"Impossible!"
Gana shouted in disbelief.
He suddenly discovered that both his scythe-like arms were covered with two completely different sparks.
On his left arm, tiny golden flames began burning into a small fire, spreading along the blade and scorching his flesh.
On his right arm, faint blue sparks ignited as well—but instead of burning, they were freezing the scythe solid.
"I clearly dodged that! And how could such flames even exist?!"
Panic was written all over Gana's face. For all the years he had spent studying martial spirits, this was the very first time he had witnessed such a phenomenon.
Ice and fire appearing together?And just the tiniest touch was already fatal?
"You didn't dodge my strike."
Xiao Lin answered him coldly.
He saw through it clearly—the fallen one before him was arrogant to the extreme. Gana trusted his "research results" too much. Even now, he had yet to use a single soul skill, showing off only the strange fused organs of his stitched-together body.
Which was exactly why Xiao Lin's earlier strike wasn't meant to kill him—it was to force him to block.
And events unfolded exactly as Xiao Lin had expected. In the instant Gana tried to evade, he also thought to use his twin scythes to guard himself.
But Xiao Lin's strike was far too overwhelming, going beyond limits, spilling over.
Even though Gana recoiled instantly—like a veteran electrician jerking away the moment he touches a live wire—the sparks had already clung to him.
And now, Gana had no choice but to make yet another foolish decision.
His mind spun rapidly, and right before Xiao Lin's eyes, he actually tried to make the two completely different flames cancel each other out.
Under normal circumstances, perhaps ultimate ice and ultimate fire really could balance.
But these flames belonged to Xiao Lin—the fused fires of the two Dragon Kings.
What Gana was doing was no different from a moth flying into a flame.
The moment his arms touched, the two flames erupted violently, bursting into an explosion that instantly spread up his antennae.
The blaze grew even fiercer.
With a miserable scream, Gana plummeted straight out of the sky.
"Now's my chance."
Seeing him falling, Xiao Lin didn't spare a thought for Ye Lingling and the others. He rushed toward where Gana was about to crash.
But things did not go as smoothly as he imagined.
Right as he was about to hit the ground, Gana suddenly ripped off both his scythes and his antennae.
A black soul ring flickered across his body, and he returned to his stitched-monstrosity form.
Even so, Xiao Lin could tell from his ragged chest that his soul power had been greatly drained.
The ability to survive by tearing off one's own limbs was common among soul beasts.
But for a human soul master? It was incredibly rare.
Take Tang San for example—Even after obtaining his fourth soul ring and boosting his vitality, he still couldn't gain such a skill.
This was the natural limitation of human soul masters.
Our organs are too advanced, too intricate. Perfect regeneration is nearly impossible—too costly in soul power.
Without the vitality of soul beasts, without their endless reserves, limb regeneration is a near-impossible feat.
And yet here was this fallen one, easily displaying such a soul skill before Xiao Lin's very eyes.
How could Xiao Lin not be shocked?
Suddenly, realization dawned on him. His eyes widened in fury as he roared:
"You bastard—how many soul masters have you slaughtered for this?!"
For a moment, surprise flashed in Gana's eyes.
He hadn't expected anyone to see through his "research results" so quickly.
But almost at once, his expression twisted into a mocking smile.
"Do you remember how many grains of rice you've eaten in your life?"
As his lips curled upward, his body changed once again.
From his back sprouted the wings of a clearwater seagull—clearly Qu Yao's martial spirit.
Then, a moment later, a lizard's tail grew behind him.
"All the soul masters have become one with me. What can you possibly fight me with?"
He sneered coldly. Now he understood.
He had absorbed the power of over a dozen soul masters. One regeneration had drained much of his strength, yes—but the brat below him could never keep unleashing such powerful attacks and still have soul power left.
If nothing else, he could simply wear Xiao Lin down until he collapsed.
That was why he dared to flaunt his abilities so boldly before his supposedly doomed opponent.
"Such a pity," he said with mock regret. "For your martial spirit is so powerful… yet so wasted. An utterly useless tool spirit."
With that, he slashed his scythes again and again, sending wave after wave of moonlight blades toward Xiao Lin and Tang Ni.
At first, Xiao Lin wanted to block with his Azure Dragon Staff.
But then, on second thought, he realized he didn't even need to. Not even his Martial Spirit True Body was necessary. He could defend easily enough another way.
A cunning idea crossed his mind.
He swung his staff in rapid succession, forming layers of overlapping shadows in front of him—an unbreakable circular shield.
And with Gana's attacks raining down endlessly, Xiao Lin abruptly cut off his Heart of Flames technique.
The golden-blue furnace around him vanished, the fiery mantle faded, the burning energy of his blood qi was gone.
Seeing this, Gana smirked.
To him, it was proof—Xiao Lin had exhausted his soul power.
He licked his lips hungrily.
"Even as a tool spirit master… with such power, your flesh and blood must taste exquisite!"
His gaze shifted to Tang Ni in the distance, eyes gleaming greedily.
"And that one… with her Golden Dragon Spirit… far more precious. Once I devour you both, I'll no longer need these worthless scraps of soul masters."
With that craving, his assault grew even more frenzied.
Not only moonlight blades, but now soul skills erupted one after another.
In moments, the entire sky was filled with glittering motes of phosphorescent powder, drifting down like an enchanting dream.
With the flap of his wings, the powder seemed guided, closing in around Xiao Lin and Tang Ni.
Drown in my illusion.
In truth, Gana could have used this nearly unbeatable tactic much earlier.
But in his arrogance—desperate to show off his "perfect body"—he had nearly been burned alive instead.
Now, unleashing this technique, he intended to leave Xiao Lin with no escape at all.
At this point, Xiao Lin had no choice left.
Forcing the dregs of his soul power, he once again activated his third soul skill:
"Heart of Flames!"
With a shout, golden fire burst from his body—only for Xiao Lin to stagger and collapse onto the frozen ground.
But the fire did not go out.
On the contrary, it flared brighter, burning fiercely around him.
Little by little, the golden fire spread outward like countless sparks, rapidly igniting the air, spinning in place like a fiery vortex.
Then—
In the next instant, the whirling flames gathered all the scattered fire in the area.
"Whoosh!"
In a blink, the falling phosphorescent powder was swallowed by the roaring inferno.
(End of Chapter)