Master of Nine Stars

“Xu Taiping!!!”

Rong Taotao’s shout rippled through the night, the sound carrying far, far away.

Meanwhile, within the enemy ranks…

A slender figure with an exceptionally handsome face, short white hair, and a pair of scarlet eyes stood atop a giant white rhinoceros.

The snow-white rhinoceros was immense, roughly five meters long and at least two and a half meters tall at the shoulder. Its weight had to be measured in tons.

It wasn’t particularly fast, and its movements were even a little clumsy. Fortunately, the Soul Beast Army wasn’t advancing quickly either, so the snow-white rhinoceros was able to keep pace.

The Soul Beast Army was composed of many different species, yet their ranks were clearly defined, as if meticulously organized by their commander.

A small troop of eight snow-white rhinos was positioned near the front of the Soul Beast Army, and a humanoid figure stood atop each one.

‘They weren’t all from the Ice Soul Guide clan. It looks like this is the core leadership team of the Soul Beast Army.’

An Ice Soul Guide, a Frost Beauty, a Snow Prison Warrior, a Frost Death Warrior, a Snow Monk… and there was even a Frost Beauty.

‘What kind of leadership team is this?’

‘They’re all Humanoid Soul Beasts?!’

It was a terrifying lineup, enough to make anyone in the world’s blood run cold!

Hearing the shout from the swirling snow, an Ice Soul Guide with long white hair and a frigid expression, perched atop another snow-white rhino, glanced at Xu Taiping by its side. “Coincidence.”

Xu Taiping said nothing, merely lowering his gaze.

At this, the Ice Soul Guide’s expression grew even colder. Its gaze, now filled with a trace of disgust and contempt, fell upon Xu Taiping. It spoke again, its voice like ice, “Coincidence.”

Xu Taiping finally spoke, offering a simple two-word reply: “Yeah, coincidence.”

And just as the Soul Beast Army had a central command, this small group of eight Trampling Snow Rhinos also had a figure at its center.

Atop the centermost Trampling Snow Rhino was a massive, bizarre humanoid silhouette.

It was draped in a snow-white Kasaya that fluttered gracefully in the biting wind.

‘But the thing is, it actually has facial features!?’

The snow-colored Kasaya was an iconic garment worn exclusively by the Epic-grade Snow Monk clan in the Snow Realm. And what’s more, the “clothing” of most Snow Realm Soul Beasts was an innate part of their bodies.

For example, the Snow General Candles were born with helmets, armor, and capes. The Frost Beauties, on the other hand, came with their own beautiful, snow-white greatcloaks.

This snow-like apparel wasn’t even classified as any kind of Soul Skill; it was considered an innate trait of the Soul Beast.

‘So, based on its Soul Beast traits, this giant humanoid silhouette must be a Snow Monk!’

‘But the thing is, Snow Monks don’t have facial features!’

But this creature had them all! And not just that—its features were quite delicate. The entire face was strikingly beautiful, possessing an androgynous quality that made it impossible to discern its gender. Its charisma was off the charts…

Its eyes were clouded with a grayish-white mist, like cataracts, creating a chilling sight.

‘Eyes clouded with gray mist… that’s clearly a trait of a Snow Realm Soul Beast—a Frost Beauty!’

What’s more, it also had the long, grayish-white hair of a Frost Beauty, which now danced in the wind…

‘Is this a half-blood… uh, a Mixed Species creature?’

So that raises a question!

‘So, did the Snow Monk have an affair, or was it the Frost Beauty who cheated?’

The next moment, the Mixed Monk Beauty slowly raised an arm. Its forearm, however, seemed to dissolve into specks of frost and snow, a swirling vortex connecting its upper arm to its wrist.

The disembodied hand, floating in the air, extended over seven meters away to rest gently on Xu Taiping’s head. “A friend of yours?”

Xu Taiping’s face was grim. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure the large hand resting on his head.

Ever since he was a child, Xu Taiping had despised people touching his head. But now, he had neither the right nor the power to resist.

The Mixed Monk Beauty paid no mind to Xu Taiping’s reaction. It sifted its fingers through his short hair, much like one would stroke a pet cat or dog.

Beside them, the Ice Soul Guide barked, “Answer the Commander’s question!”

Xu Taiping took a deep breath. “A classmate. We’re not close. He’s Xu Fenghua’s son.”

The hand on Xu Taiping’s head paused for a moment. Then, the androgynous voice spoke again. “Xu Fenghua.”

Xu Taiping replied, “Yes. Xu Fenghua.”

The next moment, its long, slender fingers tapped Xu Taiping’s head gently. “Leave the Bailing Tree Maidens. Let the others go.”

“Yes,” Xu Taiping responded quietly.

Watching Xu Taiping struggle to suppress his anger, the smile on the Mixed Monk Beauty’s face grew wider. Its slender fingers toyed with his short hair, clearly enjoying the sight of his humiliation—the look of a man pushed to his limit, yet forced to endure.

“HISS…” Atop the foremost Trampling Snow Rhino in the group stood a pure-blooded Frost Beauty with a slender, graceful figure. She tilted her head back, and an eerie roar escaped her lips.

Slowly, the Soul Beast Army began to reduce its speed. Their discipline in halting on command was astounding, far exceeding anything a human would expect.

With such tempting prey right before them, a normal Soul Beast Army would have been impossible to stop.

‘So, this is an elite force?’

‘But can an elite force really be this massive?’

As the army’s vanguard finally came into the human Soul Martial Artists’ view, a tremor of dread ran through them.