Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Showdown

The Coffin Bearer took a deep breath, frantically trying to reassure himself. "This kid only has raw talent; in a real fight, I won't necessarily lose to him."

His eyes suddenly lit up as he said with a sinister gleam, "That's right! I won't lose! Second Soul Skill: White Bone!"

His second yellow century-level soul ring flared, and the tightly sealed coffin began to tremble violently, as if something horrific were about to break out from within...

Xu Sheng was in no hurry to move, watching the vibrating coffin with curious eyes. "This martial soul is quite interesting; it seems similar to summoning creatures from another realm!"

High above on his hovering board, Jiale saw the Coffin Bearer initiate his attack and exclaimed, "Whoa! The Coffin Bearer has taken the lead by activating his second soul skill! What exactly will emerge from that coffin?"

The audience below was gripped by curiosity, eyes wide as they strained to see what was coming.

"Is it coming out? The Coffin Bearer's special ability, summoning otherworldly creatures!"

"It’s said that the creatures summoned by this skill are made of flesh and blood; even if you cut off their heads, they regenerate instantly."

"That kid is in for a rough time; these things are unkillable!"

With a sharp "crack," the entire coffin lid burst open, sent flying into the sky by a massive surge of force...

Slowly emerging from the coffin was a creature with a massive, imposing frame, composed entirely of stark white bones. Most unnervingly, a faint trace of blood could be seen flowing between its various limbs.

The skeletal figure stared unblinkingly at Xu Sheng, its face twisted into a terrifying, eerie grin, as it repeated a raspy, "Kill... kill..."

Xu Sheng remarked with surprise, "It can actually speak? This martial soul has quite a bit of character."

Though he remained outwardly relaxed, a flicker of vigilance stirred in his heart.

The Coffin Bearer sneered, "That kid must be frozen in fear! Perfect opportunity!"

At his command, the skeleton shuddered, ripped one of its own ribs from its body, and gripped it tightly as it charged toward Xu Sheng...

The skeleton's eye sockets burned with endless killing intent. "Kill... kill!"

Reaching Xu Sheng, it thrust the rib forward with brutal force...

Xu Sheng gazed indifferently at the attacking skeleton. In the next moment, he nimbly dodged the strike and, feeling a bit restless, swung his hand back and slapped the creature with full force.

"Bang!"

Xu Sheng's immense strength effortlessly sent the skeleton flying, its bones shattering and scattering across the ground with a rhythmic clatter.

The Coffin Bearer was stunned. "What! He smashed my skeleton to pieces with a single slap!"

The skeleton's body was sturdy enough to withstand a fierce blow from a Power Attack-type Battle Soul Sect master, yet in front of Xu Sheng, it was as fragile as paper!

Xu Sheng shook his hand, which was stinging from the impact. After all, he had struck hard bone with full force; regardless of the skeleton's state, he had certainly felt the rebound.

Once the numbness faded, Xu Sheng taunted, "Is that it? Your skeleton is this fragile?"

Trapped in a predicament, the Coffin Bearer clenched his fists and retorted, "Kid, don't get cocky! My skeleton is fundamentally unkillable!!"

As long as he had soul power, the creatures he summoned were immortal.

Hearing this, Xu Sheng frowned and refocused his gaze on the fragments of the skeleton, wondering, "Unkillable?"

No sooner had he spoken than the shattered bones began to reassemble automatically. Within seconds, the skeleton stood back up, pulled out another rib, and charged toward Xu Sheng again.

A flash of surprise crossed Xu Sheng's eyes. He mused to himself, "Am I fighting a Gundam? It even has a reassembly feature!"

However, the mindless skeleton gave him no time to breathe, lunging at him with a piercing strike.

Xu Sheng murmured, "Third Soul Skill: Defense of the Blood Begonia."

The third black soul ring beneath his feet flared...

Defense of the Blood Begonia: An exceptionally powerful single-target defensive skill. The shield does not dissipate until it is shattered. In other words, unless it is broken in one fell swoop, it will remain indefinitely.

In an instant, a dense, luminous barrier wrapped around Xu Sheng, mere millimeters from his skin.

The rib the skeleton thrust forward slammed heavily against the barrier, which didn't show even the slightest crack...

Instead, the rib in its hand snapped like a dry twig and fell to the ground.

The confused skeleton stared blankly with its hollow eyes, looking from the broken rib on the ground to the shimmering barrier surrounding Xu Sheng.

Thus, a highly dramatic scene unfolded on the stage: the mindless skeleton kept pulling out ribs and thrusting them... they would break... it would pull another and thrust again... and they would break again... repeating endlessly.

The audience, who had initially been confident in the Coffin Bearer, began to jeer.

"Pfft, hahaha, I'm dying! What kind of soul skill is this?"

"That skeleton is so dim-witted; it's been stabbing for ages and can't even pierce the light shield."

The Coffin Bearer squinted, his expression grim. "Damn it!!! Is this the power of a ten-thousand-year soul ring? The skeleton's attacks can't even leave a mark on the barrier."

Relying solely on the skeleton, he couldn't break that shield.

The Coffin Bearer took a deep breath; the only option left was to gamble everything.

He shouted, "Third Soul Skill: Bloodthirst! Fourth Soul Skill: Troll!"

His third and fourth soul rings—one yellow, one purple—flared.

The coffin lying on the ground projected three phantom copies of itself.

The next moment, the familiar "crack" echoed as two more coffin lids were sent flying into the sky...

Jiale, who had been silent, feigned excitement. "Whoa! It seems our Coffin Bearer is finally ready to show his true strength. Let's guess what creatures are inside these two coffins!"

Xu Sheng looked at the two additional coffins, his lips curling slightly. "It's useless. The gap between a century-level soul ring, a millennium-level soul ring, and a ten-thousand-year one is vast, and with my own soul power at the Title Douluo level, the difference is insurmountable."

From the two coffins, there first emerged a massive beast, its body as large as four or five skeletons combined. The monstrous creature snarled, its sharp, saw-like teeth appearing infinitely dangerous.

The other was a tall, pale-skinned, beautiful woman. A smile plastered her face, and her two long fangs gave her the appearance of a vampire.

The two summoned creatures let out piercing howls before rushing to tear at the barrier surrounding Xu Sheng.

Under the Coffin Bearer's control, the three creatures set to work...

The skeleton poked with its ribs...

The pale woman bit with her fangs...

The giant beast smashed with its heavy, thick arms...

...

After a long while, the Coffin Bearer rubbed his eyes in disbelief, staring intently at the barrier, which hadn't dimmed in the slightest.

He exclaimed in horror, "This is impossible! Why, after attacking for so long, has that shield not vanished!"

Indeed, the three creatures had been pounding the shield for several dozen minutes, yet it hadn't suffered even the slightest damage!

What on earth was this guy's defensive soul skill?!