Chapter 39: Ma Xiaotao Is Injured
"Whoosh—"
In the darkness, Ye Chen's figure moved like a ghost.
Each teleportation cut down one or even several bandits at once.
It was his first time killing, yet he felt nothing.
After all, he'd attended quite a few dissection classes as a child—his tolerance for gore far exceeded most people's.
Ye Chen didn't consider himself a saint.
But these bandits weren't human either. Killing them was simply cleaning up filth.
As for exposing his teleportation ability—he didn't care. He could just call it a soul skill.
Anyway, with his system granting him new powers regularly, showing off more skills only made him look more valuable.
"Then die with me!"
Suddenly, a glow flared from behind—a wounded Grand Soul Master hidden among corpses ignited his soul power, his body radiating scorching red light.
Before Ye Chen could react, the man's body erupted in a violent explosion.
"Boom—!!!"
The blast sent a shockwave slamming into Ye Chen's back.
He didn't flinch.
"What the—?"
Turning around, Ye Chen saw nothing left but a charred crater where several bodies had disintegrated into ash.
"Good grief, I got careless. Should've crushed the head," Ye Chen muttered after a second's delay.
Soul Masters were tenacious; even with their hearts pierced, they could live long enough for one last strike.
It was his own fault for leaving the enemy half-dead.
Fortunately, Ye Chen's body was shielded completely by his Ice Scale Armor. A Grand Soul Master's self-detonation—hell, even a Soul Elder's—couldn't scratch him.
Still, it was a good lesson: always kill cleanly, turn the body to dust, and burn it.
If possible, even destroy the opponent's soul—no chance for a comeback.
"Whoosh—"
At that moment, a purple silhouette surrounded by eight spirit rings descended like lightning beside him.
Zhang Lexuan.
The explosion had clearly drawn her attention.
"Xiao Chen, are you alright!?"
Seeing the scorched marks behind him, she panicked, fearing he was hurt. She rushed over and immediately wrapped him in her arms, checking for wounds.
"I'm fine, Sister. Just a bit of blood, that's all."
Ye Chen quickly released his second soul skill, wiping away the bloody stains and soot instantly.
"You really scared me, you know that? You just vanished without a word—I was so worried…"
Zhang Lexuan's eyes flashed with mild reproach. She clearly wanted to pinch him in frustration, but couldn't bring herself to.
Finally, she lightly tugged at his cheek instead.
"Sis, I'm a Soul Master too. I'm not made of paper," Ye Chen replied with a wry smile.
Being cared for felt nice, but he couldn't shake the sense of being underestimated.
Still, he had to admit—it was partly his fault. His carelessness had left that Grand Soul Master a chance to strike back.
No matter how many stories or battles he'd read about in his past life, reality was always harder.
"Next time, don't just vanish into thin air!" Zhang Lexuan said firmly, concern hidden beneath her tone.
She had been on countless missions; one moment of negligence could easily lead to tragedy.
She didn't even want to imagine seeing Ye Chen hurt—or worse.
Unless she had him in her line of sight, she couldn't rest easy.
"Alright, I'll listen to you, Sister~" Ye Chen said with a small grin.
"That's my good boy~"
Relieved, Zhang Lexuan smiled again. Then curiosity flashed in her eyes. "By the way, that teleportation ability… where did it come from? You're Ice-elemental, aren't you? And yet you can teleport that far?"
When she'd lost sight of him earlier, Ye Chen had gone completely beyond her spiritual range—two hundred meters.
Two hundred meters of instant teleportation? That wasn't teleporting—that was warping through space!
And with barely any visible strain on him… his energy consumption must have been minimal.
Could a soul skill really do such a thing?
"Haha, just a special soul skill~," Ye Chen laughed it off casually.
It wasn't easy to explain. Besides, revealing this ability only served to show his potential and reassure her that he had ways to protect himself.
As he spoke, he teleported again—this time barely twenty meters away, still within her range.
Clearly being "obedient."
"Little brat…"
Zhang Lexuan pouted but didn't dwell on it.
Every Soul Master had their secrets. If Ye Chen didn't want to share, she wouldn't push.
...
In the forest,
Ling Luochen and Ye Chen began their slaughter.
Every hiding bandit met swift death—none escaped their keen spiritual senses, even in the dark.
Within minutes, hundreds had fallen.
Zhang Lexuan, though officially not supposed to intervene, discreetly dispatched a few stragglers herself.
Before long, the mountain band was almost entirely wiped out.
Then—
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening explosion thundered from several kilometers away.
Ling Luochen and Ye Chen froze. Without a word, both dashed toward the sound.
Ye Chen was faster—several teleports later, he arrived first.
The area was a blazing inferno.
Through the haze, a figure staggered out from the flames—Ma Xiaotao.
Her fire-armor was in tatters, her battle clothes half-burned and melted.
The thin silk stockings she'd worn—a gift meant for Ye Chen—were now shredded, marked with corroded holes. Her long legs bore several bloodied wounds.
"Damn that evil Soul Master…!" Ye Chen growled, heart twisting painfully.
How much pain was she enduring?
"Sister Xiao Tao!"
With one flash, he appeared right beside her. At least, she didn't seem critically injured.
"Xiao Chen… thank goodness you're fine…"
Ma Xiaotao managed a tired smile before her eyes rolled back and her body collapsed forward.
"Sister Xiao Tao!"
Ye Chen panicked and caught her instantly.
That's when he saw it—a palm-sized wound on her back, corroded and oozing dark red.
The gash wasn't deep, but the liquid seeping from it glimmered like living blood, writhing as it crept further into her body.
The stench of iron was overwhelming, and the sight itself was gruesome.
The substance was alive—probably remnants of the Blood Infant's corrupted power—and it was draining Ma Xiaotao's strength and soul power continuously.
That was what made her collapse.
Still, she wasn't in mortal danger.
As a high-ranking Soul Emperor, she wouldn't die from a single strike.
But for a Soul King to wound her—that alone would make him a legend in hell.
(END CHAPTER)
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