Feeling the terrifying power closing in, the woman didn't dare hesitate—she activated the Space-Time Divine Shuttle in her hand at the fastest speed.
This Divine Shuttle was a space-type divine artifact. Not only could it store a vast number of items, but it also possessed the ability to traverse through space.
The spatial restrictions caused by the Dark-Gold Claws couldn't affect the Space-Time Divine Shuttle, so its space-transit ability was triggered instantly.
Just as the dark-gold claws were about to strike her, the woman's body was enveloped in silver light and disappeared in an instant—barely avoiding the attack.
The claw's energy continued to slice through space, flying several hundred meters before slashing through a mountain. The massive peak was cut cleanly in half, leaving a perfectly smooth cross-section.
Because the claw had struck at an angle, the five severed segments of the mountain began to slide and tumble downward.
The moment the woman vanished, Yun Ze pressed a second button. The circular Soul Tool adjusted its barrel angle and fired another attack.
This Soul Tool launched seven thick branches, each as wide as an arm, made from countless intertwined vines. Though composed of wood, their hardness exceeded that of steel.
The branches had sharp, conical tips. Their roots extended outward like spears, thrusting forward in a straight line.
Hundreds of meters away, in midair, silver light flickered—the woman reappeared. Before she could even catch her breath, an overwhelming sense of danger surged once again.
Yun Ze had accurately predicted her position through the spatial fluctuations and had already fired. The attack was now upon her.
Her pupils contracted violently. She barely had time to twist her body slightly before several vines pierced through her.
This was one of the Ten Thousand Demon King's innate abilities—Death Thorn. Its lethality was astonishing.
The seemingly ordinary vines pierced straight through the woman's three-word Battle Armor, stabbing into her abdomen, chest, and leg. Only three of the seven hit, the other four missing.
The vines were spaced apart—nearly two meters at their widest interval—so for her slender frame, even being hit by three was already impressive.
This limitation came from the fact that the skill was copied; Yun Ze couldn't control the spacing of the vines like the real Ten Thousand Demon King could.
The previous Dark-Gold Terror Claw and this Death Thorn were both replicated skills—and could each be used only once.
The material of the Soul Tool couldn't withstand the energy of more than two such skills. That's why Yun Ze had made three separate Soul Tools.
After each use, they needed to be recharged and re-inscribed with the skill imprint and energy.
This was one of the three Soul Tools Yun Ze had developed. The drawbacks were obvious—it required recharging after use—but the advantage was that it didn't need soul power to activate and could be fired freely.
He had even replicated a skill from Di Tian (the Beast God). If he had used that one now, there was a seventy percent chance it would have killed her outright.
But unleashing it right away would have been less effective for intimidation—after all, this woman wasn't the only enemy here.
That space-type weapon in her hand had caught him off guard; otherwise, those two attacks would have been enough to kill her.
"Ah—!"
The woman screamed as vines pierced her abdomen, chest, and right leg. Her body was carried through the air by the vines.
When the vine's energy was spent, it disintegrated into green light and dissipated. Losing support, the woman's body fell dozens of meters before she barely managed to stabilize herself.
This scene shocked everyone again. It shattered their understanding of what was possible.
"That looks like… Leng Yulai! A Super Douluo! A three-word Battle Armor master—she's seriously injured just like that?" Cai Yue'er gasped in disbelief.
Only a handful recognized Leng Yulai, but that didn't lessen the collective shock.
The four directors of the Sun-Moon Royal Academy stared feverishly at the three circular Soul Tools.
They were all Rank Nine Soul Engineers, veterans with sharp eyes. From the two earlier attacks, they had already deduced the truth.
These Soul Tools didn't create the attacks themselves—they had replicated Soul Skills.
They could tell because the aura of the skill was distinctly different from that of the Soul Tool's own energy.
There had been previous experiments replicating Soul Skills, but none that could replicate Super Douluo-level abilities.
Both the Sun-Moon Royal Academy and the Federation Research Institute were still at the stage of developing Soul Tools that could replicate Soul Saint-level attacks.
And now—before their eyes—appeared a Soul Tool that had copied a Super Douluo's skill! They were both crushed and ecstatic.
Even as danger still loomed, these old men—fanatics for Soul Tool research—were already dreaming of getting their hands on Yun Ze's inventions.
"Cough… cough…" Leng Yulai spat blood, her aura weakening rapidly.
"What kind of monster are you?" she rasped, staring at Yun Ze with fear in her eyes.
If not for the searing pain in her body, she might have thought it was all a nightmare. A child had nearly killed her—unbelievable, surreal.
"How do you expect me to answer that?" Yun Ze replied calmly. The Molten Lord Mecha lunged forward, charging at her.
Forcing herself through the pain, Leng Yulai fought back, but she didn't dare go all out.
Most of her attention was focused on Yun Ze—especially on that final circular Soul Tool—terrified it might unleash another fatal strike.
Judging by the sequence, this last attack should have been the most powerful; if it hit, she would surely die.
That fear consumed her focus. She couldn't fight properly, her nerves stretched to the breaking point.
In truth, she was wrong—the Dark-Gold Terror Claw from the Bear King had far greater destructive power than the Death Thorn.
The sequence had nothing to do with strength; Yun Ze had simply fired them in the order he found most fitting.
Yun Ze looked at her calmly, his gaze sharp as a blade. Leng Yulai felt her spine go cold—her breath caught in her throat, terrified the next instant would bring her end.
Severely wounded, her strength was less than half her normal power. Against the Molten Lord Mecha, she was already at a disadvantage—and her fear only deepened it.
After a few minutes of battle, Leng Yulai couldn't hold out any longer. Psychological pressure and pain pushed her to the brink of collapse.
"Lord Ghost Emperor! This subordinate was too weak to complete the mission! I am ready for punishment!" she shouted toward the sky.
Pulling away from the mecha, she gritted her teeth and ordered, "Retreat!"
Then, bloodied and humiliated, she fled into the distance—this was the most disgraceful moment of her life.
The other Evil Soul Masters, terrified, broke off their fights and followed her in retreat.
"USELESS FOOLS!"
A furious roar echoed from the heavens—it was the Ghost Emperor's voice, deafening, filled with killing intent.
The fleeing Evil Soul Masters trembled. Leng Yulai and the others shivered at the sound, their hearts filled with dread.
They knew well what awaited them—severe punishment. The Ghost Emperor's wrath was not something one could easily endure.
Still, fear of death outweighed fear of pain, and they did not dare stop.
(End of Chapter)