First, Lu Shang had defeated the champion, Li Yuanqing, with a single punch.
Then, Li Yuanqingâs older brother, the current Crown Prince Li Changâan, had stepped in and given Lu Shang a thorough thrashing. But just when everyone thought the matter was settled, Lu Shang unexpectedly revealed a hidden technique!
And it was a baffling technique at that.
The black flames erupting from Lu Shangâs body didnât seem to be physical. Instead, they were Soul Fire, condensed from a nearly-tangible Divine Soul.
"I didnât want to use this move in front of everyone, but you forced my hand, so donât blame me for what comes next!" He stared at Li Changâan, a vicious grin on his face. "Watch closely! This is the great power that will one day rule the world! The humiliation you just gave me, I will now return a hundred, a thousand times over!"
As soon as he finished speaking,
Li Changâan found that black flames had suddenly ignited on his body as well.
The black flames started burning from his fistsâthe very parts of him that had touched Lu Shangâs bodyâand traveled upward, threatening to set him ablaze like a human torch!
An incredibly sharp pain shot through both of Li Changâanâs fists.
The source of this agony wasnât physical; it originated from his soul.
Li Changâan lifted his arms to look at the burning flames. With every flicker of the fire, the excruciating pain was a hundred times worse than being burned physically.
âThis attack strikes the soul directly!â
âThat strange power the other guy left on me really was a problem. Now, itâs acting like gasoline, igniting my Soul Fire!â
Seeing the black flames raging on Li Changâanâs arms, everyone was stunned. They had no idea when Lu Shang had made his move on the Crown Prince.
All they knew was that after the fire appeared on Lu Shang, flames had ignited on Li Changâan as well!
Someone exclaimed, "What kind of technique is this? Could it be an Immortal Skill?"
Another person shook their head. "This isnât an Immortal Skill. Immortal Skills arenât this bizarre, nor are they so impossible to defend against..."
Li Shiran, who had just been helping Li Yuanqing to his feet, saw this happen. Her beautiful phoenix eyes filled with terror, and she hurried forward. "Brother, whatâs wrong?"
Li Changâan waved a hand at her, signaling for her to stay back.
A short distance away, Lu Shang couldnât help but laugh maniacally. "Now do you see the consequences of opposing me? Donât worry, I wonât let you die so easily. Iâll make your death utterly agonizing!"
As he spoke, he took two steps forward. The raging Soul Fire on his body transformed into two masses of incredibly pure Energy and shot toward Li Changâan.
Although both of Li Changâanâs fists were already alight,
Lu Shang was clearly not satisfied with this progress.
He wanted to set Li Changâanâs entire body on fire, to make him experience the torment of Hell.
This sudden and unexpected development had indeed put Li Changâan on the back foot.
Normally, it would be almost impossible for someone in a lower Realm than him to pose even the slightest threat. And yet, this "child of destiny" named Lu Shang had genuinely managed to do just that with his technique.
Staring at Li Changâan, Lu Shang tried to find any sign of fear or astonishment on his face.
But his hopes were clearly dashed.
Li Changâan sidestepped the two masses of Soul Fire Lu Shang had thrown, then glanced down at the Soul Flame raging on his hands with great interest. "A technique that directly targets the soul? How novel..."
With that, he flicked his hands.
To Lu Shangâs utter disbelief, he simply shook the flames out, which should have clung to him like a maggot to a bone. Li Changâan smiled. "Thatâs a pretty good technique. Iâll take it. Do you have any others?"
Looking at Li Changâanâs completely serious face,
and then at his fully recovered hands, Lu Shangâs voice cracked with disbelief. "You... How did you do that?"
His flames burned the soul directly.
As long as his opponent was touched by even a speck of his Soul Power, he could use his technique to ignite their soul.
And once a soul was ignited, there was almost no way to extinguish the flames unless he himself recalled them.
Not only that, but as time went on, the victimâs soul would become fuel for the fire until it was completely burned away, leaving behind nothing but a perfectly intact husk of a body.
At that point, all he needed to do was reabsorb the separated flames, which would in turn greatly nourish his own being.
He had used this move to devour countless "delectable" souls.
Among them were many High-tier Martial Artists he couldnât have dealt with in the past.
No matter who it was, once touched by the Soul Fire, death was essentially inescapable. The only difference was that Martial Artists with strong and resilient souls and minds could last a bit longer, while those who werenât would be devoured in short order.
But thisâhaving his Soul Fire extinguished by a mere flick of Li Changâanâs armâwas something Lu Shang had never encountered since he began practicing the Soul Technique!
âWhat the hell?â He felt like he had encountered more unexpected things today than in the past twelve years combined.
That guy standing a short distance away didnât seem like a nine-year-old boy at all. He was more like a bottomless ocean trench, horrifying Lu Shang again and again with his terrifying depth!
Seeing Li Changâan start walking toward him again, Lu Shangâs resolve finally began to waver.
âThis guy is just too bizarre!â
Although he still had many techniques he hadnât used, he felt not a shred of security when facing Li Changâan.