However, Sun True Fire was the fusion of extreme fire and extreme light, not only capable of burning soul power but also purifying it. The more the corrupted Soul King desperately unleashed his soul power, the more he failed to create a vacuum barrier between himself and the Truefire. Instead, he inadvertently fueled the flames, causing waves of searing heat to surge outward.
"Get lost!"
Hearing the agonized screams of his elder brother, the second corrupted soul master panicked. He erupted with soul power, and the blood-red light swirling around his blood scythe coalesced into a blood-colored slash that forced Dugu Yan back. His entire body ignited with blood light, transforming into dozens of blood-colored bats as he fled into the distance at high speed.
Dugu Yan wanted to give chase, but no matter how hard she tried, her Wind Chime Wings couldn't match the fleeing speed of the second corrupted soul master. The distance between them grew ever wider.
Meanwhile, the sounds from within the Sun True Fire faded. In just a few breaths, the first corrupted soul master was reduced to ash, leaving behind only a storage-type soul tool bracelet and a blood-colored torso bone.
Xu Yang had withdrawn the Truefire just in time; otherwise, the flames would have burned even the bracelet and torso bone to nothing.
"Withdraw!"
As his soul power in his eyes dissipated, Xu Yang raised his right hand and lightly clenched it. The blazing Sun True Fire instantly vanished.
He reached out to collect the storage-type soul tool bracelet and the blood-colored torso bone into his own storage ring, breathing a sigh of relief. Just moments before, he had worried the Sun True Fire might behave like a certain fire technique from a well-known anime, endlessly burning without stopping.
After a brief self-mocking thought, Xu Yang turned his gaze toward the second corrupted soul master, now hundreds of meters away.
"How could I let you escape? That would make my injuries pointless!"
Xu Yang's expression grew cold as his third and fourth soul rings simultaneously lit up. The Sun Martial Soul hovering behind his head instantly flew into his hands, transforming—stretching and curving—into a massive, golden, metallic longbow.
The bow, entirely golden, was adorned with crimson sun patterns. Its string was formed from condensed golden flames. Xu Yang had named it Sunpiercer Bow, after the legendary bow used by the hero who once shot down the suns in his past life.
Since awakening his martial soul, aside from training in cultivation, swordsmanship, and soul tool crafting, Xu Yang's most frequent practice had been archery. His skill with the bow rivaled his swordsmanship, though few knew of this hidden talent.
Now, with the second corrupted soul master fleeing in bat form hundreds of meters away, it was the perfect opportunity to showcase his archery prowess.
Xu Yang drew a deep breath and pulled the bowstring taut. In the next instant, his soul power surged into the flaming string, forming a golden arrow of light, its shape remarkably similar to the Sun Sacred Blade.
The bow was his martial soul, allowing him to directly manifest a soul skill on the string. This light arrow was an evolved form of his fourth soul skill, Sun God Light, infused with elements from his third soul skill, Sun Sacred Blade. It combined the power of both techniques, carrying high explosive force, intense heat, and tremorous impact.
He called this attack Sun God Arrow—his most powerful offensive technique to date, born from two months of painstaking thought and over a hundred failures.
"Back during our fight, I already marked each of you three with a sun soul power imprint. Now that the eldest and youngest are dead, I'll leave this parting gift for you. I hope you accept it well!"
As the Sun God Arrow formed, the second corrupted soul master's expression twisted. He felt a prickling sensation as if death itself was closing in, an ominous premonition that could only come from the sixth sense when one faced imminent demise.
"How is this possible?! He killed both my brothers and still had such a trump card?! Who exactly is this guy?!" The second corrupted soul master was in disbelief. At this moment, he was in blood bat form—a secret escape technique he had developed behind his brothers' backs. Yet it seemed utterly ineffective.
He couldn't accept this. It was a technique he had spent years perfecting. It had to work.
Dozens of blood bats erupted into a swarm of over a hundred, scattering in different directions to escape.
"It's useless. The sun soul power imprint on you is like a beacon for me. No matter how many bats you split into, I can precisely locate your true body."
Xu Yang's gaze remained calm, his senses crystal clear, and he locked onto the second corrupted soul master's true form.
The bowstring curved like a full moon, and Xu Yang released it with a sharp snap.
Buzz!
In an instant, a faint hum echoed. All anyone saw was a streak of light flashing past.
The next moment, one of the blood bats vaporized under the searing heat. The entire swarm of blood bats dissolved into crimson mist, revealing the second corrupted soul master, a gaping wound the size of a bowl torn through his chest.
Boom!
His eyes wide open in shock, the corrupted soul master's body fell with a dull thud into a field at the village's edge.
Thus, all three corrupted soul masters were slain by Xu Yang.
It was only at this moment that those present finally snapped out of their daze.
"Was this really a technique that brat was just experimenting with during the journey?! The power is unbelievable!"
As a Title Douluo, Gu Rong's strength was beyond question. He had clearly observed the Sun God Arrow's trajectory.
But seeing it so clearly only deepened his disbelief. During the journey, Xu Yang's experimentation with this technique had produced a power level not much greater than Sun God Light. In fact, due to the awkward fusion of multiple soul skills, its might had seemed somewhat reduced.
Now it appeared that the brat had been playing them all along!
Pain! His entire body ached!
After killing the three corrupted soul masters, Xu Yang finally relaxed. But at that moment, waves of intense pain surged through his body, causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead. He clenched his teeth to stifle a cry of agony.
"First Soul Skill: Dawnlight!"
Forcing himself to steady his body, Xu Yang cast Dawnlight thrice on himself, combining it with his secret healing techniques. This eased his condition somewhat, though movements still brought waves of soreness.
"Yan'er, please gather the storage soul tools from the remaining two corrupted soul masters. I need to rest for a while."
Addressing the approaching Dugu Yan, Xu Yang slowly descended. His exertion had pushed his body past its limit; he needed to recover properly to avoid hidden injuries that could hinder his future cultivation.
Reaching the village square, Xu Yang sat cross-legged, using his Sun Martial Soul to absorb sunlight and perform his healing techniques to repair his overstrained muscles.
"Let's stay in this village for the night and help collect the villagers' remains."
Gu Rong, sensing Xu Yang's state, knew they wouldn't be able to continue traveling today. He called to Dugu Bo and Ning Haiyan in the carriage and started extinguishing the fires. Watching the flames that had consumed most of the village's thatched huts, he couldn't help but marvel at the Sun Martial Soul's environmental impact—simply hovering in the air had ignited half the village.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin