"Kill him!"
All five lunged at once, instantly focusing their fire on Yang Fan.
Though they'd barely lifted a finger during the Ironhide Rhino fight, now every one of them fought with 120% intensity.
BOOM—!
The pill suppressing his soul rings vanished. Two dazzling purple soul rings flared around Yang Fan—and in his hand materialized the flame-wreathed Soul Breaking Spear.
"What… thousand-year soul rings?!"
"Is he… a twin martial soul?!"
They were dumbfounded.
Yang Fan's rings had clearly been yellow moments ago—how did they suddenly become purple?
These freelancers, who'd spent years on the forest's outskirts, couldn't possibly fathom Yang Fan's secrets.
All they saw was shock—pure, unadulterated shock.
"Don't be afraid!" Ah Sheng roared—the same man who'd led them here. "Even with two thousand-year rings, he's just a Soul Grandmaster! We can take him together!"
How true the saying goes:
The friendlier someone acts to your face, the more viciously they'll stab you in the back.
Yang Fan moved!
He stomped his right foot, using soul power to compress the ground and launch himself forward like a bullet.
Mid-air—
His two purple rings flashed. Crimson flames erupted around his body.
This was his second soul skill's effect!
His attack was lightning-fast. In a blink, he stood before the Soul Grandmaster wounded by the rhino.
Shatter—!
The man tried to block—but failed utterly.
Yang Fan's spear pierced clean through his left chest.
In raw offensive power, the Soul Breaking Spear ranked among the top five martial souls on the continent.
A life snuffed out before his eyes—but Yang Fan felt no tremor in his heart.
He owed this numbness to Yao Lao, who'd made him watch brutal death duels in the arena. Though his hand still shook slightly from that first kill, his mind was steel.
"If you kill me," Yang Fan taunted, "how much strength will you have left to deal with him?"
His words struck terror into the remaining four. The mental assault frayed their fragile alliance.
After all—
Everyone bore injuries from the rhino fight—except Ah Sheng, the pure-defense Soul Elder, who stood fresh and ready.
"Don't listen to him!" Ah Sheng bellowed, charging Yang Fan. "If he lives, none of us get the soul bone!"
He refused to believe a Soul Elder couldn't handle a mere Soul Grandmaster.
The two other Soul Elders exchanged glances—then followed Ah Sheng's lead.
Behind them, the female auxiliary soul master cast her buffs onto the trio.
Three Soul Elders attacking in unison showed their absolute resolve to end Yang Fan's life.
Chasing Stars · Blazing Fire!
Yao Lao had gifted this Earth-Tier technique specifically for the Soul Breaking Spear. Only with the spear could it unleash its true power.
Flames surged like a majestic fire dragon.
"Dodge!"
The three Soul Elders, already wary of Yang Fan, dove sideways.
They escaped the fatal strike—but barely. For the first time, fear flickered in their eyes.
Pierce—!
Feint left, strike right!
While the trio celebrated their narrow escape, Yang Fan's spear impaled Xiao Ya—the auxiliary soul master—through the heart.
Temporary teams had zero coordination. They didn't protect their support, often even scorned them as "useless."
But Yang Fan knew her buff's value.
If left alive, she'd be a major threat.
Her body blackened instantly from the searing flames—no time to regret choosing the wrong side.
"Attack… all of you! Kill him!" Ah Sheng screamed.
Suddenly—
One Soul Elder slammed his palms into Ah Sheng and his companion's backs, then sprinted toward the Ironhide Rhino's corpse. He plunged his hands into the skull and ripped out the soul bone.
His plan was simple:
Take down Ah Sheng and the other, and he'd be closest to the prize.
He might not beat Yang Fan in direct combat—but as an agility-type Soul Elder, his speed outclassed any Soul Grandmaster.
"Damn it!" Ah Sheng crashed to the ground from the betrayal. By the time he rose, the soul bone was gone.
No soul ring. No soul bone.
This was unbearable.
As he turned to chase, a flaming spear tip pierced his chest. The other Soul Elder lay dead beside him.
"Master, lend me your power!"
Delay invites disaster!
Yang Fan could catch the fleeing Soul Elder alone—but it would waste precious seconds.
A soul bone exposed in Sunset Forest?
Every moment wasted was disrespect to the treasure itself.
Yao Lao heard his plea and poured power into him without hesitation.
WHOOSH—!
A pale-white flame, swift as lightning, pierced the fleeing Soul Elder's throat. The soul bone clattered onto a nearby boulder.
Yang Fan walked over and picked it up.
A 5,000-year head soul bone!
Slightly low on age, but otherwise top-tier.
Soul bones came in six types: limbs, torso, and head—with head bones being the rarest.
If this were a 50,000-year bone, it'd be legendary in Douluo.
Others would've absorbed it immediately—but Yang Fan carefully stored it in his soul tool.
He hadn't even absorbed a hundred-thousand-year soul bone—why would he touch this?
Its ultimate use would be decided by his dear master's research.
Just then—
Rustling in the bushes caught his attention.
Yang Fan gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler, eyes locked on the foliage.
He sensed movement beyond the trees. Yao Lao's silence confirmed it wasn't a threat he needed to handle alone…
Seven figures emerged from the brush, faces twisted with murderous intent.
"Raging Rhino?"
Yang Fan recognized the towering leader instantly—Raging Rhino, captain of the Raging Battle Team, who'd taunted him in the arena over a year ago.
Since Yang Fan had crippled him, it seemed the brute had fully recovered.
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