Section Ninety-Six: Black Soul Cannon

The black-clad woman noticed the arrogance of her subordinates and could not help frowning slightly. In a low, sharp voice, she snapped, “Shut your mouths, all of you!”

Her cold voice swept through them like a blade of ice, and every sound vanished at once. Everyone jolted and fell silent, too frightened to breathe.

“What is there to be proud of about an outer camp?” The black-clad woman’s tone was grim. “If we can’t even deal with the outer camp of the Radiant Martial Association, then what use are you?”

That final cold snort struck the hearts of the crowd like a heavy hammer, sending a shiver through every one of them.

“Jing Hao is right below us,” said a black-clad man beside her in a low voice. “Rumor has it there’s also a newly arrived recruit here, and he’s quite capable. But there isn’t much reliable information about him.”

At the mention of Jing Hao, everyone’s expression turned solemn.

The Radiant Martial Association was the Black Soul’s greatest enemy, and the masters of the Radiant Martial Association were people they knew very well.

Jing Hao was one of the young experts to rise within the Radiant Martial Association in recent years, skilled in swordsmanship. His teacher was the famed expert Zuo Yitian of the Radiant Martial Association. Jing Hao had not disgraced his master either; at such a young age, he had already become a bronze martial artist. He was low-profile and restrained by nature, devoted entirely to martial cultivation, and very few knew the true extent of his strength.

Even the black-clad woman had not expected Jing Hao to be in the outer camp at Daling. Only after they had interrogated the outer-camp disciples of the Radiant Martial Association had they learned that Jing Hao was here.

When she first heard the news, she had been utterly shocked and had nearly decided to abandon the operation. But after much hesitation, she felt that the strength at her disposal was still more than sufficient, and so she chose to press deeper.

She had prepared for this operation for a long time, pouring in endless time and energy. Naturally, she was unwilling to give it up so easily.

It is Black Soul, Jing Hao said softly, his expression severe and cold, killing intent surging in him.

Black Soul was the mortal enemy of the Radiant Martial Association. The struggle between them had existed almost since the birth of both sides.

Tang Tian’s heart tightened. He thought of what had happened in Starwind City. To be honest, his impression of Black Soul had been terrible already, and now it had only grown worse.

Jing Hao narrowed his eyes and, through the crack, studied the group in the distance as they cautiously worked their way toward them. Soon his gaze fell on the black-clad woman wearing a mask, and his expression instantly hardened.

Tang Tian immediately noticed the change in Jing Hao’s face and hurriedly asked in a low voice, “What is it?”

“Be careful. That’s a Black Soul Knight,” Jing Hao warned him. Then, remembering that Tang Tian did not know much about Black Soul, he explained quietly, “Black Soul’s classification is completely different from other organizations. They borrow the names of chess pieces: pawn, cannon, knight, chariot, elephant, guard, and general. The most numerous but weakest are the Black Soul Pawns; their overall level varies widely. The Cannons are mostly fierce, powerful fighters. The Knights are scouts. They have the most information and are skilled at tracking and long-range ambushes. The Chariots are few in number, but every one of them is a true powerhouse—rampant and overwhelmingly forceful. If you run into one, be very careful. The Elephants are mostly specialists in bloodlines and mechanisms, and they rarely appear. But there are also combat-oriented Black Soul Elephants, experts in schemes and trickery, with many strange methods. If you meet one of those enemies, remember not to give him time to speak—kill him at once. The Guards excel at assassination, appearing and vanishing without a trace; they’re a huge nuisance, and every one of them is an elite. As for the Generals, they are the very top of the strong. Before you become one of the strongest yourself, if you see them, do not hesitate—turn around and run.”

Tang Tian suddenly remembered the Black Soul man surnamed Wu whom he had encountered in Starwind City. He must have been a Black Soul Elephant.

Still, that Mr. Wu had left a deep impression on him.

“This is only their professional classification; it doesn’t necessarily reflect their actual strength. Each profession has its own tiers. Apart from the Black Soul Pawns, don’t underestimate any of the others. Black Soul’s internal competition is far fiercer than ours, and they are much better at fighting. When you face Black Soul, you must not hold anything back,” Jing Hao reminded him with a grave expression.

He had not expected to run into such a large Black Soul force here. It was obvious that Black Soul was plotting something. But there was no time to think it through now. Jing Hao himself felt little fear; he was only somewhat worried about Tang Tian.

“I’ll take care of the Black Soul Knight,” Jing Hao said in a deep voice. “Be careful of the black-clad man beside the masked woman. His strength is no joke. He is very likely a Black Soul Cannon. If not, then he is one of the outstanding Black Soul Pawns.”

Tang Tian gave a light reply, battle intent already boiling in his eyes.

Jing Hao’s expression remained stern as he raised his long sword vertically. Then he suddenly loosened his grip and let out a whisper-soft shout: “Northern Crown!”

Whoosh.

At the upper end of the hilt, a thread of extremely fine light suddenly lit up. It flowed swiftly, thread by thread, weaving in an instant into a brilliant, gorgeous crown. A mass of dark, cold flame poured down from the crown, coursing along the blade until the icy fire enveloped the tip.

The bronze secret treasure of the Northern Crown, the Sword of the Northern Crown!

Tang Tian stared in shock at the exquisitely ornate sword before him. Over the past few days, Jing Hao had sparred with him using this sword for so long, and Tang Tian had never imagined that such an unassuming blade was actually a bronze secret treasure.

And what a terrifying aura it had.

It was so powerful that Tang Tian nearly believed it was not merely a bronze-tier treasure. Compared with it, his Heaven Furnace Gauntlets felt far inferior.

“This Sword of the Northern Crown was gifted by my teacher, and I have never let it leave my hand all these years,” Jing Hao said with a touch of pride.

Seeing Tang Tian’s stunned expression, he guessed at once what was puzzling him and smiled. “The Peacock Blue on Brother Tang’s body was even more renowned in its day. It’s only been weakened over the years because the spirit within the secret treasure has lacked nourishment. Our Radiant Martial Association’s research into secret treasures is second to none. Brother Tang will naturally have the chance to come into contact with such things in the future. I only hope you won’t bring shame to the name of Peacock Blue.”

Tang Tian committed every word to memory.

He had not expected the Radiant Martial Association’s greatest strength to lie in secret treasures. Tang Tian was somewhat surprised.

Seeing Jing Hao behave as though facing a formidable enemy, Tang Tian said nothing more and immediately began activating his own secret treasures.

Whoosh, flames of red burst from the Heaven Furnace Gauntlets.

Snap, the Little Horse Flying Boots extended four tiny hooves.

Peacock Blue emerged across his body, the deep-blue peacock-feather armor intricate and beautiful.

His physical strength and true energy were stimulated as well, becoming unprecedentedly active, and Tang Tian’s confidence surged.

It was only a pity that he could not use the Saber-Tooth Tiger in front of Jing Hao...

The impact of Kong Youlin’s death had been far greater than he had expected. Tang Tian planned not to use his mechanized combat armor until the influence of that matter had gradually calmed down. Otherwise, if he exposed himself, Kong Yiyu would surely come looking for trouble.

But his recent progress had also greatly boosted his confidence. Even without mechanized armor, he had no fear at all.

“Ready?” Jing Hao asked without turning his head.

“Ready.”

Tang Tian felt no fear whatsoever toward the battle about to begin. His fighting spirit burned like a blazing fire.

“Kill!”

Jing Hao’s voice floated through the air, and the figure before them had already vanished.

Tang Tian said nothing more and immediately charged after him.

It had to be said that Jing Hao chose his timing brilliantly. Their sudden appearance was like two sharp blades plunging into the enemy formation, instantly causing a wave of panic.

Jing Hao lightly flicked the Sword of the Northern Crown in his hand, and several streaks of blood suddenly appeared in the air. On the throats of several men, a line of blood emerged all at once. They widened their eyes, clutching their throats with both hands, making choking sounds but unable to utter a single word before crashing to the ground.

Jing Hao’s ferocity immediately caused a commotion.

No one noticed Tang Tian.

Tang Tian’s target was the black-clad man that Jing Hao had said might be a Black Soul Cannon.

When Tang Tian closed to within about five meters of the black-clad man, the latter finally sensed him, but the moment he saw that it was Tang Tian, a savage smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He raised his iron palm and struck straight at Tang Tian.

Whoosh.

The dark, black palm-light that surged from his hands was like black smoke, and a fierce, murderous intent instantly enveloped Tang Tian.

Tang Tian’s eyes lit up. The power behind that strike was tremendous.

He showed no intention of dodging and met it head-on with a punch.

Seeing that Tang Tian would neither evade nor retreat, the black-clad man’s eyes filled with contempt. Especially when he saw the fine ripples surrounding Tang Tian’s fist, he instantly recognized the move: a fourth-tier martial technique, Shockwave Fist.

The mocking look in his eyes deepened. How laughably overconfident.

A fourth-tier martial technique actually dared to challenge him. He really did not know his place. His palm technique was the fifth-tier Crushing Heart Palm. He had spent years perfecting it, and it was precisely by relying on this overwhelmingly fierce technique that he had been selected as a Black Soul Cannon and escaped the status of a Black Soul Pawn.

Neither side had any intention of dodging. Fist and palm met without the slightest flourish.

The black-clad man’s expression suddenly froze on his face.

The shock force of that punch had not exceeded his expectations, but immediately afterward, the opponent’s true energy exploded without warning.

Bad!

Dragon Taming Force!

Before he could react, a sharply carved stream of power broke straight through the true-energy defense that had already begun to loosen and drilled into his body.

He could not help but let out a dull grunt and staggered back several steps before barely dispelling the force.

His heart was gripped by terror. Triple force—this fellow’s true energy actually contained triple force.

Clearly only fourth-tier true energy, yet it had nearly caught him off guard.

Before he could recover, a thunderous roar exploded suddenly beside his ear. A ferocious figure wrapped in deep-blue afterimages rushed forward, and a fist covered in countless shockwaves rapidly expanded in his eyes.

The black-clad man had extremely rich combat experience and knew there was no room for even a moment’s hesitation. His body shot backward, while his right leg lashed out silently like a viper striking.

A streak of black light wrapped around his toes, like a sharp black spear, stabbing silently toward Tang Tian.

But Tang Tian reacted with ghostly speed. He kicked hard off the ground with his right leg, drew both legs in midair, curled his body into a ball, and smashed straight toward the black-clad man’s chest.

He moved so quickly that the black-clad man even had the absurd impression that Tang Tian had anticipated his attack long ago.

He was utterly shocked.

This was the first time he had ever been suppressed so completely in battle. Whoosh, Tang Tian, curled into a ball, was like a massive boulder launched by a trebuchet, hurtling toward him with a deep whistling sound.

The black-clad man clenched his teeth and was just about to thrust both palms forward to block Tang Tian’s impact.

If those two palms struck the opponent, he himself would suffer the force of the collision and sustain some minor injuries, but the opponent would be hurt even more severely.

As the distance between them grew ever smaller, those two black, smoke-like palms were about to slam into Tang Tian, who came whistling straight at him.

Then Tang Tian’s curled body suddenly unfolded in midair. His toe tapped the ground, and with a snap he sprang up, leaping clean over the black-clad man’s head.

The black-clad man froze. He did not understand what Tang Tian was trying to do, when suddenly the corner of his eye caught three streaks of light charging straight toward him. He immediately jolted, his expression changing!

Bad!

Moon-Hand Blade!

All of the fellow’s earlier movements were nothing but a feint...

Puff, puff, puff!

Three crescent slashes sharp as lightning pierced into those two black smoky palms from three different angles.