"Second Soul Skill—Boundless Eagle Eye!"
"Captain! There's a wolf pack besieging Old Hei's group. They've suffered heavy casualties. No soul masters in sight! Brother Wu is facing off against the wolf pack's leader—it's dangerous!" Cheng Hao quickly returned to report to Ling Yunxiao.
Elsewhere, Chen Wu was standing atop a Seven-Kill Sword, maneuvering against a more imposing Windstorm Demon Wolf leader, constantly dodging massive dark-cyan wind blades flying toward him.
Not far away lay another Windstorm Demon Wolf, barely breathing—on the verge of death. This was the one Chen Wu had severely wounded in a surprise attack just moments earlier, using his sword-step Sword Flash Empty Trace and an inherited soul skill.
Just minutes ago, when Chen Wu arrived, Old Hei had already been in a dire situation. After all, three Windstorm Demon Wolves were ganging up on him—even a mighty warrior can't fight off many enemies alone.
And hovering in the background, that demon wolf leader oversaw the battle like a tiger eyeing its prey.
There was no time to waste!
"Kill in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles! Sword Qi—Hundred Step Flying Blade!"
The Chen Clan's chanting before unleashing a big move wasn't just for show. Their ancestors developed this method based on soul incantations, using chanting to bring the body into resonance with the ultimate technique—enhancing speed, power, and other attributes. It's a high-level application of Sword Shadow Body.
In an instant, Chen Wu activated Sword Shadow Body, and a dazzling sword light shot into the sky. While the surrounding ten-thousand-year soul beasts were still stunned, he launched Sword Flash Empty Trace. His figure cut across the sky like lightning, and a streak of sword light burst forth with immense power.
Sword Flash Empty Trace was an advanced use of the sword-step technique—standing on the Seven-Kill Sword, riding it at high speed. It was the same technique Chen Xin used in the future to break the Martial Soul Fusion Technique of Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo. Of course, Chen Xin was a Super Douluo and had support from speed-boosting soul skills like Sword Wings Like Flight and boosts from Ning Fengzhi.
Hundred Step Flying Blade was a branch of the ultimate sword technique Sword Qi—Vertical and Horizontal, focusing on attacking with momentum—its speed overwhelming and nearly impossible to defend against. It was known for the saying: One blade to the throat, the flying sword at a hundred steps.
Chen Wu, being an agility-type attack soul master, relied heavily on speed and explosive bursts. Combined with the terrifying offensive power of Hundred Step Flying Blade, his strikes were truly fearsome.
He channeled his soul power into his arm, forming a sword-qi, and hurled the sword forward. The concentrated sword-qi at the tip had immense piercing power—so strong that even the formidable bodies of ten-thousand-year soul beasts couldn't withstand it.
That one strike erupted with the roar of dragons and tigers. The Windstorm Demon Wolf, as massive as a calf, was flung into the air, crashing through several massive trees as thick as a man's torso.
"Whimper... whimper..." The wolf couldn't even stand anymore.
"Awooo!" The demon wolf leader, over a hundred meters away, couldn't reach in time and roared furiously.
A massive dark cyan tornado surged toward Chen Wu. The violent winds were like giant blades, slicing everything in their path. A deep chasm was carved into the earth by the unseen force.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Martial Soul True Body!"
Seeing the demon wolf leader's fierce expression, a chill flickered through Chen Wu's eyes. His Seven-Kill Sword suddenly expanded into a 20 to 30-meter-long energy blade, clashing violently with the tornado.
A terrifying shockwave rippled outward. Nearby Gale Wolves and Blackmoon Wolves were instantly torn to pieces. Chen Wu let out a muffled groan and was blasted backward.
Countless shards of dust, gravel, blood, and flesh were swept into the chaotic air current. The tornado, reeking of blood, continued to bear down on Chen Wu.
"True King-Level!" Chen Wu cursed under his breath, immediately pulling out an emergency flare and firing it when he found an opening.
The tornado closed in with increasing ferocity.
"Spring tides rise with the sea,
The moon on the sea rises with the tide—
Sword Style: Bright Moon Over the Sea!"
With a swipe of his hand, the previously dispersed sword energy gathered like fledgling birds returning to the nest. Like a surging river, the sword aura rushed into the sky, forming a bright moon that stood against the tornado.
In an instant, the hundred-meter space around them distorted. Explosions crackled everywhere, and a towering cloud of stone dust—like a dark storm—instantly engulfed everything.
Suddenly, a massive dark cyan sword blade cut through the dust, streaking through the air like lightning.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Rainbow Soars Beyond the Sky!"
The four-foot-long flying sword instantly expanded into a several-meter-long greatsword. Under the moonlight, it drew a condensed green rainbow in the sky, crashing into and shattering the dark cyan sword blade with overwhelming force.
But unexpectedly, the shattered giant sword split into countless smaller blades that continued hurtling toward Chen Wu—creating a secondary attack, like a storm of sword shards.
"Third Soul Skill—Plum Blossoms in Bloom!"
Chen Wu flicked his Seven-Kill Sword, unleashing nine sword strikes in the blink of an eye, each strike splitting into nine blossoming petals of sword energy—like a flurry of falling plum blossoms, which collided and dissolved the incoming blades.
The demon wolf leader opened its bloody mouth and unleashed several massive dark cyan sword blades at Chen Wu.
In mid-air, Chen Wu flipped backward. Beneath his feet, an energy-formed Seven-Kill Sword quickly solidified. Using Sword Flash Empty Trace, he twisted and turned through the sky, constantly maneuvering to dodge the attacks.
He no longer dared to block the dark cyan sword blades directly. Even if he could stop them, the secondary damage was too intense and insidious.
Though Chen Wu was a Soul Sage, going head-to-head against the Windstorm Demon Wolf leader—a True King-level Soul Beast—he was now clearly at a disadvantage.
A soul beast that broke through 10,000 years of cultivation was considered a Beast King, but once it passed 50,000 years, its power would soar. Its combat strength could rival that of three or four 40,000-year beasts. In the soul master world, such beasts were called True King-level Soul Beasts, and only Soul Douluos could hope to take them on. Not even a Seven-Kill Sword Soul Sage could match them alone.
It was only because Chen Wu was an agility-type soul master that he could keep up. Anyone else would've already been dead. Moreover, his mastery of Sword Flash Empty Trace was profound—his speed could match that of the demon wolf leader. He might not be able to win, but at least he could dodge.
Under the sword-blade storm, a large area was cleared out. Neither the Gale Wolves nor Blackmoon Wolves dared approach. Still, some were occasionally caught in the flying blades and died.
"Awoo…" The Blackmoon Wolf Queen let out a mournful cry. The demon wolf leader, seeing that it couldn't quickly take down Chen Wu, sneak-attacked the Wolf Queen with a dark cyan sword blade in the chaos.
Including itself, the enemy had brought five Windstorm Demon Wolves and one Azure Gale Wolf King, along with three hundred Gale Wolves and Azure Gale Wolves.
Initially, they held an overwhelming advantage against Old Hei's group.
But Chen Wu's surprise assault had gravely wounded one of its kin—shifting the battlefield dynamics.
While Chen Wu held it back, Old Hei began to overpower the two Windstorm Demon Wolves. The Wolf Queen, though at a disadvantage against one Windstorm Demon Wolf and one Azure Gale Wolf King, could still hold her own. The remaining wolves were being held in check by the Blackmoon Pack, causing a stalemate.
Realizing this, the highly intelligent demon wolf leader wasn't willing to let the situation continue. Chen Wu was slippery and hard to kill. Old Hei's strength wasn't much inferior either. So it shifted its target to the Wolf Queen.
Once the other two Windstorm Demon Wolves and the Azure Gale Wolf King took her down, they could redeploy their forces—and the entire battlefield would shift.
Now, it could focus entirely on Chen Wu.
...
More sword blades rained down, and Chen Wu found it increasingly difficult to dodge.
"Second Soul Skill—Falling Sword, Lone Goose!"
With a sweeping arc, Chen Wu's Seven-Kill Sword drew a ten-meter semicircle—half stab, half slash—covering the countless small sword blades homing in on him.
"Awoooo!" The demon wolf leader let out an ear-piercing, despair-laden howl, unleashing a massive sonic wave.
At the moment of impact, Chen Wu felt a searing pain in his mind—his ears ringing, momentarily stunned. In that instant, several dark cyan sword blades shot toward him.
"Sixth Soul Skill—Turbulent Winds and Rain!"
A barrage of violent wind mixed with freezing rain and dark cyan sword blades collided, erupting into a shockwave. The force gradually dispersed, leaving the ground littered with shattered ice.
Ling Yunxiao had arrived, using his Martial Soul Windcloud Fan to block the attack for Chen Wu. But the backlash still sent his blood surging.
"You okay?" Ling Yunxiao asked.
"I'm fine, Uncle. But that wolf—it's already reached True King-level. Be careful," Chen Wu warned.
"Got it. I'll take the offensive. You strike when the time is right."
"Understood!"