Even though he was in charge of punishment within the Spirit Hall, his pupils contracted, and a chill ran down his spine—
He couldn't stay in the opponent's domain any longer!
Ghostly's mind screamed with alarms, and nine radiant halos erupted from his feet in an instant. The seventh, pitch-black halo blazed brightly.
"Seventh Spirit Skill, Martial Soul True Body!"
For a soul master, there was nothing more reassuring than the Martial Soul True Body.
Clad in armor so black it seemed to absorb light, Ghostly's eyes spewed forth intense black light. The whites of his eyes were dyed the same pitch black as his pupils. His already gaunt and pale face turned ashen, completely shedding the appearance of a living person, resembling a true vengeful spirit.
Ghostly's Martial Soul True Body was the Ghost King form. The armor that manifested on his body was called the "Black Prison Ghost Armor," which could instantly boost his spirit power by 150%, his speed, strength, attack power, and defense by 100% each. His spirit skills would have no cooldown, allowing him to use them without limit.
Furthermore, when entering the Ghost King form, Ghostly's spirit skill attacks could not be dodged. No matter where he seized an opportunity within the skill's range, it possessed spirit skill locking.
The wisps of black energy drifting from Ghostly were perhaps not obvious in the dark space. However, to Tang Sui, who held control over the domain, the opponent was like a freshly baked bun, still steaming.
Similarly, after entering the Ghost King form, all surrounding life forms would appear in his vision like a thermal detector.
The troublesome black tide was as if nothing; Tang Sui, hidden within it, was captured by his sight.
The long, slender, purplish-black ghost shadow floating behind Ghostly, like a second doppelganger, raised its spectral claw. It let out a sharp roar, and its sixth spirit ring, circling its body, lit up. Black-purple mist shimmered, and seven or eight shadows, identical in color and form to Ghostly's martial soul, shot towards Tang Sui with lightning speed.
"Sixth Spirit Skill, Chi Mei Wang Liang."
A hoarse, rough voice, like rubbing against sandpaper, carried a sinister chill.
Sensing something amiss, Tang Sui flicked her gaze. Eight ghostly shadows instantly converged from all directions around her, sealing off all escape routes. They uniformly raised their spectral claws and swiped fiercely at her.
Unable to dodge.
Making a split-second judgment, Tang Sui's mind stirred. Seven dark-gold masks then collided with one ghostly shadow each. The eighth, surplus ghost shadow was cleaved by Tang Sui's blade.
Ghostly, remotely controlling the spectral shadows, smirked. The moment Tang Sui lunged forward to close the distance with the purplish-black spectral shadows, he suddenly clenched his right hand, which had transformed into a ghostly claw, and spat out a bone-chilling word from his dark lips:
"Explode!"
"Boom boom boom—!!"
The spectral shadows, which the masks had torn long, paper-like gashes into, deformed and burst like overinflated sandbags. The explosions, imbued with a high concentration of spirit power, cascaded like falling dominoes, with such minimal intervals between them that they almost occurred simultaneously. To Tang Sui's stern gaze, the closest spectral shadows detonated.
The deafening roars immediately reverberated through the domain, causing the entire space to tremble, but it soon stabilized.
"You're also skilled at manipulating Chi Mei Wang Liang."
A light, toneless voice brushed past his ear. Realizing her attack had failed, Ghostly's smile froze. A shiver coursed through his body. His combat instincts, honed by years of dancing on the edge of life and death, prompted a rapid counter-attack. With a sharp "clang," he parried the assault with his elongated, purplish-black spectral claw against the back of Tang Sui's sharp, black-red longsword.
With her surprise attack blocked, Tang Sui's mind subtly shifted. Seven dark-gold masks, like falling blossoms from a celestial maiden, shot out from behind her, moving in an irregular trajectory towards Ghostly's neck, heart, and head—three vital points.
Ghostly was horrified. Despite the protection of the Black Prison Ghost Armor, he dared not underestimate these seemingly thin masks. He immediately infused spirit power into his armor to bolster its defense.
"Ding ding—!"
Five masks consecutively pricked against the incredibly tough Ghost Armor. To Ghostly's constricting pupils, the seemingly delicate masks managed to gouge several millimeters deep into his defense-reinforced Ghost Armor.
"Kong kong—"
Another two masks, heading towards his face, were met with fierce resistance. One was blocked by the Ghost Armor around his neck and even his cheek, but it still managed to crack his armor, leaving a deep gash on his cheek.
The other mask, with a reluctant swipe, severed a few strands of his hair as he dodged, unable to fully control it!
"Bang bang bang!!!"
One black and one red instantly blurred into countless afterimages, engaging in high-speed close-quarters combat within the domain.
As a nimble attack-type soul master, Ghostly was gradually falling into a disadvantageous position under Tang Sui's relentless pressure.
More importantly, Tang Sui hadn't even used her Martial Soul True Body! Sudan Novel Network.
Anxiously, Ghostly pressed forward, constantly shifting his position within the domain, attempting to find a weakness or a way out.
Meanwhile, on the ground, thanks to Tang Sui's timely intervention, Qin Ming and the four students who had rapidly fled the outer reaches of the Star Dou Great Forest only dared to slow down after running another twenty to thirty li. They were all panting, sweat dripping down their faces.
"Teacher Qin, Teacher Qin, that person just now... will she be alright on her own?" Ye Lan, whom Tang Sui had rescued earlier, had a flushed neck and red cheeks as she continuously wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Yes, Teacher Qin, there were over ten Soul Sages, and even... a Titled Douluo-level expert there." Fang Xiaoyu, who had narrowly escaped death,'s voice trembled when he spoke the words "Titled Douluo."
The students recruited by the Heaven Dou Royal Academy used to only accept noble scions, unless a soul master with exceptional talent emerged, in which case they would be admitted exceptionally.
Only in recent years, with the continuous emphasis and suggestions from the Grandmaster and Ning Fengzhi, had they begun recruiting commoner students.
After all, their Heaven Dou Empire's soul master forces were inferior to the Spirit Empire's. If they didn't find ways to broaden their recruitment to include free soul masters and budding soul masters, even if strong for a time, the blooming flowers would eventually wither. They feared a lack of successors to protect them.
Although the atmosphere within the academy, with commoners and nobles attending together, was often subtle, there hadn't been any major conflicts that escalated to physical altercations.
Among the four students who had accompanied Qin Ming to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for spirit rings, three were commoners, and only one, Fang Xiaoyu, was of noble birth. However, he was from a minor noble family, inheriting his title, and thus got along well with his classmates.
The three Grand Supervisors of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy were currently secretly escorting Xue Beng to attend a meeting with the Star Luo Empire in West Lu City. To avoid worrying the Grand Supervisors, Qin Ming, who had served as a head teacher at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, naturally stepped forward to support the Grand Supervisors and maintain order.
As soon as they exited the Star Dou Great Forest and Qin Ming's spiritual power detected no pursuit, he had dispelled his Martial Soul True Body. Hearing the students' worried words, he let out a sigh of relief and said, "The one who rescued us just now was my junior fellow student, Tang Sui, your senior. If I'm not mistaken, Tang Sui's spirit power is likely even greater than mine. Our immediate priority is to return to the camp where the Heaven Dou army is stationed and not be a burden to her. After fifteen minutes of rest, we will continue our journey!"
"Yes!"