"Seventh Soul Skill, Nightmare True Body!"
Nightmare Douluo summoned his Martial Soul, Nightmare, and transformed into a five-meter-tall Nightmare. Black Qi poured ceaselessly from his body, covering the entire valley in an instant.
All eighteen people in the valley were forcibly drawn into dreams by Nightmare Douluo's Soul Skill. Beneath the Dark Dragon Shield's protective barrier, Mu Changqing and Bei Bei stood motionless in a daze, as did the other sixteen.
"Ninth Soul Skill, Ultimate Barrier!"
With his cultivation, Qian Duoduo immediately unleashed his ninth Soul Skill the instant he entered the dream, protecting Mu Changqing and Bei Bei.
The Dark Dragon Shield shone brilliantly in the darkness. Mu Changqing and Bei Bei underwent Martial Soul possession and released their Soul Power to stabilize it.
"The elders are holding that Titled Douluo back. Hurry up and break through this defense so we can kill them!"
"Then we'll go help the elders!"
Apart from the other two Titled Douluo evil soul masters, Demon Eagle had the highest cultivation present. The twelve evil soul masters beside him all followed his orders.
The thirteen evil soul masters unleashed their respective Soul Skills, bombarding the protective barrier from every corner.
Under the evil soul masters' successive attacks, the barrier formed by the Dark Dragon Shield brought its defenses to the fullest, showing not a single crack.
"Bei Bei, they won't be able to break through for now. Release all the Soul Power in your body into me. I'll maintain the barrier."
The Golden Dragon King phantom behind Mu Changqing roared, directly suppressing the thirteen evil soul masters. Purple, purple, and black Soul Rings flickered around Mu Changqing.
Mu Changqing unleashed all his Soul Skills. The golden blood Qi around him surged and burst outward without pause. He pressed his golden dragon claws against the barrier, continuously pouring Soul Power into it.
Bei Bei underwent Holy Dragon of Light possession, pressing two pairs of platinum dragon claws against Mu Changqing's back. Soul Power from his three Soul Rings-yellow, purple, and purple-flowed ceaselessly into Mu Changqing.
"No wonder the sect master wants them dead. If they're allowed to grow in the future, not one of us evil soul masters will survive."
The Soul Ring configurations of the two left all the evil soul masters present with their jaws hanging open. They unleashed their Soul Skills even harder against the barrier.
The enormous bodies of Mask Douluo and Nightmare Douluo continuously attacked Qian Duoduo, who could only use the Dark Dragon Shield to withstand their alternating assaults.
Qian Duoduo's Martial Soul was defensive and had little killing power. He could not drag this out any longer; he had to find a way to break through and escape with Mu Changqing and Bei Bei.
"Sixth Soul Skill, Nightmare Claw!"
Nightmare Douluo raised a ghostly claw from the black mist and raked it toward Qian Duoduo's back. His attack targeted the soul directly.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Maggots Entwining the Body!"
Mask Douluo swung his insect body, hundreds upon thousands of Demon Maggots pouring continuously from the filthy holes in his body. The two attacked Qian Duoduo from both sides.
Although Mask Douluo and Nightmare Douluo were only rank-91 Titled Douluo, they were more than capable of restraining a rank-94 defensive Titled Douluo.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Dark Dragon True Body!"
Qian Duoduo's Martial Soul, the Dark Dragon Shield, merged with the two of them. He transformed into a shield, instantly reducing all the attacks to powder and forcing his way between the two Titled Douluo.
At that moment, Nightmare Douluo's dream shattered on the spot, and everyone's consciousness returned to their bodies. Qian Duoduo immediately knocked the other thirteen evil soul masters flying and grabbed Bei Bei and Mu Changqing, taking their hands.
The three flew out of the valley.
"After them!"
Mask Douluo had never expected Qian Duoduo to break Nightmare Douluo's dream so easily. He gritted his teeth.
"Where do you think you're going?"
An aged voice rang out in the valley. The pressure carried by that voice frightened Mask Douluo into trembling all over, while Nightmare Douluo immediately turned into a black shadow and fled.
Mask Douluo immediately turned around. Behind him lay the bodies of thirteen evil soul masters. Xuan Zi had instantly killed those thirteen evil soul masters the moment Qian Duoduo knocked them flying.
Instinct told Mask Douluo that he had to flee immediately, or he would die here. Nine Soul Rings flickered beneath his feet, and he vanished like a wisp of smoke.
"A bunch of little bugs!"
Gnawing on a chicken drumstick, Xuan Zi hovered directly above the valley with his arms folded across his chest and a calm expression. He took a step forward to chase Mask Douluo.
Xuan Zi had been secretly following Mu Changqing's group of three all along, but he had drunk some wine and dozed off for a while, nearly botching things.
Xuan Zi had not had wine in a long time. He had only wanted to indulge a little this time; who could have known that drinking would nearly ruin things again?
"They haven't followed us, have they?"
Standing on a large rock, Mu Changqing gazed into the valley in the distance. He felt that today had been quite a thrill.
"It's all right now. Let's go back to Gengxin City."
The three headed toward a nearby town. They had to buy another carriage, or who knew how many years and months it would take them to walk back.
"Second Soul Skill, Divine Bull Charge!"
Xuan Zi had already reached a spot ahead of Mask Douluo's escape route. A yellow Soul Ring flashed beneath him, and a Taotie Divine Bull charged straight at Mask Douluo.
"It's you, Xuan Zi!!"
Mask Douluo immediately dodged aside and leaped onto a cliff, staring at Xuan Zi in stunned disbelief.
This time, Mask Douluo had truly committed an enormous mistake because of his eagerness to earn merit.
A genius like Mu Changqing would certainly have a Shrek powerhouse protecting his path. It was truly too late for Mask Douluo to regret it now.
Meanwhile, Nightmare Douluo had long since abandoned Mask Douluo and run away. He had no intention of waiting to die.
It was not simply that Mask Douluo was eager to earn merit. The main reason was that Zhongli Wu's promised reward was too tempting: whoever killed Mu Changqing or Na'er would have their Soul Power personally raised to rank 96 by him...
"Thinking of running now? Too late! You can die first!"
Hovering in the air, Xuan Zi sneered at Mask Douluo.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Taotie Divine Bull True Body!"
"Sixth Soul Skill, Meteor Shower!"
Under the effects of his Taotie Divine Bull Martial Soul, Xuan Zi's entire body grew enormous, and two pairs of bull horns sprouted from his head. A vast meteor shower hurtled toward Mask Douluo.
"Sixth Soul Skill, Mask Puppet!"
Dead puppets continuously appeared beside Mask Douluo, blocking the attacks raining down at staggered intervals. Mask Douluo had only recently used his Martial Soul True Body. He had to escape now.
Xuan Zi flashed behind him and drove a fist into his back. The bones in Mask Douluo's back fractured instantly, and his entire body flew backward.
Had Mask not been a Titled Douluo, that single blow from Xuan Zi would already have scattered him into a mist of blood.
Mask Douluo tumbled through the air and crashed beside a rock. He now lay motionless in a crater, the mask on his face falling away.
"Die."
Xuan Zi walked over and gripped his neck as though he were a little chick. Mask Douluo stared at Xuan Zi's aged face with bloodshot eyes.
"Ptoo!"
Mask truly had never expected to die like this. Gritting his teeth viciously, he spat a mouthful of phlegm at Xuan Zi's face.
Xuan Zi tightened his large hand, and Mask Douluo croaked for good. Xuan Zi tossed him aside and stomped hard on his body, leaving pieces of him scattered here and there.
Xuan Zi continued pursuing Nightmare Douluo. By then, Nightmare Douluo had abandoned his base in the Star Luo Empire and was flying toward the Sun Moon Empire like a madman.