The Wild Beast and the Reins

Lu Yuan's body moves faster than his brain.

The moment he leaped off the ridge, a dull pain exploded in his side. He forcefully suppressed it with his Soul Power and slid down the steep slope. The camp below was in chaos— Mo Chen's black lumps exploded into two clouds of pungent gray mist, followed by the shockwaves of Su Yan's Soul Power.

Lu Yuan didn't look at these.

His eyes were fixed on the dark purple figure in the center of the camp.

It's getting closer.

Lin Xiao's condition was even more terrifying than it appeared from afar. Dark purple Soul Power slithered in and out of his skin like countless venomous snakes, each time bringing with it beads of blood. The old scar on his left cheek gleamed red. His pupils had completely turned into vertical pupils, filled only with blood and madness. The phantom of the Hell Spirit Cat twisted violently behind him, its edges constantly collapsing and reforming.

He roared as he ripped at a Cloud Mist Sect disciple with his claw. The disciple's protective Soul Power was torn apart like paper, leaving three deep, bone-revealing wounds on his chest. He screamed and flew backward.

Lin Xiao didn't even look, and turned around to rush to another spot.

They are beasts. No, they are more dangerous than beasts.

Lu Yuan landed, staggering slightly. His side hurt so much that his vision blurred. He gritted his teeth and steadied himself, unleashing his full Soul Power to surround Lin Xiao.

It's not confrontation. It's observation.

The vast theoretical knowledge from his past life and his research into the essence of Soul Power in this life were working wildly at this moment. What he "saw" was not a person, but an energy system on the verge of collapse.

The frequency of Soul Power fluctuations was chaotic, but there was a main frequency, which was being torn apart by seven or eight violently conflicting harmonic interferences. The energy nodes were concentrated in the spine, arms, and head. There was an abnormally active node on the scar on the left cheek, like a "secondary heart", which was frantically pumping dark purple Soul Power.

The distortion of the Martial Soul phantom... was more like a kind of "rejection." Lin Xiao's own Soul Power circuit and a certain long-suppressed trait deep within his Mutated Martial Soul exploded simultaneously under extreme stimulation, but they could not be compatible. The cultivation path inherited by his family was like a pre-set river channel, and the explosive trait Soul Power was like a flood breaking through the dam. The river channel was too narrow, the flood was too fierce, the river channel was breached, the flood overflowed, and in turn, it impacted the source.

"Fuse." The word flashed through Lu Yuan's mind. A partial "fuss" and backlash in the Soul Power circuit. The channeling path was burned by its own violent power, and the energy was blocked and flowed backward.

In a flash, he understood.

We must not block it; we must guide it.

Build a temporary "river channel" to divert the most dangerous pressure, allowing him to regain some clarity and find his own balance.

All of this analysis took Lu Yuan less than two breaths to process in his mind.

Lin Xiao has already discovered him.

The crimson vertical pupils turned and locked onto it. There was no recognition, only a destructive urge. A low, inhuman roar rolled from its throat, its body slightly lowered, transforming into a dark purple afterimage as it pounced!

The speed was too fast. Lu Yuan, in his current state, simply couldn't dodge it.

He didn't intend to hide.

The moment the claw struck, Lu Yuan's body lurched backward, the claw grazing his chest. The wind from the Soul Power claw stung his skin, and the front of his clothes was torn open.

Now!

As he fell to the ground, his right index and middle fingers came together, and a barely perceptible amount of Blue Silver Soul Power condensed at the fingertips into a thread finer than a hair. Gentle, resilient, and carrying his unique, stable frequency.

Instead of touching the raging energy nodes, he precisely targeted a violently convulsing "blockage point" in the path of Soul Power flow between the nodes.

Like acupuncture.

The moment the Soul Power threads touched him, Lin Xiao's body trembled violently, and his attack faltered noticeably. He let out a painful groan, and a flicker of bloodlust crossed his eyes.

Lu Yuan's fingers didn't stop; the silk thread retracted and moved even faster towards the second blockage point. At the same time, he squeezed out low, short syllables from his throat—not words, but a buzzing sound with a specific rhythm—a simple calming technique derived from the principle of Soul Power resonance.

The second time.

Lin Xiao's body trembled again. He shook his head, the wild, bloodshot color in his eyes fading slightly, replaced by pain and confusion. He looked at Lu Yuan, his vertical pupils contracting, as if he could recognize him for a very brief moment.

But the dark purple Soul Power immediately retaliated. He let out a low growl and raised his claws again.

Sweat beaded on Lu Yuan's forehead. The pain in his side and the rapid depletion of his Soul Power made his vision blur. With only 20% of his Soul Power remaining, he couldn't withstand such precise control. Yet, his eyes remained calm as he extended the strands of Soul Power for the third time.

This time, the target is a major blockage point near the "secondary heart" node below the scar on the left cheek. This is the key channel through which dark purple Soul Power is pumped out, and the conflict is most intense here.

The threads of Soul Power cautiously probed in.

The instant they made contact, a violent, scorching, and repulsive surge of Soul Power rebounded, almost tearing the threads apart. Lu Yuan groaned, hot fluid gushing from his nose, his fingers as steady as Rock. He subtly adjusted the frequency of his Soul Power output, no longer clashing head-on, but rather "fitting" with the edge of the raging Soul Power, guiding and redirecting it.

Go with its flow and give it a slightly smoother outlet.

laugh--

A wisp of dark purple Soul Power was indeed activated, deflecting along the temporary passage constructed by Lu Yuan's Soul Power threads and crashing into the open space beside him. The ground corroded, creating a small pit and emitting wisps of blue smoke.

Lin Xiao's body stiffened abruptly, his raised claws freezing in mid-air. The low growl in his throat turned into short, sharp breaths. The bloodshot in his eyes receded like a tide, revealing the amber color beneath, a mixture of immense pain and a sliver of clarity that belonged to "Lin Xiao".

"Lu..." His lips moved, but only a few indistinct syllables came out.

His body shook violently, as if all his strength had been drained. The dark purple Soul Power was still churning, but it had clearly weakened, and the signs of its uncontrolled spread had eased considerably.

Lu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stand up, but his legs were too weak. His Soul Power was almost depleted, and his side ached so badly that he gasped for breath.

Just then--

"Little Yuan!!"

Lu Qinghe's roar, filled with shock and rage, exploded forth.

Lu Yuan suddenly looked up.

The Soul Ancestor who had been entangled with Lu Qinghe had somehow managed to break free—his left sleeve was torn, and his face was filled with ruthlessness. He completely ignored Lu Qinghe's renewed attack, retreating rapidly while simultaneously slashing his right hand, fingers like a knife, fiercely towards Lu Yuan and Lin Xiao!

A condensed, translucent Wind Blade with bluish edges tore through the air, emitting a shrill whistle, and arrived in an instant!

The target is neither Lu Yuan nor Lin Xiao.

It was the open space between the two of them—near the small pit that Lu Yuan had just deflected and corroded with his dark purple Soul Power. The Soul Power there remained chaotic, and the space was fragile.

This Soul Ancestor member is incredibly cunning. He could tell that Lu Yuan was helping Lin Xiao stabilize his condition, and that he was close to succeeding. Not daring to directly attack Lin Xiao, whose condition was unclear, and also wary of Lu Yuan's unpredictable methods, he chose the most vicious move: attacking the delicate balance that the two were maintaining!

The Wind Blade was too fast. Lu Qinghe tried his best to intercept it, and his earth-yellow Soul Power transformed into a thick shield shadow, but it only blocked the aftershocks at the edge of the Wind Blade. The main Wind Blade drew a tricky arc, avoiding the shield shadow, and accurately slashed at that open space!

Lu Yuan's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

With his Soul Power exhausted and his body drained, Lin Xiao had no time to dodge or defend. Although he regained a sliver of consciousness, his body was swaying and his Soul Power was disordered, so he was absolutely unable to withstand the attack.

Before the Wind Blade even arrived, the sharp force of the energy was already making my cheeks ache.

It's going to be bad.

If this strike lands squarely, it will not only disrupt the channeling and detonate the barely managed, violent Soul Power, but it could also drag him and Lin Xiao into the center of the Soul Power turbulence explosion!

Lu Qinghe's eyes were bloodshot with rage, but it was too late to save him.

Mo Chen's roar and Su Yan's exclamation came from afar.

Time seemed to stretch out.

As Lu Yuan watched the approaching azure Wind Blade grow ever stronger, his mind went cold. Calculations, deductions, all the possible solutions flashed through his mind—none of them were feasible given his depleted Soul Power and limited physical strength.

Could it be...?

Just before the Wind Blade was about to touch the ground, a dark shadow suddenly crashed in from the side!

Lin Xiao!

The last vestige of clarity in his eyes was replaced by a violent struggle, but his body followed his fighting instincts, or rather, the vague understanding in his remaining consciousness that "Lu Yuan was helping him." He disregarded everything and used his body, still Entanglement dark purple Soul Power and covered in tiny wounds, to bravely block the Wind Blade between the open space and the open area!

Pfft!

A dull, tearing sound.

The azure Wind Blade struck Lin Xiao squarely in the back.

The dark purple Soul Power collided and annihilated with the Wind Blade, producing a sizzling sound. Lin Xiao lunged forward, spitting out a mouthful of blood, which mixed with the dark purple Soul Power specks and splattered all over Lu Yuan.

A long, deep wound, exposing the bone, was cut open from his back to his waist, the flesh torn open. The edges of the wound were charred black by the Wind Blade energy and the remaining dark purple Soul Power.

"Lin Xiao!" Lu Yuan's heart stopped.

Lin Xiao lay on the ground, his body convulsing, struggling to lift his head. His face was covered in blood and ash, his amber vertical pupils fixed on Lu Yuan, a mixture of bloodlust and lucid madness within them. His lips moved as if to say something, but only more bloody foam gushed out.

Because of the severe injury and pain, the dark purple Soul Power seemed to have found an outlet. Instead of rushing chaotically into the interior, it surged towards the wound on its back, continuously fighting against and consuming the residual Soul Power of the invading Wind Blade.

The violent surge was forcibly contained to some extent.

But the cost was heavy.

Lu Yuan's mind went blank for a moment, and anger and icy killing intent instantly overwhelmed his fatigue. He turned his head sharply and looked at the Soul Ancestor who was being tightly entangled by Lu Qinghe after releasing his wind Wind Blade, a smug grin on his face.

Mo Chen and Su Yan had already dealt with the other foes and were charging towards them with red eyes.

The camp was in a mess, and the gray fog had not yet dissipated.

Lin Xiao lay before him, his breath rapidly fading, the wound on his back a shocking sight.

Lu Yuan's fingers dug deeply into the soil beneath him.