The carriage stopped at the edge of Sunset Forest. The dense sea of trees was like a massive beast lying in wait, exuding an ancient and dangerous presence.
Dai Weisi was the first to step down. He looked around, taking in the damp fragrance of grass and trees that filled the air, along with a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood.
His brow rose almost imperceptibly, but an amused smile played at the corner of his mouth.
"Stay close."
He looked back at the two women as he spoke, his tone casual.
Zhu Zhuyun nodded and walked naturally to Dai Weisi's side.
Zhu Zhuqing, meanwhile, stayed half a step behind, her gaze sweeping warily over the dense woods around them. Her hope of seeing Dugu Bo made her especially cautious now, afraid that something might go wrong.
The three had gone only a few hundred meters into the forest when the light around them abruptly dimmed.
Just then, something unexpected happened!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-!"
Dozens of crossbow bolts flickering with an eerie green light shot from the shadows on all sides like venomous snakes flicking their tongues, cutting off every avenue of retreat!
Their piercing whistle as they tore through the air made it clear that powerful Soul Power had been imbued into every one of them.
"Watch out!"
Zhu Zhuyun cried out and instinctively moved to release her Martial Soul.
Dai Weisi, however, was faster. He did not even lift an eyelid. He merely gave a cold snort, and a dense, earthy-yellow halo burst from his body, forming a translucent, tortoiseshell-shaped shield that protected all three of them.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The barrage of bolts struck the shield like rain beating against banana leaves, but failed to raise so much as a ripple. They fell harmlessly to the ground, the green light on their tips rapidly fading.
The ambush had failed, and a commotion arose in the woods.
Seven figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees, surrounding the three in a fan formation.
Their leader was a burly, bald man, his bare upper body covered in vicious scars and his entire frame radiating a fierce, violent presence.
His Soul Power fluctuations were the most astonishing of all. He was a Seven-Ring Soul Sage!
Behind him stood two Soul Emperors and four Soul Kings, all wearing unfriendly expressions as they regarded the three like prey, their eyes full of greed and killing intent.
"Interesting," the bald Soul Sage said, baring a mouthful of yellow teeth in a grin, his voice like sandpaper scraping.
"A carriage belonging to the Star Luo Imperial Family, two fresh little beauties, and a brat who doesn't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth."
"Brat, what kind of defensive Soul Skill was that? Hand it over, and I might just leave you with an intact corpse."
Dai Weisi seemed not to hear him. He merely studied the man with interest and asked, "Who sent you? The Star Luo Empire? Or Spirit Hall?"
The bald Soul Sage froze, then burst into wild laughter:
"Hahaha! Brat, death is staring you in the face, and you still care who sent us? Looks like you won't know how the word 'death' is written until I show you what's what!"
"Brothers, get them! Chop the man up and feed him to the Soul Beasts. The women... heh heh, take them alive!"
"You're courting death!"
At his command, the six behind him sprang into action!
The two Soul Emperors released their Martial Souls simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right.
Countless dark-green vines appeared around one of them, slithering toward Dai Weisi and the two women like eerie venomous snakes. It was the control-type Ghost Vine Martial Soul.
The other man's arms transformed into two enormous mantis blades, gleaming with cyan wind. His figure flickered, and he vanished from where he stood. His was clearly the agility-type Wind Blade Mantis Martial Soul.
The four Soul Kings also used their own Soul Skills to support the attack. For a moment, Soul Power surged and killing intent filled the air!
The sisters Zhu Zhuyun and Zhu Zhuqing turned pale and immediately assumed fighting stances.
But just as they were about to strike, Dai Weisi reached out and stopped them.
"Just watch the show."
He spoke casually, then took a step forward.
The instant his foot came down, powerful Soul Power fluctuations erupted with him at their center!
Purple, yellow, purple, purple, black...
Five Soul Rings rose in succession, their light dazzling.
The two Soul Emperors charging at the front could not help showing a trace of contempt at the sight.
That First Soul Ring was a little strange.
But according to the information, he was only a Soul King, after all, and...
Before they could finish the thought, a blinding blood-red light shot into the sky from beneath Dai Weisi's feet!
Red!
An eerie, domineering red!
The moment the sixth Soul Ring appeared, the air throughout the forest seemed to freeze!
Everyone's movements faltered at that instant. Whether it was the mantis blades slashing swiftly toward him or the Ghost Vines dancing across the sky, all seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, slowing for a beat.
"Red... red?!"
"A hundred... a hundred thousand years?!"
"Didn't he come straight here after leaving the palace? When did he hunt a Soul Beast?!"
"A Soul Emperor's Sixth Soul Ring is a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring?! How the fuck is that possible!"
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me?!"
The Soul Kings let out screams of utter horror, full of disbelieving panic.
Even the bald Soul Sage, who had been sitting secure like a fisherman on the bank, had the arrogant smile frozen completely on his face, replaced by stunned silence and intense greed!
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! It was a supreme treasure that even many Titled Douluo dreamed of obtaining!
"Kill him! Kill him at all costs! Take his Soul Ring and Soul Bone!"
The bald Soul Sage let out a seemingly crazed roar.
The two Soul Emperors' eyes hardened. They channeled their Soul Power again, their assault growing even more savage!
But the one they faced was Dai Weisi, who had already bared his fangs.
"A bunch of clay chickens and pottery dogs."
Disdain flashed in Dai Weisi's eyes as he slowly raised his right arm.
In an instant, a dark-gold and red light, combining bloody, baleful Qi with a dark-gold radiance, engulfed his entire right arm! As the light flowed, five sharp claws, each half a foot long and gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, sprang from his fingertips with a sharp sound!
That sharp, domineering presence, as if it could tear everything apart, made the souls of everyone present tremble!
Dai Weisi moved.
There were no flashy movements, only an afterimage moving at extreme speed!
"Pfft!"
A flash of blood.
The Wind Blade Mantis Soul Emperor's forward charge came to an abrupt halt. He lowered his head and stared in disbelief at the enormous hole in his chest, his heart already torn to pieces. He had not even seen how Dai Weisi struck.
"Third Brother!"
The Ghost Vine Soul Emperor's eyes nearly split with rage.
But the answer he received was another deadly flash of blood.
Dai Weisi appeared at his side like a phantom and swept his dark-gold and red claws sideways with irresistible force!
"Fifth Soul Skill, Ghost Vine Cage!"
Terrified, the Ghost Vine Soul Emperor frantically channeled his Soul Power. Countless tough vines grew wildly from the ground, instantly forming a huge cage of vines in front of him.
But it was all in vain.
"Rip-!"
Like a hot knife through butter, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw tore instantly through the seemingly indestructible cage of vines, which was as fragile as paper before it!
The claws continued on without slowing, slicing straight across the Ghost Vine Soul Emperor's waist.
Blood gushed forth. The Ghost Vine Soul Emperor's body was severed at the waist, his upper half flying several meters away, an expression of utter terror still lingering on his face.
In the blink of an eye, two Soul Emperors had fallen!
The four remaining Soul Kings were utterly petrified and turned to flee.
"Only thinking of running now? Too late."
Dai Weisi's voice was like a death-summoning curse. His figure became a dark-gold and red streak of light that flashed between the four of them.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Four soft sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
The four Soul Kings stiffened in unison. A thin red line appeared across each of their throats, blood sprayed out, and they crashed to the ground.
From the moment Dai Weisi struck to the end, only three to five breaths had passed.
The forest fell deathly silent once more.
All that remained was the thick scent of blood and Dai Weisi standing amid the corpses, blood dripping slowly from the claws on his right arm.
The sight utterly stunned everyone present.
Zhu Zhuyun's beautiful eyes shone with delight, full of pride and admiration.
Behind her, Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled slightly. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming. In her normally cool eyes, only boundless, surging shock remained.
He's too strong...
Is this his true strength?
He killed Soul Emperors and Soul Kings like slaughtering dogs! Those were Soul Emperors!
Now, Dai Mubai's failure to know his own limits seemed so laughable, so childish!
"Bastard!!!"
A thunderous roar jolted Zhu Zhuqing out of her daze.
It was the bald Soul Sage!
He stared fixedly at Dai Weisi, his eyes crimson. Shock, anger, greed, wariness... all manner of emotions were tangled together on his vicious face, making him look like a maddened beast.
"Good! What a fine Star Luo prince! What a fine Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!"
"I underestimated you!" he said through gritted teeth. "But do you think killing a few useless subordinates of mine means you can win?"
He stomped down, making the earth tremble.
"No matter how strong you are, you're still only a Soul Emperor! Without a Seventh Soul Ring, you'll never understand a Martial Soul's true power!"
"Today, I'll show you what a Martial Soul Avatar is!"
Before the words had faded, he threw back his head and roared. Seven Soul Rings-yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black-suddenly lit up! Then the seventh, black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring blazed with light.
In the dazzling light, his body began to swell and change shape rapidly!
His skin became hard, gray rock armor, a thick, menacing horn grew from his head, and his frame expanded to over five meters tall. He transformed into a genuine... Earth-Splitting Demonic Rhinoceros!
A terrifying presence, heavy as a mountain, swept over them from all directions!
"Brat, die!"