Chapter 14: Intense Battle, Red Sky Flowing Fire
"How could this be...?"
"I clearly scouted everything. Where did she come from?"
Su Ye's face darkened as he stared at Zhu Zhuqing, his Golden Flame Eagle's flames blazing, his legs bent in a defensive stance, ready to fight.
At this moment, a calm, indifferent voice suddenly emerged from thin air.
"Young man, you should know your place. It will be better for everyone."
A tall, aristocratic-looking man with slicked-back long hair stepped out from behind Zhu Zhuqing, hands clasped behind his back.
To the naked eye, there was nothing there a moment ago, but the person had appeared out of nowhere.
Invisibility skill!
Su Ye's heart sank. No wonder he hadn't noticed any ambush earlier; it turned out this soul skill was at play. He had let his guard down.
Yellow, purple, black...
"...Six-ring Soul Emperor!"
A quick glance at the six soul rings on the opponent's body made Su Ye feel the situation had become more troublesome, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth.
The difference in cultivation was too great. If it were just Zhu Zhuqing alone, Su Ye wasn't afraid, to be honest.
His martial soul, the Golden Flame Eagle, was far stronger in defense than other beast martial souls. If they fought head-on, it would be hard to say who would win.
"Young man, I've never seen a Soul Master with a thousand-year soul ring as their first. Today, I'm truly seeing something new," the man, Zhu Changlin, commented, his voice filled with admiration as he gazed at the purple soul ring.
This wasn't the first time, but seeing that thousand-year soul ring still made him lose his composure, and he couldn't help but express his admiration.
He immediately regained his composure, his voice turning heavy, "Kid, which family do you come from? Give me your name."
Oh, Su Ye thought. It seems that the thousand-year soul ring made him cautious, and now he's afraid of the power behind me.
Knowing that the man wouldn't immediately act with deadly intent, Su Ye realized this was his opportunity.
With a flash, he planted his sword into the ground, tossing his backpack aside, and stood in a relaxed, fearless manner.
"I've heard of the power of the Star Luo Empire's Nether Cat Martial Soul. Last time, I was too focused on saving people to witness the true genius of the Zhu family."
"I finally managed to sneak out, but if I go back now, my grandfather might not let me off easily."
"Zhu Zhuqing told me you're called Zhu Zhuqing, and you're now a Soul Sect with four rings. I'd really like to see what you've got!"
As he said this, Su Ye turned to Zhu Changlin and added, "Senior, didn't you want to ask about my origins? Why not ask my martial soul? It'll tell you the answer!"
Zhu Changlin raised an eyebrow, glancing at Zhu Zhuqing. "Zhuqing, this young man wants to see our Zhu family's Nether Cat Martial Soul. What do you think?"
Zhu Zhuqing understood her uncle's meaning. To rashly offend him wouldn't be good for the situation, and it could cause trouble.
Moreover, she was quite interested in such a young talent.
Although Zhu Zhuqing had been rescued, she was gravely poisoned and wouldn't survive for long. Even if she managed to survive, it would only be a matter of time.
If they could recruit someone like this genius and their backing forces, it might be even more beneficial.
After thinking for a moment, Zhu Zhuqing smiled faintly, her phoenix eyes shining with a seductive allure. "Little brother, do you really want to fight me?"
"From your soul power fluctuation, you should be only at level 20, right?"
"You haven't even gotten your second soul ring yet. Do you think you're my opponent?"
If not for your Soul Emperor...
Do you think I'm afraid of you?
Su Ye glanced at her chest, rolling his eyes in exasperation, "As expected, your personality matches your figure perfectly."
"What do you mean?" Zhu Zhuqing's face darkened slightly, clearly aware that Su Ye's words weren't complimentary.
Su Ye shrugged nonchalantly, "Look at your brain, and you still dare to ask me."
"Big chest, no brain!"
Su Ye's eyes narrowed as he openly showed his disdain, hoping to provoke her into attacking so they could settle this in a one-on-one fight.
"Don't you know that the absorption age of a soul ring depends on the body's endurance?"
"I was able to absorb a thousand-year soul ring for my first one, while you had to wait until your third. That means my physical strength is far superior to yours."
"If I get my second soul ring, you're no match for me!"
Humiliated like this, Zhu Zhuqing was truly enraged. With a cold sneer, she said, "Is that so? Let's try!"
The moment the words left her mouth, her figure shot out.
Whoosh! The black Nether Cat was incredibly agile, shooting forward like a black meteor, its sharp claws aiming for Su Ye's throat.
Su Ye remained unmoving, simply raising his arm to block.
Clang! The sharp claws collided with the sturdy feathers of the Golden Flame Eagle, creating a burst of sparks like a blade meeting a shield.
To the naked eye, Zhu Zhuqing's terrifying claws left only a shallow mark on the feathers.
Su Ye was unscathed!
"Huh, no wonder this kid dares to challenge the Soul Sect." Zhu Changlin was once again greatly shocked, thinking to himself, "What kind of martial soul is this? There are many Soul Masters with bird-type martial souls, but I've never seen a golden bird martial soul..."
Zhu Changlin's pupils contracted as a thought crossed his mind, "Could it be... a mutated martial soul?!"
Zhu Changlin was shocked, but Zhu Zhuqing was even more surprised. Her claws seemed to be cutting through solid metal, and her fingers were throbbing with pain.
Realizing that normal attacks wouldn't work, Zhu Zhuqing immediately activated a soul skill.
"Second soul skill, Nether Cat Hundred Claws!"
Her attack speed increased dramatically as she spun like a spinning top.
Her sharp claws struck like drills, launching hundreds of attacks at a single point, sparks flying with every strike.
Nether Cat Hundred Claws was a close-range, single-target skill, allowing the user to strike the same spot with over a hundred rapid attacks. The speed was overwhelming, and the destructive power was terrifying.
With its unique penetration effect, as long as it left a wound on the opponent, the soul power would enter their body, disrupting their meridians and gradually robbing them of their ability to move.
Su Ye retreated quickly to avoid the attacks, but Zhu Zhuqing's rapid spinning strikes were too fast, making it difficult to dodge.
Bang! With a loud crash, Su Ye was knocked back, sliding a few meters on the ground before stopping. A shallow five-centimeter long wound appeared on his bare chest.
Had it not been for his timely defense with the wings of his martial soul, it would have been a far worse injury.
"Tch, so it can only defend against normal attacks, not soul skills. You're bleeding now," Su Ye chuckled as he wiped away the blood, unfazed. He knew that one day his martial soul would become strong enough to resist all attacks.
"You..." Zhu Zhuqing's voice trembled with fury as she felt the sting of his words, her anger boiling over.
If this were a direct verbal taunt, it would have been bearable, especially since this abnormally powerful defense was indeed astonishing.
The young man wore a dissatisfied expression, which was almost too heartless and cruel.
Bleeding?
"I used my second soul skill, and it only tore through a little of your skin."
"You're still unhappy with my martial soul's defense...?"
If that's not enough, then what does my Nether Cat Martial Soul count as?
Isn't it just a trash martial soul?!
Zhu Zhuqing wanted to close the distance again, but Su Ye wasn't going to give her that chance.
His martial soul was also focused on speed and agility, with flying being its greatest advantage.
Whoosh!
With a flap of his wings, Su Ye soared into the air, surrounded by flames that soared to the heavens, as though the sun itself were descending.
"Zhu Zhuqing, you've attacked, but now it's time for you to take my move."
"First soul skill—"
"Red! Sky! Flowing! Fire!"
(End of chapter)