fight at both close and long range was enough to give any opponent a headache.
He had long since been able to defeat Soul Elders.
Soul Ancestors were not difficult either. If they truly fought, Yu Tianming was confident that, at the very least, he would not lose.
After all, Yu Tianming's physical body already rivaled a Soul King's. Although he lacked a Soul King's vast Soul Power, his overall combat strength had also reached the Soul Ancestor level.