Zhang Ming's face twisted with gloom.
"Good, good! You've got guts. Let's see what tricks you've got, Song Yu, that give you the courage to spout such arrogance!"
Soul power surged violently across his body as he activated Martial Soul Possession.
Seven spirit rings blazed into light around him—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—the perfect configuration.
The radiance of his black spirit rings in particular exuded an aura of mystery and power.
With Martial Soul Possession, Zhang Ming's appearance transformed drastically.
His entire body sprouted thick fur, his eyes glowed with eerie green flames, and his hands twisted into sharp claws. The whole scene was bizarre.
His martial soul was the Phantom Beast, specializing in spiritual attacks—an advanced martial soul of formidable strength.
But despite its sinister appearance, Zhang Ming wasn't an evil soul master.
In fact, most members of the Evening Water Alliance weren't. Only a handful of its higher-ups were evil soul masters—those whose minds weren't completely rotted by slaughter and desire.
The Holy Spirit Cult, which backed the Alliance, wasn't stupid. They knew leadership and business required clear-headed people, not deranged fanatics.
As Wang Chen watched Zhang Ming release his martial soul, he calmly drew a seventh-grade soul tool cannon from his storage device. He also equipped a seventh-grade flight soul tool on his back and arm.
At the same time, the golden soul tool ring on his left hand shimmered faintly. Hidden by its illusory projection, Wang Chen quietly fused his martial soul, Qi Ling, into the soul tool cannon.
He had no intention of exposing his martial soul—or his signature long spear soul tool.
Revealing either might leave clues that could one day be traced back to his true identity.
There was an old saying: With the caution of treading on thin ice, pursue bold advance.
Wang Chen never lacked courage, but he possessed equal measures of prudence.
Without such caution, he would never have infiltrated the Ordinary Alliance as a high-ranking figure.
The two locked eyes, sparks flying. Soon, they moved to the Alliance's training grounds.
The branch compound covered several acres, fully equipped with facilities, including dedicated arenas for sparring.
They stood opposite each other on a 300-meter-wide battlefield, their auras making the very air feel heavy. Subordinates on both sides watched anxiously, tension thick in the air.
Wang Chen's eyes sharpened—he struck first.
He raised the cannon and infused it with Monarch's Dominion—merging soul power, spiritual power, and will into a single overwhelming force.
The cannon roared.
"BOOM!!"
Scarlet light swelled in its muzzle.
And under the illusion's cover, four black spirit rings lit up on Wang Chen's body:
First Soul Skill: Attack!
Second Soul Skill: Break!
Third Soul Skill: Condense!
Fifth Soul Skill: Soul!
The first three skills amplified his soul tool: increasing attack, reducing enemy defenses, and boosting both power and speed.
The fifth skill locked onto Zhang Ming with spiritual force, ensuring the attack would hit and adding a devastating mental impact.
Under the blessing of these ten-thousand-year soul skills, the seventh-grade soul tool cannon became monstrous—its power rivaling even that of eighth-grade soul tools.
A blazing red beam, a meter thick, tore through the air like a rainbow piercing the sun, streaking straight for Zhang Ming.
Zhang Ming's Phantom Beast martial soul excelled in spiritual combat, giving him mental strength surpassing ordinary Soul Saints and rivaling even some Contra-level experts.
But the instant his senses touched that beam, his expression collapsed.
Impossible! A seventh-grade soul tool shouldn't have power like this! No wonder he dared be arrogant—he really has something up his sleeve!
He realized instantly—he couldn't block it head-on.
Three of his spirit rings lit up—yellow, purple, black—each amplifying him. Two boosted his spiritual strength, one his soul power.
Reinforced, Zhang Ming launched his propulsion soul tool, dodging frantically.
But Wang Chen's fifth soul skill, Soul, was a locking technique. No matter how he tried to flee, the red beam tracked him relentlessly.
And with the third soul skill, enhancing speed as well as power, the beam closed the gap within mere breaths.
Desperate, Zhang Ming activated his seventh-grade defensive barrier soul tool. A golden shield enveloped him.
Yet before his widening eyes, the red beam tore straight through it like paper, barely slowing at all.
Wang Chen's smile curved coldly. Second Soul Skill: Break—made for piercing defenses.
"BOOM!!"
The blast shook the arena.
From the explosion, a massive green beast over ten meters tall emerged—Zhang Ming's Martial Soul True Body.
His hulking form bore a charred, gaping wound, burned clean through by the beam. No blood flowed—his flesh had been cauterized by the heat.
But worse than the pain in his body was the agony in his mind.
A vicious spiritual shock, infused with Wang Chen's domineering will, hammered his sea of consciousness.
It felt as if a massive hammer smashed against his skull again and again.
If not for his unusually strong spirit, he would have collapsed instantly. Even so, he barely clung on.
Wang Chen's brows rose in faint surprise.
Still standing? Most Soul Saints would have dropped right there. A seventh-grade cannon alone rivals a standard Soul Saint's ten-thousand-year fifth skill. Add my enhancements and spiritual will, and usually, one strike is enough.
This Zhang Ming really does have formidable spiritual power.
Zhang Ming's beastly eyes were bloodshot; he glared murderously at Wang Chen. Humiliated and enraged, his aura surged to its peak.
Three amplification skills stacked atop his Martial Soul True Body. His sixth black soul ring flared to life, unleashing a terrifying spiritual shockwave at Wang Chen.
Wang Chen sighed inwardly. Why struggle? Wouldn't it be better to just stay down?
His figure flickered—vanishing on the spot.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared behind Zhang Ming.
A resounding impact shook the arena.
Zhang Ming, caught off guard, crashed heavily to the ground.
Meanwhile, in the Hongchen Family estate…
A stunning young woman with delicate features, fair skin, a graceful figure, and long white hair framing her blue eyes sat gazing at a proclamation—the First Prince, Xu Natural, had become Crown Prince.
Her expression was filled with worry.
Three years had passed—she was no longer a child.