The other person stood in the shade of the old locust tree, thin, with his arms crossed, coldly scrutinizing Xiao Yan.
His stance appears casual, but in reality, his feet are positioned one in front of the other, with his center of gravity slightly lowered, ready to sprint or retreat at any moment.
This is the signature stance of Agility Attack System Soul Master.
One Soul Emperor, two Soul King.
The three were arranged in a triangular formation, with the Soul Emperor sitting in the center and the two Soul King guarding either side, one openly and one covertly.
This formation may seem loose, but it is actually well-balanced in both offense and defense. No matter which direction an intruder attacks from, they will be attacked from both sides simultaneously by at least two people.
This shows that the guards of the Dark Hall are well-trained and not the kind of scattered soldiers who have high ranks but no coordination.
"You've got the right person."
Xiao Yan shook his head slightly, his tone firm and calm. He withdrew his gaze from surveying the courtyard, looked back at the middle-aged man in front of him, and spoke directly.
I came here to find Zhu Zhuqing.
As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, the expressions of the three people changed drastically.
The impatience on the middle-aged man's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sharp glint.
His pupils contracted slightly, and his right hand quietly clenched into a fist at his side.
The Soul Emperor, who was sitting by the stone table, suddenly opened his eyes. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, which had been slightly closed. In an instant, his aura changed from calm and composed to sharp and aggressive.
The Agility Attack System Soul King, standing in the shade of the locust tree, silently moved half a step to the left, a position that perfectly blocked Xiao Yan's retreat.
The atmosphere in the entire courtyard suddenly froze at that moment.
The air seemed to grow heavier, and even the crickets that had been chirping on the wall fell silent.
The moonlight spilled into the courtyard, casting long shadows of the three people onto the bluestone pavement, like three sharp arrows locked onto their prey.
Immediately, as if by unspoken agreement, the Soul Ring on the bodies of the three people flashed simultaneously, like three fireworks suddenly igniting, strikingly conspicuous in the night of this secluded courtyard.
The middle-aged man's Soul Ring lit up first—yellowish-purple-purple-purple, five Soul Ring, a standard Soul King configuration.
The Agility Attack System Soul King, standing in the shadows, followed closely behind, also possessing five Soul Ring: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and purple.
The Soul Emperor, who was sitting by the stone table, slowly stood up. His movements were slow, but every step he took carried an undeniable sense of pressure.
Yellow, purple, and black—six Soul Ring lit up on his body, with the sixth black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring being the most eye-catching.
The three of them didn't exchange a word or make eye contact, yet they attacked Xiao Yan's location almost simultaneously.
They didn't even shout out a password or code when they made their move.
This is precisely the highest level of tacit understanding; it requires no words, only judgment.
The intruder knew the symbols of the Dark Hall, knew Zhu Zhuqing's name, and knew of the Dark Hall's existence; none of this could be a coincidence.
He is a member of the Spirit Hall, or at least someone connected to the Spirit Hall.
Neither of these circumstances can allow him to leave alive.
Fourth Soul Skill: Crimson Feather Waves!
The Agility Attack System Soul King was the first to launch an attack.
His Martial Soul is the Crimson Feather Bird, a fire-attribute flying Soul Beast known for its speed and area-of-effect attacks.
The purple Fourth Soul Ring lit up on his body, and a pair of crimson wings suddenly appeared behind him, flapping violently.
Dozens of palm-sized crimson fire feathers detached from his wings and rained down on Xiao Yan's position like a torrential downpour.
Each of those fire feathers carried a scorching heat, leaving a trail of dark red flame as they streaked through the air.
From a distance, it looks like a mini meteor shower.
The fire feathers covered an extremely wide area, almost completely blocking all of Xiao Yan's possible escape routes.
Fourth Soul Skill: Hundred Snake Entanglement!
The Soul King who opened the door was not to be outdone.
His Martial Soul is the Golden-Scaled White Snake, a snake-type Soul Beast known for its control abilities.
His Fourth Soul Ring also lit up, and a phantom image of a giant white snake with golden scales appeared around him.
The white snake phantom was about the thickness of an arm and nearly ten feet long. Under his control with his Soul Power, it opened its mouth and Entanglement around Xiao Yan's legs and waist.
The snake's shadow moved with incredible speed, slithering along the ground and leaving a thin layer of frost wherever it passed.
Fifth Soul Skill, Blazing Earth Roar!
The Soul Emperor, who was in the center, made his move last, and it was the most terrifying of the three.
His Martial Soul is the Vajra Ape, a Power Attack System Soul Beast known for its strength and defense.
A black Fifth Soul Ring lit up on his body, and his entire figure suddenly swelled up in that instant.
His muscles bulged, his robes fluttered wildly, and his height increased from six feet to nearly eight feet.
His arms became as thick as tree trunks, and his fists were covered with a layer of dark golden metallic luster, which was the signature feature of the Vajra Ape Martial Soul Possession.
He slammed his fists into the ground, and a shockwave, yellowish-brown in color, spread outwards from his fists, shattering the bluestone slabs on the ground.
The rubble was sent flying into the air. The shockwave, carrying rubble and dirt, rolled towards Xiao Yan like a small mudslide.
Two Thousand-Year Soul Skill, one Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Skill, and three Soul Ring— two purple and one black—shimmered with dazzling light in the courtyard.
Crimson Huo Yu sealed off the sky, white snakes Entanglement and sealed off the ground, while the Blazing Earth Roar crushed down from the front.
The three attacks covered the upper, middle, and lower areas, sealing off any space for dodging in all directions, and were perfectly coordinated.
Such a combined attack would crush even a small team, let alone an individual, in an instant.
Xiao Yan stood still, without taking a single step back.
He watched as three attacks approached from different directions, but Xiao Yan showed no fear; instead, a smile appeared on his lips.
"One Agility Attack System Soul King, one Control System Soul King, and one Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor!"
Xiao Yan's gaze swept over the three of them one by one, instantly analyzing their Martial Soul types, attack methods, and positioning.
The Agility Attack System were responsible for ranged suppression and area coverage, the Control System were responsible for limiting the opponent's movement range, and the Power Attack System were responsible for overwhelming the opponent head-on. The three of them maximized their respective advantages.
Such a combination would be enough to give opponents of the same level a real headache in any battle.
He watched as the three attackers drew ever closer.
Xiao Yan did not sit idly by and wait for his death.
"Laugh!"
Cold, white flames roared out from Xiao Yan's hand.
The Bone Spirit Cold Flame in his palm was like a blooming snow lotus, its pure white flames surging with a chilling aura that instantly froze the surrounding air into countless tiny ice crystals.
The ice crystals shimmered with a cold, silvery light under the moonlight, slowly swirling around his palm, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.
" Cold Fire - Netherworld Lock!"
As Xiao Yan finished speaking, three semi-transparent chains roared out from the flames in his palm.
The chains had a translucent texture that was somewhere between ice crystals and glass. The chains were about the thickness of a thumb and had cold white flame patterns flowing across their surface.
Each chain seemed to be formed from the power of extreme cold, radiating a chill capable of freezing the soul.
One end of the chain was connected to Xiao Yan's palm, while the other end snaked and twisted in the air, flying towards the three Soul Master respectively.
The Netherworld Lock was incredibly fast, leaving only three semi-transparent afterimages in the air before it reached the three of them in an instant.
" Soul Emperor!"
The three attackers looked at the six Soul Ring that had appeared on Xiao Yan's body, and a solemn expression appeared on their faces.
Yellowish-purple and blackish-black.
The six Soul Ring pulsed rhythmically on Xiao Yan's body, with the last three Soul Ring jet black, their edges faintly glowing with a layer of silver light.
The three of them paled in shock.
In the Soul Master World, the color of a Soul Ring Soul Ring represents its age and quality.
Generally speaking, Soul Master can only absorb Hundred-Year Soul Ring for the first two rings, one thousand-year Soul Rings for the third and fourth rings, and one ten-thousand-year Soul Rings for the fifth and sixth rings.
Because the energy contained in Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring is extremely violent, if Soul Master whose physical strength is insufficient tries to absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, at best their meridians will be severed, and at worst their body will explode and they will die.
The ability to absorb Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring to its limit not only signifies the strength of Soul Master's physique, but also the power of their Soul Master's Martial Soul.
Only Martial Soul of high enough quality can withstand the impact of Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring when it reaches its Fourth Soul Ring.
Xiao Yan's Fourth Soul Ring is black, which means that Xiao Yan's Soul Skill and Martial Soul are far more powerful than theirs.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Three semi-transparent chains Entanglement around the three Soul Master.
The two Soul King dared not be negligent in the face of Xiao Yan's attack.
The Soul King of the Control System manipulated the Golden-Scaled White Snake's shadow to leap up from the ground, and dozens of white snake shadows rushed towards the Netherworld Lock, attempting to Entanglement the chains.
However, the extreme cold power of the Netherworld Lock froze the snake shadow the moment it came into contact with it.
The white snake phantoms formed from Soul Power were enveloped in cold white flames, and a layer of ice half an inch thick quickly condensed on their surface.
The snake's body was frozen stiff as iron, paused in mid-air for a moment, and then shattered into pieces, turning into a pile of ice shards.
The chains passed through his serpentine shadow, their momentum undiminished, and Entanglement towards his waist and abdomen.
Meanwhile, another Agility Attack System Soul King unleashed Crimson Feather Waves.
Dozens of fiery feathers fell from mid-air toward Xiao Yan's position. As Xiao Yan released the Netherworld Lock, he lightly touched the ground with his toes.
His movements appeared casual, but in reality, every step he took was taken at the sparsest angles of the fire feathers' coverage, and he moved around the courtyard in a few light leaps.
The crimson fire feathers grazed past the hem of his clothes and stuck to the courtyard wall behind him, but not a single one managed to touch Xiao Yan's clothes.
The opponent's attack did not cause him any harm whatsoever.
Meanwhile, the Netherworld Lock that was aimed at the Power Attack System Soul Emperor collided head-on with the Vajra Ape Soul Emperor's fist in mid-air.
The Soul Emperor's fists were covered with a dark golden metallic luster, and the Soul Power on his fists was as solid as a substance. He punched the Netherworld Lock, and the wind from his punch shook the ground around him, creating several cracks.