Everything happened too fast. By the time the remaining two guards reacted, the clash between Yun Ming and the Raging Flame Rhinoceros Soul Ancestor had already ended. The two let out a cry of alarm and hurriedly launched their attacks; one held a bow to provide cover fire, while the other sprinted forward, hoping to retrieve their fallen leader.
"Captain!" x2
Watching the arrow streak toward his heart, Yun Ming swept his Atlas Spear horizontally. The sharp edge of the long spear split the arrow cleanly in two from tip to tail, after which it dissipated into Soul Power and vanished into the air.
The longbow Soul Elder was stunned to see Yun Ming extinguish his soul skill arrow so effortlessly.
However, as the dust settled from Yun Ming's sweep, Zhu Zhuyun, who had been distracted by the commotion, noticed that there were no soul rings beneath Yun Ming's feet. Her heart trembled violently.
In the distance, Zhu Zhuyun, who had been "toying" with her younger sister, stopped and retreated. Zhu Zhuqing finally caught a breath; the waist injury she had sustained earlier was debilitating. If Zhu Zhuyun had been any more serious or dragged the fight out a moment longer, she wouldn't have been able to hold on!
Zhu Zhuyun's knowledge was far broader than that of her guards. An exceptionally gifted Old Grand-Uncle of the Zhu Family was capable of "manifesting the martial soul without revealing soul rings," a sign of supreme control over one's martial soul.
Zhu Zhuqing also looked toward Yun Ming, and when she saw that there were indeed no soul rings at his feet, her large eyes widened even further.
That's right! Yun Ming had indeed hidden his soul rings. Because he had absorbed soul rings far beyond his level—his configuration being Yellow, Purple, and Black—he had specifically researched how to conceal them.
After his experiences with absorbing soul rings, Yun Ming discovered that there were only two key factors: the speed at which the martial soul refined the soul ring and the strength of one's own body. The so-called "limit" for soul ring age applied to the vast majority of Soul Masters, but it was too generalized and crude.
Because his martial soul was powerful and protected by the latent strength within the Atlas Spear, Yun Ming's refinement speed far exceeded that of his peers.
Regarding physical strength, Yun Ming had heard from his Grandfather that even the training methods used by those brutes in the Clear Sky Sect were primitive—simply pushing the body to its limit and then recovering. Such methods had limitations; they brought strength and defense in specific areas, but left behind weaknesses that couldn't be easily trained, such as the meridians. They couldn't provide much help for a Soul Master to absorb higher-level soul rings, otherwise, everyone in the Clear Sky Sect would have been doing so long ago.
Yun Ming was different; he possessed an internal body-refining technique called Absolute Dominance.
Yun Ming discovered that the body-refining of Absolute Dominance worked from the inside out. Furthermore, the slow growth of his Soul Power wasn't entirely a disadvantage. Because the path to the next bottleneck took longer, the time Yun Ming spent cultivating his blood and energy—that is, training his body—through Absolute Dominance was also extended. Through this dual cultivation of internal and external, Yun Ming's physical strength improved much faster than his Soul Power, though it was quite expensive in terms of medicinal herbs. This was the primary reason his second and third soul rings were so far beyond the standard limits.
"Stop!"
Seeing this, Zhu Zhuyun reacted with lightning speed, hurriedly ordering her subordinates to cease their attack.
Although Zhu Zhuyun didn't recognize the transparent, ethereal spear when she saw it, she knew that someone who could possess such high control over their martial soul at this age, and who could instantly defeat her trusted captain, must be a genius from a top-tier faction. She didn't know if it was Martial Soul Hall or the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but such a talent would certainly be protected by experts. She couldn't afford to keep fighting!
However, a thought crossed Zhu Zhuyun's mind: perhaps her plan could now be completed even more smoothly.
Her expression shifted as if she were changing masks, and a charming, captivating smile returned to her face as she spoke softly to Yun Ming.
"I had eyes but failed to recognize a master earlier, and I have offended you. Could you please forgive me, Young Master?"
Seeing Zhu Zhuyun change her face as easily as flipping a book, Yun Ming couldn't help but admire the children of these noble families—they knew how to bend and stretch! With that, Yun Ming retracted his Atlas Spear and said indifferently to Zhu Zhuyun.
"The Zhu Family Eldest Miss is too kind, but I really don't want to let you off so easily today!"
Hearing the implication in Yun Ming's words, Zhu Zhuyun felt a surge of doubt. Although this wasn't quite what she had expected, it was still a conversation. She put on a pitiful expression and asked.
"Then I wonder what you would like me to do, Young Master?"
At this, Yun Ming pointed at Zhu Zhuqing and spoke with a calm tone that was quite shocking for someone of his age.
"I want your sister."
Both Zhu sisters were stunned by this "bold" statement. Once Zhu Zhuqing recovered from her shock, a faint blush rose to her pale face—a pallor caused by excessive blood loss—and she spat out softly.
"Shameless!"
While Zhu Zhuyun was initially taken aback, she realized after a moment that if Zhu Zhuqing could follow this youth, it might actually be a decent choice—at least better than her sister seeking out that coward. Still, she had to test the youth's resolve.
Zhu Zhuyun's face turned cold, and she looked at the Ghost-Faced youth with a solemn expression, speaking sharply.
"Does the Young Master know what he is saying? My sister is the future Third Prince Consort appointed by the Star Luo Emperor. Isn't your statement a bit disrespectful to our Star Luo Empire?"
Hearing Zhu Zhuyun mention the Star Luo Empire, Yun Ming's tone remained unchanged, as flat as before, as he replied casually.
"Didn't I put on a mask? Is that not enough to show my disregard for Star Luo?"
Zhu Zhuyun and her guards: "..."
Hearing such an arrogant response from the youth, Zhu Zhuyun was truly angered. She looked furious, gritting her teeth as she asked her final question, word by word.
"And what if I refuse to hand her over?!!"
Seeing the Zhu Family Eldest Miss on the verge of exploding, Yun Ming raised his Atlas Spear, pointing it directly at her, his tone finally turning serious.
"Then I will defeat you all and take her away!"
Hearing this Ghost-Faced man's firm resolve to take her, Zhu Zhuqing was momentarily dazed. Although she felt this person didn't have the purest of intentions, she couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart—what was going on?
Zhu Zhuyun, however, was so angry she laughed. Though, perhaps it wasn't just Yun Ming's imagination; he felt that while her anger was genuine, there was a trace of joy mixed within it. Zhu Zhuyun then said coldly.
"Heh~"
"Good! Very good!!!"
"In that case, I will leave my sister in your care, Young Master!"
After speaking to Yun Ming, Zhu Zhuyun turned and fled toward the direction of the Star Luo Empire, not even bothering with her guards. The two remaining conscious guards saw their Eldest Miss being "angered" away and knew they stood no chance against the Ghost-Faced man, so they said nothing, hurriedly hoisted their captain onto their backs, and chased after her.
Seeing the three of them truly retreat, Yun Ming turned his head to look at the other "Eldest" Miss of the Zhu Family, Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing had breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Zhu Zhuyun leave, but when she saw the Ghost-Faced man looking at her, her heart, which had just settled, rose back into her throat. I've just escaped the wolf's den only to enter a tiger's lair! Zhu Zhuqing lamented her tragic fate.
She had wanted to flee the scene immediately, but the wound on her waist had been bleeding heavily since the start. As soon as she exerted force through her legs, a wave of weakness washed over her. Losing her balance, she finally collapsed to the ground.
ps: Seeking monthly tickets and recommendations.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader