"What did I do wrong? Everything I did was for our team to win. With my abilities, I was clearly more suitable to fight against the opposing team than Dai Yueheng. And we won in the end, didn't we? Easily at that." Ma Xiaotao spat out unceremoniously.
"Easily?" Wang Yan smirked, "Sure, we won that very easily. But, let me ask you this, don't you think you revealed your abilities too early? Are our future opponents stronger or weaker than the Dou Ling team? Just who do you think our strongest opponent is?"
Wang Yan suddenly raised his voice and slammed the table in front of him as he stood up, pointing outside. "Our strongest opponent is the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy! Whenever we're out there competing, they watch and take note of all the abilities that our team displays, of all the team members that enter the arena, and of all the soul skills that we use. They scrutinize everything we do and memorize every little detail. But just what did you go and decide do? You just magnanimously revealed all your powers to the opponent's team! Are you worried that your opponents won't take note of how strong you are?"
"Don't bother even denying it. That's the truth. You, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen, the three of you are our team's only powerhouses. And since you, Ma Xiaotao, didn't participate in the last tournament, our opponents are least familiar with you. Can't you imagine what would have happened if you had just hidden your full capability until the end of the competition? It would have been a nice big surprise, a surprise that would have led us to becoming the final champions! Yet, what did you do? You couldn't wait to reveal your strongest abilities, almost as if you were scared to not let your opponents know about them! Ma Xiaotao, don't forget that our regular team isn't complete anymore, and that our opponents are stronger than ever before. Given our current lineup, what makes you so certain that we will win this tournament?"
Ma Xiaotao was rendered speechless as Wang Yan reprimanded her, and she was unable to rebut him. She had always been, by nature, a very headstrong individual, and ever since she was young, no one had ever scolded her like Wang Yan was doing. As such, her face turned bright red.
Wang Yan continued harshly, "Take today's competition, for example. If not for the fact that Sanshi's Mysterious Underworld Displacement had a unique effect, would we have been able to break through our opponent's defenses? Even if we could, just how long do you think it would have taken? Despite knowing who we were, the opponent still chose to use that battle formation. Has it ever occurred to you why they did so? The only explanation is that they were confident that they could defeat us with their formation! I am completely certain that the mystery metal that they were assembling was a type of offensive soul tool, and that neither you nor Dai Yueheng would have been able to receive it. You think that's impossible, don't you? You guys are Soul Emperors; strong Soul Emperors with ten-thousand-year soul rings. Well then, were you able to predict what happened when you met the Envoy of the Death God? Never underestimate your opponent. You're proud of your abilities- that's definitely not a bad thing, but this pride needs to be built on top of a foundation of assured victory. Furthermore, you're not fighting alone. You are a team leader, a team leader representing Shrek Academy."
"Look at these kids, what did they do? When they faced Justsky Academy in battle, they each paid a huge price, all for Shrek's glory. Of the seven of them, five were knocked unconscious. Xiao Xiao sustained major injuries, and hasn't even fully recovered yet. But why did they have to face such a situation in the first place? Because of the carelessness of regular members like you, during your surveillance mission. For Shrek, they gave their all. If, in the end, Shrek Academy loses this competition because your carelessness, how will you ever face them? Sure, in terms of ability, the three of you are certainly stronger than the seven of them. Yet, in my opinion, at least up till now, their contributions to this competition far surpases yours."
Having said so much in one go, Wang Yan was tired and slumped down on his seat, his face still red with agitation.
Ma Xiaotao had wanted to interrupt in the middle, but as Wang Yan showed no signs of stopping, she became lost for words. Only now did she manage to slightly defeatedly murmur, "But your tactics might not necessarily be right, either."
Wang Yan raised his head and glared at her, saying "My tactics are wrong? Are your tactics right then? Do you know how the changes on your part affected the entire team? At least using my strategy, you all would have went into battle as a whole. But your change of strategy caused the team to become separated like loose sand. If not for Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing that connected everyone, do you think we could have won so easily today?"
"I know you look down on me because my abilities are inferior to yours and Dai Yueheng's. That's fine, I don't need your approval. But there's one thing I need you to remember, and that's the fact that I am the teacher in charge of Shrek Academy's team in this year's competition. If you can't handle the responsibilities of a team leader, then don't enter the arena in the next competition. I'll assume full responsibility."
Wang Yan usually gave the impression of being a genial and quiet person, and had never had let out such an outburst before. He also always spoke with reason. Thus, even though Ma Xiaotao was an inner courtyard disciple, she couldn't help but feel flustered. If Wang Yan really chose to bar her from entering the arena, it would become a lifelong disgrace for her.
Ma Xiaotao lowered her head and no longer spoke. Wang Yan stood up and said "Think carefully about how to be a proper team leader." He then pushed the door open and left.
Outside, Wang Yan let out a long sigh, and shook his head, feeling helpless. In terms of hierarchy, his position in the Academy was lower than that of Ma Xiaotao's. Thus, it had taken a great deal of courage to say what he had just said to her, but Wang Yan had no regrets. He was not afraid of offending anyone to win the ultimate championship and guard this honor for Shrek Academy. Since he couldn't enter the arena to fight for Shrek, Wang Yan was determined to make sure that all off-field problems were solved outside the arena. If Ma Xiaotao refused to realize her mistakes, he would rather have her she stay out of the competition. Even if that meant losing the power of a Soul Emperor, Wang Yan couldn't let her affect the others. A full suppression of battle tactics like today wouldn't happen all the time. The next three rounds would each be more difficult than the last.
Thus far, eight schools have been eliminated out of the initial sixteen, and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had successfully defeated all their opponents. In fact, even in the group round, their team leader, the Soul Emperor-level Ma Rulong, had yet to enter the arena. They had won with just six of the regular members and a reserve.
Up till now, three members of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy team had yet to enter the arena – team leader Ma Rulong, reserve team leader Xiao Hongchen and his younger sister, Meng Hongchen.
Due to the Shrek Academy team's internal problems, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had become the crowd's favourite to win the final championship. Now, many were secretly placing bids on who the champion would be. Although Shrek Academy had two great Soul Emperors that had yet to enter the arena, their odds of winning still lagged behind that of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy by a few points.
After a day of rest, the individual round started as planned on the third day.
Dai Yueheng had caused a perfect amount of damage in the team battle, causing the Dou Ling Imperial Soul Academy team leader, Gu Zhujian, to be unable to enter the arena. Although his broken limbs had been set and healed, he still needed to recuperate for quite a while before he could fight again.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong would not take part in the individual rounds, as their martial soul fusion skill were useless if they were alone, and their individual fighting capabilities were still rather weak. Thus, only Dai Yueheng, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, Xu Sanshi and He Caitou would be competing in the individual round.
Hence, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao had become onlookers.
Under Wang Yan's arrangements, Dai Yueheng was the first to enter the arena, while Ma Xiaotao would be the last.
After getting reprimanded by Wang Yan, Ma Xiaotao ultimately gave in and apologised to Wang Yan, admitting her mistakes. She also expressed that she would fully cooperate with Wang Yan and follow his arrangements for the rest of the competition, and would not engage in individualistic behaviour anymore. Wang Yan took what he got and arranged for Ma Xiaotao to be the anchor of the team.
When Dai Yueheng walked up to the competition stage representing Shrek Academy, the Dou Ling team's eyes reddened.
Their team leader's limbs had all been broken, and his strongest skills had not even been displayed. They held their breath, knowing that the chances of them winning today's competition were slim as well, but they couldn't just give up now. They had to fight to the death.
Due to Shrek Academy's victory in the team battle, they just needed to defeat three opponents today to make it to the final eight.
As the losing team in the team-battles, the Dou Ling team needed to defeat the entire Shrek Academy team of seven people with just three members in order to enter the top eight. Faced with two strong assault-type soul emperors on the Shrek Academy team, it was simply unrealistic for the Dou Ling team to win.
Dai Yueheng's first opponent was Dou Ling's assault-type Soul King Qian Yuan.
Previously, Qian Yuan had hardly used his Terrorclaw Bear powers before he was restrained by Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Skywhistle. Afterwards, the judge had ended the competition, causing him to burn with fury.
Qian Yuan didn't feel that he was inferior to Dai Yueheng, and his team all saw how Shrek Academy's reserve team overcame the odds in the previous rounds of the tournament. Maybe the Dou Ling team, too, would achieve a miraculous victory today. Thus, when Qian Yuan stood on the stage, his entire being was emitting a thirst for battle, and only one thought filled his mind- to seek revenge for Gu Zhuqian.
In comparison to his opponent's aggressive manner, Dai Yueheng seemed much calmer, wearing a peaceful expression as he stood on the competition stage, bowing to the judges before glancing at his opponent.
Dai Yueheng had a rather large frame, but compared to Qian Yuan, he still appeared to be dwarfed by a taller giant. In terms of size, Qian Yuan was significantly bigger than Dai Yueheng.
Following the judge's instructions, the two of them retreated to their respective halves of the arena. The moment the battle started, the two Assault System Battle Soul Masters released their martial souls.
Qian Yuan roared into the air, and his sturdy frame started to expand rapidly. His terrifying muscles ripped his clothes, revealing a metallic grey body of muscles. Two muscular and thick arms expanded from both sides of his body, and from those hands sharp claws, two inches long, grew out. His upper body bent over slightly and his sharp claws reached the ground. Scraping gently across the ground, he was able to leave clear lines on it.
Dai Yueheng also released his White Tiger martial soul. While it did not look as muscular and strong as his opponent's, it was extremely strong too. Light flashed in his devilish pupils. Two yellow, two purple and two black soul rings pulsed rhythmically around his body. He was no way weaker than his opponent.
Qian Yuan roared and attacked first. In terms of type, both Dai Yueheng and he were the same type of soul master. His soul skill specialized in increasing his own powers, and he was most apt at close combat. However, Ma Xiaotao, who was an Assault System Battle Soul Master too, was stronger in terms of ranged attacks. In close combat, Ma Xiaotao could not compare to them.
The almost three meters tall Terrorclaw Bear roared lowly. As his first soul ring flashed, a layer of gold light cloaked his skin. His shoulders expanded outward from his body. Suddenly, he lunged vigorously propelling himself towards Dai Yueheng.
While Dai Yueheng had tiger claws, he was still smaller compared to his opponent in every single aspect.
When the road was narrow, the braver of the two would win. Dai Yueheng did not retreat. A layer of intense white light burst forth from his body, and every single strand of hair on his body stood up. His speed increased exponentially as he turned into a ray of white light and flew straight towards his opponent.
The two sides appeared to have clashed in the center of the arena.
Qian Yuan's two thick shoulders moved in mid-air. He stretched out with his claws, seemingly covering the area before him, giving Dai Yueheng no chance of escape.
However, in reality, Dai Yueheng had no intention of escaping. The tips of his feet touched the ground, and his speed slowed by a fraction of a second. His tiger claws slashed out, crashing against his opponent's sharp claws.
"Clank, clank!" Two screeching sounds exploded. Sparks flew from the arena. Shockingly, Dai Yueheng, who was a soul emperor, was at a disadvantage.
Dai Yueheng's body trembled for the briefest of instants. The attack from Qian Yuan's sharp claws actually knocked him back. He was at a disadvantage in terms of strength.
Seizing the initiative, Qian Yuan did not relent. He roared once more, and instantly chased straight after Dai Yueheng. This time, his third and fifth soul rings lit up. His body, which had originally shone with a grey metallic light, turned bronze-green, and then silvery-white. His entire body continued to expand. When he reached Dai Yueheng, he was already more than 3.5 meters tall. The muscles on his body mutated crazily. One could no longer tell that he was originally human.
While Dai Yueheng appeared to be retreating, his body was changing too. His hair turned gold, like that of his opponent's initially. His first, third and fifth soul rings started to shine. In quick succession, he used his White Tiger's Shield, White Tiger's Vajra Transformation and White Tiger's Devilgod Transformation.
Just as Qian Yuan rushed before him, and just as his sharp, silver claws were about to come slashing down, an icy light flashed in Dai Yueheng's eyes, and his entire body mysteriously disappeared.
That's right. In that instant, his entire body disappeared completely from before Qian Yuan, causing Qian Yuan's attack to strike nothing but thin air.
Did Dai Yueheng use a soul skill that allowed him to teleport? Of course not. As the 白虎魂师, he did not possess that ability. His body naturally did not disappear, but instead changed direction suddenly. Right before Qian Yuan caught up to him, he jerked his head downward forcefully and spat a mouthful of white light onto the ground. This allowed him to send his body flying into the air with his own powers.
All of this happened too quickly. Qian Yuan had already attacked, and could no longer pull it back. The moment his attack landed on thin air, he sensed that something was wrong. However, at that moment, Dai Yueheng was already above his head.
Dai Yueheng did not use his tiger claws to strike Qian Yuan directly. Instead, as he came crashing down, he slammed his knees into Qian Yuan's shoulder.
"Thud!" A low grunt came from Qian Yuan's mouth. His legs wobbled, and under this humongous pressure, he almost fell.
A pair of giant claws lashed upward as he tried to dismember Dai Yueheng. This time, Dai Yueheng did not try to dodge.
His tiger claws lashed out to his left and right side, trapping his opponent's sharp claws. His palms were as sturdy as a monolith. No matter how much strength Qian Yuan used, he was still immobilized.
"Your strength is remarkable indeed. If you were at the same level as me, I wouldn't be able to match your strength. Unfortunately, I'm a soul emperor, and you are just a soul king. Furthermore, while your martial soul is strong, it is not agile enough. Even if you became a soul emperor, you would still die in a deathmatch between you and me. If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead."
Dai Yueheng's cold voice sounded next to Qian Yuan's ear. In the next moment, he slammed his knees together on both sides of Qian Yuan's head. Immediately, The muscles on Qian Yuan's humongous frame contracted involuntarily as he fell to the ground.
Dai Yueheng somersaulted into the air as he leapt off Qian Yuan's body.
This battle was extremely short. While it appeared to be a straightforward fight, the danger in it could be felt by both teams. Regardless of whether it was Dai Yueheng's tiger claws or Qian Yuan's terrifyingly sharp claws, a direct strike by either would have been be fatal. This had been a fight of pure power, and Qian Yuan had lost. He had lost in terms of his cultivation, and also in terms of experience. Dai Yueheng used the cleanest and most efficient method to obtain victory. His victory was set the moment he was 'knocked back' by Qian Yuan. As a soul emperor, and as someone with the White Tiger martial soul that specialized in physical strength, how could he lose to someone weaker than him? Tricking his opponent into entering a trap, and then finishing him off with a single blow, this was the power of Shrek's Inner Courtyard!
Before the judge came over, Dai Yueheng had already lifted the unconscious Qian Yuan. He made an 'it's fine' gesture to the judge, and then brought Qian Yuan over to the waiting area for contestants, which was at the side of the arena.
"Gu Zhujian, the competition is akin to a battlefield. I may have used too much strength, but it was to obtain victory. I believe that if it were you, you would have done the same. There's nothing else to say. Catch," Dai Yueheng said as he sent Qian Yuan out. Naturally, the members of the Dou Ling team caught him.
A bitter smile crossed Gu Zhujian's face as he said, "Thank you for showing mercy, Senior Dai." All of them were clear that the moment the Dai Yueheng suddenly appeared above Qian Yuan's head in the blink of an eye, Qian Yuan had no chance of victory. If Dai Yueheng had used his tiger claws to strike his head, Qian Yuan would have died for sure. However, Dai Yueheng did not do that.
This was the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, where deaths and injuries were commonplace. However, Dai Yueheng did not even severely injure his opponent. He had shown much mercy this time, which helped reduce the hatred the Dou Ling team towards him.
The second representative from the Dou Ling team was Han Ling'er, an Agility System Soul Master who was also soul king.
This round would be a battle of speed versus strength.
Han Ling'er's attacks were extremely sharp, and her speed was unparalleled. Her martial soul was known as the 闪电貂, and among all Agility System Soul Masters, she was one of the fastest. Other than her inability to fly, very few soul masters could match her short, speedy bursts on land.
Faced with such an opponent, Dai Yueheng adopted a passive approach. Faced with his opponent's attacks, all he did was remain stationary instead of retaliating. After a full minute, Han Ling'er's soul power could not keep up. As her speed decreased, she was forced into a corner by Dai Yueheng, and had no choice but to admit defeat.
Through two consecutive rounds of competition, he was able to beat two soul kings. The crowd started to feel the power of a soul emperor. Dai Yueheng's performance in these two rounds could be summarized with three words: he held back. This was evidently not his full strength.
There was not much excitement about the results of the third battle when Chi Hengyu, the soul master with the Vajra Shield as his martial soul, stepped up. While his defensive abilities were impressive, Dai Yueheng taught him a lesson in terms of raw strength. Compared to the second battle, the two sides switched roles. This time, Dai Yueheng attacked while Chi Hengyu defended.
However, the results were reversed too. Earlier, Dai Yueheng had used his immense strength to expend all of Han Ling'er's soul power. This time, his attacks were like a flood as they slammed into Chi Hengyu's Vajra Shield head-on. Finally, he was able to send him off the arena.
Battle after battle, 白虎战魂帝 Dai Yueheng showed off his immense power. By challenging and defeating three opponents, he was able to end the individual elimination round. At the same time, he ensured that Shrek Academy was ranked among the top eight. The 斗灵皇家高级魂师学院 could pack up and go home.
After getting scolded by Wang Yan that day, Ma Xiaotao was much more well-behaved. Off the arena, she wanted very much to act, but she kept her silence.
After this battle, the fame of Shrek Academy grew even more. Dai Yueheng and Ma Xiaotao, both soul emperors, had left a deep impression on everyone.
The crowd was like this. They would only like the strong ones. Huo Yuhao, whose performance was exceptional, was gradually forgotten. So what if you had twin martial souls? If your cultivation was not enough, no one would care.
Huo Yuhao delighted in this. Over the next few days, as long as he had time, he would train with Wang Dong. Their soul power increased exponentially with the help of the Haodong Power and the Golden Light Left Arm Bone.
In the quarterfinals, Shrek Academy was fortunate enough to obtain an excellent pairing. They were selected to go against the weakest of the top eight teams, who was not unfamiliar to them. The team was from Justsky Academy, who had once created much trouble for Huo Yuhao and the rest.
The final results were to be expected. Even without Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, and Ling Luochen, Shrek had been able to obtain victory. Now, with two soul emperors and a soul king, there was no question about the results of this round. Justsky Academy was completely trashed, as Shrek trampled over them and entered the top four.
At this point, the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament was nearing its end, which was also its high point.
In the room, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were cultivating through meditation. They were becoming increasingly skilled at using their Haodong Power, and the effects of the Golden Light Left Arm Bone were further amplified by their Haodong Power.
The soothing yet vast Haodong Power would first pass through Huo Yuhao's body, and then through the Mysterious Heaven Technique, it would enter Wang Dong's body. The entry point into Wang Dong's body was his left arm.
The Golden Light Left Arm Bone, upon being triggered by the Haodong Power, would immediately give off a powerful absorptive energy. This allowed the element of light to enter Wang Dong's body and the Haodong Power. Then, as it passed from Wang Dong's body, it would follow his cultivation method and exit after cycling through his body into Huo Yuhao's body.
The entire process was like the Yangtze River, slow but never once stopping. With each cycle of cultivation their soul power completed, their cultivation would increase.
As Wang Dong had surpassed Rank 30, his overall soul power was much stronger than Huo Yuhao's. Hence, his soul power increased more compared to Huo Yuhao's. Both of them could feel that if they continued cultivating like this, their soul power would catch up to Dai Yueheng's in just one or two years.
As the Haodong Power circulated, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's bodies would emit a pale, golden glow. Ever since the two of them had experienced the various combinations of their martial souls, their ability to cooperate as a team was further perfected. Now, as the Haodong Power circulated, it was as if the two of them had become one.
"Knock, knock, knock." Suddenly, a knock could be heard on the door, which jolted Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong from their cultivation.
Wang Dong frowned unhappily and said, "Who is it? Why have they disturbed our cultivation?"
Huo Yuhao inhaled and together with Wang Dong, he retracted his soul power. "I'll take a look," he said. Then, he leapt off the bed and opened the door.
It was Wang Yan. The moment Wang Yan opened the door and saw Huo Yuhao, he was startled too. This was because he could clearly see that Huo Yuhao's eyes shone with a clear golden light. Despite him being a soul king, he felt as if he Huo Yuhao could see through him.
"Sorry for disturbing your cultivation," Wang Yan apologized.
When Huo Yuhao saw that it was him, he rushed to the side and said, "Teacher Wang, please come in."
Wang Yan replied, "There's no need for that. Come with me, Yuhao." With that, he turned and left.
Wang Dong naturally heard the exchange between the two of them. He jumped off the bed and said curiously, "I wonder why Teacher Wang's looking for you. Go with him!"
"Aren't you coming?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Wang Dong said, "Teacher Wang saw me just now, but he only called you. Evidently, he does not want me around. Go by yourself, I'll rest."
The two of them exchanged a gaze, and an amused look crossed their eyes. After cultivating together for so long, the camaraderie between the two of them had become increasingly obvious. Sometimes, they knew what the other was thinking with only a single glance.
However, both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong could feel that there was a forbidden zone in their counterpart's heart. No matter how close they became, they could never touch on these taboos.
Huo Yuhao waved to Wang Dong and left the room. Wang Yan was waiting for him in the corridor. When he saw him, he led him to his room.
After he closed the door, Wang Yan summoned Huo Yuhao to the study table in the room and then said in a low voice, "Look."
On Wang Yan's study table, there was a carving knife etched with ancient patterns. Next to the carving knife, there was a ring that had already been sliced in half.
Huo Yuhao had seen this ring before. Normally, Wang Yan wore it on his finger. This was his storage-type soul tool. However, right now, it was completely destroyed. Huo Yuhao, with his eyes of a soul engineer, could see that its formation arrays had been destroyed. As for the carving knife that was giving off an icy aura, wasn't it the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife that was Rank 99 on the Carving Knife Leaderboard?
"Teacher Wang, this…" Huo Yuhao said in shock.
Wang Yan said, "My storage-type soul tool was a Rank 4 soul tool. However, I didn't expect that it couldn't take the power of the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife. Earlier, I could feel a violent aura from the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife coming at my storage-type soul tool, but I didn't give it much thought. However, this morning, I found it split in half, completely destroyed. The carving knife continued to give off a brutal, terrifying aura. I felt a dark, gloomy aura enter my body when I touched it. I was only able to expel it after circulating my soul power for half a day."
When he said that, Huo Yuhao suddenly understood why Wang Yan had such a terrible expression. A Class 4 soul tool was not cheap! No wonder he felt a pain in his heart when he saw that it had been destroyed. However, this Soul-Devouring Carving Knife was powerful indeed, till the point where even a storage-type soul tool couldn't take it.
"Yuhao, last time you said that you had a way of subduing it. Try it. If you succeed, it's yours. However, you must be careful. I will protect you, but you have to stop if you feel that something is amiss."
A Class 4 soul too was the best item that Wang Yan had on him. The Soul-Devouring Carving Knife was indeed evil, and the impact of carrying it oneself directly was too great. Helpless, he could only look for Huo Yuhao, who had previously sworn that he could take care of it.
"Alright, I'll try," Huo Yuhao said gleefully. Despite Electrolux's personality, he had already asked him more than once to retrieve this Soul-Devouring Carving Knife. This was a testament to its importance. Originally, he had thought that he would have to wait until he returned to the Academy. However, he did not expect Wang Yan to give him a chance now.
"Electrolux, Electrolux," Huo Yuhao tried to wake Electrolux, who was in his Spiritual Sea. However, right now, all three inhabitants of his Spiritual Sea were asleep. None of them responded to his call.
Huo Yuhao felt a sense of helplessness. If he did not try now, he did not know when would he next have the opportunity to do so. A smile crossed his face. If Electrolux would not wake up, then he would force him to get up.
As he thought about that, Huo Yuhao had already released his spiritual detection toward the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife. However, this time, he did not act rashly. Instead, he was cautious, but not fearful. He wasn't afraid of the backlash from the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife. While his own powers were nothing remarkable, as he was just a two-ringed soul master, his spiritual power was respectable. While his own spiritual power was nothing much, he had a million year soul beast with the spirit attribute, a powerful person from another world, and one of the Ten Great Savage Beasts in his Spiritual Sea.
If the three of them couldn't help him overcome the spiritual backlash, very few people in the world would be able to help secure his Spiritual Sea.
The spiritual power of any soul master was greater than that of an ordinary mortal. However, only seven-ringed soul masters and above could control their own spiritual power, or use their spiritual power directly. The exception were soul masters like Huo Yuhao, who naturally had the spirit attribute.
His spiritual detection carefully landed on the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife. The moment it touched it, Huo Yuhao felt his body tremble violently. Everything before him turned black, and the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife appeared to have turned into an endless black hole. A crazy energy devoured his spiritual power, and an extremely dark and cold aura, brimming with terror, penetrated his Spiritual Sea through his spiritual detection.
The moment the terrifying aura entered, Huo Yuhao could feel his spiritual power being dissected. It was as if someone had cut it in half. It was a terribly uncomfortable feeling, as if his head were being forcefully sliced open.
If Huo Yuhao were acting alone, then this powerful aura would have injured him severely as it entered his Spiritual Sea. In fact, his Spiritual Sea might even have be damaged. However, he was not fighting alone.
The first to react was the Skydream Iceworm, who was the closest to Huo Yuhao.
Skydream woke up from his sleep, and while he did not know what had happened, he immediately rushed to defend his turf.
Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Sea was like his home, and he had a wife and kids in his home. The invasion from the Soul-Devouring Carving Knife was like someone kicking down his front door to steal his wife. How could he not be enraged?
Wang Yan stood by the side. His heart almost missed a beat when he saw Huo Yuhao's body trembling violently, and he almost acted to interfere. However, he quickly noticed that Huo Yuhao's two eyes shone with a dazzling gold light. Quickly, his two soul rings appeared on his body. The second one currently gave off the purple glow of a thousand year soul ring, while the first one was a glossy white with an intense golden halo at its center.
The terrifying aura that had sought to barge into Huo Yuhao's brain hit a stone wall. Immediately, it rebounded, and the knife itself made a pathetic whimper. It was vibrating slightly, and giving off a green gas.
Wang Yan stopped himself as he stared in shock at the gold on Huo Yuhao's first soul ring. He had never seen anything like this before, but he could feel the vast, unbridled spiritual power that Huo Yuhao gave off, which exceeded that of a soul king.