Dai Mubai was confident and unruly.
His head was crowned with golden hair, and there was something sinister in his mismatched eyes. "I thought the fourth defender would at least be a Soul Elder. I didn't expect you to be just another two-ring Soul Grandmaster."
His words shocked everyone present.
"Dai Mubai is only level twenty-six himself, and yet he's looking down on Qing Keke for having only two rings!?"
"Does this guy think he can challenge someone a whole Soul Ring above him!?"
Someone shot Dai Mubai a contemptuous look and mocked him. "Plenty of people in the imperial city's intermediate arena have won three consecutive matches, but I've never seen anyone so brazen and arrogant!"
In the arena, the corner of Qing Keke's mouth twitched.
Had he actually been looked down on before the fight had even begun!?
And by a twelve-year-old brat three levels below him at that!?
"Perhaps you're trying to provoke me, but I have to admit, you've succeeded." Qing Keke shook his head and rolled his neck, seemingly warming up.
"Qing Keke, take Dai Mubai down!" someone shouted from the stands.
Another spectator went further, throwing out handfuls of money and shouting, "If this fight ends Dai Mubai's winning streak, I'll reward you with ten times the prize money!"
Yu Tianming glanced at the man and smiled at Xiao Yan. "I have to say, people in the imperial city really are generous. Ten times the fourth defender's prize money is an extremely high figure!"
"How much?" Xiao Yan asked.
Yu Tianming held up one finger and smiled faintly.
"One thousand Gold Soul Coins!?"
Yu Tianming shook his head and laughed. "Ten thousand!"
He pointed toward the center of the arena, where a battle was poised to begin. Swords might be drawn and crossbows cocked at any moment.
"This fight is worth ten thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
Qing Keke's eyes burned. Forcing down his excitement, he laughed. "Looks like I'll have to give this my full attention today. Dai Mubai, I haven't been this excited in a long time!"
Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins!
That was almost enough to buy a property on the outskirts of Heaven Dou Imperial City!
After all, the fourth defender was lucky to get a handful of fights a year.
Now he had a chance to earn ten times as much in a single fight!
"It's just ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Is it worth getting so damn excited!?" Dai Mubai smiled disdainfully, indifference filling his mismatched eyes.
He spread his hands.
Two Yellow Soul Rings slowly emerged in succession!
"Martial Soul, activate: White Tiger!"
With Martial Soul Possession, pale white light burst out wildly.
Dai Mubai seemed to transform into a humanoid tiger. His muscles swelled, his golden hair grew wildly, black and white intermingled, and a pattern resembling the character for "king" appeared on his forehead.
Eight-inch claws as sharp as daggers extended from his open hands, and his eyes turned a brilliant deep blue!
He laughed wildly. "Beat me, and I'll give you another ten thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
Qing Keke's expression changed, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Was this little brat mocking his desire for money!?
Damn him!
Two Yellow Soul Rings likewise appeared.
Two Hundred-Year Soul Rings, not much different from Dai Mubai's, emerged. Then Qing Keke's Martial Soul appeared as well.
"Martial Soul, activate: Scarlet Demon Vine!"
A vine resembling blood-red veins appeared, extending from his limbs with a terrifying air!
Qing Keke's eyes also turned crimson, threaded with blood.
"First Soul Skill: Bloodthirst!"
His First Soul Ring suddenly blazed. Qing Keke seized the initiative, launching his attack with the speed of a thunderclap, hoping to catch Dai Mubai off guard.
Scarlet vines shot into the air, five or six of them whistling toward him.
Dai Mubai moved nimbly, dodging them with ease.
"How could an attack at that level possibly hit me?" Dai Mubai sneered.
But in the next instant, his expression suddenly changed.
The pores all over his body opened in an instant, and within seconds, he had become a man drenched in blood!
Blood streamed all over him. Though there wasn't much of it, the sight was horrifying!
As though drawn by some force, the blood was pulled toward the Scarlet Demon Vine. It then traveled through it like water through a pipe, finally flowing into Qing Keke.
"You!" Dai Mubai gritted his teeth, dug his tiger claws into the ground, and sprang back to a relatively safe spot.
Qing Keke was actually sucking his blood!
I clearly dodged those vines, so why am I still affected by his first Soul Skill!? Dai Mubai wondered.
"Take a good look at my Scarlet Demon Vine! Some skills don't have to hit their target to unleash their power!" Qing Keke laughed hoarsely.
A brilliant light flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes as he focused, and his gaze suddenly locked onto the vines!
The outstretched scarlet vines were covered in countless tiny wooden thorns that were difficult to see!
Dai Mubai instantly understood. His body glowed, and he gave a violent shake!
Boom!
Thousands of tiny thorns were sent flying!
Dai Mubai's expression grew grave. The thorns had attached themselves to his skin without causing any pain or sensation, leaving him completely unaware.
Qing Keke was a formidable foe!
"Oh, you finally noticed!?"
"As expected of someone who made it to the fourth round." Qing Keke smiled, holding a ball of blood in his hands!
Dai Mubai's eyelids twitched. That was his blood, sucked up by the vines' thorns and drawn into this guy's hands!
"What delicious, masculine blood," Qing Keke said rapturously.
He gently sucked up the blood, leaving stains at the corners of his mouth. His expression was entranced and deranged, like that of a genuine madman.
His expression wild, he laughed. "With Beast Martial Soul Possession, bodily sensitivity, physical strength, and control over the body all rise several levels. Ordinary attacks that don't track their targets are naturally unlikely to hit Beast Martial Soul Masters like you!"
"Even ordinary people know something as stupidly obvious as that. How could I, the fourth defender, not know it!?"
"That's why it wasn't the vines that attacked you in the first place!"
"It was the thorns on the vines!" Qing Keke laughed.
As he sucked up the last drop of blood, Qing Keke's Soul Power seemed to grow stronger. His imposing presence rose considerably, and even his Martial Soul, the Scarlet Demon Vine, grew thicker, looking even more sinister.
"This guy is using Dai Mubai's blood as nourishment to replenish himself!" Yu Tianming frowned, looking at Qing Keke with some disgust.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly as well. "Given this guy's methods, he probably shouldn't show his face in public, should he!?"
The Scarlet Demon Vine sucked blood to nourish its wielder!
A Martial Soul like that was plainly tinged with evil, an innately evil thing, a Martial Soul despised and feared by the world!
Ordinary Martial Souls only needed cultivation, but evil Martial Souls like this could increase their power by absorbing other people's blood essence, life, and Soul Power!
Soul Masters of this kind generally became evil under the influence of their Martial Souls, making them targets for suppression and extermination by Spirit Hall.
Yet Qing Keke had become a defender in the intermediate arena!
Could there be something wrong with this intermediate arena!?
Just as the two were letting their imaginations run wild,
a rough-featured man in a black robe walked down the aisle and stood to the right of Xiao Yan and Yu Tianming.
(The next chapter will be out within an hour.)
(End of chapter)