It definitely wasn't a gap in battle experience.
Even if Xu Yang's battle experience was lacking, it wouldn't have been by much.
While he hadn't experienced many life-and-death struggles—only a few instances involving Spirit Hall's assassination attempts—his actual combat practice was extensive. Over the past four years, he had immersed himself in countless matches in Heaven Dou's Great Spirit Arena, facing countless spirit masters and even suppressing his own strength to hone his combat skills.
Though fighting spirit matches weren't as visceral as true life-or-death encounters, the experience they provided was still substantial, if not even superior, in refining his techniques and instincts.
So there was no way his battle experience was inferior to the three Evil Soul Masters by such a wide margin. His struggle against them didn't make sense.
The more he thought about it, the more puzzled Xu Yang became. But there was no time to think—he had to keep fighting.
Blades of light and arcs of crimson clashed endlessly in the air. Xu Yang's Sun Martial Spirit rained down golden beams of light, but the three Evil Soul Masters had formed a three-layered defensive shield. The golden beams could penetrate the first two layers, but never the third, which they swiftly repaired.
Forced into close-quarters combat, Xu Yang found himself on the defensive.
While Xu Yang's blade techniques were precise and refined, the three brothers' scythe attacks were wild and unrefined—but brutally effective. Every strike aimed directly at Xu Yang's vitals, showing no hesitation.
Gradually, Xu Yang was forced onto the back foot, his offense turning to full defense.
Clang!
A sharp metallic clang rang out as his Sun Sacred Blade was caught by the second and third brothers' blood scythes.
Xu Yang's pupils contracted.
"Not good!"
"Haha! Finally caught you off guard, didn't I?"
The eldest brother sneered, bloodlust gleaming in his eyes. He raised his blood scythe high, his fifth soul ring shining. Blood-red light gathered at the scythe's tip as he slashed it down toward Xu Yang's chest.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Blood God Slash!"
Rip!
Xu Yang's divine armor was torn apart, blood spraying through the air and splattering the faces of the three Evil Soul Masters.
"Argh!"
Xu Yang cried out in pain.
"Xu Yang!"
Below, Dugu Yan's worried cry rang out. She unfurled her Wind Chime Wings, gripping her soul tool pistol, and flew toward Xu Yang. Simultaneously, her third soul skill lit up, converging toxic green soul power into her mouth, unleashing gray-green toxic beams alongside pistol shots aimed at the three Evil Soul Masters.
Unfortunately, her attacks barely made a dent. The trio's defensive barriers, which had withstood even Xu Yang's Sun Divine Light, easily repelled her efforts. The pistol, after all, was merely a Grade Three soul tool—at best comparable to a Spirit Ancestor-level attack. In Star Dou Forest, Xu Yang and Dugu Yan had only managed to kill Spirit Ancestors with these tools because those opponents were agility-types unfamiliar with soul tools.
Back in the carriage, Dugu Bo's soul power surged beneath his feet, ready to intervene at any moment.
Despite the severe injury, Xu Yang's gaze showed no fear. Instead, the pain ignited a primal savagery within him. His entire body felt hot, coursing with explosive power. A rare bloodthirsty gleam appeared in his eyes as he stared down the three Evil Soul Masters.
Clang!
With veins bulging on his arms, he wrenched back both Sun Sacard Blades. Golden wings flared behind him as he rocketed forward, concentrating condensed Sun power into the blade tips and cleaving toward the trio's shield.
Xu Yang didn't lose himself to the savage impulse—instead, he grew sharper, cooler, with a single thought dominating his mind:
"Kill these three scum."
He even unleashed the hidden variant of his fourth soul skill.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Sun God Light!"
The seven sun spheres shrank, their radiance condensing into a faint glow. As the soul power reached its limit, seven piercing beams burst forth, striking straight toward the weakest of the three brothers.
Crack!
The defensive barrier, which had held firm until now, shattered instantly. The third brother, the weakest at rank 46, didn't even have time to react before seven holes appeared in his body.
Staring at his pierced torso in disbelief, he realized the golden beams had bypassed his soul power defenses and punctured his organs. The beams' ultimate fire and light properties didn't just incinerate his insides—they also purified the accumulated soul power within him.
With a final, disbelieving glance, the third brother's eyes closed and his body plummeted from the sky.
After the kill, the seven sun spheres began gathering light once more, preparing to unleash another round of Sun God Light.
"Third Brother!"
The eldest Evil Soul Master let out a grief-stricken cry as his sibling fell. Rage and killing intent surged in his eyes as he turned toward Xu Yang.
"You're dead!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: Bloodburst!"
The second brother roared, his soul ring glowing. The blood scythe gathered crimson light, tearing through the air in a ten-meter arc toward Xu Yang. It arrived in a blink.
"You're the ones who should die!"
Xu Yang's fighting spirit and killing intent flared. Pouring soul power into his blades, he shredded the blood arc into fragments.
"That's more like it! What soul master hasn't been injured in battle?"
Inside the carriage, Gu Rong laughed heartily.
"Lord Bone, the young master's state now is just like when he was ambushed by Spirit Hall assassins," Ning Haiyan recalled with a grin. "He fought back after being wounded and killed eight assassins at once. I bet he'll kill these two as well!"
"Seems this brat needs to be injured to fight properly!"
Dugu Bo's mouth curled into a smirk.
Clang!
Having shredded the blood arc, Xu Yang turned abruptly, intercepting the second brother's scythe with his blade. Simultaneously, his other hand swept across, sending out a destructive blade arc that blasted the second brother backward.
"What is this kid? How did getting wounded boost his strength so ridiculously?!"
The eldest brother's mind reeled. His eyes filled with fear as thoughts of retreat surfaced. As much as they were brothers, his loyalty had limits—he wasn't about to die avenging his sibling.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin