Their bodies rival the flesh of true gods—this is the Soul Guard's greatest strength, but also their fatal flaw.
The stronger their bodies, the more spiritual power they must consume to maintain them.
It's just like those techniques that let you boost your power in an instant—the burst can't last for long.
Now that he'd figured out the Soul Guard's weakness, Ian Song had no intention of revealing any more of his true strength.
Just relying on martial power alone, he could fight these four Soul Guard to a standstill—even without using his sword arts. If he did unleash his sword arts or reveal more of his Immortal-Dao strength, taking down all four would be no trouble at all. After all, his true power was already very close to the Human Immortal realm.
As for these four Soul Guard, without relying on their monstrous bodies, their strength was at best equal to an early-stage Human Immortal.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The fight raged on. After such a fierce clash, the void for a hundred li around had been shattered, all buildings on the ground reduced to ruins. Within this hundred-li radius, not a single living creature survived save for the combatants themselves.
"So strong!"
Outside the battlefield, several blood-red figures hovered in the air, staring at Ian Song as he fought, their eyes full of shock.
"As expected of Master's Master!"
Wrapped in blood-red aura, a voluptuous, scantily-clad beauty gazed on with worship in her eyes.
That's right—these people were the prodigies of the Blood Demon Race.
In a flash, both sides had already exchanged a thousand moves.
Hidden in a fold of space, Fifth Master Ji's eyes grew restless. The Ji Clan might be the Central Domain's number-one family, but even they had to respect the imperial family's authority.
Outsiders didn't know the Soul Guard were the Ji Clan's trump card, but the emperor definitely did.
If the collateral damage was minor, the emperor might turn a blind eye for Jasper Ji's sake. But if things got out of hand, there'd be no leniency.
So, the battle had to end quickly!
With this in mind, determination flashed in Fifth Master Ji's eyes, and a golden bell appeared in his hand.
This bell was one of the Ji Clan's three clan-suppressing treasures—the Celestial Soul Bell. Its raw offensive power wasn't impressive, but its true value lay in controlling an enemy's soul.
"Bang!"
Ian Song's body was blasted away like a rag doll.
"There's a fifth attacker!"
The spectators instantly realized what was happening.
"Should we help him?"
Among the Blood Demon prodigies, the voluptuous girl spoke up anxiously.
"Let's wait and see!"
The leader of the Blood Demon prodigies replied.
"What are you waiting for? If he gets killed, what'll we do if Master blames us?" The voluptuous Blood Demon girl grew even more agitated.
"Relax, he's Master's Master—his true strength is beyond our imagination. What he's showing now is just the tip of the iceberg!" The leader was utterly confident.
"Hmph, I hope you're right. Otherwise, when Master comes back, I'm definitely going to report this!" The voluptuous Blood Demon girl huffed.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Knocking Ian Song away with a single blow, the four Soul Guard weren't about to waste this rare chance—they shot after him, unleashing another ferocious barrage.
But at that very moment—
Ian Song smiled at them—and vanished on the spot!
When he reappeared, he was already thousands of meters away.
"Slap!"
A crisp slap echoed across the battlefield as Ian Song sent a figure flying with a single palm strike.
"Trying to ambush me? You're asking for death!"
Ian Song sneered, chased after his target, and before the man could fight back, slapped him again.
Ian Song slapped his target again and again, sending him flying each time. After several slaps, Fifth Master Ji was furious beyond belief.
"Isn't that Fifth Master Ji?"
"No way—are those four also from the Ji Clan?"
"No wonder the Ji Clan is called the Central Domain's top family—they really do have deep foundations!"
Just then—
The Soul Guard charged in again.
Just when Fifth Master Ji thought he’d be rescued, Ian Song switched from palm to fist. Divine light burst forth as he punched, and with a sickening splat, Fifth Master Ji’s head exploded like a watermelon.
"Holy crap, Evan Chu actually killed Fifth Master Ji!"
"Now the Ji Clan and Evan Chu are locked in a feud to the death!"
But the strangest thing was, as soon as Fifth Master Ji died, the four powerful Soul Guard turned and fled in all directions.
"Trying to run?"
Ian Song snorted coldly, and a blue dragon sword appeared in his hand.
The moment he gripped the sword, Ian Song's aura changed, and overwhelming sword intent flooded the battlefield.
"Slash!"
A single sword strike cut through all four directions.
All four fleeing Soul Guard were struck and knocked to the ground.
Then, with a flicker, Ian Song captured all four Soul Guard and tossed them into his Divine Temple, disappearing right after.
Sword intent can wound the soul.
After fighting Ian Song for so long, the Soul Guard's souls were already battered. Now, injured by his sword intent, they were nearly unconscious.
Without hesitation, Ian Song condensed four Puppet Mastery Divine Art sigils and drove them into the heads of the Soul Guard.
It went smoothly—the Soul Guard barely resisted at all, and Ian Song enslaved them without a hitch.
"Ha! Ji Clan, this time you tried to steal the chicken and lost the rice too!"
Ian Song laughed, suddenly remembering the golden bell that ambushed him. He flashed back to the ruined battlefield, scanned with his spiritual sense, found the bell, grabbed it, and tossed it into the Divine Temple as loot.
The sudden reversal left countless spectators utterly stunned.
Especially the voluptuous Blood Demon girl—her eyes sparkled with stars as she turned to the leader and said, "You guessed right! Master's Master was hiding his real strength!"
"Yeah!" The leader nodded, awe written all over his face. "His power already rivals that of a god—he's terrifying, like a god walking the earth!"
Elsewhere in the void, Prince Rowan Vance's shock slowly faded. He sighed, "No wonder he refused to be Myra's bodyguard. With power like that, only a true god could suppress him!"
In another place, Princess Myra slowly withdrew her gaze, her face full of loneliness. "Sunny, let's go home."
Meanwhile, deep within the Imperial Palace, a middle-aged man in a yellow robe slowly withdrew his gaze and said playfully, "The Ji Clan has really provoked an incredible existence this time!"