In the distance, Xie Yue's gaze remained calm and composed, as if the person who had just been repelled by Yan wasn't him at all.
With a slight flick of his wrists, he reversed his grip on the two Moon Blades, the curved edges now resting against the insides of his forearms.
"First Soul Skill: Moon Slash!"
As a yellow soul ring manifested around him, Xie Yue performed two consecutive spins, channeling the full strength of his body into his arms before hurling them forward one after another.
With two sharp whooshes, the Moon Blades pierced through the air, spinning at extreme speeds. Each blade radiated an intense silver-white light, resembling two silver wheels as they streaked toward Yan in tandem.
Seeing the Moon Blades approaching at high velocity, Yan's gaze narrowed. He had known Xie Yue for two years and they had sparred countless times; he was naturally intimately familiar with Xie Yue's soul skills.
In terms of raw attack power, the Moon Slash wasn't significantly stronger than a standard strike and was inferior to his own first soul skill. In his current state of Martial Soul Possession, as long as he didn't let both blades hit the exact same spot, his defense wouldn't be breached.
However, besides increasing attack power, the most critical aspect of Moon Slash was that it strengthened the connection between the blades and Xie Yue.
Every Tool Soul Master possesses a connection with their Martial Soul, allowing for a degree of control that increases with their cultivation rank.
Normally, at low levels, this control is too weak to be utilized effectively in combat. However, once Moon Slash is activated, Xie Yue's control over his Moon Blades is vastly enhanced, allowing him to manipulate them mid-flight with extreme flexibility.
Yan channeled a massive amount of soul power into his arms.
The dark red glow atop his limbs intensified, and the attached flames grew more violent. Facing the first oncoming silver wheel, Yan concentrated his strength into his right fist and threw a heavy punch.
Clang!
The fist collided directly with the edge of the Moon Blade.
Under the immense force, the blade's momentum was instantly crushed, and it was sent spinning backward. It appeared that with one punch, half of Xie Yue's first soul skill had been neutralized.
However, Yan did not celebrate.
A long, deep gash had appeared on the surface of his rock-encased right fist—his Martial Soul's defense was on the verge of failing.
One more strike to the same spot would truly break through.
When a Beast Soul Master undergoes Martial Soul Possession, any damage to the Martial Soul requires time to recover.
The more severe the injury, the longer the recovery period.
If the Martial Soul is damaged severely enough, the user can even be forced out of the possession state, unable to re-summon it for a short duration. Yan secretly circulated a portion of his soul power to nourish the damaged area on his right fist.
Having broken the first wave of the assault, he prepared to meet the second silver wheel with his left fist, only to suddenly realize the blade was nowhere to be seen.
His heart sank.
He had been so focused on dealing with the first blade that he hadn't noticed the second one changing its trajectory under Xie Yue's control.
"Not good—it's behind me!"
Just as Yan focused his senses to search for the missing weapon, he felt a powerful fluctuation of soul power rapidly approaching from behind. An invisible, sharp aura made the hair on his back stand up.
Yan spun around frantically, a flash of silver light filling his vision.
Sensing a heavy omen of crisis, his left fist roared out.
With a bang, the Moon Blade was knocked away, spinning several times in the air before embedding itself into the ground in the distance—at least a third of the blade disappeared into the stone.
However, because the move was so rushed, it lacked the stability and power of his first punch. After blocking the attack, Yan was forced back three steps by the residual force, and the surface of his left fist was also significantly damaged.
Before Yan could catch his breath, a burst of silver light erupted behind him again.
While Yan had been occupied with the second blade, Xie Yue had beckoned toward the first blade that had been knocked into the air. With his right hand shaped like a claw, a mysterious resonance pulled the Moon Blade back into his hand.
As the blade returned to his grip, a slight smile played on Xie Yue's lips.
He lunged toward Yan, leaping into the air. Holding the Moon Blades with both hands, he brought them down in a vertical slash toward Yan's back. Surging soul power gathered within the blades, blooming into a dazzling silver radiance.
Thud!
Accompanied by a muffled groan, Yan staggered forward under the weight of the strike, nearly collapsing. At the last second, he braced his left hand against the ground, performed a mid-air handstand flip, and landed on one knee.
The flames on his body surged higher, but Yan's expression was grim. He hadn't expected to fall for Xie Yue's trap; the two Moon Slash attacks were merely bait to distract him, while the true finishing blow was launched the moment he was preoccupied with the second blade.
Had anyone looked at his back, they would have seen a long, narrow gap sliced into the back of his Flame Lord Martial Soul, looking extremely fragile against the surrounding magma-like body.
Xie Yue landed nearby, standing tall.
He beckoned with his left hand, and the blade embedded in the ground trembled as if possessed by a spirit, flying back into his hand after several rotations.
Looking at the still-unyielding Yan, Xie Yue spoke helplessly: "What do you say, Yan? Do you still want to fight? Your Martial Soul's defense has already been breached. If we continue, you will still lose."
"Hmph, save your breath. I haven't lost yet!" Yan snorted coldly as he stood up.
His flames exploded outward, making him look like a flaming giant as he charged at Xie Yue.
Hum!
The two Moon Blades spun several times in Xie Yue's hands, emitting soft chimes. Gripping them tightly and cloaked in silver brilliance, Xie Yue met the charge. Faced with Yan's fire-like ferocity, he showed no fear, his blades striking out in succession to parry the onslaught.
Xie Yue's Moon Blades moved like streaks of flowing light, targeting Yan's entire body.
His footwork was incredibly agile—sometimes dodging, sometimes meeting force with force. He fought Yan to a standstill, though the power transmitted through the blades made Yan inwardly shocked.
After a dozen exchanges, despite being physically weaker than Yan, Xie Yue began to suppress him through sheer speed and the relentless momentum of his blades. Yan's possessed form was now covered in scars—blade marks of varying depths.
Boom!
Xie Yue sidestepped, dodging a heavy blow from Yan.
The ground where he had just stood instantly cracked and turned charred black, showing the terrifying strength and heat behind Yan's fist.
Taking advantage of the moment before Yan could fully recover his stance—where his old strength was spent and new strength had yet to rise—Xie Yue took a step forward and leaped into the air.
He raised both Moon Blades above his head, and the massive infusion of soul power made them shine with eye-piercing brilliance. With a low shout, he brought them down with the force of a mountain-splitting blow.
"Boom!"
Surging flames rose as a dark red light flared. Looking at the blades falling toward his head, Yan roared, his eyes wide with fury. His flaming fists struck upward to block the Moon Blades. Their soul powers clashed violently, sending a powerful shockwave rippling out in all directions.
Feeling the crushing pressure from above, Yan gritted his teeth.
In a final burst of strength, his soul power exploded, his light shining brilliantly as flames erupted toward the sky like a volcanic eruption. With this, he finally managed to repel Xie Yue.