Chapter 238: Changes

Tie Li, who had planned to continue cultivating, suddenly received a signal transmitted by Du Gu Bo.

He had to stop cultivating immediately and temporarily leave Leichi.

But when he arrived, Du Gu Bo was not there; instead stood a handsome man dressed in white.

"Your trail has been discovered; the Spirit Hall has dispatched a group of Soul Masters to kill you. Senior Du Gu Bo went to intercept them. You should leave with me first," the handsome man said.

Tie Li was doubtful about the man's identity, but the signal Du Gu Bo transmitted carried his unique soul power fluctuation, something other Soul Masters could not imitate. He could trust him for now, but remain on guard.

"Fine."

The handsome man led the way ahead, occasionally glancing back at Tie Li as if worried he couldn't keep up.

Seeing Tie Li moving with ease, he realized he had underestimated him.

"Fortunately Elder Ju Douluo had guessed earlier, letting us lie in wait here; otherwise you would have escaped,"

Suddenly, dozens of Soul Masters appeared from all sides, forming an encirclement around the two.

Among them, the lowest Soul Power Level belonged to a Five Ring Soul King.

"Deploying so many Soul Masters—your Spirit Hall is really generous," the handsome man said, looking at the leading Spirit Hall Soul Master.

Two yellow, three purple, two black—seven Soul Rings floated beneath him, making the handsome man a Seven-ring Soul Saint.

"Hahaha, if you must blame anyone, blame his exceptionally high talent; it made us sense danger. Had he been an ordinary core disciple, we might have ignored him,"

The same Soul Ring configuration appeared beneath him, but his aura was far stronger than the handsome man's.

Behind him stood two Soul Masters, both Seven-ring Soul Saints, followed by a Six-ring Soul Emperor and a Five Ring Soul King.

Tie Li had already summoned his Zhen Long Chui Spirit, with two yellow, two purple, two black Soul Rings—a configuration beyond the limit—giving him confidence against the dozens of attacking Soul Masters.

"Attack!"

The Spirit Hall Soul Masters clearly did not wish to talk, intending a swift strike to avoid prolonged conflict.

The handsome man was blocked directly by two Spirit Hall Soul Saints, while the remaining Soul Masters all attacked Tie Li.

He thought internally, "This is bad," but faced the onslaught of two Soul Saints, he could only barely defend himself.

The first, third, fourth, and sixth Soul Rings lit up simultaneously; Black Thunder wove a sturdy thunder torso around Tie Li like silkworm thread—a torso approaching Ultimate Lightning.

With the blessing of thunder rain, the Zhen Long Chui, comparable to a Weapon Soul True Body, perfectly matched Tie Li within the thunder torso.

"Boom"

A hammer charged with terrifying Black Thunder slammed out, instantly inflicting heavy damage on several Soul Emperors and Soul Kings.

Ma Zuo's complexion changed; he could hardly believe a Six-ring Soul Emperor could achieve this. Even for a Seven-ring Soul Saint like himself, the hammer's power might be too much.

On the battlefield, Tie Li swung several hammers; each struck several Soul Masters severely, and a few Soul Kings were outright blasted, their bodies shredded by Black Thunder.

"Damn it, I refuse to believe a Six-ring Soul Emperor could overturn the heavens!"

Ma Zuo's seventh Soul Ring suddenly lit up, entering Weapon Soul True Body state; his martial soul was the Fierce Flame Tiger, a very powerful beast martial soul.

In Weapon Soul True Body, his strength, burst, and soul power surged dramatically, with soul skill damage doubled and no longer limited.

His body exceeded three meters, saturated with red soul power, bearing many Fierce Flame Tiger traits; his eyes glowed crimson as if on the verge of losing control.

Tie Li sensed Ma Zuo's strength as a Soul Saint, yet when Ma Zuo readied a ferocious strike, Tie Li, with no intention to dodge, swung his Zhen Long Chui and slammed it at him.

"Boom"

Black Lightning collided with scarlet flame; the resulting blast scattered lightning and fire outward with considerable destructive power. Tie Li stepped back three paces, while Ma Zuo retreated dozens.

In raw power, Tie Li surpassed Soul Saint Ma Zuo; in attribute, the near‑Ultimate Black Thunder was undeniably stronger. Even if Ma Zuo entered Weapon Soul True Body, the Black Thunder had been amplified by multiple soul skills.

Just comparing Soul Ring ages, he was not inferior to him.

"Roar"

Tie Li let out an inhuman roar, reconsolidated his power, leapt upward, and hammered fiercely toward Ma Zuo's position.

Ma Zuo felt a sudden scalp tingling; Tie Li's unleashed momentum was in no way inferior to that of a Soul Saint.

His Soul Rings interwove and flashed; the scarlet flame turned into tiger heads or flame chains, but each was shattered by the Zhen Long Chui's assault.

"Boom"

Another collision sent Ma Zuo flying again, a streak of blood appearing at his mouth corner; he was seriously wounded.

"Can't you come back and help?"

Now he couldn't worry about pride; he immediately called for rescue from the two Soul Saints.

"One Soul Saint not even a match for a Soul Emperor?"

"I'll engage him; you go assist. This mission must not fail."

"Alright."

The handsome man felt a brief relief, but showed no joy; Tie Li's displayed combat power was formidable—already impressive to gain an edge over a Soul Saint—but now facing two Soul Saints...

Yet immediately, his perception of Tie Li was refreshed again; despite the onslaught of two Soul Saints and several Soul Emperors, Tie Li showed no sign of defeat, growing bolder.

Tie Li's second Soul Ring lit up; the thunder torso formed from Black Thunder stalled briefly, a thunderous resonance added, greatly amplifying his soul skill damage.

A purely single‑target strike; the hammer's force even rippled the void.

Facing Tie Li's hammer, the Spirit Hall Soul Masters felt a suffocating blast hit them.

They each unleashed their strongest soul skills to resist, but amid the snarling intertwining of Black Thunder.

Several Soul Emperors died on the spot, and Ma Zuo's two Soul Saints suffered varying injuries.

"How is that possible? He's only a Six-ring Soul Emperor," Ma Zuo's eyes filled with disbelief; how could a Soul Emperor surpass a Soul Saint's combat power?

But immediately, he guessed another possibility, a hint of greed flashing in his gaze.

Besides a soul bone, what else could let a Soul Emperor unleash power comparable to a Soul Saint's?

Moreover, that soul bone must be over fifty thousand years old; only such quality could achieve this.

Considering his identity, everything seemed to fall into place.

Tie Li noticed Ma Zuo's strange gaze, a cold smile curling his lips. Today, he would slay every Spirit Hall Soul Master; then, would he still need to guess the dead's thoughts?

"You think you can escape me?" The handsome young man saw the other party trying to flee and immediately entangled them.

The situation had undergone a huge change; with the roles of attack and defense reversed, but the handsome young man clearly knew what he should do.

The fire crystal spear martial soul in his hand transformed into a hundred-meter fire dragon, lunging at the Spirit Hall's Soul Saint.

(End of chapter)