Shen An had told Tom and Jerry to run off and hide, but in truth, the two little ones, unable to stop worrying about him, secretly followed him from a distance.
Still, knowing Shen An wanted to keep his identity hidden, Tom pulled out two dog-head masks—one big, one small—and put them on.
Last time, Tom had relied on these masks to blend into a pack of dogs without being noticed. Their disguise was nothing short of perfect.
The two small ones watched Shen An and Flender tear through the forest in their battle, leveling trees left and right, their hearts pounding wildly in fear.
So terrifying… When did Shen An become this powerful?
Fortunately, Jerry had quick reflexes. Every time a stray shockwave flew their way, he would decisively lift Tom in front of himself as a shield.
Tom, now battered and bruised… was truly a good brother. And he'd even claimed he was taking care of Jerry!
Up in the sky, Flender launched a fierce assault. As an agility-type Soul Sage, his close-combat prowess was not to be underestimated.
He fully exploited his incredible speed—his twin wings like blades slicing through the air, creating countless streaks accompanied by a piercing whistle as they slashed toward Shen An.
It was clearly just a pair of wings, but at this moment, they were like a thousand blades raining down. The yellow glow enveloping Flender's body effectively fended off the sword aura Shen An released.
The speed of Shen An's sword grew ever faster. He intended to meet Flender's wings head-on with the razor edge of the Nine-Leaf Swordgrass.
Flender's sixth soul skill was indeed powerful, capable of neutralizing the sword aura of the Nine-Leaf Swordgrass, but Shen An didn't believe he could block the sheer sharpness of it in direct combat.
Flender, however, was no fool. Aware of the sword's edge, he refused to clash directly. Relying on his speed, he danced around Shen An in a whirling assault.
With no hesitation in burning through his soul power, Flender unleashed his terrifying speed like a storm.
Fast. Faster. Even faster!
Shen An felt himself surrounded by Flender's afterimages. Each of them could strike with real force, leaving him more and more overwhelmed.
Tom and Jerry, watching from the shadows, were filled with worry. That guy was so strong… Could Shen An really handle this?
Tom even silently pulled out a hunting rifle, preparing to fire a desperate shot at Flender if Shen An looked like he was about to lose.
But this couldn't go on. Shen An had to break Flender's offensive momentum.
His strongest single-target move, Cloud Severing, was out of the question—it would expose his identity.
A mere Soul Ancestor clashing head-on with a high-tier Soul Sage? That was far too shocking. If word got out, countless powerful individuals might try to strangle him in the cradle.
Shen An never overestimated human nature. People could accept a genius—but a monster? All they felt was fear.
Eyes calm, Shen An fully immersed himself in the battle. Combat, in the end, was about finding a weakness… and exploiting it in one decisive strike.
The arcs carved by Flender's wings grew clearer in Shen An's eyes. He gripped his sword tightly, intercepting every slash.
As Shen An struck again and again, Flender suddenly noticed something odd: the sword aura that had once surged around Shen An seemed to be fading.
Soon, Shen An's presence was entirely subdued—he looked no different from an ordinary person. But in Flender's heart, alarm bells rang.
Shen An carried Unrestrained, allowing him to conceal all soul power and vital energy within his body, ignoring the effects of domains and control-type soul skills entirely.
At this moment, Shen An seamlessly wove his four soul skills into his body. Every move carried great power, yet remained elusive and unpredictable.
After such a prolonged clash, flashy techniques had lost their value. Shen An decided to unleash his strongest sword move—second only to Cloud Severing.
After this strike, regardless of the outcome, he would flee without hesitation.
Countless blades of air once again came slashing toward him, the fierce wind whipping Shen An's long hair wildly. But unlike before, Shen An no longer raised his sword to block.
He gripped the Nine-Leaf Swordgrass with both hands, pouring into it his sword intent, soul power, spirit, physical strength—and the razor will to challenge a stronger foe.
Even the illusionary Nine-Leaf Sword under his feet suddenly merged into the blade. Then, he slashed.
In that instant, time itself seemed to freeze. In Flender's hawk-like eyes, only Shen An remained. A fatal sense of danger surged within him.
A comet-like streak of sword light tore through the sky, coming straight for him.
In a flash, Flender's massive wings wrapped around his body. The glow of his sixth soul ring flared to its peak in defense.
Shen An's strike was so fast, even Flender didn't trust he could dodge it. With no other choice, he triggered his strongest defensive soul skill.
Boom!!
The strike landed like a meteor crashing into the earth, exploding with a deafening roar.
At the moment of impact, even the air itself seemed to freeze. Dazzling sword light erupted, piercing through Flender's sixth soul skill in an instant—the yellow protective glow completely devoured.
The Nine-Leaf Swordgrass pierced his wings, driving straight for his skull. If Shen An could kill Flender in that instant, he wouldn't hesitate.
But in that same moment, the glow of Flender's seventh soul ring burst forth, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a massive owl.
"True Body of the Owl, activate!"
Under his Martial Soul True Body, Flender's body density became extraordinarily high. Shen An's sword had already spent its force, and could no longer push through.
Flender's golden hawk eyes were filled with pain and bloodlust. He had felt the killing intent in Shen An's strike.
And Flender was never one to take a hit without retaliation. Since that's how Shen An wanted to play, then he'd show no mercy.
Murderous light flashed in his eyes as all six of his soul rings lit up in rapid succession.
Shen An didn't hesitate. He used another mid-tier soul power experience pack, instantly restoring his power and breaking through to level 45!
"Explode!"
Without pause, Shen An poured seventy percent of his soul power into his sword. In an instant, blinding light erupted.
With a devastating surge of energy, Flender's massive form was blasted away like a broken sack. Countless owl feathers scattered through the air.
The ensuing shockwave rampaged outward like a hurricane. Trees were flattened one after another. The forest was left in ruins.
Flender crashed to the ground and immediately began purging the sword energy from his body, intending to take flight and chase Shen An.
But all that remained in the air was a fading scar—and three black soul rings slowly trailing after Shen An's retreating figure.
Flender… was he hallucinating? Why did those soul rings look… kind of dumb? And were those cracks on them? Were those even proper soul rings?
A hoarse, low voice echoed in from afar.
"Flender, I'm quite satisfied with today's spar. Don't chase me. Otherwise… I won't mind using my weapon soul true body and fighting to the death."
Flender fell silent. The man hadn't even used his Martial Soul True Body and had only four soul skills… yet had forced him to this point. Even if he caught up, could he really win?
He doubted it.
Feeling the injuries within his body, Flender returned to human form, a stifling frustration weighing heavily on his chest.
"F**k your mother!"
The ever-composed Flender finally exploded, roaring to vent his rage.