"I didn't expect you to actually dare come back, either," Qian Xunji said coldly.
"Hehehe, a six-year-old brat dares to boast so shamelessly. Why wouldn't I dare? Now I'll show you how I'll torture you before ripping out your soul!"
The Soul Ferryman roared, reaching his large hand, covered in pitch-black talons, straight toward Qian Xunji.
White light suddenly flashed, and a piercing scream rang out. Black, foul-smelling blood spattered the ground.
"You're the fallen wretch who belongs in hell."
The Seven Kill Sword had already appeared, held firmly in Qian Xunji's hand as he slashed toward the incoming palm. The Seven Kill Sword was incomparably sharp, but Qian Xunji currently had only rank-twenty Soul Power, nowhere near enough to kill the Soul Ferryman, a Soul Ancestor, with a single strike. He merely carved a hideous wound into his right arm.
The Soul Ferryman retreated several steps, his heart filled with shock, then shouted furiously, "Brat, you've really pissed me off! I've decided not to rush into extracting your soul today. I'll capture you alive and torture you day and night! Even when your body dies and your path ends, I won't spare your soul. I'll make you regret ever coming into this world!"
As his words fell, the entire village seemed to be instantly shrouded in boundless darkness. The phantom of an enormous jade-green bat appeared behind the Soul Ferryman.
He shouted fiercely, "Soul-Devouring Bat King, possess!"
In an instant, a hideous monster, half-human and half-bat, stood before Qian Xunji.
Qian Xunji stepped back and instantly summoned his Holy Angel Martial Soul. Dazzling, sacred radiance spread in all directions, instantly dispelling the endless darkness brought by the Soul-Devouring Bat King. Holy light spilled over the Soul Ferryman, and the evil Soul Power within him melted rapidly like lingering snow meeting boiling water.
"My power is being suppressed!"
The Soul Ferryman's expression changed drastically, shock filling his heart as his fighting strength instantly dropped by more than half. When he clearly saw that sacred Martial Soul phantom, he couldn't help stammering in alarm, "An angel... the Holy Angel Martial Soul!"
Tremendous fear surged into his heart. The Soul Ferryman held nothing back any longer, intent only on killing Qian Xunji.
The third Soul Ring beneath his feet instantly lit up. "Third Soul Skill, Soul's Mournful Cry!"
This was an extremely powerful soul-control skill. Anyone struck by it would have their soul leave their body and fall into a prolonged state of dizziness and paralysis.
Immediately afterward, the fourth Soul Ring blazed with light as he unleashed his strongest killing move. "Fourth Soul Skill, Body and Soul Shattered!"
This move could grievously injure both body and soul. With this combination, he had once personally slain a Soul King from the Shrek Inspection Corps. The two Soul Skills erupted together, carrying evil power at its utmost as they blasted straight toward Qian Xunji.
"Die, you brat with the Holy Angel Martial Soul!"
The scene he anticipated never appeared. Just as the attack came within half a meter of Qian Xunji, he deftly twisted aside, precisely avoiding the lethal blow. Never in his dreams had the Soul Ferryman imagined that Qian Xunji's powerful spiritual power would outright ignore his third Soul Skill.
At the same time, the Seven Kill Sword thrust straight forward, plunging viciously into the Soul Ferryman's chest!
Squelch!
The sword's tip pierced straight through his body and emerged from his back. Qian Xunji sharply twisted his wrist, worsening the wound before swiftly pulling the sword free.
Black, foul-smelling blood gushed out. Under the all-encompassing suppression of Angel Holy Light, the Soul Ferryman's Soul Power, defense, and strength had all plummeted. He couldn't withstand this sword strike at all.
"Ah! Impossible! How could this happen? You bastard, I'll kill you!"
The Soul Ferryman let out a piercing howl. The fatal wound caused his strength to rapidly dissipate, and his body went limp as he collapsed heavily to the ground.
Meticulous in his thinking, Qian Xunji knew full well that an Evil Soul Master would strike back before dying. After landing his blow, he immediately retreated several steps and stood ready.
On the ground, the Soul Ferryman glared with eyes nearly splitting at the corners and roared himself hoarse, "Brat, you're coming to the grave with me!"
He raised his hand and took a metal sphere flashing with red light from his Storage Soul Tool. With his last ounce of strength, he hurled it viciously at Qian Xunji.
The instant the metal sphere left his hand, the Soul Ferryman breathed his last, yet a savage, sinister grin remained at the corner of his mouth. His final obsession was for this Class 5 Stationary Soul Cannon Shell to blast the child before him to death.
Qian Xunji watched the unfamiliar metal sphere fly toward him, filled with confusion. He came from the Douluo Continent of ten thousand years ago and had never seen such a Soul Tool. He could only swing the Seven Kill Sword instinctively, intending to cleave the sphere apart.
But once activated, this Class 5 Stationary Soul Cannon Shell would explode on contact!
Boom!
An earth-shaking explosion erupted. Flames shot skyward, and a small mushroom cloud rose into the air, leaving a deep crater several meters wide.
The tremendous impact hurled Qian Xunji dozens of meters away, slamming him heavily into a wall.
Pfft!
A mouthful of scalding blood sprayed from his mouth. Bone-piercing agony swept through his entire body, leaving him utterly without the strength to move.
Qian Xunji understood that this blow had left him fatally wounded, all his internal organs damaged and displaced. There wasn't a soul in this remote wilderness, much less a high-level healing Soul Master. He would undoubtedly die here today.
Endless despair shrouded his heart. He closed his eyes, filled with unwillingness.
Who could have imagined that he, Qian Xunji, would live another life only to fall so abruptly?
Just as he quietly awaited death, two faint phantoms slowly drifted out in front of him, one gold and one purple, flickering unsteadily.
Sensing the disturbance, Qian Xunji opened his eyes with difficulty and looked at the two phantoms in midair. He forced himself to muster his remaining spiritual power to investigate. Only then did he discover that the jade bottles holding Bibi Dong's and Qian Renxue's remnant souls had already been shattered by the explosion.
The two phantoms before him were precisely the fragments of their souls that remained.
Qian Xunji wearily closed his eyes. Now hovering on the brink of death, he had no attention to spare for this mother and daughter.
As death approached, all that remained in his mind were his father, the six elder Revered Ones, and Spirit City in all its flourishing splendor ten thousand years ago.
Third Uncle, Fifth Uncle, Sixth Uncle, Seventh Uncle... I've let you down. I couldn't deliver the Fate-Defying Azure Lotus Seed into your descendants' hands, he confessed quietly in his heart.
In midair, the two remnant souls floated silently for several minutes before slowly regaining consciousness and opening their eyes.
Qian Renxue's remnant soul recognized Bibi Dong at a glance. She immediately rushed forward and embraced her, crying through her sobs, "Mom! Is that you?"
Bibi Dong wrapped her arms around her daughter in return, her expression bewildered, and asked softly, "Xue'er, is this hell? Why are you here too? Were you also killed by Tang San?"
"You could say that." Qian Renxue was filled with endless grief. "Tang San shattered my Angel Godhood and confined me to the Soul Douluo realm forever. He pretended to spare my life, but secretly allowed the Heaven Dou Empire's Titled Douluos to surround and kill me. I was powerless to resist and ultimately fell. When I opened my eyes, I saw you."
Bibi Dong's brows knitted tightly. "Then where exactly are we?"
"I don't know either."
The two remnant souls simultaneously spread their divine sense to investigate for dozens of li around them. The entire stretch of ruins was deserted, save for the six-year-old child Qian Xunji, lying on the ground, dying and unable to move.
An icy, bone-chilling voice came from Bibi Dong's remnant soul, carrying a penetrating chill. "Tell me where this is. I can grant you a quick death."
A cold, sinister presence washed over him. Even Qian Xunji, who was intent only on awaiting death, couldn't help shivering all over as he raised his head to look at the two remnant souls in midair.