Zhennan Pass.
Blood Spirit King walked up to Heaven-Sent Tough Guy, bowing in salute.
"My Lord, our troops have finished assembling and are ready to march south at any time."
After spending three days together, Blood Spirit King had finally grasped the true nature of the man before him. To summarize in a few words: overbearing, unrestrained, and heroic. As long as one obeyed his orders, did not deceive him, or pull tricks behind his back, he was actually quite tolerant and unconcerned with trifles. Even if some things were not entirely to his liking—such as the speed at which they gathered their troops—he didn't use it as an excuse to punish them or force them to accelerate, simply waiting quietly.
However, conversely, when he did decide to cause trouble, he hit truly hard. Don't ask how he knew; let's just say someone had already verified it beforehand.
A flash of red light crossed the mysterious man's eyes. Three days—it was finally time! These three days had bored him to death.
"Very well, then let's set off. The entire army is to press forward!"
With that, he walked away without looking back. The Blood Spirit Emperor and his grandson, the Netherworld King, and the Blood Shadow King—who now only had one glowing eye left within his blood mist—dared not say another word and hurriedly followed.
Outside Zhennan Pass, Qunma Plain, Southern Coalition Army Camp.
Saint Spirit Old Man, who had been assigned to hold the front line, sensed the unmasked, formidable soul power coming from the direction of Zhennan Pass. He ended his cultivation, his figure flickering as he vanished from the camp.
He looked at the five pillars of soul power in the north that reached from the earth to the heavens, and his scalp went numb. The three early-stage Nine Rings kings were nothing to speak of; in his view, they were manageable. But the two leading pillars of light, even from such a distance, still made his scalp tingle, especially the soul power fluctuation he was completely unfamiliar with—it was simply shockingly strong.
Saint Spirit Old Man dared not be careless and immediately activated the mark bestowed upon him by Yun Ming. After a few breaths, the mark shone brightly, and a Teleportation Technique array took shape in the void, with Yun Ming appearing out of thin air.
The moment Yun Ming arrived, he sensed the situation regarding the strength and number of the experts in the distance, which did not match the intelligence reports. In particular, the leader gave even Yun Ming a sense of immense pressure. Could there be such a powerful person in this era of the Dou Ling Continent?!
"Do you know the background of the person in the lead?" Yun Ming asked Saint Spirit Old Man, maintaining high vigilance regarding this new variable.
"Reporting to my Lord, this old man has never heard news of such an expert on the continent. I estimate that, like you, he is a reclusive expert who has just emerged!" Saint Spirit Old Man turned back and responded respectfully to Yun Ming.
Saint Spirit Old Man's mind was a mess. Having roamed the continent for a hundred years, he had assumed that the Blood Spirit Emperor and the Burning Flame King (a Title Douluo of the Fierce Blood Kingdom) were the peak of the Heaven's Chosen. He never expected that two people would suddenly pop up and suppress the strongest figures of the north and south. This made him start to look down on himself. He had called himself a king and ancestor for so many years, yet it felt like a sham—like a monkey claiming to be king simply because there were no tigers in the mountains!
Seeing that Saint Spirit Old Man was also unsure about the new powerhouse, Yun Ming's vigilance grew even stronger.
"My Lord, what should we do now?" Saint Spirit Old Man regained his composure and asked, seeing that Yun Ming was no longer his usual calm and collected self.
Yun Ming said.
"Deploy the troops. Start the war!"
His foundation was unstable; retreating now would only exhaust the reputation he had just built, which was detrimental to his plans. Besides, he couldn't hide anymore; he could feel the lock-on from the man on the other side.
Saint Spirit Old Man received the order and passed it down. Before long, the sound of horns blared, and the entire camp became like an activated soul guidance weapon, with every component performing its duty to prepare for the coming battle.
Soon, the former Great General of the Blood Nether Kingdom and newly appointed Grand Marshal, Nie Zheng, along with the top lackey Han Yang, arrived before Yun Ming and Saint Spirit Old Man.
"My Lord, Supreme Elder!" x2
Yun Ming gave a grunt of acknowledgment and, without wasting words, issued his orders directly.
"Nie Zheng, you will have full command of the ground battlefield from here on. Han Yang, you will assist."
The two acknowledged the order.
"Yes, my Lord!"
Yun Ming nodded. After giving his final instructions, he and Saint Spirit Old Man released their soul power, rose into the air, and flew into the high sky. In the Soul Master World, only they could determine the final outcome.
On the other side, the five experts, having received Yun Ming's invitation to battle, naturally did not shy away and transformed into streams of light, soaring upward.
The seven of them ascended until they stopped and gathered at an altitude of about three thousand meters. At this point, Yun Ming finally saw the appearance of the man in the lead.
He had well-defined features, a head of blood-red short hair standing up like steel needles, and eyes that radiated majesty, firm and evil like an ancient demon god, with muscles bulging all over his body. At a single glance, one could tell this was a true man of iron-blooded toughness. Moreover, Yun Ming felt a hint of familiarity from him.
The man also noticed Yun Ming. Although his soul power fluctuations appeared average, his sixth sense told him these were just illusions. Beneath Yun Ming's elegant Young Master appearance, there must be something hidden that he could hardly imagine.
After the tough guy looked Yun Ming up and down, he spoke first.
"Kid, to have this level of cultivation at your age, not bad at all!"
Yun Ming's excellence earned his sincere praise. Wait. He didn't remember anything, so how did he know Yun Ming was excellent?
"It's alright! You are also very strong," Yun Ming replied sincerely.
"That's right! Don't you know who I am! Although I don't know who I am right now."
Yun Ming and the others: "."
Why was there a weird sense of comedy? The tough guy's sudden quirk made Yun Ming unable to tell if the other side was joking. However, if he didn't know who he was, why come to oppose him?
"So, since you don't even remember who you are, why get involved in this war?" Yun Ming asked in return.
The big man didn't hide it and answered Yun Ming directly.
"Because I want to ask you if you know who I am."
"I don't know who you are. Today is our first meeting." Since the other side was here to ask questions, Yun Ming simply gave him the answer.
"Are you sure? If I find out you're lying to me, I'll definitely beat you to death," the big man threatened.
"I'm sure. This is definitely the first time I've met you," Yun Ming replied affirmatively.
Judging by the other party's fluent local Dou Ling language, he should be a local native. How long had Yun Ming even been on this Dou Ling Continent? He only knew the few natives he had personally beaten into submission; where would he have met anyone else?
Seeing that Yun Ming didn't seem to be faking it, the big man's thick eyebrows furrowed into a straight line. The trail had gone cold. What now? He began to think.
Seeing that the man seemed to believe him, Yun Ming continued.
"My friend, since there is no answer for you here, I wonder if you could leave?"
The four lackeys led by the big man behind him heard Yun Ming's question and also hoped he would give an affirmative answer. They had seen the intensity of Yun Ming's Soul Power; although their "Great Father" above had said the opponent was not simple, they still had confidence in handling him. Unlike the "Living Father" above them, they only had the confidence to be handled.
"It is time to go."
Hearing Yun Ming's words, the big man lost the interest to continue staying. He had originally come to find his own people and check out Yun Ming's background. Now that he had seen the person and failed to find any information regarding himself, why would he stay?
Hearing this, while Yun Ming had no particular reaction, the four from the Blood Spirit Emperor's side were overjoyed in their hearts. After living the life of servants for three days, they had finally outlasted the "Living Father" and regained their freedom, but they never expected there to be a twist here.
"However, before I leave, I still have things to do."
The Blood Hidden King and the Netherworld King had not yet understood the big man's meaning, but the Blood Spirit King reacted, his face changing, his heart shaking violently. Could it be?!!
"Great (Grandfather)."
He had just wanted to call out a warning when he heard a burst of air-exploding sounds from in front of him. Immediately following, the Blood Spirit King only felt a sharp pain in his chest; a muscular, iron arm had already pierced through his chest.
The sudden change stunned everyone present. Yun Ming and the Saint Spirit Old Man did not expect that just as they had answered the other party's question, the other party would respond with a backhanded heart-piercing blow. This feedback was too fast.
The person who struck was naturally that man. The big man said coldly.
"I said it before, if I came away empty-handed today, I would kill both of you."
As the words fell, the big man withdrew his iron arm from the Blood Spirit King's chest.
Puff—
As the arm was pulled out, a large amount of blood sprayed from the chest wound. The Blood Spirit King's heart had been shattered, and he entered a death countdown. His strength drained away, and he could no longer stabilize his body, falling directly from the sky.
Seeing the Blood Spirit King begin to fall, everyone regained their senses. The Blood Spirit Emperor's eyes turned blood-red, and he screamed miserably.
"Yuan'er!"
With Martial Soul Avatar, blood-colored Soul Power began to erupt. The Blood Spirit Emperor's body turned into a stream of light, beginning to chase after his great-grandson, but suddenly, he felt a terrifying and cold wave of Soul Power coming from behind him.
"Don't be in a hurry, you will be able to go keep him company very soon."
Bang—
The big man threw another heavy punch, whistling toward the Blood Spirit Emperor's back.
The Blood Spirit Emperor was not his great-grandson; he was a level 97 Super Douluo. With his senses, it was impossible for him to be killed in one strike.
"Ah—"
He roared, and the first seven Spirit Rings on his body all lit up. His figure, which had become somewhat shriveled due to his old age, began to expand again, his wrinkled skin returning to smoothness. His body grew to five meters tall, and circles of strange blood patterns appeared on his skin, transforming him into a muscular beast.
Seeing him in this state, Yun Ming thought of something and muttered.
"Body Martial Soul blood? I wonder if he has achieved a second awakening?"
Although there was no secret method for auxiliary awakening from the later Body Sect, a second awakening of a Body Martial Soul could itself be achieved under other conditions, such as powerful pressure and stimulation.
"Silver Blood!"
Thump, thump, thump—
As if hearing Yun Ming's mutterings, a series of huge, drum-like sounds came from the Blood Spirit Emperor's chest; this was his heart erupting at full power.
Listening to his heartbeat, the hearts of the others present also faintly resonated with it, and their blood began to surge uncontrollably. However, it was only a surge; they were all Title Douluo, and they could easily suppress it.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump—
The heartbeat grew louder and faster, until it reached a peak.
Hum—
A clear sound rang in the Blood Spirit Emperor's ears. A layer of silver light emerged over the blood-colored soul flames on his body, and his own aura surged once again. Blood-silver flames rose on his fists, and he turned around to throw a punch of his own.
"Bastard, die for this Emperor!"
This time, his heavy punch did not have the same momentum as it had a few days ago, but in terms of power, today's punch was more than a notch stronger.
Yun Ming did not perceive any spatial attribute power, but the space on the surface of this planet trembled under the force of his punch. It was almost reaching the realm of breaking space through sheer force, showing just how powerful it was.
The big man also felt the formidable nature of the Blood Spirit Emperor's punch. The hot blood in his body began to boil, and blood-colored Soul Power erupted from his body as well, though compared to the Blood Spirit Emperor, his Soul Power was even more vast and terrifying.
"Break for me!"
He let out a roar, and all the strength and Soul Power in his body further bolstered his heavy punch, pushing his fist power to another level.
Boom—
Finally, the two fists wreathed in blood flames collided, creating an earth-shattering, thunderous roar. The two armies confronting each other below heard the noise and thought a rainstorm was coming! If the timing hadn't been so inconvenient, they would have gone back to collect their laundry.
The big shots high in the sky did not have the leisure of the little brothers below. Facing the incoming shockwave of fist power, they all hurriedly dodged or mobilized their Soul Power to defend.
After the initial soul light and impact dissipated, Yun Ming saw the result of the collision. The big man had retreated more than ten meters and looked to be unharmed, while the Blood Spirit Emperor's right hand, which had collided with the big man, was already covered in large cracks. Furthermore, he was still falling, having dropped more than a hundred meters without stopping his descent. The outcome was obvious; the difference in strength was clear.
"Hahahaha—"
The big man flexed his wrists, his bones cracking and popping. He laughed loudly.
"Come again!!"
"If your fists can make me feel satisfied enough, I will spare your life!"
Bang—
Saying this, he kicked off the air, turned into a blood shadow, and charged at full speed toward the Blood Spirit Emperor.
One could imagine the sheer velocity he had reached just by the sonic booms and air shockwaves generated by his descent.
Blood Spirit Emperor splayed his limbs, his Soul Power manifesting as flames beneath him to provide a counter-thrust and decelerate. He had no choice! If he were to slam into the ground at that rate of acceleration, he didn't know if he would die, but he would certainly be left severely injured.
At the same time, Blood Spirit Emperor saw that bastard actually accelerating as he dove toward him, a look of excitement on his face, which only made his own expression turn uglier.
"You scoundrel! I'll fight you to the death!!" Enraged by the man's playful attitude, Blood Spirit Emperor made up his mind: even if he died here today, he would make sure to land a few solid blows on him first.
Veins bulged on Blood Spirit Emperor's forehead as the blood-red flames behind him erupted to their limit. Under the pressure of the two opposing forces, the skin all over his body began to Fracture in large patches, spraying blood everywhere, while his bones creaked and groaned; it was clear he was under immense strain.
But the result was evident: Blood Spirit Emperor quickly halted his descent and began to Ascend at high speed.
The two figures, one blood-red and one blood-silver, shot upward and downward like two meteors, colliding violently in the sky.
BOOM--
It was another earth-shattering collision. Although he suffered some broken bones, this time Blood Spirit Emperor was not knocked back. Under the frantic burning of the blood-red flames behind him, his strength reached a new peak in his life.
Blood Spirit Emperor did not retreat, and naturally, the big man didn't either. He threw a backhand straight punch, aiming directly for his opponent's chest.
Unexpectedly, Blood Spirit Emperor didn't dodge or parry. He took the punch head-on and countered with a punch of his own, aimed straight at the big man's face.
BANG BANG--
Both attacks landed. The big man took a punch to the face and felt a bit dizzy, while Blood Spirit Emperor, besides being dazed, spat out a large mouthful of blood from his nose and mouth.
Ignoring his injuries and enduring the excruciating pain, Blood Spirit Emperor hammered away at the big man again. He was filled with hatred and had seen the reality of the situation. He would likely perish here today, but before he did, he had to settle the debt owed to his grandson. His fists became a blur, each strike delivered with full force, raining down on the big man like a torrential storm.
Blood Spirit Emperor's desperate assault, seizing the opportunity, actually managed to gain the upper hand for a moment. The big man was knocked about in the air; although his defense was solid, he still took quite a few hits. However, the big man's strength was ultimately superior, and the consumption of energy for offense and defense was not on the same level. Before long, he regained his rhythm and began to counterattack.
Bang, bang, bang.
One fought with steady, calculated strikes, while the other attacked without regard for defense. You hit me, I kick you back—they were fighting with reckless abandon.
With blood and sweat intermingled, and will clashing against power, their battle was primitive and savage, yet it perfectly illustrated the essence of violent aesthetics, right up until Blood Spirit Emperor's strength began to wane.
The big man dodged a punch that had clearly lost its speed, then countered with a punch to the face, sending him spinning through the air twice before he could stabilize himself.
The big man spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and laughed heartily.
"Satisfying! Truly satisfying!!"
"You old dog didn't disappoint me. This flesh-and-blood brawl has been a blast!"
"So get lost! I'll let you go this time!!"
Blood Spirit Emperor gasped for air, and after a moment, he roared.
"Let me go? I never intended to let you go!"
"Today, one of us must die. No one leaves until the other is dead!!"
This fight had caused irreparable damage to his body; he wouldn't survive, so he had to fight to the bitter end.
The big man glanced at him, seeing the bone spurs protruding from his arms and his blood-soaked body, and realized the state his opponent was in. He said solemnly.
"You're not bad. I acknowledge you."
"Therefore, I will send you off with my full strength!"
As he spoke, black light surged in his right hand, and a massive heavy hammer, covered from end to end in dark-gold demonic patterns, appeared in his grip. Nine Soul Rings—seven black and two red—emerged.
Seeing this, Blood Shadow King and the others were dumbfounded. That monster-like brute was actually a Tool Soul Master, and his Soul Rings were so monstrous! Just how strong was he?!
Only Yun Ming's expression turned grave to the extreme upon seeing that hammer.
'It's actually him!'
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader