The nine tails of the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox bristled simultaneously. The phantom soul rings on each tail solidified, making it seem as though the nine tails themselves were nine soul rings.
"Nine-Tailed Silver Fox Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul True Body!"
Su Chen's body completely fused with the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox, transforming into a colossal silver fox. Nine tails swayed behind him, each harboring a different attribute—fire, ice, lightning, wind, earth, light, dark, space, and time. This was the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox's most powerful form, and Su Chen's ultimate trump card.
"How is that possible!" Mo Yuan exclaimed. "How can your Martial Soul possess nine attributes simultaneously?"
"Because I am the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox." Su Chen's voice echoed from the silver fox's mouth, calm and confident. "Over a century of cultivation has allowed me to integrate all nine attributes into my Martial Soul. This is my Martial Soul True Body—the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
The silver fox's nine tails swung in unison, and attacks of nine attributes erupted simultaneously. The Tail of Fire spewed blazing pillars of flame; the Tail of Ice released biting frost storms; the Tail of Lightning struck down with blue thunder; the Tail of Wind whipped up a gale that tore everything apart; the Tail of Earth triggered quakes and fissures in the ground; the Tail of Light fired dazzling arrows of radiance; the Tail of Darkness created a vortex that devoured all; the Tail of Space shredded the surrounding space into fragments; and the Tail of Time slowed the enemies' movements to a crawl.
This was no simple single-attribute attack, but a fused assault of all nine attributes. Each attribute complemented and amplified the others; the resulting might was not merely additive, but multiplicative.
The expressions of Mo Yuan and his two companions drastically changed as they simultaneously unleashed their strongest defensive soul skills.
Mo Yuan's python Martial Soul coiled into a defensive formation, its black mist forming a thick barrier. The crow Martial Soul released a black mental barrier, attempting to fend off the spiritual assault. The spider Martial Soul wove a massive black web, enveloping the three of them.
But before this fused attack of nine attributes, these defenses were as fragile as paper.
Fire burned through the spider web; ice froze the crow's mental barrier; lightning shattered the python's black mist; the gale scattered the fragments; the earthquake made the trio unsteady on their feet; the arrows of light and the vortex of darkness attacked in tandem; and the spatial severing and temporal slowing left them with nowhere to dodge.
Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the ice mound was blasted into a massive crater. Mo Yuan and his companions were sent flying, slamming heavily into the snow. Mo Yuan's python Martial Soul was forced back into his body, and the crow and spider Martial Souls also vanished. The three men's black robes were blown to tatters, their bodies riddled with burns, frostbite, and lacerations, while pools of black blood spread across the ground.
Mo Yuan struggled to his feet but failed. His left leg had been severed in the blast, his right arm was frozen black, and a bone-deep wound marred his chest; at least three of his ribs were broken. His two companions were in even worse shape. The black-robed man with the crow Martial Soul had already lapsed into a coma, and while the one with the spider Martial Soul was still conscious, he could no longer stand.
Su Chen withdrew from his Martial Soul True Body state, returning to his human form. His face was pale, his forehead drenched in sweat, and his breathing had turned ragged. The Martial Soul True Body demanded a tremendous toll on him, especially with the simultaneous release of nine attributes, which had drained nearly seventy percent of his soul power. But the results were undeniable: of the three powerhouses, one was dead and two were wounded, completely shattering the patrol's siege.
"Ares!" Su Chen shouted. "Hurry! Finish off the remaining enemies, then immediately retreat north!"
Ares acknowledged with a roar, and the lightning power of his Thunder Wolf Martial Soul erupted once more. Freed from the restraint of the three powerhouses, he was like a tiger among a flock of sheep, slaughtering the remaining dozen or so black-robed cultists in a matter of minutes.
"Retreat!" Ares shouted to the students. "Take the wounded and retreat north!"
The students acted swiftly. The wounded were carried onto makeshift stretchers while the others formed a defensive formation to protect them. Chen Hao walked at the very back, his Sword of Light gripped tightly, keeping a wary eye out for any pursuers.
Su Chen looked at Mo Yuan, hesitated for a moment, and then turned to leave. He didn't kill Mo Yuan—not out of mercy, but because killing someone who had no ability to resist was meaningless. Moreover, he needed Mo Yuan alive to deliver a message back to the Void Cult: to tell them that the Heroic Spirits Army still existed, and their guardianship endured.
Mo Yuan lay on the ground, watching Su Chen's departing figure, the madness in his eyes morphing into venomous resentment.
"You... will regret this..." he wheezed. "The Void Cult... will not let you go..."
Su Chen didn't look back, his voice drifting through the blizzard: "Then come."
The thirty-three continued their march north, leaving a devastated battlefield in their wake. The black blood scattered across the white snow was glaringly stark, like a twisted painting.
...
After trekking for about four hours, the sky had grown completely dark. Su Chen found a relatively concealed ice cave and decided to make camp there for the night.
"What are the casualties today?" Su Chen asked Ares.
Ares' expression was grave. "Five wounded, two of them severely. Li Yang's injuries are the worst; the power of the Void has invaded his internal organs. The medic says he can hold on for three days at most. Zhang Wan's situation is slightly better, but the power of the Void has also invaded her meridians. If we don't purify it soon, her Martial Soul could be damaged."
Su Chen walked over to the wounded, crouching down to inspect Li Yang's injuries. Li Yang was a nineteen-year-old youth whose Martial Soul was the Flame Eagle, and his soul power had reached the Soul King rank. He was one of the standout students of the Heroic Spirits Academy's third batch, possessing a cheerful disposition and a ready smile, always bringing joy to those around him. But now, he lay on the stretcher, his face ashen, lips blackened, and breathing faintly, the breath of life slipping away bit by bit.
"Li Yang." Su Chen grasped his hand, his voice gentle. "Can you hear me?"
Li Yang's eyelids fluttered, fighting to open a sliver to see Su Chen's face. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards as he tried to force a smile, but the grimace was uglier than crying. "Stra... Strategist... am... am I... going to die?"
"No." Su Chen gripped his hand tighter. "I won't let you die."
Li Yang shook his head. "Strategist... don't lie... I... I know myself... my body... is done for... but I... have no regrets... because... I was... protecting..."
"I know you have no regrets," Su Chen interrupted him. "But you are not going to die. I promise you, you will not die."
Su Chen stood up, walked to a corner of the ice cave, sat down, and closed his eyes. His spiritual power circulated at full capacity, scanning everything in the vicinity. He was searching for one thing—ice-attribute natural treasures, something capable of suppressing the power of the Void and purifying the body. Though the Extreme North was desolate, it also nurtured countless precious spiritual herbs. If he could find a millennium-old Ice Lotus or Snow Ginseng, it might just save Li Yang's life.
His spiritual power swept across the frozen plains, searching inch by inch.
------------------------------------------------------
30+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)