Hei Tian's killing intent was overwhelming.
Yesterday, he had learned about the conversation between their sect leader and the Dugu Family.
The Dugu Family had been utterly arrogant, showing no respect to their sect leader.
In that case, they would have to settle it on the stage with strength.
The poison of the Dugu Family was well-known—once poisoned, there was no cure.
Before stepping onto the stage, he had taken an Antidote Pill.
Moreover, his powerful first Soul Skill gave him the confidence to instantly defeat Dugu Feng.
"Evil Blade!"
Hei Tian roared mid-air, slashing repeatedly with the blade-like claws on his hands.
Dozens of black and blood-red tiger claw phantoms, exuding a sinister chill, explosively shot toward Dugu Feng.
The phantoms were so fast they seemed to teleport, vanishing in a flash.
These phantoms were formed by the fusion of wind-attribute cutting force and the formidable corrosive power of the evil attribute.
This Soul Skill fully unleashed the characteristics of the Black Demon Tiger Martial Soul—extremely fearsome.
He could almost picture the scene: Dugu Feng wouldn't even have time to activate his Soul Skill before being instantly annihilated.
Below the Soul Duel Stage.
Hei Mo, whom Dugu Feng had met the day before, stood at the front of the spectator stands, with Tuoba Xi of the Sacred Dragon Sect beside him.
"Level 18—almost the peak among Soul Masters—coupled with this Evil Blade, Hei Tian will definitely crush someone from the Six Great Families!"
Hei Mo was brimming with confidence.
To become one of the forces controlling the Great Soul Arena, he had prepared thoroughly.
Hei Tian was one of his trump cards.
Tuoba Xi narrowed his eyes, a ruthless glint flashing across his face.
Hei Tian was decisive, going straight for the kill—this wasn't meant to be a Soul Duel, but outright murder.
And that was exactly what Tuoba Xi had demanded.
With the backing of the Spirit Hall, killing someone on the stage would leave the other side with no recourse.
He glanced at Dugu Shuo not far away and smirked.
"The Dugu Family has so few members left. If another one dies today, I wonder if Dugu Shuo will break down!"
"Heh, they refused the easy way—now they'll learn the hard way!" Hei Mo sneered.
But in the next moment, both of their pupils dilated in shock.
On the Soul Duel Stage, the moment Hei Tian leaped into the air, Dugu Feng had already completed his Martial Soul Avatar.
Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger.
Especially with a Black Demon Tiger possessing both evil and wind attributes, Dugu Feng knew full well that Hei Tian's speed was no less than that of an agility-type Soul Master like Zhu Zhuqing.
Thus, the instant his Martial Soul Avatar manifested, the Soul Power within his meridians had already surged to his hands.
"Blue Phosphorous Twelve Fingers!"
His right hand was positioned above, his left below.
His pupils turned violet as he locked onto Hei Tian's every movement—from his leap to the eruption of Evil Blade—Dugu Feng saw it all clearly.
All those Snake Gallbladders he had consumed weren't for nothing.
Twelve streaks of Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom, as if guided by sight, precisely intercepted every trace of the Evil Blade.
But that wasn't all.
After the first twelve, another twelve followed—this time, his left hand was above, his right below, striking directly at Hei Tian.
"Let me give you something more challenging!"
Dugu Feng grinned.
The force emitted from the little fingers of his left and right hands collided mid-air and exploded instantly.
A cloud of violet mist spread through the air, enveloping the space in front of Dugu Feng.
Hei Tian was instantly shocked, forcibly altering his forward charge mid-air.
Sharp claws scraped against the arena floor, sending sparks flying.
Only then did he avoid being engulfed by the violet mist.
Dugu Feng's movements were unexpectedly fast—comparable to his own Evil Blade.
Hei Tian's expression remained calm. Since a swift victory was impossible,
then he would show his true strength.
"Manifest!"
A surge of intense gray light erupted, accompanied by a series of cracking sounds as Hei Tian's bones and muscles expanded, his entire body growing to over two meters tall.
An aura of extreme malevolence spread across the arena.
Hei Tian had changed—transformed into something akin to a killing machine.
The overwhelming presence drew gasps from the audience below.
This aura was too unique.
Among low-level Soul Masters, such overwhelming pressure was unheard of.
But Hei Tian seemed different.
All eyes turned to Dugu Feng, eager to see how he would respond.
"Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom!"
"Pfft!"
"It's over!"
Dugu Feng abruptly spat out a dense violet mist that instantly shrouded the entire arena.
His figure gradually vanished from sight.
In his eyes, the battle was indeed finished.
With his first Soul Skill unleashed, the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom permeated the arena, leaving his opponent no room to evade.
But Dugu Feng's gaze remained sharp—victory alone was not the goal.
Only by decisively killing Hei Tian could he deliver the strongest counterstrike against the Black Tiger Sect's greed for the Great Soul Arena's profits.
On the opposite side, Hei Tian, faced with the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom, did not surrender. Instead, gray light coiled around him.
With a burst of speed, he vanished into the gray radiance and charged straight into the violet mist.
A sizzling sound continuously rang out.
Hei Tian could feel the malevolent gray energy surrounding him being rapidly depleted.
Yet he was confident he could locate his opponent before it ran out.
"I see you!" Hei Tian grinned.
With a flick of his hand, multiple Evil Blades erupted forth.
The tiger-claw-like blades had grown even larger, determined to tear Dugu Feng to shreds.
But before Hei Tian could even sense the outcome of his attack, a numbing, itching pain spread across his body.
Looking down, he saw several small holes in his shoulders and arms.
The Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom had already seeped inside.
"Thud!"
His eyes filled with disbelief—he had defended with evil-attribute Soul Power!
How could it be breached so easily?
Hei Tian's consciousness plunged into darkness as his body collapsed.
The Evil Blades he had unleashed trembled in the air before dissipating.
From a corner of the arena, Dugu Feng slowly lowered his hands.
The Blue Phosphorous Twelve Fingers, combined with the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom's area-of-effect attack, made him practically unbeatable among low-tier Soul Masters.
The Blue Phosphorous Twelve Fingers shot out from twelve meridians, carrying innate piercing force amplified by the venom's corrosive power, effortlessly breaking through defenses.
Once the defense was breached, the Azure Phosphorus Violet Venom entered the body—death was inevitable.
"We concede! Give him the antidote now!" Hei Mo roared from below.
Hei Tian was a talented Soul Master within their sect—he couldn't be allowed to die like this.
Dugu Feng smiled faintly. "He's already dead. Does he still need an antidote?"
Hei Mo, disbelieving, leaped onto the arena, only to see Hei Tian's body rapidly decomposing beyond recognition in mere moments.
Dugu Shuo also leaped up, landing on the platform to shield Dugu Feng.
"What vicious poison! This isn't a Soul Duel—this is murder!"
Hei Mo's eyes gleamed coldly as he glared hatefully at Dugu Feng. The Dugu Family was ruthless with poison, but its people were even more ruthless.
His fury was met with nothing but disdainful gazes from Dugu Feng and Dugu Shuo—as if Hei Tian hadn't just tried to kill someone.
"Those who seek to kill shall be killed in turn!" Dugu Feng said coldly.