Under the combined assault of dozens of enemies, Qian Chen soon suffered wounds all over his body, bright red blood streaming from them. It's over. Am I going to die here today? he thought anxiously.
"Bibi Dong, get out here and help! I'm dying! If you don't act now, you won't have anywhere to go once I die either. You and Qian Renxue can just wait for your souls to scatter!" Qian Chen shouted into his Sea of Consciousness.
But there was no response from Bibi Dong at all. Qian Chen hurriedly checked his Sea of Consciousness and discovered that Bibi Dong had actually fallen asleep. Two small spheres, one gold and one purple, floated within his Sea of Consciousness. He had no idea whether Bibi Dong had truly exhausted herself or whether his words had really hurt her, leading her to choose slumber.
In reality, Qian Chen was still fighting dozens of Evil Soul Masters to the death. Just then, Ye Qingshan finally reached the entrance of the limestone cavern. He pulled aside the rubble blocking the entrance and saw someone not far away locked in mortal combat with the Evil Soul Masters pursuing his family. That person actually had a Holy Angel Martial Soul too, and had even attained four wings, which meant he was at least a Soul Saint.
But this four-winged angel Soul Master was currently surrounded. Ye Qingshan hesitated no longer. He circulated his Soul King-level Soul Power, spread his wings, and joined the battle.
Ye Qingshan reached the battlefield within a few breaths. The ordinary Evil Soul Masters were being suppressed by Qian Chen's holy light, their strength reduced by at least half. Ye Qingshan unleashed an offensive Soul Skill. With a scream of "Ah!" a Soul King Evil Soul Master was killed by his surprise attack, falling to the ground and breathing his last.
Seeing someone charge in, the Evil Soul Masters immediately repositioned themselves, adopting an entirely new formation to deal with the sudden change.
As the Evil Soul Masters changed formation, Ye Qingshan accelerated and reached Qian Chen. Ye Qingshan saw that Qian Chen was badly injured, while Qian Chen saw Ye Qingshan's sunken eyes and how starvation had reduced him to skin and bones.
Qian Chen sensed Ye Qingshan's Soul Power fluctuations. He was actually only a Soul King. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "You have a Holy Angel Martial Soul too, so why are you only a Soul King? That shouldn't be right!"
Ye Qingshan said aggrievedly, "Brother, I don't want this either. Evil Soul Masters hold too much power now. Once a Soul Master with a Holy Angel Martial Soul is exposed, the Evil Soul Masters are sure to surround and exterminate them. It's not that I don't want to cultivate. I don't dare to!"
Qian Chen said, "All right. If we survive this, come with me. I'll take you somewhere even someone with an Angel Martial Soul can cultivate."
"All right. My daughter and I will go together."
"It's a deal. These Evil Soul Master bastards are suppressed by my holy light. Go hold them off. That Soul Douluo wielding the Clear Sky Hammer isn't affected by the holy light, and he's still powerful. Leave him to me. Whichever of us takes down our opponent first will secure victory for our side. Otherwise, they win," Qian Chen instructed.
Ye Qingshan nodded and said seriously, "All right. I understand."
With that, Ye Qingshan charged toward the suppressed Evil Soul Masters. On the Holy Spirit Cult's side, Bishop Tang's plan was much the same as Qian Chen's: he would face Qian Chen himself, while the others surrounded the angel Soul King.
"Inheritor of the Seven Kill Sword, I never imagined we would have another chance to fight one-on-one. Show me your full strength!" Bishop Tang barked.
Qian Chen replied, "All right. See for yourself." Then the Seven Kill Sword's Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet one after another: purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, red. All eight Soul Rings lit up in succession.
"Quite lucky, aren't you? You actually have a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring," Bishop Tang said with an acknowledging nod.
Qian Chen also lowered his head to glance at his red Soul Ring and could not help thinking of Zhang Lexuan. Although he had saved the people from Shrek Academy, he had indeed taken her Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring through a mixture of coaxing and deception. Remembering how Zhang Lexuan had caught up with him at the end and urged him to return safely, ripples could not help stirring in Qian Chen's heart. He had to go back and find another Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring for that kind woman who had always helped him. He had to return alive.
Watching Qian Chen's fighting spirit continue to rise, Bishop Tang said, "Your Soul Rings are impressive, but do you think mine would fall so far behind yours? Boy, watch closely. This is the foundation of our Holy Cult."
After Bishop Tang finished speaking, the Soul Rings beneath his feet lit up one by one: black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black. Eight pitch-black Soul Rings appeared at once, their presence no weaker than Qian Chen's.
Qian Chen delayed no longer. The first and second Soul Rings beneath his feet flashed in succession. First Soul Skill, Strength Amplification; second Soul Skill, Swift as the Wind. He unleashed both Soul Skills in succession, greatly boosting both his strength and speed.
"Nothing more than a boost to strength and speed," Bishop Tang said disdainfully.
"Fourth Soul Skill, Sword Shadow Clone!" Before Bishop Tang's astonished gaze, Qian Chen split into four and charged at him from four directions.
"Clear Sky Body Protection!" Bishop Tang's Clear Sky Hammer spun rapidly around him, blocking all the attacks from the four clones.
"My turn to attack. Have a taste of this-Clear Sky Nine Techniques!" With that roar, Bishop Tang swung his Clear Sky Hammer at Qian Chen.
While Qian Chen and Bishop Tang fought in a fierce deadlock, the battle between Ye Qingshan and the other Evil Soul Masters became entirely one-sided. Ye Qingshan's skills had been lacking to begin with, and after being trapped in Strange Stone Valley for nearly half a month, he had long since been starved beyond recognition. Before long, the Evil Soul Masters knocked him out of the sky and onto the ground, then pinned him down so thoroughly that he could not get up, leaving him utterly bedraggled.
Ye Qingshan saw that Qian Chen and the Evil Soul Masters' leader were trading blows, each gaining and losing ground, with no way to help him at all. It was only a matter of time before he was killed. Once he died, all the Evil Soul Masters would surely surround Qian Chen. Once Qian Chen died, sooner or later, the Evil Soul Masters would find and kill Ye Guyi.
Ye Qingshan shouted, "Fourth Soul Skill, Angel's Roar!" This was the Angel Martial Soul's mental control attack, and the minds of the Evil Soul Masters surrounding Ye Qingshan immediately stalled.
Ye Qingshan knew that if he did not sacrifice himself, his side would undoubtedly lose. Taking advantage of the brief moment when the Evil Soul Masters were under control, Ye Qingshan shouted to Qian Chen, "Brother, if you win, I'm entrusting my daughter to you!"
Hearing the shout, Qian Chen looked back and saw that Ye Qingshan had already mobilized all the Soul Power, holy-attribute power, life force, and soul force within his body. At that moment, he had brought almost all his power to bear.
The next moment, space erupted with a thunderous blast as though collapsing. In the end, Ye Qingshan chose the most complete self-detonation, leaving not even his soul behind. Holy-attribute power pierced the Evil Soul Masters' defenses like sharp blades and entered their bodies. When their evil power met the holy attribute, it melted rapidly like lingering snow meeting boiling water. Moments later, the Evil Soul Masters surrounding Ye Qingshan dissolved into puddles of thick, black liquid.
Bishop Tang's eyes instantly reddened. He had brought his men here to exterminate the Ye Clan, never expecting that by the end of the battle, he would be the only one left, a commander without an army.
"Ah! You, you-all of you must die today! Not one of you will escape!" Bishop Tang snarled again.
Seeing that another wielder of an Angel Martial Soul whom he had come to save had died, Qian Chen's eyes reddened too. Their Angel Clan already had pitifully few members left. He immediately shouted back at Bishop Tang, "Come on, you evil scum!"
"Heh, very good. Watch closely and see how we defeated your Angel Clan ten thousand years ago. Today, we'll let you see it again. Ring Detonation!" As Bishop Tang finished shouting, the nine black Soul Rings around him shattered with a thunderous crash. His strength instantly surpassed that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.
"How is that possible? Isn't Ring Detonation a secret technique passed down orally only through the Clear Sky Sect's line of sect masters?" Qian Chen asked in astonishment.