Chapter 150: Betrayed by One's Own (Part 2)

Just as the rapidly approaching Extreme Ice Spear was about to pierce his head, at this critical moment, the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor forcefully broke free from the Ice Seal Soul Skill's control, relying on his soul power, which was a full level higher than Shui Bing'er's.

Like ordinary auxiliary soul skills, when a soul master uses a control-type soul skill against an opponent with a higher soul power level, the effectiveness is inevitably reduced.

Moreover, since this was a battle against a stronger opponent, Shui Bing'er couldn't defeat him with just a hundred-year soul skill.

With a loud bang, a large burst of ice crystals exploded around the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor. After breaking free from the Ice Seal control, he immediately tilted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the incoming Extreme Ice Spear, and once again charged toward Mu Yang and his companion, who were over thirty meters away.

However, before the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor could advance too far, he keenly sensed a threat from behind. Without hesitation, he dodged sideways.

Due to his profession, the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor had an extremely fast reaction speed. But under Shui Bing'er's mental control, the redirected Extreme Ice Spear was even faster.

Just as the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor moved to evade, the Extreme Ice Spear shot forward. Although it missed his back, it still struck his left arm.

"Pfft—"

The sharp sound of penetration rang out. The Extreme Ice Spear pierced through the protective soul power on the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor's arm, its sharp tip stabbing deep into his left arm, blossoming into a bright red burst of blood.

Immediately after, the Extreme Ice Spear embedded in his arm exploded. Boom! Blood, flesh, shattered bones, and ice shards scattered everywhere. A severed, frost-covered arm fell to the ground.

"Ah—!"

The pain of losing an arm surged straight to his brain, and the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor couldn't help but let out a miserable scream.

Ultimately, he had suffered a loss due to being caught off guard.

It was just like how Tang Sect's hidden weapons weren't very threatening when openly displayed, but when used stealthily, they could be deadly even to skilled experts.

If he had known that the Extreme Ice Spear could be redirected under the caster's mental control, he wouldn't have left his back completely exposed, allowing himself to be caught off guard by the spear's sudden change in direction.

More importantly, as an agility-type soul master, the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor focused only on his speed and attack power while deliberately neglecting defense. None of his six soul ring skills were defensive.

If he had a defensive soul skill, he wouldn't have lost his arm to a single spear strike and ended up crippled.

Of course, the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor was well aware of his glaring weakness in defense, but he lacked an effective way to compensate for it.

As an agility-type soul master, why would he waste soul skills on defense?

His martial soul wasn't inherently strong, and his talent was limited. Instead of trying to be an all-around fighter, it was better to specialize in speed. Excelling in one area was far better than being mediocre at everything.

Not every soul master could be like Mu Yang, achieving a perfect balance in all aspects while still excelling in every category, even surpassing top-tier specialists of the same level.

"Bing'er, hold back a little. Your strength is exceeding expectations."

Seeing that Shui Bing'er had successfully controlled the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor with one move and then severely injured him with the next, Mu Yang's eyelid twitched involuntarily, and he quickly sent a voice transmission to remind her.

Since their opponents included a Soul Emperor and two Soul Sages, there was no doubt that the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor was just the vanguard, while the two seven-ring Soul Sages in the rear were the true main force.

If they eliminated the vanguard too quickly, they would have to face the main force next. As two five-ring Soul Kings, lasting against two Soul Sages for an extended period would seem almost unbelievable to outsiders—it would be far too eye-catching.

Mu Yang could understand why the assassins had attacked in two waves.

The Soul Master Tournament was ongoing, and Heaven Dou Empire's law enforcement was stricter than usual. To commit murder in Heaven Dou City, especially targeting someone as well-connected as himself and Shui Bing'er, meant the assassins likely had no chance of escaping.

Training high-level soul masters wasn't easy. If they could trade a six-ring Soul Emperor to kill them, why sacrifice two seven-ring Soul Sages?

The only reason those two Soul Sages were dispatched was likely as a backup plan in case the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor failed, ensuring the assassination mission's success.

And perhaps those two Soul Sages weren't the only backup. Could it be that the eight-ringed, burly woman who had been hiding in the shadows was also part of the plan?

As this thought crossed Mu Yang's mind, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Was this an endless scheme? Layer upon layer of deception—why not just send a Title Douluo to finish the job?

While Mu Yang was feeling frustrated, the "Overlord Flower", who had been secretly following him under Qian Renxue's orders, was equally stunned. She was supposed to intervene at a critical moment to save Mu Yang and Shui Bing'er, creating a self-directed "life-saving grace" scenario.

Since Mu Yang had already sensed the two seven-ring Soul Sages in the rear, the hidden "Overlord Flower" naturally noticed them as well.

As an eight-ring Soul Douluo specializing in strength-based assaults, she wasn't proficient in mental perception, but she was still more than capable of detecting their presence.

"The Young Master's plan seems to have a flaw..."

The Soul Douluo, her face darkening, couldn't help but think to herself.

Two additional Soul Sages beyond the original plan had appeared, which normally wouldn't be a big issue.

With her strength as a top-tier eight-ring Soul Douluo, she was more than capable of ensuring Mu Yang and Shui Bing'er's safety and completing the Young Master's "life-saving grace" plan. This would lay the groundwork for future manipulations based on gratitude.

However, one crucial factor complicated everything—the two Soul Sages couldn't be from the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall.

There was no doubt that any assassins who attacked Mu Yang and Shui Bing'er today wouldn't make it out of Heaven Dou City alive.

Unlike the Ghost Wolf Soul Emperor, who was merely a hired assassin and whose background wouldn't lead anywhere, if these two Soul Sages were found out, tracking their origins wouldn't be difficult for Heaven Dou Empire.

If an investigation revealed that these Soul Sages were affiliated with the Heaven Dou Spirit Hall, then the truth would inevitably come to light—Mu Yang would know that the Spirit Hall was behind this attack.

And one day, the Young Master's true identity would be exposed. She couldn't forever maintain her disguise as Xue Qinghe. When that day came, Mu Yang would remember today's incident, putting the Young Master in an incredibly awkward position.

Think about it—if the Spirit Hall tried to assassinate someone, but at the critical moment, the Spirit Hall's heir swooped in to "rescue" them, this might seem fine if the truth remained hidden. But if it was ever exposed, would this so-called "life-saving grace" still hold any weight?

Although "Overlord Flower" prayed that these two Soul Sages weren't from the Spirit Hall, she knew deep down that they were most likely sent by Salas.

After all, only the Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire had both the motive to assassinate Heaven Dou's young soul master geniuses and the power to bear the consequences of failure.

But the Soul Master Tournament had just started. Unless the Star Luo Empire had long anticipated Mu Yang's existence, they wouldn't have been able to act so quickly.

With the distance between Star Luo City and Heaven Dou City spanning thousands of miles, delivering intelligence and mobilizing assassins in such a short time was nearly impossible. Based on this timing, Star Luo Empire could almost certainly be ruled out.

Which meant the culprits were none other than the Heaven Dou Branch Spirit Hall.

Great. They were stabbing themselves in the back.