Chapter 40: Undercurrent

Under the terrifying aura, Zhang Qing's Thousand-Year Soul Ring lit up, and his already hulking frame became even more exaggerated, like a humanoid Soul Beast, emitting a roar.

Those arms, which were nothing like a human's, tried to grab Tie Li's Lightning Hammer.

Boom—

Tie Li felt the massive force transmitted from the hammer, his body staggered eight or nine meters backward before he barely steadied himself.

In contrast, the opponent only stepped back three paces, yet his arms, having taken a hard lightning strike, were forcibly split with several cracks, blood oozing from the fissures as he trembled unnaturally.

"One more time," Duolangbu shouted.

At the same time, he commanded vines to assault Zhang Qing; the Three Ring Soul Honorable, having sustained such severe injuries, presented a perfect chance to eliminate him.

Two thick vines instantly transformed into dozens of tendrils, surged onto Zhang Qing's body, and wrapped around his massive frame.

"Good."

In fact, Tie Li was also affected, but the Lightning Armor on his right arm absorbed most of the damage for him.

He released his second soul skill again, and the thunder strike gathered with Lightning Light erupted with astonishing momentum once more.

Li Qing'er's expression shifted slightly; she could not just watch Zhang Qing be eliminated like that.

But at that moment, Baijiao blocked her.

Baijiao knew that by doing so she might be eliminated herself, but as long as she stopped Li Qing'er, the opponent would lose a Soul Elder.

"Boom"

"Boom"

Two sounds rang out, and the first to be eliminated were the two Soul Elders, Youhe and Zhang Qing.

Baijiao, in order to intercept Li Qing'er, became the third Soul Master to be eliminated.

Thus the situation became even more bleak.

Originally the underdog, with the sole Soul Elder eliminated, the odds shifted to five against six.

…

Kaiqi, as team leader, left the minor Spirit Hall at that moment and entered a certain room in the main Spirit Hall.

"You say the people we met on the road weren't members of the Jinli Clan?" Kaiqi had long suspected, merely curious about the other's identity.

"It's the Red Fire Clan. I just received word that the Red Fire Clan was annihilated, with only a handful of members escaping;

The Red Fire Clan was deeply rooted in Guya City, yet they were wiped out on their own turf; the most striking thing is that the news of their extermination only just emerged now. Do you find that unbelievable?" Supervisor Ao's eyes still held a trace of shock.

Supervisor Ao summoned Kaiqi alone to the room because the team she led had encountered fleeing members of the Red Fire Clan on the road.

"On your way here, you must have sensed the Soul Masters hunting them, right? What are your guesses? Or have you identified where those Soul Masters came from?" Supervisor Ao asked.

Kaiqi shook her head; in truth she already had a suspect in mind, but dared not voice it.

To wipe out the Red Fire Clan in Guya City and keep the news hidden must involve a colossal entity, but... if such a being was drawn to strike the Red Fire Clan, did the clan perhaps possess a treasure of incalculable value?

Supervisor Ao saw Kaiqi's apprehension and did not press her further.

Honestly, if it weren't for orders from above, he wouldn't want to get involved in this mess.

But to appease the superiors, he had to put on a show, call Kaiqi over, and it so happened that they had encountered fleeing Red Fire Clan members on the road.

Afterwards he asked some irrelevant questions, and Supervisor Ao let Kaiqi leave first.

"Just want to know the details? Or are you also interested in the treasure the Red Fire Clan obtained?" Supervisor Ao muttered, staring into the dim corner.

Returning to the minor Spirit Hall, the Soul Battle there had already concluded.

Facing a team of three Soul Elders, they unsurprisingly lost the Soul Battle, but Kaiqi was surprised that they managed to eliminate two of the opponent's Soul Elders.

Fortunately, the second round used a point system, so losing a single match wouldn't have a huge impact.

"It's fine; the next team we face won't be that hard to handle," Kaiqi comforted.

Everyone returned to the arena, discussed the upcoming opponent teams, set tactics, and then went back to their own rooms to rest.

What follows are consecutive Soul Battles, and rest is crucial.

During the six-day stretch of Soul Battle tournaments, Yan Team only lost the Team Soul Battle to the Giant Stone Team; all other matches were victories, giving them enough points to avoid last-place elimination. With two battles left, the second round will be over.

What piqued Tie Li's curiosity was how formidable the team dispatched by the WuHunZhuDian would be, beyond the rewards for the top three.

At night, Tie Li, still unwilling, took out a Soul Beast skull to fiddle with;

Each time he produced the Soul Beast skull, a hint of hope flickered in his heart, but he always angrily tucked the skull back into his storage ring.

"Alas, two thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

A faint sigh carried a trace of regret.

After learning the points were sufficient to advance to the next round, letting the two remaining matches feature never-before-seen members seemed to leave no regrets.

The second-round elimination matches concluded, and Yan Team advanced with a sixth-place ranking.

That night, the Spirit Hall of Bainuoia City surrounded the Jinli Clan.

"Anbu Luo, what do you mean? Trying to strike my Jinli Clan?" Jin Yan, as the clan chief of the Jinli Clan, glared at him with anger.

"Chief Jin, your Jinli Clan colludes with Fallen Soul Masters; today the Spirit Hall will eradicate you all."

"Anbu Luo, you need evidence when you speak; you have none. On what grounds do you claim we collude with Fallen Soul Masters? Do you think the Spirit Hall's word is law?"

"This is the evidence."

Anbu Luo waved his hand, and an attendant of the Spirit Hall lifted a drained corpse, tossing it in front of Jin Yan.

"Using a bizarre corpse as evidence?"

"Is that not enough? Once I take you down, all the evidence will surface, won't it? Attack!"

At Anbu Luo's signal, all Soul Masters of the Spirit Hall surged into the Jinli Clan's mansion.

"Anbu Luo, you're courting death!" Jin Yan shouted angrily, a Soul Ring appearing beneath him.

Two Yellow, three Purple, one Black!

As the clan chief of the Jinli Clan, his Soul Power Level had reached sixty‑seven.

In the Martial Soul Possession State, Jin Yan's body was covered by a layer of golden insect carapace; the size did not change much, but beneath the carapace a terrifying power was contained.

The most notable trait of the Diamond Ant martial soul is its outstanding strength and formidable defense.

"Then let the ancient ancestor of the Jin Li clan appear; you are still not worthy."

Ambro produced a chilling long spear in his hand, its aura extraordinary, and seven Soul Ring floated up from it.

One white, one yellow, three purple, two black!

As a senior bishop of the Spirit Hall, his Soul Power Level had reached 73, and his martial soul was the Ice Crystal Glass Dragon Spear among the weapon martial souls.

The first, third, and fifth Soul Ring lit up simultaneously, and with the boost of three major internal soul skill amplifications, his aura rose to its peak.

Jin Yan's expression turned sour, but he did not retreat; with the ancient ancestor absent, he, as clan head, must stand at the front.

A black light flared, and Jin Yan, without any hesitation, unleashed the sixth soul skill, the sole Ten Thousand Year Soul Technique.

Facing a Seven-Ring Soul Saint, this was his only option.

(End of chapter)