Xu Yang was once again locked in battle with the remaining two Evil Soul Masters.Dugu Yan couldn't even intervene—she knew that if she got too close, she might become a liability. Smartly, she kept her distance from the battlefield's center, giving the two Evil Soul Masters no opportunity to strike at her.
High in the sky, Xu Yang's seven sunorbs flickered and dimmed. The eldest of the Evil Soul Masters noticed this, recalling the terrifying beams of light they had unleashed earlier. His pupils constricted sharply.
"Second brother! I'll hold him off—get up there and destroy that Martial Spirit! Otherwise, we're both dead!"
Hearing this, the second brother swung his blood scythe to break free from Xu Yang's assault and shot upward into the sky.
"Don't even think about it!"
"Third Soul Skill: Sun Sacred Blade!"
Xu Yang roared. His third soul ring lit up beneath his feet, and one of his seven sun orbs flared brilliantly. The radiant golden light turned the entire village into a sea of gold. Above them, a colossal sword over ten meters long materialized, bathed in scarlet-gold flames. It descended toward the approaching second brother.
The blazing sword ignited the very air, transforming the sky into a sea of fire.
"Urgh…"
The second brother halted his upward rush. Under the combined radiance of the sword and the seven sun orbs, he felt his soul power ignite and purify, rapidly dissipating. Within just a few breaths, his soul power would be completely exhausted. The closer he approached the orbs, the faster the burn.
And the heat—he could barely withstand it. The dazzling brilliance seared his eyes, making him instinctively squint, his breath growing labored, his mind starting to reel.
Most critically, the brilliance of the Martial Spirit bypassed his soul power defenses, directly assaulting his body.
Within mere seconds, necrotic patches appeared on his skin.
Had it not been for the abundant blood he'd absorbed during the massacre earlier, he might have died already from this environment alone.
Hiss—
Hearing the sword tearing through the air, the second brother's fear intensified. If that blade struck, he would surely die.
"Big brother, third brother… I'm sorry. I don't want to die!"
Terrified, he made a snap decision. Glancing briefly at his brother still engaged with Xu Yang, he activated his first soul ring, doubling his speed, and fled toward the village's outskirts.
"You bastard, second brother!"
The eldest roared in fury. His soul power surged wildly as he drew upon his blood essence, hastening its refinement into a protective barrier within his meridians and organs. Only this would enable him to resist the Sun Martial Spirit's purifying flames and searing heat long enough to have a chance of victory.
"You're not getting away that easily!"
Seeing the fleeing Soul Ancestor, Dugu Yan's Wind Chime Wings flared as she shot forward, wielding her soul tool pistol.
He was only a Soul Ancestor—she didn't need to kill him outright. Just delaying him long enough for Xu Yang to eliminate the Soul King was enough. Besides, with her soul tool pistol's power, she was confident in at least injuring him.
"Out of my way!"
The second brother retaliated, swinging his blood scythe to unleash a blood-red slash.
"Third Soul Skill: Corrosive Toxin!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: Jade-Scale Fire Toxin!"
Dodging swiftly, Dugu Yan expelled two beams of virulent green and red toxins, followed by a volley of bullets from her pistol, creating a barrage that sealed off the second brother's escape.
He had seen this strange soul tool's power before—though it hadn't broken through their joint barrier, its might was enough to be lethal. Instinctively, he whirled his blood scythe like a windmill, deflecting all the incoming rounds.
Dugu Yan wasn't discouraged. Just as in Star Dou Forest, the pistol's usefulness diminished once the enemy adapted. Her job was simply to buy time for Xu Yang to kill the Soul King.
Above, the colossal Sun blade descended. The eldest Evil Soul Master funneled every ounce of soul power into his blood scythe. His wounds bled profusely, the blood merging into the scythe, enlarging it until it matched the Solar blade's size.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Blood God Slash!"
The massive blood-red scythe clashed against the Sun blade, halting its descent.
Hiss! Hiss!
Blood vaporized in waves, staining the sky crimson.
"Now's my chance!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: Sun God Light!"
The remaining six sun orbs, now fully charged, unleashed deep beams of light that pierced through the sky toward the eldest brother.
"This time, you're finished—wait, what?!"
Xu Yang's triumphant smile froze. Before his eyes, a set of crimson bone armor manifested around the eldest brother's body. Blood light coursed along its intricate patterns, faintly glowing.
It was this armor that absorbed the combined assault of six sun beams.
"A ten-thousand-year torso bone?!"
Even Gu Rong and Dugu Bo, observing from the carriage, stood abruptly, startled.
Torso bones were the rarest of all spirit bones, their drop rates abysmally low—if typical spirit bones dropped at a rate of one in a thousand, torso bones were closer to one in ten thousand. Usually, only spirit beasts of fifty-thousand years or more could even produce them. Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan didn't possess one.
That the Evil Soul Master had a ten-thousand-year torso bone—whose drop rate was likely one in a hundred thousand—was shocking.
Blood seeped from the bone armor's six punctures as crimson mist hissed into the air. Clearly, even the combination of a ten-thousand-year torso bone and its soul skill could barely withstand Xu Yang's attack.
Exhausted, the eldest brother shattered the sun blade, though his blood scythe was reduced to a mere stump. The blood from his wounds coalesced into the stump, reforming the weapon.
"That attack was strong, but at least I survived. My internal organs are intact!"