'Incredible, simply incredible—who'd have thought such murderous intent could come from two kids?'
'That little girl strikes without the slightest hesitation, clearly aiming to kill—ruthless!'
'Interesting, interesting, truly interesting. If the setting were different, this old man would definitely go up and befriend them.'
Perched on a thick branch, the Soul-Reaping Ghost sprang to his feet when he saw how young Yu Yan and Xiao Wu looked, muttering excitedly to himself.
The Spirit Masters following him were annoyed by his endless chatter, yet not one dared rebuke him.
The reason was simple: Soul-Reaping Ghost was a level-53 Spirit King and one of the unpardonable scoundrels on Spirit Hall's bounty list.
Apart from the old man nicknamed Soul-Reaping Ghost, the burly fellow in the caravan wielding a black staff was also a Spirit King.
Three Spirit Kings taking the lead, plus the promised reward from the caravan—those were the main reasons the various bosses of the mountain range had come.
Unfortunately, the reward wasn't easy to claim; Xiao Wu had already dispatched five Spirit Ancestors, yet the three Spirit Kings still showed no sign of moving.
The boss of the Bloodblade Society, who had stayed on the edge of the battle using long-range attacks to coast along, glanced back at Corpse Elder—who likewise had no intention of acting—and withdrew from the fight in full view of everyone, returning to the caravan to circulate spirit power and drive off the biting cold.
He was here to mooch a reward, not to die.
The Bloodblade Society boss's retreat served as a bellwether, planting thoughts of retreat in the Spirit Ancestors who were gritting their teeth against negative conditions while facing Xiao Wu, who only grew fiercer the longer she fought.
The caravan's goods belong to the caravan; lives are one's own—why the hell were they throwing their lives away?
Once that thought took root, the Spirit Ancestors who wanted to flee but were tangled up by Xiao Wu simply exchanged glances and instantly understood one another.
'Everyone hit her with everything you've got, then fall back to the caravan!'
After Martial Soul Possession, the chief of Bluebird Stockade—now with a pair of blue-black wings on his back—proposed this plan to the other Spirit Ancestors still within the range of Moon Eclipse: Thousand Frost Return to Silence.
The chief, whose reputation was usually decent, won unanimous agreement.
'Gentlemen, discussing your escape right in front of me—did you think I wouldn't hear?'
The Bloodblade Society boss's escape had been a fluke; he'd stood on the battle's edge the whole time, and she couldn't stop him in time. These men were at the very core of the fight—how could she let them get away?
'Little girl, as fellow Spirit Ancestors we may not beat you, but seven of us together can leave, and there's nothing you can do to stop us.'
'If you were a Spirit King, those words might carry weight—but you're only a Spirit Ancestor yourself.'
Xiao Wu's statement gained no acceptance from the Spirit Ancestors; their retorts carried a strange sort of cowardice.
Their refutation made Xiao Wu burst into laughter—and Yu Yan as well.
Yu Yan swore it was the funniest thing he'd heard all year.
Amused, Yu Yan shifted his attention to the Bald Old Man, the staff-wielding giant Wu Chen, and the excited Soul-Reaping Ghost You Shang perched in the treetops. Among the many Spirit Masters present, only these three set off warning bells in his golden eyes.
Yu Yan didn't know the Bald Old Man, but he recognized Wu Chen and You Shang.
Wu Chen, a level-51 attack system Spirit King, ran a mercenary band in the range; for the right price they'd do anything.
You Shang, level-53 control system Spirit King, possessed the Soul-Hooking Chain Spirit. Utterly unscrupulous, treacherous, and unpredictable, he'd committed countless crimes for his own gain; his portrait still hung on Spirit Hall's bounty board.
Yu Yan didn't know the Bald Old Man, but from the man's aura it was easy to tell he, too, was a Spirit King—stronger than both Wu Chen and You Shang.
'Can't let those Spirit Ancestors fall back; they'd be a threat at our flanks once we engage those three Spirit Kings.'
First Soul Skill – Ice Fish Skill: Frost Scale Armor (boosts physical defense and cold resistance; at full force it can frostbite anyone who comes near. Besides full armor, I can manifest the frost armor as individual parts.)
Fire Fish Skill – Blazing Breath: a small flame shot from my mouth or the fire fish's mouth, inflicting burn damage.
First spirit ring Martial Soul Fusion Skill – Ice Fire Vortex (32 s). (The vortex pulls enemies in with great suction, dealing continuous ice-and-fire damage plus rotational control. Can be thrown outward or wrapped around myself.)
second spirit ring Ice Fish Skill – Profound Ice Chain: obeys my will to strike or bind foes. The chain carries special cold; once bound, the chill invades the target, causing low-temperature frostbite and slowing spirit power flow.
second spirit ring Fire Fish Skill – Blazing Dragon Roar: a pure attack skill that explodes on contact, inflicting high burst and flame damage. After the blast, any remaining flame deals secondary splash and burn damage.
Second Martial Soul Fusion Skill – Ice Fire Profound Mechanism: Ice Flame Exploding Chain: chains woven of ice-and-fire energy cause an ice-fire impact; violent collision triggers a massive explosion… Third Ice Fish Skill – Moon Eclipse: Thousand Frost Return to Silence.
The Ice Fish swims; spirit power condenses into a huge ice-blue lunar disc that hangs overhead, showering cold moonlight. Wherever the light falls, delicate frost patterns form.
Within the skill's range, enemies' movement speed, attack speed, Spirit-skill casting speed, and spirit power recovery all drop; against equals the reduction is one-quarter, and the longer they stay, the deeper the effect.
The skill can also absorb spirit power that foes release when casting skills, drawing it into the Ice Fish to reduce the cost of the next Ice Fish Skill.
Besides absorbing enemy skills, when the third Ice Fish Skill ends the fish can inhale all frost patterns on the field, further lowering the spirit power cost of the next skill.
Third Fire Fish Skill – Sun Manifestation: Light Forged Crystal Wheel.
The fire fish hangs in the sky; spirit power condenses into a huge gold-red sun. The Light Forged Crystal Wheel projects behind the person I wish to protect, forming a 12-prism gear-shaped energy ring.
The wheel can block twelve attacks; against equals it can almost perfectly negate them, effectiveness varies against other ranks.
After blocking an attack a prism shatters; its spirit power flows into the protected person, accelerating spirit power recovery.
If any of the twelve prisms remain when the skill ends, they merge and pour into the protected person to restore spirit power, or combine into a giant flame prism launched at the enemy.