"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Light Wave!" Dai Mubai, enraged to the extreme, didn't care that they were in the middle of the street. He unleashed a white shockwave from his mouth, directly targeting Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong.
The streets of Suotuo City were crowded today, and a large crowd had already gathered to watch when Ning Rongrong had mocked Dai Mubai earlier.
Dai Mubai's furious attack also swept up some of the bystanders.
Instantly, the crowd erupted in panic. "What kind of person is he? He's insane!" one bystander shouted, covering his head in despair.
"Damn coward!"
"Running away and not letting anyone talk about it."
"Bastard!" Dai Mubai's indiscriminate attack drew curses from the surrounding people.
Seeing that the attack was about to harm the innocent bystanders, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes narrowed. She summoned her Martial Soul, the Nirvana Nine Tails, and a sharp sword appeared in her hand.
Since her Martial Soul had evolved, the most noticeable change was the form of her skills. She no longer relied on claws for attacks.
"Second Soul Skill, Nirvana Hundred Slashes!" Facing the White Tiger Light Wave, Zhu Zhuqing swiftly swung her sword, creating a net of sword energy that shattered the white shockwave.
As the shockwave dissipated, the bystanders breathed a sigh of relief. They thanked Zhu Zhuqing and quickly retreated to a safe distance, peeking out from afar.
Why had her Netherworld Spirit Cat turned golden? And why did it now have nine tails? And what was that sword?
Dai Mubai's pupils contracted.
The Star Luo Imperial Family and the Zhu Family had been intermarrying for generations, so their Martial Souls were no secret to each other.
But Dai Mubai had never heard of the Netherworld Spirit Cat having another form. This Martial Soul looked extraordinarily noble. Could it have mutated?
Dai Mubai's thoughts raced, and his expression turned even colder.
It seemed that Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul had undergone a positive mutation, and its quality might have already surpassed both the Netherworld Spirit Cat and the Evil Eye White Tiger.
He absolutely couldn't let Zhu Zhuqing escape.
"Since you've chosen to betray me, you'll have to pay the price. Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!" Dai Mubai roared, pouncing forward from his spot while using his Soul Skill to amplify himself.
"First Soul Skill, Instant Flash!"
Seeing Dai Mubai lunging at her, Zhu Zhuqing's expression turned cold. She flicked her sword with her finger and thrust it forward, leaving only an afterimage in her original position.
Dai Mubai's forward momentum halted abruptly, and he looked down at his chest in disbelief.
His clothes were torn, and through the tear, a thin, elongated wound could be seen gradually widening. It was the result of a swift slash from a sharp blade.
"How is this possible?" Dai Mubai wiped the wound, staring blankly at the blood on his fingers.
He was a level 37 Soul Grandmaster, three years older than Zhu Zhuqing. Yet, in their brief clash, he had only caught a glimpse of her afterimage.
With their talents being nearly equal, no matter how hard Zhu Zhuqing trained, she shouldn't have been able to bridge the gap in age and Soul Power.
Based on his understanding of the Zhu Family's Martial Soul, her Soul Power should have been capped at around level 24 or 25. Yet, she had somehow reached the Soul Grandmaster level, and her skills had become so bizarre.
"What exactly happened to bring about such a change in you?" Dai Mubai's expression was grave as he slowly turned around, his four pupils fixed intently on Zhu Zhuqing.
"Dai Mubai, I've made it very clear. There's no longer any relationship between us," Zhu Zhuqing said, twirling the Nirvana Sword in her hand and flicking the blood off it onto the ground. "As for what happened to me, that's naturally none of your business."
Hearing this, Dai Mubai's expression turned cold, and he instinctively clenched his fists. "Zhu Zhuqing, I was just careless earlier. You don't really think you can defeat me with just your cultivation and that little bit of killing intent, do you?"
With that, he shifted his stance, his fists transforming into tiger claws.
"If you weren't the Star Luo Prince, that sword would have pierced your throat," Zhu Zhuqing said with a cold gaze.
For a moment, she had genuinely wanted to kill Dai Mubai with that sword. But considering that, no matter how useless he was, he was still the Star Luo Prince, she couldn't afford to cause trouble for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
"Heh, you can try and see if you can kill me," Dai Mubai sneered, his four pupils constantly shifting as he observed his surroundings.
He had to admit he had underestimated Zhu Zhuqing, and the sharp sword in her hand was indeed more lethal than the Netherworld Spirit Cat's claws. However, battles between Soul Masters weren't just about strength; they also depended on mastery of the terrain.
"Second Soul Skill, White Tiger Light Wave," Dai Mubai said, instantly turning around and using his Soul Skill again. But this time, his target wasn't Zhu Zhuqing in front of him—it was Ning Rongrong behind him.
The Grandmaster had once said that in battles between Soul Masters, if the opposing team had a support Soul Master, they should be prioritized.
Although he and Zhu Zhuqing weren't fighting as a team at the moment, who said he couldn't attack the support now?
"Despicable!" Zhu Zhuqing shouted angrily, thrusting her sword forward as her entire body suddenly vanished from the spot.
"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protective Barrier," Dai Mubai said with a cold smile, timing his Soul Skill perfectly.
Although Dai Mubai didn't understand the mechanics of Zhu Zhuqing's skill, as long as it wasn't true teleportation, the range of his first Soul Skill would be enough to affect her.
Zhu Zhuqing, her face filled with urgency, thrust her sword forward, her figure flickering at an incredible speed.
Her first Soul Skill, though it allowed her to flicker, had a very short range. While it consumed little energy, it was also limited to direct thrusts. The reason she could disappear from everyone's sight was simply because she was using this skill continuously.
As Zhu Zhuqing approached Dai Mubai, she caught a glimpse of the light barrier forming around him, and her anger surged. She adjusted her angle slightly during her pause.
As their figures crossed paths, the blade swiftly slashed across Dai Mubai's tiger claws, which were still in their stance.
But by then, the light barrier had already formed and was rapidly closing in on her.
Zhu Zhuqing glanced at it out of the corner of her eye, her expression unchanged. Her soft body arched as she leaped into the air, spinning once before her feet landed on the light barrier. Using the momentum, her speed increased by another two points, and she managed to disperse the shockwave with her sword just before it hit Ning Rongrong.
Their exchange had been so swift that it took everyone a moment to react.
"You're truly despicable!" Ning Rongrong's face was pale, her body trembling with anger as she pointed at Dai Mubai. Although she had often been scolded growing up, she had never experienced anything so dangerous.
At that moment, her legs felt weak, and it took her a great effort to take two shaky steps toward Zhu Zhuqing.
"How are you, Zhu Zhuqing?" Ning Rongrong asked with concern, grabbing Zhu Zhuqing's arm as she saw her panting heavily.
"I'm fine..." Zhu Zhuqing slowly shook her head, then took a deep breath. She had simply been in too much of a hurry to rescue, causing her to momentarily lose her breath.
"The Nine Treasures are renowned: one for strength, two for speed, three for soul," Ning Rongrong recited, seeing Zhu Zhuqing's condition and mistakenly thinking her sister had suffered an internal injury.
With a look of anger on her face, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her hand suddenly emitted three beams of light, which merged into Zhu Zhuqing's body.
Since Dai Mubai had acted so despicably, she was ready to retaliate.
As a support Soul Master, she couldn't take direct action, but with her Soul Skill's Amplification, Zhu Zhuqing's strike on Dai Mubai would be as if she had struck him herself.
At that moment, Dai Mubai was staring blankly at his three fingers that had fallen to the ground. The sword was so sharp that his senses were delayed; he felt no pain, nor did he scream, only a sense of absurdity.
He hadn't expected Zhu Zhuqing to be capable of exploiting the gap in his skill to attack in such a short time.
Tang San, seeing Dai Mubai's condition, felt a sense of foreboding: "Miss, they were in a one-on-one fight. Isn't it unfair for you to intervene now?"
(End of Chapter)