"All right. If you can defeat me and replenish the soul energy I expend, I can agree to your terms," the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle said.
Xuan Zi said unhappily, "Qian Chen, if you compete with this Soul Beast and it escapes, or you lose, you can't ask the academy to find you another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
Yan Shaozhe nodded beside him in agreement.
"Of course. I won't blame the academy," Qian Chen said.
Then Qian Chen's Holy Angel Martial Soul appeared behind him and began merging with his body. Four golden angel wings spread directly from his back. The next moment, the Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul appeared in his right hand again.
At that moment, Xuan Zi, Yan Shaozhe, and the hundred-thousand-year Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle were all astonished. Qian Chen spread his four wings, flew straight into the air, and called, "Senior Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle, let's fight in the sky. If you lose in the cave and refuse to honor your word afterward, that will put me in a difficult position."
"Very well." With that, the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle spread its wings, which spanned more than twenty meters. With a beat of its wings, it too rose into the sky. "Prepare to die!" It accelerated in midair and dived toward Qian Chen, extending its talons with a whistle of rending air.
Qian Chen wasted no time either. Eight Soul Rings appeared around him: purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, and red. The first three flashed instantly. Strength Amplification, Swift as the Wind, Sword Qi Defense-the three Soul Skills were unleashed in an instant, raising his physical attributes to their maximum.
Qian Chen did not meet the approaching talons head-on. He activated his fifth Soul Skill, Killing Sword Qi. His movements were extremely fast, and more than a dozen streams of Sword Qi instantly formed a wall before him, striking the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle with metallic clangs.
"Hahaha, an attack like that can't defeat me!" The Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle's talons never stopped, continuing to reach for him.
Such hard talons, Qian Chen marveled inwardly. Killing Sword Qi had to enter the opponent's body before it could continually worsen their injuries. But his opponent was uninjured, and Killing Sword Qi's own offensive power was limited. Against an extremely hard defense, it truly had no effect.
Facing the talon attack, Qian Chen darted sideways, narrowly evading it. Then the fourth Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed again, activating his fourth Soul Skill, Sword Shadow Clone. Four identical Qian Chens instantly scattered, and for a moment, the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle did not know which one to attack.
The Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle shouted, "Trying to run? You'll have to get past me first!" The next moment, dozens of scarlet-gold feathers shot from its body, each as sharp as a blade.
After shooting out, every feather seemed to possess intelligence, splitting into groups in midair to pursue Qian Chen. Each time Qian Chen changed position to dodge, the feathers that had flown past would turn around after losing their target and attack again.
Before long, Qian Chen's three clones were shot full of feathers like hedgehogs and dissipated in the air. Only by relying on his formidable attributes and exquisite swordsmanship did Qian Chen's true body manage to knock down all the scarlet-gold feathers.
Watching from the side, Xuan Zi said, "Shaozhe, look. Didn't I say Qian Chen once tricked that girl Lexuan out of her Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring? If Lexuan hadn't severely wounded that hundred-thousand-year Saber-Toothed Tiger King back then, Qian Chen wouldn't have succeeded so easily."
Yan Shaozhe rolled his eyes at Xuan Zi, but it was difficult to say anything. Qian Chen now belonged to their Shrek Academy, and Xuan Zi had led the team that time. His student Wang Feng had died there too. He could only say, "Qian Chen is part of our academy now. I still hope he can win this one-on-one fight."
"Heh, human, whatever other abilities you have, bring them all out," the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle taunted.
"As you wish." The eighth, red Soul Ring beneath Qian Chen's feet flashed. His eighth Soul Skill, Fear Roar. Qian Chen opened his mouth, and a deafening tiger's roar burst forth, instantly stunning the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle for one second. In that single second, Qian Chen beat his four angel wings furiously and appeared before the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle in an instant.
The eighth Soul Ring flashed once more. His eighth Soul Skill, Ignore Defense. The next moment, the entire Seven Kill Sword in Qian Chen's hand shone with white light. Qian Chen raised his sword and brought it down. With the Ignore Defense effect enhancing the Seven Kill Sword, that ordinary slash severed the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle's right wing outright.
The Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle instantly lost its ability to fly and plummeted from the sky. Qian Chen remained in midair. The sixth Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed, activating his sixth Soul Skill, Swords Fall Like Rain.
The next moment, countless Seven Kill Swords condensed from Soul Power appeared in midair.
Qian Chen gave a soft command: "Fall." Countless Seven Kill Swords fell from the sky, their tips stabbing straight at the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle on the ground. In an instant, the countless swords pinned it down so fiercely that it could not raise its head. Its scarlet-gold feathers gradually shattered under the relentless attacks. Yet the Seven Kill Swords in midair did not diminish at all. As swords kept falling, new Seven Kill Swords of Soul Power condensed in the air in an endless stream.
Finally, after the rain of swords had attacked for several full minutes, the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle was covered in wounds. It lay on the ground and cried weakly, "I yield! I yield! I admit defeat. I'm willing to sacrifice myself."
Only then did Qian Chen withdraw his sixth Soul Skill. The rain of swords filling the sky vanished, and the sunlight it had blocked shone upon the earth once more.
Qian Chen, Xuan Zi, and Yan Shaozhe approached the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle. It said, "Human, you truly are powerful, defeating a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast like me with Soul Douluo-level strength. Let me ask a few final questions. Is your Martial Soul a Holy Angel wielding the Seven Kill Sword?"
"No. I have Twin Martial Souls, the Seven Kill Sword and the Holy Angel. After receiving a special opportunity, I became able to use both Martial Souls at once. You only need to add a Soul Ring to my Seven Kill Sword," Qian Chen explained.
"Good, good, good. You're also someone blessed with such fortune, with powerful talent and heaven-defying opportunities. Human, they call you Qian Chen, don't they? Listen to me. You're so young and already so powerful. Work hard, and you may well become like those people who ascended to the Divine Realm ten thousand years ago," the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle said.
Hearing the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle say this, Qian Chen immediately said, "Senior, now isn't the time to talk about this."
Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe were both standing right beside them. Strictly speaking, these two were now Tang San's people. They were outsiders, and even potential enemies.
"Senior, you're already severely wounded. Begin the sacrifice now," Qian Chen said.
"Very well. I keep my word," the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle said. The next moment, a red barrier formed around Qian Chen and the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle. A powerful surge of energy forced Xuan Zi and Yan Shaozhe several steps back. They only stopped after retreating completely outside the sacrificial circle.
The next moment, Qian Chen's Sea of Consciousness connected with the Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle's soul. The Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagle was aghast, then overjoyed. "Qian Chen, I never imagined your Sea of Consciousness would be so vast."
Qian Chen's voice came through. "That's right. This is my Sea of Consciousness, boundless and vast. If I have the opportunity in the future, I'll do as you just said and attempt to reach that position. When that time comes, I can take you there and create a divine beast's body for you."
"Good, it's a promise. Qian Chen, then let me condense one of our Golden-Feathered Scarlet Eagles' most precious Soul Bones for you."
"All right. Thank you."