Chapter 187: Shi Nian

"Da Li, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Tie Li had planned to visit the Li Clan's blacksmith shop, but unexpectedly ran into Tang San.

When he saw Tie Li, Tang San greeted him warmly; for now, his impression of Tie Li was very good.

Tang San came to the Li Clan's blacksmith shop because the hidden‑weapon parts he was forging were finished, and he needed to take them back for assembly.

With a huge order from the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect, both Tang San and the Li Clan earned a large sum of Gold Soul Coins.

Recently, the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect has been supporting the Min Clan; they only require Min Clan members to act as scouts, and in return they will pay a large sum of Gold Soul Coins.

Bai He was aware of the goodwill shown by the Seven Treasure Glazed Sect, but he had his own concerns.

Especially under Ning Fengzhi's clever wording, he unintentionally revealed that Yang Wudi had given him an Immortal Herb, and only realized something was off afterward.

This gave Bai He a bad feeling.

"It's been a long time," Tie Li replied.

Tang San came here to collect the hidden‑weapon parts, while Tie Li was here to retrieve a rare metal that the Li Clan had specially kept an eye on for him.

After learning that Tie Li was a heritage disciple of the Fenglei Sect, the Li Clan's attitude toward him changed noticeably.

After the two retrieved their respective items and left the blacksmith shop together, they chatted casually, but their steps began to slow as they both sensed something was amiss.

What should have been a ten‑minute walk now took a full half hour.

Damn!

Tie Li muttered to himself, having already guessed the other's identity.

The time and place are quite different from the original timeline!

"Da Li, we may have been ambushed," Tang San said, his face showing no panic as he began to analyze calmly in his mind.

"Be careful, his martial soul might be very unusual."

As the two halted, Shi Nian's figure appeared before them.

"No wonder you're the top students of the two great academies; your vigilance is indeed strong, but you discovered it too late,"

"No need to think about notifying your fellow students and teachers; just look around,"

As Shi Nian's voice faded, the surrounding streets vanished, and the two found themselves standing in a desolate wilderness.

Tang San reacted swiftly, having already completed the assembly of the Zhuge Divine Crossbow; sixteen sharp bolts pierced Shi Nian's chest, yet not a drop of blood emerged.

"Oh? A weapon with great power— is it a Soul Guide Device?"

Shi Nian's gaze returned to Tang San and Tie Li, his eyes now tinged with extra interest.

"Among your peers, you are undeniably outstanding, truly geniuses;

As heritage disciples of the Fenglei Sect who break through to Soul King before twenty‑five, you are the flame of Fenglei's revival. The thought of extinguishing your flame with my own hands makes me thrilled—hahaha."

Shi Nian looked at Tie Li with a hint of madness in his expression; just recalling that he had strangled the only revival flame of the once‑proud Fenglei Sect, becoming the final destroyer of that power, he found it hard to control his excitement.

This is far more satisfying to his twisted tastes than torturing a genius to death.

Tie Li's expression remained calm, but he was deeply shocked inside; his spiritual power is highly sensitive, especially to danger, yet this time there was no feedback.

Tie Li has never been one to sit and wait for death; even knowing Tang San has means to deal with him, he would never hand his life over to another.

He summoned the Zhen Long Chui Spirit, its two yellow, two purple, and one black Soul Rings floating up and down.

"Hahaha, struggling desperately? A Soul Sect, a Soul King trying to break my illusion? Today I'll show you what a Soul Saint's methods are."

Tie Li didn't rush to attack; trapped within his martial soul, he first needed to locate his true form.

"Da Li, I can see his true form, but can you restrain him?" Tang San's voice appeared beside Tie Li.

Zi Ji Mo Tan is the nemesis of all illusion techniques; it lets him see through the illusion Shi Nian created, but using a Yama King Sticker to successfully hit a Soul Saint is extremely difficult.

Tie Li nodded; if he unleashed his full power to briefly restrain a Soul Saint, the difficulty would not be great.

"Northward ahead, at the second tree's location."

"Got it."

The first, third, and fifth Soul Rings ignited simultaneously, their sudden surge surpassing a normal Soul King, and Black Thunder entered its Ultimate Lightning Domain at that moment.

Tie Li's eruption was swift; in less than a breath, he appeared within Shi Nian's true form's domain.

"Sss"

Black Thunder swirled around the Zhen Long Chui, its raging lightning emitting a harsh screech.

"Boom"

A hammer strike boomed, and Shi Nian's figure recoiled quickly, trying to dodge Tie Li's blow.

"What, kid, how did you locate me?" Shi Nian was startled; he hadn't even released a soul skill, yet the opponent had already found his true form.

The lightning encircling Tie Li made him sense mortal danger; even as an Eight Ring Soul Douluo, he had never felt this before.

Shi Nian had originally intended to unleash his seventh soul skill, Nightmare, to torment them to death within the illusion, but now he decided not to continue and to swiftly slay the two.

The situation was slipping beyond his control; he needed to end the two before him quickly.

The third and fourth Soul Rings surrounding Shi Nian lit up.

Tie Li found his vision beginning to blur, and even his own movements slowed by a fraction.

The Black Thunder coiled around the Zhen Long Chui transformed into a single Poison Snake, enveloping Tie Li's body; the lightning stimulated Tie Li's spiritual sea, also forming a unique shield.

"Kid, fighting me, you're a bit…"

"Huh"

Shi Nian hadn't finished speaking when his body was suddenly trapped by dark blue‑silver grass, an instant‑activation control soul skill, which was also

the moment his Bone Wings unfurled, the Black Thunder emanating from them went berserk; Tie Li's eruption reached its limit, and the Zhen Long Chui, imbued with Ultimate Lightning, aimed at Shi Nian's body.

"Bastard!"

The sixth Soul Ring on Shi Nian lit up; this was an offensive soul skill, specifically a mental attack against a Soul Master.

"You, die!" Shi Nian's visage turned feral, his cold gaze seeming to envision Tie Li's gruesome death.

"What? How could your lightning possibly shatter my spiritual attack?"

Shi Nian's face changed dramatically, his eyes filled with terror and disbelief.

The word "Zhen" sounds like a tone, resonant, shocking the soul!

This is Thunder Dragon's six‑tone Zhen resonance, a uniquely powerful attack method that counters all tactics; even attacks beyond the physical realm, such as spiritual attacks, are broken within the thunder tone.

Ultimate Lightning further elevates the Zhen resonance to an extreme stage, breaking through Shi Nian's sixth soul skill.

It is at this moment that Tang San finally presents his long‑awaited Yama King Sticker.

The Yama King says you should die at the third watch; who dares keep anyone alive until the fifth watch!

(End of chapter)