"Patriarch Ye, if you insist on remaining obstinate, then I have no choice but to eliminate you first and then take your daughter back to the sect. After all, the next generation can still awaken the Nine-Heart Begonia martial soul."
The Fire Leopard Soul Master had clearly lost his patience. His gaze shifted to the short-haired girl, his words full of threat.
Ye Miaoyun's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly shielded her daughter.
In such a situation, a wave of sorrow couldn't help but well up in her heart. Could it be that the Ye family would be destroyed in her hands?
"Lingling, I'll hold him off in a moment. You seize the chance to escape. Don't look back."
Ye Miaoyun had no intention of waiting passively for death and transmitted her voice to her daughter using soul power.
As a renowned physician on the continent, she was not only skilled in healing but also in concocting various poisons.
While these poisons might not be able to kill a Soul King-level expert, they could stall for some time.
Ye Miaoyun understood clearly in her heart that even if she agreed to join the Fire Leopard Sect, the treatment for her and her daughter wouldn't be any better.
"No..."
Ye Lingling tightly clutched her mother's sleeve, shaking her head repeatedly. Her small face was full of tension and fear, as well as the terror of losing her mother.
"Seeking death!"
Noticing their actions, the Fire Leopard Soul Master completely lost his patience. Pushing off with his foot, his figure shot forward like a leopard.
In an instant, Ye Miaoyun retrieved poisonous powder from her storage soul tool and flung it towards the enemy, propelled by soul power.
The Fire Leopard Soul Master's expression changed slightly, and he decisively retreated. But even with his swift reaction, he still inhaled some of the powder and soon began to show signs of poisoning.
However, as a Soul King-level expert, his poison resistance was much higher than an ordinary person's. This amount of poison wasn't life-threatening.
After all, the field of poison concoction in this world wasn't particularly advanced. Even the Poison Douluo was far inferior to the Tang Sect.
It was rather absurd when you thought about it. The Tang Sect, originally a martial arts sect from another world, after crossing over, possessed power capable of slaying gods.
The fact that even hidden weapons could kill gods precisely indicated that the deities of this world did not possess invincible strength.
"Lingling, run!"
"Trying to run? None of you will escape!"
"Fourth Soul Skill, Blazing Body!"
The Fire Leopard Soul Master shouted, his fourth soul ring lighting up. Immediately afterward, intense flames erupted from his entire body, transforming him into a fiery beast-man.
Under this soul skill, all attributes increased by one hundred percent, and negative effects could be temporarily dispelled.
"Is the heavens determined to annihilate my Ye family?"
Seeing the enemy unaffected by the poison, Ye Miaoyun couldn't help but feel her heart turn to ashes.
Right at this critical moment.
A fiery slash suddenly descended, arriving in the blink of an eye, and struck heavily on the Fire Leopard Soul Master's back.
Even in his martial soul-possessed state, he was still sent flying over ten meters away.
Immediately following, a figure entirely covered in fiery red armor jumped down from the tree, entering the sight of Ye Miaoyun and Ye Lingling.
His posture was tall and straight, his aura powerful. Merely standing there gave people a feeling of trustworthiness.
"You dare to interfere in the affairs of our Fire Leopard Sect? Are you seeking death?"
The Fire Leopard Soul Master scrambled up from the ground, glaring angrily at this suddenly appearing figure. But the next second, he realized something was wrong.
This person's martial soul was clearly not a Beast Martial Soul, and his level wasn't higher than his own, so why did he feel an inexplicable sense of suppression?
Could it be a mutated martial soul?
With his martial soul now suppressed by the opponent, the Fire Leopard Soul Master didn't dare to take risks.
Although this person was only a four-ringed Soul Ancestor, judging from the previous strike, his strength was definitely not inferior to a Soul King.
"Ahem, brother, our Fire Leopard Sect is one of the Lower Four Sects. There's no benefit in meddling in our affairs. You'd better think carefully."
Just as the Fire Leopard Soul Master was preparing for verbal persuasion, the only response he received was a blazing longsword.
"So much pointless talk."
Lin Mu, holding the Molten Scale Blade, gave the Fire Leopard Soul Master no chance to react, directly swinging a slash at him.
An arrow, once shot, cannot be taken back.
Although the Fire Leopard Sect was one of the Lower Four Sects, it was completely incomparable to the Upper Three Sects. It didn't even have a single Title Douluo; its strongest member was merely a Soul Douluo.
Moreover, as long as he eliminated this Fire Leopard Soul Master, the Fire Leopard Sect would have no way of knowing.
By the time he cultivated to the Soul Sage level, his strength would certainly be no less than a Soul Douluo's. Why would he need to worry about the Fire Leopard Sect's retaliation?
As for why he intervened, it was purely a matter of conscience.
As the saying goes, when you see injustice on the road, you roar. As an outstanding youth of the 21st century, how could Lin Mu tolerate a mother and daughter being ravaged by a villain? Especially since he had absolute confidence in dealing with this Fire Leopard Soul Master.
Although the opponent's level was considerably higher than his, he didn't possess any ten-thousand-year soul skills. Moreover, Flame Nava completely countered the Fire Leopard martial soul.
It wasn't a bloodline suppression between martial souls, but an elemental suppression. Flame Nava possessed the power to devour flames. Attacks from the opponent landing on his armor would not only have little effect but would instead be absorbed for his own use.
"No martial virtue!"
Facing the oncoming Molten Scale Blade, the Fire Leopard Soul Master cursed inwardly, hurriedly using his second soul skill to summon a wall of fire in front of him for defense.
In an instant, the Molten Scale Blade easily cleaved through the fire wall and slashed heavily onto the Fire Leopard Soul Master's chest, sending him flying another twenty meters away.
These flames not only posed no hindrance to the Molten Scale Blade but instead increased its power somewhat.
"Pfft—"
The Fire Leopard Soul Master spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with shock and confusion. He, a dignified Soul King-level expert, was actually completely unable to withstand the attacks of a mere Soul Ancestor.
How terrifying!
Every move was a killing strike. With just two slashes, half his life was gone.
What he found most incomprehensible was, what exactly was this guy's martial soul? It clearly seemed to be a Tool Martial Soul, yet it possessed defensive capabilities that most Beast Martial Souls didn't have.
It wasn't that armor-type martial souls had never appeared on the continent before, but they were usually chest plates, arm guards, and the like. A full-body covering armor martial soul like this was practically unheard of.
Not only did it possess astonishing defensive power, but it also had the formidable offensive capabilities of a Tool Martial Soul.
Offense and defense combined—simply outrageous!
"Who exactly are you?"
"Your killer."
As soon as the words fell, a fiery blade energy whistled through the air, giving the Fire Leopard Soul Master not even a moment's respite.
"Damn it."
Feeling the undisguised killing intent, the Fire Leopard Soul Master had no choice but to fight with his life on the line, even at the cost of overdrawing his vitality.
Only by exhausting everything did he barely manage to withstand Lin Mu's assault.
But before long, the Fire Leopard Soul Master realized something was wrong. His soul power was clearly much higher than his opponent's, yet he couldn't deliver effective attacks.
Every time his attack landed on the armor, the flames on his fists were absorbed by the armor.
A Fire Leopard martial soul without flames was like a pistol without bullets; he could only attack with brute force, and his lethality dropped drastically.
On the other hand, Lin Mu, after absorbing the flames, fought with increasing ferocity. Not only did he consume very little soul power, but his offensive power became even stronger than before.
"Don't kill me..."
Lin Mu gave the Fire Leopard Soul Master no chance to beg for mercy. With a single slash, he beheaded him. Blood sprayed out over three meters away.