"You little brats! Today, I'll take your teachers' place and teach you ignorant whelps a proper lesson!"
Ye Zhiqiu stood in the middle of the street. The dim yellow streetlight fell across his face at an angle, illuminating one half and revealing the cold hardness of his Black Tortoise Martial Soul. The other half lay hidden in deep shadow, looking savage and terrifying.
Directly before him, Lin Kong walked forward slowly and stopped three meters away. His gaze was cold as a blade, his tone edged with sharpness. "If you're asking for a beating, I'll oblige!"
"Hmph!" Ye Zhiqiu gave a disdainful snort.
For a Soul King like him, three meters was no more than a step away. At that moment, he wished he could charge over immediately and slap Lin Kong to the ground, thoroughly blunting his arrogance.
Yet Lin Kong showed no fear whatsoever. He merely raised a hand and waved it behind him, ordering in a low voice, "Surround him!"
As his words fell, the Shrek group immediately scattered from behind him, fanning out to flank him. The two groups on either side swiftly took positions around Ye Zhiqiu.
"Tch!" Ye Zhiqiu remained rooted to the spot, his Black Tortoise shell gleaming coldly in the night. He glanced at the boys and girls surrounding him, his tone full of contempt. "Even if I stand right here without moving, you little fledglings can forget about budging me an inch!"
"Release your Martial Souls!" Lin Kong's voice rang out again.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-
In an instant, Soul Rings lit up one after another. Bright yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings pulsed around them, their dazzling radiance almost illuminating the entire street. This group of youths, only twelve or thirteen years old, were actually all at the Soul Grandmaster level!
Ye Zhiqiu swept his gaze over their Martial Souls, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
"White tiger, phoenix, black cat, rabbit, sausage..."
His gaze passed over Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and the others. When it finally landed on Tang San, it paused briefly. "Blue Silver Grass?"
But when his eyes touched the exquisite, brilliantly shimmering pagoda in Ning Rongrong's palm, he reacted as though he had been scalded. His eyes flew wide, and he cried out involuntarily, "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!!!"
This was the continent's number-one support Martial Soul!
Ye Zhiqiu's gaze turned wary. No longer paying attention to anything else, he abruptly turned to face a different direction, bending his knees slightly as Soul Power surged wildly throughout his body. Clearly, he had made up his mind-as soon as the battle began, he would charge over with everything he had and deal with this little girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect first!
Such was the absolute deterrent posed by a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master in a team battle. No enemy dared not make them the first target to kill!
Ning Rongrong's heart lurched. She instinctively stepped half a pace backward, then remembered Lin Kong's arrangements and forcibly suppressed the fear in her heart. Still, her dissatisfaction with Tang San grew-this fellow actually considered himself clever, yet he had forgotten even the basic common sense of protecting a support-type Soul Master!
Ye Zhiqiu was staring fixedly at Ning Rongrong, poised to act, when a casual voice suddenly reached his ears.
"Hey! You seem to have... forgotten about me?"
"Hm?" Ye Zhiqiu's movements stalled, a trace of confusion flashing through his eyes. He abruptly turned toward Lin Kong three meters away, his mind reeling!
That's right!
How had he forgotten this brat? Someone who could make a group of geniuses willingly follow him-as their leader, how could he possibly be mediocre?
"Dark Blue Silver Grass, appear!"
Lin Kong's voice rang through the night sky, cool as moonlight.
"Second Soul Skill, Growth!"
Rustle, rustle, rustle-
As Soul Power surged, countless strands of Dark Blue Silver Grass sprouted beneath Lin Kong's feet and spread wildly toward Ye Zhiqiu. In the blink of an eye, they completely surrounded him. Their blades rose steadily to over two meters, not only trapping Ye Zhiqiu within but also completely concealing the Shrek group and cutting off his line of sight.
Watching the figure enveloped by Dark Blue Silver Grass, Lin Kong's lips curved into a cold arc, his voice thick with mockery. "Regretting it now? Too late!"
As his words fell, he slowly took a step backward. The Dark Blue Silver Grass behind him surged forward and swallowed his figure.
Ye Zhiqiu was surrounded by airtight walls of inky grass. Cold, supple blades filled every direction. He could see nothing and sense no one's presence.
"First Soul Skill, Black Tortoise Body Protection!"
Ye Zhiqiu roared. His Black Tortoise shell expanded, and the patterns on its surface lit up with a faint blue-green glow, further strengthening his defense.
"Second Soul Skill, Black Water Ice Seal!"
Pitch-black frigid Qi spread from his body like flowing water. Wherever it passed, the air temperature plummeted, and even the surrounding ground developed a thin layer of white frost.
"Hmph! Brat, if you're going to play these tricks with me, I'll destroy your lousy grass!"
Ye Zhiqiu snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain. Destroying a plant Martial Soul to drain its Soul Master's Soul Power was the most conventional countermeasure. He refused to believe that a mere Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster had enough Soul Power to sustain such endless expenditure!
As long as he blasted the surrounding Dark Blue Silver Grass thin enough to expose those brats, he could immediately break free and take Ning Rongrong down in a single charge!
Whoever dared block him, he would destroy!
Crack! Crack!
The blades of Dark Blue Silver Grass closest to Ye Zhiqiu swiftly developed a layer of white frost. Their once supple, swaying forms stiffened, their movements growing slower and slower until they finally froze completely in place.
Bam!
Ye Zhiqiu swept an arm sideways, striking the frozen grass blades with formidable Soul Power. A series of sharp cracks rang out as countless blades were smashed directly into powder and drifted to the ground.
"Brat, your tactics are decent, but unfortunately, your Soul Power..."
Ye Zhiqiu stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence. He lowered his head in disbelief, staring at the powdered Dark Blue Silver Grass scattered on the ground. It was indeed dissipating, transforming into faint wisps of black Soul Power that slowly drifted toward the surrounding blades and were absorbed back into them in their entirety!
Ye Zhiqiu's pupils contracted sharply, and shock replaced the disdain on his face. "!!!"
Whoosh-
Just then, a piercing sound suddenly tore through the air. A white sphere of light condensed from Soul Power shot through the gaps between the Dark Blue Silver Grass blades. As though conscious, the blades moved aside of their own accord, offering no obstruction whatsoever. The next second, the light slammed into Ye Zhiqiu's chest.
Boom!
An explosion rang out, and billowing shock waves swallowed Ye Zhiqiu's upper body. Unfortunately, the Black Tortoise Martial Soul's defense was far too formidable. The strike dealt no substantial damage; he had not even moved his feet.
Yet towering waves of shock surged through Ye Zhiqiu's mind. The timing of that attack was far too precise! And...
He dared not be careless for even a moment. Sweeping his arm sideways again, he shattered every blade of Dark Blue Silver Grass in front of him. This time, he stared fixedly at the fragments, clearly watching the entire process of their dissipation and absorption.
This brat's Martial Soul... is far too strange! Deliberately destroying his Dark Blue Silver Grass actually consumes almost none of his Soul Power!
For the first time, a trace of panic rose in Ye Zhiqiu's heart.
Just then, a searing Phoenix Flame suddenly attacked from behind, carrying heat that scorched the soul. Unable to dodge in time, Ye Zhiqiu felt the flames lick across his back. Despite the frigid Qi permeating his surroundings, the blazing flames of the Evil Fire Phoenix showed no sign of going out. Instead, they burned stubbornly like maggots clinging to bone!
Panic flashed in Ye Zhiqiu's eyes. He hurriedly opened his mouth and spat out a dense cloud of water mist, striking the flames and finally extinguishing the troublesome fire completely.
Two attacks, one from the brat with the White Tiger Martial Soul, one from the brat with the Phoenix Martial Soul. Their positions have changed.
No, everyone's position has changed!
Ye Zhiqiu took a deep breath and looked left and right. Apart from Dark Blue Silver Grass, he could see nothing. What should I do?