Chapter 48

The golden Buddha statue, a weapon martial soul of unparalleled magnificence, initially stood ten zhang tall. Its features were serene—lowered eyebrows, gently folded fingers—suggesting a peaceful, cross-legged posture and a faint smile. Though it lacked any spirit rings, the martial soul possessed inherent qualities, most notably the Indestructible Diamond Body.

As long as a steady stream of soul power fueled it, only a Spirit Douluo or stronger could hope to breach its defenses. This meant Su Xuan was temporarily safe within the golden Buddha statue, but that safety wouldn't last.

"Master, it's no use. We can't break through this at all," one apprentice complained, sweat beading on his brow.

"Why not just leave her and deal with the others?" the other suggested, equally frustrated.

They had tried everything, even their most potent soul skills. They couldn't even scratch the surface of the golden Buddha, let alone move it.

"No," the middle-aged man declared, his eyes narrowed. "Let those guys live. We'll focus on her."

"Ah? But why, Master?" one apprentice asked, baffled.

"That's right. She's just a Spirit Ancestor, and there are two Spirit Kings in that group," the other chimed in.

The middle-aged man's explanation quelled their confusion. "This martial soul is formidable, yes, but that also means it devours soul power. Even if she's a genius, she can't maintain that golden statue forever. Her soul power will bottom out eventually, and the statue will disappear. And when it does, we'll get something far more valuable than a cultivation base."

More valuable than a cultivation base? To evil soul masters, only one thing fit that description.

"Could it be...?" one apprentice whispered, his eyes widening.

"A soul bone?" the other finished, his voice hushed with anticipation.

The middle-aged man nodded, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Yes. As a weapon soul master, her speed is remarkable. I conclude she has soul bones, and more than one. There should be two leg bones, enhancing her agility. The speed-enhancing bones are useless to me. You'll each get one."

"Really? Thank you, Master!" they exclaimed, their disappointment quickly fading.

The middle-aged man's smile deepened. While he was generous with his apprentices, he certainly wasn't selfless.

He suspected Su Xuan had a head soul bone, and of the highest quality. The fact that she could sense their killing intent likely stemmed from that bone. That head bone was more valuable to him than any leg bone.

"But... who is Su Xuan?" he mused, his smile faltering slightly. "To reach this level at such a young age… and to possess three such precious soul bones? She must have some special background."

As the three waited outside, Su Xuan, trapped inside the golden Buddha, understood their strategy. She knew her companions now had a chance to escape.

Relief warred with impatience. As her opponent had correctly surmised, the golden Buddha was a soul-power sink.

She calculated her remaining soul power. Her three soul bones could prolong the statue's existence for a short time.

I have ten minutes, tops. After that, it's up to you, Fang Xin. Be careful.

Kamen Rider Meteor's motorcycle boasted a top speed exceeding 500 kilometers per hour. At that velocity, Yin Xiaoya could reach the nearest soul beast in three or four minutes.

The creature, a lizard of sorts, was currently devouring the corpse of another soul beast. The corpse was much larger than the lizard, which made Yin Xiaoya gape. How could something so small swallow something so big?

[The Devil Belly Flame Lizard is a branch of the Devil Belly Lizard. Fang Xin's second soul ring comes from a Devil Belly Lizard. The Flame Lizard has even faster digestive abilities, and converts everything it eats directly into fire-attribute soul power. It experiences more intense hunger than the Devil Belly Lizard, leading to an extremely irritable personality. Because its intelligence grows slowly, its behavior is also very wild.]

"Irritable personality, low intelligence, and wild behavior… Sounds like impossible to reason with!"

[There are three ways to calm it down: feed it, cool it with water-attribute power, or sever its tail, which stores energy.]

"So it's constantly eating. Where am I supposed to find enough food? This is arid wasteland. And I don't have water-attribute power. I get the first two, but why does cutting its tail calm it down?"

[The belly of the Flame Lizard is for digesting and storing food and possesses spatial abilities. The tail stores the energy that sustains the body. Within half an hour of severing the tail, it will lose the ability to move due to lack of energy, including the ability to eat and experience emotional fluctuations.]

"Got it. That seems like the easiest method." He transformed into Kamen Rider Meteor.

[Saturn!]

[Okay! Saturn!]

He materialized the Saturn ring, aimed at the base of the Flame Lizard's tail, and prepared to launch the spinning weapon.

"Go!"

The Saturn ring hurtled toward its target. Just as Yin Xiaoya thought he'd succeeded, the unexpected happened. The lizard flicked its tail, sending the ring spinning away without leaving a mark. The scales on its tail didn't even seem ruffled.

"Wh… what?"

[I forgot to mention that the Flame Lizard family has evolved a tough protective layer around its tail, its most vulnerable point.]

"You're kidding me! You couldn't have said that sooner?"

Yin Xiaoya watched the Flame Lizard charge. He sighed, pulling out the Meteor Storm Switch.

"Fine. Let's do this the hard way."

[Meteor Storm!]

One minute later, Yin Xiaoya, now Kamen Rider Meteor Storm, clutched the Flame Lizard's severed tail. He dodged the frenzied attacks, then brandished the tail in front of the creature as if it were a lure.

"Hey, hey, hey! Come and get it! Catch me, and I'll give you back your tail! Come on!"

The simple-minded Flame Lizard responded exactly as Yin Xiaoya had hoped. It chased him madly, spitting fireballs and half-digested food. The burning projectiles reeked of bile and decay.

"That's disgusting!"

Though Flame Lizards could move for thirty minutes after losing their tails, this one collapsed after only ten, exhausted and spent. Yin Xiaoya prodded it with his foot. It still snored and glared, so it wasn't dead.

Yin Xiaoya placed a gray-and-white unlocked heavy belt in front of the creature. He lowered his voice, trying to sound enticing.

"Hey, little guy. How would you like to join my company? Eternal life awaits. The road to evolution has no limits. What do you say?"

"Whoosh!"

"..." Yin Xiaoya shook his head. "Guess not. Secretary Mantis, your turn."

Half an hour later, Mantis delivered the unlocked belt to Yin Xiaoya.

"Thanks. You're the best. Change back."

But Mantis didn't move. She stared intently at something in the distance.

"What is it?" Yin Xiaoya asked, sensing the tension in her stance.

"Master, I sense evil. The same desire-filled energy as those humans in the forest."

Yin Xiaoya's face darkened. The direction Mantis was looking was the one he had just come from. A sense of dread washed over him. He pulled out a Candroid. He was about to contact Su Xuan, but the Candroid received a signal first. It was Fang Xin, and she sounded frantic.

"Brother Xiaoya! Is Teacher Su Xuan with you?"

Fang Xin's second soul skill, Exotic Space, stored the life energy she absorbed from the Green Fruit Swamp Dragon. This energy healed and replenished soul power. Because the skill could connect to a recognized companion, when a companion was injured or needed to replenish soul power, it would happen automatically.

Less than an hour after Su Xuan left, Fang Xin felt her soul skill activate. A large amount of life energy was being drawn from her storage, and it was going to Su Xuan.

She panicked. The volume and speed of the drain suggested Su Xuan was using some incredible ability. The consumption was astronomical.

Remembering the evil soul masters, she was convinced Su Xuan had encountered them. She hadn't even had time to rendezvous with Yin Xiaoya. They were already speeding away from the lava mountains, so going back would take too long.

She had quickly informed the other teachers and asked for the Candroid Su Xuan had left behind. She had successfully contacted Yin Xiaoya, but her fears had been realized: Su Xuan wasn't with him.

"Brother Xiaoya, what do we do? Teacher Su Xuan must be fighting them!"

"Calm down. I think I know where she is. The fact that she's still drawing energy means she's alive. I'm going to save her."

"Brother Xiaoya, be careful. There's a Spirit Emperor-level powerhouse there."

"Don't worry. Even Title Douluo won't take Su Xuan from me."

He ended the call. He knew where Mantis was looking, so Su Xuan was probably there. He summoned the Meteor Constellation Driver, maxed out the motorcycle's power, and sped toward the area.

Fang Xin also panicked. The energy drain had stopped.

Teacher Su Xuan, please be okay.

When Su Xuan had unleashed the golden Buddha, she had known it would drain Fang Xin's energy. Knowing it could restore her, she planned to use it to heal her body.

She had been right. When her soul power dwindled, a surge of energy poured into her. Her body recovered.

Through the golden Buddha, she saw the three evil soul masters waiting. Their expressions were growing impatient. They clearly hadn't expected a long-distance supply line.

This can't go on. The golden Buddha devours too much energy. Fang Xin is running dry. I'll have to make a run for it. She resolved to release the golden Buddha and hide inside.

She replenished her soul power and activated her leg soul bones. She became a blur as she shot out of the golden Buddha, which vanished behind her.

Her actions caught the middle-aged man's attention.

"Not good! After her!"

The middle-aged man had wondered why Su Xuan had so much energy. When he saw her escape, he realized Shrek must have an auxiliary soul master who could provide energy over a distance.

They had waited for Su Xuan, so he wouldn't let her escape now. He used all his strength to give chase.

A Spirit Emperor's speed was beyond his apprentices. They quickly fell behind.

It wasn't their fault. Su Xuan's soul bone-enhanced speed was insane. Even the Spirit Emperor could only close the gap inch by inch. On top of that, Su Xuan could shoot arrows without slowing down, which was unnerving.

"You two stay here. I'll chase her myself!" the middle-aged man ordered.

The apprentices were relieved and stopped, sweating profusely. They watched the two figures vanish into the terrain.

"That's embarrassing. We're supposed to be agile attack soul masters," one muttered.

"When we get her soul bones, we'll have her speed," the other said.

"Hmph! We have to drain her cultivation," the first added.

"Haha, don't get greedy. We're lucky to get soul bones. Let Master have the rest."

"Om!"

A roar interrupted them. A strange two-wheeled vehicle was hurtling toward them. A young man sat on top. He stopped when he saw them, and the vehicle vanished.

"Hey, who said we can't eat meat?" the young man said, his voice deceptively calm.

"Yeah, I didn't expect delivery," the other said with a sneer.

Yin Xiaoya walked to them, his expression grim. He looked around for Su Xuan.

"Evil soul masters, I'll ask this once. Don't play games. Where's the woman who just fought you?"

The two hadn't expected Su Xuan to have backup, and they were thrilled. Shrek's were good prey.

"You know we're evil soul masters, and you came alone?" one asked, smirking.

"Brother, let's hurry before Master gets back," the other said, eager to claim his prize.

Yin Xiaoya knew he had to act. These two were likely Spirit Kings, and Su Xuan hadn't fallen into their hands.

Before their master returned, he would deal with these two. A metal belt appeared in his hand.

"Hmm… I smell strong soul power," one said.

"Me too. Let's do this together," the other agreed.

Yin Xiaoya sneered. "You evil soul masters are greedy. Your hunger is disgusting. But… my next meal might be even uglier, because I'm hungrier than you."

He buckled the belt. The Devil Belly Flame Lizard unlocked belt looked ferocious. It had a pair of glowing red eyes on either side.

The two released their martial souls and charged.

But Yin Xiaoya calmly grabbed the left handle, turning it forward slightly. The eyes on the belt flashed a menacing red.

[ALPHA!]

Yin Xiaoya unleashed a primal roar.

"Uhhhhhh~~~A~~MA~~ZON!!!"

***

Leave a comment and review of your thoughts

Give some power stones to support this novel.

Advance chapters are in my P@|r3on - Najicablitz