Master of Nine Stars

Chapter 78 - 66: Frost Cold Thorn

THUD! THUD! THUD! The Poacher charged, his steps heavy. He looked ecstatic, as if he’d just won the lottery!

The Poacher paid Rong Taotao no mind, singularly focused on capturing him to use as a bargaining chip for survival.

Rong Taotao’s expression was grave. He looked where the Poacher had run and saw the deep footprints left in the snow.

’He doesn’t even know Soul Skill: Snow Step?’

’No, that’s impossible. Si Huan Nian said this Poacher is at least a Soul Warrior, maybe even a Soul Captain.’

’Is the alcohol messing with him?’

Judging by their performance tonight, "cocky and sloppy from the drink" seemed to be the perfect description for these Poachers.

"Hah!" Rong Taotao shouted, seizing the opportunity. He dropped into a lunge and, taking advantage of his Heaven-piercing Halberd’s length, thrust it fiercely at the Poacher!

’A lunging thrust is my polite opening!’

The Poacher casually blocked, a surge of Soul Power flowing from his wrist!

CLANG!

A fist as hard as steel, wreathed in dense Soul Power, collided heavily with the Heaven-piercing Halberd’s Ironspear Point!

A tremendous force shot up the weapon, and Rong Taotao felt the web of his hand go numb. He quickly released his right hand from the handle and sharply raised his knee!

WHACK!

Using the force that had sent the Ironspear Point flying, Rong Taotao kept his left hand on the shaft as a pivot, striking the Halberd Shaft with his knee to add even more force.

It started spinning!

’This move uses skill to overcome brute force. I’ll show you what it means for the soft to conquer the hard!’

The Poacher clearly hadn’t anticipated such a fluid sequence of attacks. But... even though the alcohol had dulled his mind, his body’s natural reflexes were still terrifying!

The Poacher leaped forward, his charging body like a javelin! He dodged the sweeping Halberd Shaft while thrusting both hands toward Rong Taotao’s chest.

Rong Taotao hastily leaned back, falling onto the snowy ground.

SWISH...

The Poacher’s swift figure passed directly over Rong Taotao, flying through a swarm of gently dancing White Lantern Paper Cages.

For a moment, their gazes met.

It was as if the world had frozen. In the eyes of that vicious criminal, Rong Taotao saw an endless, desperate craving.

He wanted to live. He really, really wanted to live.

THUMP... Rong Taotao landed hard on his back. He scrambled to his feet and glanced behind him, only to feel a turbulent current surge beneath his feet!

WHOOSH!

A fierce wind suddenly erupted from beneath Rong Taotao’s feet, swirling and sweeping outward.

A small Snow Dragon Tornado completely uprooted Rong Taotao, sweeping him up and flinging him into the distance.

At the same time, the Poacher climbed up from the snow. He stretched out his right hand, forcefully directing the Snow Dragon Tornado. His eyes shone with a feverish light as he watched the "hostage" fly toward his grasp.

"Holy... shit..." Rong Taotao’s body spun with the Snow Dragon Tornado. The world whirled around him, and the rapid rotation made it impossible to tell which way was which. All he could do was struggle to hold his Heaven-piercing Halberd in front of him.

The Poacher’s face was ecstatic. He easily sidestepped, dodging Rong Taotao’s wildly aimed Battle Halberd, then reached out and seized Rong Taotao by the neck!

"Stop! All of you, stop!" the Poacher roared maniacally, dangling Rong Taotao in the air as he faced the Soul Police behind him.

"Back off! All of you, back off! Or I’ll kill..."

Before the Poacher could finish, a rapidly spinning Wind Ball materialized in Rong Taotao’s hidden left hand. With shocking and unexpected speed, he viciously shoved it toward the Poacher’s face.

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion rang out, making the Poacher’s eardrums ache.

Relying on his superior physical conditioning, he instinctively twisted his head and dodged the blast. However, the shockwave still sent them both flying.

"Damn it..." Rong Taotao grit his teeth. Even though he was only a Soul Soldier, he didn’t have the mindset of one.

It was just like his long-held combat philosophy:

Losing was acceptable. Reality could slap him in the face countless times.

But as long as it was a fight, there was no reason to be a coward!

Blown away by the shockwave, Rong Taotao landed hard on his stomach, his momentum unabated as he skidded backward.

His hands and feet dug deep trenches in the ground as he slid back a full three meters, kicking up a flurry of frost and snow.

In the distance, the White Lantern Paper Cages hurried to catch up. Their specks of starlight couldn’t harm the enemy, but they diligently chased after their master, providing light for Rong Taotao.

The White Lantern Paper Cages did indeed provide him with light, but... because of this, Rong Taotao also became the "brightest beacon" in the dark night.

A living target!

His position was forcibly marked!

The Poacher, who had been staggering backward, halted his retreat, his heart burning with rage.

He didn’t understand why a kid would dare to block him. He couldn’t even fathom why this insignificant Soul Soldier would dare to fight back...

’Is it because I’ve been drinking?’

’Even if my head is spinning and my reflexes are shot... the gap in our ranks is insurmountable! I can crush you with my physical conditioning alone!’

The Poacher flew into a rage and thrust out a hand. "Get the hell over here!"

A Snow Dragon Tornado erupted from the ground, rapidly sweeping forward!

Rong Taotao’s heart leaped in alarm. Lying prone on the ground, he lurched up in a single motion, narrowly dodging a Snow Dragon Tornado.

The Poacher was beside himself with fury. He violently waved his hand. "Get the fuck over here!!!"