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Bolstered by the amplification of her third soul skill, the texture of the Ink Jade Divine Grass had undergone a drastic transformation. Its hardness now far exceeded that of ordinary rock, approaching the density of steel, yet it paradoxically retained the flexibility of plant life, combining the resilience of metal with the pliability of a vine.
Seeing the fifteen strands of Ink Jade Divine Grass surging toward him with aggressive momentum, Xue Qinghe's expression remained unchanged. He showed not a hint of panic. Holy soul power surged from his body, forming a radiant, sacred barrier around him, much like the White Tiger Body Barrier.
"First Soul Skill: Angelic Assault!"
This was his first soul skill, a versatile ability that allowed him to not only attack using condensed holy energy but also to shape that same energy into a protective shield for defense.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Under Anna's manipulation, the fifteen stalks of Ink Jade Divine Grass completely surrounded Xue Qinghe. They transformed into pitch-black spears, stabbing relentlessly at the sacred barrier. The sounds of violent impacts rang out one after another, forming a continuous, deafening cacophony.
However, the sacred barrier remained impregnable. No matter how fiercely the Ink Jade Divine Grass thrust against it, the shield did not budge an inch; there wasn't even a single hairline crack upon its surface.
On the contrary, as the Ink Jade Divine Grass struck the barrier and came into contact with the holy energy, Anna's vines began to wither rapidly, as if they had touched concentrated sulfuric acid.
"How can this be?"
Sensing that her Ink Jade Divine Grass was melting away at an alarming rate, little Anna furrowed her brows. She looked at Xue Qinghe in disbelief and muttered to herself.
"Why are this Xue Qinghe's martial soul and soul power attributes so strange? The sensation of that energy... it feels just like..."
"Darkness! That's it. It is extremely similar to Elder Sister Zhu Zhuyun's soul bone skill: Darkness Boundary! Within the Darkness Boundary, a soul master's soul power is constantly melted away. The energy on that barrier is doing the exact same thing."
"Moreover, I can clearly feel that Xue Qinghe's martial soul emits an aura that naturally suppresses my Ink Jade Divine Grass."
"I can't go on like this. My soul power rank is already much lower than Xue Qinghe's. If I can't penetrate that strange barrier and absorb his soul power, I'm finished!"
"Since my martial soul and soul power are being dissolved by him, what about spiritual power?"
At this thought, Anna's eyes suddenly lit up. Her pupils abruptly turned a bright, vivid green as her spiritual power surged.
"Skull Bone Skill: Illusory Space!"
Anna murmured the command, circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill taught to her by Davis. Soul power rushed to her skull, transforming into spiritual power. This skill boosted her spiritual power by twenty percent and allowed her to cast illusions!
But she wasn't finished. Immediately afterward, she condensed her soul power again, the green in her eyes deepening into an abyss-like shade.
"External Soul Bone Skill: Tree Eye Paralysis!"
Now that she was a six-ring Soul Emperor, the quality of this external soul bone was no less than that of a sixty-thousand-year soul bone. One could only imagine the potency of the soul skill it contained. Anna widened her eyes, staring directly into Xue Qinghe's gaze.
While Anna was unleashing her soul bone skills, Xue Qinghe did not remain idle. His third soul ring flashed abruptly.
"Third Soul Skill: Holy Light!"
In an instant, his wings radiated a divine brilliance. Within the Angelic Domain, holy light illuminated the sky!
Although Xue Qinghe didn't know exactly what Anna was planning, he had no intention of capping in a gutter by underestimating his opponent. To be safe, he activated his third soul skill.
His third soul skill not only boosted all his attributes by thirty percent but also granted him immunity to all negative status effects.
At that moment, as Xue Qinghe locked eyes with Anna, his expression went briefly blank, and his spirit felt a sudden wave of lethargy. However, aside from that momentary trance, he felt no major discomfort, and his ability to move remained unaffected.
"Hehe, so that's it. You realized that physical soul power attacks would be ineffective, so you chose to attack with spiritual power instead?"
The corners of Xue Qinghe's mouth lifted slightly as he realized Anna's intent. "You aren't stupid. But don't forget, my level is higher than yours, which means my spiritual power is naturally superior to yours as well. Your spiritual attacks cannot possibly work on me!"
Although he spoke with confidence, Xue Qinghe had actually been startled. If not for the amplification provided by his Angelic Domain and his third soul skill, it was unknown whether he would have been able to move normally just now!
Seeing that her external soul bone skill had failed to take effect, Anna frowned. It seems that with my current level of spiritual power, it's difficult to cause effective damage to Xue Qinghe. I have no choice but to use a powerful soul skill for a direct assault!
Having made up her mind, Anna hesitated no longer. She engaged her legs, condensing soul power beneath her feet. With a single step, she dashed toward Xue Qinghe at her maximum speed. Simultaneously, she channeled her energy, and under her control, her fourth soul ring flashed violently!
"A ten-thousand-year fourth ring..."
Xue Qinghe frowned again upon seeing this. Anna's thousand-year second ring had already opened his eyes, but now seeing a ten-thousand-year ring in the fourth slot forced him to admit that this girl's talent was absolutely not inferior to Davis's!
"She is only twelve years old, yet she is already a six-ring Soul Emperor. I fear this little girl's talent is even greater than Davis's!"
Thinking of this, Xue Qinghe's heart sank. If such a naturally gifted Fallen One were allowed to continue growing, she would extremely likely reach level one hundred and become a god in the future. She would become a massive threat to Spirit Hall and the entire Douluo Continent!
Realizing this, the killing intent in Xue Qinghe's eyes surged wildly. He knew he could not allow Anna to grow any further.
By this time, Anna had already charged in front of him, closing the distance to merely ten meters. The Ink Jade Divine Grass in her right hand erupted with a flash of black light as she let out a sharp cry.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Demon Territory Vines!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As soon as her voice fell, ten pitch-black vines shot out like slender, venomous snakes, leaving trails of black light in the air.
In just a split second, the ten Demon Territory Vines completely surrounded Xue Qinghe and stabbed straight toward his chest, the air filled with the ear-piercing roar of the attack closing in from all directions.
"A paltry trick. Before my holy barrier, your vines are useless! First Soul Skill: Angelic Assault."
Xue Qinghe utilized his first soul skill once more. Holy soul power poured from his body, transforming into a defensive barrier to withstand the impact of the ten Demon Territory Vines.
At the same time, the Demon Territory Vines revealed their extreme hardness and tenacity. The pitch-black vines wrapped tightly around the holy barrier protecting him, then constricted like a python using a death bind, attempting to crush the barrier completely.
Seeing this, Xue Qinghe couldn't help but laugh, thinking to himself: Fool! Even sharp blades and spears cannot pierce my holy barrier; do you think you can destroy it just by squeezing it?
This is a barrier of energy, not a human! If it were a person, they might be strangled to death, but this is a barrier. How do you intend to strangle a...
Crack—
Before he could even finish his thought, a slap in the face arrived. Countless cracks suddenly appeared on the surface of the barrier. The Demon Territory Vines actually penetrated through the fissures, entering the barrier's interior and striking toward Xue Qinghe!
"What? This is impossible! My holy energy can purify soul power of other attributes, how could it be..."
Mid-sentence, Xue Qinghe's eyes suddenly went wide. He looked closely at one of the Demon Territory Vines and saw that it was secreting a dark green venom that was visibly corroding the rocks on the street below.
"Venom!"
Xue Qinghe instantly realized the truth. It wasn't that the Demon Territory Vines had crushed his holy barrier with force; rather, the venom contained within the vines had thoroughly corroded the holy energy, thereby destroying the shield structure.
After breaking through the defense, the Demon Territory Vines acted like spears, stabbing toward Xue Qinghe with the speed of thunder, poised to kill him on the spot!
(End of this chapter)