Tang Wulin didn't waste the two seconds Charm held the female Evil Soul Master in its grip.
His Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track footwork left a string of afterimages in the aisle.
He seemed to glide along the floor, closing in on the female Evil Soul Master's side in an instant.
He reached out with his left hand, and the suction of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon pulled the little girl out from beneath her nails and sent her behind him.
At the same time, Tang Wulin's First Soul Ring lit up.
First Soul Skill, Waist Bow.
This was the most basic skill in the Soft Bone Rabbit's Soul Skill system.
But it was an entirely different story when Tang Wulin used it.
Power surged from his waist and hips, his spine snapped straight, and his shoulders, back, waist and hips twisted together like strands of a rope. His whole body became a fully drawn bow, and, carried by the momentum of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, he slammed squarely into the female Evil Soul Master's midsection.
"Bang-!"
The female Evil Soul Master had just broken free of Charm and hadn't had time to react when the blow sent her flying backward.
Her back smashed into the inner ceiling of the Soul Guidance Train, punching a gaping hole straight through the alloy plating.
Sparks and debris flew everywhere. Half the female Evil Soul Master's body was lodged in the ceiling, her bat wings sticking out and her legs still dangling in the carriage.
Cries of alarm rang out among the passengers.
Wind poured through the hole in the ceiling, sending newspapers and plastic bottles flying through the aisle.
Tang Wulin paid no attention to the ceiling. He turned and scooped up the little girl, pushed off with his feet and retreated several steps, putting her behind him.
He glanced down at her. Both her hands were clutching the hem of his clothes, her face was deathly pale, and even her lips were trembling.
"Are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine."
She swallowed, her voice as thin as a mosquito's whine, but her eyes were astonishingly bright as she stared unblinkingly at Tang Wulin's profile.
"Be careful. I don't want you getting hurt."
Tang Wulin nudged her farther back, then turned to face the ceiling.
The female Evil Soul Master pulled herself free of the hole.
She landed in the aisle, her knees buckling as she nearly lost her footing. A trickle of black blood ran from the corner of her mouth, a section of her chest was visibly caved in, and her dark red bat wings drooped, their membranes riddled with holes.
But she wasn't dead. The physique of a three-ring Soul Elder had let her withstand the blow.
She raised her head, her dark red pupils fixed on Tang Wulin as she ground her teeth.
"The Tang Sect... another one from the Tang Sect! You're so damn annoying! Every last one of you sticks around like a lingering ghost. You all deserve to die!"
Tang Wulin froze for a moment.
The Tang Sect?
When had he become one of them?
But on second thought, Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon and Mysterious Jade Hand were all Tang Sect Secret Arts. Even Mysterious Heaven Skill had come from the Tang Sect.
The female Evil Soul Master most likely had a grudge against the Tang Sect and had decided he was a Tang Sect disciple after seeing those techniques.
"If you don't have a senior protecting you today, you're dead!"
The female Evil Soul Master shrieked, beat her wings fiercely and charged at him in a dark red afterimage.
Tang Wulin went to meet her.
The aisle was narrow, and the two of them fought almost brushing against the seatbacks on either side.
The female Evil Soul Master really was fast. The Blood Bat Martial Soul was an agility-attack type to begin with, and with the added help of her wings,
her movements were unpredictable. One moment she skimmed the floor, the next she shot up to the ceiling, her dark red afterimage darting left and right through the carriage.
But Tang Wulin wasn't slow either.
With the Soft Bone Rabbit possessing him, his agility was maxed out. His Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track footwork let him weave freely through the tight space, and the two of them were like cats locked in a fight in the aisle, trading blows as the dull thuds of fists and feet ran together.
Besides, inside the cramped Soul Guidance Train, the advantage of speed wasn't so great.
The female Evil Soul Master's claws swept in from the side. Tang Wulin turned to dodge, and they grazed his shoulder, tearing a gash in his coat but leaving his flesh unhurt.
He followed through with an elbow strike. The female Evil Soul Master beat her wings to dodge, but Tang Wulin's second step had already carried him into her path.
Her wings were only halfway open when Tang Wulin's fist arrived.
"Bang!"
His fist struck the hollow of the female Evil Soul Master's shoulder, unleashing the full strength of a body tempered by the Golden Dragon King Bloodline.
The female Evil Soul Master was sent flying sideways into a window, scattering broken glass across the floor.
She had barely crawled out of the broken glass when Tang Wulin was already in front of her again. He kicked her in the waist, sending her crashing through the opposite seatback. She and the seat tumbled over twice.
"You!"
The female Evil Soul Master struggled to get up, her head still swimming and her vision full of double images.
Her three-ring Soul Power was greater than Tang Wulin's, but his fists hit too hard. Every blow was like a swing from a battering ram, leaving her internal organs churning.
"Damn it!"
"Why are you so strong?!"
Tang Wulin gave her no chance to catch her breath.
He rushed up and punched her again, striking the caved-in spot on her chest. The female Evil Soul Master spat out a great mouthful of black blood.
"You're courting death!"
The female Evil Soul Master let out a shriek, and dark red Soul Power burst from her body.
Her Second Soul Ring and Third Soul Ring lit up at the same time, activating both Soul Skills together.
Dark red light gathered around her into a thin layer of armor, while her speed and strength visibly surged.
Blood Bat's Second Soul Skill, Blood Armor.
Third Soul Skill, Frenzied Blood.
With the two enhancement Soul Skills stacked together, the female Evil Soul Master's presence surged in an instant.
Her wings stretched taut again, the holes in their membranes mended by dark red Soul Power, and the red light in her pupils burned fiercely.
"Die!"
She charged again, nearly twice as fast as before.
Although Tang Wulin's Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul had maxed out his agility, in such a narrow space, his opponent's greatly increased speed and the attack power enhanced by Blood Armor suddenly left him struggling to fend her off.
The female Evil Soul Master's claws grazed his ribs. The force of her claw strike, reinforced by Blood Armor, tore straight through his inner garment and left three shallow bloody scratches on his skin.
Tang Wulin frowned.
If Xiao Wu had been here instead, this female Evil Soul Master would definitely have died here today. One Eight-Stage Throw would have left her battered beyond recognition.
But unfortunately, he didn't know it. When it came to cultivating the Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul, he was far, far behind Xiao Wu.
In that case,
he would switch to one he was more proficient with!
He gritted his teeth and switched Martial Souls.
The phantom of the Soft Bone Rabbit withdrew, and the Clear Sky Hammer emerged from his palm.
The instant the pitch-black heavy hammer appeared in Tang Wulin's hand, the atmosphere in the entire carriage changed.
A heavy presence, as weighty as a mountain, radiated from him. The floor beneath his feet creaked softly, and even the air seemed to grow a little more still.
The female Evil Soul Master's pupils contracted sharply.
"Twin Martial Souls?!"
"You actually have two Martial Souls!"
She stared at the Clear Sky Hammer in Tang Wulin's hand, the shock on her face rapidly turning vicious.
"Good, very good. An eight-year-old with Twin Martial Souls. If I kill you, the Tang Sect will definitely be hurting!"
She let out a shrill laugh, beat her wings and charged again.
"You must die here today!"