Chapter 280: The Old Identity Must Be Cut Off!
Jiang Chen hadn't even gone looking for trouble with the Evil Soul Masters—yet they had the gall to come after him first.
He couldn't help recalling how, ten thousand years ago, he'd used his Dark Demon Evil God Tiger martial soul to disguise himself as one of them, even rising to the position of "Holy Son" within the Holy Spirit Cult.
Back then, his goal had been to reform them—to guide the Evil Soul Masters away from their corruption.
But the change had only gone halfway. Once Huo Yuhao ascended to godhood, Jiang Chen had withdrawn from the world again, leaving the cult to its own devices.
He hadn't expected the corruption to return even stronger.
He sighed softly. "I was too naive. Without long-term control, someone else was bound to seize the chance."
In truth, perhaps only the Spirit Transmission Pagoda's method of monitoring those with potential for evil power was truly effective.
As for the ones before him, they radiated a vile stench—pure evil without redemption.
"Pathetic scum. Since you won't talk, then die!"
"Fourth soul skill—Dark Demon Evil Thunder!"
Jiang Chen glanced at the time. He didn't intend to miss his flight, so there was no need to hold back.
Behind him, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger roared—not an illusion this time, but a real, thunderous bellow that shook heaven and earth. Power surged outward from Jiang Chen's body like a storm, black and violet lightning exploding forth with overwhelming ferocity.
The sound echoed through the night, carrying a suffocating aura of dominance and ancient wrath. For an instant, a titanic shadow of a feral beast seemed to stand behind him, vanishing just as quickly.
"Pff!"
"Argh!"
Apart from their leader—who staggered backward, face pale but intact—the rest of the masked Evil Soul Masters were utterly crushed.
Two assassins vomited blood; three others dropped to their knees outright, trembling uncontrollably as fear shattered their will to fight.
The array that had bound soul power flickered wildly, then shattered like fragile glass—useless before Jiang Chen's overwhelming might.
The moment it broke, Ye Xinglan felt her body lighten.
The oppressive heaviness vanished in an instant, and her suppressed soul power surged forth like a flood bursting through a dam.
Though still sluggish, her strength was back in full.
Jiang Chen didn't give the enemies time to recover.
As his fourth soul skill's thunder and aura rippled outward, his figure blurred into motion.
The Abyssal Calamity Scales sliced through the air, forming a black stream of killing light.
Target—those two assassins who'd attacked him and Ye Xinglan.
Strike while the enemy is weak—kill them cleanly.
He gripped one by the throat, dark lightning crackling in his hand, and with a spark, the man disintegrated into ash.
Then two heavy punches followed, slamming into the chests of the Evil Soul Masters behind him.
The cracking of bones echoed through the quiet wilderness—raw, ugly, final.
The two crashed backward like puppets smashed by a war hammer, spewing blood as they fell limp.
"Run!"
The masked leader's face drained of all color—panic flooding his every movement.
Nothing about this made sense. The soul-suppressing array, strong enough to trap a Soul Emperor, was torn apart like paper. His team had been crushed in seconds. And that two-word battle armor… its defense was monstrous.
This couldn't be real.
Their intel clearly stated the targets were only two Soul Kings—a simple mission.
Now, one of them was a Soul Emperor with divine-level strength, and the other woman hadn't even joined the fight yet.
Too powerful! Too terrifying!
Was the Holy Spirit Cult going to lose all face like this?
Without hesitation, the leader turned and fled into the darkness, abandoning his comrades.
Two others still barely standing tried to limp after him.
"Leaving?" Jiang Chen's voice was cold, his expression calm. He didn't move to chase.
"Fifth soul skill—Evil God's Wings: Void Rend!"
Although his two-word battle armor didn't originally include wings, a pair of deep violet ones unfurled from his back—the product of sheer soul power.
As they swept once, the air twisted; a slash of black energy disappeared into the void.
A second later—
The two retreating assassins froze mid-stride. Their lower bodies kept running while their torsos hung suspended in midair.
The leader saw it and ran harder, too afraid even to glance back.
Run!
Run or die!
Not every Evil Soul Master held some twisted loyalty to their cult. Far from it.
They were Evil Soul Masters—"loyalty" didn't exist for them.
Only two words drove them: slaughter and betrayal.
"Stay."
Jiang Chen raised his right hand. Bolts of soul power wreathed in dark violet flame shot forward, each arrow guided by his will.
Rather than aiming for the heart, they struck their ankles and escape points precisely.
Jiang Chen's control over his attributes—though not yet at the level of the Silver Dragon King Gu Yue—had already reached frightening mastery.
Splat. Splat. Splat.
Flesh split, and groans of pain followed immediately.
The fleeing trio—leader included—collapsed in agony.
Ye Xinglan, now fully back in form, raised her Star God Sword. Her brows knitted as killing intent flared; streaks of starlight laced the air, sealing every path of retreat.
The blades formed a radiant net that glittered with deadly sharpness.
In the flash of a heartbeat, the Evil Soul Masters' rhythm broke. They were trapped at the edge of the sword-web.
Jiang Chen stepped forward—his movement like instant teleportation—and ripped away their masks. Beneath were pale, veined faces warped with fear and pain.
"Sure enough, Evil Soul Masters."
"Speak. Why did you come after me?"
One of them snorted coldly and turned away stubbornly, defiance in his eyes.
When Jiang Chen turned to the leader, the man's face twitched, but he too looked away.
"Hmph. Just the master's orders. The commander will never let you go!"
Jiang Chen frowned. Evil Soul Masters again.
He hadn't even gone after them—yet they came hunting him.
He had long wanted to eradicate the Holy Spirit Cult; they were the ones who once opened the Abyssal Gate, devastating the Extreme North.
If Snow Empress ever learned that he had once been the "Holy Son" of that cult, she'd lose her mind.
No—he had to erase that past.
Completely.
Wearing his dark armor, Jiang Chen stepped forward and crushed his boot down on the leader's chest—the cracking of ribs rang through the air.
"Ahhh!" The man's scream split the night.
"Will you talk or not?"
"Kill me if you can, beast!" the leader gasped, face contorted in agony but still defiant.
"You really won't?"
He snorted.
Jiang Chen didn't hesitate—lightning flared from his palm, obliterating the man into dust.
The leader didn't even have time to process it.
For what reason—?!
If only he'd known—Jiang Chen wasn't one for idle threats.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/LightKira10