Chapter 686 1vN?

"Rustle, rustle,"

The atmosphere instantly froze, only the sound of leaves rubbing against the wind echoing, like a snake's head coiling around a tree trunk, slowly crawling over the root of the tree. Black and purple smoke flowed towards the treetop, eventually condensing into a tall, pale figure.

Black and purple armor, the shadows coiled on the ground seemed to be stirring, twisting into hideous ghostly figures.

With a thin face and black and purple patterns, Ghost Douluo Gui Mei raised his head. His deep, dark eyes, mixed with a hint of ghostly purple, swept across the surroundings unhurriedly, his sandpaper-rough, hoarse voice ringing out:

"Since you're here, why not show yourselves for a gathering?"

A gathering?

Who?!

Qin Ming and the others' pupils constricted.

The next second, a light laugh drifted into everyone's ears.

Having reached level seventy, hearing and locating were already essential skills for everyone. They keenly pinpointed the sound source and looked up towards the sky, which was now bright.

They saw Ye Lan, who looked startled, being held by a black-haired girl wearing a light purple soul master robe. A semi-transparent black and red barrier enveloped them safely.

Except for Ye Lan's knee, which had been bumped, being red, there was no blood seeping out, and she was otherwise unharmed. It could be said that the Soul Douluo's palm strike earlier hadn't even grazed her.

"Tang Sui, it's really you!"

The ability to steal a living person right under everyone's noses without a sound.

He couldn't think of anyone else capable of this except Tang Sui.

Gui Mei looked up at the black-haired girl, whose appearance had fully blossomed over the past five years, yet her familiar features were still vaguely discernible. He clenched his left fist.

The failed soul hunting operation five years ago had resulted in severe punishment for him and Yue Guan upon their return to the Spirit Hall. They had to recuperate for nearly three months before recovering. Their prestige afterward was no longer the same; they became ordinary elders in the Elder Hall, and their actions in the establishment of the Spirit Empire were met with Bibi Dong's disdain, no longer as favored as before.

One must know that in the Elder Hall, where everyone was a Titled Douluo, the internal competition had reached a terrifying level. Every major and minor task they were assigned was related to their own value and their ability to advance further.

His current mission was to clear out miscellaneous individuals from the Star Dou Great Forest and ensure its clearance. If he failed again, what would the other elders think of him?!

Thinking of this, Gui Mei's gaze towards Tang Sui turned cold, filled with chilling killing intent.

Sensing the terrifying killing intent emanating from Gui Mei, Qin Ming's expression changed from joy to solemnity. He wanted to tell Tang Sui to leave quickly, but Tang Sui glanced at him.

'Senior Qin, I will deploy my domain shortly and bring you and the other three students inside, then teleport you a hundred meters away. I'll also teleport this female student in my arms. After receiving them, Senior Qin, you should take the four students and run quickly. I'll hold them off here.'

Receiving Tang Sui's secret transmission, Qin Ming, who had intended to urge her to escape, stopped in his tracks. His mind raced, and he nodded subtly.

"Ghost Douluo, we meet again."

Tang Sui looked down at Gui Mei, who stood in the shadows.

"I didn't expect to meet again in the Star Dou Great Forest. The soul hunting operation five years ago was truly a 'courtesy' you extended."

She curved her lips into an arc, but her eyes held no amusement as she said, "Don't tell me you're conducting another soul hunting operation this time?"

"Attack!"

Gui Mei's eyes turned cold, and his body instantly transformed into a wispy black mist. His first spirit ring flickered, and he raised his right arm. A massive ghostly hand, virtually generated by energy, slammed into the ground and clawed fiercely at Tang Sui.

With a thought, a dark vortex silently opened behind Tang Sui. As the dark purple ghostly hand touched the barrier, it collided, creating a powerful energy wave.

"Hurry and go."

Tang Sui whispered, pushing Ye Lan in her arms towards the vortex. Her free five fingers slightly parted, and black and red demonic energy solidified, transforming into two slender long blades that she held steadily. Just as the barrier was about to be broken by Gui Mei's attack, she flashed out, transforming into seven dark golden afterimages that swept towards Gui Mei, turning defense into offense!

Gui Mei raised his hand to block, but what horrified him was that the black and purple ghostly hand, which should have easily blocked the opponent's attack, was like a paper-thin fake hand. The dark golden afterimages, resembling fragments, pierced through it with each strike, accurately forcing him, who was hiding behind the ghostly hand.

"How is this possible?!"

Gui Mei, finally seeing the true nature of these afterimages, struggled to parry the fragments, which were eerily like eyeballs, and the fragments themselves were bizarre. His arm trembled slightly from the excessive force. He looked at Tang Sui, who was attacking him again, with disbelief and quickly transformed into a ghost, using the dispersed black mist to briefly disrupt her target and evade Tang Sui's strike.

"They've disappeared!"

Simultaneously attacking Qin Ming and the others, the Soul Sages exclaimed in surprise, watching as a black vortex spread across the ground, sucking in Qin Ming and the four students caught off guard, causing them to miss their targets.

A hundred meters away, the black vortex spat out five figures.

The moment their feet touched solid ground, Qin Ming sternly ordered the four students, who hadn't recovered yet, to run.

Within five hundred meters, this distance was still within the perception range of the Soul Sages and above present, as well as some soul masters with outstanding mental strength.

They exchanged glances and prepared to pursue when the black vortex suddenly opened in their path of advancement, swallowing several Soul Sages who couldn't brake in time.

The other Soul Sages who managed to brake and evade were still in shock when dark golden afterimages, shooting out from the shadows cast by the nearby trees, slashed across their throats.

"Ugh!"

The black cloth was easily cut. Unable to dodge the second attack, they clutched their severed throats, letting out rough "he he" sounds from their mouths. Their eyes widened, their hands soaked with warm blood, and they stared with unconcealed unwillingness at the treetops or beside tree trunks before falling to the ground, their eyes wide in death!

"What is this thing!"

The Soul Sages who had narrowly escaped were still in shock, while the afterimages that had claimed the lives of their companions flew back to the culprit, revealing their true forms—

Irregular edges and sharp angles, like shattered mask pieces, each piece was incomplete, but in the center, a black and gold vertical pupil opened, rolling around, sending shivers down one's spine.

"Mutated martial soul?"

Gui Mei, who had flashed back to the dense forest, looked up, his gaze filled with uncertain surprise as he observed the fragment-like masks floating around Tang Sui.

Let alone the change in form, they were completely different from the masks that could be worn on the face before.

Just their emitted pressure... made his martial soul, Gui Mei, feel an inexplicable suppression!

What had Tang Sui experienced in these five years?!

Tang Sui, who was being thought of by Gui Mei, raised her hand, her slender five fingers slightly parted in the void. Deep purple halos emerged from beneath her feet, one after another. The fourth was a deep black, the sixth turned into a scorching blood red, continuing until the ninth blood-red spirit ring fully emerged.

Black and red mist accumulated into thick, dark clouds that blocked the bright sky. Blood-red light illuminated the forest, which had become dim at some unknown time, and also illuminated pair after pair of terrified eyes and Gui Mei's utterly astonished face.

"Dual Domain, activate!"

——Author's notes——

Gan, this dog-like orange melon, Mo Li lost her manuscript again. This is a big problem, losing over 20,000 characters without any backup!!! My vision went black. It wasn't until I was about to set the explosive update for tomorrow that I discovered it. The explosive update has been postponed by one day to the 24th, woo woo woo, my blood pressure has directly soared.