Chapter 54: Playing Ranged? I Can Do That Too
White wings spread open from his back, yet in the very next instant, they were completely wrapped by armor that shimmered with a faint blue-green glow.
The long horns extending from his head were no exception—appearing for only a moment before being tightly protected by the Reverse Edge Demon Armor as well.
True, all-around protection with no blind spots whatsoever.
"Martial soul fusion? You can even fuse your own two martial souls like this?!"
It was the first time Meng Xiaoyan had seen Fan Chen in this form, and she was clearly startled.
At first, her understanding of twin martial souls had been limited to the idea of simply having one more martial soul than ordinary people.
It wasn't until later, after learning more about twin martial souls from Guang Ling, that she truly realized just how terrifying Fan Chen's talent was.
But there was one characteristic of twin martial souls she remembered very clearly—that they were extremely difficult to use simultaneously.
Something like Fan Chen's situation had never been recorded before.
Xiao Bai running around freely was one thing. The fact that the Reverse Edge Demon Armor could create weapons was something she had already gotten used to after seeing it so many times.
But now he was pulling something like this again.
What was this—cheating without even bothering to hide it anymore? Just openly hacking?!
"Wait… Xiao Xue, how are you this calm?"
Seeing Qian Renxue beside her with a composed expression, Meng Xiaoyan looked around again.
She realized that, aside from herself, no one else showed even the slightest hint of shock.
This made her start doubting herself—was she just ignorant, and had simply never learned about this kind of thing?
"You mean Brother Fan Chen's form?" Qian Renxue replied calmly. "We've seen it before. But it seems other twin martial souls can't do this. This is the first recorded case among known twin martial souls."
"It should count as one of his innate talents. As for the specifics, I'm not too sure either. After the fight, you can ask Fan Brother Chen or Xiao Bai."
This was only the second time Qian Renxue had seen Fan Chen in this form, so her understanding wasn't much deeper than Meng Xiaoyan's.
"Another special talent… This bastard really deserves to die. Every good thing just happens to fall into his lap."
Meng Xiaoyan was genuinely envious of Fan Chen's talent. But envy was envy—it didn't stop her at all from wanting to beat him to death.
"Meng Xiaoyan, what are you muttering about over there? Are you ready yet? I can't wait to beat you up."
Innate Skill: Demonic Weapon Manifestation.
A Coiling Dragon Staff, manifested by the Reverse Edge Demon Armor, appeared in Fan Chen's hands.
Gripping the staff, Fan Chen locked his gaze firmly onto Meng Xiaoyan behind Qian Renxue.
His target was very clear—he was definitely going to beat Meng Xiaoyan.
Winning or losing didn't matter. What mattered was that Meng Xiaoyan was getting beaten.
"Tch. Who beats up whom isn't decided yet."
Hiding behind Qian Renxue, Meng Xiaoyan equipped the custom longbow crafted for her by Guang Ling.
Her pupils transformed at that moment, white and purple intertwining, causing her entire aura to shift abruptly.
"Begin."
Seeing that all three were ready, Qian Daoliu directly announced the start.
The moment his voice fell, all three figures moved at once.
Fan Chen and Qian Renxue spread their wings and flew into the air.
Meng Xiaoyan immediately chose to retreat from her original position, rapidly widening the distance between herself and Fan Chen.
As a ranged combatant with weak close-combat ability, she had to ensure her own safety to properly fulfill her role.
Especially now, when her soul power was the lowest—and she didn't even have a soul ring yet.
If Fan Chen managed to get close, she'd probably be sent flying with a single punch, smashed straight into the wall, and stuck there like a decoration.
Up in the sky, Fan Chen and Qian Renxue clashed head-on.
Twin swords collided with the long staff. In frontal exchanges like this, the staff clearly held the advantage over dual swords.
Coupled with the annihilation attribute granted by the Reverse Edge Demon Armor, Qian Renxue was sent flying backward.
Meanwhile, after finding a suitable position, Meng Xiaoyan came to a stop. Just as she was about to draw her bow and nock an arrow, a sword aura suddenly slashed straight down in front of her.
The stone floor shattered. A massive slab of stone—large enough to conceal Meng Xiaoyan's entire body—was pried up by Qian Renxue's sword and erected directly in front of her.
"Good sister, thanks."
Meng Xiaoyan immediately understood that this was a cover created for her by Qian Renxue. Though its effect was limited, having something was better than nothing.
Qian Renxue had used the recoil from her clash with Fan Chen to propel herself over, arriving beside Meng Xiaoyan in one smooth motion.
Not only did she successfully block Fan Chen's offense, but she also helped Meng Xiaoyan along the way.
Her control over the battlefield made Fan Chen feel slightly surprised.
No wonder the force of that earlier clash felt off.
Qian Renxue's soul power was clearly higher than his. Even if he had an advantage in strength and weapon type, it shouldn't have been that easy to knock her back.
So she had been aiming to help Meng Xiaoyan.
After assisting her, Qian Renxue didn't linger. She nodded toward Meng Xiaoyan, then charged straight back at Fan Chen.
First Soul Skill: Angel Assault.
The yellow soul ring behind her lit up, and a dazzling golden radiance coated the blades in her hands.
She swung her sword toward Fan Chen, and a visible golden sword aura shot straight at him.
Fan Chen flapped his wings and swiftly dodged the attack—but Qian Renxue's assault wasn't over.
In the instant he evaded the sword aura, she was already right in front of him.
Her twin swords slashed down mercilessly.
Unable to dodge in time, Fan Chen could only raise his staff to block. But in the very next moment, he truly experienced the terrifying power behind Qian Renxue's strikes.
The instant the staff met the twin swords, Fan Chen was sent flying.
His body was blasted backward through the air, transforming into a meteor as he smashed violently into the ground.
Meng Xiaoyan seized the opportunity and began firing wildly toward the spot where Fan Chen had fallen.
With the enhancement of her Spirit Eyes, the rising dust couldn't obstruct her vision at all.
Fan Chen's position was completely exposed in her sight. One arrow after another flew out.
The arrows seemed to have eyes of their own, streaking precisely toward Fan Chen's location.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of arrows striking armor rang out—proof that her attacks had landed accurately.
Under the protection of the Reverse Edge Demon Armor, such attacks couldn't actually injure Fan Chen, but this was the only thing she could do right now.
Fan Chen's Reverse Edge Demon Armor had a special energy limit.
This energy wasn't soul power, but a unique form of energy inherent to the armor itself. Once it was depleted, the armor would automatically disintegrate.
The energy was consumed naturally over time, and also passively when taking damage. Meng Xiaoyan's attacks were weak, but they could still drain the armor's energy.
The more hits she landed, the more energy would be consumed.
Of course, Fan Chen wasn't a stationary target. Opportunities like this were the only way she could reliably hit him.
Just as she was about to fire a few more arrows, her expression suddenly changed. She abandoned the attack entirely and dove to the side.
In the very next second, a streak of light shot out from the dust cloud, heading straight for Meng Xiaoyan's position.
Boom—!
The streak struck the cover Qian Renxue had created for her.
The stone slab let out a thunderous crash upon impact—but instead of shattering into large chunks, it disintegrated into fine gravel and dust, scattering in place.
Fan Chen's figure emerged from the smoke.
Beside him were the arrows Meng Xiaoyan had just fired.
And in his hand, he was holding a longbow.
Picking up one of the arrows from the ground, Fan Chen aimed it directly at Meng Xiaoyan's position.
"Playing ranged? Don't act like I can't do it too."
"Come on, Meng Xiaoyan—let's bombard each other!"
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End of Chapter