Master of Nine Stars

With a send-off like this, Ying Jie’s life had been worth living!

A loud THUMP!

As Ying Jie’s Frost Snow Armor shattered, Yin Hu didn’t care if the man was already unconscious. He slammed a fist into Ying Jie’s jaw, cutting off the blood supply to his brain once again.

Finally, the dust settled.

Inside the bungalow, Yin Hu held Ying Jie by the collar, turned his head toward the shattered eastern window, and chuckled. ”First time seeing a Snow Dragon of this caliber, huh?”

Rong Taotao opened his dazed eyes. Hearing Chen Bingxun’s voice, he couldn’t help but frown slightly. ”Snow Dragon?”

Yin Hu, still holding Ying Jie’s body, kicked through the wall beneath the window and stepped out. ”Yep. The common, low-level Soul Beast from outside Hundred Corps Pass—the Snow Dragon.”

Rong Taotao recalled the image of Chen Bingxun’s ”Hungry Tiger Pounces on Snake” and rubbed his head. ”That Soul Skill was the Snow Dragon’s Snake Form? Heh, I really didn’t recognize it.”

”It had Snake Form, but there was also a Fusion Skill involved.” Yin Hu casually tossed the body into the snow. ”Xu Dog.”

Gao Lingwei replied, ”Here.”

”Take your credentials to the gate. Identify yourself to the Soul Police or soldiers who will be arriving, have them help guard the entrance, and then rejoin the team.”

”Yes, sir.” Gao Lingwei agreed, but she hesitated slightly. Only after Yin Hu supported Rong Taotao and took over the swaying body did she quickly head out.

Chen Bingxun wasn’t as considerate as Gao Lingwei. Supporting Rong Taotao’s body with one hand, he stood in the snow and chuckled, ”Can you stand steady?”

”I can, I can...” The words had barely left Rong Taotao’s mouth when Chen Bingxun let go. Rong Taotao swayed and quickly summoned a Heaven-piercing Halberd to barely keep his balance.

Yin Hu gestured at the unconscious Ying Jie and continued, ”You know, for Ying Jie to have cultivated to the rank of Middle Soul School means he and his Lifebound Soul Beast are extremely compatible.

”And a person like Ying Jie, who burns, kills, and plunders—committing every evil imaginable—that means his Lifebound Soul Beast must also be of the insidious and vicious type.

”The Snow Night Shock is undoubtedly the most perfect Lifebound Soul Beast in the northern Snow Realm. Its Soul Skills offer flexibility, its body provides an endurance boost, and it’s also a perfect mode of transportation.

”However, most of them are gentle and kind. Finding one that’s cruel and tyrannical, or insidious and vile, takes some effort.

”So, as you can see, Ying Jie’s Lifebound Soul Beast is a Snow Dragon.”

Snow Dragon. The name sounded rather nice, but they were really just snow snakes that hid beneath the drifts. Their level wasn’t high and their Soul Skills weren’t remarkable, but they were very good at ambushing people.

Although Snow Dragons were low-level, they had a bit of cunning. Unlike the foolish Snowflake Wolves, which were ruled by bestial desires, the Snow Dragon species knew who to provoke and who to avoid.

When Rong Taotao first went to train outside Hundred Corps Pass, he would occasionally see the silhouettes of Snow Dragons slithering under the snow. But as his strength grew, these creatures started giving him a wide berth, rarely appearing in his line of sight anymore.

Yin Hu turned his head, saw Gao Lingwei speaking with the Soul Police who had arrived at the courtyard gate, and said, ”Today, I’m going to teach you something you’re only supposed to learn just before graduation.”

”Hm? What is it?” Rong Taotao leaned on his Heaven-piercing Halberd with one hand, looking at Chen Bingxun in confusion.

Yin Hu said, ”Considering the level of resistance Ying Jie just put up, we could have killed him outright. But he’s useful to us, and Captain Fu specifically ordered us to take him alive. So, we have to arrest him and bring him back.

”For a Middle Soul School like him, do you think something like handcuffs could restrain him?”

Rong Taotao shook his head. ”Absolutely not.”

Watching Gao Lingwei stride back, Yin Hu said, ”So, we have to take a drastic measure. We’ll kill his Lifebound Soul Beast. That way, all his Soul Techniques and Soul Power will dissipate.”

Rong Taotao was stunned.

He was very familiar with the concept of a Lifebound Soul Beast dying.

Never mind a Soul Martial Artist who had been cultivating his whole life; even Zhao Tang, who had only been cultivating for three short years, was still struggling immensely after his Lifebound Soul Beast died.

And you had to remember, young people have a higher tolerance for error. They can withstand failure, and the cost of getting back up is lower.

But for someone like Ying Jie, who was over forty, if his Lifebound Soul Beast were killed, he would likely never be able to make a comeback in this lifetime.

’Still, for a man as wicked as him, losing all his Cultivation Techniques would actually be a great thing for the country and its people...’

Rong Taotao looked up at Yin Hu and suddenly blurted out, ”With two hands, cleave a path between life and death.”

Yin Hu paused. ”What?”

Rong Taotao shrugged and added, ”With one strike, sever the root of all troubles.”

Yin Hu was speechless.

’Those two lines are... hmm... quite fitting, actually.’

As Gao Lingwei returned to the group, Yin Hu knelt on one knee and said, ”With Ying Jie’s cultivation gone, he’ll be easier to transport. Our brothers guarding the prison will be safer, and it eliminates other unnecessary... Hmm. You know, kid, what you said really cuts to the heart of it.”

Yin Hu realized that his long-winded explanation wasn’t as clear as Rong Taotao’s single couplet.

Rong Taotao said, ”Huh?”

Yin Hu plunged one hand into the snow and also recited, ”With one strike, sever the root of all troubles.”

Yin Hu took a breath and said, ”Pig.”

It took Rong Taotao a moment to react. He quickly responded, ”Here.”

It was, after all, the first time someone had called him by his codename, so he wasn’t quite used to it. Plus, his mind was still a bit fuzzy after using Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon.

Yin Hu said, ”Remember, this is a safeguard meant only for criminals on Ying Jie’s level. You still have a long road ahead of you. If you run into some petty thieves, their crimes don’t warrant this. You are not allowed to do this to them.”