"So, you've recognized who this humble one is," Dai Ziming said, brushing his sleeves.
"Kneel now and my offer still stands."
Lin Yang did not even twitch an eyelid. His expression remained calm.
Their soul power difference was immense. Even with his Demon Body's thousand-year rings, he could at best cause a Soul King some minor trouble.
Retreating now was impossible.
Only one road remained.
His gaze dropped. His eyes, once dark, turned blood-red with slit pupils, countless fine veins spreading across the irises.
His heartbeat quickened. The blood in his veins roared like thunder.
The true power of his second martial soul, the Demon Body, was being awakened.
In the eyes of everyone else, Lin Yang's body suddenly began to change.
From his original height of about 1.4 meters, he shot up to nearly two meters. His skin grew paler; his muscles lengthened, slender yet brimming with strength.
The skin at both sides of his forehead split open, two white short horns piercing through.
His teeth sharpened, his nails lengthened into talons tinged with blood, making one instinctively fear to touch them.
Most unnerving of all was the black pattern spreading across his skin like living flames.
The markings crawled down from the left side of his neck and cheek, covering half his body.
A faint blood mist wreathed him, refusing to disperse. Even the two soul rings circling him seemed to take on a bloody hue.
At this moment, every trace of "human" from Lin Yang's aura had almost completely vanished.
In its place was murderous malice so thick it choked the air.
Like a demon that had crawled up from the depths of hell.
Demon Body — Full Demonic Transformation!
In this state, Lin Yang's attack and defense increased by 150%, his recovery by 300%, and the power of his soul skills doubled.
"So this is your martial soul? It can transform a second time?"
Now it was Dai Ziming's turn to be surprised.
This was the first time he had encountered such a bizarre martial soul, and it only made him more determined to capture Lin Yang.
Lin Yang ignored him, suddenly raising his head.
The blood-red pupils made a shiver lance up Dai Ziming's spine.
How could that be? This was just a mere two-ring soul master.
Before he could think further, Lin Yang vanished.
Dai Ziming's Soul King-level senses screamed in alarm. A mortal danger surged from the base of his spine toward the top of his skull.
He no longer cared about maintaining an air of superiority. With a roar—
"Martial Soul, Possession!"
A layer of intense white light erupted from him.
Bones crackled and popped as his once-slender frame thickened and swelled.
His golden hair turned black-and-white, a faint "王" (king) sigil appearing on his forehead.
The inherited martial soul of the Star Luo royal clan — the White Tiger.
Yet the White Tiger before them lacked any trace of a king of beasts' majesty.
Instead, it exuded a sinister, poisonous air.
At that moment, a streak of fire burst across Dai Ziming's peripheral vision, expanding rapidly in his sight.
Sun Breathing, First Form — Dance of the Fire Wheel: Flash!
The blade had yet to reach him, but the searing, razor edge of its aura already raked his skin.
Even through his martial soul possession, Dai Ziming felt a sharp slicing pain at his neck.
Danger!
"Roar!"
Dai Ziming bellowed. His third soul ring blazed.
His possessed body shrank slightly in a bizarre motion, ghostly after-images flickering around him.
Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Phantom Flash!
Swish!
The firelight streaked past and vanished. Lin Yang appeared a short distance behind Dai Ziming, a bead of blood sliding down the blade of his Nichirin sword.
Around him, one yellow and two purple soul rings shimmered in the air.
"You—"
Dai Ziming had only managed one word when he suddenly felt a chill along his cheek, followed by a stinging pain.
He staggered back two steps, raising a trembling hand to his face.
His fingers came away stained in glaring red.
A thin cut extended from his cheekbone down to his jawline, crimson droplets slowly oozing along the wound.
Seeing this, Lin Yang sighed softly.
Truly worthy of the Soul King rank; his reaction… was fast.
If he hadn't dodged in time, that ring-enhanced slash would have taken his neck, not his face.
"My face… my face…"
Dai Ziming gingerly touched the wound. The stabbing pain froze him for a heartbeat, then he plunged into utter madness.
"You dare mar my face! I'll flay you alive and tear your tendons out! I'll leave you with no grave!"
The last words were squeezed out from between clenched teeth. His body blurred, nearly vanishing into an after-image.
They were barely ten meters apart; for Dai Ziming, that distance was nothing.
His tiger claws, sharp as knives and glowing with ghostly blue light, shredded the air with a vicious whistle as they slashed for Lin Yang's chest.
As the claws filled his pupils, Lin Yang drew a deep breath and gripped his sword in both hands.
Through Transparent World, he held absolute control over every bone, every strand of muscle, every current of soul power throughout his body.
Boom!
The black Nichirin Blade seemed to ignite, turning a blazing red.
The scorching temperature made the very air around it shimmer.
Mark… Open!
Lin Yang stomped down. The ground exploded, cracks spidering outward in a shockwave.
His body became a black shadow trailed by a blazing red comet-tail, hurling himself headlong at the blue claws.
"Sun Breathing, Eighth Form — Sunflower Thrust: Wheel of Flame!"
At the moment of collision, Lin Yang's eyes flashed.
The flaming blade suddenly veered, sliding past the tiger claws with uncanny precision and slashing directly for Dai Ziming's neck.
In this exchange, Lin Yang's left arm naturally lay exposed to the tiger claws.
A mocking gleam flashed in Dai Ziming's eyes. Trade injury for injury?
Dream on.
His fourth soul ring flared. Dai Ziming opened his mouth, chest swelling, but no roar came out.
Instead, a visible shockwave of sound mixed with soul power ripped outward, warping the air like a tidal wave.
Fourth Soul Skill, White Tiger Sky-Splitting Roar!
Buzz!
Lin Yang's vision went black. It felt as if a sledgehammer had slammed into his skull.
His eardrums burst; hot fluid trickled down his ears.
The violent sonic shock tore through flesh, shredding his organs into paste.
As Lin Yang's consciousness blurred—
A massive tiger claw ripped through the air and raked his chest.
Puchi!
Blood exploded outward.
His chest was torn open. His left forearm was severed at the elbow, spinning away in a burst of red.
The wave of agony shocked Lin Yang awake. Blood surged up his throat and burst from his mouth, mixed with pulverized organ tissue.
The bloody mist twisted, stretching in midair.
It became dozens of writhing blood-red vines, surging to latch onto Dai Ziming's body.
His arms and legs were bound in an instant, spikes tearing at his soul power barrier.
"Petty tricks!"
Soul King-level soul power flared in a storm, ripping the vines apart in one burst.
Riding that wave of explosive force, Lin Yang tumbled backward in a full flip, flung away like a stone from a sling.
He jammed his Nichirin Blade into the ground with his remaining right hand, sliding over ten meters before grinding to a halt.
He dropped to one knee, leaning on his sword, chest heaving as he tried to steady his breathing and soul power.
So this was the true strength of a Soul King.
The gap between a Soul Grandmaster and a Soul King was not just three rings —
It was the gulf of sheer, overwhelming soul power.
Even with the same hundred-year ring, a Soul King's skill was worlds apart from a Grandmaster's.
Even with the Demon Body making him near-numb to pain, his soul power was burning away at a terrifying rate in this state.
In such a short time, he had already spent nearly thirty percent of his reserves.
At this pace, he would be forced to flee on his flight skill long before Dai Ziming was driven to use his ten-thousand-year ring.
Just then, a cool, gentle stream of soul power flowed into his meridians, like a trickle of water seeping into parched earth.
It was not vast, but it came at the perfect moment.
Lin Yang's eyes lit up.
The Blue Silver Empress — she was secretly helping him recover soul power.
Beautifully done.
If not for the timing, Lin Yang would have scooped her into his arms and kissed her fiercely.
This support had come at exactly the right time.