King against king, general against general
"What are you waiting for! Get moving!" Shi Kusou gave a sinister laugh, poisonous mist churning around him as he charged first. The six high-ranking bandits behind him and dozens of mountain bandits advanced in unison, lunging madly toward the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's defensive line.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's defensive line swiftly finished drawing inward. Glazed golden light surged in Ning Cheng's palm as he stared intently at the powerful enemies bearing down on them. Beside him, Song Yuan had already tensed, ready to charge first into Shi Kusou's poisonous onslaught. The other Soul Elder guard and all the Soul Grandmaster guards also braced themselves, driving their Soul Power to its limit and preparing for a desperate fight to the death.
At that very moment, a dazzling bolt of golden lightning suddenly streaked diagonally in from the side, hurtling straight toward the Soul Ancestor with the Nether Poison Spider Martial Soul.
The poison spider Soul Ancestor's reaction was by no means slow. The instant the golden light approached, he turned sideways and lowered his shoulder into a defensive stance, a layer of dark green Soul Power condensing into a thin barrier before him.
Yet even so, after a ring of visible golden electrical ripples burst apart, the tremendous impact still knocked him off his charging course. He flew several paces diagonally to the right, slammed heavily into the ground, and rolled twice before steadying himself.
Dust rose into a thin haze in the aftermath of the Soul Power collision, only to be scattered by the air currents that followed. The sizzling crackle of lightning was piercing, and golden electrical light swept across the battlefield. Amid the lingering surge of lightning, a little golden-yellow creature the size of an adult's arm landed steadily atop an exposed rock, its tail raised high.
"Where did that Soul Beast come from?" Ning Cheng's eyes abruptly lit up. His heart, which had sunk to rock bottom, lifted again in that instant.
The tide of fortune had truly turned!
Song Yuan naturally saw it too. The pressure of facing Soul King Shi Kusou had already left her no room to spare a thought for anything else. If that Soul Ancestor broke into the rear of their formation as well, their battle line would inevitably collapse. But now, with this Soul Beast holding the enemy Soul Ancestor back, they might still stand a chance.
She immediately made her decision. She had to seize this opportunity to end the fight swiftly and put him out of action outright!
"First Soul Skill: Frenzied Ape Impact!"
The first yellow Soul Ring beneath her feet suddenly blazed. The layer of pale red flame-ape fur on Song Yuan's right arm abruptly grew solid and dense, and the muscles along her entire arm swelled under the influx of Soul Power. Dark red flames surged along the contours of her fist.
Pushing off the ground, she leaped up, her body compressing into a crimson ball in midair. Wreathed in flames, she came crashing down toward the poison spider Soul Ancestor, who had only just rolled up from the ground and regained his footing.
As long as this blow landed squarely, even if it failed to kill him, it would rob that Soul Ancestor of most of his fighting strength. Then the pressure on their front line would ease by at least thirty percent.
"Damn!" The poison spider Soul Ancestor's pupils contracted. He had never expected Song Yuan to dare take the initiative. Caught off guard, he could not even mount an effective counterattack. He could only instinctively raise his arms and cross them before his face, hastily gathering his Soul Power into them.
"How bold." Shi Kusou's gaze turned sinister. He saw through Song Yuan's intention instantly. How could he let her succeed?
Just as Song Yuan's fist was about to descend upon the poison spider Soul Ancestor's head, the dark green scorpion tail behind Shi Kusou lashed out. Its stinger traced a dim arc over an extremely short distance, slicing through the air toward the exposed side of Song Yuan's waist and abdomen as she leaped.
"Damn you, old bastard!" Song Yuan cursed under her breath. Left with no choice, she forcibly twisted in midair, diverting her punch. Her flaming right fist smashed into the rocky ground beside her, shattering the rock into pieces and sending fragments and sparks flying.
Using the recoil from that blow, she flipped backward twice to open up some distance. She landed in a half crouch, steadying her center of gravity. A faint mark remained on the fabric at the right side of her waist and abdomen, grazed by the wind of the passing tail.
Shi Kusou slowly withdrew his scorpion tail behind him. The dark green venom at the tip of its stinger gleamed dully as he cackled. "Little girl, where do you think you're going? This old man is your opponent."
"As if I'm afraid of you!" Song Yuan roared. Her third Soul Ring lit up instantly, and the flames around her erupted. Her entire body became a blazing streak of crimson fire, charging straight at Shi Kusou's face with the force to sweep away rotten wood. With flames and strength layered together, its explosive power was terrifying. She intended to force her way into close quarters and suppress this veteran Soul King.
"Third Soul Skill: Heaven-Burning Collision!"
Shi Kusou's expression was cold and sinister. He neither dodged nor retreated. His second Soul Ring flashed yellow, and a sky-filling poisonous mist spread out instantly.
A vast cloud of gray, bone-corroding poisonous mist suddenly enveloped him, its corrosive power spreading in every direction as it collided thunderously with the oncoming flames.
Raging fire countered insidious poison. The scorching flames instantly burned away great swathes of poisonous mist, but the remaining poisonous fumes still penetrated the waves of fire and clung to Song Yuan's protective flames, slowly corroding and burning her Soul Power barrier.
Taking advantage of the brief obstruction provided by the poisonous mist, Shi Kusou's first Soul Ring flashed white. Several condensed, pitch-black scorpion spines suddenly sprang from his right hand, shooting toward vital points all over Song Yuan's body.
Fortunately, Shi Kusou's fearsome reputation was widespread, and many of his Soul Skills had long been known to outsiders. Song Yuan was therefore already prepared. Her second Soul Ring lit up instantly, and layers of protective flames spread out, a resilient flame barrier shielding her entire body. The scorpion spines struck the wall of fire and were instantly melted through by the heat, yet faint traces of poisonous force still seeped inside, causing the Soul Power throughout her body to falter slightly.
In those mere three breaths of delay, Shi Kusou's fourth Soul Ring suddenly lit up. Enhanced Tail Stinger bolstered his third Soul Skill, Scorpion Tail Pierce, and the light of the scorpion tail behind him intensified severalfold. Its speed, strength, and toxicity all increased as it pierced through the air again from a vicious, treacherous angle, driving straight toward her heart with potent poison that rotted sinew and bone!
Song Yuan's gaze sharpened. She countered with her fourth Soul Skill as well, and Lie Yan Raging Roar erupted!
An enormous shock wave of flame spread out in a fan, meeting the enhanced scorpion tail head-on. The thunderous collision shook the ground.
For a time, poisonous mist swirled across the sky, scorpion spines fell like rain, and flames towered high.
Relying on Ning Cheng's threefold enhancement and fire's elemental advantage over poison, Song Yuan barely managed to hold her own against Soul King Shi Kusou. Yet she remained unable to break through the encirclement and attacks of his duplicates, forced to maneuver passively at tremendous cost. Every collision drew upon the Soul Power throughout her body; the slightest carelessness would leave her dead within the poisonous mist.
Meanwhile, the battle between Pikachu and the poison spider Soul Ancestor was no easy affair either.
Even with three skills bolstering it, Pikachu was, after all, not a combat-type Soul Beast. Facing a level-forty Soul Ancestor, it inevitably paled in comparison.
Especially since this Soul Ancestor was a control-type veteran of countless battles. His practical combat experience and ability to adapt were far beyond what an ordinary Soul Beast could easily suppress.
Whenever Pikachu's electrical arcs forced him back or disrupted the rhythm of his attacks, he quickly readjusted his position. He kept the Soul Power throughout his body taut and ready to unleash at any moment, giving Pikachu no opportunity to maintain its pressure on him.