thefictionvixens Chapter 87 What gave you the illusion that I wasn't using a spirit ring?
Chapter 87 What gave you the illusion that I wasn't using a spirit ring?
"boom--!"
The earthen-yellow wave of soul energy, like a tangible giant hammer, slammed heavily onto the soft, damp swamp. The force of that strike was immense, as if someone had thrown a small mountain. The ground caved in with a diameter of three meters under this terrifying force, and the bottom of the pit continued to collapse, as if being sucked into by something.
Mud and splinters of wood flew everywhere, the murky mud carrying broken branches, rotting leaves, and bits of flesh of unknown origin, shooting in all directions. The mud droplets, before even hitting the ground, were pulverized by the black wind blades that resembled a meat grinder.
Several jet-black wind blades whistled past, leaving twisted trails in the air. These wind blades were so fast that they were almost invisible to the naked eye, appearing only as black afterimages.
Wherever it passed, trees were cut in half, the cuts so clean they looked as if they had been sliced by a sharp blade, without even a trace of scorching—it was pure physical cutting, relying on speed and sharpness.
A large, old tree, as thick as a bowl, crashed down under the cutting force of the wind, its trunk smashing into the swamp and splashing up a cloud of mud. More trees fell one after another, like dominoes being toppled one by one by an invisible giant.
The entire battlefield instantly transformed into a chaotic hell.
Smoke and dust filled the air, mud splattered, and the wind howled. The attacks of the two Soul Kings landed almost simultaneously, without reservation, each strike deadly. This was the fighting style of those above level 50—no talk, no probing, just deadly moves from the start.
At the epicenter of this devastating attack, an eerie pink light stubbornly shone forth.
Hu Liena's fox tail instantly swelled, transforming from an ethereal shape into a nearly solid form. Her second spirit ring flashed with a blinding purple light, and she entered a "Fox Charm" state. Her eyes turned into vertical pupils, reflecting the charging bear, while a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.
In her fox-spirit form, her speed and strength experienced a brief burst, almost doubling. This is her strongest form at present, and also the one that consumes the most soul power.
She held two Bloodthirsty Blades crossed in front of her chest, her arms taut, her muscles bulging like steel.
"bring it on!"
"Bang--!"
The Berserker Soul King's punch, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, slammed into the Blood Drinker Blade. In that instant, Hu Liena felt as if she wasn't blocking a fist, but rather an out-of-control carriage, or a boulder rolling down a mountain.
The tiger's mouth split open.
The two Bloodthirsty Blades emitted a sharp, mournful cry, their blades bending slightly and fine cracks appearing on their surfaces. Blood gushed from her split jaws, sliding down the hilts and dripping into the muddy water at her feet, where it was quickly diluted.
Hu Liena's knees dug two deep dents in the mud, sinking more than half a foot deep. Her legs trembled violently, her kneecaps aching and sore as if they had been hammered. Her beautiful face was flushed red from the exertion, veins bulging on her forehead and throbbing in her neck.
She bit her lower lip so hard that it bled, and the taste of rust filled her mouth.
"Ugh—!"
She let out a low growl of resentment, her soul power surging wildly through her body, and with a burst of strength in her arms, she pushed the enormous fist up an inch.
For that one inch of distance, she paid the price with a dislocated right shoulder, a fractured left ring finger, and cracks in at least three ribs.
Damn it... is this the power of level 50 and above?
She cursed him in her mind.
It was like being hit head-on by a mountain. This power was beyond human comprehension; it was a monstrous strength that only soul beasts should possess. No wonder people say there's a chasm between a Soul King and a Soul Venerable—it's not a difference in quantity, but a crushing difference in quality.
If we don't fight with all our might...
Her gaze passed over the Bear Soul King's walls-like shoulders and landed on the figure that stood motionless in the distance.
What is that guy who only knows how to play with mushrooms doing now?! That black eagle has already passed her and is flying towards him! With his pitiful three-ring soul power, if that demonic eagle catches him, he will definitely be torn to shreds!
"Li Fulan! Run—!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking.
However, the Soul King, transformed into a demonic eagle, had already breached Hu Liena's defenses. With a flap of his wings, his figure transformed into a black lightning bolt, lunging straight for Li Fulan's throat. His speed was astonishing, covering more than twenty meters in the blink of an eye.
At this critical moment, a sudden change occurred.
A pink afterimage flickered without warning at the edge of the battlefield.
The afterimage was faster than any human could achieve, disappearing and reappearing almost instantly, without any transition. It was as if space itself had warped at that moment, transporting someone directly from one place to another.
"Hey, you mangy dog over there, look here!"
A crisp, sweet shout rang out above Prince Avalanche's head.
Avalanche instinctively looked up, and then he saw a face hanging upside down.
That's Xiao Wu's face.
She appeared on the tree branch above him at some point, hanging upside down with her scorpion braid dangling down in front of him. Her face was flushed, like a ripe apple, and a smug smile played on her lips.
"you--!"
Just as Xue Beng was about to say something, the long scorpion braid seemed to come alive and suddenly wrapped around his neck.
The braid was thick and tough, and it wrapped tightly and quickly, already around his neck three times in the blink of an eye. Xue Beng reached out to pull, but found that the braid was harder than steel wire and he couldn't budge it at all.
"First Soul Skill: Waist Bow!"
Xiao Wu suddenly exerted force with her waist.
That seemingly frail body unleashed astonishing resilience and strength at that moment. Her waist bent like a bow, then rebounded like a spring, the force traveling through her scorpion braid to Avalanche.
The avalanche didn't even have time to let out a terrified scream before it swung around him with tremendous force.
He felt as if a giant hand had grabbed him by the neck and flung him away. The world spun around him, and all he could hear was the howling wind and the cracking of his bones. He saw the sky, the earth, the trees, his own legs swinging back, and then—
"Bang!"
His head was planted directly in the swamp.
The blow was powerful and precise; his entire head was submerged in the black mud, only his legs flailing outside. Mud splattered everywhere, filling the surrounding area with a foul stench.
Just when everyone thought the prince was about to have his head blown off, an inconspicuous sapphire necklace he was wearing suddenly shattered.
The necklace looked ordinary, with a sapphire no bigger than a thumbnail set in a silver base. But the instant it shattered, a soft yet resilient curtain of azure water surged from the fragments, instantly opening up and forcefully blocking the fatal blow for him.
The water curtain acted like an invisible armor, tightly enveloping the avalanche's head and neck, dissipating most of the impact.
Life-saving items.
When members of the royal family go out, how could they possibly not carry a few life-saving items with them?
The avalanche pulled its head out of the mud pit in a disheveled state, first spitting out a mouthful of muddy water with a "pfft," and then began to frantically spit out muddy water.
"Ptooey! Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
He spat out an earthworm, a few rotten leaves, and some sticky stuff he couldn't identify. His mouth was full of the taste of mud and sand, so fishy that he felt nauseous and almost vomited on the spot.
His once handsome face was now covered in foul-smelling black mud, his hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes were all covered in mud spots, making him look like a wild dog that had just crawled out of a cesspool.
The valuable silver brocade robe was completely ruined, not only covered in mud but also torn in several places. The jewel-encrusted belt around its waist was askew, and its storage soul tool had fallen off at some point, gleaming in the muddy water some distance away.
Although he didn't die, for a nobleman like him who valued his reputation more than his life, this was worse than being killed.
"You bastard! You lowly wretch!"
The avalanche roared hysterically, its eyes bulging out of their sockets. Its voice cracked, sharp as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"You lowly creatures! Do you know who I am?! You dare lay a hand on me! You will all die!"
His finger trembled as he pointed at the motionless figure in the distance, his lips twitching uncontrollably, his whole body shaking, it was hard to tell whether it was anger or fear.
"Kill him! Forget about the two women, tear that man to pieces! I'm going to rip his bones off one by one and feed them to the dogs!"
A ruthless glint flashed in the eyes of the Soul King who had transformed into a demonic eagle.
His Highness was humiliated, and he, as a royal attendant, also lost face. Although he thought the Sixth Prince was incredibly stupid, an order was an order, and he had to carry it out.
With a flap of his wings, the black feathers drew a sharp arc in the air. Ignoring Hu Liena, who was still locked in battle with the Violent Bear Soul King, he transformed into a black lightning bolt, his five fingers forming hooks, and with a shrill whistling sound that tore through the air, he lunged straight for Li Fulan's throat.
He moved with incredible speed, covering the remaining distance in the blink of an eye. In his vision, the little brat with the three rings was still standing motionless, a faint smile even on his face, as if he had no idea that death was approaching.
idiot.
The Demon Eagle Soul King sneered inwardly, his sharp claws already able to feel the heat on the other's neck.
"How dare you!"
Hu Liena's furious roar, her eyes blazing with rage, came from behind, but she was tightly entangled by the Violent Bear Soul King and was unable to return to help.
"Pfft!"
The claws pierced through Li Fulan's chest without any resistance.
In that instant, the Demon Eagle Soul King sensed that something was wrong.
It's too light.
His claws had pierced countless bodies; he knew what it felt like to penetrate flesh. There should be resistance, blood splattering, and the sound of bones cracking. But this time, he felt nothing; it was as if he had grasped at thin air.
There was no blood splattering, no screams or wails.
The "Li Fulan" was like a burst bubble; its form twisted for a moment, then it turned into specks of purple light and dissipated into the air. Those specks of light, like fireflies, floated in the air a few times before disappearing completely.
Afterimage?
No, this isn't an ordinary afterimage, this is...
The Demon Eagle Soul King's pupils shrank sharply, and a chilling feeling of "being tricked" instantly crept up his spine.
"hehe."
A soft laugh came from the mist behind him, tinged with a hint of mockery and ridicule.
"As a royal retainer, don't you even have basic tactical skills?"
The voice was unhurried, as if they were chatting casually.
"What gave you the illusion that I wasn't using any spirit rings?"
As the fog dissipated, Li Fulan's figure slowly emerged.
He stood behind a large tree a dozen meters away, not a single speck of mud on him, not even the hem of his clothes was ruffled. He leaned against the tree trunk, arms crossed, a faint smile on his face, as if watching a play.
He never actually stood in that position. The Demon Eagle Soul King's attack was merely an illusion he created using his newly acquired mental-type soul skill.
"Second Soul Skill: Dream Mushroom," Li Fulan said softly. "It can hypnotize Soul Masters and create up to three incredibly realistic illusions within a 30-meter radius. While you were attacking, the real me was standing right here watching. To be honest, your teamwork was quite good, but your brains seem a bit off."
As he spoke, he stepped out from behind the tree.
Only then did the Demon Eagle Soul King notice that Li Fulan's left arm seemed somewhat different.
No, they are completely different.
His entire left arm was completely encased in a complex and precise crimson metal structure. It was not the armor style commonly seen in Douluo Continent; it had no decorative patterns or unnecessary sharp edges, but rather a streamlined exoskeleton full of mechanical beauty.
The exoskeleton fit snugly against his arm, extending from his shoulder to his fingertips, each metal plate fitting perfectly without any gaps. The metal surface had a dark red sheen, like tempered steel or solidified lava.
At the joints, there are rings of patterns emitting a pale blue light, as if some kind of energy is flowing within them.
As Li Fulan moved his fingers, the exoskeleton emitted a sickening metallic clanging sound.
Click, click, click.
The sound was like countless tiny gears turning simultaneously, or like some kind of sophisticated machine starting up.
The exoskeleton's hand portion began to deform.
The five fingers closed, the palm flipped, and the metal pieces snapped and reformed, producing a series of crisp clicking sounds. The metal parts that originally made up the hand underwent an incredible transformation in just two seconds—
Six dark gun barrels emerged from the palm of his hand.
The gun barrels were arranged in a circle, each about the thickness of a finger, with a faint blue glow at the muzzle. Driven by soul power, the six barrels began to slowly rotate, emitting a "hissing" preheating sound.
A scorching heat emanated from the muzzle of the gun, causing the air to distort slightly.
The Demon Eagle Soul King had never seen anything like it before.
That wasn't a soul tool. He'd seen many soul tools, but none of them looked like this. That thing looked more like some kind of... some kind of mechanism. A very sophisticated, very dangerous mechanism.
His gut told him that the thing could kill him.
"At this distance, seven paces away, the gun is fast."
Li Fulan raised his left arm, pointing the gun directly at the Demon Eagle Soul King, whose old power had faded and whose new power had not yet been generated. His movements were very slow, almost frame by frame, but the Demon Eagle Soul King felt as if he was being locked onto by something.
The feeling was like being stared at by a venomous snake, or standing on the edge of a cliff, where a gust of wind could blow him off.
"Within seven steps..."
A cruel smile curled at the corner of Li Fulan's lips.
"The gun is both accurate and fast."
As his voice fell, the six gun barrels spun to their maximum speed. The blue light at the muzzle turned into a blinding white light, and a wave of scorching heat erupted from the muzzle.
"Red Lotus Maxim Mode, activated."
"Da da ...
That sound... what was that sound?
The Demon Eagle Soul King had never heard such a sound before. It wasn't the sound of any weapon he recognized—not a bow and arrow, not a hidden weapon, not a soul-guided cannon, not anything at all.
The sound was like a thousand blacksmiths striking an anvils at the same time, or like ten thousand bees flapping their wings simultaneously—dense, sharp, and deafening.
With the spewing of flames, a dense storm of metal, like the scythe of death, instantly covered every inch of the space where the Soul King was located.
Those are bullet comments.
A true bullet screen commentary.
Countless metal bullets, each the size of a thumb, erupted from the muzzle at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye, weaving a dense, impenetrable net of death. The bullets trailed fiery red trajectories through the air, like countless burning threads, slicing the entire space into fragments.
The Demon Eagle Soul King tried to dodge.
His wings suddenly spread, attempting to fly backward. But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't outrun those metal projectiles.
The first bullet hit his left wing.
"puff--!"
A hole the size of a bowl instantly exploded in the jet-black wing, sending feathers and blood flying everywhere. His body swayed, and his speed suddenly decreased.
Then came the second shot, the third shot, the fourth shot...
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang—!"